Books I would like to see reviewed

[Otto]

Its easy to find his books for free.

[Otto]

Its easy to find his books for free.

[Otto]

Its easy to find his books for free.

[Kristen]

RE: Harry Harrison - I think I got burned by the Stainless Steel Rat series. I read the Stainless Steel Rat is Born (a prequel to all the rest of the stories), and enjoyed it. I read some of the other books/short stories in the series and realized that The Stainless Steel Rat is Born not really like the rest of series which strikes me as a humorous/jokey series - not really serious. This was many years ago, but I think Jim the anti-hero and his girlfriend/wife are both ridiculously, unrealistically over-competent/skilled/smart and the authorities are ridiculously dumb. And also dated, even 20 years ago.

[Saku]

Just finished the #250 anniversary podcast, thanks for the great work. One of the best episodes IMHO. The "Hugula"-project has quite a few classics on the SFBRP pantheon, and the addition of so many classics points to one central name missing in the episode list: Jack Vance. I can only say that I envy anybody who has not yet read books like the Dying Earth series and the Lyonesse series because they are in for a treat. Vance is a master of the English language, and has a rare ability to bring strange and alien words to life.

[Otto]

I agree. A true master of Adventure and Imagination, Jack Vance. The Dying Earth especially is full of dazzling imagery and strange lands and intresting characters that Vance uses to critique the human condition. With a good dose of humor and dense plotting. The plots of the Lyonesse trilogy is ocasionally interuppted by boring politics and bizzare sex scenes though.

[Saku]

There's was a wonderful obituary of Vance in the Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013... .

Otto, which Vance book would you recommend as a "desert island" choice?

[Otto]

Tales of the Dying Earth - Definently. Why have one of the books in a sequence when you can have them all in one?

[Luke]

I have read quite a lot of Jack Vance in the past. Dying Earth (or at least most of), Demon Princes (some of), all of Planet of Adventure (Servants of the Wankh is still one of my favourite naughty novel titles, funnily enough one that was renamed for later printings), plus lots of others I don't recall right now.

I'll read or re-read any Vance any of you can agree on that I should read.

[Saku]

Wonderful! I would personally vote for the Dying Earth saga (there is an omnibus that collects all four novels) that's of reasonable length.

Then again, Lyonesse might be really interesting if you haven't yet read it.

[Otto]

Have read it and there is an omnibus of that insydda though it can ocassionally become a bit slow.

[Matthew]

The Abyss Beyond Dreams by Peter F Hamilton has to be on the soon to be reviewed list, also Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, hands down the best two book of the year... so far.

[Luke]

I have pre-ordered The Abyss Beyond Dreams on Audible. Juliane is also finishing up Judas Unchained, so we'll do an episode about that and Pandora's Star too.

I enjoyed two thirds of Way of Kings (the two thirds with the non-whining character) but I'm still unsure how easy it will be to avoid the sections I don't like. Or does it improve?

[Isabel (kittiwake)]

How about The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko? Urban fantasy with a Moscow setting, dark versus light in Moscow, with each side policing the other. I haven't read my copy yet, but on both GoodReads and LibraryThing, far more people have marked it as Fantasy or Urban Fantasy than Horror.

[Paul]

Juliane has asked and now I'm asking - hopefully others will ask: Get Luke to review Ready Player One!

[Juliane]

Moidelhoff wrote: "Paul wrote: "Juliane has asked and now I'm asking - hopefully others will ask: Get Luke to review Ready Player One!"

I've tried to talk him into it.
I love a good rant."

Luke has it lying here as a paperback. When he's back from Peru, he'll start reading it! And do you really think he'll rant about it? It's overall not as bad as other books...

[Alle Bücher müssen gelesen werden]

The book is stupid on many levels and super depressing if you think about it: In a hopless future all what people do is playing Pacman and watching Gostbusthers... over and over agian.

I prefer dead.

[Ryan]

Luke and others might enjoy these books:

The Affirmation
This is How You Die: Stories of the Inscrutable, Infallible, Inescapable Machine of Death
Afterparty
Pavane

I liked them a lot, myself, and wrote about them on goodreads.

I haven't yet read The Book of Strange New Things, but David Mitchell praised it, so it's on my list.

[Scott]

While I personally loved "Ready Player One" I, like others, think Luke will rip it to shreds and I'm looking forward to the podcast.

How about reading "Leviathan Wakes"? I'm currently reading it and finding it swinging from genius to depressing to uninteresting back to genius. Would love to hear what Luke has to say. Is it sci-fi or horror or noir or space opera?

[Erik]

I know that you are a fan of "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel." Have you tried "Citizen of the Galaxy"? This is my favorite Heinlein Juvenile. Although it is a bit preachy, I really enjoyed this book when I read it in 6th grade and I still enjoy 30 years later.

[Andrew]

Scott wrote: "While I personally loved "Ready Player One" I, like others, think Luke will rip it to shreds and I'm looking forward to the podcast.

I suspect this is true, but having just finished RP1 my view is that even though there's a good chance of that, if you get in touch with your inner geek / anorak / D and D player and stay firmly in touch it RP1 can be fun in a charming, retro kind of way. That said, if Luke has a rant-fest I'm not going to be amazed....at all

[Andrew]

Andrew wrote: "Scott wrote: "While I personally loved "Ready Player One" I, like others, think Luke will rip it to shreds and I'm looking forward to the podcast.

