Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

vacation or lock down, what is on your reading list this July?

currently in the middle of the Tales of Two Cities: The City in the Middle of the Night - City of Girls

Thanks SA for starting the new thread, I was in the middle of a big book and didn't pay attention to the days ^_^

I finished City of Heavenly Fire...ok, this YA series grew on me. I thought the "incest but we were meant for each other" thing a little weird in the first part, the fourth book was terrible, but the last two were actually kind of interesting. While the main characters are never going to interest me much, the secondary characters kept me reading (and I see many have their own spinoff series and short story collections)

The one really terrible thing in the last two books? Clare started writing her The Infernal Devices at the same time she was writing The Mortal Instruments, and I think they have to be read in publishing order, by the time one gets to City of Heavenly Fire, she was making really strong references to events and characters (which even show up since some are immortal) that are pretty well spoilers for the other trilogy. I'm wondering if I need to read that trilogy now, and not wait till next year like I planned, because I want to link up the hints and references dropped in these books with the actual plot line in the other....

On the other hand, her mentions of her Codex book sounds so much like product placement I would break out laughing every time someone would say "And you can find it in the Codex, a book no shadowhunter should be without". hinthint, nudgenudge, go buy it

Anyway, not reading them right away. Looking to get more of my BINGO slots filled in, I am rereading A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer which will fill my "school" slot. I finally, after years of searching, found the prequel on OpenLibrary, but in the meantime have forgotten most of what happened in the original duology so time for a reread so I can complete the series :)

The Living Dead by George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus

This 650+ page 'zombie' book is far from a quickie blood and guts horror tome that could be adapted into a two-hour movie. Rather the story, a sobering depiction of 15 years of a zombie apocalypse, would require a mini-series to do it justice.

Very good story. 4 stars

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

I've just finished reading Fortune's Fool by Angela Boord. It was a finalist in last year's SPFBO and I heard lots of good things about it and it seemed to have an intriguing concept. It was well-written, but just had a bit too much description and romance for my liking and not enough POVs, LOL. If you like slow-burn romance in your fantasy you'll likely enjoy this one.

Completed:

==========================================
Authors:
Charlie Jane Anders,Harlan Coben, Suzanne Collins, Michael Connelly, Louise Erdrich, Elizabeth Gilbert, Stephen Graham Jones, Seanan McGuire, S.J. Morden, Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I finished Dead Water by Ann Cleeves earlier today. Rated 3.75/5, was a book very well suited for my mood lately. Always enjoy Shetland.

Just started Mary Shelley's The Last Man and can already tell this is gonna be right up my alley.

I finished The Wendy.

Currently reading Chasing the Shadows, Brief Cases, and re-reading The Queen of Attolia.

Possibly up next may be The Just City and Chasing the Prophecy.

NekroRider wrote: "Just started Mary Shelley's The Last Man and can already tell this is gonna be right up my alley.."

I have it on mt TBR list, but I find the pacing in Frankenstein to be rather slow, so I'm not in any hurry to start it.

Finished reading The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan and The Fifth To Die by J.D. Barker. I am reading Financial Freedom: A Proven Path to All the Money You Will Ever Need by Grant Sabatier. I plan to read A Little Hatred (Age of Madness Book 1) by Joe Abercrombie next.

Tony wrote:"
I have it on mt TBR list, but I find the pacing in Frankenstein to be rather slow, so I'm not in any hurry to start it"

Its been a long time since I've read Frankenstein, but I think if you found it slow then it's unlikely that you'd enjoy the pacing of The Last Man much. I'm personally very into gothic fiction, and those long landscape descriptions and meandering pacing that often go with it are very much my jam. But I think if you're not a fan of those things then you might find The Last Man a bit boring (as some of the negative reviews on GR suggest). That's my impression so far, anyway.

So far, I'd mostly recommend it to a) people who already like pre-1900s gothic novels and a slower, meandering pace or b) people interested in reading early precursors to modern apocalyptic fiction

I'm taking a break from Stories from the Faerie Queene, but I'll dip into its stories now and then between other books.

I just finished Homeland, currently labeled as the first in the series, but it's the first of a prequel trilogy written after the Icewind Dale trilogy. I don't think this prequel added much of substance to it.

Also currently reading Enchantress of Venus, and just started Skyward.

The Joy of Erudition wrote: "I'm taking a break from Stories from the Faerie Queene, but I'll dip into its stories now and then between other books.

I just finished Homeland, currently labeled as..."

Yeah, Homeland was decent imo but I never seemed to like it as much as a lot of folks for some reason. I always preferred the other two books in the trilogy (Exile and Sojourn). Exile I liked for the Underdark worldbuilding aspects, and Sojourn just really jived with certain other themes I generally enjoy.

I personally always recommend reading Forgotten Realms Drizzt books in order of publication rather than the revised chronological order, but I guess everyone has a different take 🤷🏻‍♂️

NekroRider wrote: "I personally always recommend reading Forgotten Realms Drizzt books in order of publication rather than the revised chronological order, but I guess everyone has a different take 🤷🏻‍♂️"

Not me, I'm with you. I read the Icewind Dale books first. 🙂

So Homeland first or no? I've been looking into it.

