Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

Poor February, it's already the 3rd and no one started a monthly thread for it!

Haven't started it yet but I will this weekend - my next OpenLibrary book will complete The Chaos Knight trilogy with Shield of Sea and Space by Erin Hoffman

Poor February :D I'm on book 4 of the Admiral series by Sean Danker.

Kaladin wrote: "Poor February :D I'm on book 4 of the Admiral series by Sean Danker."

I'm so glad you like it, Kaladin!!! It's quite the twisty series, isn't it? I just finished #5 last night: Snowblind.

It is. The universe is interesting, and I enjoy that I can't predict what happens next. Placed an order on Snowblind. Can take a few weeks but I definitely want to continue with this series.

I am continuing my read-through of The Boys with The Boys, Volume 6: The Self-Preservation Society

I've passed the half-way point of The First Binding and am reading an ARC for The Witch in the Woods, a MG story that is a blend of sci fi and fantasy.

Finished The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack and it was indeed strange. It was a little grotesque (a word used on the back cover of the book) but I could also feel the author's hard work to start with actual historical events and people, and then modify it based on the interference of the time traveler, whose every attempt to make things better only reinforced how things turned out wrong. Maybe not my favorite steampunk but the time travel aspect was handled well, so it takes that BINGO slot.

I also finished a non-SFF novel by Michael Crichton, A Case of Need, figured I mention it since we were just talking about the Andromeda Strain last month :) I didn't think I'd enjoy a medical thriller, especially due to the medical bits, and yet it was the medical bits that I enjoyed learning about the most (though I didn't need to know yet more things that can go wrong with the human body). Its a little dated as it was written in the late 60's but still interesting to know the inner workings of a hospital and what someone studying medicine thinks of medicine and his fellow practitioners!

Back to Kris Longknife - Audacious by Mike Shepherd

Audrey wrote: "I've passed the hThe First Bindingalf-way point of The First Binding and am reading an ARC for The Witch in the Woods, a MG story that is a blend of sci fi and fantasy."

So...how's The First Binding, a/k/a Kvothe 2.0 going, Audrey?

My reading time slowed down a lot end of January and early February, but this weekend I finally had a chance to focus on Robots and Empire. I finished the last few pages this morning. Another great book in the series, and I especially liked Giskard and Daneel's discussions and pov chapters. I was originally going to wait to dive into Foundation but with all the happenings in these last two Robot books, I'm going to commit to grabbing Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation sooner rather than later.

I'm now reading Age of Ash the first book of Daniel Abraham's newest series. Not very far in but intrigued so far.

My review of Planetside by Michael Mammay

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

The First Binding is fine. I like it enough to keep going but am not all in love with it.

NekroRider wrote: "I was originally going to wait to dive into Foundation but with all the happenings in these last two Robot books, I'm going to commit to grabbing Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation sooner rather than later."

It's not essential - as they were kind of shoehorned in later - but Asimov's Galactic Empire books do cover the period between the Robot series and the Foundation series, and the later Foundation books (those written after the first trilogy) strengthen that tie-in.

Read Mark Lawrence's The Book That Wouldn’t Burn. Really enjoyed it. A story about a universal, endless library! Yes, please!

So I have just finished a gift book that I received for Christmas.

Whotopia: The Ultimate Guide to the Whoniverse

You can find my review here...

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

I did though, make the questionable decision to read it instead of finishing 'The Orphans Tales, Book Two,' which I had around 80 % finished. I now have to go back and finish it. "So what?" I hear you say. Well these Orphans Tales books are hugely convoluted tangles of interconnected stories and I have to hope I remember enough of what I read for this last bit to all make sense...

:-)

Kivrin wrote: "Read Mark Lawrence's The Book That Wouldn’t Burn. Really enjoyed it. A story about a universal, endless library! Yes, please!"

Oh, good. I got it in an Audible 2-for-1 sale but haven't got to it yet.

Tony wrote: "NekroRider wrote: "I was originally going to wait to dive into Foundation but with all the happenings in these last two Robot books, I'm going to commit to grabbing Foundation and Empire and Second..."

I have also been considering reading his Galactic Empire books. I think the only thing that makes me hesitant is I often hear they aren't particularly good. But I'm also kind of curious even just for lore reasons, to be honest.

NekroRider wrote: "I have also been considering reading his Galactic Empire books. I think the only thing that makes me hesitant is I often hear they aren't particularly good. But I'm also kind of curious even just for lore reasons, to be honest."

