The Sword and Laser discussion

Next week I'll be laid up after some sugery. Plenty of time for reading, if I'm not too doped up. So here is what's on the To Read pile. Any suggestions on what to try first?

One of Cleopatra's Nights
The Boats of the 'Glen Carrig'
The Goddess of Atvatabar Being the history of the discovery of the interior world and conquest of Atvatabar
Lair of the White Worm
The Lost Continent: The Story of Atlantis
The Onslaught from Rigel
The Rat Racket
The Three Impostors and Other Stories
Wandering Ghosts

Ben wrote: "Bryan wrote: "Ben, I strongly recommend Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. That was a big step up from LeCarre's earlier books, like the very fine Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Tinker increased LeCar..."

Give TTSS time. It's extremely subtle and multileveled. The accumulation of details and scheming just builds and builds.

Ditto on Skin Game. My copy was waiting on my doorstep when I got home from work. Reading/discussing it with my side reads group.

So good.

Dune's really living up to the hype. It's split into three books, I just finished the first one. Don't want to pull ahead of the friends I'm reading it with, so I'll let it simmer a little and read The Confessor for a change. With the occasional story from The Very Best of Tad Williams.

Finished Michael J Sullivan's The Rose and The Thorn on Audible
My review

Starting the latest Dresden Skin Game also on Audible

Just finished Skin Game, and it's a great read as usual. The link following is to explain the "Parkour!" references for those that haven't seen US version of The Office: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ozu3... (Not a spoiler.)

David Sven wrote: "Starting the latest Dresden Skin Game also on Audible"

Good. I need someone to join me in the discussion. :-D

Rob wrote: "David Sven wrote: "Starting the latest Dresden Skin Game also on Audible"

Good. I need someone to join me in the discussion. :-D"

I'll be there.

I just finished The Well of Ascension

And starting Shadow Games

I'm working on Skin Game by Jim Butcher as well, got it the night it came out and have been working on it in the evenings and when it's slow at work.

Just started Ancillary Justice and am very impressed by the language games, the world building, and the main character.

I picked up Samuel R Delany's book Babel-17. I love, love, loved it! I liked it so much more than The Einstein Intersection. The language is beautiful and the concepts on the connection between thought and language are neat, in a space opera backdrop. And I loved the character of Rydra. She's good at things I wish I were good at.

Babel-17 is a terrific book. So much to love, from the lyricism to Rydra to the linguistic secret.

I've pretty much loved everything I've read this month so far. The Martian, The Last Olympian, Tell the Wolves I'm Home, Wonder Woman, Vol. 2: Guts, & The Sandman, Vol. 4: Season of Mists. Give me all the comics please. I'm currently reading Dust. Trying to finish up some of my series!

I just finished The Sandman Vol. 4 Season of Mists too. Loved it, alas, my comic book shop hasn't restocked since Free Comic Book Day and doesn't have Vol. 5. So I am unhappily waiting for that to come in. Loving Sandman so far, much more then I thought I would. I just finished up Blood Rites which I enjoyed. So I'm slowly making my way up to the current Dresden book. And I'm now about halfway through Behemoth.

Jennifer wrote: "I just finished The Sandman Vol. 4 Season of Mists too. Loved it, alas, my comic book shop hasn't restocked since Free Comic Book Day and doesn't have Vol. 5. So I am unhappily waiting for that t..."

I hope your comic book restocks soon! I've been getting mine through the library, although I'd love to own them all one day. The art is phenomenal. The Sandman, Vol. 4: Season of Mists has been my favorite so far. I really liked seeing the family, and I think it's the first book with a solid story line that goes through the whole book. Don't get me wrong, I like the "short stories" in the previous volumes, but it was nice to get one longer story.

Sheila Jean wrote: "I'm reading my new copy ofCity of Golden Shadow and need to go pick up Daughter of the Forest at the library this weekend.

I also have about 5 more hours of The Lies of Locke Lamora..."

Well, finished Daughter of the Forest, and also finished Mirror Sight. Still working on the rest. About halfway through the Otherland book. Interesting, but I easily set it aside to work on my library books without being sad. Haven't been driving, so no audiobook progress :( (Although I'm now on book 2:Red Seas Under Red Skies)

I've just started reading reading Mirror Sight. I wish we could read one of the Green Rider books for Sword & Laser. It'd be worth it just to hear Veronica try to pronounce the character names, lol.

You'd probably like Nova, Joanna.

Misti wrote: "I've just started reading reading Mirror Sight. I wish we could read one of the Green Rider books for Sword & Laser. It'd be worth it just to hear Veronica try to pronounce the char..."

I'd be interested to know what you think. I enjoyed reading it, but I read some of the reviews afterward and I felt the folks who were harsh on it had some good points.

Tamahome wrote: "You'd probably like Nova, Joanna."

Agreed.

I just finished "Taken" by Benedict Jacka, about the mage Ales Verus in London, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm now reading Arcanum by Simon Morden, an alternate history fantasy set in Dark Ages Europe. I'm already 100 pages in and it's just getting better and better.

Bryan wrote: "Tamahome wrote: "You'd probably like Nova, Joanna."

Agreed."

I'll add it to the list. Thank you.

