SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

This is the thread for the buddy read of The Wrong Stars. Pleas use spoiler tags and note chapter or percentage of where you are in the book.

I just got the book from the library yesterday, so I'll be ready to start.

I have my copy!

I started on ch 1 a couple days ago - it's interesting but (view spoiler)[I'm already rolling my eyes at things like Callie "sparkling" inside at the sight of a woman who is at the time *in a coma*. (hide spoiler)]

Kaa wrote: "I started on ch 1 a couple days ago - it's interesting but [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[The romance is a little eye-rolly to start. I do think it got better as it went along. At least it became less of a focus. (hide spoiler)]

Is their ship called The Au Jus? Because that's what the audio sounds like and I get confused every time I hear it.

Anjou, like the pear.
🍐

Aaahh! That's...better? Thanks!

Lol Au Jus would be a strange ship name

I started it and while the story seems interesting, it is self-contradictory at times, like (view spoiler)[first they discuss that space is a dangerous place and then they go to derelict ship and start breathing its air, like no biologic contamination is possible (hide spoiler)]

That threw me, too, Oleksandr.

Thoughts through Ch. 4

(view spoiler)[ It's certainly funny and atmospheric, but I'm having a bit of a hard time fitting this into a slot. I think thriller based on the vibes, but then we spend a page talking about salvage laws and I'm not sure why. Then I think maybe it's gonna be a space opera but the captain speaks like a mommy and I lose the derring-do sense of things. I'm waiting for it to coalesce into the story. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 6

(view spoiler)[ Yikes, it's losing me fast. The way the women are portrayed is really getting under my skin. And all of the explanations seem to assume I'm 5 and need to have my vegetables (and thoughts) given to me covered in cheese. (hide spoiler)]

Allison wrote: "Chapter 6

[spoilers removed]"

Just my two cents- but this probably doesn't get better as the book goes on. It reminds me a lot of Andy Weir's Artemis. Fun/entertaining, but not very deep.

Edited to add: looking back at my review, it picked up around 40%.

Allison wrote: "Chapter 6

[spoilers removed]"

Haha! You captured my thoughts exactly. I read this a couple of months ago and struggled with that aspect.

Allison wrote: "Chapter 6

[spoilers removed]"

Agreed, and jokes like "I hasn't done [thing] for 500 years" aren't that fun after the 10th time. And "spankings" sounds a bit unnatural in the story

Okay finished Ch. 12, so this is where Sarah says it picks up.

(view spoiler)[ "Everyone I knew not on this ship is dead, I don't know where we are, if we'll get back and if we have enemies everywhere. Wanna talk about lipstick?"

Enraaaaging.

The dialogue is often snappy, but every time a woman comes on screen I feel like it's about to turn into a porno. And "all aliens are bad guys, fire at will" is a trope I just don't appreciate. (hide spoiler)]

Um, I feel I should issue a warning? Bi/pan women and ace/aro folks, this book may explore tropes that are enraging or hurtful. Just thought you might want a heads up.

@Allison: Can you message me or post a spoiler with more details? I am very close to giving up on the book already, and that doesn't sound promising.

I said a lot of it in my review, but I'd be happy to message you with a bit more specific concerns I had.

Thanks, Allison. I think I can safely DNF this - I'm not even finding the witty bits that funny, so it doesn't sound like there will be anything redeeming about it for me.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but yeah, I'd pick some other book of his to start with, maybe?

Sorry you didn't like it, Allison. I'm still planning to start tonight, but at least I'll go in knowing there might be some bumpy parts. I do tend to be able to ignore or gloss over things I don't like in a book, so hopefully it won't be too much of a problem.

Yeah, and there are lots of cool and funny parts! I hope you'll still like it, Bobby, and I see several scenes I think you'll find to be very fun!

I just found out about ace/aro thing when I read your review and comment, Allison, thanks. Any other recommended books exploring that aspect of romanticism/sexuality?

Allison wrote: "Um, I feel I should issue a warning? Bi/pan women and ace/aro folks"

ugh, I had to google those abbreviations, which gave something to ruminate :)

Silvana wrote: "I just found out about ace/aro thing when I read your review and comment, Allison, thanks. Any other recommended books exploring that aspect of romanticism/sexuality?"

The best ace rep I've personally read is in Every Heart a Doorway. If you're looking for more, Claudie Arseneault has an aro/ace database on her site. I went through it so many times last year, looking to complete the ace slot in IBB.

Anna wrote: "Silvana wrote: "I just found out about ace/aro thing when I read your review and comment, Allison, thanks. Any other recommended books exploring that aspect of romanticism/sexuality?"

The best ace..."

Thank you! I was not a fan of Every Heart but that database sure is useful :)

Glad to introduce new terms, Oleksandr! Human partnering is a complex dance indeed!

Yes, thanks for the database, Anna! I don't see a lot of asexual representation in books...I've seen it in comics though! It comes up in Questionable Content fairly early on.

Back to the story, ch 15-16 (view spoiler)[if others are put off by the treatment of romantic/sexual, I was (mildly) shocked by the mock court they set up - it is so close to lynching IMHO, extrajudicial, which just 'plays court' (hide spoiler)]

Yes! That was also quite upsetting!

Just finished. I went and read over Allison's review and she is 100% on point with her criticisms. (As usual, because she's brilliant.)

I didn't have as hard a time with this one, because I am so very fond of Pratt from his fantasy series. I also follow him on social media and he's a genuinely delightful person. I've been backing his Patreon and self publish efforts for years.