All three were written before the Robot books or the Foundation books, I believe. I don't think they're brilliant, but they are all good examples of both early Asimov, and 1950s science fiction.

Started reading as entertainment pretty late in life, so I have a huge TBR that I can't keep up with that I am late for the party. LOL

Since the start of the year I have completed The Hero of Ages - Sanderson, Maelstrom - Taylor Anderson (A quick dark horse favorite series of mine!), and I finally pushed through The Eye of the World - Jordan after many DNF attempts. I really want to get to the Sanderson books and feel I really need to check the series off my list as a SF/Fantasy reader, but I am just not sure Jordan is for me.

Currently Reading The Long Earth - Pratchett/Baxter and Leviathan Falls - James S.A. Corey. Book 9 of 9! This will be the first major series I have read since high school 30 years ago and that was short YA novels. Milestones even in my 40's lol.

So that leaves 104 books on my TBR (not counting some known sequels to series just not added to my list yet, such as Era 2 Mistborn), 36 of which are owned and on the shelf.

Shortlist:
- Warbreaker - Sanderson
- Distant Thunders - Anderson
- Dune - Herbert
- Defiant - Sanderson
- The Blade Itself - Abercombe
- The Dragonbone Chair - Williams
- Ruin of Kings - Lyons
- The Forgetting Moon - Durfee
- A Game of Thrones - Martin
- Lords of the Middle Dark - Chalker
- Ship of Magic - Hobb
- Rhythm of War - Sanderson

That is about as short as I can get it. LOL SOO MANY WORDS! lol

The Gathering by C.J. Tudor

In this vampyr (aka vampire) novel, set in modern times, vampyrs and humans co-exist unless vampyrs prove dangerous to humans....and the gov't steps in.

Another good supernatural suspense tale from C.J. Tudor. 4 stars

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

Tom wrote: "Started reading as entertainment pretty late in life, so I have a huge TBR that I can't keep up with that I am late for the party. LOL

Since the start of the year I have completed The Hero of Ages..."

Have you read Robin Hobb's fantasy starting with Assassin's Apprentice, Tom? It's terrific! And some of those WoT books were difficult to get through, but the series ends up beautifully!

Michelle wrote: "Tom wrote: "Started reading as entertainment pretty late in life, so I have a huge TBR that I can't keep up with that I am late for the party. LOL

Since the start of the year I have completed The ..."

I have not read anything by Robin Hobb yet, but both Ship of Magic and Assassin's Apprentice are on my TBR for sure. I continue to hear great things.

I haven't been able to get into Wheel of Time yet, but you have some good choices on there.

17% into my re-read of Light Bringer, gorydamn what a fine time of it I'm having with Tim Gerald Reynolds narrating. :)

Tom wrote: "Started reading as entertainment pretty late in life, so I have a huge TBR that I can't keep up with that I am late for the party. LOL

Since the start of the year I have completed The Hero of Ages..."

Whew, your short list is filled with long books! I've got similar gaps as you apparently, I've read Dune and A Game of Thrones but that's it from the list.

You could leave A Game of Thrones for last, because there is no guarantee the series will be ever fully written :) So if you delay a bit at least maybe the next book might be out (and then another decade or more wait for the one after...I think there's two more at least left?)

I recently picked up the Wheel of Times series from a used bookstore (I missed the last one, it was there but somehow I didn't grab it). But yep, gonna need a lot of time to read it, so haven't started yet.

TGR narrates Michael Sullivan's books, too, and does a pretty good job with those.

Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone -- sort of a dark comedy. I like it.

I finished reading Inheritor third book in the Foreigner series. I enjoyed that volume better than the first two, possibly because I have become more familiar with the author's style and the general drift of the story. I started the next book, Precursor.

I am trying to devote more time to reading, because I have a great many books in my TBR list. I am refraining from adding more to that list but it is difficult.

I have finished The Ottoman Secret, which I had originally thought to use as the alternate history in my Bingo, but it also has time travel, so I will fill that slot instead. I found it a very enjoyable book, and it (as good sci-fi should do) presented several questions about the state of the world.

Pierre wrote: "I finished reading Inheritor third book in the Foreigner series. I enjoyed that volume better than the first two, possibly because I have become more familiar with the author's style a..."
I, too, have a towering TBR list that threatens to topple over on top of me. But I faithfully add more and more to it in the hopes I'll live to be 150!!

I'm with Georgann, I try to not add more but then I pass by a used bookstore and next thing I know I've added more in a month than I've read. And that doesn't count my collecting links to books I want to borrow from the library.

