The Sword and Laser discussion

Our February 2021 pick will be The Fold by Peter Clines

Ah, I can join in again. The book is available on audible in my territory!

Plenty of copies available in LA Public Library. LA County Library has two copies available as well.

it is Book 2 of the series, but from what I've read, the books in the series are only loosely connected and don't require reading the previous books.

I guess the guest hosts like Sci-Fi. 3 Laser picks in a row.

I’m going to get in trouble with supreme sword when she finally catches up on her sleep aren’t I?

Tom wrote: "I’m going to get in trouble with supreme sword when she finally catches up on her sleep aren’t I?"

Well FWIW, as someone who likes fantasy more than Sci-Fi, I'm finding it a bit disappointing. Hoping fantasy can win the March Madness or something..

BOW DOWN BEFORE THE SCI-FI HEGEMONY!

But seriously, I wanted to whittle down my TBR and I’ve owned this for years, so you’re doing me a solid.

Now I just need to find it....

sweet, just got it from the SF Public Library 2 days ago!

Yeah, definitely looking forward to a fantasy pick. I mean, I picked this up and will read. But man I want some fantasy.

It's a bit lovecraftian if that helps. I read it 5 years ago.

I enjoyed 14 more than the Fold. The whole series is great. Lots of connections & theories to throw around.

14 had fun characters to go with the plot. The first time I read the Fold, I thought it was too dry and the cool details don't click as cool until you're almost done. This is one of the series that I enjoy re-reading. =)

Is this book 1 or book 2 of a series? Goodreads says it's #2, but Amazon says it's #1.

Oooh, I read this back in 2016. I liked it!

AndrewP wrote: "Is this book 1 or book 2 of a series? Goodreads says it's #2, but Amazon says it's #1."

It's No.2

Amazon, for some strange reason, has The Fold as Book 1 of 1 in the Threshold series and doesn't include the other 3 books as part of the series.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...

Tassie Dave wrote: "AndrewP wrote: "Is this book 1 or book 2 of a series? Goodreads says it's #2, but Amazon says it's #1."

It's No.2


It's perfectly stand-alone though.

I've started reading the 1st book in the series 14.

It has an intriguing blurb comparing it to TV show Lost that hooked me.

I'm about 15% in and the Lost vibe and mysterious goings on is there. Except it's an apartment building instead of an island.

I'll be interested to see what connections it has to the February book pick.

Rob wrote: "Our February 2021 pick will be The Fold by Peter Clines"

Sounds like the kind of story I like...or at least the description is well written! Definitely caught my attention, so I shall check it out.
Thanks.

Um ... $13 for the ebook? Nope. Guess I'll wait for awhile on this one.
(Or, am I willing to burn an Audible credit? Gotta think on this.)

I was a bit shocked at the price too.
Will be waiting....

For those concerned with cost, I found copies available at both my nearby big city library's Overdrive and at the County Overdrive. In the US any citizen of a state can get a library card for the large cities in that state just for going in to a branch. Hard to speak for every state but from what I have read, the "visit in person" restriction has been removed. So check to see if you can get a card and read the book that way. Or if you like physical versions, get a copy through inter library loan. There are many ways to do this for the cost sensitive.

The summary reminds me of Zeroes.

I got it in Los Angeles Public Library Libby app. First time for Libby. On my phone for the e book. My audio TBR is filled up for the next month thanks to the Traitor Son Cycle series by Miles Cameron.

"Um ... $13 for the ebook? Nope. Guess I'll wait for awhile on this one."

Libraries exist.

USD 13 can be considered expensive for an e-book in the US? Very interesting! What would an average e-book cost?

I think a lot of them cost that now.

Around US$10 seems to be the norm for eBooks.

I'm one of those people who think US$10 is cheap for a book.

Before eBooks became a thing, I'd regularly pay between US$20 and US$30 for books (even paperbacks) and also have to wait weeks for them to arrive, by snail mail.

Less than half the price and instant access. Take my money 😉

YMMV

Citizens in countries other than the US get paid real money. Minimum wage in America is still just $7.25 an hour. You can’t live anywhere in the country on that income, not even the cheapest towns in the Midwest. Even the states which ensure a slightly higher minimum wage allow employers to wriggle out of it by claiming anyone working 39.5 hours a week or less is “part time” and therefore not eligible for minimum wage (or benefits). Add to the fact that we have to pay for our own healthcare, it skews how we view the cost of everything else because there’s no money left over.

When I was a teen 40 years ago, the minimum wage was $3.35 an hour. For that hour’s wage I could buy 1 or 2 paperback books, or see 3 movies at matinee prices, which was a dollar. Today for minimum wage you have to work two or three hours to buy one book or see one movie.

So for me, the sweet spot for an ebook is half minimum wage, or $3.50. Especially since you don’t actually have a physical object and companies like Amazon can just take it away from you at any point if you haven’t made a copy.

I wasn't having a go at people who think US$10 is high. All our circumstances are different.

The reason I think that $10 is cheap is because for most of my life I was used to the extra costs that were applied because I live in an isolated country, then charged extra because I live on an island and then extra on top of that because I live in a remote part of that island.

A book that cost $10 on a shelf in the US in 1990, would be close to $30 by the time I received it, after every person along the delivery chain added their cut.

Rick wrote: ""Um ... $13 for the ebook? Nope. Guess I'll wait for awhile on this one."

Libraries exist."

Check your assumptions. I live in Japan. It is not available in local libraries. Digital is really the only choice as international paper deliveries are very sloooow now.

Clyde wrote: "Rick wrote: ""Um ... $13 for the ebook? Nope. Guess I'll wait for awhile on this one."

Libraries exist."

Check your assumptions. I live in Japan. It is not available in local libraries. Digital i..."

