Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

Thanks to Angie, here's the filled out list!

B1: Female Leader ~ Defiant
B2: Published in 2024 ~ Powerful
B3: Published Before 1960 ~ A Crystal Age: A Dystopia
B4: Steampunk ~ The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man
B5: Features an Animal ~ Watership Down: The Graphic Novel

I1: New to You Author ~ The Book of Three
I2: Based on a Game ~ The Book of Atrus
I3: Dystopia ~ The Maze Runner
I4: Indie Author ~ Clockwork Twist: Depth
I5: Start a Spinoff Series ~ The Emperor's Wolves

N1: A Ghost Story ~ A Fine and Private Place
N2: Located in Asia ~ Smoke in the Sun
N3: FREE ~ Deserter
N4: Military SFF ~ The First Casualty
N5: Anthology ~ Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Ghosts

G1: More Than 1K Pages ~ Speaking Bones
G2: Arthurian ~ Mordred, Bastard Son
G3: Alternate Form ~ Brave New World: A Graphic Novel
G4: Features a Magical Building ~ Piranesi
G5: Title Contains a Color ~ The Black Cauldron

O1: Translated ~ La Fin des Dieux
O2: Features a Performer ~ The Night Circus
O3: Time Travel ~ Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon
O4: Award Winner ~ The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack
O5: Alternate History ~ The Secret of Abdu El-Yezdi

Here is what I have so far.

B1: Female Leader ~
B2: Published in 2024 ~ Floating Hotel or Space Oddity
B3: Published Before 1960 ~ Player Piano
B4: Steampunk ~ A Master of Djinn
B5: Features an Animal ~A Night in the Lonesome October

I1: New to You Author ~ The 13 Clocks
I2: Based on a Game ~ The Silver Eyes
I3: Dystopia ~ Logan's Run
I4: Indie Author ~ The Road to Farringale
I5: Start a Spinoff Series ~ Homeland

N1: A Ghost Story ~ A Christmas Carol
N2: Located in Asia ~
N3: FREE ~ Starter Villain?
N4: Military SFF ~ On Basilisk Station
N5: Anthology ~

G1: More Than 1K Pages ~
G2: Arthurian ~
G3: Alternate Form ~ Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore: The Original Screenplay
G4: Features a Magical Building ~ Clean Sweep
G5: Title Contains a Color ~ The Picture of Dorian Gray

O1: Translated ~ Planet of the Apes
O2: Features a Performer ~ Discount Armageddon
O3: Time Travel ~ The Man Who Folded Himself
O4: Award Winner ~ American Gods
O5: Alternate History ~ His Majesty's Dragon

I apparently plan to read a lot of nominees, but only managed to find one actual award winner. I also thought I might have the 1960 one but the closest I got was 1964. I know my eReader has a lot of old SF so I'm sure I'll find something there, along with the FREE slot.

The new author has so many options I'm just waiting to see which one I read first. Similar with the 2024 one, will wait and see what gets published.

Finally for Alt History, I'm also thinking of His Majesty's Dragon, it will be a re-read but I want to start over before I complete the series, maybe I'll do a dragon theme next yet. A long way off so leaving that one blank for now...

Still very tentative, but potential Bingo 2024 options:

B1: Female Leader - Age of Ash
B2: Published in 2024
B3: Published Before 1960 - There were some but used them for other squares
B4: Steampunk
B5: Features an Animal

I1: New to You Author - Elric of Melniboné
I2: Based On A Game - The Ghost King
I3: Dystopia - The Machine Stops
I4: Indie Author
I5: Start a Spinoff Series

N1: A Ghost Story - Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories - mostly traditional horror ghost stories, but a couple have a bit of a sff flavour to them.
N2: Located in Asia
N3: FREE
N4: Military SFF
N5: Anthology - Used for another square

G1: More Than 1K Pages
G2: Arthurian
G3: Alternate Form
G4: Features a Magical Building - The Fortress of the Pearl
G5: Title Contains a Color - The Weird of the White Wolf

O1: Translated
O2: Features a Performer
O3: Time Travel - The Sailor on the Seas of Fate
O4: Award Winner A Scanner Darkly
O5: Alternate History

Maybe you could reread Stormlight :)

I have a couple of ideas 😀
For I5: A Call to Duty by David Weber. It is part of a spin off/Prequel to his Honorverse books. You don't need to have read those to get it. 4 books long atm.
N3: Baen books has a couple of free books on their website. Fantasy and Sci-Fi.
O1: I'm Waiting for You and Other Stories
O5: The Man in the High Castle or The Calculating Stars come to mind.

