What We Are Reading: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Danger, Will Robinson! You may get buried under your TBR stack with the suggestions from this thread!

Excellent! The old SFFCat is not available in 2016, so this might help "fill the gap".

I recently discovered Lois McMaster Bujold's works, and am enjoying them very much.

Started The Bone Clocks on New Year's Eve. At first I was somewhat ambivalent - just didn't connect with the characters. Now I'm 1/3 of the way in and it's gotten pretty good!

I am working through Fortress in the Eye of Time, but it's developing very slowly, even considering the author is C.J. Cherryh. However, her slow starts almost always turn into great reads, so I'm not quitting yet!

I'm working on Six of Crows, which has made a lot of "best of" lists for fantasy this year. So far I'm having some difficulty getting into it, but I will persevere.

>5 ronincats: I hope it picks up for you. I really liked it. It's funny how opinions can differ so much on books. I had to abandon Gold Fame Citrus because I hated the main character but it has rave reviews from nearly everyone.

I'm listening to Goblin Emperor, which I am enjoying. Great narration if anyone likes audio books.

What did I say, before? Fortress in the Eye of Time did start very slowly, but it's gripped me, as do most works by C.J. Cherryh, and I can't let it go. I'm 320 pages along, with 240 pages left...

Addendum: it's finished, 550+ pages but OH so good!

Fortress in the Eye of Time by CJ Cherryh

I am a huge fan of CJ Cherryh's scifi works, but have not delved much into her fantasy offerings. I tackled a chunkster fantasy novel of her's this weekend, Fortress in the Eye of Time, and it's a keeper.

As most of her writings, Fortress in the Eye of Time starts very slowly, almost slow enough for me to throw in the towel. But I was determined to give this story my best try, and I'm glad I did.

As with most of her works, this author does not feed you all the background and minor bits of information, but puts you immediately into an ongoing story, like being dropped into a swiftly flowing river, and you have to work in order to keep afloat, but it's so worth it.

The characters are three-dimensional, the plot is believable, and the intrigue and politics are not overstated, but perfectly balanced with the rest of the book. I got so involved with the story that I did not put it down at night until I could not keep my eyes open.

This is a thinking-person's fantasy novel, and highly recommended.

>3 drneutron: its a slow burner - but in my humble opinion a VERY good read .....

Reading cosmonaut keep this week, another in the slow burner category

I'm about to start Fortune and Fate, having read Shinn's Twelve Houses series a while ago. This is set in the same world.

Still reading Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell

I finished the next Fortress book, Fortress of Eagles, and am already 100 pages into book three: Fortress of Owls! I love, love, LOVE this series!

As discussed on my thread, Six of Crows continued to be a book I liked but did not love. It's a heist tale with a number of different viewpoint characters, none of whom are particularly likable and all of whom are conflicted. People who really like The Lies of Locke Lamora are expected to love it.

I've listened to two dystopian novels - Station Eleven and The children of men. Both were good on audio.

Finished a re-read of Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

I loved Fortune and Fate; I always enjoy Sharon Shinn's books, but this really suited the mood I was in, for traditional fantasy.

I'm now over halfway through The Alchemyst, a children's book centred around Nicholas Flammel and twins who are destined to save the world - if they can survive the dark forces arraying against them.

Isn't it a shame how we tend to forget and neglect this thread?

The Worlds Without End website is reminding members to vote for their top books of 2015 in sf, fantasy and horror.

WWEnders,
Just a quick note to let everyone know that time is running out to get your votes in for the 2015 WWEnd Award Worthy Books list. The cut off is March 15th -- beware the ides of March!

https://www.worldswithoutend.com/lists_awardworthybooks.asp

If you're new to WWEnd all you have to do is tag your favorite books from 2015 as "award worthy" and your vote will count on the main list. Details can be found on the list page and if you have any questions you can get help in the forums:

https://www.worldswithoutend.com/mbbs22/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1414&post...

Thanks to everyone for participating and read on!

Dave
Administrator


If you don't belong to this site, you should consider it and explore it. It is totally free and a super resource for book ideas in these areas.