I suspect this is true, but having just finished ..."

Postscript...I think Luke will probably ravage the last couple of chapters though - looking forward to his considered opinion! Actually, looking forward to Juliane's opinion too, very often a perfect compliment to Luke's views!

[Luke]

We reviewed Ready Player One. You can all shut up about it now! :)

[Levi]

Luke wrote: "We reviewed Ready Player One. You can all shut up about it now! :)"
Awwww. I suppose we could argue about Stainless Steel Rat again.

[Paul]

We all know Luke's views on God etc so who would like to see 'His Dark Materials' trilogy reviewed (Northern Lights/Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass)?

[Captnamerca]

Another vote for The Martian.

I loved it. It took me back to the hard sci-fi of early Clarke, but added some colorful "modern" personality. The scenarios and resolutions were interesting and believable. I thought the journal-style, and the voice of the main character were going to wear thin, but it kept me engaged the entire time.

[George]

The Martian has been reviewed already some dozens episodes ago.

[Captnamerca]

LOL. Ctrl-F fail on my part. I apologize. Not a good way to start out a forum on READING.

In my defense, there are no reveiws for The Matrian, The Martain or The Nartian, either.

[Paul]

Moidelhoff wrote: "Paul wrote: "Juliane has asked and now I'm asking - hopefully others will ask: Get Luke to review Ready Player One!"

I've tried to talk him into it.
I love a good rant."

I enjoyed the podcast! I though you guys would end up fighting!
The ending you recorded of him reading was fun!
- Paul

[Roland]

I am really interested to hear Lukes review of one of the most controversial Russian modern fantasy author Sergey Lukyanenko and his book "The Night Watch".

[Keith]

Germline

I'd love to hear a review of McCarthy's Germline. I've seen someone describe it as Hunter Thompson reporting from a science fiction Vietnam War. It's a very dark, addictive and well-written narrative, one of the few modern scifi books that I've read multiple times, very under-appreciated imo. It also has an audiobook version with a great narrator for those who like listening: http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fant...

[Luke]

"We're sorry. Due to publishing rights restrictions, we are not authorized to sell this item in the country where you live."

[Paul]

I would also give a vote for Germline. It is an excellent example of Military Sci Fi that captures the voice that one finds in non fiction works such as Michael Herr's Dispatches.

[Ryan]

I admit I have not done a diligent job reading through all of the posts, but what about reviewing "The Year Of The Flood" by Margaret Atwood? The sequel to "Oryx and Crake" in the trilogy.

[Luke]

Ryan wrote: "I admit I have not done a diligent job reading through all of the posts, but what about reviewing "The Year Of The Flood" by Margaret Atwood? The sequel to "Oryx and Crake" in the trilogy."

Maybe. I thought the first book was only okay. Not bad, but kinda depressing. I'll have to really want to feel like I want to kill myself... and then I'll give it a read.

[Isabel (kittiwake)]

I really liked The Year of the Flood, as it gave a lot more of the backstory about the God's Gardeners side of things, so I would second Ryan's recommendation. But I didn't like Maddaddam, the final book in the trilogy. anything like as much as the other two even though it ties everything together well.

[Luke]

I often don't like trilogies that end with the third book "tying everything together well". So often it just removes all the mystery and magic from the previous two. It happens over and over, and I sometimes wish authors would resist the temptation to tie up every. Just finish the story! Don't explain EVERYTHING.

[Kev]

Isn't it more publishers than authors that encourage these things? Obviously three books make more money than one!

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Isabel wrote: "I really liked The Year of the Flood, as it gave a lot more of the backstory about the God's Gardeners side of things, so I would second Ryan's recommendation. But I didn't like Maddaddam, the fina..."

Also book 2 feels more campy, and has more humor. I've reread books 1-2 several times but never read book 3 more than once.

[Timothy]

Luke, was your comment about rights not extending to your country referring to Germline? I'd recommend that as well. It was one of the only books that has left me with the feeling that I couldn't enjoy anything else but more T.C. McCarthy.

[Luke]

Yeah, Germline.

[Timothy]

Huh. I was just reading a threat on reddit/fantasy about Hachette's UK rights. I hope this gets fixed because Germline is an incredible read. Was this Amazon kindle that you tried to buy it on?

[Luke]

No, Audible in Germany.

[Luke]

Is it good?

[Sean]

Speaking of space opera, there's always Ken MacLeod, particularly The Stone Canal and its sequel The Cassini Division. He appeared during the same boom in British SF that gave us Reynolds, Hamilton and Stross, but for some reason he never took off the way the others have even though he's at least as good as Stross and Hamilton.

There's also S. Andrew Swann's Apotheosis Trilogy, which has the same sort of set-up as Excession and Pandora's Star, but is closer in tone to Firefly. Also, the hero is a genetically engineered anthropoid tiger.

[Tamahome]

Love the 2nd book in the Swann series.

[Allen]

I just started Dark Intelligence by Neal Asher and after listening to the first 5 chapters all I can say is Wow! This is the SciFi I have been looking for. I really enjoyed Asher's Owner series but this new book is as good as anything that Peter Hamilton or Alastir Reynolds has written.

I would be very interested to see if Luke agrees.

[Tamahome]

[Luke]

Juliane did a search for that book and had a good laugh at the book covers.

[Tamahome]

Maybe she'll like these then.