Michelle wrote: "Maybe you could reread Stormlight :)"

Lol, true! Although I will say, though I definitely enjoyed the series so far, I'm not sure its reread material for me! I was thinking I could do a reread of Tigana for that square, but apparently it is only 700-some pages. Similarly, many of the other books I thought might hit 1k are apparently in the 700-900 page range instead. I'll have to snoop what others here enter throughout the year, for some inspiration lol

Stormlight 5 comes out in 2024 and will undoubtedly be 1000+ pages

Andy wrote: "Stormlight 5 comes out in 2024 and will undoubtedly be 1000+ pages"

Indeed, though it will only be the hardcover. We will likely only get the mass market paperback here in Canada 2-ish years later, so I shall wait.

NekroRider wrote: Similarly, many of the other books I thought might hit 1k are apparently in the 700-900 page range instead."

Yeah, I thought 1K would be relatively easy but most of the ones I thought for sure would make it, were only in the 900's, whoops. Good to know Stormlight is available for other readers at least. I must admit I too wouldn't re-read such a long book just one year later :o)

I've got most of my things tentatively planned. I'm still thinking about Located in Asia. I've found quite a few Asian-inspired books, but I'm not sure they're actually set in Asia.

I'm kicking around Under the Dome for 1k. It just skids in over the 1k mark at 1074 pages.

Arthurian will be pretty easy, and I have lots of options for free book.

B1: Female Leader ~ Cress
B2: Published in 2024 ~ Winter Lost
B3: Published Before 1960 ~ The Day of the Triffids
B4: Steampunk ~ Fever Crumb
B5: Features an Animal ~ Third Grave Dead Ahead

I1: New to You Author ~ Untethered Sky
I2: Based on a Game ~ The Book of Atrus
I3: Dystopia ~ The Last BeekeeperThe Preserve
I4: Indie Author ~ Nice Dragons Finish Last
I5: Start a Spinoff Series ~ Blood of the Earth

N1: A Ghost Story ~ Constable & Toop
N2: Located in Asia ~ The Fox Wife
N3: free ~ Flame in the Dark
N4: Military SFF ~ You Sexy Thing
N5: Anthology ~ Home Improvement: Undead Edition

G1: More Than 1K Pages ~ The Deed of Paksenarrion omnibus
G2: Arthurian ~ Here Lies Arthur
G3: Alternate Form ~Half Magic
G4: Features a Magical Building ~ Magical Midlife Dating
G5: Title Contains a Color ~ Doctor Who: The Crimson Horror

O1: Translated ~ Oracle
O2: Features a Performer ~ The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina
O3: Time Travel ~ Time Trials
O4: Award Winner ~ White Trash Warlock
O5: Alternate History ~ The Calculating Stars

Nearly halfway through the challenge, and like every other year, I still haven't managed a BINGO yet. I seem to be pretty good at just randomly picking the books without even trying, almost as if on purpose to avoid completing a single row or column :)

Hey, nice timing, halfway through the year, halfway through the challenge. Not bad.

Almost half-way through the year and I have only completed 6 books on my Bingo card so far, so I need to concentrate my reading a bit more.

I just finished the last book I plan to read for this year's challenge. I may decide to read the 1000 page book this group has recommended, but I rather doubt I will. It's the middle of August, so I have time to change my mind. Otherwise, I enjoyed another great Bingo challenge!

I have finished the 13th book counting towards this year's Bingo, so I am past the halfway point - still no columns or rows completed.

With book 14, Piranesi, I completed my first row. Tony your next book will likely be the one you need as well, at some point it gets impossible not to complete at least one row or column.

It is possible to finish 20 books without completing any rows or columns - but you would probably have to plan it.

I'm always impressed how I get to at least the halfway point without getting any, and without any advance planning, it just seems to happen every time. But no, 20 would be hard.

17 books completed and still no completed rows or columns, and I expect it won't be until the 20th book that I complete the first of them. Of the 8 books remaining, I have made choices for 5 of them. It would seem I'm still running a little behind the clock, but as I have read nearly 900 pages of my more than 1,000 pages choice, I feel that puts me pretty much on target - although my choice for that slot does have nearly 1,500 pages.

Forgot to fill in The Night Circus, that completed my second BINGO by filling in a column.

I then realized the graphic novel version of Watership Down was a perfect match for the alternate form slot, so that filled a row and got me a third BINGO.

I'm still behind schedule by 1 book, and I still need to tackle the 1k+ slot, I know what I want to put in it, that's not the problem, just need to get around to it!

