Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

So, two weeks ago I packed up and moved back to California from Florida and I've been kind of a stressed out mess but now I'm settled and internet's hooked up and good to go :)

I've been too distracted for audiobooks, but I just got a bike so I'll be listening again soon when I ride, which is good because I have Armada (I've heard it's not great) and Scalzi's newest preordered.

So, I read last month -

Cold Comfort Farm not genre, but fun. Watched the movie afterwards and liked that too.

The Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy. I really liked this series, it was different - a mix of portal fantasy and urban fantasy and romance that worked well together.

The Darkangel - I don't know how I missed this one back when I was a teenager inhaling fantasy books, but now at least I know what I missed - it is a wonderful dark fairy tale and I will definitely be reading the sequels.

The Rebirths of Tao was a fine wrap up for the trilogy. I really enjoy reading these books - fun brain candy.

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club - I loved this one. No actual magic, it's just a new version of the 12 Dancing Princesses fairy tale, set during the depression in NYC.

Now, I'm about halfway through Gateway and liking it even though the main character is totally irritating at times - I just wanna smack him!

For those interested in what's new this month,

Tor.com offers:

Science Fiction releases inAugust
Fantasy releases in August
August releases in Genre Benders
Urban Fantasy releases in August

SFSignal offers:
Cover Gallery of August SF/F/H releases
Graphic Novels coming in August

I finished Half a War. Liked it but it wasn't my favorite of the series. Now I've started Traitor's Blade. Very much a Three Musketeers vibe so far.

I am very close to finishing Trial of Intentions by Peter Orullian, the sequel to the Unremembered. I can't wait for him to publish the third book in the series.

I think August is going to be my 'continuation of the series' month. I'm currently reading Mockingbird in the Miriam Black series, next it will be A.I. Apocalypse in the Singularity series and then The Rebirths of Tao in the Tao series. Michele, I'm glad you liked ROT...I didn't like the second as much and I was concerned the third might not be that good.

I'm thinking of picking up the The Lies of Locke Lamora seems to be pretty good.

Carlos wrote: "I'm thinking of picking up the The Lies of Locke Lamora seems to be pretty good."

Yeah, a fun read, thieves & con men told with a deft, almost tongue in cheek narration.

I'm reading 2312, again mixing audiobook and ebook as convenient. And Burrough's The Gods of Mars.

After starting the summer with Mira Grant's first two Parasite novels (entertaining but easy reads) I'm going with Walter M Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz. Not a title developed by a marketer, so I'm assuming some substance here. Also a Hugo and a 3.96 rating don't hurt.

Finished Half a War, in which Abercrombie just couldn't help himself from being Abercrombie with the way he ended the trilogy.

Currently reading Tehanu and completely loving it.

Cibola Burn

Book 4 in the Expanse series. I cannot put them down. So good.

Garyjn wrote: "I'm going with Walter M Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz. Not a title developed by a marketer, so I'm assuming some substance here. Also a Hugo and a 3.96 rating don't hurt...."

One of my all-time favorites. (We had it as a group discussion topic awhile back.)

Brendan wrote: "Currently reading Tehanu and completely loving it..."

After Tehanu was published it became my favorite of the Earthsea saga. Despite the subtitle "Last novel of Earthsea" at the time, you will also want to read The Other Wind.

Chase wrote: "Cibola Burn.
Book 4 in the Expanse series. I cannot put them down. So good."

Can't argue with that. I thought each book in the series has surpassed its predecessor. I'm looking forward to seeing how the TV series comes out.

Brendan wrote: "Finished Half a War, in which Abercrombie just couldn't help himself from being Abercrombie with the way he ended the trilogy.

I KNOW! Right?

I finished Demon Huntress: Destiny Unleashed from writer Cynthia Vespia, and I really liked the book. I read it in two days in the breath. I now read Ilij, From Dana Simmons.

Finished Traitor's Blade. What a fun read! I really enjoyed the swashbuckling feel to this one. There was intrigue and humor and magic thrown in as well. Can't wait to read the next one!

Happy to hear some love for Tehanu, but I fear I'm still among those who would have been happy if the Earthsea trilogy had stayed a trilogy.

Traitor's Blade sounds good ... I just clicked on the author's Goodreads profile & read that he plans a four-novel "initial series."

