SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I was thinking about my reading goals for the next year. I'm including some questions for myself and for you all at the same time. Feel free to respond and/or recommend books and solutions.

Series to continue:
Malazan Book of the Fallen
Emily Wilde
Gael Song
Bobiverse
Cosmere
Abhorsen
Children of Time
Gentelman Bastard
The Shroud of Prophecy
The Age of Madness
Rivers of London

Subgeneres/trends to check out:

1. Dark Academia. I have some books like that in my ebook collection. Where to start? Any recommendations?
2. Hope Punk - I definitely need more of these. Just scratched the surface so far. Recommendations are welcome!
3. Cozy Horror. There is T. Kingfisher but who else writes something like this?
4. Progression Fantasy. Dungeon Crawler Carl. What else?
5. Gunpowder Fantasy
6. Other. What other trends did I miss?

I want to read more:
1. Novellas. Already on my IPad: Binti, Wayward Children. Any recommendations?
2. Graphic novels? If something will grab my attention I’ll definitely check it out.
3. Polish fantasy. What is going on in Polish fantasy nowadays? There are some series I’m interested to read. So many new authors - are they any good?
4. Cosy fantasy. I have some in my ebook collection.
Legends & Lattes
Bookshops & Bonedust
Can't Spell Treason Without Tea
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries
What do you recommend?
5. Nonfiction. Popular science, nature, some biographies and autobiographies.

How to finish books I’ve started?

I may try reading books I want to finish when I commute.

Challenges:

TBR 2024
Read all the books:??? 12 books (one per month - VBC or other BOtM/Reread)
Finish Your Series Bingo
Short Fiction Challenge

I'm reading a Polish author via English translation right now, but it's historical fiction!

For cozy fantasy, have you tried Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries? It's a really fun series!

Check out my friend’s blog series from October this year (and also last year October) on Dark Academia. (She’s an academic whose focus is on Star Trek/Star Wars, Harry Potter, Tolkien and indigenous literature.) Lots of Dark Academia recs there.

https://eldritchhobbit.dreamwidth.org/

Novellas:

All of P. Djèlí Clark's stuff. Excellent
Alice Payne Arrives, Kate Heartfield.
Agents of Dreamland, Caitlin Kiernan for lovecraftian horror.
The Border Keeper, by Kerstin Hall. A fave of mine.

For novellas, I recommend the Singing Hills Cycle series by Nghi Vo if you haven't read them. (First one is The Empress of Salt and Fortune.) They aren't exactly cozy, but kind of? They are hard to describe. Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk (a noir-ish fantasy with a bit of romance) was another novella I especially liked that I read last year.

I also really enjoyed Binti and the Wayward Children series, in case an endorsement of ones you have is helpful. (The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches was a fantasy favorite for me last year, too.) :-)

Just read the first Children of Time book; will hopefully join you in finishing the trilogy next year!

Dark Academia - I really enjoyed the first two Alex Stern series books Ninth House and Hell Bent.

Novellas - second the ones Kaia mentioned. Also The Witness for the Dead and The Grief of Stones in the Goblin Emperor universe. Read them together; I loved them a lot. Cozy murder mystery fantasy vibe. Aliette de Bodard has a bunch of novellas - I've read and enjoyed The Red Scholar's Wake.

Oh, novellas! Have you read the Monk and Robot books (there’s 2 of them) by Becky Chambers? They are lovely, gentle. Hopepunk!

Michelle wrote: "I'm reading a Polish author via English translation right now, but it's historical fiction!"

Oh, I’m so curious about the book. What is it?

I remember voting for Gobelino London in a poll once or twice. I’m adding it to the list right now.

DivaDiane wrote: "Check out my friend’s blog series from October this year (and also last year October) on Dark Academia. (She’s an academic whose focus is on Star Trek/Star Wars, Harry Potter, Tolkien and indigenou..."

Thank you! This is a great resource. That’s how the book hunt starts.

Rick wrote: "Novellas:

All of P. Djèlí Clark's stuff. Excellent
Alice Payne Arrives, Kate Heartfield.
Agents of Dreamland, Caitlin Kiernan for lovecraftian ho..."

Those are totally new to me. Lovecraftian horror novellas? Say no more. I know where to start.

Somehow novellas are perfect length for me now. Quick read but not as short that I have a feeling it ended just when it started to get good.

Kaia wrote: "For novellas, I recommend the Singing Hills Cycle series by Nghi Vo if you haven't read them. (First one is The Empress of Salt and Fortune.) They aren't exactly cozy, but kind of? ..."

Singing Hills series covers look amazing. I get some creepy-cozy vibes looking at them. And that’s what I’m into lately.

Noir-ish fantasy sounds great. I’ll think about squeezing some of novellas before end of the year.

With cozy fantasy I’ll probably start with Legends and Lattes or Irregular Witches. I was thinking about starting around Christmas but I don’t know which one will more suitable for that time of the year.

Nelle wrote: "Just read the first Children of Time book; will hopefully join you in finishing the trilogy next year!

Dark Academia - I really enjoyed the first two Alex Stern series books [book:Ninth House|4326..."

