Books I would like to see reviewed

[Luke]

Okay, the BSFA and Clarke awards are generally a sign of quality. I can't say the same for other more prominent awards.

[Tamahome]

"The Hugos are like the People's Choice Awards" -- Incomparable podcast.

[Sean]

All awards do is give you a snapshot of the fads of whatever clique chooses the award at the moment they choose. That they occasionally choose good books is nothing more than the law of averages at work.

[Elliot]

Up Against It is densely written and has good world building. It's not as profoundly literate as the 5 star titles, but it's a decent read.

[Andrew]

Maybe this one has already been recommedned - a cut above the usual free from Amazon stuff:

"The Phoenix Conspiracy"

Richard L Sanders

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Phoenix-C...

[Colleen]

I would recommend 'Alien Earth' by Megan Lindholm. The author also writes under the name Robin Hobb - fantasy readers might recognise the author's name from the Farseer Trilogy and it's followers. In Alien Earth humans have been rescued from a dying Earth by space faring aliens. The aliens undertake to shelter and educate humans in living sustainably. The aliens have these ships called beastships, which are part machine part giant space dwelling sentient creature. The humans were rescued from Earth in one of these ships and were placed in a kind of stasis for the journey. One of the main characters is a human who has been in this stasis for a few generations and has only just been revived. The main plot revolves around the aliens true motives, and the truth about the Earth. I don't want to say more as I don't think I can without creating spoilers...

[Jeffrey]

I would like to hear Luke's review of "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman

[Lyle]

I'm curious as to what Mr. Burrage would think of David Gerrold's "The War Against the Chtorr" series. It's an alien invasion tale, but rather than being invaded by aliens with superior technology and spaceships that go 'pew pew pew', it's an ecological invasion. Plagues wipe out a good percentage of Earth's population, then our plants and animals start being overrun by alien plants and animals we just can't compete with. It's pretty clear that an awful lot of thought went into the mechanics of the invasion, and equally interesting is the near-future world Gerrold's built. The characterization sorta kinda reminds me of Heinlein, but without the eye-rolling libertarian preachiness that makes me want to throw Heinlein books across the room. And it's written in a unique tense: first-person idiotic; the hero's a bit of a pinhead.

Two caveats: it's allegedly a seven-book series but only four have been published so far, and the sex is really bad.

[Elliot]

Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone was smart and solid. Hard fantasy and not very humorous, but an interesting world with an intricate mystery story and some powerful characters.

[Kristen]

I just finished up vN by Madeline Ashby. I enjoyed it and thought the world-building was very smooth. Luke might complain about the deus ex machina ending and there was a couple of other out of left field plot twists, but I was pleasantly surprised by vN and would like to hear what his opinion.

[محمد]

Any thing by Michael Crichton.
I find it weird that no Crichton was reviewed.

[George]

I found Crichton kinda average, no offense. Not much left after reading his novels…

[Luke]

When I was younger I read quite a number of Michael Crichton novels. At the time I found them interesting and exciting enough. I don't think I'd read any of the books again, just for the podcast.

I've read (off the top of my head):

Congo
Jurassic Park
Terminal Man
Sphere
Timeline
Airframe
Andromeda Strain

That's a good number, I think. I've not heard good things about his later novels.

[Guillermo]

I vehemently disagree about the disdain you guys have about the Hyperion sequels. I think theyre all brilliant. While Hyperion is the best, if you dont get anything from the sequels, then damn. I guess you just dont like speculative fiction, and thats ok.

[George]

I totally forgot about Sphere, that novel I would gladly read again.
About the Hyperion sequels, they became increasingly predictable and cliche. I mean I expected more than: "human good, AI bad!". And that thing with the Shrike switching from the bad guys to the good… ugh, does Terminator ring a bell?

[Alan]

%^$&^, where do I start? So many. Certainly Mervyn Peake's "Gormenghast" books, esp the first 2 (NOT a trilogy, despite what many say), any of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Grey Mouser books ("Swords of Lankhmar" being the best bet as it's a full blown novel), and in the straight SF field Brian Aldiss "Cryptazoic" or "Barefoot in the Head". Vincent King's "Candyman". Any of Philippe Jose Farmer's "Riverworld" series. Oh, and the original "Dracula" should get in there sometime.