I've been mostly sticking to the group reads this month -- just finished up Station Eleven (liked it, not sure I loved it) & starting on my first read of an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel.

I just finished The Man in the High Castle, which was excellent, and just started Old Man's War, which about a fifth of the way in has been pretty interesting so far. The next two on the stack are Sand Omnibus and Summer Knight. Then I have some shopping to do.

Finished Gateway and I guess I liked it?, even though I had no sympathy for any of the characters (except maybe the computer shrink). The idea was interesting, and the way the whole story was strung out definitely kept me reading once I was hooked enough to need to know how it all ends. But then I didn't like the ending very much. Bah, this is why I generally stick to more character driven plots where I like the characters.

Next, I picked up Uprooted which I burned through in three days and loved it. It's not perfect, but it is wonderful - a thrilling fairy tale adventure.

Now, comes the choosing of what to read next....

I read that a book called The Beast of Cretacea was supposed to have come out by now. But I can't find it. ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING?

Laurel wrote: "I read that a book called The Beast of Cretacea was supposed to have come out by now. But I can't find it. ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING?"

Amazon.ca lists release date as October 13th.

I've been reading some books by Jack McDevitt--currently am reading Polaris. Interesting combination of sci fi and detective genres. Not great, but readable.

Christy wrote: "I've been reading some books by Jack McDevitt--currently am reading Polaris. Interesting combination of sci fi and detective genres. Not great, but readable."

I think "A Talent for War" is my fave McDevitt. I think I saw that his latest finally brings that story full circle with the return of Alex Benedict's uncle. Have to read that one. I like the Alex Benedict books better than McDevitt's other protagonist whose name escapes me at the moment.

today I'm settleing down on the sofa with A Requiem for Astounding by Alva Rogers...it's by a fan (orginaly it was a 6-part series in some fanzine or other) about the greatest SF mg EVER, Astounding...lva was rightly upset when Astounding changed it's name to Analog, so he wrote a whole book about how much he loved Astounding...it includes forwards by Harry Bates, F. Orlin Tremaine, and John W Campbell....not a litcrit work, but a work of pure and honest joy....

How come Astounding started to suck when it changed it's name to Analog?

I've been reading H.G. Wells lately, and I just barely started The Invisible Man. It looks promising!

I am neer the middle of City of Bones.

I'm currently reading The Thirteenth Tale and also Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in italian.

I'm juggling b/t A Princess of Mars as a fiction read and Mircea Eliade's Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy for nonfiction. If I put my mind to it, I could probably come up with a long list of fantasy that incorporates or is influenced by shamanism, but I immediately thought of Richard K. Morgan's trilogy that begins The Steel Remains -- while I realized there were surely some parallels to real world cultures, Eliade drops some specific figures from Mongolian mythology (e.g., Tengri) that I'd never seen before encountering them in Morgan's Land Fit for Heroes.

After re-reading A Princess of Mars for out monthly Classic discussion I went on to read a handful of other ERB Barsoom novels. After that I went to some Barsoom-derivative books that have been in my to read pile for a while:

Jane Carver of Waar looked to be a gender inverted John Carter, substituting a biker chick criminal, but someone forgot to put the funny into this trash. Definitely not Bored of the Rings, not even Barb Wire weird.

Now reading the Niven/Barnes The Barsoom Project, a Dream Park sequel whose paperback has been waiting on my bookshelf since 1990. :0

Also just finished Young Sentinels, the fourth in a pulp superhero series whose strange attraction defies my attempt at analysis.

Just finished Assassin's Apprentice which I liked well enough to start the next book in the series Royal Assassin. I really want SOMEONE to show this poor boy some love and understanding! I'm also rereading Dauntless.

The Novice
Queen of Fire
Lord of Snow and Shadows

I just finished Galaxy Science Fiction, November 1952.

I'm getting ready to start Galaxy Science Fiction, December 1952.

I'd already read Paolo Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl, the topic of our scheduled book discussion next week, so I started reading his latest novel, The Water Knife instead. It's a pretty compelling dystopian thriller so far, and it takes place almost in my backyard.

reading The Martian by Andy Weir and loveing it!

G33z3r wrote: "I'd already read Paolo Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl, the topic of our scheduled book discussion next week, so I started reading his latest novel, The Water Knife ins..."

I have heard many good things about The Water Knife do tell how you like it.