As you may remember, for the last few years I have promoted and encouraged people to start, reread, or otherwise enjoy two science fiction series, the first being Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books in 2014 and the other being the Liaden Universe books by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller in 2015. Many of you are still engaged in this process. Nina (humouress) has just started a reread of God Stalk, the first of P. C. Hodgell's Kencyrath Chronicles. It is one of my favorite books on its own, a rare 5 star book. Of those of you who might be willing to accompany me into another series, what would be a good timeline? Just start, start at midyear, wait until next year? What would work for you?

Just finished Mort(e), a really good apocalyptic story involving ants, cats, dogs and people. Yeah, it was a bit out there... :)

>16 ronincats: *hangs head in shame* In that case let me add Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue and Memory.

What a cool site! Thanks for pointing the way. Unfortunately, I haven't read any of the books up for awards - though I probably wouldn't feel justified in voting unless I'd had a go at all of them :0) Maybe if I start now I'll be good for the 2016 awards ...

>17 ronincats: I'm startin' now ;0)

Just finished a re-read of Embassytown by China Mieville

I read Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara in a single day! I had not read any of her books because I was confusing her, and this series, with another which I had started and with which I had not been impressed. Finally realized my error and ordered this through PaperBackSwap at the beginning of 2013, and it had been sitting on the tbr shelf ever since.

It's a quick read--obviously if I got through 504 pages of a mmpb in a single day. It is good, solid traditional fantasy with some very interesting world-building and good characters and the action moves along well. I'm definitely going to continue in the series, which is, I believe, about 15 books long now, and see if the interest holds up.

>21 ronincats: I started Michelle Sagara's Sun Sword series which, for me at least, is an intense read and definitely not a one-day affair. I'd seen it around for a long time and finally succumbed, as far as getting it onto my shelves. I've only read the first book, and I really think I need to re-read it. I think it could be classified as a 'sweeping epc' and covers at least two empires, from what I remember.

Thanks for the reminder to put it back on the TBR list, Roni!

>21 ronincats: & >17 ronincats:: My library has neither of these authors (P. C. Hodgell & Michelle Sagara, so I'm putting them on my list for the next time I fly and I need something to read while traveling.

'K, I've been on a fantasy kick recently and have read the following

Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (& watching for her next science fiction column in the New York Times)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johnson

and am working on these

River where blood is born by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Life of elves by Muriel Barberry

Ghost Summer by Tananarive Due

Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban

Arcadia by Iain Pearson

Strange country by Deborah Coates

No wonder I feel like I'm drowning in books!

>24 markon: I'm reading Arcadia right now too and really enjoying it!

Just finished Barsk: the Elephants graveyard very good esp the second half

Listening to Great North road

Finished Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

OK I forgot about this thread but have read a number of Sci Fi and fantasy books this year. Full reviews can be found in my 75 books challenge thread here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/210950

I will just give very brief summaries here:

Sci Fi

- 1. Ship Breaker - Paolo Bacigalupi - Quite good young adult adventure in dystopian world where resources are running short.
- 2. Earth Unaware - Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnson - An O.S. Card book to miss, sadly. Ender is a cash cow now.
- 3. A Confusion of Princes - Garth Nix - Brilliant young adult sci fi adventure from a great writer,
- 4. Ready player one - Ernest Cline - Very enjoyable fast paced action/adventure narrative. Lots of classic story elements and lots of classic nerd lore too.
- 5. Gamerunner - B R Collins - Wanted to be like Ready Player One but failed miserably. Cannot describe quite how miserably this failed but miserable is a good word so I will use it again. Miserable.
- 6. The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness - A new favourite author. Brilliant Sci Fi as social commentary and vehicle for clever character stories.
- 7. The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness - Great Sequel to 6.
- 8. Monsters of Men - Patrick Ness - if the second book in a trilogy is a sequel, can the third be a treacle? please? Great trilogy anyway.
- 9. Timesnatch - Robert Swindells - Mid grade/young adult story. Predictable but fun for the intended age group.

