SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Hey folks! My name is Stephen, and I am an American expat (from Alabama) now living in Switzerland.

I was born in 80 under a blood moon; a dire warning to all of the poor chocolate eclairs that would eventually be my victims. I started reading fantasy around the age of seven, with The Hobbit, then later I shot through the Pern series. After that, and for a long time in the early 90's I really dug into the Dragonlance/Forgotten Realm style of books - along with several of what most consider cheesy B-rate fantasy stories from the 80's.

I currently write for a living; mostly general fiction in short stories, and fantasy in an upcoming novel. Since marrying in 2013 my tastes have somewhat changed, as my wife has introduced me to historical fiction, which I now read along with the standard fantasy fair.

Welcome Karin, Reilly and Stephen! I hope you will join us in conversation! We're about to start our November reads, and are finishing up a couple of books now, so if you'd like to join in, you're starting at a good time!

Otherwise, feel free to poke around, we have lots of very active side conversations at present and always love new ones!

Hi folks. Simon here. Thank's for letting me join.

I'm not really much a talker!

I'm 33. Family man. Security Consultant and novice Author.

I was never much of a reader. Well, not much of a fiction reader anyway. I've read quite a lot of non-fiction. I played more video games, watched more movies/cartoons and read more comics than I ever read fiction books. In the end, most of the non-fiction we read turns out to be fiction in someone's opinion, somewhere.

My dad is a prolific writer regarding pre-Christian Europe. I was lucky enough to have all the weird and wonderful books lying around the house to fuel my imagination.

I have always written something - Whether rules and history of a board game. Some esoteric essay. Poetry for dead people. I've always had a compulsion to write. I hope one day you great readers will find the time to read my works! My latest book took me seven years, writing part-time - and I have to tell you that I began to despise writing by the end of it. I'd like nothing more than to write full time - but ho-hum, reality sucks. If I get enough likes/support, I may do that in the near future.

I've decided that before I finish my other sequels, prequels, etc - that I will undertake some reading. Hence why I joined here.

I like Tolkien's early works. The more dark and abstract stuff, like the Silmarillion. I like Dune, it such a timeless tale that echoes in all ages. I like the Dragonlance stories, like the tale of Caramon and Raistlin Majere. Michael Moorcock's stuff is great, I especially like the Corum series.

Anyway - nice to meet you all. Again, thanks for the add.

Awesome, that's actually one of the key reasons why I am here. It will be nice to read some books that I am not obliged to, hah.

Hi everyone.
My name is Sana but I preferred to be called julee. I'm a medical student actually. I'm doing my MBBS here in Multan,Pakistan. I'm a citizen of Khanewal,Pakistan.
Though I find very little time to read books other than my course books as compared to other book nerdies but I always manage to read a few books every month. This is my first book club I ever joined. I'm hoping I can get good book recommendations. I'm crazy about fantasy and all those fictions that let me escape from my hectic life.
These days I'm having my final exams so guys wish me luck.😊😃
I have a bundle of books already stacked that I have to read after exams.
Hoping to find some awesome bookworm friends.
Have a good day all.

Good luck!

John wrote: "Sam wrote: "Hello!
My name is Sam and I just turned 23 on the 14th. In May, I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Finance, got married a week later, and moved a week after that from Knoxville, TN..."

Thank you! It made for a very stressful couple of months.

I see Salvatore and Brooks all the time but have never picked up one of their books for some reason. After looking, I apparently have a ton of Wheeler books on my TBR also. I will be sure to pick up some of their books!

Welcome Simon and Julee! No obligations, though we hope some of the books you read with us might be so good you can't help but share your thoughts! Good luck, Julee!

Hi All!

My name is Lisa. I'm 28 years old and live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I love reading basically every genre but lately, I've been wanting to expand my knowledge on sci-fi/fantasy books. I'm hoping all your awesome recommendations will get me started on really delving into these genres. One dream I have is to get completely lost in a prolific sci-fi/fantasy author's entire collection (other than Harry Potter and related texts :P).

I'm super excited to get tons of recommendations and join in on the fun!!
Talk to you all soon!
Lisa

Sam wrote: "John wrote: "Sam wrote: "Hello!
My name is Sam and I just turned 23 on the 14th. In May, I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Finance, got married a week later, and moved a week after that from ..."

If you like Fantasy fiction I think that you'll enjoy both Brooks & Salvatore. as much as I do if not more. As for Jeff Wheeler, I'm currently waiting on the last book in the series which won't be out till next month. But that's ok got a few others for which I can read until then

Lisa wrote: "Hi All!

