A little bit slow to get started this year:
1.
The Best of Philip Jose Farmer - This left me with mixed feelings. I tend to like Farmer when he's at his funniest.
2.
Double or Quits by A.A. Fair - not among the best in the series, but somewhat redeemed by important backstory scenes.
3.
They Shall Have Stars by James Blish - I liked one of the storylines quite a bit, the other one not so much.
Hi, clong!
Good luck with your reading challenge! :)
--BJ
This message has been deleted by its author.
Thanks, billiejean!
4.
A Life for the Stars by James Blish - book 2 of the Cities in Flight was quite a change of setting and narrative style, in some ways more effective, in other ways less interesting.
6.
Earthman, Come Home by James Blish - was moderately entertaining, but only it you didn't stop to really think about it.
7. The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fourth Annual Collection (edited) by Gardner Dozois - was a bit more of a mixed bag than usual, although I certainly found stories to appreciate.
8.
Fools Die on Friday by A.A. Fair, an interesting set-up and a surprising ending, but not one of the best in the series.
9.
The Triumph of Time (aka A Clash of Cymbals) by James Blish -which was a fittingly weak conclusion to the Cities in Flight tetralogy.
10.
The Marching Morons by C.M. Kornbluth - not the strongest collection ever, but a welcome return to science fiction which felt some kinship to reality.
11.
Way Station by Clifford Simak - the best scifi novel I have read in some time, and one of the better early 60s novels in the genre.
Thanks for the mention of
Way Station. Like I just mentioned on another thread, I belong to the Group Reads -- SciFi group and we nominate books to read as a group periodically. As I am new to the sff genre, I don't have too many ideas to nominate. So I am glad to see a good one to mention next time around. Thanks!
--BJ
Thanks for your comment. I think this book is a bit unusual in the scifi world: it features a thoughtful, introverted protagonist and some surprisingly beautiful descriptive language. It had one plot device that felt rather dated, but even that was there for a good reason.
12.
Journey Beyond Tomorrow by Robert Sheckley - The first half of this kept me highly amused, but it started to lose in the second half. Sheckley at his best is one of the funniest writers in scifi.
13. The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler - not as good as his best.
14.
The Practice Effect by David Brin - not as good as his best, either.
16.
Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson - There is something very natural about Gibson's storytelling (even in a very complicated story), but I didn't find this to be a particularly compelling novel.
17.
The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler - great atmosphere, but an overly convoluted plot and moments that left me unconvinced.
18.
Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish by Dorothy Gilman - not as good as the others I've read in this series
19.
The Devil's Eye by Jack McDevitt a very satisfying ending salvaged what was otherwise a someone disappointing entry in the Alex Benedict/Chase Kolpath canon.
You are really zooming along! I have been enjoying your reviews. Have a great day!
--BJ
20.
Bats Fly at Dusk by A.A. Fair - this is the one where Donald is off fighting the Japanese and Bertha tries to solve a tricky murder on her own. I wanted to like this book, but in the end it felt like a bit of a cop out.
21.
Noon: 22nd Century by the Brothers Strugatsky - a very good book from one of the best author teams out there.
22.
Fish or Cut Bait by A.A. Fair -another fun book, if a bit contrived.
I also read about 2/3rds of
The Beach Girls by John D. MacDonald, but gave up on it as voyeurism with no redeeming qualities.
My mom is visiting and I want to send back with her the big box of old Fair and MacDonald paperbacks that she leant me last year. I've almost finished the Fair books (and will try to do so before she leaves), and I've read enough of the MacDonald to give up (a few have been good, but the majority fair to bad).
Message edited by its author, May 6, 2009, 5:19am.
24.
Spill the Jackpot by A.A. Fair - I think this may be the best of the Lam/Cool books. Donald is a much more complicated character, and Bertha gets in touch with her feminine side. Fun, funny, and touching.
One more to go!
Message edited by its author, May 9, 2009, 11:21am.
25.
Cats Prowl at Night by A.A. Fair - the last of the Lam/Cool books my mother had leant me was pretty good, if not among the best. Donald's on vacation, and Bertha solves this one solo.
29.
Pilgrimage to Earth by Robert Sheckley - consistently witty, with the effortless facility that marks early Sheckley.
30.
Nightflyers by GRRMartin - "A Song for Lya" is a very good story, and I like "Override", but the other three stories in this collection did little for me.
31.
Nightside of the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe - not as hard of a read as the Severian series, but with a similar engaging immediacy. I look forward to book 2.
32.
Roderick by John Sladek - a good book that could have been a great book with some aggressive editing.
38.
Escape Attempt by the Brothers Strugatsky - the first two stories were disappointing, the last one quite a good first contact story with a twist.
42.
Strange Wine by Harlan Ellison - left me rather disappointed. Review to follow.
43.
Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner - an interesting exercise in storytelling, with some intriguing ideas. Not nearly as hard of a read as I had expected based on comments I've seen.
44.
Slan by A.E. van Vogt - a classic, and only a bit dated.
45.
The Dirdir by Jack Vance - not as ambitious as book 2, but a nicely focused male escapist fantasy tale.
47.
The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare - a nice change of pace, and reasonably funny, but clearly not in the same class as the bard's best.
48.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - I've heard it before as a book on tape, and seen the movie several times, but my first time reading it in book form. I'd say that, for what it is, it's just about perfect, except for final climactic confrontation scene, which didn't work for me on multiple levels.
Message edited by its author, Jul 19, 2009, 3:38pm.
53.
Roderick at Random by John Sladek - had funny moments, but didn't really have much to add to what the first book had already said.
57.
Store of Infinity by Robert Sheckley - a couple of great stories, and lots of good ones. Nothing profound (except perhaps the title story), but these are vintage Sheckley at his effortless, entertaining witty best.
58.
Crown of Stars by James Tiptree, Jr. - a few good stories, but not up to the level of her best.
59.
Merchanter's Luck by CJ Cherryh - another effective story set in the Alliance-Union universe. Believable characters who are doing their best to survive in a challenging universe.
61. To Marry Medusa by Theodore Sturgeon - not among his best
Message edited by its author, Sep 28, 2009, 9:25pm.
62.
Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber - one quite good story, one so-so story, and one in between.
64. The City & The City by China Mieville - a bit contrived, but quite a good book nonetheless.
65.
Greybeard by Brian Aldiss - a very good book in the pastoral requiem for humanity vein.
67.
Memoirs of a Space Traveler by Stanislaw Lem - overall, I liked this more than those parts of Star Diaries that were included in the initial English Translation.
68.
Phoenix by Steven Brust - somewhat of an improvement over the prior (chronologically anyway) book, but still not as good as the earlier books.
69.
The Book of Dreams by Jack Vance - a bit of a mixed bag, but definitely an improvement over books 3 & 4 of the series.
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