Fantasy

- 1. The Iron Trial - Holly Black, Cassandra Clare - Seems run of the mill and derivative but has a lovely surprising twist that makes it stand out.
- 2. City of Bones - Cassandra Clare (Urban fantasy) - after reading the Iron Trial I gave this a go and really wish I hadn't bothered. Very unoriginal and all the borrowings are just way too obvious. A whole Buffy/Angel (peeled) with diced Harry Potter, a good dash of Mortal Engines, a pinch of Susan Cooper, and a mixed assortment of all the other best loved young adult writers, all lovingly mixed together but left on the stove too long so it burned. I won't be reading on in the series.

Wow, you've been busy!

I'm enjoying the second in Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega series, Hunting Ground, with werewolves and vampires and fae and so on scheming and battling.

>24 markon: >25 bell7: I read Arcadia late last year and really enjoyed it.

>28 sirfurboy: Oooh another fan of Patrick Ness. His latest one, The Rest of us just live here is rather fun - (Ok, just visited your thread and seen that you liked this one as well!).
I also enjoyed A confusion of princes and Ready Player One.

I've also been reading -
The Man who spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk - excellent fantasy from Estonia
The secret throne by Peter F Hamilton - a great little children's fantasy from this master scifi writer - I loved that he gave garden gnomes the Dr Who weeping angel menace - they were brutal and took the story from a gentle English country garden-lite fantasy with fairies into a much darker place.
The Red Abbey Chronicles: Maresi by Maria Turtschaninoff - YA fantasy from Finland (she writes in Swedish so this is a bit confusing)
Bone Gap by Lauren Ruby - YA with fantasy elements
The Prince in Waiting trilogy by John Christopher - older but really good YA dystopian
Anything That Isn't This by Chris Priestley - this writer continues to impress, YA dystopian
Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik - Temeraire #2
The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams - classic epic fantasy, #1 in a trilogy

I'm currently reading another dystopian YA - Only ever yours by Louise O'Neill

>31 avatiakh: The Dragonbone Chair is superb!

Just finished Maplecroft by Cherie Priest, the first book in The Borden Dispatches series

Chapelwood, the sequel, was pretty good too!

>31 avatiakh: Good to speak to you again. I quite agree about The Rest of us Just Live Here. A great book.

I read The Prince in Waiting Trilogy years ago. John Christopher was my favourite author when I was a child. I discovered him when I was 10 and slowly read through everything he ever wrote. This trilogy is excellent but sadly less well known than his (also excellent) Tripods trilogy.

The Dragonbone Chair has been sitting on a bookshelf of mine for so long that I had forgotten it was there. Can you tell me something about it so I can decide whether I should rectify that situation by actually reading it? :)

>35 sirfurboy: oh, my...The Dragonbone Chair is a superbly-written story that I rank up with the best of the best. As happens with some other books by excellent authors, it starts a bit slowly, so don't give up...wait until Simon heads out on his quest...by then you will be sucked into a story that might be long, but never boring.

From my review:

... the beginning chapters are slow going (just as The Fellowship of the Ring opens incredibly slow!) but once the protagonist, awkward 'mooncalf' Simon, leaves his home, it picks up.

Williams has a way of grabbing you and immersing you in the story. Like few other authors (C.J. Cherryh and Roger Zelazny come to mind), Williams does not spoonfeed you all the background, but lets it trickle to you, gradually, and this technique might annoy some. I appreciate not having endless explanations in my reading, but want the author to just "get on with it!"

It was a delight to reread it again, after about 15 years or so. Some books I have loved in the past no longer attract me, or leave me disappointed, but The Dragonbone Chair is not one of them.

If you are a serious SciFi/Fantasy fan, you might enjoy this.

>35 sirfurboy: Yes, it's in that classic quest vein with really interesting world building. I understand the reluctance to commit to a 900+ page book, I had put off reading it for some years due to the number of pages, but once immersed in the story that isn't an issue anymore. It is slow to build, but that gives you more idea of what's at stake in the battle between good and evil.

I must read the Tripod trilogy. I didn't come across John Christopher's work till more recently.

>31 avatiakh: The man who spoke Snakish sounds intriguing. I may have to buy that one. And I like Peter F. Hamilton though I think I've only read one of his books so far.

>31 avatiakh: & >35 sirfurboy: John Christopher is new to me, but his books are at the library, so I'm going to try them.