My name is Lisa. I'm 28 years old and live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I love reading basically every genre but lately, I've been wanting to expand my knowledge on sci-fi/fantasy books. ..."

Welcome, fellow western Canadian! (I live in metro Vancouver) Yes, there are some great recommendations here.

Hello everyone. My name is a Brian and I live in The Seattle area. I’m fairly new tho these genres and I am excited to get some ideas from everyone and participate in some good reads. Thanks

Welcome, Lisa and Brian! You've come to the right place! This is actually a great time to join because not only do you have a week to read anything available this month if you'd like, but you also only have a week before you have 2-4 MORE options to read AND December is our runner-up read month, which means you get to vote on a cast of already vetted, all totally great looking books for the end of the year!

Brand new, and you're already doing things like bosses. :-)

Hello earthlings, I'm Prophet, native German but living in Indonesia. I like to read all kinds of genres and authors (favourites include Umberto Eco, Herman Hesse, Raymond Chandler, Kazuo Ishiguro, James Ellroy) but my real love has always been SciFi and Fantasy, initially nurtured by my father, an engineer, IT expert and proper geek.

I used to read tons of books but in recent years, due to a full-time job, two kids and the allure of the internet and computer games, I have hardly found time to read. This is about to change as I have set myself the goal to read at least one or two books a month. I recently finished Ancillary Justice which was good and Annihilation which I loved so much that I immediately continued with Authority. Looking forward to finishing the Southern Reach trilogy and hope to find another good SciFi read after that (recently bought Hyperion and City of Stairs). I'm less into fantasy these days and not keen on endless series (trilogies are ok) but always open to suggestions.

Welcome Prophet! I've read Ancillary Justice and Hyperion, both great books.

Hi everyone,
A little about me, I live in New York City, I'm married and have two wonderful dogs, I love running and bicycling, but usually only bike when I'm in the countryside, and stick to running in the city.
I'm a writer. I write historical fiction and spend all day either writing or researching history, so when I read for enjoyment I read Sci Fi. Especially if the book has good aliens in it. I LOVE that.

Hey Prophet! Welcome! So many good sci-fi books out there. And so many here that are extremely well read in the genre that I'm sure would love to exchange views.

Helen! Glad to have you! I hope you found some good alien books (unless that was another Helen that loves alien books and then boy will my head explode :-) )

Allison wrote: "Hey Prophet! Welcome! So many good sci-fi books out there. And so many here that are extremely well read in the genre that I'm sure would love to exchange views.

Helen! Glad to have you! I hope yo..."

Thank you Allison,
Yes it was me, no worries for your head :).
And yes I did find several, this reminds me I don´t think I added them all. I should go and do that before I forget.

Arcadia by Pear. Excellent involving, fun read

Allow me to introduce myself:
I’m a retired consultant and communications manager who read countless epic fantasies while squandering too many frequent flyer miles on upgrades. Reading has been a passion since I first learned how with those old “See Spot Run” books in the mid-50’s. The nuns in their black habits wielding wooden pointers provided motivation for the heavier tomes like The Baltimore Catechism.
Early on, I spent a lot of time with Heinlein, Azimov, Zelazny, and the American and European classics. At university, I discovered philosophy and political science. I had a brief fling with Hunter S. (even called him from a bar one night) and his ilk. After discovering Tolkien, I spent most of my time with Jordan, Salvatore, and any epic fantasy, no matter how bad, I could lay my hands on.
I still devour epic fantasy (Kindle makes that easy) and punctuate those forays with DeMille, Koontz, and Hiaasen, as their latest comes out. Currently working my way through The Kingsmen Chronicles.
Give me some time to wade through the threads before I jump into the water. Would appreciate any suggestions and advice for newbies.
John

Hey there, John!

The big stuff: We're about to start 2 new books (and have discussions on already-read books for people who didn't get to it the first time) starting on the first and fifteenth. You should check them out! (The rereads are listed here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... )

Other than that, feel free to root around a little in the ongoing conversations! Most of the folders have a sort of "how this works" section, so if you want to start a conversation, check those out first. Also don't hesitate to ask where anything should go.

Have fun, happy reading! Planes make great places for long books. I recently flew to Taiwan from the US, and I guess I could have done work, but it messed with my sleep schedule so much instead I read 5 books. I ain't mad :)

OH! Almost forgot. We're picking books for our Group Reads for the first half of next year! Sarah worked really hard on it, I encourage everyone to vote on books that sound fun. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Allison wrote: "We're picking books for our Group Reads for the first half of next year!"

