Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

The end of the year is approaching, do you have reading goals you are running out of time to finish?

With Halloween finished, I'm back to my unicorns and reading The Unicorn Quest by Kamilla Benko

On my eReader I've got The Apocalypse Troll by David Weber. I believe I got that one from the free Baen library.

Andrea wrote: "The end of the year is approaching, do you have reading goals you are running out of time to finish?"

I have enough time to finish 6 books to complete my reading challenge.

My review of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:-

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

Goals make me anxious so I try to avoid thinking about them. But on the fun side of things I actually have surpassed the goal I had in mind at the beginning of the year! Currently reading the sword of shanara and the eye of the world.

Completed:

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Authors: Chloe Benjamin, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Michael Connelly, Alix E. Harrow, Nalo Hopkinson, Mark Lawrence, Toni Morrison, Sylvain Neuvel, Annalee Newitz, Emily Tesh, Tade Thompson, Glendy Vanderah, Ruth Ware, Colson Whitehead

On the fourth book of ‘the wheel of time’ and last in the first law trilogy ‘the last argument of kings’. Took a break from epics in the middle and read the ‘book of three’. Nothing better than curling up and escaping reality this time of year especially.

On the kids bedtime reading list currently is ‘the hobbit’; a bit advanced for them but it sends a 6 year old and a 2 year old to sleep nicely while keeping me entertained. Parenting level EXPERT 😁

Andrea wrote: "The end of the year is approaching, do you have reading goals you are running out of time to finish?"

I'm confident I will achieve my reading challenge for the year - 7 books to read in 2 months - although this usually the busiest time of the year for work. I have accepted that I won't complete all 10 Thomas Covenant books this year.

I'm finishing off TheTaint and Other Novellas Best Mythos Tales by Lumley, Brian ( Author ) ON Nov-03-2008, Paperback.

Trying to reread the Wheel of Time series in anticipation of the upcoming tv series...hopefully I have enough time, I want to be at least done with book 3 by year end!

I spent most of October reading The Mysteries of Udolpho and just finished it earlier today. I rated it 4/5 stars, was a nice cozy gothic read that felt really seasonal. Enjoyed it more than I expected.

I've now just started The Hallowed Hunt and already pulled into it.

As far as goals, I completed my GR goal of reading 38 books. I think I've technically completed my SFF Bingo goal of getting 12 squares. I'll probably complete my Women SFF author challenge too. I don't think I'll make my targets for historical SFF or sub-genre challenge, sadly. But I've been enjoying my reading immensely either way, and that's all that counts.

My review of The Mysterious Affair at Styles:-

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

Let's see...I finished The Poppy War at the end of October. It was good, but it got too grimdark for me in the end. Not sure I'll continue the series.

Now, I'm reading Blood Song, and I really, really like it!

Kivrin wrote: "Let's see...I finished The Poppy War at the end of October. It was good, but it got too grimdark for me in the end. Not sure I'll continue the series."

Book 2, The Dragon Republic, is even darker.

G33z3r wrote: "Kivrin wrote: "Let's see...I finished The Poppy War at the end of October. It was good, but it got too grimdark for me in the end. Not sure I'll continue the series."

Book 2, The Dragon Republic, is even darker.."

I had a feeling it would be. I think I can forego the rest of the series. I did enjoy all of the Chinese myth references, but I like a little light and hope in my stories.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

I finished The Taint and Other Novellas. A good collection of stories, with a couple of gems. Recommended for fans of Brian Lumley or fans of Lovecraft's Mythos. Next up is The Last Airship, the first in the Sam Reilly series (which is currently at 18 books, I believe). Not SFF.

Bad Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Case Files of Erik Rugar by Misha Burnett

Currently working my way through the Martian. Eight books left in my goal. Wish me luck.

Spook Country by William Gibson

Spook Country follows three groups of characters whose story threads merge as the narrative unfolds. The action moves from various parts of the United States to Canada as the protagonists pursue their mysterious agendas.

Good suspense novel. 3.5 stars

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

Grace wrote: "Currently working my way through the Martian. Eight books left in my goal. Wish me luck."

I'm planning to read The Martian soon too :) It's my Hard SF slot on my BINGO challenge.