I loved the first book of Children of Time. I so curious about the rest of the series.

Bought Alex Stern books yesterday. I’ve read Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology and really liked it. I figured it might be a good starting point to Dark Academia. And now I think it could be a really good idea.

I’ll check out the Goblin Emperor novellas. Fantasy cozy mystery? Yes, please!

DivaDiane wrote: "Oh, novellas! Have you read the Monk and Robot books (there’s 2 of them) by Becky Chambers? They are lovely, gentle. Hopepunk!"

I loved them so much! Thre are so many cozy tropes I adore. Tea, change of lifestyle, appreciation of nature, inclusive little societies. And the robot learning about humans!

I don’t have many Hopepunk books on my shelf sadly. There is Becky Chambers’s other series and I think that’s it. I need to get more into the topic.

Re: Polish fantasy. I have myself only recently decided to check out what's going on in Polish fantasy after only reading international SFF for many years. After some mediocre experiences I discovered a group called Harda Horda which is basically an informal organization for female SFF writers to support one another in a still male-dominated field. They published together 3 short story collections - a great sampler to discover some awesome authors, both big names and less-known ones. So far I only read Harda Horda and only this gave me a list of a few potentially phenomenal authors for my shortlist. There's also Harde Baśnie and Inne nieba.

Outside of the group I would also recommend Marta Krajewska and her Slavic fantasy series Wilcza Dolina, starting with Idź i czekaj mrozów.

Aga wrote: "Those are totally new to me. Lovecraftian horror novellas? Say no more. I know where to start.
..."

Ah, in that case get Victor LaValle's The Ballad of Black Tom - it flips Lovecraft's story "The Horror At Red Hook" on its head and tells things from the vantage point of a black man.

I know you've read The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath because of mildly spoilery reasons :) so if you liked it, try The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson.

I found Red Rabbit and Camp Damascus both to be kind of cozy horror.

Aga wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I'm reading a Polish author via English translation right now, but it's historical fiction!"

Oh, I’m so curious about the book. What is it?

I remember voting for Gobelino London ..."

It's Quo Vadis. It takes place in Rome under Nero.

I also really enjoyed Children of Time and want to read the other two books in the series next year. The whole premise of the book was so intriguing!

Banshee wrote: "Re: Polish fantasy. I have myself only recently decided to check out what's going on in Polish fantasy after only reading international SFF for many years. After some mediocre experiences I discove..."

Yes, "mediocre experiences” in the past is exactly what usually stops me from trying. But I’ve heard it got better lately.

Short stories may be a good way to know better new authors. If I am not mistaken Marta Kisiel writes with Harda Horda and she is the only author I still read, because we went to high school together. But she’s more into crime cozy mystery at the moment.

Wilcza Dolina series looks solid too. Winter vibes plus Slavic folklore. And it just started snowing in my city.

Rick wrote: "Aga wrote: "Those are totally new to me. Lovecraftian horror novellas? Say no more. I know where to start.
..."

Ah, in that case get Victor LaValle's [book:The Ballad of Black Tom..."

Oh, I have this one in my ebook subscription. This is going to be interesting!

Anna wrote: "I know you've read The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath because of mildly spoilery reasons :) so if you liked it, try The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe by [author:Kij Johnso..."

Wow, that cover looks amazing! And it is a novella.

Nicole wrote: "I found Red Rabbit and Camp Damascus both to be kind of cozy horror."

Thank you, Nicole! I wasn’t sure if I’ll find any more cozy horror but those two look great.

Michelle wrote: "It's Quo Vadis. It takes place in Rome under Nero..."

Oh, it’s classic. One of my favorite required reading at high school. I hope you enjoy reading this one.

Aga wrote: "Michelle wrote: "It's Quo Vadis. It takes place in Rome under Nero..."

Oh, it’s classic. One of my favorite required reading at high school. I hope you enjoy reading this one."

So far I am!

Spring update:

I have a good time diving into Polish fantasy so far.

I’ve started with Czarodziejka z ulicy Reymonta - Fantasy Academia with slightly Dark Academia hints but rather on the lighter side. If you imagine Harry Potter meets Vita Nostra, or Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries but from those poor students perspective, it’s something like this. Students of Collegium Magicae in alternative version of Poland- Polania are getting in constant trouble. It was so good, I’ve read the second book as soon as my library got it.

I’m reading Harde Baśnie, as Banshee has recommended, to check out other authors.

I’ve read some novellas, some bot/AI centric SF (finishing The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport right now and it’s so good).

I’ll try to continue some series next and the first two Thorgal graphic novels are waiting for me. I’m very curious about Progression Fantasy and I’ve bought some ebooks, but I think it’s going to be nice summer reading. I’m more into Forgotten Realms right now, because of BG3.

The first book you mention sounds great! Glad you're having a good book spring :)

Very impressive list, Aga!
I'm also enjoying The Jinn-Bot these days.
Never even heard of Progression Fantasy, need to google it.

Olga wrote: "Very impressive list, Aga!
I'm also enjoying The Jinn-Bot these days.
Never even heard of Progression Fantasy, need to google it."