Group rereads. Sarah runs reads throughout the year to go back and reread past Group Reads, for those who weren't here the first time and those who want to read it again.

Kim wrote: "Allison wrote: "We're picking books for our Group Reads for the first half of next year!"

Group rereads. Sarah runs reads throughout the year to go back and reread past Group Reads, for those who ..."

Yes, sorry. Typing too fast. New group reads are selected one at a time.

Wow, Kim. Say that ten times fast.

Sarah Anne wrote: "Wow, Kim. Say that ten times fast."

LOL I doubt that she could say that 3 times fast.

What do y'all mean? It's so simple! lol

Allison wrote: "What do y'all mean? It's so simple! lol"

So was "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". LOL

How much wood can a woodchuck, chuck?

A woodchuck, could chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

LOL

We reread reads we read recently which really Sarah readies.

I really don't see the difficulty ;-)

Dj wrote: "How much wood can a woodchuck, chuck?

A woodchuck, could chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

LOL"

Actually, Peter Piper and the woodchuck one are the two tongue twisters I can do the best. Of course, I don't practise most of them.

Karin wrote: "Dj wrote: "How much wood can a woodchuck, chuck?

A woodchuck, could chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

LOL"

Actually, Peter Piper and the woodchuck o..."

They were brought mainly due to our teasing Allison. At least she was good-natured about it.

Karin wrote: "Dj wrote: "How much wood can a woodchuck, chuck?

A woodchuck, could chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

LOL"

Actually, Peter Piper and the woodchuck o..."

The response came from an episode of Xena. Amazing the things you pick up. I used to have to do the tongue twisters back in Jr. High, to help overcome a speech impediment. I have since forgotten most of them and still have issues with Ambulance.

Dj wrote: "Karin wrote: "Dj wrote: "How much wood can a woodchuck, chuck?

A woodchuck, could chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

LOL"

Actually, Peter Piper and t..."

I had the same to go through the same thing as you and will have to admit there is a few for which I still have issues with even @ 55

Hello everyone!
I am Tom, student from central Europe, gamer, passionate hiker, sometimes hopeless dreamer and since I bought my e-reader last year, getting to reading. Quite often I read when in bus or train when going for a hike in the hills, which is just as good way to clear your mind as good book.

Among the things I was reading and had lots of fun with was Eragon series and books by D.K. Holmberg and David Dalglish, but I also like to explore unknown books if they look promising enough.

As for my own fantasy adventures, I am semi-secretly working on my own fantasy world since 2015 and hope to have the first bits ready in second half of 2018 if everything goes well which is hard to say as I improvise and learn on the go.

John wrote: "Dj wrote: "Karin wrote: "Dj wrote: "How much wood can a woodchuck, chuck?

A woodchuck, could chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

LOL"

Actually, Peter ..."

I mostly got over it, Had a job as a Radio Station DJ for a time, and now do Telephone Customer Service. I prefer the former, but there is no money in it.

Maybe the speech class thing was something in our generation, since I am 54. LOL

Welcome Tomas!

Dj wrote: "John wrote: "Dj wrote: "Karin wrote: "Dj wrote: "How much wood can a woodchuck, chuck?

A woodchuck, could chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

LOL"

Act..."

You could be right about the speech class as I'm 55 so were in the same age group

John wrote: "Karin wrote: "Dj wrote: "How much wood can a woodchuck, chuck?

A woodchuck, could chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

LOL"

Actually, Peter Piper and t..."

Sure, I just was going with the tangent.

Karin, no tangents! sheesh! ;-) I always had a hard time with unique New York. Maybe I'll go redo my intro post to include this about myself.

Hi I'm Amanda. SciFi/Fantasy/speculative fiction is one of my favorite genres but I tend to only read the big names/ hottest titles. I hope this group will help me expand my horizons for what I read!

Welcome Amanda! We just started our votes for December's reads in our polls section, so if you want to branch out, that's a good place to start! In December, we read something that aaaalmost made it this year but didn't quite make it to the shelves.

Also allow me to share this very important rule we have, which is "Anyone named Amanda must vote for a fantasy novel with the word 'king' in it their first vote, if any such book is on the poll."

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/1...

