The Sword and Laser discussion

I am not a robot..

The Black Lung Captain by Chris Wooding. Fun, light steampunk airship adventure. Much better crew dynamics than The Long Way to... well that Becky Chambers book.

Silvana wrote: "The Black Lung Captain by Chris Wooding. Fun, light steampunk airship adventure. Much better crew dynamics than The Long Way to... well that Becky Chambers book."

I still need to finish that series. I have all 4 books, but have only read the first two..

Helliconia Summer. I've already finished the book pick Helliconia Spring

Rob wrote: "I am not a robot.."

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Tassie Dave wrote: "Helliconia Summer. I've already finished the book pick Helliconia Spring

Rob wrote: "I am not a robot.."

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Rob wrote: "Tassie Dave wrote: "Helliconia Summer. I've already finished the book pick Helliconia Spring

Rob wrote: "I am not a robot.."

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Just finished Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany. I've only read a few of his books but this is by far my favorite. It's written with style and artistry but is a good adventure as well. It's focus on linguistics has apparently inspired other writers like Ted Chiang with Stories of Your Life.
Those looking for diversity should note that this is a gay Black man in the '60's writing about an Asian female protagonist.
Starting The Science Fiction Century.

I finished The Collapsing Empire last night. Not my favorite Scalzi book (it was a little too political for my tastes) but there were parts that I enjoyed. I probably won't continue with the sequels, though.

Now I'm getting ready to start this month's pick.

In personal record time, I was done with the latest book pick before the 1st of the month. (NB 'done with' was not the same as 'finished' in this case! #lemmed)

I've moved on to Scott Sigler's EARTHCORE. I listened to the original serialised podcast back in the day (c. 2007?) but this is the new, definitive 2017 edition, revised and rewritten from the ground up. Strange to hear somebody different narrating the audiobook this time round though.

Also started on The Delirium Brief, partly at Rick's encouragement. I was always going to read it eventually, but it does seem to make sense to start now while the events of the previous volume loom large in my thoughts.

Tassie Dave wrote: "01011001 01101111 01110101 00100111 01110010 01100101 00100000..."

SOS! 1001001, in distress...

Halfway through The Killing Moon, which is terrific, but I keep binge-watching TV series (see my Travelers thread) and playing video games to make headway.

I've got a few projects going that are keeping me from my TBR pile, but I'm hoping to pick the Expanse series back up with book 5 Nemesis Games.

Also trying to buddy read some things with my 10 and 12 years old daughters, so I'll be finishing up The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Dark Is Rising. I believe in getting them started on sci-fi and fantasy now.

Need to fit a Stephen King book in here somewhere too...he's doing a book talk in Naperville, IL at the end of the month that I'm attending!!! Maybe 11/22/63?

Ivy wrote: "I've got a few projects going that are keeping me from my TBR pile, but I'm hoping to pick the Expanse series back up with book 5 Nemesis Games.

Also trying to buddy read some thi..."

If you're short on time, Joyland is one of his shorter books, and personally I liked it better 11/22/63

Rob wrote: "Ivy wrote: "I've got a few projects going that are keeping me from my TBR pile, but I'm hoping to pick the Expanse series back up with book 5 Nemesis Games.

Also trying to buddy r..."

Thanks for the recommendation!

Don't discount King's short stories and novellas. I find some of his novels are over-bloated books that needed some serious editing. i.e The Stand

Hearts in Atlantis is good collection of interconnected short stories and novellas

Hearts is a good choice too since she seems to have read dark tower stuff, and one of the stories ties in.

Added The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary to my 'Currently Reading' stack, in addition to my commute book, the audio CD copy of Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions while I wait for September's BotM to arrive at the library.

There is also Different Seasons I'm not a horror fan, and so a lot of King is just not for me, but these novellas are pretty damn good. There is a reason 2 of the 4 made very good movies, and 1 ok movie. Once again, I agree his writing seems better to me on shorter stories.

I'm currently reading Star Wars: Phasma.

And with the talk of Chris Wooding I remembered I haven't read Ace of Skulls so I'm now waiting for that to come into my local library.

Finished with The Black Lung Captain (5 stars, guaranteed swashbuckling gunslinging rag tag team enjoyment) and now into The Iron Jackal. What a fantastically entertaining series.

Finished up Gunslinger. Pretty much thoroughly disliked it, but since I discussed that in-thread, 'nuff said here.

Now on to two back to back "Agent Cormac" books from the Polity series. I know what to expect and it's a well done universe. Gonna be a good holiday weekend.