As I understand, Progression Fantasy is like a computer game but in a book form. But not "if you want to go right skip to page xyz". You have a protagonist gaining new skills and equipment, fighting stronger and stronger enemies, meeting allies and other CRPG or hack-and-slash stuff. I really hope this is something like this. But I have to find out for myself.

Allison wrote: "The first book you mention sounds great! Glad you're having a good book spring :)"

I’m really glad this book grabbed my attention in the library. It has nicely encouraged my to try more Polish fantasy I avoided for quite some time.

Aga wrote: "As I understand, Progression Fantasy is like a computer game but in a book form. ..."

Oh, wow... OK... Sounds a bit like litRPG.
I'll be waiting for your updates on that one :)

I suppose Progession Fantasy is a form (or sub sub genre?) of litRPG. There’s a lot going on in this field nowadays, I think. There is a whole terminology there I’m yet to learn.

But somewhere I’ve read that it is other way around, and PF is a broader term and it is any fantasy novel with a character starting weak and gaining strength through the story. So in that meaning Stormlight Archives and Mistborn are PF. So I’m not sure how it works.

Nice! I’m going to start with Carl series on vacation.

Aga you said you might be interested in popular science. If you're interested, our group is reading and discussing The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World. Have you read?

The book is waiting for the BR. I’m happy that it won, because I was going to read it for a long time. I’m looking forward to reading the book together.

Nature is one of my favorite topics among popular science books.

End of Summer update:

So, the Summer has ended and it is a good time for an update.

I didn’t get to Dungeon Crawler Carl or Thorgal (the graphic novel series) at all. I was more concentrated on continuing the Bobiverse series (I’m reading the 4th book) and Imperial Radch (I’ve read 2 of 3 books).

I’ve added some Le’Guin books and Polish cozy fantasy to the mix and had a great reading experience.

For Autumn 🍂 I plan to pick up some Dark Academia and creepy-cozy stuff.
Got Ninth House from the library and waiting for Babel. I will see if I like this kind of stuff. Those two look not so romantasy as some others I’ve seen.

For creepy-cozy I have a Polish series Necrovet. Yep, it’s about a necro-veterinarian clinic. It’s quite popular and I’m pretty curious about it. There’s always T. Kingfisher writing this kind of stories. And I’m reading The Path of Thorns at the moment.

I hope I can squeeze Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands for autumn reading.

Looks great, Aga!

You're not the only one who didn't get to Dungeon Crawler Carl! I had it on my TBR all summer and ended up returning it from my KindleUnlimited library to make room for horror titles I was actually going to read in September and October (apparently KindleUnlimited has a limit on the number of titles you can borrow at one time). I still am very curious about it. I should try to read iat least the first one before it's removed from KindleUnlimited.

I forgot that this GR group lets members have their own challenge threads so I might have to start one myself. I need a place to yap on about my reading endeavors.

Carl still has a chance, hehe. It’s quite popular in the SciFi nominations thread, so who knows.

I thought I would bring it with me for vacation, but got Bobiverse third installment from the library, so I’ve read that instead.

Cozy horror. That I might be interested in in the way that I am interested in cozy mysteries. I will take a look. Thanks for the reading direction. Any suggestions for a basic beginner?

I would recommend John Wiswell's "Open House on Haunted Hill" as cozy horror. It's a short story, freely available online, and won an award in the short story category. https://www.diabolicalplots.com/dp-fi...

Thanks Netanella, I will give the short story a try :)

Hi Aga, would you be interested in a buddy read of Tutte le cosmicomiche in the spring? We're discussing it here.

a.g.e. montagner wrote: "Hi Aga, would you be interested in a buddy read of Tutte le cosmicomiche in the spring? We're discussing it here."

Sure! I’m looking forward to reading it and discussing with you all.

Netanella wrote: "I would recommend John Wiswell's "Open House on Haunted Hill" as cozy horror. It's a short story, freely available online, and won an award in the short story category. https://www.diabolicalplots...."

Nice! I’m adding this to my TBR.

2024 summary and goals for 2025:

I gave Polish fantasy a chance and it was great. We really have some unique and creative cozy fantasy. I’ve been visiting my local libraries quite often. I plan to continue this journey in 2025.

Cozy fantasy was a blast! I have some more books on my TBR from this subgenre.

The only series I’ve continued from 2023 and back was The Bobiverse. I hope this year I can finish some I’ve started.

BUT I’m planning one big new series I couldn’t find time for last year - Dungeon Crawler Carl. LitRPG seems like something for me.

I’ve tried reading something from a Dark Academia subgenre but it wasn’t a good pairing for a stomach flu, so… I can give it another chance maybe?

I read some nonfiction books here and there. I have some interesting reportage stories in my ebook subscription. And a book about composting - a Christmas gift from my brother. I’m going to use this knowledge for my garden.

I have finished TBR Cleanup Challenge 2024 and I’ve read 17 bookclub books.

I'm definitely going to read Dungeon Crawler Carl for the LitRPG prompt for the SciFi Combat Team Challenge. Everyone raves about it, including you!