[Alan]

Luke wrote: "Hey guys, thanks for the suggestions. Endymion is intriguing, but I was burnt quite badly with Fall of Hyperion. Lensmen is a good idea too, but I think I've read most of them.

As for Harry Harri..."

Luke, I guess like most things, appreciation of art is subjective. I loved all of Harrisons "Stainless Steel Rat" series... maybe give one of the early ones a try, even if you end up bagging it?

[Emanuel]

Hey Luke, what IS a guarantee for a good book? Ars longa vita brevis... so many books...

[Gregg]

Childhood's End was an important early influence on me. Like mist classic SF, it's fairly short and quick to get through. I wonder how well it's aged?

[Luke]

Gregg wrote: "Childhood's End was an important early influence on me. Like mist classic SF, it's fairly short and quick to get through. I wonder how well it's aged?"

I didn't particularly like Childhood's End the first time I read it, so I'm probably not going to give it another chance.

[George]

Gregg wrote: "Childhood's End was an important early influence on me. Like mist classic SF, it's fairly short and quick to get through. I wonder how well it's aged?"
Not very well... I've re-read it last year and found it a bit silly. I mean, spiritism as the answer to all the questions in the Universe, really?! I also did a written review - it's in Romanian, so I'm not sure how well google translate can handle it. :)

[Luke]

Emanuel wrote: "Hey Luke, what IS a guarantee for a good book? Ars longa vita brevis... so many books..."

There is no guarantee! Not from awards, not from reviews, not from personal recommendations. I presumed Juliane would love Solaris. Turns out... not so much. That'll be a future episode.

[David]

Island in the Sea of Time

[Sean]

This is an off-the-wall suggestion inspired by Luke's Groundhog Day concept album -- a book called Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (Zeroth Maria and the Empty Box) by Eiji Mikage. Imagine if Groundhog Day were a young adult novel by Philip K. Dick. It's told from the POV of one of the ordinary people who doesn't realize he's living in a time-loop but has to deal with an increasingly deranged girl who does.

What makes this off-the-wall is it's a Japanese novel that's only available in English through a fan translation. It's a reasonably good translation, better written than several of the regular books Luke's reviewed, and a pretty quick read.

(Note that there are several sequels, but the first book stands on its own perfectly well.)

[T.L.]

Luke wrote: "When I was younger I read quite a number of Michael Crichton novels. At the time I found them interesting and exciting enough. I don't think I'd read any of the books again, just for the podcast.

..."

Avoid Pirate Latitudes. Not only is it not as good as his earlier books, it reads like a rough draft. The Great Train Robbery is fun though (of course, it is one of his first books so....)

[Otto]

Hey Luke. if you like The Prestige you will probably like The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The writing alone is worth reading it.

[Nico]

I would like to recommend The Inverted World by Christopher Priest.

[AndrewK]

I would like to recommend The Martian by Andy Weir. Would be great to hear an SFBRP review.

[Alexander]

Agreed. The Inverted World is primo Burrage-bait and would make for a solid episode.

[Luke]

Alexander wrote: "Agreed. The Inverted World is primo Burrage-bait and would make for a solid episode."

I have the audiobook on my phone right now! I'll get to it in the next few weeks, I'm sure.

[Arnold]

Andrew wrote: "I would like to recommend The Martian by Andy Weir. Would be great to hear an SFBRP review."

I agree. The Martian was a nice surprise.

I'm reading Tears in the Rain now. It's also pretty interesting as a spiritual successor to Blade Runner

[Isabel (kittiwake)]

I think Luke would enjoy Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold, although not to review on sfbrp as it's not sf or fantasy. It is a novel about the early 20th century stage magician Carter the Great, and various other historical characters show up too. I'm recommending it because Luke said he likes reading books about performers an I loved it.

