Poll

Your votes gave us a slightly odd theme month in that discussion of possible nominees is superfluous.

The list of Joint winners of the Hugo and Nebula is fairly limited. The only books that have won both that are missing from the above list are those we've already read as a group -- Dune, Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed, Neuromancer, Ender's Game, The Windup Girl -- and/or the Fantasy books -- American Gods, Paladin of Souls.

As for the books on the list, here're some things to keep in mind when voting:
Dreamsnake will be very hard, if not impossible, to find.
Rendezvous with Rama isn't widely available in book form, although used bookstores are a good bet with this one.
Startide Rising is the second in a series.
Forever Peace is a stand alone, although it is connected to Forever War, which came first.

"Rendezvous with Rama isn't widely available in book form, although used bookstores are a good bet with this one."

true, there are multiple copies in every used bookstore i've been in... but i don't think it is out of print. amazon, at least, has new copies of the MMPB in stock. barnes & noble too.

That's good news. Thanks, Joel.

Brad wrote: "Your votes gave us a slightly odd theme month in that discussion of possible nominees is superfluous.

The list of Joint winners of the Hugo and Nebula is fairly limited. The only books that have w..."

It's an almost random list of good books in the field, but by the same token, it's a list that shows the breadth of the field.

I have all the Hugo winners in eBook format. I highly recommend going the eBook route if you have not done so. It's a great way to have a huge collection of books in one reader. It also widens the possibility that you'll find a book. I also highlight and make notes in the reader.

I've been wanting to read Arthur C. Clarke. Rendezvous with Rama is one of his most famous.

Heh, Aloha ... I'm in the "want an ebook reader someday" camp. But I'm waiting for the distribution model to get better. (i.e., in my dream world out of print/obscure/niche books will all be brought back in electronic form. But since this isn't cost-free, it may or may not happen. And I just broke down and decided to buy all the Liavek anthologies in used dead tree format, because owing to the recalcitrance of John M. Ford's heirs and assigns those seem unlikely to appear in any other format.)

Also, it seems like all the good e-readers are tied to a specific bookstore. Amazon can suck my toes; Borders is very likely to go bankrupt; and while BN's all right, I prefer Borders, especially since BN closed their store in my neighborhood. Plus, there's the fact that the longer I wait, the less expensive and more feature-rich the tech becomes. (Incidentally, I've heard that Sony's is overpriced for what you get, and the iPad seems like overkill, plus there's the usual Apple brand premium.)

Brad wrote: "Rendezvous with Rama isn't widely available in book form"

That's inexcusable. It's a really great book (even if I didn't vote for it this time), and with a famous author too.

This is difficult. Dreamsnake is one I can read over and over again, and I'd sort of forgotten about it so I'm tempted by the idea of adding it to my kindle. I've read most of these, and they are all terrific. But I haven't read the Chabon book, or either of the Haldeman books listed. Is it appropriate to ask for advice?

For what it's worth, I haven't read the Chabon or the Haldeman books, and wouldn't be averse to reading any of them. I voted for the Chabon one, though. (I have already read Ringworld, the current leader, and am not interested in re-reading it.)

Chabon is amazing and this particular book is inventive and fascinating and will be an excellent and rich book for the group to discuss. IMO.

(After reading and loving I read all his books. I didn't love them all, but I did love TYPU.)

Sure, of course you can ask for advice, Sandy.

The Chabon is odd and interesting; Chabon is a lit-fic writer who likes and respects sf and fantasy. The Yiddish Policeman's Union is sf because that's what he felt was the right way to tell that story, not because he was making some kind of weird literary point the way Ishiguro was with Never Let Me Go. It remains different from what someone who "grew up" in the sf tradition would have written.

Excellent and interesting, although it's not the one I voted for.

It is a pain how an eBook is tied to a certain distributor, especially if you're not a techie person who knows how to get around that. With an iPad or an iPhone, you can get a variety of apps. I have B&N, Kobo, Kindle, and Stanza (for eBooks with no DRM) apps in one place. There are places where you can get free eBooks with no DRMs, so you can put them anywhere.

Nikki wrote: "Heh, Aloha ... I'm in the "want an ebook reader someday" camp. But I'm waiting for the distribution model to get better. (i.e., in my dream world out of print/obscure/niche books will all be brou..."

Chabon seems to prefer writing sf/f and other genres. He's better and freer at it, than he is at his constrained unlikeable, again IMO, literary fiction.

I checked, and all of these are available at my library. The 4 Brad mentioned are not available on the kindle which is lame.

Ami wrote: "I checked, and all of these are available at my library. The 4 Brad mentioned are not available on the kindle which is lame."

