2018 fox's reading

Which is a lot of foxes! I don't really have targets or goals for reading, but I've a lot of series I want to try to finish a bit more, so maybe some re-reading to catch up on them.

It opens with
dragonwing being the 1st of the death gate cycle. I read some of these as a teenager, but don't think it was ever finished while I had library access. Charity shop had the whole series in good paperback condition so I thought I'd try again. Haplo and his Dog explore the Realm of Air and find interspecies politics hasn't changed much. I remembered a lot more Labyrinth than there actually was. Probably won't read them all in one sitting.

Happy New Year. May there be lots of exciting books in the future for you.

Happy New Year! Enjoy your reading.

>1 reading_fox: Ahhh, I liked the Deathgate Cycle books. It was probably my first real introduction to Dualism in fantasy books.

Happy New Year! I hope you find many books and many foxes!

Elven Star 2nd in the series. Haplo and his dog visit the world of fire - mostly notable for the lack of fire, and the annoying insertion of Fizban from Dragonlance. Maybe we'll find out why later on.

and my first Santathing - thanks Ladyoflorien Hunger makes the wolf - A pair of sisters decide to take on the corporation that's running their planet, with the aid of their 'witchiness' and the motorcylce gang they run with. Good fun.

collapsing empire Another Santathing success. Similar in feel to behind the throne without the gunrunner history of the unexpected Empress. She still has to deal with a lot of politics involving the machinations of trade guilds trying to profit from a potential failure of hyperspace wormholes.

Fire sea
Haplo and his dog visit the third world - Stone (mostly fire) and find some unexpected Sartan necromancers. Alfred is not happy
serpent mage
Haplo without his dog - Xar wasn't happy at his last conduct - visit the final world, Water, and discover a source of pure Evil plus some proper Sartans. Alfred doesn't like them much either but at least has Haplo's dog for company.

>7 reading_fox: Oh!!!!! I loved Behind the Throne so hearing Collapsing Empire is similar is great. I'll have to find time to get to it sooner then! I'm planning on reading After the Crown in February

>7 reading_fox:, >8 majkia: I have The collapsing empire on kindle. I'll have to bump it up the tbr pile for the same reason as majkia!

Hand of chaos Haplo and dog discover pure evil has spread

Starfish Another Santathing. Not such a big hit for me, it's very well written (think sphere but better ) but I never liked any of the characters and couldn't get into their motivations.

Into the labyrinth Haplo and the dog are recovering while his Lord subvert's his girlfriend into spying on Haplo. Meanwhile the Sartan explore and evil abounds.

the seventh gate

Boo it's all over. Haplo and his dog try to find a happy ending together with all his friends, the mensch live without gods and the question of the higher power remains suitably ambiguous. I'm still not sure about the dog.

Just checking in to your new thread, oh and happy anniversary to you and mrsfox. :o)

>11 clamairy: Thanks! We had a lovely weekend.

>6 reading_fox:, >7 reading_fox:, >8 majkia: too many book bullets! Several interlibrary loan requests and one hold placed.

Something from Nightside Last of the Santathing, thanks @Ladyoflorien good choices and enjoyable reading.
Urban fantasy with a dark twist as London has a nightmare shadow, but if you're strong enough it's still possible to have fun and earn money as a PI with a talent for finding things. I'm interested in where the series will go, especially if it's not just John finding things and fighting different monsters.

Adventures underground
Caving memoirs, that don't quite tell enough excitement about the hard work of finding new passage in the Yorkshire Dales.

>14 reading_fox: I've read the first 4 books of the Nightside series and quite liked them. A similar feel to them as with the Felix Castor books by Mike Carey (though not as good). I might get around to picking this up again now that you've reminded me of its existence and I still have an unread omnibus volume sitting on the tbr shelves.