However, the representation in this did kind of feel like a mess. I do say that as an ally and not as a member of the LGBT community myself, which Pratt actually is. He's married to a woman but is vocal about being Bi. I think this was definitely a case of his heart being in the right place but trying just WAY too hard.

I'd be interested to see if folks who enjoyed this also liked A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe. That would be an informative Venn-diagram I think. A lot of the same tropes and a lot of the same issues appear in both. In fact I was reading Allison's review, and her opening few lines could describe either book. :) That was also a very divisive book for a lot of the same reasons. And those who liked it, also seemed to like it for the same reasons. Fun dialogue, lots of action, kind of ridiculous romance.

I know there are more books in this series. But, as much as I love Pratt, I think I'll just go read his Patreon and revisit Marla Mason. (I actually still haven't read the last book in that series because then it will be OVER and I don't want it to be. I'm waiting until I feel like I can do a full reread of the whole series.)

@Kristin: That's an interesting point regarding Big Ship, because I didn't like that one much either. (The fact that I still regret not dnf-ing that probably encouraged me to give up on this one sooner, actually.)

Kaa wrote: "@Kristin: That's an interesting point regarding Big Ship, because I didn't like that one much either. (The fact that I still regret not dnf-ing that probably encouraged me to give up on this one so..."

Yeah, you probably made the right choice. They are very similar. This one I think was quicker, but if you didn't like Big Ship and weren't pulled in by this one right away, best to save your time for something you like. :)

Kristin B. wrote: "... I'd be interested to see if folks who enjoyed this also liked A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe. ..."

I had different reactions to them. I read The Wrong Stars when it first came out and really enjoyed it. It did feel like it was trying too hard (view spoiler)[and I remember not liking the way it got so "blow everything up" towards the end, (hide spoiler)] but it worked for me as the fun adventure with likable characters that I was looking for at the time.

On the other hand I was at best lukewarm towards A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe. I had to start it multiple times and only pushed through it because it was a group read. I didn't enjoy the plot or the characters.

Aw, thanks Kristin! You're too kind, you are allowed to call me a prickly person who hates fun if you'd like.

I saw that Pratt identified as bi, and it just goes to show you that there is something to having to be careful about how you write someone who is at all different from you. I'm guessing from your reaction that the Marla books are quite different!

Raucous, was it the writing that felt different for you? I couldn't finish Big Ship, Wrong Stars felt more polished to me at least.

I finished it and I agree with Alliuson's review. My rating for the book was slightly higher because I really liked the idea of Liers. Their initial introduction was delightful, hinting at several SF books about the first contact. However, what the author made later with them from origin story to a secret cabal was actually a waste of potential for me.

re: Big Ship, just like this book I did finished it but cannot say I really enjoyed either one

Argh, the liars could have been so cool!! I thought they were hilarious and I liked that maybe we were seeing a cultural element that we as humans couldn't figure out. The sordid past did sort of change the effectiveness for me.

But I can also see it being part of a fun romp through new cultures and scifi ideas. I really wanted it to be that, I think it just hit a lot of my personal (and it sounds like our shared) speed bumps.

Allison wrote: "I'm guessing from your reaction that the Marla books are quite different!..."

I feel like they were. However, in full disclosure, it's been several years since I read them. I wasn't nearly as critical in my reading then. I also wasn't as sensitive to issues with representation. So now I'm wondering...

I did definitely prefer Marla to Callie. That I have no doubt on. I think mostly because they are both strong females, but Marla was just kind of a mess when it came to making decisions. Murphy's law was not her friend and Pratt really explored the idea that the road to Hell (kind of literally) is paved in good intentions.

Kristin B. wrote: "Allison wrote: "I'm guessing from your reaction that the Marla books are quite different!..."

I feel like they were. However, in full disclosure, it's been several years since I read them. I wasn'..."

Neat! It's definitely still on my radar :) I will keep your caveats in mind ;-)

I also noticed the similarities between the two. I had a much more negative reaction to Big Ship at the beginning, largely because of the writing, but eventually it grew on me somewhat.

When I started The Wrong Stars, my first impression was, "oh, this is what Big Ship was trying to be." Overall I had a much more favorable impression of TWS, and was able to enjoy the fun parts, but eventually the frustrating parts (discussed by others above) started to grate.

Allison wrote: "... Raucous, was it the writing that felt different for you? I couldn't finish Big Ship, Wrong Stars felt more polished to me at least."

That was certainly part of it. The pacing of Big Ship, in particular, was jarring. It was just one of the ways that Big Ship bothered me though. I remember, in addition to just not liking the characters and plot, spending a lot of time thinking "that would never work." That's never a good sign when you're in the middle of an action sequence.

Perhaps I was too uncritical of The Wrong Stars, given some of the very different reactions that I see here, but it was a good fit to my mood at the time.

There are some things that just come along at the right time when we need a certain kind of story. I'm afraid I've had a lot of good to stellar representation lately, which has been lovely, but also means that seeing less than stellar representation suffers in comparison. Ditto pacing, explanations and so on. I could see this being great in some other context!

Raucous wrote: "Perhaps I was too uncritical of The Wrong Stars, given some of the very different reactions that I see here, but it was a good fit to my mood at the time. ..."

This is a huge deal. I recently read a super light and comfy little urban fantasy right after reading a really heavy epic, and it made all the difference in the world! But, just because we enjoyed something that wasn't technically perfect doesn't take away from the enjoyment. :)