SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Thank You Anna and Michele

Esther wrote: "I am reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January as a buddy read. My 'buddies' seem to like but not love it however for me it is a page turner that I can hardly put down."

I'm with you Esther! I loved it:)

I read The Deathless and liked this unusual fantasy quite much. I also read Mexican Gothic and liked it a lot, it had a very unexpected plot twist that took the story towards a more fantasy genre direction even if it has a good touch of Gothic romance too.

Don wrote: "Eric, if you like hard SciFi "The Martian" is pretty good. If someone had given me an elevator pitch on it, I'd have been, meh! But the execution is excellent and clever and funny.
it might have be..."

I believe it was and it was originally self-published

"The Martian is a 2011 science fiction novel written by Andy Weir. It was his debut novel under his own name. It was originally self-published in 2011; Crown Publishing purchased the rights and re-released it in 2014."

I'm half way through it. So far, three stars, though you have to love the foul mouth NASA press/media guru.

Eric wrote: ""The Martian is a 2011 science fiction novel written by Andy Weir. It was his debut novel under his own name. It was originally self-published in 2011; Crown Publishing purchased the rights and re-..."

It would seem that Neil DeGrasse Tyson likes the movie (and by assumption the book as well since it has the same line) because the main character turns Science into a verb.

Finished The Martian. Thought three stars, but at the end gave this author's debut four stars.

Onto Dawnshard, ahead of the new release of Rhythm of War.

The Martian reminds me a bit of watching a Twitch streamer play a game they are excellent at -- it's fun to watch someone skillfully overcome challenges (with some fun banter to boot).

I'm reading Spirits Abroad which has been far more hit than miss for me so far. A few are a bit boring, but the vast majority are hilarious to me, and I love spending time seeing mythology, including ones I'm more familiar with, from a Malaysian perspective.

Warbreaker is for my listening book and...yikes. Sanderson is really hit or miss for me and this one is a big miss. A strange mix of way heavier content but with...color magic. And infodumps. And annoying people running around being annoying for hours at a time.

Almost done with both and then onto only about 2400 more pages of reading for this month :D

I've just finished Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding. Damn, did I enjoy it! It took me, like, 3 months, but I got stuck in a reader's block and couldn't get out. Also, I didn't want to finish RF because it was so good. Like, your favourite meal which you'd want to enjoy forever.

Anyway, I finished, finally, and it made me fall in love with steampunk. Now, I've listed several steampunk books which I want to read soon. I think my next will be Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Does anyone have any recommendations on steampunk books? I think I've listed about 15, but I'm certain there's way more than that and I'd love to hear your suggestions.

do you like Adrian Tchaikovsky? if so, his Tales of the apt has a steampunk bent to it as does Made Things and Guns of the Dawn

Anna wrote: "I tried to watch the movie with my 12yo friend after we'd read the book together, and we both hated it so much we DNFed it before the 30min mark :S The characters were all wrong, and they'd somehow..."

My book adaptation disappointment at twelve years old (or thereabouts) was Disney's Black Cauldron. Me, my sister, and her best friend all loved the Prydain series and went to the movie together. They changed the most important part of the book! And Gurgi? Just no!

Nikki wrote: "I've just finished Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding. Damn, did I enjoy it! It took me, like, 3 months, but I got stuck in a reader's block and couldn't get out. Also, I didn't want to finish RF b..."

That was such a fun series, Nikki!

CBRetriever wrote: "do you like Adrian Tchaikovsky? if so, his Tales of the apt has a steampunk bent to it as does Made Things and Guns of the Dawn"
Thank you! I haven't read anything written by Tchaikovsky. I've shelved your suggestions!

I was sure we had a thread about book vs. movie, but I can only find this very old one. Maybe I'll find the one I was thinking about after I've had my morning coffee. (Yes, at 11PM.)

Best/Worst Movies Based on Books

Finished the novella, Dawnshard. An interlude until the release of Rhythm of War. Found another novella from Elantris, The Emperor's Soul . Thought I'd try that.

Thanks to my (not so) kids who set me up with Amazon gift cards for my recent birthday. More Kindle downloads.

I love the emperor’s soul! Just so you know, it’s not directly related at all to Elantris, just set on the same planet. Don’t even expect the magic to be the same.

Eric wrote: "Finished the novella, Dawnshard. An interlude until the release of Rhythm of War. Found another nov..."

