Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon discussion

These books are characterized by real or real-feeling science. A lot of sci-fi is set in the future, possibly involving time travel, aliens, and/or space exploration. The sci-fi set too close to the present may turn dated, and possibly humorous as the dates in those stories come and go. But, they still count as sci-fi. Also, not all sci-fi is about space, space ships, or aliens. If you think your book is sci-fi, make your case. It may be.

In two sittings I have read Skellig by David Almond I could have read in one, but I wanted to experience this story at little bit more slowly. I am down for reading more David Almond novels, particularly for Deweys.

Blue Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson- yet another sci-fi book in which we get to see a London under water due to rising sea levels. :) I was sooo hoping Ann would get eaten by the polar bear, but oh well... Not a bad book, decent tie off to the trilogy.

The Hydrogen Sonata, by Iain M. Banks. A whole interstellar civilization is about to sublime into another dimensional existence, but they get a message that perhaps the holy book that has guided them for all this time is a fake sent to them as a twisted sociology experiment. A bunch of intelligent spacecraft take on the task of confirming this message before the subliming happens.

Welcome to the Monkey House.
This is a collection of short stories by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. previously published elsewhere. Most of these stories are dystopian. One is about space travel.

All the stories feel familiar, like I have read them before. I checked with my forever friend who says she has a copy andnthat likely I borrowed it eons ago. Very likely.

Feels dated. Still enjoyed.
3 Stars

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

Literary awards
Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novella (2022), Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novella (2021), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Science Fiction (2021)

Finally got round to this and almost read it in one sitting (160 pages). This was such a feel-good story, a fictional hug by Becky Chambers. Tea monk Dex seeks meaning in their life and finds an interesting travel companion in a robot. So good! I will definitely read the sequel… next year.

just finished The Kaiju Preservation Society! oh my goodness it was so much fun. great take on the multiverse that's popular right now. short, fast, fun. loved it!

Explorer by C.J. Cherryh,

The finale of the second trilogy. And it was a great finale. Quite a lot of action, pretty exciting. Everything that came before this was a great read as well.

The Nox — 2045, the Arctic Circle. A crew of six aboard the research vessel, The Nox, embark upon a voyage through the melting ice and Arctic dark in search of the last of the polar bears. The mission represents a ray of hope in a world ravaged by climate change, but it quickly becomes clear that some on board are in search of more than bears....

The Rapture of the Nerds, by Cory Doctorow. This is a sci-fi thriller, in which a person named Huw emerges from a party with a mark on his forehead that if real says he is contaminated and infectious, and the events that follow make him the one person who might be able to save the whole human species.

Trackers - what would happen if an EMP was set off in the United States? This question serves the basis of the Tacket series (the author worked for Iowa department of homeland security doing disaster response so there is a serious relent of realism)

The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard — A look at the near future after an astronomical disaster, leading to a large-scale climate change and flooding of the world.

Very reflective, with great imagery and an interesting take on mental regression, brought on by nature returning to an earlier geological age. From my edition‘s introduction: “haunting tale of de-evolution amid the fetid swamps and submarine cities of a second Triassic Age…“

I liked the first half, aka the setting of the scene, but the later part felt a bit…. too slow and esoteric?

Wrong Place Wrong Time- this was a 2.75 star read for me

The Hunted - book 2 in a series about waht if an EMP was detonated over the US - I apparently bought the box set in audio form a few years ago (lol!) - 3.5 stars

Dramocles: An Intergalactic Soap Opera it's all over the place!

Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café
Before Your Memory Fades
Plague (dystopian/sci fi)
Fear (dystopian/sci fi)
Light (dystopian/sci fi)
Sphere

The Ellimist Chronicles by K.A. Applegate

Aliens Don't Wear Braces (The Bailey School Kids #7) by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones

Generally I'd put The Bailey School Kids in fantasy, but this one's about an alien so I'm putting it here.

The War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi. This YA novel presents as sci-fi although the science in it doesn’t feel terribly realistic. The author writes a future where the Nigerian Civil War is happening with giant mech armors. I wanted to like this novel because the author really emphasizes the horrors of war, including child soldiers, but overall this book fell flat. I think he tried to throw too many elements in. For an example one fight scene has giant mecha, then brigands on dirt bikes, then a sandstorm and radiated giant animals. The emotional impact was lost in the cram of ideas.

Artemis by Andy Weir

The Drift (dysoptian/sci fi)
Star Wars: The Princess and the Scoundrel (sci fi/romance)

Nov-Dec 22: 2 SF

Foundation by Isaac Asimov 15/11 3.5★
Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey 30/11 3★

Sunrise (post-apocalyptic/sci fi)
Darla's Story (post-apocalyptic/sci fi)
Contact

The Candy House I think this can go here and in literary fiction

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long

Sea of Tranquility

Another Dimension of Us

Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame by Meg Long

The Hermes Protocol

Клара и Солнце - what a beautiful story and a commentary on humanity

To Hold Up the Sky - an excellent collection of short stories, my second from this author

Hive by Jeremiah Ukponrefe - set on a dystopian Earth after an alien invasion

The Ferryman (sci fi/dystopian)

Chew, Vol. 4: Flambé (sci fi/dystopian)