Tyler wrote: "reading The Martian by Andy Weir and loveing it!"
I've been wanting to read "The Martian" for a while now. It's actually at the top of my list. How many stars would you give it so far?

Beth wrote: "I am neer the middle of City of Bones."

"City of Bones" is also on my list. How is it so far?

Mason wrote: "Beth wrote: "I am neer the middle of City of Bones."

"City of Bones" is also on my list. How is it so far?"

I have finished it. It was good but not as good as I expected it to be.

I'm rereading The Iron King

Having no job is conducive to attacking the Mountain of Books To Be Read -

Finished Gateway - was well done, but the MC annoyed me the entire book. The only character I felt any sympathy for was the robot psychologist. I see they're going to make a TV show.

Next was As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride which was fun and easy to read and inspired a re-watch of my favoritist movie ever.

Dead To Me was a fun little urban fantasy, nothing mind blowing, but enjoyable.


Maisie Dobbs was a nice break from SF&F. Liked it except for the really long flashback chapters - I dunno, must be a better way to get that info across.

The Witch's Daughter nice historical fantasy about a witch's 300+ years.

Got Felicia Day's You're Never Weird on the Internet and read it practically in one sitting. I liked her before, now I'm convinced we'd be BFF's :)

Did a re-read of Across the Nightingale Floor because it's been forever and I think I want to read the rest of the series (saw it at the library and remembered liking it).

Now I can't decide what's next.

Oh and still slowly listening to Armada - haven't had much time for audiobooking. Enjoying it so far though.

Finished Aurora on my vacation.
Here is my review

Trinity wrote: "I have heard many good things about The Water Knife do tell how you like it."

I found it to be a engaging thriller, a sort of murder mystery & search for the MacGuffin. It is, however, a little light on the sci-fi beyond its premise (the US Southwest has exhausted its aquifers, and California, Nevada, and Arizona, are fighting over water rights; that fight is often gang-war in nature.) What few futuristic gizmos it has are seldom seen, since the three principal characters (an indie journalist, a thug (the titular Knife), and a refugee (from Texas!)) are too poor to take advantage of them.

Sort of Grapes of Wrath for gang bangers.

Mason wrote: "I've been wanting to read "The Martian" for a while now. It's actually at the top of my list. How many stars would you give it so far?"

If you're interested, The Martian was a discussion topic for the group last November. On the whole, I think the members who commented really liked the book. (The discussion was pretty good at hiding Spoilers with the tag.)

(Scanning that discussion also reminded me that I miss Ben. Hope he's OK, whatever he's up to.)

Ok great I'll check it out. Thanks for the head up!

Half way through Three Moments of an Explosion: Stories, but since it's a collection of short stories and has many obvious stopping points I'm weaving in reading a non-fiction book. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is kind of dry, being an academic essay but really fascinating. Probably something that would be of interest to anyone here, since everyone is fans of science fiction and that presumably also means interested in science.

Up next? Either Aurora or Dreamsnake, not sure.

just finished The dealings of Daniel Kesserich _ a study of the mass-insanity at Smithville by Fritz Leiber, now I'm on to John Brunner's The Atlantic Abomination (an old Ace Double)....weeeeee

Creeping up on the end of Ecko Rising. Not too thrilled by this one, the reviews paint it a lot prettier than it is. It's certainly not "The Matrix meets Game of Thrones..." not even close.

Pretty sure the only reason it's a "fantasy" with a protagonist from a future, technologically advanced version of Earth is so the writer can drop pop culture references instead of trying to write well.....

Earlier this month I dove into The Name of the Wind and finished it in about a week. Really enjoyed it, certainly one of the better contemporary fantasy novels I've read lately.

Currently borrowing The End of Liberty from the Kindle lending library, and am about 3/4th's of the way through. So far I've enjoyed the War Eternal series. Nothing too original or special, but it's fun!

Next up will be The Book of Strange New Things, which I'm awfully excited to start.

I'm having a lot of fun reading John Brunner's The Atlantic Abomination...I wouldn't call it a great novel, but a ton of fun just as the Holy Writ was ment to be..it wouldn't take much to turn this one into one of Lovecraft's Mythos stories, sans 19 century writing style....

I'm working my way through a list right now.
Currently reading Starship Troopers.
Also just finished a new book recommended by a friend Return to Island X I'm honestly impressed. Gotta check out new books more often.