Meanwhile, I've read Patricia McKillip's latest, Kingfisher and discovered a new-to-me author, Martha Wells. I've read Stories of the Raksura volume I and am working on volume II.

>38 markon: Ardene, I've got Kingfisher home from the library. What did you think of it?

>39 ronincats: Roni, I liked it. This one seemed a little more straightforward than a lot of hers are, and I found myself feeling a little disappointed about that. But it was nice to feel i understood not only the basic arc of the plot, but many of the intricate relationships / connections that seem to float by me when I read McKillip. And the writing is still lovely.

I found a lovely illustrated version of The Game of Thrones novellas at the library. It is called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. I've just started The Hedge Knight which I think I read many years ago. The other two novellas will be fresh to me. All 3 are prequels to The Game of Thrones.

>36 fuzzi: Thanks for the review, and you have convinced me :)

>37 avatiakh: Thanks also for the reply. The first of the Tripods Trilogy is called "The White Mountains". I can recall the opening line well enough because as a child it taught me to write opening lines that did not start "one day".

It starts off "There were three clocks in our village."

Anyway, yes, good YA works.

>38 markon: Oh yes, do try The man who spoke snakish it is quite an original fantasy - set at the end of the hunter-gatherer tribal era.

>42 sirfurboy: I have The white mountains somewhere, must look it out. I've got the dvd of the tv series for my children some years back but only watched about half of it myself. I tend to go for the book version first.

I just read this great blog post by Bernard Beckett about recently discovering Harry Potter with his young boys. He's a highly respected YA writer and renown educator here in New Zealand and he hadn't read HP till now, dismissing it at the time due to its popularity. He delights in Rowling's ability to write non-linear plot and clearly gets that story matters most to young readers.
https://bernardbeckett.wordpress.com/2016/03/25/the-wizardry-of-harry-potter/

Finished the last book in the Burton and Swinburne steampunk/clockpunk series The Rise of the Automated Aristocrats by Mark Hodder

>42 sirfurboy: wonderful! Please be sure to let us know what you thought of The Dragonbone Chair once you've finished it. :)

Just finished Pillar to the Sky by William R. Fortschen

>36 fuzzi: You've also hit me with a book bullet for The Dragonbone Chair :-)

Updating with:
Godstalk (I started!)
Emerald Green
Cinder
Arrow's Fall

I've been eyeing a re-read of The Dragonbone Chair trilogy, but my third volume looks really hefty; I got the hardback version, with a gorgeous illustration of elves and humans reflected, at Green Angel Tower

>47 souloftherose: woo!!!!

>48 humouress: did you like Arrow's Fall?

Re: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, I have the second and third volumes of the series in hardback as well, as I couldn't wait for the paperback to be released. Besides, I think the story is too large to be securely published in paperback: what spine could handle that?

>49 fuzzi: I have the paperbacks of the trilogy. Green Angel Tower was split into two volumes.

>50 drneutron: I guess it would have had to be split.

I've replaced my paperback of Shogun, it doesn't hold up well.

>49 fuzzi: Hmm, Arrow's Fall. I thought I would like it better on this re-read, because the first time, I missed the first book of the trilogy and was a bit lost as to events. However, I thought the plotting could have been tighter, so I wasn't too happy for different reasons this time. I'm afraid I've already given it a bit of a bashing on my thread, though it isn't a full review yet.

I have the first two books of Memory, Sorrow and Thorn in paperback, but I grabbed the hardback of the third (despite my avowed insistence on books in a series having uniform covers and formats) because 1) of the illustration and 2) before I lost the chance to get it in one volume because I'd seen that the paperback was split into the two volumes. Though that one seems to be coming back to bite me now :0)

ETA no touchstones?

Here's the trilogy in four parts on my book shelf, for those who would like a visual. No, don't ask me why Williams is shelved ahead of White--I have no idea.



Now, I've been reading two different series.