Audrey wrote: "So Homeland first or no? I've been looking into it."

Imo publication order which means Icewind Dale Trilogy first, followed by Dark Elf Trilogy and so on. Elements of Dark Elf Trilogy come into play in later trilogies/sub-series, so good to have as backgrounder if you plan to continue after Icewind Dale. But imo starting with Icewind Dale makes most sense, and also let's reader see evolution of Drizzt as a character. Originally Wulfgar was supposed to be the main hero, but people ended up loving Drizzt. So when Salvatore wrote Dark Elf Trilogy Drizzt's character changed a bit. But you'll also get people who argue for chronological order, especially those that prefer the drow aesthetic and society over the more traditional fantasy of the surface world in Icewind Dale. But if you ask me I'll always say publication order which means reading Icewind Dale first.

I agree, Icewind Dale first, which begins with The Crystal Shard. It's more rounded, and has more relatable characters, and introduces things nicely, being the first one written. The Underdark of the prequel trilogy is a nice idea for a change of pace from the traditional fantasy setting, but I didn't care for the way it was used here.

I'm going to try other authors' takes on drow culture, like Lisa Smedman's Lady Penitent trilogy, the War of the Spider-Queen series by various authors, and Elaine Cunningham's Starlight & Shadows trilogy.

Currently reading The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks

Still working on my reread of King Javan's Year by Katherine Kurtz

Finished A College of Magics so can check off my school BINGO slot. It was ok, but the rules of the magical system were so vague as to be non-existent (other than you can't learn magic, you just suddenly know how to do it, which isn't crazy, there are other skills like that but still, even when they know how, they don't see to know how they are doing it)

And now, onto a book I've been meaning to read for a long time but is just so freaking huge (as are the rest of the books in the series so I only plan to tackle one this year) - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Two reasons, one because I just finished watching the last episode of the latest season so I'm already way ahead in my viewing than my reading (and I prefer the reverse usually). The other, if fills the Genre Blender BINGO slot very well with romance, fantasy and historical, so 3 in one instead of my usual two.

I finished Brothers in Arms. I enjoyed it a lot, and thought that it is one of the best sofar in the series, which I am reading in the advised chronological order.

So, onward to Mirror Dance, that I'll start reading later today.

Hunted by Megg Jensen is next on my eReader. I found the first book in the series free and read it back when I had my dragon themed year. Now I found the first three free in an omnibus so I can add it to my "make progress in series I started" goal of this year.

I finished Jirel of Joiry which also fills in my pre-1940 Bingo slot. The book consists of 6 short stories all published during the 1930s and leaning more to dark fantasy than swords and sorcery. I particularly enjoyed "Quest of the Starstone" which also features Moore's other iconic character, Northwest Smith. Smith was, in many ways, an inspiration for Han Solo. Oddly this story is missing from most earlier publications of this collection.

I have started the second of Asimov's Elijah Baley novels - The Naked Sun.

Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Follow-up to the previously stand-alone Children of Time (Do I have to revisit my 2018 BINGO card?). Another human-run but off-the-rails uplift project, this time of octopi, with the races of the predecessor eventually rejoining the story. I wasn't entirely convinced about the 4th race Tchaikovsky throws in: it seemed like something from a B-movie. Disappointing, rushed ending, more like a plot summary than a story.

I recently read Her Dark Guardian by Nicola Rosa. Found it a good read and good storyline. Some surprises in the story making it not the happy ever after story.

Frozen Dreams by Moe Lane

I'm onto Kate Elliott now. I began with a suggested title: Cold Magic. At first I was only mildly interested, so I set aside. When I picked it back up in June, the very next chapter caught my attention. By the end, I appreciated the author's writing style as well as the story.
So I read the other stories of this particular trilogy.
Today I just received Book one of another Kate Elliott series...
here I go! Will I end of reading all of her work? Why do I do this with authors? Ms Elliott has written quite a fw series of books.... PS: They are Not short tales either.

The Whisperers by John Connolly

In this 9th book in the 'Charlie Parker' series, the private detective gets involved in an eerie case where evil spirits are inhabiting Middle Eastern antiquities. The book can be read as a standalone.

Slow moving but the characters are interesting. 3 stars

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

*collapses* Made it through the massive tome of Outlander. Must admit I didn't get bored at any point, given something that big and long. After reading some of the reviews I was afraid it would be non-stop sex and rape, and while yes, the main characters had a tendency towards frequent snogging, one needs to remember it is a romance novel first and foremost. The rape bits were pretty brutal though, however after having seen the TV series and its very visual depiction of events, the book was tame in comparison. The book could leave out details one couldn't in a visual medium short of it taking place off-set.

But now, something lighter, I'm going to complete The Giver series with Son by Lois Lowry. I'm hoping this book will make the other three make sense. I mean each of those books individually made a certain amount of sense but given they were set in the same world, it didn't feel like the same world or that anything had anything to do with anything else. Maybe Son will be the glue to bind them?

