Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

Last month of 2023, and almost Christmas.

I get to start on a new Shannara trilogy today, Defenders of Shannara, with The High Druid's Blade (no link since search is apparently down right now, I'm told I should go read a book instead...!)

Got 7 more Shannaras to go...

And reviewing those manga/graphic novels series I was working on, making good progress on those (at least up until the ones that are published but the library hasn't picked up yet, won't count those)

Shugo Chara - 11/12 (I'm missing book three and its gonna stay that way this year)
Real Account - 24/24 DONE
Elfes - 35/35 DONE (as of just yesterday!)
Nain - 25/25 DONE
Orcs & Gobelins - 20/22
Mages - 8/9
Terres d'Ogon - 0/3

My review of Saevus Corax Captures the Castle by K.J. Parker

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

Who Made Me a Princess Vol. 2 by Plutus

The Apothecary Diaries 10 by Nekokurage

Finished The High Druid's Blade. This one I was enjoying since it focused on the Leah's instead of the Ohmsfords which was fun.

But with days running out, I need to jump right into book two of the trilogy with The Darkling Child by Terry Brooks

Still battling my way across The Wyld with the sundry middle-aged miscreants of Saga.

79% through and enjoying myself, though occasionally the author's "anachronistic" word choices take me out of it.

Cocktails & Chloroform by Kelley Armstrong

Time-traveling Edinburgh police detective Mallory - who was transported from 2019 to 1869 - gets involved in a criminal incident in the past.

Fast-moving novella. 3 stars

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

Way Station. Written in 1963, it is still quite relevant to today's world. It is a quiet, thoughtful book.

In between rereading the excellent Frontlines series by Marko Kloos I picked up Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein: The Story of the Making of the Film: A Mel Brooks' Book. I'm reading the kindle format, but I would have liked the physical copy better because of the stills. That was always one of my favorite movies!

The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei

In this science fiction mystery novel, an all-female crew on a starship traveling to a distant planet has to root out a saboteur.

Interesting story. 3.5 stars

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

Ysabel by GG Kay. Just started too early to critique but I’ve heard positive things about the book.

I finished Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries and started The Memory Police. Also reading Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession, but that's not SFF. I stray sometimes.

I do too, Audrey! Historical fiction as well.

Historical fiction is very fantasy like because you've got swords and horses and castles and such that are prominent in fantasy, and sometimes even wizards (if only they are healers viewed as being magical and such). So I enjoy a good historical too. Mystery would be my other genre.

Wanted to read that Emily Wilde book but got too much to finish for this year, but its still on my list.

Talking of picking out too many books, I put about 130 books on my to read shelf for next year, and that doesn't count library books yet...well, its nice to have a choice depending on what one feels like at any moment in time :) My to-read is never written in stone.

There's another 10-20 books I had wanted to get to this year. As always.

I read Encyclopedia in November! I read all over the place, sci fi, fantasy (obviously), mysteries, historical, MG, non-fiction, adventure, suspense...I love it all! Today, I finished System Collapse.

I have no idea how many books I've added to my TBR list. Enough to keep me going til I'm at least 130! But like you, Andrea, I like to have plenty of choices!

I have finished Tropical Punch, which was a very enjoyable cyberpunk/crime/science fiction novel. Recommended for people who like Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammett as well as SF.

Sticking to the crime theme, I have started Babylon Berlin. This is the graphic novel adaptation of the novel that the TV series is based on. It's also translated from German, and could act as my Translated slot in this year's Bingo - except it's just crime, not SFF.

Georgann wrote: "I have no idea how many books I've added to my TBR list. Enough to keep me going til I'm at least 130! But like you, Andrea, I like to have plenty of choices!"

You have enough to last you to 130 now but so many new amazing books get published all the time!! Guess being able to get through one's to-read list is a good reason to become a vampire! Plus if you can't go out all day you can spend your time reading.

Andrea! Hahahaha! Great plan!

Ghost in the Serpent by Jonathan Moeller

I have started reading Space-Time Odyssey, which will fill the Translated slot in my Bingo.

I'm listening to The Memory Police, which also counts as a translated book.

I finished Kings of the Wyld! Fun times. My ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review

Finished The Darkling Child, I'm enjoy this trilogy so far, I'm liking the fact that for once the fate of the world is not at risk. Moving right along to the third part, The Sorcerer's Daughter by Terry Brooks

5 more Shannaras. 2 (maybe 3) graphic novels. Half a mystery novel, half an ebook. And 1 space opera in a pear tree...

The Dark Ones by Thomas J. Doscher

Audrey wrote: "I'm listening to The Memory Police, which also counts as a translated book."

I liked this book. Very original.

Closing in on the end to the penultimate book in The Expanse series, Tiamat's Wrath. I'm still not over (view spoiler)[Bobbie Draper's over the top death in Space Combat. (hide spoiler)].

My review of Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder by K.J. Parker

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

Finished The Sorcerer's Daughter. While not nearly as epic world ending level of plot, I really liked the Defender's of Shannara trilogy, maybe especially because it deviated from the norm.

And that means *drumroll* I'm onto the last Shannara quartet, starting with The Black Elfstone byTerry Brooks

I also finished mystery I was reading, I had won an Agatha Raisin book through Goodreads, was my first experience reading that series and it was pretty good, especially considering its book 34 and not written by Beaton who passed away a few years back. Had nice cozy feel to it.

Getting there - 4 more Shannaras, 1 graphic novel, 2/3rds of an ebook, and 1 space opera in a pear tree...

And yes! Tiamat's Wrath is done, here's my ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review.