I just read books two and three of The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire series, Unseemly Science and The Custodian of Marvels. Until the touchstones are working again, I can't grab images. The first book is The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter. Eventually there are supposed to be 9 books in the series. Set in an alternative Britain, in a world where the Patent Office suppresses all unseemly science that would have negative effects on mankind and regulates the nations, Elizabeth Barnabus seeks survival and revenge against the nobleman who bribed a patent officer and unlawfully indentured her. The world-building is highly original and the plot stimulating. Dear Richard is warbling all over the place about this series and with reason.

The second series is Noctis Magicae, and the two books so far are The Midnight Queen and Lady of Magick. This series also takes place in an alternative Britain in roughly Regency period (coincidentally, in both books Scotland is a separate Kingdom from England). The first book is a bit unevenly paced as Hunter sets up her world and her characters, but ends in a bang, and the second book, for me, is just excellent from start to finish. I love the world, the characters, and the plots and strongly recommend the books to all of you.

Love all the talk about The Dragonbone Chair. My copy was a rather tatty paperback, though there is a pristine new one somewhere in my house from SantaThing, probably with very tiny font. For Book 2, I went the kindle route and have it loaded up on my mobile, only 1 chapter in.

Recent reading includes a children's fantasy Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy by Karen Foxlee which is a rather mavellous retelling of the Snow Queen. I'm almost done with an Argentinean graphic novel, The Eternaut an engrossing 1950s scifi tale that first appeared in serial form.

>52 humouress: I have fond memories of Arrow's Fall, but it's been a number of years since I enjoyed it. I hope it doesn't get bit by the suck fairy. It was one of Mercedes Lackey's early series, so it might have not been as polished as later books.

>53 ronincats: not in alphabetical OR series order, either. Tsk, tsk... ;)

>54 avatiakh: me too! I check out "the best SciFi/Fantasy to read" lists, and never, EVER see Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn listed. It's not right, or fair, the series deserves some respect!

I bought the paperback copy of The Dragonbone Chair back when it first was released, and there was a "cut out" on the front cover. I left my copy on top of my car one day, and never recovered it, sigh. Now I just have the current paperback version.

Am about 15% of the way through Zero World - a spy/thriller/sf thing. Thanks to Steve (swynn) for the BB!

Finished Six of Crows recently and loved it. Now I have to wait for the next one; didn't know it was first of series!
Liked that one enough to bring home Shadow and Bone by same author. 1st in her Grisha series.

Now reading The Girl with All the Gifts by M.A. Carey.

(Attempting to add my Dragonbone Chair series photo)

ETA: sorry it's so dark, but they are on the bottom shelf of the cupboard - being under W.

I've just finished Lord of the Fire Lands by Dave Duncan.

>58 humouress: are those special editions?

>59 fuzzi: I was still living in London when I bought them, so they are the English editions. The third one is special to me, but it's the hardback edition.

Mine look totally different, but they are USA first editions...I had read the first book, and waited anxiously for the second and third to be published!

Just checked; they were all published by Legend in the 1990s. I don't think I have anything else by the same publisher.

I'm not quite halfway through the newest Mercy Thompson book, Fire Touched. Another good one.

Just finished The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

>64 Jacksonian: that's one I've never tried.

>65 fuzzi: I'm a huge fan of science fiction short stories so I loved it, but I still love Philip K. Dick more

>66 Jacksonian: not read any by him, either...

>66 Jacksonian:, >67 fuzzi: I'm a big Philip K. Dick fan, too. His Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick is one good place to start.

Finished Chapelwood by Cherie Priest

I just started the third in Pierce Brown's Red Rising trilogy, called Morning Star, to go with the PKD, and it's really good so far.

>68 jnwelch: ok...ok...I put it on the TBR/unowned list... ;)

>71 fuzzi: Good! You'll be glad you did, fuzzi.

Just finished an Early Review copy of The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins.

Finished Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson

Just finished a reread of The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes

Finished Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

Just read: Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C Clarke

I am not sure why I had never read this before, but somehow I missed it. This story is characteristic of Arthur C Clarke by being good well thought through science fiction. The science is right, and the descriptions are well done. Clarke really thinks things through. This then is true science fiction, and not some space opera.

What it lacks is a traditional storyline, or at least I somehow felt that to be the case, and yet I enjoyed the story as it was, so perhaps the storyline was just more subtle than a normal conflict/action adventure or whatever.

