Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

What have you been reading this September?

Finished The Well of the Unicorn...I actually had trouble staying awake during some parts of it. Between the difficult language and the fact that there wasn't all that much going on at times (and really confusing geography...but then the author in the intro pointed out that he doesn't claim is geography was consistent throughout) and a very abrupt ending where they overthrow the evil empire in a couple pages. Not something I'll read again.

Starting on The Unicorn Dancer by Rhondi A. Vilott Salsitz

I finished reading A Bitter Sweet Murder by Cindy Bell yesterday. I thought it was a bit trite, but though I rated it 3 stars, it has some promise.

My review of Buzz Kill: A Novel by David Sosnowski:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished Gilden-Fire and started on the first book of the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Wounded Land.

Now that I've finished my re-read of It, I'm going back to the Discworld Watch series with Guards! Guards! and will try out Magic for Liars since I enjoyed Gailey's River of Teeth series.

Completed:

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Authors: Blake Crouch, Greg Iles, William Kent Krueger, Arkady Martine, Barbara Nickless, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Catherynne M. Valente, Peter Watts

I've been working on my boxed set of Lovecraft's collected fiction. It's a 6 book set, and I'm finished with one. It's gonna be a horror-filled fall for me!

I loved Guards! Guards!

I am still reading Oathbringer and finished Age of Assassins, which has so many editing errors it became a chore to read.

I just started The Coincidence Makers and am partway through Lady Friday.

Just finished "The Mote in Gods Eye" by Larry Niven. I was disappointed that I didnt like it as much as i had hoped. Anyone else feel let down after finishing this book?

Wsqrd wrote: "Just finished "The Mote in Gods Eye" by Larry Niven. I was disappointed that I didnt like it as much as i had hoped. Anyone else feel let down after finishing this book?"

It's been a long time since I read it, but I remember feeling let down, too. My feeling was more based on (view spoiler)[ the failure of the mission. A first contact gone wrong, the horror of what the Moties were stuck with. (hide spoiler)] than anything about the writing, though.

Finished reading The Unicorn Dancer, I quite enjoyed it and look forward to the second half in it's sequel.

Next on my list is a book that needs to eventually go back to the library - First Warning: Acorna's Children by Anne McCaffrey. What can I say, I'm a completionist so to really finish the Acorna series I need to also wrap up this trilogy around Acorna's daughter.

Dungeon Samurai Volume 1: Kamikaze by Kit Sun Cheah

Started Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, the 1st book of the Farseer Trilogy. It's keeping my interest.

I recently finished Demon Haunted, book 2 of Grimluk Demon Hunter series. I rated it 3/5, I enjoyed the first book more. This one lost the initial vibe I really enjoyed but final 3rd of the book I quite enjoyed. There was some really cool demon/occult stuff in this one still, interesting character development for Gwen and I did quite enjoy the final battle.

Now reading The Curse of Chalion, book 1 of World of the Five Gods.

Garyjn wrote: "Started Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, the 1st book of the Farseer Trilogy. It's keeping my interest."

Oohh I hope you enjoy the book and Realm of the Elderlings series in general! I recently finished book 16 Assassin's Fate and definitely an ending and series that left it's mark on me! Fitz has become one of my favourite (if not my favourite) fantasy characters. Happy reading!

I'm in the middle of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and listening to Reaper Man.

I am about 1/5th of the way through The Harrowing of Gwynedd by Katherine Kurtz, the first book in the Heirs of St. Camber trilogy. I read this the first time when it was first released in hardcover.

I just read Currently, which ended up being excellent! Great world-building and I couldn't put the book down.

Finished reading First Warning (it was ok but I'm not a fan of plague stories)

Started on the second book of the Unicorn Dancer duology - Daughter of Destiny by Rhondi A. Vilott Salsitz

I finished Caliban's War and moved immediately to the next book in the series, Abaddon's Gate.

I finished reading Mint Chocolate Crunch & Murder.

Chasing Shadows: Visions of Our Coming Transparent World anthology edited by David Brin

David Brin convinces me that I am a dinosaur, a fossil that still wants some degree of privacy in his life. Back in 1998 Brin published the prescient non-fiction The Transparent Society, considering the effects of proliferation of near-universal surveillance. Brin feels the end of "privacy" and "secrets" is inevitable, but also, dismissing Orwell's 1984, not necessarily a bad thing. He points to what he calls sousveillance, the observation of the powerful by the public via cell phone cameras and dissemination of secrets via hactivists. The watching goes both ways.