How to tame a fox

Wonderful pop-sci account of the very long term experiment raising fur foxes in russia - and how the science of epigenetics tamed them to almost pet within a very few generations. The experiment is still ongoing. Some very touching pictures.

rise, grant

A collection of (all so far) short stories set in her Newsflesh world. I still think this is some of her best writing, better than Toby Daye, et al. Good timepoints from the earliest outbreak to the latest on Shaun etc. Also a few flashes from around the globe reminding us that mira did think of more than the US.

bathwater conspiracy

ER title - not bad. Crime in a world where all the men have disappeared a few decades ago. Society is much changed (but not that much) refreshing (and a little odd) to have every character female.

murder in a very small town

Er title - among the worst I've read. Very bad attempt at a US remake of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

(Full reviews of all on the work pages, or via my profile).

Beyond the empire - sneaked in a rush across the weekend. Great conclusion to the wonderful space opera trilogy as the Indurian civil war draws to a dramatic close. Clever and fun.

The fox book sounds really interesting. I'll look for it at the library.

Three weeks of update!

Caliban's war - 2nd of the Expanse. Feels very similar to the first, which is disappointing somehow.

No Middle Name - Jack Reacher short stories. Kind of fun, a little bit of backstory here and there. Some of which I've read before. The 'new' story is an excerpt from the next novel, which is not exactly a good way to sell either.

Wizard of the Pigeons - I didn't like this, it's early urban fantasy, and somehow I was expecting more fantasy and less unreliable narrator.

The Litigators - re-read, classic Grisham, no better or worse than others.

Agents of light and darkness - I'm not going to bother with more of this, John is too powerful and the enemies even more so, but nobody dies or gets destroyed, which is just contrived and silly.

I've been on strike for 5 days, and actually read less than usual because I'm not getting breaks at work. Striking in the cold is not fun.

>19 reading_fox: "Wizard of the Pigeons - I didn't like this, it's early urban fantasy, and somehow I was expecting more fantasy and less unreliable narrator."

Bummer... I liked this book - but then, I have a thing for unreliable narrators. I also grew up/live in the Seattle area so am familiar with many of the settings.

star fraction lots of future british left wing politics, and AI. I'm british and sort of left wing, and it still went over my head.

Pushing ice a Reynolds' standalone, deep time again, some very strange and improbable aliens along with lots of politicking between the humans and a bit of future technology.

Persuader start of the decline of the series. They're never bad but this isn't the best. Jack gets involved in an "off the books" attempt to entrap a drug dealer. I guess US geography really is so vast that the setting is believable, but it seems very odd to this UKian.

Maine is indeed vast, and still very wild in its northern interior. And it's 1.3 times the size of Ireland, if that helps you with perspective.

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maine_population_map.png

>24 clamairy: - thanks. I'm pretty sure there's nowhere in the entire UK that's that isolated. I think some of the extreme's of the scottish mountains might be close, but then there's no roads or houses there either.

the dreaming tree CJC's pure fantasy, which she doesn't write very much of. The Shidhe are fading with the intrusion of Man. But they aren't yet all gone. Several generations of human's pique the fancy of the defender of the last truly wild wood. Slow and dreamy as the best faerie ought to be, with gripping characters.

the real story Dark SF - like Game of Thrones but in space. This is the prelude novella introducing the three main characters, and a little of the setting. Best read when combined into book 2 if you can get it.

The rest of the gap story, mostly consumed over Easter.
Forbidden Knowledge, A dark and hungry god arises, chaos and order, this day all gods die which includes some of the best titles ever conceived. The darkest point is book 2, by the end of that Morn has begun her redemption and fight back against the brutality enacted against her. The rest is just politics and war, revenge and the fate of humanity.

>25 reading_fox: Maine has huge uninhabited swathes, as well. And then there are people who live 'off the grid' in some of those inhospitable spots.

I might have just taken a BB with that Cherryh book. Going to go read some reviews.

I loved The Dreaming Tree - are you going for the sequel? The Tree of Swords and Jewels was just as wonderful. I wished like crazy she'd done more with this beautiful little duology.