Rama is a cylindrical spaceship that is heading into our inner solar system, and the story is all about a party who land on the spaceship and then explore it.

It is fascinating stuff, and yet it is just an account of a fictional exploration.

Just finished World War Z by Max Brooks. SO much better than the movie!

Finished a re-read of Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Oh, crap! Book Bullet! The Dragonbone Chair. And I am trying to read books off my shelves this year. Oh, well!

edited to add: Just got it on my i-phone Kindle app from the library

>80 ccookie: YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love that series, it's superb, and I want everyone else to read it and enjoy it as well.

Heading out for Cleveland, OH in the am, with a copy of Young Miles for the layovers. :)

Just finished The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Started The Shadow Revolution, a pseudo-Victorian paranormal series. If it holds true to the first few chapters, could be some pretty decent brain candy.

Finished Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

>85 Jacksonian: I am curious as to what you thought about Rendezvous with Rama.

>86 sirfurboy: To be honest, I was left with a feeling of "meh." But mostly because I was expecting a "first contact" novel rather than an "exploration of a new world" novel. It really reminded me of Journey to the Center of the Earth for the most part.

Last day of April, and I have about 200 pages left in The Vor Game. However, I have a 3 hour layover (airport) later this afternoon, and suspect I'll be able to finish it then. So far, I'm enjoying it, as I have enjoyed the other books I've read by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Finally finished MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood

>87 Jacksonian: I quite understand your feelings. The book was not what I was expecting either. I liked it but I don't really know why!

Just finished The Last Colony by John Scalzi. I love the Old Man's War series. Darkly funny.

Finished The Just City by Jo Walton. Wasn't that impressed.

Just finished Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi. Since it's a parallel story to The Last Colony, it answered two major plot holes for me.

Finished Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. Not impressed.

Just finished The Long Walk by Stephen King

The Raven King, 4th & final book in Maggie Steifvater's Raven Boys cycle. Oh so goood! Not a perfect ending, but enchanting nevertheless. I picked up the first book, The Raven Boys as a quick fun read, and it was, but it stuck with me and was worth a listen on audiobook as well. This series really grew on me.

Am also enjoying Anne Bishop's Others series. (Written in Red, etc.)

Just finished Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr.

Still working on Caliban's War...and it's very good like its predecessor, Leviathan Wakes.

Just read the original Escape to Witch Mountain book and enjoyed it.

Finished The Philosopher Kings by Jo Walton

Finished The Domino Men by Jonathan Barnes

I finished Cryoburn and it was nice to see a little bit of the old Miles mixed in with the new. Now all I have left of the series is Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen and Falling Free.

Finished Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh

I'm having a bit of Brandon Sanderson marathon this month, starting with a recent novella, Perfect State, then rereading The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages to finish off the original Mistborn trilogy. I've then gone on to reread The Alloy of Law in preparation for starting Shadows of Self today. Also dipped into another couple of novellas: Legion and the Emperor's Soul.

Just finished The Android's Dream by John Scalzi

Finished Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

Finished Life As We Knew It and The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Just finished Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard

Finished The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry

About halfway through The Venusian Gambit, third in a trilogy of really creative mix between sf and fantasy. Gotta love books that have hard sf space opera and sailing ships plying the solar wind between the planets! :)

Finished The Affinities by Robert Charles Wilson

Just finished The Martian by Andy Weir

Finished The Maze Runner by James Dashner

>113 Jacksonian: What did you think of this one?

>114 sirfurboy: I liked it. It was certainly action packed. My one complaint was that because the book was filled with teenage boys that meant it was also filled with smug little A-holes.

>115 Jacksonian: Yes I can see how that would be a problem!

Thanks. Yes, I liked this one too but not so much the sequel somehow. Still it is a good story.

I'm halfway through the Nebula-winning Uprooted, and it's good so far.

Just finished a re-read of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

>118 Jacksonian: I always loved Ray Bradbury's work, and that was definitely a good one. I read it when it was still called "The Silver Locusts". Perhaps I should re-read it too.