I am but a servant to the will of the group, Amanda, so I hope you understand ;-)

Allison, I completely understand,and thanks for letting me know. I'd hate to break a rule my first day in the group :-)

Allison, quit strong-arming people into voting for your book choice unless it's the same one I voted for ;)

Heehee! But it's working!

Also, this behavior is how I know I shouldn't be granted magic/super powers.

Hi everyone. My name is Taylor. Some of my favorite science fiction books include the Life As We Knew It series, the Gone series, and the Quarantine series. The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd is another favorite. Welcome to the Dark House is another favorite series of mine. Science fiction is my favorite genre to read. Expanding on my interest, I love Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Stranger Things. :)

Taylor wrote: "Hi everyone. My name is Taylor. Some of my favorite science fiction books include the Life As We Knew It series, the Gone series, and the Quarantine series. The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd is anoth..."

Hi Taylor and welcome to the group.

Now will have to admit that as for me I love Star Wars; mainly the movies; and Harry Potter, Of course, me I'm a fantasy fiction lover. Terry Brooks; R.A. Salvatore and so much more. As for the science fiction for some reason, I just couldn't get into reading them. But the movies are great. Look forward to seeing more of your posts here in the group. Take care.

Hi everyone! My name is Ashley. I’m 31 and from Dallas, Georgia. I’m lucky enough to be married to the man of my dreams and I have three children ages 5, 6, & 7 and two older step-sons, plus a very ornery 5-month-old kitten.

For as long as I can remember I have been obsessed with books, especially science fiction and fantasy. Being a daddy’s girl I’m pretty sure his love for those genres rubbed off on me. Unfortunately though, I haven’t read much, and I’m so ashamed to admit it; especially among this group of avid readers. Once I became a mother I somehow traded in my novels for children’s books, and other than a few series that grabbed me during those first few years of motherhood, including Twilight (yes, you read that right - I have no shame in admitting my biggest guilty pleasure!) and the Hunger Games, I didn’t get much accomplished. I’m glad to say my kids love books though, and the library is the place we spend most of our time besides school and home. But now they’re all in school and I have a *tad* more free time. I know, it’s such a lame excuse, but there ya go. I’ve made a promise to myself to make time for reading. So I joined the book club at our library and then, after being on Goodreads for years, decided to join one here. I’m SO GLAD I found this group. I love everything about it.

I’ve recently read The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon, and The Last Policeman with the group. I’m reading The Bear and the Nightingale now and trying to finish it so I can start Six of Crows. I’d like to read Six Wakes with the group but I guess it’s too new because I can’t find it used anywhere and my library doesn’t have it. I don’t want to pay $10 for the ebook; I’m cheap like that. I’m also currently reading (listening to) 1984 which I don’t ever want to stop. I bought and started A Game of Thrones several years ago, got halfway through, and then stopped for some reason and only read a little bit here and there afterwards. So I’ve started that one over. Also, my husband bought me Harry Potter & the Cursed Child last year and since it had been a few years since I’d read the series (the only series I’ve read multiple times) I decided to start them over. I’m currently on the Goblet of Fire. My all-time favorite book is The Neverending Story (I’d love to read it again with the group!), followed closely by Interview With the Vampire. I’m extremely ashamed of myself for not reading more Anne Rice after feeling completely overwhelmed by the story of Louis and Lestat. So, that’s on my to-do list for sure.

If you have any suggestions for me on books I NEED to read as a sci-fi & fantasy enthusiast, please let me know! Even if it’s in a different thread, I understand there’s rules.. Thanks in advance! I can’t wait to get lost in some great books with y’all!

Welcome, Taylor and Ashley! We're glad to have you! Sounds like you're more or less figuring out where things are which is great! A wonderful way to expand your list of favorites would be to vote for the first six months of re-reads we're going to do in 2018. Right now we're in for a very dystopian start to the year, and while they're all fantastic books, I'm kind of hoping to throw a few lighter ones in the mix? Maybe? I think the Halloween season has people in the mood for the macabre. ;-)

And do check out the December polls too! Do all the voting! Read all the books! Or some appealing subset thereof!

Thanks Allison! I have voted.

Hi, my name is Beth. I post occasionally to the J.R.R. Tolkien group on GR and the Neil Gaiman group, and I'm in 3 general book groups. I have many favorite books, but I suppose I tend to read older books in fantasy and newer books when I read sf. That's a generalization, though.

The best sf book I've read in 2017 is Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America.

In other media, I love Star Trek (TOS/TNG/DS9) and the Twilight Zone.