The Sword and Laser discussion

Per Tom/Podcast #120, the March pick is:

Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh

Often people I'm seeing people asking: What's the next book pick? How do you know? Well they announced it in the podcast this week.

You'll see it mentioned on page 2 of 50+ post thread, and people just don't notice it.

So I figured I'd make a quick thread for those who might have missed it/haven't listened yet.

Also its on the Calendar section of the Sword and Laser website.

Thanks for catering to all your fellow OCDers Rob

Kevin wrote: "Also its on the Calendar section of the Sword and Laser website."

Yeah. I've never found it hard to find. I still see people ask a lot though.

Noooo, I must compulsively read all books in a series, this one has so many.

I'm on my phone and the amazon website is being a pain. Is there a Kindle version available, or is this just print and what appears to be Audible?

terpkristin wrote: "I'm on my phone and the amazon website is being a pain. Is there a Kindle version available, or is this just print and what appears to be Audible?"

No Kindle version, but there's definitely an Audible edition.

Looking at the reviews on Amazon, I'm not sure Tom's going to get his wish for a non-controversial read. Lots of people find the book too dense and complain that the depiction of the military isn't heroic enough.

Mathew wrote: "Noooo, I must compulsively read all books in a series, this one has so many."

Well it's not really a series in the way The Wheel of Time is, but more like Discworld where there are a bunch of stories set in the same universe with very little connection outside of an occasional subseries. For instance, the Chanur books take place on the far side of the galaxy from Downbelow Station, and the Morgaine saga appears to be an epic fantasy if you don't pay attention to certain details of how the "magic" works.

Great Pick!
Did you check to see whether the title is available in e book at the author's own Closed Circle?

No ebook is annoying. I'll have to see what the secondhand stores have.

Woot! This has been on my to-read list forever - my Half-Price Books-bought used paperback will finally get read!

My public library doesn't have Downbelow Station. My university does. It is in the Science Fiction section of the Science Library, not the Humanities Library but the Science Library. My school became a little cooler in my eyes.

It is on audible! http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?...

Amazon lists 19 new & 47 used copies, starting as low as the $4 shipping fee.

Guess I'll be finding a copy on Amazon or my library. Nice to go back to print editions every now and then, but I hope my library has it, I don't think this is one I'll really want to have occupying valuable space on my shelf.

The Audible narrator, based on the sample, is going to put me to sleep.

Excellent! It's been entirely too long since I last read this book. I wish it was available electronically (along with the rest of Cherryh's back catalog) but I think I actually have two paperbacks on my shelf, so I'm set regardless.

From what I understand, CJC has to wait for her current publishing contracts on the books in her back catalog to expire before she can self publish the ebook versions. She is working on it. I also have 2 DTEs of this one.

I guess I shouldn't have asked her about it on twitter then.

Excellent choice. Based on recommendations here, I picked this one up second hand for a dollar last year. I get to read the March pick without spending any money.

Tamahome wrote: "I guess I shouldn't have asked her about it on twitter then."

My understanding is based on vague impressions & absolutely no knowledge of the inner workings of the publishing industry, so if you get a better answer, please share.

Great book. I will have to dig up my copy and re-read it.

For what it's worth, I found that there are several copies currently posted on PaperbackSwap.

(If you don't currently use PBS, credits cost less than $4.)

I picked up Downbelow Station at my local library-run used bookstore. First, I failed to find it in the paperbacks. Then, as I'm leaving, I go, "Oh, yeah, when I owned it decades ago, it was a bookclub edition. I'll bet...."

Yup, right there in the hardbacks. Whew!

No kindle version, I guess I'll put it on my list and read is someday when it comes out on kindle. There are too many good books available on kindle for me to deal with the hassles of a paper book.

I'm getting it from my local library, but I noticed Half Price Books has it via their website:

http://www.hpbmarketplace.com/booksea...

I picked it up used from Amazon for $0.01 + 3.99 shipping. Seriously consider looking around online, there are some great deals out there.

