The Sword and Laser discussion

March is here, so what are you reading this month?

I just finished Miniatures: The Very Short Fiction of John Scalzi, Scalzi's humorous short story collection. Some I had seen before, but all amusing.

Taking a short break from F/SF, reading The Coroner by M R Hall, with probably some Rebus to follow.

I started Seveneves a couple days ago. The premise is interesting though I wish more time was spent on Earth.

Working through the Heechee saga. Finished Gateway and Beyond the Blue Event Horizon, now on Heechee Rendezvous.

Have just started to read Six Wakes by author and podcaster Mur Lafferty. It's been a long time since she announced the book deal for this one, so I'm excited to finally read it. (Even if I had to import a paper copy across the Atlantic!)

Murder mystery. In space. With clones. What's not to love?

Finished Battle Hill Bolero by Daniel José Older the third in his Bone Street Rumba series. In the middle of Liz Williams's The Demon and the City itself #2 in a series. Next up is Richard Kadrey's The Wrong Dead Guy then Gateway, then The Collapsing Empire by Scalzi.

Wrapping up my Sanderson Cosmere reading with Elantris.

UGH. I'll be finishing all the half-read books I started in February. Sorry to say I'm still on only page 200 of The Salt Roads; need to finish this ASAP since it was due back to the library last Friday. Also at the 50% point of Death's End. Never even made it to Crosstalk.

Adding Shadowbahn to the March list because it looks like a trip, Song of Susannah, and Ready Player One because my library just purchased the downloadable audio and I want to hear Wil Wheaton read it.

I'm poking around the Nebula Awards list right now, trying out some of the books. I wasn't going to, but I discovered I had already read 2/5 of the novel nominees, so what's three more?

I tried and abandoned Borderline by Mishell Baker however I'm going to argue that if you are a fan of urban fantasy or kickass women or interesting fantasy, you should try it anyway. You see I struggle with urban fantasy and don't really care for the fey, so I had to quit when I got to that point. It's likely you won't. In fact my friends list is overwhelmingly five-starring this book.

I'm finishing up a couple of books I got distracted from finishing last year. First up is Caliban's War and if I have time after that The Great Hunt.

I liked Borderline a lot, mostly due to the protagonist's issues.

Just finished Avempartha, book 2 of the Riyria Chronicles. By "just" I mean literally 5 minutes ago. Nothing groundbreaking, but it was fun enough and competently written.

Gateway came into the library today, so that's next once I pick it up tomorrow (later today; it's 2:45 am). I'll hit a couple graphic novels I have sitting here in the meantime.

Doomsday Book
Honky Tonk Samurai

Finished A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. I enjoyed this but it seems to change tone about half-way through. The first half covers a different science with every chapter and gives mini-biographies of the people who were important to that field. The second half was mostly concerned with geology and paleontology and kind of became an environmental tirade by the end. I still enjoyed the book but wish it had stuck with it's original pattern.

Started Saint's Blood and A Conjuring of Light.

Rick wrote: "I liked Borderline a lot, mostly due to the protagonist's issues."

That was almost enough to keep me reading but the fey kept gluing the pages together.

Phil wrote: "Finished A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. I enjoyed this but it seems to change tone about half-way through. The first half covers a different science with every chapt..."

Try Black Bodies and Quantum Cats: Tales from the Annals of Physics by Jennifer Ouilette. Each chapter is a tidy little essay on a science and associated scientist, ordered chronologically. I've been dipping into it periodically for a couple years now.

Just finished Abaddon's Gate and have just started on The Clan of the Cave Bear. That one has been on my TBR pile for 20 years or more. I read Gateway a few months back so I can skip this months official read.

Ooof! Halfway through Heechee Rendezvous and Pohl has just gone for the Fermi Paradox explanation of

(view spoiler)[evil aliens killing any new intelligences. (hide spoiler)]

Pohl is neither the first nor the last to use this trope, but maaaaaan is it boring.

^Andrew, have you read the others? I am giving modest thought to making a "Heechee series" thread.

No, I only read Gateway, and that was the Audible version. Now I have discovered it wasn't completely unabridged :( I may try and track down a complete print copy, but as it stands I didn't find it worth continuing the series.

I'm on a bit of a history jag at the moment, reading The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England and Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race. The latter is especially good.


I do admit I'm starting to feel a bit of scifi withdrawal, though.

Trike wrote: "Phil wrote: "Finished A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. I enjoyed this but it seems to change tone about half-way through. The first half covers a different science wit..."

Cool. Thanks for the suggestion Trike.

Finished The Lies of Locke Lamora, which did some things well and some things poorly. Probably impossible to write a book as good as the title. 3/5.

Currently reading The Shadowed Sun by NK Jemisin.

Finished The Adventure Time Encyclopaedia (Encyclopedia): Inhabitants, Lore, Spells, and Ancient Crypt Warnings of the Land of Ooo Circa 19.56 B.G.E. - 501 A.G.E. by Martin Olson. Don't judge me, it's a cool show. The book was a fun read but not the fount of background lore that I thought it would be. The Kindle version was very difficult to read in some places due to the formatting.
Starting Realms of the Dead.

Phil wrote: "Finished The Adventure Time Encyclopaedia (Encyclopedia): Inhabitants, Lore, Spells, and Ancient Crypt Warnings of the Land of Ooo Circa 19.56 B.G.E. - 501 A.G.E. by Martin Olson. D..."

I tried watching Adventure Time and I was either not young enough or not stoned enough to get it.

I watch it because of my kids and I don't think I'd get it if I only saw a few episodes. After a while though the mystery of the backstory started to grow on me. Plus I love John DiMaggio, the voice of Jake.
Other shows that got me the same way were Steven Universe and Gravity Falls.