The past few days I was at a training conference, since I was already taking a laptop I didn't want to take even more devices like my eReader so instead I found a book my sister was getting rid of that she had read for school, but it was small and light so thought I'd give it a try. Wasn't SF or F though.

But I'm back now and back to my unicorns with Ariel by Steven R. Boyett which is one of the ones I wanted most to read. The first handful of pages was a good start.

I also finished reading The Book of the Unicorn by Nigel Suckling (very nice artwork), so started the anthology The Unicorn Trade by Poul Anderson though the title "story" is actually a two page poem, but as I've never read anything by Anderson before figured I'd give it a try anyway.

Finally, on my eReader I started The Secret Country by Pamela Dean

Andrea wrote: "so started the anthology The Unicorn Trade by Poul Anderson though the title "story" is actually a two page poem, but as I've never read anything by Anderson before figured I'd give it a try anyway...."

Poul Anderson was one of the major authors from my early days in SF. His books occupy a surprisingly large linear space on my bookshelf; more than Clarke, though less than Heinlein or Asimov. I would not have expected a unicorn story from him (much less a poem.)

Anderson wrote a lot of stuff, all over. Three Hearts and Three Lions has a unicorn, too.

G33z3r wrote: "Andrea wrote: "so started the anthology The Unicorn Trade by Poul Anderson though the title "story" is actually a two page poem, but as I've never read anything by Anderson before figured I'd give ..."

It's a joint venture with his wife Karen, she wrote the poem. It wasn't so much about unicorns as it was about imagination in general. A trade in magical creatures and things.

Finished The Hallowed Hunt late last night and rated 3.75/5 stars. I definitely enjoyed it a fair bit but not as much as the Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls.

Now reading a mystery, Someone We Know

I finished The Last Airship and have also read Elric: The Dreaming City, the Marvel comics adaptation of one of Michael Moorcock's Elric stories.

He, She and It by Marge Piercy

The devastation of war results in huge corporations having control of most things on Earth...and the corporations would do anything to get their hands on a proto-cyborg (an intelligent golem) that protects a small community.

Good book. 4 stars

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

Well, I finally read The Golden Compass, one of those classic things I was supposed to have read 20 years ago. Motivation was to read it before watching the HBO series which started last week (though I'd seen the movie back in theaters years ago.) I suppose I have to finish the trilogy. (I actually bought the ebooks 3 years ago when Amazon had them on sale.)

Finished Someone We Know today and rated it 3.5/5 stars. Enjoyed it a lot and found it very hard to put down! It's a mystery/thriller and very quick read.

Decided I'm still in a mystery/faster read mood so I'm now reading A Study in Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes).

The Golden Compass, originally Northern Lights, is the best book in the series. They get rather strange and follow angel battles and go to Ursula leGuin's world of the dead behind a wall which you saw in A Wizard of Earthsea. To me it seems that Pullman changed his mind about the story a few times as he wrote. The second book is not about Lyra but we do meet her in the third book.

Clare wrote: "The Golden Compass, originally Northern Lights, is the best book in the series. They get rather strange and follow angel battles and go to Ursula leGuin's world of the dead behind a wall which you ..."

I have to agree that the first book was the best. And possibly why they never made the other two movies? Especially as the third book must have had religious groups banning it, given it's portrayal of God and the angels. I kind of figured they couldn't ever make that movie. Wonder what the TV series will do.

Andrea wrote: "I have to agree that the first book was the best. And possibly why they never made the other two movies?..."

The 2007 The Golden Compass movie did very poorly at the US box office ($70mil vs $180mil production costs), though it did very well internationally ($300mil.) The US performance combined with the 2008 financial crisis probably doomed the sequel.


Andrea wrote: "Wonder what the TV series will do?..."

I watched the first 2 episodes of the BBC/HBO series today. They seem all-in on book 2, at least, since they already have people stepping through portals to modern world. (Also, the 1st scene featured a helicopter, which has me confused, but I'm only 1/4 in to The Subtle Knife.)

I saw the second episode this week. The scenes with Lyra were the scenes from the book / film but they were heavily padded with strange sombre men glaring at each other and a few scenes in modern Oxford.