>28 JannyWurts: - Dreaming tree is the duology in one volume, so yes I read both, the dreamstone is the first book.

I wish she'd write more fantasy in general. I enjoy foreigner, but not to exclusion of all her other universes. I'm sure it's hard switching from a universe you've invested a lot of time defining, and publisher only ever want more of what's already sold well, but readers always want something new!

The one really broke my heart was the Fortress in the Eye of Time series - gorgeous work, thought provoking idea (total innocence meets the machinations of human politics and ambition) - dropped before completion of the second trilogy.

I am a huge CJ Cherryh enthusiast - both her SF and her fantasy. The Paladin probably one of the finest realistic representations of a female warrior ever done. Sweet little standalone, and almost no one has read it.

The only works of hers I really cringe over (WAY too scary) are the Outer Edge books that truly hit notes of terrifying horror - nothing wrong with the writing! - delving that far into the scary weird was just too unnerving. Terrified me more than anything, ever, since catching a clip from the movie, Haunting of Hill House when I was six.

I never thought of Fortress as unfinished. I do so enjoy that CJC writes complete books and leaves things pretty much wrapped up without having to leave a hook for the next. I agree the innocence is a stunning writing.

I don't think I've read all the outer edge books (some are really hard to get now) but of those I have yep they're intensely weird.

ready player one re-read. Still just as much fun. I intend to watch the (presumably very different) film if I can persuade OtherHalf.

Also a truly terrible ER title on 'the alkaline diet' that made no sense at all.

Wired, brooke was a better ER title, although still not great, regarding the perils of being addicted. Unremittingly depressing, but not actually believable in the specifics.

the last good man was another of Linda Nagata's Mil-SF ideas, but not as good as the Red trilogy. Robotics supersede the need for mercenary personnel, they mind, but I'm not sure anybody else will.

Farewell my lovely re-read by chance. Only really interesting to note that 1940s america was very different to today! Even allowing for the exaggerations of crime writes. The style is surprisingly adjective riddled.

Fifth Season - As recommended by many GDers it is much better than Hundred Thousand Kingdoms but it's still muddled in places, especially the worldbuilding. I don't like the unnecessarily contrived chronology, and don't feel it adds anything to an already complex world. It is slow, but the characters are well drawn with strong motivations that align with their actions, but it is very much the first of trilogy and I can only hope that there is more explanation and action in the remaining volumes.

>33 reading_fox: I’m glad you liked The Fifth Season better than her other work that you’ve tried. I actually liked the first book the best of the trilogy, although I liked all three. The things you didn’t like as much were the things I particularly enjoyed, so I’ll be really interested to see your reaction to the rest of the books if you continue. :) The next two books do provide a lot more answers from what I remember.

>33 reading_fox: I read Farewell My Lovely earlier this month too though was for first time and not a re-read for me. Really enjoyed it.

Still haven't read anything by N. K. Jemisin as yet thoiugh do have a couple of first in series books sat on my tbr shelves so I will get there eventually.

hunting party foxhunting in space. I'm very much not a fan of fox-hunting, but the setting was clever and I liked the heroine, sadly a muddled POV didn't aid the story.

>34 YouKneeK: - Unlike HTK I will probably continue with this. Is the rest of the trilogy? published yet?

>36 reading_fox: Yes, the whole trilogy has been published. The second book is The Obelisk Gate (published in 2016) and the third book is The Stone Sky (published in 2017).

The rook and Stiletto

What made the Rook innovative cannot be repeated, and this I suspect is the reason why the sequel is just not as good. It is innovative, but not to the same degree, with far more attempts to be gross and funny, neither of which really works.
Kind of fun, but trying too hard.

solarpunk summers ER collection of short stories, happy dystopia, which seems a contradiction in terms but works quite well. Mostly some form or post apocalypse with lots of reliance on solar energy, features characters surviving happily together, finding relationships and improving their lot. One lovely tale about the arrival of the librarian a figure of power.

