Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

We have now passed the halfway point of the year.

I have finished The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which is the first story in Complete Stories of Oz

I was quite surprised how much different the books are than the movie. Although WHY that should surprise me... ha

Yes, I noticed that there were several differences. Some of which may have been due to the limits on SFX.

I finished Seed by Ania Ahlborn which was a really good horror read with a really sinister vibe to it. But warning there are 2 animal killings that I personally skipped past.

I've now started Final Girls by Riley Sager which is a real lesson in how to write horrible prose 🤣It's fun for cheesy B movie summer slasher vibes though.

Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts by Matt Bell

I have started reading The Follies of Sir Harald, a humorous novel that will fill my Arthurian Bingo slot.

The Instruments of Darkness by John Connolly

In this supernatural mystery thriller, P.I. Charlie Parker investigates the disappearance of a child.

John Connolly is a master of this genre and this is a fine addition to the series. 4 stars

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

Finished Final Girls last night...horrible writing but still fun if you like cheesy lol

Now reading How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. Beginning sad as it deals with death of parents, but we got our first look at the potential haunting/something weird going on. Also MC's brother is an enfuriatiing ahole lol I'd have punched him just for the scene we first meet him in lol

I finished Convergence, which I found somewhat successful than previous books. Nonetheless I am now starting the next book, Emergence.

Finished The Fall of Babel, this last book was a bit of a slog at over 600 pages but on the whole I enjoyed the series and felt it was wrapped up pretty well even though there were new questions to be answered.

Back to the Kris Longknife-verse with To Do or Die by Mike Shepherd which is a tale about Kris' famous great-grandparents.

On the side, I'm also reading another brick at 724 pages - The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson but I'm getting through it faster than Babel, it just flows faster.

I read Here Lies Arthur for bingo G2. It was quite good, and completely different from any other I've read - which, admittedly, isn't all that many.

Finished The Buried Giant. It was an odd book, but I enjoyed it. Kind of a gentle fantasy/allegory kind of/sort of take on Arthurian legend. The writing was good. Not sure about the ending. Still trying to figure it out.

I finished How to Sell a Haunted House early this morning. It was a really good book and ended up really enjoying the character and relationship development between the siblings.

Next I think I'm finally starting the Tyrant series by Christian Cameron (aka Miles Cameron). I loved his Long War series about the Greco-Persian wars, so I'm expecting this one to be good too.

Finished To Do or Die, admittedly the downside of reading a long series within a single year is that things can get a bit repetitive which isn't so noticeable when you spread them out across multiple years where it might feel more like coming back to a structure/style you're comfortable with and will have more of a nostalgic feeling. I definitely noticed that with the Shannara series too.

Talking of Shannara, I found a place where I can watch the TV series. So far only saw the first episode that felt more Hunger Games than Shannara (you're not "Chosen" if you win your place by some crazy blindfolded race through the woods, it takes away the Ellcrys' "choice") but I'll give it more time to see where it goes, sometimes you do have to change the details in the book to make it work on screen (The Magicians is one where I almost feel the TV show did it better than the books)

Well, I had thought I read them all, but Frank Herbert's son put out another one so grabbed it from the library. Starting on Princess of Dune by Brian Herbert

I also found this cute manga at the library Leo about a cat who decided he wanted to go to school. I don't know if there's an English translation

Andrea wrote: "Well, I had thought I read them all, but Frank Herbert's son put out another one so grabbed it from the library. Starting on Princess of Dune by Brian Herbert"

And I don't think he's likely to stop anytime soon

Tony wrote: "And I don't think he's likely to stop anytime soon"

Well he does have 10 thousand years and a million worlds to write about :o) I am actually kind of interested to read this one from the point of view of Irulan who was just sorta there in the books but never really got a chance to have her say.

I am rereading Mistborn Secret History. Slowly getting ready for The Lost Metal.

Fool’s Errand by Robin Hoob. Second reading.

Yrret wrote: "Fool’s Errand by Robin Hoob. Second reading."

I liked that one

Teaching the Empire: Education and State Loyalty in Late Habsburg Austria by Scott O. Moore

Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger

In this debut novel in the 'Cork O'Connor mystery series' the former sheriff gets involved with the investigation of a homicide, and the search for a missing paperboy. There's a mythical twist with an evil spirit called a Windigo.

Good thriller. 4 stars

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

Migrations and Cultures: A World View by Thomas Sowell

You Sexy Thing Read for Bingo N4, and a second and third Bingo! I have 4 slots left, one is a 2024 read and I'm still in the queue for the newest one of one of my favorite fantasy series.

Georgann wrote: "Read for Bingo N4, and a second and third Bingo! I have 4 slots left, one is a 2024 read and I'm still in the queue for the newest..."

Wow, you're doing really well with your Bingo challenge! I've stalled at the halfway point, most of my Bingos were first books in series so as I read the rest of the series I make no progress on the challenge :) And just like every other year, somehow the layout of slots and what books I end up reading, I manage to avoid getting any Bingo's until I'm at least halfway filling up the card! I only get my first Bingo when its impossible to not get one, its very weird, I don't do it on purpose.

Finished Princess of Dune, neither good nor bad, similar to the others written by the Herbert's son.

Back to the Kris Longknife world but a spinoff series featuring what was originally the villain of the series - Target by Mike Shepherd

I am terrible at following up on series. I've made some progress on a few this year, but overall, I'm pretty dismal at it. I also do try to look for books that are standalones, knowing myself. That's funny how they fall, isn't it. I don't aim for bingos, exactly, but books I've chosen to fill a slot I feel like reading. I do enjoy completing the card each year, tho! I am not at all sure about this year - I generally avoid books with more than about 450 pages.