Those four are older books, and there isn't the same eagerness to make backlist available on the Kindle as new and recent books.

I voted and like Speaker for the Dead, but its a book for people who likes to think.

I hope Speaker for the Dead wins, but I don't really care who wins actually, I own them all. Reading any one of them would be good to me.

Go Go Jew humor!

I have all the books (in ebook) and would be happy to share.

I have always wanted to read Ringworld.

Although Startide Rising is the second book in a series the first book in the series takes place hundreds of years prior thereto and nothing therein is really necessary to read this book.

voted for Speaker for the Dead. After reading Ender's Game I still want to read the second book.

I recently read Rendezvous with Rama and found it to be an entertaining book. I would recommend it to anyone thinking of reading it.

I read Ringworld many years ago and found some of the ideas in the books very intriguing. Definitely worth reading if you have not!

I might go ahead and read Rendezvous with Rama whether it wins or not. I've been doing whatever I want as far as reading choices, anyway.

Dreamsnake is easily available as an e-book from Book View Cafe.

Some fine choices. Going with Forever War.

A real "can't make a wrong choice" list - but Startide Rising stands alone nicely, the previous book isn't similar in time period or style, just universe.

This would be a good list to start my SciFi reading.

Aloha - Did you just get into SciFi? If so what are your favorite books so far?

Bob wrote: "voted for Speaker for the Dead. After reading Ender's Game I still want to read the second book.

I recently read Rendezvous with Rama and found it to be an..."

Speaker for the Dead is a completely different level of book then Ender's Game. As I said before it makes the reader think, plus it is a whole lot slower. Many who read Ender's Game don't go read Speaker for the Dead, but if they do they hate it. I loved the book, myself and everything Orson Scott Card has done. I even found a copy of Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead signed three years ago.

Speaker of the dead is more like xenocide So if you like speaker of the dead your going to like more in the Ender.. I think the Bean books parallel Ender's Game more. I love all of them.

Wow that's a good find Kevin :-)

Qylie, I don't know what I've really been into. I jump genres often, depending on what interests me at the moment. I find it mind numbing to only read one genre. I've read SciFi like Dune and Ender's Game but as part of my eclectic reading taste.

Aloha wrote: "Qylie, I don't know what I've really been into. I jump genres often, depending on what interests me at the moment. I find it mind numbing to only read one genre. I've read SciFi like Dune and En..."

Aloha, you sound like a lot of long-term sf fans I know. :)

Aloha wrote: "Qylie, I don't know what I've really been into. I jump genres often, depending on what interests me at the moment. I find it mind numbing to only read one genre. I've read SciFi like Dune and En..."

Aloha, you sound like a lot of long-term sf fans I know. :)

That's me, all over the place!

I only just read Speaker for the Dead a couple months ago so I'm voting for The Yiddish Policemen's Union. I first saw it in a poll a while ago and have been interested ever since.

Kim wrote: "I only just read Speaker for the Dead a couple months ago so I'm voting for The Yiddish Policemen's Union. I first saw it in a poll a while ago and have been interested ever since."

How did you like Speaker for the Dead, slow for you? Did you like the change from Ender's Game. Lastly I was wondering are you going to read Xenocide and Children of the Mind?

Children of the Mind was my favorite. Next up would be Xenocide.

Qylie wrote: "Children of the Mind was my favorite. Next up would be Xenocide."

Good to know, how did you like Bean side of the story and Ender in Exile? I thought Ender in Exile should have not been written, it is like the new Dune books, terrible. The Bean books, I like the first one, second was a thriller to me, third was all about politics, love the last one.

I read all the Ender and then all the Bean. I know some people who switch back and forth. I like how the Bean books fill out missing details and give you insight into the series. I have to say that I have a bias because this series is my favorite. SO I love love love everything. I loved how the books made you think and ponder moral issues. I went on a quest to find books similar after finishing these ages and ages ago but didn't find many other books that fit the bill.

I read the first Dune book but it didn't grab me in the same way the Ender's books did. But my husband assures me I need to stick with it becuase the 4th one is amazing.

Could not agree with you more.

I'm so interested in reading "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" -- it's the only one on the list I haven't read. And I have a copy :)

I am eager to reread The Yiddish Policeman's Union, so I hope it continues to "win."

May I recommend a theme of time travel for an upcoming month? (If we haven't already done the theme, that is.) Many of Connie Willis' books could be on such a list, including Doomsday Book and last year's Blackout and All Clear.

Don't forget everyone, if you voted early in the process and your book is clearly out of the running, and if you have another book that is in the running that you may want to read, you can always come back and change your vote. Voting is ope for the rest of today.

Maybe we should read two books!!