The Sword and Laser discussion

I'm about to start Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb, while still finishing up God's Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World and The Road to Science Fiction 1 from last month.

How about you?

im currently reading The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds, so far its been excellent. His best so far.

I then plan to start a few short stories from We Can Remember It for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick, along with Cosmonaut Keep by Ken MacLeod and if ive anytime left i plan to try re-reading The City and the City by China Miéville, i didnt finish first time around and have been nagged to give it another chance.

I'm working on Words of Radiance. I'm getting more into it and it's nice and long so it's putting off Reaper's Gale, which I'm apprehensive about but that's next on my list.

In addition to A Dance of Cloaks, I'm still reading Empire State and really enjoying it so far. I'm also reading Shoot the Piano Player for my Pulp Fiction book club. I'll probably follow that up with The Strain and Storm Front.

I've started Chameleon but I feel like I'm not in a mood for it now

I'm listening to The Ocean at the End of the Lane, about halfway through.

I've just finished Just a Geek: Unflinchingly honest tales of the search for life, love, and fulfillment beyond the Starship Enterprise.

I'm trying to find time to get moving in Dust of Dreams.

Aaaaand just started Boneshaker!

I got a late start on Altered Carbon so I´m still reading that. Also just got started on Vicious which is looking good.

This weekend I took it easy and went through The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes and The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House. They´re incredibly good and it was nice to take a break from novels to sneak in a couple comics.

Short Story- “A Spy in Europa” By Alastair Reynolds.
It’s an excellent short story. (No spoilers), I liken it to one of those old Twilight Zone episodes that you can still remember years later.
It was in Interzone Magazine #120 (June 1997). Its also in his anthology- "Galactic North and the 15th Annual "The Years best Science fiction by Gardner Dozois

Just started listening to The Martian and loving it so far. Also chugging thru Words of Radiance which I'm enjoying as well.

Startef a reread of the Otherland series b6 Tad Williams but just finished watching Divergent and now I'm going to read that trilogy.

Ben Bova's Titan. I've been disappoint with the last couple Bova books I picked up, but this one's pretty good so far. I just wish he'd get to the plot a little quicker instead of laying the setting description on like a cake with too much icing.

Mike

Like Jeff, I'm working on the Martian. I'm reading it, but I'm curious to hear how the audio book is. And like Camilla, I'm reading Just a Geek. I'm loving it, but I'm reading it incredibly slowly. I drop it for months at a time and then come back to it and read 20 pages. I think I've been reading it for a year now. I'm also into Kadrey's Dead Set, Marcus Alexander Hart's The Oblivion Society, and I just started Terms of Enlistment. I don't know why I can't read just one book at a time. I think it's because I moody and sometimes I just want a book to match my mood.

I just finished The Maze Runner and Hounded a couple of days ago and am now just starting The Iron Duke.

Still working on Words of Radiance. Took a quick break to read april's pick and book 2 of the Virals by Kathy Reichs because my 14 year old is also reading the series and really wanted me to join him. Have to say I'm loving it-it's a bit of a nice easy break for WOR :P The characters are likable and the story is exciting and fast paced. For all those who have posted before about needing books for their kids-check these out.

Julian. wrote: "Like Jeff, I'm working on the Martian. I'm reading it, but I'm curious to hear how the audio book is. And like Camilla, I'm reading Just a Geek. I'm loving it, but I'm reading it incredibly slowl..."

I like the audiobook. Sure there are times where the detailed explanations (eg farming stuff) get a little dry, but it works too.

I started Double Dexter shortly before my husband finished Words of Radiance. So I'm reading both, but I'm playing with the idea of dropping or setting aside Dexter. It's a quick read, but all the characters are so stupid it's making my head hurt. More so than usual.

I'm approaching the 10% mark on Words of Radiance. So far so good!

Finally finished Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey and I'm picking my way through Gods of Risk, the second novella in the Expanse!verse.

Did the audio book of Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks and I'm intrigued enough to carry on.

On the comics front I've finished Marvel's Secret Invasion event and I'm doing some more catch-up reading before starting on Dark Reign.

Later on this month I'll start on Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan and I'll probably try and finish off Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie

Jonathon wrote: "Finally finished Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey and I'm picking my way through Gods of Risk, the second novella in the Expanse!verse.

Did the audio book of Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks and..."

I loved both Caliban's War and Ancillary Justice.

And I've been meaning to read Consider Phlebas for ages. Maybe the audio book is the right way to go.

Im going to try to get through as many of these as i can
Taken
Cursed
Chosen
The Ships of Merior
Warhost of Vastmark
A Feast of Dragons
A Clash of Honor
Blood of Requiem
The Way of Kings
Promise of Blood
Blood Song
Among Thieves
Malice
The Grim Company
Untouched
Deadhouse Gates

I'm flying through the Han Solo book Honor Among Thieves by James S.A. Corey. I was a little dubious for the first few chapters but once it gets going, the banter is tremendous and feels very fun and true to character.

It's actually got me excited about reading a Star Wars novel for probably the first time in close to 15 years!

I just finished The Haunting of Hill House. My review.

On the strength of Tom's recommendation, I just started Marrow. It's a little weird at the beginning. There's a lot more sex and suggestive phrases happening than I'd expected. I've already ran across the sentence, "Everyone was wearing strap-ons." Yes, you read that right. And a human girl with artificial wings was having sex with an alien

I'm going to have to find something else to balance this out.
Thanks Tom...


Edited to add:
It should be noted that the above mentioned "strap-ons" are apparently in reference to wrist-worn communication devices and not the other... But still, pretty suggestive, me thinks.