Just finished Dawnshard too. I really liked it! Some absolutely fascinating things in there, and Lopen 🤣😊

I join in the praise for Dawnshard. While "Edgedancer" was a nice enhancement of the Stormlight Archive world, "Dawnshard" is a real game changer and a wonderful character story for some of the so far side characters. Imho Sanderson does a beautiful job in portraying disabled (in various kind of ways) characters without taking the easy way out.

I'm still reading a lot, but I find less and less energy in me to write reviews :( or talk about them ... so just a short overview:

I dnf'd Black Sun and The First Sister. Both not neccessarily bad, but I had no patience with them.

I loved the short story anthology Once Upon a Parsec: The Book of Alien Fairy Tales, where authors came up with fairy tales or situations for fairy tales on other planets/other societies/future Earth. Different delightful approaches, with the exception of the last story all were special in their own way. I hope I will get myself together to write a detailed review for this one, cause it deserves recognition.

I read my first Lem The Invincible and was pleasantly surprised about the non-agitated way he writes and the more idea-driven narration of 'old times'. I need to read more by him.

The Ministry Of The Future was a typical Kim Stanley Robinson. Filled to the brim with ideas and theories. This man seems to be interested in absolutely everything and researches about everything. I'm so fascinated by this. Whenever I pick up one of his novels I'm sure I will broaden my horizon. Yet aside from that I found the plot part of this climate catastrophe novel very lacking. The points he made touched me more in the recently read The 2084 Report: An Oral History of the Great Warming.

Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge was a total disappointment. It felt like a first draft with character writing flatter than a cardboard. No comparison to his well done "Zones of Thoughts" novels.

From our group bookshelf I picked up Across the Nightingale Floor - only reason was that it was available on storytel. And what a pleasant surprise it was! Terrific voice actors in a silkpunk story that was suprisingly delightful. Thanks to the shelf! This is a book I would have never picked up myself (I would have never heard of it, to begin with)

I've been saving Nightingale Floor, hoping it'd be a really good one. Nice to hear that might be the case!

Two days left to vote!


December 2020 Runner-Up Sci-Fi

December 2020 Runner-Up Fantasy

Anna wrote: "I've been saving Nightingale Floor, hoping it'd be a really good one. Nice to hear that might be the case!"

Go for the audiobook. The voices are perfect for the setting (a bit slow and silky)

Yes, I have it on my shelf, I just haven't gotten to it, because sometimes I don't read the ones I expect I'll like. Very sensible, reading books you know you won't like first, and saving the dessert for later :D

Recently Finished

"Still Life" by Louise Penny and it was a pretty good mystery. The Author basically gives reader a curated trip to a small village outside of Montreal as a murder is being addressed.

Reread of "Ringworld" and "Ringworld Engineers".
Enjoyed "Ringworld" and completed "Ringworld Engineers".

The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross

Laundry Files #3, reading the series in order is recommended. There seems to be a mole in the Laundry and Bob is on the case. Reminded me a bit of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy" but of course in the Lovecraftian world of the Laundry. Very English with a good level of snark. I like this series a lot, 4 stars.

@Xavaqenia: Thanks for The Emperor's Soul tip. I'm finding the "forgery" thread interesting.

@Gabi, @ Leonie: I thought Dawnshard to lack a bit of depth; almost aimed at younger readers. Certainly a fun interlude and correct on the character Lopen. The new wrinkle was how the "impostors" got put together. Sanderson's imagination knows no bounds.

Lots of people are probably reading Sanderson/Stormlight things in the near future, so here is the buddy read thread for the series:

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

Anna wrote: "Lots of people are probably reading Sanderson/Stormlight things in the near future, so here is the buddy read thread for the series:

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

Thanks, Anna. Didn't know the thread existed.

Woot, earning my keep! :)

Anna wrote: "Woot, earning my keep! :)"

😎

I'm in the middle of 'The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue,' and it's pretty good so far. It's a lovely concept.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Started Afterland by Lauren Beukes, a post-apocalyptic tale of a mother on the run with her young son in a world that has suffered the deaths of most boys & men. I admire pretty much everything she's written - to me it veers more towards horror within a science-fiction or fantasy framework - but it's always thought-provoking and beautifully written.

Rhythm of War is now on my Kindle. Storms ahoy!

Eric, does the kindle version have the paintings?

Gabi, I just looked. A lengthy intro then maps and sketches before the story starts. Would the map and sketches be the paintings you refer to? Artists are mentioned in the introduction, so perhaps paintings are deeper in the book. The dedication reads:

"For Isaac Stewart, Who paints my imagination."