Signatures re-read - still one of the best ER titles I've ever recieved. Really well worked UF, magic with consequences clever antagonists and just good writing

Dragon's eye start of the trilogy by the same author in a different (similar) universe. More very rural Maine.

dragon's teeth the sequel, not quite as good. Dragon's bones cute little short story int he same world. ghost point unsure if this is a prequel or the actual start of the series. It's the generation before, and as good as Eye.

All set in rural main with Native American Witches looking after women and Viking/Welsh settlers (pre Mayflower) bringing their ancient powers with them more or less in harmony now. Set in the 70s/80s and so a little dated but well handled. Kids with actual cassette boomboxes in GP was especially notable!

Freyja's daughter ER title, very rushed plotting could have been a lot better but not actually bad. Groups of different Wild Women - harpies, mermaids, dryads etc, must meet and overcome their differences to survive the persecution of the Templar-alikes. Predictable and all too easy.

Altered Carbon better than I remembered it to be, still very dark though. Anyone know if the rest of the series gets darker or more of the same?

Now onto the beta read of the third instalment in my friend's YA political SF. It's very good, and I hope she gets published!

Update for couple of week's reading, including a few hours on a train which makes a lot of difference. Mostly recommendation from various GD threads that have seemed interesting, all worked some better than others

The dragon's path 'low' fantasy, without much magic, a long set-up I suspect this gets better several books in, the characters eventually became interesting but took a long time to do so - dragons mutated humanity before their demise, allowing normal human politics to come to the fore. Sadly this didn't involve the sub-types very much.

Our lady of the ice
Interesting takes on what it means to be human with a blend of true, cyborg, android and robots in a city in Antarctica. Didn't quite get the balance/differences clearly enough distinguished, and perhaps gangster noir wasn't the best setting for it.

Midnight line
Jackk Reacher yet again, being himself. Much better than some of the latter ones, with a good balance between action and deduction, and a slightly more reasonable premise.

trading in danger - really enjoyed this, good fun, would recommend crystal soldier and the liaden universe for something similar, and also has a Bujold feel to it somehow. Young daughter takes her first command of her family's trade ship - on a gentle run, until she diverts to somewhere a lot more interesting than she expected.

>41 reading_fox: I need to get around to reading some of Moon's non-Paksennarion books. This one sounds great.

>41 reading_fox: The Dagger and the Coin series (The Dragon’s Path) did have a pretty slow and meandering start. I liked it from the beginning, but I did think each book got progressively better.

An Ebook title and it's precursor in the series laird of duncairn and oak seer

Faerie Fantasy set among victorian scotland engineers. Almost steampunk, but not quite pulling it off.. I was annoyed by the whisky/whiskey error all the way through both books which soured my attraction to the plots. The 1st had lots of other similar copy edit errors, but it was less noticeable in the 2nd. Half-breed fae attempts to save humanity by leading both fae and humans against some fae gods who've been accidentally released. She has to fight against the constraints imposed on her gender too.

Libriomancer much recommended. Good fun light hearted and implausible. Anyone know how the series progresses, because it seems like most of the good ideas for the plot have been used in this one?

Another ER - solarpunk - more solar punk short stories, beset a little by poor translation.Some fun ideas though.

>44 reading_fox: I had Codex Born out of the library a year or 2 back -- they evidently think it's a standalone. My overwhelming memory of it is so much gratuitous violence that it became a DNF.

>45 hfglen: - thanks
I'm remisss at writing reviews, but have at least synopsis to go. Currently on re-reads.

The stone canal More 70s politics interspersed with a logical outcome of anarchic capitalism thrown deep into the future. Tangled around a classic 70s love triangle. Surprisingly readable, but not exactly easy.