I have finished The Naked Sun. I expect I will read something entirely different before I continue Asimov's Future History with The Robots of Dawn, which was written 26 years later.

I am reading May the Farce be with You! which is a parody of the original Star Wars movie. It's actually a double book which can be flipped over to read a parody of the prequel. Based on my enjoyment so far (nearly halfway through the first book) I'm not likely to read the prequel parody. It's not horrible, but I'm not finding it particularly funny.

I finished Brief Cases and Chasing the Shadows. I got Imager back and am close to finishing Chasing the Prophecy.

Finished reading Son, I wouldn't say it cleared up any of the mysteries but it did tie in a lot better with the Giver, at least you could feel you were in the same world which wasn't true of the two middle books in the quartet. But still so many questions! I'm guessing the author was more interested in making some moral points than in making a world that makes sense.

Started reading a non-SFF mystery novel.

Rivers of London has been showing up on my recommendations lists for years, so I finally succumbed. For some reason I was expecting a period-piece gaslight fantasy, so was surprised to find it current day. (I think I've been trained to expect that the only reason a fantasy is set in London is so it can be Victorian, with lots of dirigibles. :)

I liked the cynical 1st person narration, but found the plot banal urban fantasy.

I'm currently reading The City in the Middle of the Night. It's good, if a little slow. About half way done with it.

I also re-read The Queen of Attolia and started The Just City.

Audrey wrote: "I also re-read The Queen of Attolia and started The Just City."

The Queen of Attolia was a favorite of mine.

Michelle wrote: "Audrey wrote: "I also re-read The Queen of Attolia and started The Just City."

The Queen of Attolia was a favorite of mine."

Yeah, I love it. I had to re-read it before continuing because of all the planted clues I missed the first time.

I have finished the first part of May the Farce be with You!. It never reached a level of laugh out loud funny, but there were some amusing moments. I'm not particularly inspired to read the prequel parody that is the rest of the book, but I'm a bit of a completist and it's not going to be a long read, so I expect I will.

Finished the mystery novel I was reading, and now it is time to return to the quest of the Dark Tower with Song of Susannah by Stephen King. I think I might be able to complete it by the end of the month :)

I finished May the Farce be with You!. The second part did have a couple of bits that made me laugh, but overall it was pretty disappointing.

Peace Talks by Jim Butcher

I finished The Last Man by Mary Shelley, her apocalyptic novel published in 1826. It was a several weeks long journey but I thoroughly enjoyed it and rated it 3.75/5 stars. Planning to spend some time writing a bit about it over the next few days.

Most likely my next book will be my return to The Long War series by Christian Cameron, historical fiction about the Greco-Persian Wars. The next book in the series is the sixth and last, Rage of Ares.

NekroRider wrote: "I finished The Last Man by Mary Shelley, her apocalyptic novel published in 1826. It was a several weeks long journey but I thoroughly enjoyed it and rated it 3.75/5 stars. Planning t..."

You liked it better than I did, but it is undoubtedly influential in many later works as I mention in my 3 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

After the disappointment of the Star Wars parody, I am continuing Asimov's Future History with The Robots of Dawn, the third of the Elijah Baley / Daneel Olivaw books.

I finished Mirror Dance and I'll be starting Memory later today. I am by now totally immersed into that saga.

Memory was excellent!

Finished Song of Susannah, the more I read of the Dark Tower the more I get into the series. And King really weaves some interesting things into his books in believable ways, including the characters meeting their own author, never seen anything quite like it before.

Now I need to make the hard decision, do I read the last book, The Dark Tower next, or do I read The Wind Through the Keyhole even though it was published much later. Somehow I feel like when I get to the last book I kind of want it to be the last book, but don't want Keyhole to give anything away either...hard decisions!

While I decide that I'm switching to A Scholar of Magics by Caroline Stevermer to fill in my Fantasy of Manners BINGO slot.

I took a break half-way through The Robots of Dawn to read the short story Princesses Don't Do Summer School. Strictly speaking, it's not really fantasy - a guy is teaching his niece and her friends to play D&D and this is their first session, but there are a lot of descriptions of within the game. It was fun.

Andrea wrote: "Finished Song of Susannah, the more I read of the Dark Tower the more I get into the series. And King really weaves some interesting things into his books in believable ways, including the characters meeting their own author, never seen anything quite like it before."

That was very weird and completely unexpected (the mentions of lil' Joe Hill were fun :)! I still don't know how I feel about this development though, I think I'll need to read the conclusion to settle my mind.
I may be totally wrong (and if I am, then even bigger props to the writer), but I felt there was a lot of the author poured in that diary at the end.
One thing this series has going for it for sure is that no book is the same as the previous one. You've got your travelogue, your Magnificent seven/Rio Bravo western, your demons and vampires, your Wizard of Oz and Harry Potter references... you never know what the next book will be like.

My spouse says that Keyhole takes place at the same time as book four so maybe could be fit in before the end? However he also says he only recommends the first 3 books of the series so who knows