Plugging away at:
- The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (re-read)
- Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
- Redshirts by John Scalzi
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
- Ringworld by Larry Niven
- Rama II by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee
- A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

Finished with The Iron Jackal and I am sad I only have one book to go with the Ketty Jay series :( Chris Wooding is in my to-watch list, for sure.

Starting The Killing Moon by NK Jemisin for a group read. I read a short story about this before, so I am looking forward to dive deeper. Interesting magic system.

I listened to Anansi Boys after it coming up at the August S&L MD/DC/NoVA meeting. - ★★★★☆ - (My Review)

Haha, I wasn't at that meeting, but I glad you had a chance to try it out! I haven't read it in years, but it's probably a more "fun" read than American Gods in a lot of ways.

(BTW, Rob, I finally listened to an audio narration of a story I had actually read before [we discussed my issue with this past spring]--I listened to LeVar Burton's narration of Ken Liu's "The Paper Menagerie" from his new short-story-podcast, Levar Burton Reads... Definitely had an easier time of listening to a story I had read before.)

Glad to hear it. Maybe you'll find another Audiobook to try and before long you'll be hooked. :-P

Rob wrote: "I listened to Anansi Boys after it coming up at the August S&L MD/DC/NoVA meeting. - ★★★★☆ - (My Review)"

Glad you liked it!

Serendi wrote: "Rob wrote: "I listened to Anansi Boys after it coming up at the August S&L MD/DC/NoVA meeting. - ★★★★☆ - (My Review)"

Glad you liked it!"

Apparently I had already bought it in audio back in April. You bringing up how good the narrator was moved it to the top of the pile :)

Rob wrote: "Glad to hear it. Maybe you'll find another Audiobook to try and before long you'll be hooked. :-P"

Haha, maybe! If I do, I'll keep it for short stories--I live really close to work so I have limited reading time compared to you guys, and listening to audiobooks competes with the podcasts I *do* listen to. (Would be interested to hear your opinion of LeVar Burton as a narrator, as I don't really have much to compare him to.)

Well, I ended up lemming Helliconia Spring. It started to feel like a chore to read. I've moved on to Bloodline which I checked out from the library.

Reading The Masked City (The Invisible Library #2) by Genevieve Cogman. Pretty good follow up to book 1 " The Invisible Library", which I really enjoyed. This book, not as good, but still entertaining and keeps me wanting more. Will read the next book in the series for sure.

I WAS going to read The Drawing of the Three since I liked Gunslinger well enough but felt I needed to read more of the series to really make a decision about it...
Then, I went to book sale and found Ancillary Justice for real cheap. I read the first 20 pages and was immediately hooked. Probably going to finish it before I get back to King's series.

Finished Eric Brighteyes, which was a fine old viking adventure, and started Star Winds by Barrington J. Bayley, which I remember fondly from, oh, high school?

The Ruin of Angels just became available so... #readingit

I am enjoying Saga, Vol. 6, starting to get into Helliconia Spring and doing the audio of Lost in a Good Book.

Just finished Sundiver. I thought the set-up was pretty neat, but the book itself was a slog. I kept waiting for it to end and every time I thought it might be close it just... kept... going.

Finished my ARC of Artemis a couple days ago. I've not read the Martian, so I don't know if it's just his style, but wow were his characters pretty bad. The story and the science were loads of fun, but his female protagonist just felt so off.

Also finished Ninefox Gambit, which I absolutely loved. I immediately went and got Raven Stratagem when I was done.

Currently reading Last First Snow since the release of Ruin of Angels reminded me I need to catch-up on that series. So far it's great. Also listening to Down Among the Sticks and Bones since I loved her first book in the series so much.

Jordan wrote: "Just finished Sundiver. I thought the set-up was pretty neat, but the book itself was a slog. I kept waiting for it to end and every time I thought it might be close it just... kept......"

I'd still recommend continuing with Brin's Startide Rising. Its much better than Sundiver.

Yeah, Sundiver's decent, but the real meat is Startide Rising & on--I think most people even forget that it's even part of the same series, the tone feels so different.

Jordan wrote: "Just finished Sundiver. I thought the set-up was pretty neat, but the book itself was a slog. ......"
Hmmm.
My immediate reaction is "Don't stop there!", but I must be cautious. It is possible that you just don't (and won't) 'get on' with Brin's work but in my opinion, he deserves a more extensive trial.

With Sundiver goes Startide Rising, which is in the same universe and I thought rather better. Best of all is The Uplift War which represents that universe at its best - I must review it some time, it will get 5.
Sadly, this universe went a bit off after that - the closing trilogy (Brightness Reef, Infinity's shore, and Heaven's Reach) faded badly in comparison with Uplift War.