Finished The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang

Just finished Visitors by O S Card. It was OK but my days of raving over Card's work seem to be over. Pastwatch was a better tale than this one on a similar theme.

This is interesting! Tor.com is starting a new ebook club, where you can download one free book a month and then they encourage discussion about it. The first book is The Three-Body Problem, which proves that procrastination pays off, as I've been intending to buy this 2015 Hugo winner for the last 10 months. Here's the website to sign up for free if you are interested.
http://www.tor.com/2016/07/11/one-free-book-every-month-announcing-the-tor-com-e...

ETA available only in the US and Canada for legal reasons.

Reading Ubik by Philip K. Dick.

Started The Fallen Blade - an alternative history/fantasy trilogy set in a Venice ruled by descendants of Marco Polo.

I'm watching the Hugo Awards ceremony on UStream, live. www.ustream.tv/hugo-awards if you are interested.
Most of the awards so far are the fans and zines, stuff I don't follow. But Andy Weir won the Arthur Clarke award! Much more to go.

Ursula Le Guin has been added to the Library of Congress.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/29/books/ursula-le-guin-has-earned-a-rare-honor-j...

>126 ronincats: thanks for sharing!

Nice article. Made me laugh.

Has anyone read the new Harry Potter universe books? The three Kindle Singles for $2.99 each?

https://www.amazon.com/Pottermore-Presents-3-Book-Series/dp/B01L9ZV9UE/ref=sr_1_...

I asked if these were just collections from Pottermore and then read the descriptions on Amazon and see the answer is mostly yes, but with some new material.

I read the essays on Pottermore. Interesting background stuff but lacking some of JKR's trademark humour I thought. However as there is new material in these, perhaps I should buy them and review them properly.

Just read from Publisher Weekly that Megan Whalen Turner will have a new book in the Queen's Thief series coming out next May!! It's titled Thick as Thieves, so put that on your calendar, all you lovers of Eugenides.

I recently read a good book by Mercedes Lackey, one of her better ones: Joust. Interesting characters, and plot, not contrived, and not a rip-off of Anne McCaffrey as one reviewer insisted.

I also read The Curse of Chalion, which I really liked.

I've read Peter F. Hamilton's Void trilogy and the first book in his The Fallers Chronicles, all set in his Commonwealth universe. Have made a start on his Night without stars, the sequel to The Abyss beyond Dreams which wraps up The Fallers Chronicles. Loved every book of his I've read so far, and I've read all but one or two. Hope to get to his standalone Fallen Dragon next.

Also The Road to Winter a debut YA crossover adult dystopian by Australian Mark Smith
The Call by Peadar O'Guilin - YA fantasy, great premise, I love his books
Logan's Run by William Nolan - seen the movie now read the book
The Pinhoe Egg & Conrad's Fate by Diana Wynne Jones - finished the Chrestomanci series
Clash of Empires (Battlesaurus) by Brian Falkner - YA sequel to first Battlesaurus book, alternate history of Waterloo and aftermath - brilliant.
Raging Robots & Unruly Uncles by Margaret Mahy - children's fantasy, fun and one of my daughter's childhood favourites
Into the Grey by Celine Kiernan - YA - great atmospheric Irish ghost story
Stone Rider (Stone Rider #1) by David Hofmeyr - YA described as Mad Max meets Hunger Games - great for boys
The Monstrous Child by Francesca Simon - #3 in her Mortal Gods series, while I loved the other two this left me rather cold

and earlier in the year -
Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters #1) by Juliet Marillier - great
Planesrunner (Everness #1) by Ian McDonald - YA scifi
Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds - scifi
Lost on Mars (The Lora Trilogy #1) by Paul Magrs -YA
The Eternaut) by Héctor Germán Oesterheld & Francisco Solano López - scifi, classic Argentinian graphic novel.

>131 ronincats: This makes me sooo HAPPY!

Oh, and while I'm here, I should mention I finished Connie Willis's latest, Crosstalk, today and really enjoyed it.

>133 avatiakh: what did you think of Logan's Run? I felt that the movie was a huge improvement over the book.

I started Great North Road.

I just finished Alta, a sequel to the very good Joust by Mercedes Lackey.