I finished Audacious (one of those used bookstore ones...if the vast majority of the series wasn't there all at once and tempted me I probably would have never read beyond the first two)

I struggled what to pick next but decided to continue the steampunk/timetravel/althistory series I started - The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man by Mark Hodder after all it will help with several BINGO slots! This one will be Alternate History as the first book had the Time Traveler that alternated said history.

It's an addiction: Must. Add. This. Book!

Michelle - hahahaha! I finished The Day of the Triffids for the published before 1960 Bingo slot. I'd read it years and years (and years) ago, and it was a good reread - stood up pretty well to the test of time. I have htree different movies of it on hold from the library. I read that the 1981 BBC TV series was pretty good, but I couldn't tell from the descriptions if one was that, so here's hoping. But it is likely NOT the one put out by "cheezy movies!" Haha!

Tom wrote: "Started reading as entertainment pretty late in life, so I have a huge TBR that I can't keep up with that I am late for the party. LOL

Since the start of the year I have completed The Hero of Ages..."

I noticed you had just Ship of Magic on your short list but said you haven't read Assassin's Apprentice yet. Not sure if you know already but it's all technically one series called Realm of the Elderlings and is 16 books long. It's divided into "sub-series" that all link together. It goes Farseer trilogy (the one with Assassin's Apprentice) -> Liveship Traders (the one with Ship of Magic) -> Tawny Man trilogy -> Rainwild Chronicles -> Fitz & the Fool. I just mention it because sometimes readers who aren't familiar with the series don't always realise it's technically all one series with certain plot and character links. For example, there are a couple "hidden" things you might miss in Liveship if you didn't read Farseer before. At the same time, the books can have different styles. Ex Fitz books are all mostly single pov and very character driven vs Liveships that is pretty multi-pov and somewhat more "action heavy".

Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials by Marion Gibson

Gibson writes extensively about witches and witch-craft and in this book discusses 13 witch trials that have spanned the ages, putting them in the context of their time and place.

Interesting book. 3.5 stars

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

I have started The Difference Engine and I'm continuing to read The Boys, now up to The Boys, Volume 7: The Innocents.

Extinction by Douglas Preston

Erebus Resort - an exclusive retreat for rich people - features 'de-extincted' animals (sort of like Jurassic Park). After a honeymoon couple is abducted from the grounds, an investigation reveals secrets.

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

Barbara wrote: "Extinction by Douglas Preston

Erebus Resort - an exclusive retreat for rich people - features 'de-extincted' animals (sort of like Ju..."
I loved your review! Made me chuckle. I like Preston's books, and will have to add this one.

I just finished reading the old-timey Forgotten Realms novel "The Night Parade."

It was a lot, here's my equally chaotic review.

I finished Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham today. Its one of my favourite books that I've read in a while. It's been a couple years since a fantasy book has left me feeling this kind of emotional connection to it and it's characters. A bit melancholy now that it's over. It's a real treat when a book hits this way. Very good if you like very character-driven slowburns, not high action by any means. I was initially surprised to see some of the negative reviews I was seeing on social media, saying it was "boring", "nothing happens" etc. I think he's perhaps just not an author for readers who are especially plot/action-driven.

Georgann wrote: "Barbara wrote: "Extinction by Douglas Preston

I loved your review! Made me chuckle. I like Preston's books, and will have to add this one.
..."

Thank you Georgann. 🙂

Finished Shield of Sea and Space on OpenLibrary. Was a decent wrap up of the trilogy and the books got better as they went along.

I'll decide next weekend what I read next on OpenLibrary since I only have time to read on the computer on weekends (after a full work day my eyes don't want to stare at a screen longer than that)

Currently reading Ringworld by Larry Niven

Ela wrote: "Currently reading Ringworld by Larry Niven"

A genuine classic of SF.

Ringworld... It's been so long since I read that... I remember it as being brilliantly imaginative. A classic like Tony said.☺

Yes it definitely is immaginative in its world building.

Started Elric of Melniboné and about half way through. I'm *fairly* sure I read this one online some time in the 2000s, but my memory is very mirky. Anyway, really like it so far! Planning to read all the Elric books straight through this year.

I finished an awesome non-fiction book last night: Otherworldly Antarctica: Ice, Rock, and Wind at the Polar Extreme and it was fantastic! The photos in this book were absolutely magnificent.

I hated Ringworld. I feel bad about it.