How are we supposed to know that you live in Japan? It's perfectly reasonable to assume that a guy named Clyde lives in the US.

Sorry, but withholding information and then getting bent out of shape when we don't know it is just silly.

Libraries have digital books and you can check them out (in the US at least) via Libby. If you have someone here whose address you can use, you should be able to get a card for the library in their city and grab it that way.

Or simply act offended.🤷🏼‍♂️

On pricing - I think the issue is less that $8 is OK but $13 is expense is about the few dollars and more that it's an expense for an unknown book and if it's digital you can't even re-sell it. And sometimes, $13 *is* a lot of money for someone to spend,

@Rick
That seems a little harsh. There are plenty of places in the US where libraries may not have the book in stock. Austin libraries do. So, I may be joining this read-along, but $13 is a bit pricey for an ebook of its size. I can see where Clyde is coming from and don't think his name should be a factor in that consideration. (imo)

If an ebook is over 10, I usually pass. I can read more books in a year that way.

Tom wrote: "I’m going to get in trouble with supreme sword when she finally catches up on her sleep aren’t I?"

I guess the guest hosts like Sci-Fi. 3 Laser p..."
I disagree I don't think the Marrow Thieves was SF there was no real tech shown there was only reference that there was tech. I think it was closer to fantasy the magic of their language destroys the evil machines.

I was just asking because I am usually paying around EUR 10 for an e-book in my country which is roughly USD 12. But I found the average price for an e-book in Germany in 2019 was EUR 6.32 or about USD 7.70, so it seems I am buying usually more expensive e-books

It's a bit of both. But it is much more Laser than Sword. It is futuristic dystopia (the level of tech is irrelevant)

Jan wrote: "USD 13 can be considered expensive for an e-book in the US? Very interesting! What would an average e-book cost?"

Looking at Kindle pricing, new genre fiction titles are typically $13 or $14. Prices often drop down to $10 after a few months, less if the book is reprinted as a mass market paperback. Of course, they can go on sale any time which is why so many of us watch the Kindle sale thread so closely. :-)

The Fold isn't a new book so the current price of $13 seems high. It was on sale for $2 last August.

I really enjoyed 14 Book 1 in the same series as next month's pick Book 2 "The Fold".

I gave it ★★★★. I'm looking forward to "The Fold" even more now. It's obvious that they are separate stories in a shared universe and not connected too closely.

The "Lost" (the TV show) (except in an apartment building) vibe is a fair comparison for "14". I could compare it other genres, but they'd be too big a giveaway to what is going on.

One of the characters even references "Lost". Though you'd have to be a fan of the show to catch it.

It does just seem like the pricing for this book is an odd outlier. All of the author's other Kindle books are in the £4 - £8 (UK) price range while this (not particularly recent) one is £9.99

I'd expect to pay that for a brand new release, not for back catalogue. Not that it made any difference to me - one audible credit is one audible credit regardless.

Book 2? *Eye twitch*
*Looks for Book 1 on Amazon* Ooh, the Kindle book is only $4.99
*Buys Now with 1-Click*
Nevermind, carry on!

This doesn't happen often, I actually read this one within the last few years. So I guess I get a month off.

Unfortunately, the book is back-ordered on both Amazon and Bookshop. My preference is paper copy, but looks like this is going to be an ebook read. :-(

Misti wrote: "Book 2? *Eye twitch*
*Looks for Book 1 on Amazon* Ooh, the Kindle book is only $4.99
*Buys Now with 1-Click*
Nevermind, carry on!"

Sounds like the "trilogy" is only loosely related in that you don't need to read the first to "get" and enjoy the others.

I snagged an e-book copy from the library and got started straight away so I can return it for someone else. Great book so far and I am already half way through.

Kev wrote: "Misti wrote: "Sounds like the "trilogy" is only loosely related in that you don't need to read the first to "get" and enjoy the others.

I know but I still feel weird about not starting with the first book, lol.

I started the audiobook yesterday and am hooked. Another good choice :-)

I read this a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think I will do a reread.

Rick wrote: "How are we supposed to know that you live in Japan? It's perfectly reasonable to assume that a guy named Clyde lives in the US."

I don't know why you'd assume that members of a bookclub on the internet live solely in the US.

We all have different access issues. My library has one hard copy, already borrowed (no digital copies). Amazon has the ebook priced the same as Brandon Sanderson's 1000-page book that came out two months ago. Online bookshops can't get it to me before the end of February, because of Covid delays.

Personally, I won't be reading because I didn't vibe with the sample - it sounds like a movie I'd half watch because they tried to put a plot between endless gun battles and chase scenes.

Elizabeth wrote: "Rick wrote: "How are we supposed to know that you live in Japan? It's perfectly reasonable to assume that a guy named Clyde lives in the US."

I don't know why you'd assume that members of a bookcl..."

Thanks for defending me, Elizabeth (and also @Kayla).
I started to reply to Rick, but decided not to chance fanning embers into a flame war. And anyway, I figured his post has enough logic holes to stand by itself (as you point out). (And to be fair, my "Check your assumptions." reply to his original post could be construed as a bit flippant.)

As for the book price, I am pretty sure it is set by the publisher, not Amazon. Doubtless the publisher is trying different price points. This one is well past my ebook sweet spot (about $6) and into price-gouging range. So no sale.

I've read all four of the series, and especially enjoyed 14 and The Fold--Dead Moon kind of faltered, and Terminus is OK. The Fold definitely works as a standalone with a couple Easter eggs if you read 14. I strongly recommend the audiobooks; Ray Porter knocks it out of the park.

I’m on ch. 8 and I like it so far. Of course, I’m a fan of his Ex-Heroes series, so I’m already positively inclined toward his writing. Not much of a fancy stylist, but I enjoy the plots and characters.