Ben wrote: "I'm flying through the Han Solo book Honor Among Thieves by James S.A. Corey. I was a little dubious for the first few chapters but once it gets going, the banter i..."

It's the first Star Wars book I've read, and I really enjoyed it.

Woah. The audiobook has sound effects.

Finished K.J. Parker's Devices and Desires and moved on to Evil for Evil because I can't wait to see how much more colossally wrong things can go for everyone involved.

Tamahome wrote: "Woah. The audiobook has sound effects."

I swear you "liked" my review. I mentioned that in the review. So now we see that you didn't actually READ my review before clicking the button. ^_^

Ben wrote: "I'm flying through the Han Solo book Honor Among Thieves by James S.A. Corey. I was a little dubious for the first few chapters but once it gets going, the banter i..."

Interesting. I gave up on those a good ten years ago. They were just too painful to read. I'll have to give it a shot.

Tamahome wrote: "Woah. The audiobook has sound effects."

Does it do fart noises? I'd totally get it just for that - I'm getting bored with the iPhone app.

Rob wrote: "Tamahome wrote: "Woah. The audiobook has sound effects."

I swear you "liked" my review. I mentioned that in the review. So now we see that you didn't actually READ my review before clicking the b..."

Either I forgot, or I just read the last paragraph. I do that in emails too. :)

Tamahome wrote: "Either I forgot, or I just read the last paragraph. I do that in emails too. :) "

Side effect of being 102?

Rob wrote: "Tamahome wrote: "Either I forgot, or I just read the last paragraph. I do that in emails too. :) "

Side effect of being 102?"

I thought my new sleeve was working fine. I feel like smoking though.

Lol

Does it do fart noises? I'd totally get it just for that - I'm getting bored with the iPhone app."

Oh sure blame the audio book

I just finished off , a pretty great anthology that's coming out soon. 17 stories and I think there were only 2 that I didn't enjoy, overall. Here's my overall review if anyone's interested.

Much like the characters, I got bogged down in Crossroads of Twilight and ended up making my "taking a break from the Wheel of Time" books my main books, so I flew through Dune and am now on to Zero History.

Anybody reading any creepy sci-fi, distant planet/space/military? I'm tired of dystopian. Preferably Tor, since they seem to print the kind of stuff I like.

Have you tried reading any of Alastair Reynolds' work? He deals with some hard science fiction and awesome space operas.

Michael wrote: "Anybody reading any creepy sci-fi, distant planet/space/military? I'm tired of dystopian. Preferably Tor, since they seem to print the kind of stuff I like."

Well, I'm hoping that's what The Burning Dark is going to be.
Revelation Space ticks all the boxes except maybe military
I think you can still get Scott Sigler's The Crypt free off Itunes podcast. It's more episodes or interconnected short stories that's creepy space military

I think there's some zombie Star Wars books like Death Troopers.

Jlawrence wrote: "I'm about to start Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb, while still finishing up God's Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World and [book:The Road to Science Fi..."

You are in for a treat. I don't want to talk it up too much, but I really loved all of Robin Hobb's books. Have you read any of her other stuff?

I'm currently finishing up City of Saints and Madmen. Really loved Annihilation so I wanted to read more of Jeff Vandermeer's stuff and it is not disappointing. I've been feeling very sick of the repetitiveness of a lot of genre tropes lately, and this one is pretty far outside the box.


Next on the list will be:
Hounded (because everyone is reading it right now)
The Assassin's Curse (which I have a feeling already will be kinda meh)
Roadside Picnic

I just finished Marrow by Robert Reed.
My review.

Tamahome wrote: "I think there's some zombie Star Wars books like Death Troopers."

Death Troopers was the worst Star Wars Book I ever read. I even did a little diatribe review.

Liked Honor Among Thieves. I did The Audio book as well and was great great work on that.

Michael wrote: "Anybody reading any creepy sci-fi, distant planet/space/military? I'm tired of dystopian. Preferably Tor, since they seem to print the kind of stuff I like."

The Burning Dark
Ship of Fools

Going to be forever reading

Also Reading another Anthology


Just started
The Burning Dark
Next Week
Attack the Geek

And doing book pick of Dance of cloaks

I just got this book in my inbox you might have heard of, but apparently Goodreads hasn't (or I can't figure out how to properly search for it)...a certain anthology.

terpkristin wrote: "I just got this book in my inbox you might have heard of, but apparently Goodreads hasn't (or I can't figure out how to properly search for it)...a certain anthology."
That's sort of a vague description. Could you toss in a few clues?
Like maybe the name on the cover.

Alex had it, The Sword and Laser Anthology. It's still not popping up in the search and I'm on my phone so no HTML for now.

I was reading book two of The Malazan Book of the FallenDeadhouse Gates but got bored and started rereading The Lord of the Rings and am almost finished with The Wee Free Men .

Emily wrote: "JJlawrence wrote: "I'm about to start Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb, while still finishing up God's Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World and..."

You are in for a treat. I don't want to talk it up too much, but I really loved all of Robin Hobb's books. Have you read any of her other stuff? "

The only other Hobb I've read is Assassin's Apprentice, which I definitely enjoyed. Fool's Errand is the April pick for a meet-in-real-life bookclub I'm in, and at first I was worried I'd miss a lot by "jumping ahead" to the Tawny Man series without having read the other two books in the Farseer Trilogy, but from what I've gathered, it's fine to read Fool's Errand even without knowing the Farseer Trilogy at all, you just miss some extra layers to certain places/scenes. Do you agree?

I don't recommend skipping ahead to Tawney man without having at least finished Farseer. Personally I wouldn't skip Liveship either, but that can more easily be done.

I guess if you don't care about spoiling Farseer you can probably read it and not be too lost, but I'm not sure?