Also by David Brin - try Earth. Not the same universe (much closer to here and now - set maybe 50 years in our future?). I regard it (and Uplift War) as Brin at his best.

Good to hear that the series gets better! I plan on at least going on to Startide Rising and The Uplift War as part of my goal of reading Hugo winners. I'm hoping I'll like them more since there were at least some redeeming bits of Sundiver.

In terms of fun books by David Brin, I'm a big fan of Kiln People (fun mystery take on pseudo-clones/golems) and oddly enough The Practice Effect (just some weird physics, though it's been so long since I read this it may not be any good).

Finished Star Winds (it was short) and started Buried Heart, the final in Kate Elliott's Court of Fives trilogy.

I'm currently reading Wolf Moon. I recently finished up Strange the Dreamer (you can find my review here) and A Court of Wings and Ruin (review here).

Silvana wrote: "Finished with The Iron Jackal and I am sad I only have one book to go with the Ketty Jay series :( Chris Wooding is in my to-watch list, for sure."

Breaking the Glass Slipper podcast has an interview with Wooding. He touches on the Ketty Jay series a couple times.

http://www.breakingtheglassslipper.co...

Silvana wrote: "Starting The Killing Moon by NK Jemisin for a group read. I read a short story about this before, so I am looking forward to dive deeper. Interesting magic system."

I just finished The Killing Moon a couple days ago, and I quite liked it. It feels like a standalone even though it's the first of a series. I also like the magic system.

It's the book that inspired me to start the "Coinage of the Realm" thread about cool words in SFF.

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

Trike wrote: "Silvana wrote: "Finished with The Iron Jackal and I am sad I only have one book to go with the Ketty Jay series :( Chris Wooding is in my to-watch list, for sure."

Breaking the Glass Slipper podca..."

Yep, I think it is indeed somewhat standalone as The Shadowed Sun has several different POV characters.

I finished The Killing Moon, what an awesome read. Now onwards to the next one. My favorite coinage maybe all the dream names.

And thanks for the podcast link!

Jessica wrote: "I'm currently reading Wolf Moon. "

How are you liking it so far? I plan to read it next year. Really enjoyed the first book.

Jessica wrote: "I'm currently reading Wolf Moon. I recently finished up Strange the Dreamer (you can find my review here) and A Court of Wings and Ruin (review here)."

Strange the Dreamer was so good! I still hate that it ended on a cliffhanger, but the book was fantastic enough that I can even somewhat forgive it that.


I finished Down Among the Sticks and Bones and loved every bit of it. It makes me want to go re-read the first book now with the new perspective. Now I can't wait for Beneath the Sugar Sky to come out. /impatient

Also read the novella Dead Light March, which was an excellent edition to the Shadowshaper world. I'm hoping things from it go on to be mentioned in and a part of Shadowhouse Fall because there were some really interesting things going on in such a short space.

Silvana wrote: "Jessica wrote: "I'm currently reading Wolf Moon. "

How are you liking it so far? I plan to read it next year. Really enjoyed the first book."


I didn't love it nearly as much as the first one :( But it was still a decent book and I will be sure to read the final installment when it comes out

So far this month (and some of last month but who's counting, besides GR?)

-The Devil You Know: Really enjoyed this one. A very well done detective UF story. One of the best of the set I've read so far.

-Fledgling: I think Octavia Butler is a great writer and has clear visions, but I bounce off her and her uncomfortable choices. A refreshing vampire story, but not my favorite.

-Childhood's End: I can see why this is a classic! The writing was excellent and imaginative, though I would have preferred stronger framing.

-Station Eleven: Simply gorgeous and wistful. I think this is one of my favorite apocalypse stories now.

-A Court of Thorns and Roses: Meh. Just read the original ballad of Tam Lin, for my money. It's more badass and much shorter.

-I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban: Hard to read, but informative. She's really a very heroic person.

-Magic's Pawn: Heart broken. Absolutely devastated. Can't wait to read the next one.

Now I'm reading Odd Thomas, which has me laughing out loud, in between horrific events. I think I'm gonna like this book!

I've been traveling for work, so I've had a lot of time to catch up on my list. Can't wait to get home, where Stone Sky is waiting for me!

Allison wrote: "-Childhood's End: I can see why this is a classic! The writing was excellent and imaginative, though I would have preferred stronger framing."

Plan on watching the miniseries SyFy did of it?