House of shattered wings - I think this was a short story author I enjoyed enough ti seek out a full length novel - weird but not bad. Hard to review, even in synopsis on this thread. No longer gay Paris, post WW2 not only did the world fight, but heaven and hell did too, and fallen angels resurrect in Paris and form Houses of allegiance, but they no longer have all the power they used to. The first Fallen was the most powerful of all, but he's been missing for 20 years.

sleeping giants - recommended on various LT threads, this is indeed great fun. A series of interview reports from an unknown agent running a project to discover why there are parts of at least one giant statue buried around the world. The report format works a lot better than you might expect, although I'm not sure how it will cope for the sequels, but I plan to read them anyway.

pirate cinema re-read of Cory's upbeat look at copyright infringement and the urban mash-up video culture - plus an unduly optimistic teenager runs away to the Big City and does well subplot.

planetfall which I've read before but somehow never managed to review. A new colony discovers the secrets of it's past when a stranger arrives across the alien desert. Disturbing at times, it's cleverly written.

Re-read of the crossorads trilogy because I'd failed to review them last time around.
spirit gate shadow gate traitor's gate which are all set in the Hundred, a peaceful nation where the gods established Guardians to maintain Justice and reeves (on giant eagles) to keep order. But time has passed and Justice has become corrupted by personal greed and fear, leaving the nation open to the different cultures that surround it. Various characters from various nations follow their own personal and interweaving journeys for their own reasons. The initial book is average at best setting up the characters and introducing the cultures, the jumps between people mean there is little empathy for any of their stories although none of them are that dark. However by the final book we are thoroughly engaged and gripped at the various dilemmas that are raised - without answer. Who and how is justice for, what appeal should you have, how do you live? Pasing through how cultures intermingle how people behave, comparative religion and many other topics. Well worth reading just for the final book.

Nexhuman - rubbish. Literally and figuratively. Supposedly a philosophical look into the issues of consciousness upload inot AI, but actually drowning in it's own filth.

Seventh Decimate - The start Donaldson's latest epic begins again at barely novella length, as a Prince attempts to find a magical library to save his nation from conquest, but he has little comprehension of the forces arrayed against him, or indeed his own desires and honour. Features no women at all.

waking gods and only human the conclusions. Far from as enjoyable as the first, the novelty has worn off, the main character has been killed off and the replacements not as good. Gives the chance for some political commentary, but it's quite onesided even if I basically agree with the points made.

oathbringer far too long. far far too long. 1300 pages is ridiculous. Very little happens to justify the length. Althought the characters and the world remain fun.

>49 reading_fox: I just read and enjoyed Sleeping giants but think I'll leave it there based on your reaction to the sequels.

A couple more ER titles detox in letters and a vanity in dust with the conclusion yet to be written I'll probably try to find it in due course. Very unusual non-human fantasy, set entirely in a restricted elvish? world. The setting always feels like a court of the Sidhe, but it isn't explicitly so. A queen rules absolutely, but remotely allowing the Prince to cavort at leisure, but he becomes curious about the source of Dust a memory effecting narcotic that has the elite families in it's thrall.

the president is missing Despite the famous authors this is average at best. The President ducks his security in order to meet a cyber terrorist. However they're not the real source of the problem.

After Atlas the very unusual continuation of planetfall and a very enjoyable read - A police procedural set in a isolated Devon Hotel, among the high technology setting of an Earth left behind after the Planetfall crew left. Readable as a standalone.

Before Mars Doesn't really deserve to be called Before, as it's entirely set on Mars, much less enjoyable than Atlas. A small crew on Mars become suspicious that the base AI is hiding things from them, but when all the data arrives via the AI how do you check? Features an unsympathetic central characters (even less so than Ren in Planetfall)

I too thought After Atlas was the best book in the trilogy, though I did like Before Mars more than you did.

>38 reading_fox: Agreed. Stiletto was fun but did not knock my socks off like The Rook did, sadly. I hope he keeps going, though.