[Luke]

It's not that I like reading books about performers, it's that I could identify with the story of the magicians in The Prestige. I'm not looking for a list of books about stage magicians :)

That said, Carter Beats the Devil has been on my to-read list for about 10 years now.

[Arnold]

Arnold wrote:

I'm reading Tears in the Rain now. It's also..."

Finished "Tears in Rain" by Rosa Montero. Surprisingly good, especially given that it's a translation from Spanish. I liked the strong, complex characters. There are a lot of different sci-fi elements to the story but its mostly about replicants and coping with difference in society.

[[deleted user]]

Alexander wrote: "Agreed. The Inverted World is primo Burrage-bait and would make for a solid episode."

I'm really looking forward to this one. The first 3/4 of the book was mind blowing, but the end let me down a bit.

[[deleted user]]

Has anyone read Transfigurations by Michael Bishop? It's a really good example of anthropology in science fiction. I would also love to hear it reviewed.

[Alexander]

I'm really looking forward to this one. The first 3/4 of the book was mind blowing, but the ..."

I actually disagree, and found the ending a brilliant thematic "inversion" of genre expectations in the J.G. Ballard vein, at least regarding the protagonist's reaction contrasted with that of his peers in the City.

However, I won't drift into spoiler territory until Luke has read it.

[Luke]

You can use the spoiler tag here. Click the "some html is okay" link for more info.

[Alexander]

Ah, good thinking.

I came to TIW on John Clute's recommendation, who observes that (view spoiler)[the seasoned SF reader is being set up to believe that Helward Mann is destined to be the revelator of secret plots and mind-bending new realities, and will, most likely, be condemned as a dangerous lunatic and subversive by the powers that be. Priest inverts this formula, making Helward the pigheaded reactionary and conservative who clings to his culture's solipsism like a Southern Baptist snorting in wrath over the Satanic hoax of radiometric dating. Meanwhile, Helward's erstwhile community seems pretty easily swayed by the truth, once it's laid out by the Prime Directive-trampling Peace Corps lady from Britain.

Ballard did something similar in his '60s disaster novels, where instead of trying to "solve" the problem in good 'ol Hard SF mode, or "escape" and reboot civilization elsewhere, the "hero" becomes entranced and psychically colonized by the catastrophe, embraces it as a kind of terminal, self-immolating performance-art. The estrangement or disappointment many readers might feel at Helward Mann's un-protagonist-like behavior at the end of TIW may be related to Ballard being outright despised (or ignored) by SF readers whose tastes were forged in the Heinlein-Asimov-Clarke tradition. (hide spoiler)]

For potential new readers of The Inverted World, two precursory caveats:

1. It's a slow start (all that fricken track-laying!), but try and stick with it until Helward begins his pilgrimage to the south with the three women.

2. Some readers feel puzzled or even cheated by the relativistic aging effect. I have my own theory, but will keep it locked and loaded until (if and when) it comes up in discussion.

That being said, if you enjoy high-concept SF along the lines of The City and the City (Mieville borrowed the whole track-laying imagery from TIW for The Iron Council), this may be your thing.

[Alle Bücher müssen gelesen werden]

Hi, i new here, and i would like to give three suggestions:

"The risen Empire" by Scott Westerfeld. I just heard the "Honor Harrington" Podcast, and I do agree with that. "The risen empire" is the opposite of that: actual smart military action, and the people do what the have to do for good reason.

"Soon I will be invincible" by Austin Grossman. The "Red Shirt" Podcast is the reason, why I recommend that. I don't think that Scalzi is writing good books, but when it comes down to the "Meta" thing, "Invincible" goes into a similar direction (but it is not that meta=

And the last book: "Counting Heads" from David Marusek. Reason for that are the short stories from Ted Chinag. I read that also, and right after that the short stories from Marusek ("Getting to know you"), and for my self, both book were equal good. Anyway, Marusek made a novella out of his short stories, and that book is "Counting Heads". I do suggest "Heads" over "Getting to know you", just because there is more stuff inside.

