The Sword and Laser discussion

Our June pick will be A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.

Let us know what you think about the pick before the group read begins. Please no spoilers.

I added this one to my TBR during March Madness, so I'm excited about the pick.

I haven't been reading much though, so I need to decide if I want to try to get the ebook or audio. I have so many recent audio book releases to listen to, so I'm leaning ebook.

I just worry I won't finish it quickly if I go that route.

Anyone already do this in audio?

I am intrigued by the pick because of comparisons in some ways to Ninefox Gambit, which I really enjoyed. I also heard comparison to Ann Leckie's stuff, which I was less enthused by. I bought the Kindle edition which had the Audible add-on for $7.49. Knowing that Ninefox worked best for me in audio, I may start there, but I've got another book going in audio that I kind of want to finish in audio (but also have that in Kindle). Either way, I'm cautiously optimistic.

Wohoo! I already read this!

This is the 4th of the 2020 Hugo Award finalists we will have read this year (3 Novels, 1 Novella)

It's a good chance we will have read a winner (or 2)

That's a walloping eight week wait at LA library, and the County library doesn't even have it in ebook. Available in audiobook at the County if someone wants to move fast.

TBH it doesn't look interesting enough to me to run out and buy, and there's other stuff I want to get to like Heinlein's recent release. So I hope other people will enjoy this.

It’s a good choice and a great book which I’ve already read a few months ago. I’m looking forward to the discussions. I think most everyone will like it - especially if you enjoyed Ann Leckie’s Ancillary series.

Excellent book. I don't really think it's much like Leckie in form, or really like Ninefox, except that all 3 deal with worlds where there is a large, dominating empire that subsumes everything.

I read this a few months ago and it's excellent IMO. Some people find the naming scheme rather silly, but.. let that go.

My library has the audio available through Hoopla, so I'll probably do that.

Good choice. Looking forward to reading this!

Rick wrote: "Some people find the naming scheme rather silly, but.. let that go."

I've got a funny feeling some people aren't going to..... let that go ;-)

My Teixcalaani name is "Fourteen Mitre Saw"

https://www.torforgeblog.com/2020/02/...

I started reading the book a few days ago as part of my Hugo reading. I'm finding it very entertaining.

Are we required to select a Teixcalaani name for ourselves?

I think I nominated this for March Madness? Anyway it's definitely been on my radar for a while, and I'm glad to have the push to move it up my TBR. I'll be listening, because I find I do better with SF an in audio/visual medium rather than reading.

My Teixcalaani name is Twelve Clear Skies

ok, caving to peer pressure...

Nine Skunkweed

Eight Lawn Boy

Well, talk about timing. I just finished this yesterday. It's good. It's very good. Think Ancillary Justice in ambition and scope but more accessible and more sense of humor. I'd say closer to Robert Jackson Bennett (City of Stairs) in tone.

According to that website my name would be something like Nine Mallet. However, if I have my choice I'd have to at least consider Pi Shell!

I fully expect the Supremes to present the podcasts discussing this book, entirely in verse.

Perfect selection, finally I could read along the group.

Tassie Dave wrote: "Rick wrote: "Some people find the naming scheme rather silly, but.. let that go."

I've got a funny feeling some people aren't going to..... let that go ;-)

My Teixcalaani name is "Fourteen Mitre..."

Mine is “One Hundred Six Maelstrom”.

Since I’ve already read this, what’s July’s pick? 😁

Trike wrote: "Since I’ve already read this, what’s July’s pick? 😁"

Tricycle by Russell Rhodes

I've been listening to a lot of Queensryche lately so my first free-association is, I wonder if the Empire just needs to spend more on law enforcement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSTct...

Would this be considered hard sf? I should finish Children of Time. Sometimes I do both the ebook and audiobook at the same time to pull myself through.

Tamahome wrote: "Would this be considered hard sf? I should finish Children of Time. Sometimes I do both the ebook and audiobook at the same time to pull myself through."

this isn't really a spoiler, but I'll use tags just in case

(view spoiler)[political thriller with a solid, if not hard, sf core, and a sense of humor as well (hide spoiler)]

Great choice! I actually just finished this. Matthew, thanks for pointing out the similarity to Robert Jackson Bennett, I knew there was a particular reason I was digging. I'm looking forward to all the discussions.
The solution to my name involves math, so I bow out here.