I was actually surprised I loved it as much as I ended up doing, seems the co-authors saved some of their best stuff for (almost) last. I'm curious how they wrap it all up in Leviathan Falls but that will have to wait until some point in the New Year I think.

Cloak of Embers by Jonathan Moeller

Congratulations, Andrea!

I have finished Space-Time Odyssey. The story is interesting, as the stories usually are for this author, but English is not his native language. He's French Canadian, and writes in French. Because he gives all his ebooks away for free, he does the translation himself, and the results can throw me out of immersion in the narrative. Both of the books of his that I have read were released in English about 10 years ago, and I believe his English has improved through practice since then, but as he generally writes ongoing series, I have to get through the earlier books first.

I have started reading The Handmaid's Tale, which will fill the award-winning slot, and complete my Bingo.

Finished The Black Elfstone, interestingly the stone only gets mentioned within the last 40 pages, odd choice for the title of the book. This is the darkest Shannara book I've read, dealing with insanity and nearly explicit sexual abuse/rape. Dark lord evils aren't as disturbing human evils.

Moving right along to the next book in the quartet - The Skaar Invasion by Terry Brooks

I also finished the last graphic novel of the year Guerres d'Arran : Viande Morte. There was close to 100 books in this series that I just stumbled onto by fluke in the library. Excellent artwork, plots, characters and worldbuilding, though I don't think many of the books are translated into English. There are more of them published, and more to be published, but one has to stop somewhere for the year.

Continuing my progress - 3 more Shannaras, 3/4's of an ebook, and 1 space opera in a pear tree... 4 books in 2 weeks? Since I've got time off work soon should be totally doable!

I spent seven hours driving the other day, picking up my daughters from college for Christmas break, and finished listening to The Marlow Murder Club and got half-way through Starter Villain.

Also reading A Conspiracy of Kings, which is AMAZING so far.

Andrea, I also frequently find the human monsters the worst. You are making fabulous progress! Audrey, have so much fun with your daughters! Happy holidays, everyone.

Audrey wrote: "I spent seven hours driving the other day, picking up my daughters from college for Christmas break, and finished listening to The Marlow Murder Club and got half-way through [book:..."

I love, love that series! Megan Whalen Turner is an excellent author and I've read that series several times. Every now and then I get in the mood for Eugenides and the gang :)

I'm reading this series so slowly.

Just finished The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes


Very, very mixed feelings: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Why posting this in the SF discussion? Well... read my review and the many other reviews that touch on this subject.

Back on to the full-cast audiobook reading of Golden Son (pt 2 of 2), really enjoying this auditory re-read through of the series! The guy who voices Ragnar sounds like he swallowed Barry White.

Finished A Prisoner in Fairyland by Algernon Blackwood. Ironically I got into reading Blackwood's stuff due to Lovecraft but this is about as opposite as you can get, there isn't even a villain it all, it's well, cute. Which made it rather long for something that didn't really have a plot so that's why it took me 3 months to read it, wasn't exactly engrossing. But at least it fit my reading theme for the year well enough! And filled my Free bingo slot.

Time to start on something new on my e-reader and I went with Star Trek: Discovery: Drastic Measures by Dayton Ward. I read the first book probably a year ago and I keep collecting these ebooks (every month you can get a handful of Star Trek books for 0.99$ each) so now that my eReader is bursting I'd better start reading! But I won't read much this year, only reason I even started was because I went Christmas shopping today so needed something to read while on the bus on the way home (the last pages of Fairyland covered the first half of the trip)

Finished The Skaar Invasion. Almost there!

Picking up The Stiehl Assassin by Terry Brooks

2 Shannaras and a Space Opera in a pear tree still to go...

Dalton Kane and the Greens by J.S. Bailey

This is a humorous sci-fi adventure novel. On a planet called Molorthia Six, human colonists must contend with tall tree-like beings who attack on occasion.

Fun characters in this book. 3 stars

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

Rise of the Wolf and Cytonic

Rereading Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising series. Loved these as a kid, and they are still a satisfying read today.

At the moment I'm deep into Tad Williams' Shadowmarch series — engrossing and very well written. Not many laughs in it, though, so for light relief I'm also reading Simon Hawke's very enjoyable The Reluctant Sorcerer series.

As expected I finished the Stiehl Assassin, now I'm on the very last Shannara book - The Last Druid by Terry Brooks - I'm curious how Brooks is going to tie things up. The quartet is called the Fall of Shannara but would be kind of a letdown if it all ends with everything being wiped out or something. In fact he just opened a whole can of worms by showing there are lands outside of The Four Lands that would have opened a lot of story opportunities. So he's expanding the world at the same time as wrapping it up? Guess I'll find out soon enough :)

I also had a couple graphic novels hanging around from that neighbourhood book exchange box, finished the first of them - The Adventure Zone Vol.1: Here There Be Gerblins - I thought I would enjoy it more but there's a bit too much swearing and crass jokes for it to work for me. Critical Role was a lot better.

I finished reading Assassin's Apprentice (Book #1 of the Farseer Trilogy) by Robin Hobb. It’s a great start to her series about an unwanted bastard with a talent no one wants, but who persevered to find his place in life. I also read System Collapse (Murderbot Diaries #7) by Martha Wells. Another great entry in the Murderbot series. Picks with a new continuing story arc. I am reading Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold. I plan to read New Spring (Wheel of Time prequel) by Robert Jordan next.

My wife and I have started listening to a 1998 BBC radio dramatisation of The Kraken Wakes. So far it's very talky, and the dialogue and social settings seem very dated so presumably they're taken more or less verbatim from the original 1953 novel. (It's donkey's years since I read it.) With everything they can do with CGI these days, I can't help thinking it's begging to be updated and done as a SF/horror TV series or movie.