[[deleted user]]

Alexander wrote: "Ah, good thinking.

I came to TIW on John Clute's recommendation, who observes that the seasoned SF reader is being set up to believe that Helward Mann is destined to be the revelator of secret plo..."

I think that John Clute is over-analyzing and trying to justify a really clunky ending to an otherwise excellent book. To me the ending felt more like Priest was trying to come up with a "sciency" ending to the novel. That being said, it is still one of my favorite books. I can't wait to hear Luke's take on it!

[David]

City come a Walkin' by John Shirley! W Gibson has called it Cyberpunk patient zero, and I think it is a masterpiece. I would love Luke's take. Shirley's Demons would be great too. It is a Sci-fi horror novel but great.

[Saku]

Eric Brown writes wonderful old school "scientific romances". In particular, it would be great to hear Luke and Juliana's take on "Kethani" or "The Kings of Eternity". Both are kind of love or hate books.

[Ryan]

Moidelhoff wrote: "I've said it before, I'll say it again.
READY PLAYER ONE.
Why does this rubbish regularly receive 5 star reviews?"

I gave RPO a high rating simply because I had fun reading it, quite against my expectations. Cline seemed like a cool guy in an interview I read, so I took a chance. I liked the characters and I was pleasantly surprised by how well the virtual reality world worked in the story. Would a lot of people just escape into cyberspace after the real world political system and economy broke down? It seemed plausible to me.

It was unquestionably a "popcorn" book, so I didn't give much consideration to its literary merits.

[Ryan]

Yeah, RPO is a book that relies heavily on a single gimmick, and those are often hit-or-miss with different people. To be fair, a lot of the 80s references were completely arbitrary and didn't contribute anything to the story. I wonder, though, if copyright issues kept Cline from having more fun with them. I mean, I guess an author can put a nod to the movie Ghostbusters in a story, but if the author takes something *out* of Ghostbusters and uses it in a different context, that might be trickier.

As for Snow Crash, I think it's an important work for presaging the rise of geek culture and the way America was selling its soul to corporations, but the plot and characters are pretty juvenile. I think Stephenson's later books, e.g. Anathem, are much better.

[Allen]

I am almost done with The Martian. It is by an Author I have never heard of, but I am really liking this book. The science is very good, the pacing is perfect, the characters are a little flat but that hardly matters. It is the story that drives this book. And it is a really good story. When I was about 9 years old I saw the movie "Robinson Crusoe on Mars". It was a horrible movie, but it made me think about how a person can survive in deadly environments. "The Martian" is that kind of book, it is a story about how to survive when the deck is really stacked against you.

This book is now number 1 on my list of books I would like to see made into a movie.

[Sean]

Moidelhoff wrote: "I've said it before, I'll say it again.
READY PLAYER ONE.
Why does this rubbish regularly receive 5 star reviews?"

I suspect Luke would have the same problem with it I did -- if you weren't living in the US in the '80s, it's like sitting through someone else's class reunion.

[Alan]

It's like this: ART is SUBJECTIVE!

If you do not like Charles Dickens or Jane Austen then those books are, for your purposes, bad. If you (are misguided enough to) love the "Twilight" series, then these books, for you, are good.

Unlike, say, a sporting event, where you can say "Chelsea 3 Millwall 1" and know for sure which team won, judging anything creative comes down to an individual's views. All you can really do is find a reviewer whose tastes tend to be along a line with your own, and be guided by them.

If a book has been nominated for a specific award, and you have tended to like other books that won this award in the past, that's a good starting point. My guess is that Luke would not be tempted to investigate a previously unknown author on the strength of an award or nomination as he has previously discovered that for him it's no guarantee he'll like it.

I guess that's the joy of reading - unexpectedly enjoyable discoveries and the occasional disappointment!

[Chris]

I'd love to hear your opinion of Peter Watts' "Blindsight". It's an amazing exploration of the nature of consciousness, both biological and artificial, as well as being an incredible "first contact" story along the lines of "Rendezvous with Rama". I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book since I first read it earlier this year.

[Luke]

Try here.