This won't help me getting through my To Read stack, Houston Public Library now has comics online. Archie, Aspen, Boom, Dynamite, and lots of other small publishers. No DC, Marvel, or Darkhorse. Still there's plenty to read. Archie from the 40s, 50s, and 60s and Michael Turner's Fathom for starters. Then the Rod Espinosa work from Antarctic Press. So many comics.... Check to see if your local library has Comics Plus, Library Edition.

Just finished The Dark Tower. my review. About halway through Assassin's Apprentice and am really liking it.

Finished Skin Game. Not quite as good as Cold Days, but I still really loved it (My Review).

Skip wrote: "Just finished Skin Game, and it's a great read as usual. The link following is to explain the "Parkour!" references for those that haven't seen US version of The Office: https://ww..."

Geez, did you listen non-stop all day? That's impressive.

I had to finish listening to Envy the Night by Michael Koryta before I could start Envy the Night. It's taking me a bit longer than usual to listen to audiobooks these days. I had planned to finish Envy the Night early Tuesday, but didn't finish it until yesterday afternoon. I listened to a couple of chapters of Envy the Night yesterday and about 3 hours today. When I'm done with it, I will be listening to Crown of Renewal by Elizabeth Moon.

I'm almost done with Crux by Ramez Naam. I had a weird experience with it on Monday. We went to see the new X-Men movie and there was a scene in the movie that was practically the same as a scene in the book that I had read earlier that day. It was really strange.

Just finished the last story inThe Very Best of Tad Williams. Great collection. Generic stuff, but the guy really knows how to write. And it serves as a great taste of many of his ongoing series, to know if any of em are for you or not. Here's my full review

Audible is announcing the "Audies 2014" winners on Twitter right now. Best SF went to Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, narrated by Grover Gardener (one of my favorite narrators for thriller-type books).
Best Fantasy went to Wisp of a Thing: A Novel of the Tufa, narrated by Stefan Rudnicki (who I also like but sometimes has a creepy edge in his voice).

Currently I'm reading Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. It's about a shield around the Earth that blocks out the universe. Inside the shield, time passes normally; but in the universe, billions of years pass. So far this book has been superb.

Olivia wrote: "Currently I'm reading Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. It's about a shield around the Earth that blocks out the universe. Inside the shield, time passes normally; but in ..."

Yeah, I really liked Spin

Olivia wrote: "Currently I'm reading Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. So far this book has been superb ..."

Hear, hear

I just finished Crux by Ramez Naam. The ending was really exciting and set up well for another installment. Unfortunately, there isn't one yet.

Now, I'm going to read on of my First Reads wins, Authority by Jeff Vandermeer.

Do we have a thread for Ancillary Justice?

Sandi wrote: "Now, I'm going to read on of my First Reads wins, Authority by Jeff Vandermeer. "

What did you think of the first book? I have a couple of Vandermeer books laying around that I haven't been able to get to as of yet.

Bryan wrote: "Do we have a thread for Ancillary Justice?"

We have a bunch:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

Started Daughter of Smoke & Bone after hearing Veronica gush about it on the most recent podcast and knowing the ladies of Vaginal Fantasy loved it. It's great so far. The world is so different. Nice change of pace.

Dara wrote: "Started Daughter of Smoke & Bone after hearing Veronica gush about it on the most recent podcast and knowing the ladies of Vaginal Fantasy loved it. It's great so far. The world is s..."

I LOVED the series, including the novella! It is so different and the world is just beautiful

Listening to Nyckeln and Consider Phlebas which has been on my TBR for a very long time.

And also reading The Lions of Al-Rassan which has also been on my TBR for a long time.

Finished Absolution Gap, and now halfway done with Words of Radiance

Ctgt wrote: "Sandi wrote: "Now, I'm going to read on of my First Reads wins, Authority by Jeff Vandermeer. "

What did you think of the first book? I have a couple of Vandermeer books laying around that I haven..."

I'm on Authority now, I read Annihilation last week and thought it was great.

Sandi, I'm glad you liked Crux, I want to get into that series soon as well.

Many thanks, Rob!

You're welcome.

Ben wrote: "I'm on Authority now, I read Annihilation last week and thought it was great."

Thanks Ben....may have to move them up the pile.

I liked Annihilation a lot. It was so different. It reminded me a bit of Roadside Picnic, but not really. I know, that doesn't make sense. Authority is starting out to be a much different book than its predecessor.

Dara wrote: "Started Daughter of Smoke & Bone after hearing Veronica gush about it on the most recent podcast and knowing the ladies of Vaginal Fantasy loved it. It's great so far. The world is s..."

They are doing Guy Gavriel Kay's Lions of Al Rassan next month.

Just finished off The Confessor. Here's my review.

Tamahome wrote: "Dara wrote: "Started Daughter of Smoke & Bone after hearing Veronica gush about it on the most recent podcast and knowing the ladies of Vaginal Fantasy loved it. It's great so far. T..."

That is awesome to hear, The Lions of Al-Rassan is my favorite book by Kay - read it way back when it first came out - it is wonderful to see it so widely recognized, now. And it has held up extremely well with time and re-reads.

Playing catch up once again on reviews. I wrote reviews for my last 3 audio books:

Libriomancer (My Review)
Shift (My Review)
Dust (My Review)

Sandi wrote: "I liked Annihilation a lot. It was so different. It reminded me a bit of Roadside Picnic, but not really. I know, that doesn't make sense. [book:Authority|18077769..."

Thanks Sandi.