"Privacy is dead. Get over it."

This collection of stories asks a large bunch of SF writers to look at what they think would result from various degrees of near universal transparency. It also includes reprints of several classic stories on the subject, and a few non-fiction essays. Brin provides a lot to think on.

Just finished reading Italian Wedding Murder

My review:- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

G33z3r wrote: " Chasing Shadows: Visions of Our Coming Transparent World anthology edited by David Brin
..."

Somewhere I read an article about how Orwell was right but also wrong. It's not the government that will be watching us but big business. And it won't be imposed on us, we'll gladly hand over all our secrets and habits in exchange for seeing ads that mean something to us, getting emails about stuff we care about, etc. After all Goodreads recommendations feature is exactly that, it's keeping track of what we've read and what kinds of books we like and is trying to predict what we'd like to read next. And by knowing what I'd like to read could try to guide me to reading what *it* thinks I should read.

Seems innocent but in fact GR knows more about my reading habits than any human I know :)

Pierre wrote: "I finished Caliban's War and moved immediately to the next book in the series, Abaddon's Gate."

Same

G33z3r wrote: "David Brin convinces me that I am a dinosaur, a fossil that still wants some degree of privacy in his life. "
Based on your posts I'd say I'm way more of a dinosaur than you.

Yeah, humans are becoming the Borg, no question. And I think that will be their downfall.

I finished reading A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham, The Unclaimed Victim by D.M. Pulley, and The Black Book by James Patterson and David Ellis. I am reading Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold. I plan to read The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie next.

Andrea wrote: "Somewhere I read an article about how Orwell was right but also wrong. It's not the government that will be watching us but big business. And it won't be imposed on us, we'll gladly hand over all our secrets and habits in exchange for seeing ads that mean something to us..."

1984 introduced more than just surveillance (newspeak and government control of the news, among others ideas), but certainly "Big Brother is watching" was the most popular takeaway.

A decade or so ago I bought a PlayStation 3 with "Move", Sony's motion-detection system, which is basically a camera you clip onto the TV (with a pair of illuminated controllers it watches.) I remarked at the time that when Orwell suggested Big Brother's 2-way telescreens, he probably didn't think we'd actually run out and buy the camera. :) (After the Move was installed, the PS3 was never connected to the internet again. :)

I recently read ZERO which shows young people giving up all privacy to big business, for the bonuses they can get and benefits they may bring. The discussion on 1984 situations reminded me of the tale.

I have just finished Off the Beaten Path by Gustavo Bondoni

who kindly autographed copies at Worldcon in Dublin.
I recommend the book, a sometimes dark SF collection of 22 stories.

Now reading The Judas Strain which unfortunately is all about disease, germs spread and mutated by climate change. Small doses only for me.

Clare wrote: "I recently read ZERO which shows young people giving up all privacy to big business, for the bonuses they can get and benefits they may bring. The discussion on1984 situations reminded me of the tale..."

One of the points David Brin often makes in his arguments to get comfortable with and even learn to utilize universal surveillance is that for those born into the Facebook / Smart Phone era, they already happily share a good deal of their lives via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. They grew up in a post-privacy world, so why do they care that corporations are watching them?

Thinking back, it's interesting that privacy advocate Cory Doctorow, in his YA anti-government-surveillance Little Brother, has the kids use what Brin calls sousveillance to spy back on the government.

I read Smoked Gouda Murder. My review:-

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Younger people don't always realise that anything they share on line can be found by the firm where they are applying for a job. Including all those drunken party photos and the scathing opinions on a football team or a previous employer.

Clare wrote: "Younger people don't always realise that anything they share on line can be found by the firm where they are applying for a job...."

On the topic of kids & surveillance, I read today about a new "Tide loyalty points program" for the University of Alabama in which students earn points for both attending Alabama home football games and for staying until the end of the game, this determined by an app on their phones tracking their GPS location to make sure they're in the football stadium.

That school paper article I linked above has no trace of concern whatsoever, so here's another article with a little more skepticism: "Orwellabama? Crimson Tide Track Locations to Keep Students at Games" From that I learned Alabama isn't the only college using this program this year.

Speaking as a dinosaur, I'm dumbfounded this is OK with people.