That could be a hint. Regardless, the Kindle does no justice to maps and sketches. Small and no color.

No, I think Gabi meant these:





As far as I know, these are exclusive to the hardcover edition for now. Does anyone know more?

Yes, I meant the colour paintings ... so they aren't in the paperback either? Do I understand that correctly ... I'm really really tempted to get the hardcovers then ... oh money ... where are thou?!

Just purchased "Rhythm of War"

@stephan have you read the other VS Schwab books? Especially the 4 London fantasy series (A Conjuring of Ghosts?)

@Gaby: No, at least in my own paperbacks of the previous books, these colored paintings were always missing. On Amazon.de, the US hardcover costs only 17.88 EUR, but takes longer to ship than the UK cover version which ships in one day, so maybe that's an option if you want to just listen to it for a first read and don't mind waiting for the physical book. (Not sure how much shipping costs, though.)

Personally I buy the hardcovers of Stormlight because I want all the books to be in the same format and I love the artwork. I came to the series a bit after it came out, but still bought The Way of Kings in hardcover instead of ebook or paperback so they look nice on my shelves.

I have gotten books 1-3 for $3 in ebook though, so whenever I reread 1-5 prior to book 6 I'll likely do the ebook the second time around.

Or maybe I'll pick up the audio versions too.

While everyone is raving about the new Sanderson book, I am enjoying The Burning God, last book of The Poppy War. I was so glad when I found out today that the first and second books of the trilogy have been translated into Indonesian, so I expect there'd be more Kuang fans here.

I am officially recognizing a new term; A traffic backup caused by spectator slowing will now be refered to as a "Gawkblock" thank you helicopter traffic guy in L.A.

Currently enjoying an "included title" story "Power" by James A. Burton. A good story is sweeter when it comes at no additional charge.

Gabi wrote: "Yes, I meant the colour paintings ... so they aren't in the paperback either? Do I understand that correctly ... I'm really really tempted to get the hardcovers then ... oh money ... where are thou?!"

Tough the hardcovers must be nice to look at, I have given up on buying thick physical books. They are so cumbersome to hold, unless you have the book on your lap at all times. I rather read thick books on my E-reader.

"Never judge a person's story by the chapter you find them in"
Maureen's Parents

Just finished listening to Planetfall and found it to be ok. Pretty sure I won't continue with the series.

I listened to a Carmilla a dramatized gothic vampire novella. A bit over the top production-wise but, considering when it was originally written, really fit the bill.

Trying to finish up The Library of the Unwritten. I'm enjoying it when I'm reading it but haven't been actively pursuing it other than before bed.

Because I like most of The Hunger Games series, I had to read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Definitely not like the action filled predecessors but more mental drama showing how Snow's character is molded.

I am STILL reading To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. I love the narration, but it's just so long and even though I'm something like halfway through I somehow feel like the main character hasn't really made much meaningful progress? There's some cool stuff buried in there, I think Paolini just isn't the writer for me though. Things that should be really interesting fall flat.

I'm also kind of failing at Norwegian Wood. So far it's lacking in the quirkiness I'm used to from Murakami. It's like Catcher in the Rye meets Murakami, which despite liking the two separately, does not seem to be a good combo.

In positive reading news though, I started The Boneless Mercies yesterday and love it so far. It's a Scandinavian inspired YA fantasy and it is everything I wanted from a book right now.

Leticia wrote: "Gabi wrote: "Yes, I meant the colour paintings ... so they aren't in the paperback either? Do I understand that correctly ... I'm really really tempted to get the hardcovers then ... oh money ... w..."

I mostly agree. I also don't really have much space for books right now, to be honest. I've even got a HUGE calculus textbook on my kindle, for example. All the fun, non of the carrying (I have an old-school kindle fire, so it's sort of heavy--I'm thinking maybe I should pick up a kindle paper, or whatever it's called).

Leticia wrote: "Tough the hardcovers must be nice to look at, I have given up on buying thick physical books. They are so cumbersome to hold, unless you have the book on your lap at all times. I rather read thick books on my E-reader.
..."

Usually I'm the same. I've been running rings around "Pandora's Star" for ages, cause I own it as physical doorstopper and it simply intimidated me. Then I found it on storytel and finally listened to it. It's a psychological threshold that must be crossed. On the other hand, I'm reading the Riddlemaster of Hed in the physical omnibus collection, which has the same thickness, and I find myself enjoying the sensation.

Yet with Stormlight Archives it would be the same as with the Earthsea omnibus. I would buy the books because of the edition/artwork, not for reading.