Beyond Reality discussion

Hi everyone,

It’s time to open nominations for our December 2014 Books of the Month. Each group member can make 1 science fiction and/or 1 fantasy nomination in this thread. If you would like to make a nomination, please reply to this post with the title and author of the book(s) you would like to put forward for the group’s consideration.

Telling us a little about the book and why you think it would be a good group read can help get other members interested in reading (and voting for) your nomination.
You can also check the group's bookshelf for previous BOtM’s:

https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

or the threads

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
and

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

to see if your nomination has already been read by the group. (Being chosen as a past BotM does not necessarily disqualify a book from current consideration, unless we've read the book within the past 2 years as stated in the FAQ, but be aware that it may hinder your nomination’s chances at the polls.)

General guidelines:
• Feel free to re-nominate a book that didn’t win in the polls in previous months!
• For questions regarding specifics such as book formats, books in series, and various rules for nominations, please see the group FAQ.
• Seconding isn't necessary in this group.
• Friendly discussion & debate is strongly encouraged, but let's please keep things civil.

Poll schedule:
• Nominations in this thread will remain open until noon EST on Saturday, September 20.
• The first round of polls will open Saturday, September 20, and will run through 11:59PM PST, Wednesday, September 24 (closing Midnight PST September 25.)
• The run-off polls between the top two vote-getters in the first round will go up Thursday, September 25, and will be open through 11:59PM PST Tuesday, September 30 (closing Midnight PST October 1.)

Thanks!

NOMINATIONS:

FANTASY:
Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce (Paul)
The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe (Kurt)
Red Branch by Morgan Llywelyn (Maggie)
Sasha by Joel Shepherd (Tyler)
The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley (Sarah)
The Bell at Sealey Head by Patricia A. McKillip (Mary and DeeDee 10 minutes apart)
Grunts by Mary Gentle (Paulo)
The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham (Matthew)

SCIENCE FICTION:
Desolation Road by Ian McDonald (Paul)
Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner (Kurt)
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein (Maggie)
The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough (Tyler)
Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie (Sarah)
The January Dancer by Michael Flynn (Mary)
The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters (DeeDee)
Flood by Stephen Baxter (Paulo)
Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds (Matthew)

Let me kick things off.

For fantasy I'll nominate Some Kind of Fairy Tale. Graham Joyce is a wonderful writer of modern-set dark fantasy who, sadly, died this last week and I would like to read this book as a tribute to him.


For SF, Ian McDonald is a writer whose short fiction I have read in magazines and anthologies, and always loved, but somehow have never gotten around to his novels. Desolation Road, his first novel, won the Locus award and I have heard many good things about it, along with all his books.

Paul 'Pezski' wrote: "Let me kick things off.

For SF, Ian McDonald is a writer whose short fiction I have read in magazines and anthologies, and always loved, but somehow have never gotten around to his novels. Desolation Road, his first novel, won the Locus award and I have heard many good things about it, along with all his books. "

MacDonald is one of those writers I took to immediately. I read Desolation Road upon its release, picking it up off a newstand, and was elated when his second, then his third, fourth, etc. came out. After his fifth (?), Evolution's Shore, I had to take a bit of a break, but then so did he, slowing down his output. Only recently has he picked things back up.

So I'm with you on your nomination for his first novel, an examination of the sociological conditions of the colonization of Mars.

For Science Fiction I'll nominate Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner. I've heard good things about this book so lets give it a go.

For Fantasy I'll nominate The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe. It sounds interesting so I think it should be given a shot.

Kurt wrote: "For Science Fiction I'll nominate Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner. I've heard good things about this book so lets give it a go.

For Fantasy I'll nominate [book:The ..."

Another two wonderful nominees. Already tough decisions to make!

I have been wanting to read something mythological, so I nominate Red Branch for fantasy.

For science fiction, I would like to nominate The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, another classic

For fantasy I'll nominate Sasha by Joel Shepherd.

And for scifi I'll nominate The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough.

For fantasy I'll nominate The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley.

For science fiction I'll nominate Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie, since I think we read Ancillary Justice?

I nominate

Michael Flynn's The January Dancer for SF, far-future Space Opera with fantastic, elaborate world-building and intriguing politics.

and Patricia A. McKillip's The Bell at Sealey Head for fantasy -- her worlds of marvels and wonders

For Fantasy I'll nominate: The Bell at Sealey Head by Patricia A. McKillip
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Adult Literature (2009)

For Science Fiction, I'll nominate: The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters. It's the first book of a trilogy set in a world wherein a large comet is heading for Earth. All 3 books of the trilogy are in print.

Mary wrote: "I nominate

Michael Flynn's The January Dancer for SF, far-future Space Opera with fantastic, elaborate world-building and intriguing politics.

and Patricia A. McKillip's The Bell at Sealey Head..."


LOL We both nominated the same book for Fantasy. Great minds think alike :0)

You know it will get two votes that way. 0:)

I nominate for SF by Flood Stephen Baxter (Is part one of a duology). And for Fantasy I nominate Grunts. Imagine LoTR but in POV of the Orcs.

I'll second McKillip. I love her work.

Trine wrote: "I'll second McKillip. I love her work."

Hi Trine. Your praise is noted and gladly accepted. Seconds, however, are unnecessary. But please continue to applaud any nominee you think deserves a group read.

For fantasy i would like to nominate The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham. Series will be finished next year and I would love to do a slow reread before the final installment comes out.

For sci-fi I would like to nominate Chasm City by Alastiar Reynolds. Im currently in the middle of the Revelation Space trilogy and would love to do a group read for this stand alone in that universe.

Matthew wrote: "For sci-fi I would like to nominate Chasm City by Alastiar Reynolds. Im currently in the middle of the Revelation Space trilogy and would love to do a group read for this stand alone in that universe."

I've read all the Revelation Space books and as luck would have it, Chasm City was the first I read. No worries about taking it out of sequence. It's fine on its own.

Hi Everyone!

Nominations are now closed!

Hi Everyone, again!

In my broadcast message I mistakenly gave the cutoff date for voting in the first poll as Sept. 14!!

In reality, the cut off date is 11:59PM PST Sept. 24.

Please make note and do not travel back in time to vote.

Instead, go NOW to the polls link and vote!

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

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

My apologies for the Mods, Nick.

The second round of polls for our December BOTM's are up. Please go vote before 11:59PM September 30.

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

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

Thanks Everyone!