Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

So, what have you been reading in the merry month of June?

My review of Heir of Novron:-

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

I took a month break from the Dark Tower, as the books got longer and started to drag a little I needed a break, but now I'm ready to get back into it with Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King

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Completed:

5-

4-

3-

2-

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Authors:
James Baldwin, Holly Black, Richard Chizmar, Nino Cipri, James S.A. Corey, Liu Cixin, Neil Gaiman, Jennifer Giesbrecht, Intisar Khanani, Stephen King, Joe R. Lansdale, A.K. Larkwood, Dervla McTiernan, Tamsyn Muir, Ann Patchett, Samantha Shannon, Martha Wells

Illustrators: Colleen Doran

Translators: Joel Martinsen

I have started the first book in the light-hearted steampunk Girl Genius series - Agatha H and the Airship City

I finished reading The Vor Game and started the next book in the series' chronological order, Cetaganda.

Recently finished the Outside (science fantasy/lovecraft)
And Wjen the English Fall (powerfully day affecting story of tech apocalypse from an unusual perspective - Amish! Very good read for these times.

Following up with Clade - another apocalypse novel
About characters more than events - this one slow moving set of vingettes of multiple generations set against climate crisis

I also have been checking out a new serial on serial box - Knox - noir lovecraft update (my first ever eARC!)

I finished Agatha H and the Airship City. Very enjoyable.

Oshenerth by Alan Dean Foster. While I enjoyed it, I wish the author would write the follow up the ending clearly points to.

Luffy wrote: "My review of Heir of Novron:-

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

I loved that one!

I have started Promise of Blood and Imager.

I've started up reading the Dark Crystal stuff.
Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths, Volume 1
Shadows of the Dark Crystal

And slowly rereading Harry Potter.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Audrey wrote: "I have started Promise of Blood and Imager."

And I'm on to the last Powder Mage novella, Ghosts of the Tristan Basin by Brian McClellan that takes place only a few months before the events in the first Powder Mage novel.

Audrey wrote: "I have started Promise of Blood and Imager."

I really liked both series.

Currently rereading I, Robot

I finished I, Robot. Most of the stories hold up quite well although the earliest of them, Robbie, is very sexist.

It has always surprised me somewhat, that authors of the Golden Age, such as Asimov, were quite remarkable in some of their predictions with respect to robots and computers ("thinking machines") and yet really didn't grasp the true effect they would have on society.

Today I finished Marathon: Freedom or Death by Christian Cameron, the second book in his Long War historical fiction series. This book was recounting the build up to the Battle of Marathon and the battle itself. I rated it 5/5 and honestly I think I loved this one even more than the first book. The end, though ultimately victorious, was still just so devastating. And even though I've just read the prologue of the next book in the series, I feel like I need to wait a few hours or so before diving back into Arimnestos' life again.

As I mentioned, I've just started Poseidon's Spear, the third book in the Long War series. My heart is still hurting for poor Arimnestos and it seems things might still be going to shit for him in this book.

Between this series and Traitor Son Cycle which I read a couple years ago, I can definitely see myself reading the rest of Christian/Miles Cameron's historical fiction and his most recent fantasy series in the future.

Ascendant by Jack Campell

Audrey wrote: "I have started Promise of Blood and Imager."

Just read Imager back in April. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to getting further into the series.

Gary wrote: "Just read Imager back in April. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to getting further into the se..."

If you're interested, I cover the 3 story arcs of the series in my review. No spoilers & it might help understanding it a little better.

I'm a fan. I liked the religion/philosophy of Naming & really appreciated the way history is handled. So many details lost & misunderstood. Politics & economies are handled really well, too. As powerful as Imagers are, they have limits & there's never enough money or time. It's a realism that grounds the fantasy well.

Continuing with Asimov's robot series - I have started The Rest of the Robots

I'm finding it really hard to concentrate on reading (or anything) with all the stress of scary world events, so have picked up the ultimate comfort book to re-read - The Disposable by Katherine Vick.

It's just funny and clever and, frankly, totally bonkers. What more could anyone ask for?

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

In this classic a scientist finds a way to make himself invisible, but this leads to mental instability and violence.

Interesting premise that's spawned a jillion movies. 3 stars

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

I read the invisible man a couple of days ago. Kinda fun but repetitive. 2 stars.

I gave The Invisible Man 4 stars, an extra star due to its influence on the genre.

The View From Castle Always by Melissa McShane

I just started the first book in Daniel Abrahams "The Dagger and the Coin" series, after finishing the first book in the "Expanse" series.