Finished last month's BotM. Now working my way through A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East.

A slight lull in book availability led to me reading something from the bottom of the TBR pile: Benford's Tides of Light. It's humans on the run! From evil machines! FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT BOOK.

I hate to give up on a story, but this one (5th of a 6 book series) waited a good long time before I picked it up. Not particularly hopeful on this one. It is at least readable and makes decent filler while I wait for something better to come along.

Walter wrote: "Finished last month's BotM. Now working my way through A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East."

Good book, that.

Clyde wrote: "Walter wrote: "Finished last month's BotM. Now working my way through A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East."

Good book, ..."

It is, very good. I'm maybe 60% of the way in, just got to the point where WW I is ending. Had to search for a map in order to get a real appreciation for the importance placed on the Dardanelles by Britain and the rest of the Allies.

I finished Gateway in audio - ★★★½☆ - (My Review)

Colin wrote: "Have just started to read Six Wakes by author and podcaster Mur Lafferty. It's been a long time since she announced the book deal for this one, so I'm excited to fina..."

How did you like Six Wakes? I listened to the audio that she narrates and did not enjoy it as much as I would have hoped.

I'm currently listening to Extracted by R.R. Haywood and am enjoying much more than the 'popular' reviews give it credit for. It's a fun time travel book with fun characters.

Adrian wrote: "How did you like Six Wakes? I listened to the audio that she narrates and did not enjoy it as much as I would have hoped...."

Sorry, really can't say yet. I'm not very far through. Suffering from not being able to get the book on Kindle or Audible in the UK. It's so much easier to get through a book when it goes everywhere with you on your phone ...

I finished The Rook. It was pretty enjoyable. Right now I am listening to the very short Miniatures: The Very Short Fiction of John Scalzi while taking the little guy for evening hikes, reading The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative at night, and slowly making my way through the highly entertaining The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox

I finished watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars, so I think I will try picking up Ahsoka. And perhaps, Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, because now I am curious about the origins of Palpatine, whether it is canon or not.

Hopefully, after that and the pile of comics in my TBR, I will still have time to read the new Scalzi novel, The Collapsing Empire, at the end of the month.

Finished The Name of the Wind and I guess I liked it, because after devouring 700+ pages in a few days, I put it down and immediately picked up The Wise Man's Fear and am already a couple hundred pages into that tome.

Finish The Time of Contempt, then realized it was the second book in the Witcher Ciri saga, so on to the first book of the series Blood of Elves. March the 14th is the release date for the 5th book in the series Lady of the Lake. So no more playing the Witcher, just reading.

Trying out Trial by Fire.. snagged it off a library shelf because it looked fun.. then discovered it was already on my to read list.. must be fate. :P

I started A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson, one of the novella nominees for the Nebula. (Ah delicious alliteration!)

I note now that it is book #2 in a series so of course I'm wondering if some of my confusion is a lack of world building that book #1 already covered...

Lessee... Finished Agents of Dreamland which was OK but Lovecraftian horror just isn't my thing. Lovely writing though. Also finished The Demon and the City which I think I mentioned already but... well.. it's good. I'm liking the series so far (this is #2). Just bought new Kadrey (The Wrong Dead Guy ) and waiting on The Collapsing Empire. IN a bit of a fallow period otherwise. Need new books!

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I started A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson, one of the novella nominees for the Nebula. (Ah delicious alliteration!)

I note now that it is book #2 in a series so of course I..."

Well, I'd recommend book 1 (The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps) on its own terms, but no, there's no additional worldbuilding -- or, rather, the worldbuilding in Wildeeps is much like the worldbuilding in Taste, where it's all just kind of implicit rather than explicit.

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I note now that it is book #2 in a series so of course I'm wondering if some of my confusion is a lack of world building that book #1 already covered..."

Book 1 has some details about the gods and demi-gods that would be helpful for book 2, but i believe nothing of plot relevance. Book 2 has a confusing structure that should clarify itself eventually.

The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps is fantastic though, so of course you should go read it!

Brendan wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I note now that it is book #2 in a series so of course I'm wondering if some of my confusion is a lack of world building that book #1 already covered..."

Book 1 has so..."

Joseph wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I started A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson, one of the novella nominees for the Nebula. (Ah delicious alliteration!)

I note now that it is book ..."

Thanks to both, this is helpful information.

First of all I will aim to finish off The Salt Roads. I am reading it on Kindle and am struggling to find time to read, although whenever I do I wish I could read more!

Then I will do Gateway with the group. I have both the audio book and the real book so will listen along while reading. The first time i have done this so I look forward to seeing how that reading experience works for me.

Also I have just joined another book club and they have chosen The Sellout so I have just started the audio book of that.

I am also halfway through City of Blades and boy is it good. I am rather loathe to pause it will listening to The Sellout on my commute but I think I an finish that off quickly and get back to the action.

Phew that looks like quite a busy month reading wise... hmmm

Finished Naamah's Blessing, which was a fine finish to both the trilogy and to the entire Kushiel series (although I won't be sad if Carey goes back to that world at some point), and started Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures, the final in Del Rey's series of Robert E. Howard collections.

Here is my review of Crossroads of Twilight

Dara wrote: "I started Seveneves a couple days ago. The premise is interesting though I wish more time was spent on Earth."

Whilst I did like it, I much preferred the way that Arkwright was done instead of this one.

A Conjuring of Light A great end to the Shades of magic series.
Beast Master - solid entry
Black Blood Brother


About to read Extracted
Recommending to Everyone The Foul Mouth and the Fanged Lady whilst the covers are, well, lets be honest, not great but an amazing and unique UF series many books in and lots of shorts to expand the world and tie things together