Recently, I've been going audio for most of the picks, but the narrator reviews for this one look pretty bad. Has anyone here listened to the version on Audible? Thoughts?

Sample sounds like Stephen King.

On the sample, the narrator sounded a little bland to me, but not terrible. However, it was the voices - especially for female characters - that reviewers seemed to hate, and there weren't any voices in the sample.

Managed to find a copy at a second-hand store. I've never read any Cherryh before.

I grabbed the audiobook and print version before I left town. Not impressed with the narrator. But it could be that I'm not that into the book. Going to try to focus a little more later this week or weekend.

terpkristin wrote: "I grabbed the audiobook and print version before I left town. Not impressed with the narrator. But it could be that I'm not that into the book."

It gets much better once you get past the giant infodump in the first chapter.

The professor I had for a fantasy literature course about two and half years ago edited The Cherryh Odyssey.

I just ordered it Inter-Library Loan from my little local library, so I will have it in a few days... I have never read Cherryh, but I am willing to give her a try.

I cannot get this anywhere except Audible. I should have checked that out before starting the audio version of A Wise Man's Fear. I'll have to wait till the middle of the month before joining in.

I got mine from one of the larger Barnes & Nobles so hopefully that will be an option for people searching

Ally wrote: "I got mine from one of the larger Barnes & Nobles so hopefully that will be an option for people searching"

That was lucky of you because in most Barnes and Nobles most of her books are not available. It may have one random book.

I believe you can order the paperback from B&N.

I got mine from Amazon.

I got mine from amazon, too, when my library didn't have it. Regretting it now, I don't think this book is for me.

What is it with libraries not having this book? It is the only CJC book they don't have. Is there something about this book that keeps it out of libraries?

terpkristin wrote: "I got mine from amazon, too, when my library didn't have it. Regretting it now, I don't think this book is for me."

150 pages in and I think I agree with you. I'm liking the story but finding the pace and writing somewhat lacking.

If it picks up halfway through, do you miss much if you *start* halfway through?

Great pick! I'm looking forward to reading it again.
Oddly, I picked up a new paperback copy just a few months back as my old copy was falling apart.
I think there was an ebook version at one time, but I cannot find it. Hopefully, the rights have reverted to the author and she is preparing an ebook for release now.

Serendi wrote: "If it picks up halfway through, do you miss much if you *start* halfway through?"

The first part of the book is really building the universe, I'm biased because I love the book and was hooked first time I read it by about page 30 but you're going to have a hard time following what's going on in the end if you don't read the beginning.

I felt like it was really hard to follow. Those mile long sentences with 6 commas in them would have a lot of information packed in. I had to start over after about 100 pages and slow way down. I really enjoyed the book once I figured out how to read it. On the flip side I then moved on to Scalzi's Last Colony and was able to follow it so much easier and read it at my normal speed, finishing in 2 days. I was actually planning on making a post about this once march thread opened up-I wondered if this style is typical of older sci-fi (all the sci-fi I've read can be summed up as Scalzi or Corey) or if it's just how this particular author wrote.

Has anyone else tried the audio book yet? I started it and I'm not a fan of the narrator, he seems very bitter. And I feel like he's overpowering the text.

Shaina wrote: "Has anyone else tried the audio book yet? I started it and I'm not a fan of the narrator, he seems very bitter. And I feel like he's overpowering the text."

Ha! I just commented in the book thread. I'm not that impressed with the narrator but I'm liking the story itself so far. The book carries itself well I think.

*moved thread to the Downbelow Station sub-forum* since now it's March. :)

Jlawrence wrote: "*moved thread to the Downbelow Station sub-forum* since now it's March. :)"

Awesomesauce. Thanks!

I am excited to being reading this. Cherryh was always one of my parents favorite, so much so that the cat we got when I was in high school was name C.J., but I have never read one of her books. Can't wait to get my copy in the mail.

My local libraries don't carry the book, and its not available as an ebook as far as I can tell. I guess I'll sit out this month.