I didn't like the second book as much as the first, but enough that I plan to read book three, Sanctuary.

>135 fuzzi: Would have to agree with you. It's been a long while since I saw the film but I think it was better.

Finished Night without stars so that finishes the Commonwealth series for me. I've started listening to The Aeronaut's Windlass and am reading Chasing the Stars by Malorie Blackman. I've also started The wee free men.

I'm on the second part of the Assassin's Apprentice trilogy by Robin Hobb. It has turned out to be that rare thing - a sequel that is even better than the first volume. I have high hopes for the third book.

I hear that this trilogy is part of a series of trilogies set in the same world, and I think I will keep going with this eventually.

>140 Darth-Heather: Robin Hobb is one of my favourite writers and the Farseer books are all excellent. I particularly like her ability to create wonderfully nuanced characters.

>141 sirfurboy: yes! it's the characters for me too - I was engaged by them right away and had to keep going as soon as I finished the first book.

Have you read the rest of this series?

>142 Darth-Heather: Yes, I have read everything she has written under the name Robin Hobb.

I really should seek out her other books too.

>137 fuzzi: I find the first book excellent, the second and third OK, and the fourth annoying. But I still read all of them when I reread the series.

>144 jjmcgaffey: sounds like the Talents series by Anne McCaffrey, starting with The Rowan. I read the third and fourth books in the series, once, and they weren't bad, but I never felt the desire to reread them. And I like to reread.

Oh, I'm reading Borders of Infinity now...

I did finish one book this week, the fifth of the Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone.



Book #98 Four Roads Cross by Max Gladstone (414 pp.)

I really cannot recommend this fantasy series enough. Tough, smart, gritty but not dark, diverse, fantastical in a completely new form, totally entertaining...what can I say? I cannot sit down and read one of these through--they are so tightly plotted and complex that I read a couple of short chapters and then let it sit until the next day--but I can't not go back and find out what happens next. This one is particularly satisfying as we go back and find out what happens with Tara after her story in the first book of the sequence.

>146 ronincats: Book bullet!

>146 ronincats: Sadly no books by Max Gladstone are translated... :-(

>146 ronincats: Should I ever be able to find the Craft books, Roni, would you recommend publication or chronological order? I usually prefer chronological order, so events make sense to me, but fortunately they're the same the majority of the time.

That question was asked on my thread and I posted the author's response link there. (I'll go find it and post it here in a minute.) I would read the first published one, simply because that is his entry into that world, and then chronological after that. But it doesn't matter as much as it does in most series.

http://www.tor.com/2014/05/26/this-is-how-i-numbered-my-books-and-im-sorry/

I'm at the halfway stage on The Aeronaut's Windlass and finding it a bit of a slog, great setup but nothing exciting happening as yet. There's this great sounding airship but it's stuck in port getting repairs done.

Finished Chasing the stars by Malorie Blackman, YA scifi set on a spaceship, good not great.

Fantasy with The wee free men, good enough that I'll continue reading Pratchett though I'm still not a fangirl, makes me want to pick up the next Thraxas book though.
,
Still making my way through the second Tad Williams book, Stone of Farewell, which I started back in April, I'm reading on my mobile and I don't get to it that often. Made a promise to myself to finish by the end of the year.

I'm in the final lap of reading Great North Road by Peter Hamilton. Very long, but well done.

Finished Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold, on to the next...

>151 avatiakh: So I finished Stone of Farewell yesterday, and will read the final book in January.
I finished The Aeronaut's Windlass and am not sure if I'll continue with this series, I'll wait for other LTers' comments once the second book comes out.

Also finished several other fantasy/scifi books of late -
The Lost Tohunga by David Hair - YA fantasy, Aotearoa #3
The King of the Copper Mountains by Paul Biegel - 1969 children's fantasy
Black Light Express by Philip Reeve - sequel to the YA RailHead - scifi
Swarm by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti - Zeroes #2, YA scifi
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch - Peter Grant #6
Prairie Fire by E. K. Johnson - YA, sequel to The story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim

I've been stuck on Eye of Cat for several days. I like it, but real life has been eating up all my spare reading time. Argh.