Two more ERs

Persistent Guilt and Blood of the fae. The former was the 3rd part of canadian police procedural I'd not come across before. Mostly OK, but some very very clunky character introductions, which marred the first 2/3 of the book. Blood was a rare standalone urban fantasy, Sidhe based but located in the rural US because that's where the authors from. Woman discovers there's more to her ancestry than she thought, and finds out other people from the same lineage, but fortunetly little in the way of powers.

There before the chaos. Yes KB has a new book out and the start of a new Trilogy as Hail heads out on a tour of her empire and gets caught up in the Farian/Shen squabble. Same great world same fun characters, go read (and start at the beginning if you haven't come across them yet). The book openins a little slowly as everybody get re-introduced.

The King's Blood better than the first everything is in place now, people knowing what they're doing and there's almost a linear plot, or at least the indication of where it's all going. Same characters as before, banker is an interesting choice of heroine in a spider god fantasy.

broken angels Kovaks stops being a pseudo detective and goes back to his former career as a soldier until he's recruited as a bodyguard while a scientists investigates some unusually active martian remains. Featuring more gratuitous and graphic sex to counterpoint all the violence. The world building is great though.

and two very different books coincidentally both featuring bloodthirsty heroines who manage to keep their ruthless natures just about under control
The awkward squad - translated from french (not badly but not brilliant) a police captain gets landed with a squad of misfits but manages to find uses for them all.

and Moving target
Mil-SF Ky Vatta is not quite the sole survivor of a concerted attack on her family, for which she's totally unprepared and survives by her wit and access to several fortunes. Fun but I'm not convinced buying mercenaries is a valid get out clause.

Full reviews in a bit.

Engaging the enemy third of Ky in the Vatta War, she's gathering more ships but losing allies in the process. Fun Mil-SF good characters although the odd jumps to occasional voices irk a little.

Early Riser the newest Jasper FForde, and a standalone. Not my favourite, I think it's trying too hard and adding too much superfluous silliness, although maybe I'm just not in the right mood for it. Reverse climate change and humanity coping, just about, with Hibernation.

I thought the Vatta’s War books quite good when I read them, back in the days of old (2011, as LT reminds me). I have intended a reread for a couple of years now but haven’t actually got around to it.

What I do remember is that while good they also felt a bit... cartoon-ish, maybe. I can’t put my finger on why, not this long after I last read them.
I remember having the same feeling after reading Elizabeth Moon’s Serrano books as well.

Maybe I should pick up Trading in Danger and try to remember why, and if, still. I do have it on Audible (is ”on” Audible the correct word? It’s what we use in Swedish to express this, at least), so maybe I’ll pick it for ”walk to work” next.

>57 Busifer: I'd certainly agree that they're fairly light reading, fun, but you always know the heroine is in no real danger. "On audilbe" seems fine to me.

the prefect and elysium fire two SF/crime novels set in the Glitterband of his Revelation Space universe. The police force, consists solely of unarmed prefects there to ensure there's no tampering with the universal right of citizen voting, despite whatever else the various habitats may allow (almost anything) in an absolute democracy. It's a chance to explore somoe more of the Glitterband which doens't get much more than a passing references in the main series, but sadly doesn't get much more detail in these. A bit less technology focused and more character grit and determination, but never quite gets the wonder that his earliest books inspire.

lady of the lake The 'last' of the witcher books, ending about the time the (excellent) PC games begin. Although given the jumbled chronology it's a bit hard to be sure. There's two historians of magic looking back via dreams to the Geralt/Ciri period, a few chapters of Ciri bouncing around different worlds, and Geralt going on a trek for his love. All mixed together.

Provenance the new Leckie. It's not as awesome Ancillary Sword but it's still fun. Whodunnit in the Radach universe. And of course the Why is more interesting than the How. A minor human culture with it's own quirks, the Radach AI of former books barely get a mention around the edges.