Clare wrote: "The Golden Compass, originally Northern Lights, is the best book in the series. They get rather strange and follow angel battles and go to Ursula leGuin's world of the dead behind a wall which you ..."

I read this many, many years ago, but I remember liking Book 2, The Subtle Knife, the best. Don't remember why now.

All the series books are worth reading and 2 and 3 won awards.

Just finished Blood Song and really enjoyed it. It was gritty and the world building was very detailed. I really like the main character, Vaelin, and I'm rooting for him from start to finish. I'm eager to get the next book in the series.

Finished reading Ariel, that was a pretty good book. I can see why it is still in print and available on bookstore shelves even though it was first published in the 80's. Most of my unicorn books are all out of print or really hard to find (if lucky there's an ebook version). I'll read the sequel Elegy Beach later this month.

That fills in one of my BINGO slots, and the next book, The Martian by Andy Weir will fill in yet another.

I finished reading Babylon's Ashes yesterday. I liked that 6th book of the series better than the two previous ones. So I immediately moved to the 7th one, Persepolis Rising.

Finished A Study in Scarlet and rated 3.75/5. Enjoyed it a lot...and simultaneously learned more than I expected about the history of Mormonism/Latter Day Saints and especially the violent side of it. Both interesting and entertaining read.

Now switching back to fantasy with Sheepfarmer's Daughter

Slowly picking back up and--hopefully, by the end of the month--finish The Raven's Shadow Trilogy by Anthony Ryan; the third and final book being Queen of Fire

I'd say its a really good series if you love your dark and war fantasy reads

My review of The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry

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

Leaves from the Garden of Eden: One Hundred Classic Jewish Tales by Howard Schwartz

Reading
In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination by Margaret Atwood & Changeless by Gail Carriger

I took time out from reading the excellent Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey to read the period appropriate short story (even though Aussies don't celebrate Thanksgiving) Gobble Gobble A Tale Thanksgiving Terror!.Not recommended.

Blindsight by Peter Watts.

Finished Sheepfarmer's Daughter just now. 4.25/5 star rating for me. Will be starting the next Deed of Paksenarrion book, Divided Allegiance, later today

Finished The Martian, it was excellent, loved Watney's sense of humour. I'd already seen the movie so I knew what to expect but still really enjoyed it. Felt a very realistic possible scenario of what could happen on Mars. As the author wrote in the notes at the end, he wanted realistic events, like side-effects of things Watney was doing to then become his next problem, and not do unlikely things like have him he hit by lightning one day, then hit by a meteor the next. Definitely fits the Hard SF category as I could even picture people in NASA reading this book at least to get ideas of some valid things that could go wrong (and how to fix them) if ever they send someone in the near future.

Now, a problem...I have four books I wanted to finish in November and one week left. So one got booted out (sorry Kathy Reichs...next year, I promise...pretty sure I said that last year too...) I think I can finish Third Watch: Acorna's Children by Anne McCaffrey by Sunday (yay extra weekend reading time + easy to read book), so that leaves most of a week to finish another...the third will probably have to be kicked out of this year since my December is pretty full too. Will see.

Oh, my eReader too. Finished The Secret Country. It was a bit of a challenge, especially in 10 minute chunks while commuting, as it was intentionally meant to be confusing. The author wrote that when she had gone back and read books she loved as a kid, she found them overly simplistic, she wanted to write something that would work for kids, but still be challenging enough to be interesting for an adult. It took me quite a bit of the book before I started to grasp enough not to be totally confused, so not sure if that was a success or maybe overly complicated :) At least no info dumps since the characters themselves have little idea what is going on!

So tomorrow I'll borrow The Hidden Land by Pamela Dean from OpenLibrary to continue the trilogy. The downside of OpenLibrary is reading the scanned epubs and their typos, I still don't know if one character is supposed to be called Fence or Pence (and neither could the scanner apparently).

Finished An Ember in the Ashes and it leaves me with mixed feelings. Very good worldbuilding, excellent fantasy elements, grim setting, but (and that's a big but) really boring style of narration, restricted by the pov of the 2 protagonists. Gonna continue with the second book A Torch Against the Night just to satisfy my curiosity. It could have been a nice 4 star book but the narration makes my gut tell me it 's 3 stars.