Matthew - the City of Stairs is a great comparison. Thanks for thinking of it.

Tamahome - This is not hard SF but almost no SF being published is, if by hard SF you mean everything is within known physics (there seems to be FTL here). But most of the tech seems possible to me so it's not what I'd call science fantasy.

Mark wrote: "Trike wrote: "Since I’ve already read this, what’s July’s pick? 😁"

Tricycle by Russell Rhodes

"

😂

Got this one already lined up to read next!
And I’m Fifteen Thunderstorm.

Tassie Dave wrote: "Rick wrote: "Some people find the naming scheme rather silly, but.. let that go."

I've got a funny feeling some people aren't going to..... let that go ;-)

My Teixcalaani name is "Fourteen Mitre..."

Sounds interesting going to read along.

You can call me "Thirty-three Copernicium"

Conveniently, I am reading this right now. Enjoying it so far.

I’ve been wanting to read this ever since the first time I saw the cover. It makes me think A Song of Ice & Fire in space!

Looking forward to reading this!

Great. Bought it last December -- guess now I'll finally getroundto reading it.

Oh, and ... From now I shall be, Twenty Lightening.

Ha! Finally a pick I actually just read. I usually bounce between audio (dog walks) and ebook (bedtime). As per my usual with a new book/series, I took a while to warm to the narrator’s voice in the audio, but ended up really enjoying it by the end (not to mention using it as a pronunciation guide).
- Nine Giant Hogweed

So far none of the S&L picks this year have worked out for me, but since this one is another big award nominee and I'm third on the waitlist at the library, I will join in around mid-month. Almost all of my friends here seem to love it and have left glowing reviews, so that's another point in its favor. Looking forward to starting to see what all the hype is about.

I shall currently be known as Eight Alcove

I declare myself to be 42 Quarkonia

Sheila Jean wrote: "My library has the audio available through Hoopla, so I'll probably do that."

Thanks for mentioning it. I checked the library but not Hoople. I'm happy Audible has such a good return policy!

It's soooooooooo good.

I haven't read Alix E. Harrow's novel yet, but this is a STACKED Hugo ballot.

I'm ready to start reading, but need to finish Wizard: Master first. So far I'm one and one on Hugo nominees, liked one and did not like the other. This looks more of a space opera, so I'm looking forward to it. I just hope it's not Game of Thrones space, because the plot sounds similar to the first book.

Ian wrote: "I’ve been wanting to read this ever since the first time I saw the cover. It makes me think A Song of Ice & Fire in space!"
How funny, I thought the same thing and just saw your post, though I'm thinking the opposite. I like Game of Thrones, but like different.

This is apparently also in the "hard to get a the library category". The wait list is 22 weeks for me. Maybe it will come through sooner, but I'm not holding my breath.

alright, back to the Hugo picks and march madness selections that added like 12 books to my TBR list!

For those on the fence about this book, the novel it most closely resembles in my mind is The Goblin Emperor.

TWO STARS Trike? IN a bad mood, eh?

Rick wrote: "TWO STARS Trike? IN a bad mood, eh?"

No. Two stars just means “meh.” I didn’t find it to be terribly intriguing and a lot of it felt like running in place.

Hmm interesting. I quite liked it and thought it was worthy of a Hugo nom. Maybe I'll re-read it after I finished Network Effect

I'll be Three Jasmine

I read this recently and thought it was okay. There was so much building of the society, its norms, and the story setup that I just didn't really connect much with the main character, or really any of them. I enjoyed the tech part of it and the political intrigue, despite it being slow. I would read the next one, since now the world has been built and the scene set. looking forward to the discussion.

The names were hard to remember. hah

Out of curiosity, is anybody listening to the audiobook, and if so how are they pronouncing things? Specifically, when I see something like "Teixcalaanli Empire", I'm pronouncing the X as SH because the word feels kind of Aztec or other Mesoamerican. Am I insane?