G33z3r wrote: "Speaking as a dinosaur, I'm dumbfounded this is OK with people."

Ditto. I always took every opportunity to hide my activities & whereabouts from authority.

I finished reading The Wounded Land. I am finding the Second Chronicles more of a slog than the First Chronicles - Covenant is no longer a complete arsehole, but he is still completely self-absorbed and self-pitying. And Donaldson continues to overwrite and continues his personal quest to introduce readers to all of the obscure words of the English language. Learning new words is one of the joys of reading, but if I have to consult a dictionary 7 or 8 times each chapter, it gets to be a chore. I will continue to read through the entire 10 book series, but I feel that there will be gaps between the books for other reading.

Does the UA not know kids have two phones? Hand one to the guy who gets a bribe to stay to the end, with 10 phones in his sports bag.

Kids are smart.

Tony wrote: "I finished reading The Wounded Land. I am finding the Second Chronicles more of a slog than the First Chronicles - Covenant is no longer a complete arsehole, but he is still completel..."

Tony, rather you than me.
Don't feel so obliged.

Clare wrote: "Does the UA not know kids have two phones? Hand one to the guy who gets a bribe to stay to the end, with 10 phones in his sports bag.."

Bribe? Nah, that's what frat pledges are for. :)

Tony wrote: "I finished reading The Wounded Land. I am finding the Second Chronicles more of a slog than the First Chronicles - Covenant is no longer a complete arsehole, but he is still completel..."

You summed that up pretty well. My brother had given me the first book telling me he had loved it when he was younger, but I think it was a mixed case of nostalgia, a lack of other available fantasy, and the suck fairy tweaking things before I got at it :) Though for what it's worth, I did the full 10 book series read myself a few years ago so I must have found something redeeming about it LOL

I remember one scene in one of the last books, the heroes run all over the land, time is short, the world is going to end shortly...and then they take a day off to rest beside a stream and do nothing but lie in the sun. I was impressed, usually writers forget that people get tired and can't run from one end of a continent to another without taking a break. Even with the end of the world pending.

I finished


Crux by Ramez Naam
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Twelve edited by Jonathan Strahan
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor

Finished The Judas Strain. Once you get past the necrotic flesh and zombies and cannibalism it's okay. Otherwise it's a da Vinci Code type of thriller (but more shootings in this book) with some fine buildings on various continents.

Clare wrote: "Finished The Judas Strain. Once you get past the necrotic flesh and zombies and cannibalism it's okay. Otherwise it's a da Vinci Code type of thriller (but more shootings in this book..."

One of my friends loves Rollins and every now and then she passes one to me. That was one of the ones I've read.

Finished Daughter of Destiny, a pretty good duology though as I got towards the end I wondered how in 20 pages four storylines would come together and still manage to defeat the big bad guy but it kind of worked out (with a couple loose ends). Overall I enjoyed it, though I also had fun listing it's similarities to LotR (does every quest group have to have one elf and one dwarf that bicker with each other? A wizard that dies just when they need him most then comes back? A prophecy of a return of a king?) but it's not really LotR like, just had to laugh at some of the commonalities. After all this one not only has a female character but she's the lead.

Started on Second Wave: Acorna's Children by Anne McCaffrey. I'm about 30 pages in and I think the plague story from the first book is going to turn into a zombie apocalypse? We'll see...

I also finished The Unicorn by Nancy Hathaway, it's kind of a non-fiction unicorn lore book but instead of just writing the lore down, turned the legends into actual short stories.

Started on The Natural History of Unicorns by Chris Lavers as my next non-fiction unicorn read.

The Red Knight. While I am enjoying the story, the editing on the Kindle edition is driving me nuts. ‘Wheel’ instead of ‘weal’ was the latest bug. Not sure if it will be like this in the print version. It’s like a badly transcribed dictation.

I have started Tales from the Rocket Age, a collection of 4 short stories based on a pulp-style sci-fi setting where Einstein and Tesla created an interplanetary rocket in the 30s and Mars, Venus, the moons of Jupiter etc. all have sentient lifeforms.

Working my way through the massive tome of The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft. Is lovely.

I have just picked up Sockpuppet

from a library. I previously read the second in the series, Lucky Ghost: The Martingale Cycle

so I know I am going to enjoy the first book.
Coincidentally these are also about giving up privacy online, British setting.