I read the Marvel-DC crossover graphic novel The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans. One of the better of the crossovers between the two companies.

To fill in my Utopia slot on the BINGO card I decided in the end to go with Dinotopia (since I started that series for the Lost Civilization slot last year, it also fits with my progress in a series I started theme this year). I found a few on OpenLibrary and since they are short I read four of them - Windchaser, River Quest, Hatchling, and am just starting Lost City.

Since OpenLibrary doesn't have them all, I can't complete the series this year, so I might stop after that one, apparently this series is good for filling int those hard to fill BINGO slots so maybe will need to keep some for next year after all :)

Finished reading City of Bones by Martha Wells, Network Effect by Martha Wells, and Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish by James Scott Bell. I am reading The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan. I plan to read The Fifth To Die by J.D. Barker next.

I finished Cetaganda, which I did not like as much as the previous books in the saga. Nonetheless I already started the next opus, Ethan of Athos

That one didn't do much for me. Probably because Miles isn't front and center!

I finished The Rest of the Robots and then read The Bicentennial Man. Solid, but not as good as I, Robot and I think it shows that not all of Asimov's robot short stories really fit in the same universe as his robot novels.

Moving Mars by Greg Bear, some good stuff in this one.

The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes

I have started reading another collection of short stories - Jirel of Joiry. All of these stories were written before 1940, making CL Moore a contemporary of Burroughs, Howard and Lovecraft, and one of the very few women writing in this genre at that time.

Tony wrote: "I have started reading another collection of short stories - Jirel of Joiry."

Great stories!

I'm doing a Vorkosigan series re-read through Audible with my husband, Who hasn't read them before. He needed the Miles experience!

Kellie wrote: "I'm doing a Vorkosigan series re-read through Audible with my husband, Who hasn't read them before. He needed the Miles experience!"

Bujold seems very popular with the group this year, I can think of three of us now that have read her this year, and probably more if we go through the older threads :D And that's what I love about this group, if it weren't for the group reads we used to have, I probably never would have started the Vorkosigan Saga!

Decided to read only last Dinotopia book, this one is an actual novel - Dinotopia Lost by Alan Dean Foster

And just realized...I could use these books for the "shared world" BINGO slot too...amazing how many BINGO slots this series can fill (we had talking animals last year that would have worked too)

Finished Poseidon's Spear (Book 3 of the Long War series) and rated it 4/5 stars. Liked it a lot but towards the end seemed to jump from one event to the next way too fast and seemed rushed. Otherwise a fun change of scenery with an adventure up the stormy Atlantic and across Gaul. Was interesting to get a glimpse of what was going on in the western Mediterranean and Gaul at the time, as well as a look into trade/tin trade which was pretty cool. Finding with these books, as much as I love the combat in wind up wanting to know more about things like Athenian politics, or smithing/mining/trade.

Now reading The Great King which is book 4 in the series.

A People's Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers was a dud. There were a few good stories, but most were too busy trying to be PC that they forgot to actually develop the story. My 2 star review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finally got around to Andrew Rowe's Defying Destiny. I read one of his novels, then come back like six moths later. It's great epic fantasy but very complex with many interweaving character arcs.

I finished Ethan of Athos, in which Miles Vorkosigan does not feature at all, and I found the book, and its main character Ethan, rather bland. I now started Borders of Infinity, which contains the 3 novellas The Mountains of Mourning, Labyrinth and The Borders of Infinity, with a frame story. Miles is there in the first pages, which is a relief and promises more fun.

Reading City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare as part of my "finish series I started" goal. I'd read the first four and then left it hanging so time to wrap up the last two books.

Finished A Memory Called Empire,
And working on :
Penric and the Shaman
Storm of Locusts
And
Vagabonds

I'm reading The Dagger and the Coin series, on book 3 of 5 so far. Really enjoying it.

I love All things Bujold.
You can definitely count me in as one of the group with whom she is a fave. I read all of the Vorkosigan saga.
Then because, what to do?! I had to read All of her fantasy books too! xD At first, it was weird to my mind...where's Miles? lol, but then her storytelling nabbed me and whisked me away.
I just finished her most recent of her fantasy genre.... waiting for more. I hope you are reading this, Lois! ;0)

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

In this book Vonnegut presents caricatures of religion, the hubris of scientists, and the dangers of technology. The book has an eclectic variety of weird, often funny, characters.

3 stars

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

I'm about halfway through Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski. It's a letdown to go back to a Danusia Stok translation after David French's superb translation of Sword of Destiny, but at least all the rest after this are done by French.

I've started reading the graphic novel Camelot 3000