>59 reading_fox: One of the things that I enjoyed with Provenance was that it took a step back from the high stakes stellar-wide political games, to look at a minor culture on a minor and marginal planet. In some ways it proves that the universe and its set of rules works out of the exhilarating "what and who is human" trans-planetary power-plays.
I agree both with that it wasn't as awesome as Ancillary, and that it was still good fun to read.
The card-signing stuff felt kind of Atevi ;-)

>59 reading_fox: I really want to read that Witcher series eventually. I played the first game way back when and enjoyed it a lot. The last time I looked up the book series to try to figure out if it was finished, I got confused trying to sort out all the Polish titles and figure out if the author was still planning to write more books in the setting and/or if all the books were translated to English yet. One of these days when I have some time to devote to it, I’ll sit down and sort it all out.

Did you enjoy the whole series pretty well?

>60 Busifer: yes agree about the vestiges - I wonder if there's ever been atevi fraud?

>61 YouKneeK: - sort of. They're very different from the game! The game has quite a good linear plot, with a few branches. The books are more like several side quests jumbled about a bit. You can recognise a few of them!

I believe the series is now finished with Lady, and any new books will be prequels.

>62 reading_fox: Good to know, thanks!

>62 reading_fox: Re: atevi fraud: probably, but I guess any of the Guilds would be quick to punish it?

reborn - ER title (although the list of books with the same title is exceptionally long, does no-one check this?) and predictably poor. I'm not a big fan of time travel in the first place and this author just outright ignores all of the issues.

Borderline - (another common title) as recommended on here by someone - thanks! I really enjoyed it. Won't be appropriate for everyone, but it's a sympathetic look at mental/physical disability (the mental is better done than the physical IMO). in the setting of an urban fantasy with a good grasp of the sidhe. Very unusual, and much better than I expected from the summary. Will be reading the rest

Aurora Somehow KSR had dropped off my radar in the last few years, I think I didn't fancy Rice and Salt, and never came back, which is a shame because he's a great writer of socio-politicla commentary in a near-future SF setting. This is one of SF's great tropes, generational ships, and really well considered. I think the AI voice that pervades much of the main body of the novel will irritate people just looking for a fast moving plot.

netwalkers - the prequel to Jane's intense internet books, very character driven by the impossible Wes. It drags a bit in places, and I kept looking for the connections to the main story, but it's still a gripping read.

I keep thinking that I should pick up some KSR but always ends up not doing it. I did enjoy his Mars-trilogy, despite pages and pages of info dumps. Is Aurora a better point to start at than some of the others that I haven't read, like Forty Signs of Rain, or 2312, or New York 2140 (which are the ones I normally can find on the shelves of the SF bookshop).

>66 Busifer: - I've not read New York. Forty Signs is good, but fifty and sixty less so - and they've all got pages of exposition in them. 2312 is an epilogue to the Mars series. Aurora stands alone so it's good in that respect, there is quite a bit of AI exposition across the middle though. I did like Antarctica the best of his 'recent' work.

>66 Busifer:, >67 reading_fox: I bounced off Aurora, but enjoyed 2312 and New York 2140. All are standalones.

>67 reading_fox: >68 Sakerfalcon: Thanks. I think 2312 will be the one, first, and then maybe Antarctica :)

>65 reading_fox: I read Borderline a few years ago, and had completely forgotten about it. I thought it was really good, and must look into the rest of the series.

The year ended with Jane Fancher's Harmonies series, three intense character studies as a naive(ish) researcher attempts to reconcile his academic life so far with his first mission to a planet and the paradigm shift of a new operating system.

In total I've logged 95 books this year, down again from previous years. Several re-reads all kept their 5* rating. A few recommened titles and authors from others' threads were also well enjoyed. Some promising ER titles amoungst the less good, but more careful selection has avoided the worst of the dross. As ever few non-fiction books, but Santa was kind this year, so I've a couple to start the New Year with.