Me too -- I've started tons of series but finished much fewer.

It's why I started a thread on series tracking, to try to keep me on track. Generally I make more progress than I start new ones but just barely - last year I started 20 and finished 29 and made progress in another 6 so say 20 vs 35

So far this year I'm 10 started and 7 completed (15 continued progress), but we'll see as the year gets along and I need to fill those Bingo slots. Several I have planned are standalones (whew) but for that 1000+ slots its a quartet and they are all massive tomes so I'll have to ensure I leave time for that. As we've hit the middle of the year, I'm also making decisions on where I had multiple options for a slot, well I'll pick the shorter series :o)

Georgann wrote: "I am terrible at following up on series."

I can generally finish series that are all done. Goodreads actually has helped because I can shelve books in the series for future publish dates.

I have a simple database of series but I don't look at it often. I have a Sequels shelf, which is helpful. I think I need to assign a year to each series as I have to keep starting over to remember what happened before I can move on.

Georgann wrote: "I also do try to look for books that are standalones,"

Standalone fantasy - that's very nearly an extinct species. There are a few more in the science fiction genre, but I can't think of the last time I saw a new standalone fantasy novel.

Even if someone writes a standalone, the marketers/publishers will push them to turn it into a series.

I found this Goodreads list, and clearly some that had started as standalones no longer are

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

But going through it, yeah, a lot of them are older. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell had come to mind but wow, its already 20 years old. There are a few newer ones like Circe (unless you consider it part of a pseudo series with The Song of Achilles, a lot of the recent mythology retellings are standalones even if the author wrote more than one they aren't considered part of series, more a genre I guess?) and Spinning Silver. Opening up the ones I recognize the most recent one I could find was from 2019. So they are out there, but just make for a really challenging BINGO slot :D I'll avoid doing "A standalone fantasy from the last 10 years"

There are books that are only loosely in a series, like The Fox Woman, I've read Fudoki as well and other than both being in feudal japan they have nothing to do with each other, kind of like those mythology books I mentioned only this one did get labelled a series (I wish the third book had been written...)

And of course not being able to predict the future, whose to say any one of those standalones will suddenly find themselves with a sibling prequel/sequel? Sometimes they pop up decades later, like Beagle adding more to The Last Unicorn recently.

Everything I read is from my library, and they have "list" feature, so I add books to a "next in the series" list. Still, I get distracted with the next bright thing. Squirrel! Audrey, I agree a year would help, b/c, same. Mary, I tend towards older books so most of the series I read are also finished but I still don't follow through. Tony, yes! Stand alones are hard to find. Andrea, TY for NOT adding that slot to next year's bingo card!

I finished Emergence and just started Resurgence.

I started Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman. There was a lot of hype around it, kind of the next Percy Jackson kind of thing but I went in with cautious expectations, just wanted to read a chapter or so before bed to see what it was like...100 pages later I had to force myself to stop since I needed to sleep :)

I have finished The Follies of Sir Harald, which I enjoyed. It will fill the Arthurian slot in my Bingo. Strangely, I seem to be the first person to write a review, despite the book being written in 2001.

I have started The Marvellous Land of Oz, the second story in Complete Stories of Oz.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe
I Text Dead People

Finished Skandar, I liked it enough that instead of borrowing from the library I think I'll buy the rest of the series as it comes out :) After all I've always been fond of unicorns and these are pretty cool (though I wouldn't want to ride one)

Back to Kris Longknife with Tenacious by Mike Shepherd

I feel between us, Pierre and I will cover all the available single word SF titles...

I finished "Master of Djinn"and though it isn't the precision storytelling of the novellas it was still a hugely enjoyable read. I have a lot going on at the moment but I will review it as soon as I have time.

Next I am off to the Jack Vancesque world of Mathew Hughes 'dying earth' universe with "A God in Hiding." I have heard good things and I am hopeful for this one.

I'm struggling with Witch King so switched to The September House.

Robin wrote: "I finished "Master of Djinn"and though it isn't the precision storytelling of the novellas it was still a hugely enjoyable read. I have a lot going on at the moment but I will review it as soon as ..."

I read A Wizard's Henchman which I guess you could describe as the moment when the world goes from one being based on science to where Vance's world has magic. It was interesting (and free through some online 'zine...Lightspeed maybe?)

Finally finished Song of the Mysteries.
Highly recommend the series.

Wizard's Henchman is on my want to read shelf. I first came across Hughes in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction with his Baldemar stories and really liked his style.

Andy wrote: "Finally finished Song of the Mysteries.
Highly recommend the series."

I love that series! Wasn't the ending great?

@Michelle I don’t think the series gets enough press or credit. Not many I know have read it. The bookshops round here, including major outlets, don’t even carry Janny’s work. It was a fitting finale and I really enjoyed it.

The Property of Hate Volume 3 by Sarah Jolley

Andy wrote: "@Michelle I don’t think the series gets enough press or credit. Not many I know have read it. The bookshops round here, including major outlets, don’t even carry Janny’s work. It was a fitting fina..."

I know! Her publisher didn't even seem to market the book. She said it took fifty years to work on this series. That woman sure can write.

I finished The Marvellous Land of Oz and I have started the graphic novel The Beast of Wolfe's Bay

I have finished The Beast of Wolfe's Bay, which was a fun graphic novel. It's essentially a retelling of Beowulf, but with plenty of pop culture references thrown in.

I have started The Three, which will fill the Author New to Me slot in my Bingo.

I finished The September House -- great horror with dark humor. Started The Lost Metal! Finally!