With the completion of One-Eyed Jacks, the 20th book in my Bingo card for this year, I have still only completed one row (row 4) and one column (column N), although almost every book from now on will complete another row or column, or both.

I'm 2/3rds of the way through my 1000+ page entry, although I have lost interest, so it will be a struggle to finish. I have a novel chosen for published in 2024, features an animal can be filled by almost any cozy mystery, and I have a wide choice in my ebook library for dystopian. I'm still not sure what to read for features a performer, but I expect it won't be too hard to find a fantasy that has a bard.

Wow, Tony! That is amazing. You couldn't have planned it strategically to read 20 books and only have 2 bingo's!

Hi Tony. If you are looking for a book with a bard, I can recommend the Alaric the Bard series from Phyllis Eisenstein.

Ok, jiggled things a bit and moved Watership Down Graphic Novel to be Features an Animal (I had something else there but the year is running out of time, plus it was a duology and I really can't fit two more in) and put the Brave New World Graphic Novel to take the Alternate Form slot.

I've got 8 more to go...and I just realized my 1k+ book is the last in a quartet of books that all reach around 900 so I'm really gonna have to work hard to get to that one!

I think can fill two more slots just by looking at what I've already read this year, and I have my ghost story planned for this month.

The Arthurian one is an interesting challenge in that I'm not sure where I put that book, I think its buried in the back of my closet so its been waiting for me to do some cleanup in there. I do have a backup since I found La Morte D'Arthur in a book exchange box but that's a much bigger denser book to read and with time running out, I'd rather go with the quick and easy one!

Finishing The Chrysalids as my dystopian entry completes another row (row 3) and another column (column I). 4 books to go.

Checked off two more slots but didn't get any BINGO's from them. 6 more books to go

Nightingale's Lament fills the Features a Performer slot and also completes the O column. Three books to go, but three rows and two columns still unfinished.

Eulogy Of Planet Earth: TRUMP - ENDGAME POLITICS fills the written in 2024 slot, which completes row 2. I have now completed rows 2, 3, and 4, and columns I, N, and O.

Complete Stories of Oz fills the 1000+ pages Bingo slot and also completes row 1 and column G. One book to go and that will complete the last row (5) and last column (B).

Smoke in the Sun completes all the N's, I've got 5 more to go but I'm pretty sure I've got some graphic novel that will fill the 2024 slot, I don't think I managed any novels published this year.

Summon the Keeper completes my Bingo card for this year.

B1 - Female Leader - The Legend of Bold Riley
B2 - Published 2024 - Eulogy of Planet Earth
B3 - Published before 1960 - Childhood's End
B4 - Steampunk - The Difference Engine
B5 - Features an Animal - Summon the Keeper

I1 - Author new to me - Sarah Lotz (The Three)
I2 - Based on a Game - Wrath of N'Kai (Arkham Horror)
I3 - Dystopian - The Chrysalids
I4 - Indie author - Emergent Mars
I5 - Spinoff Series - Once Dead

N1 - Ghost Story - Spirit of Cahir Mullach
N2 - Located in Asia - The Three-Body Problem
N3 - Free - Wolves of the Northern Rift
N4 - Military SFF - The Forever War
N5 - Anthology - Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks

G1 - 1,000+ pages - Complete Stories of Oz
G2 - Arthurian - The Follies of Sir Harald
G3 - Alternate Form - Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows (audiobook)
G4 - Magical Building - The Perfect Brew
G5 - Title Contains a Colour - Little Green Men

O1 - Translated - The Dark Forest
O2 - Features a Performer - Nightingale's Lament
O3 - Time Travel - The Ottoman Secret
O4 - Award Winner - Death's End
O5 - Alternate History - Red Inferno 1945

Found my 2024, I had read Powerful, a novella but still a decent number of pages (over 200) so feels less like cheating than a graphic novel does (not that GN's are cheating). That completes all my B's, with four more books to go.

I'm not sure I'd consider 200 pages a novella at all - I read a lot of novels in the 60s and 70s that weren't 200 pages.

Completed all the 2's. Three more to go with two of them pretty short and one of them an epic 1k+

I haven't completed a line yet. I need a 'Based on a Board Game' and 'Arthurian to finish I and G.

It probably doesn't have to be based on a board game - I think any game would do, and there are plenty of books based on role-playing games like D&D. Or even based on a wargame, like the Warhammer 40K or Warhammer fantasy novels

Andrea has started a thread to discuss the categories for next year's Bingo

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

Susan wrote: "I haven't completed a line yet. I need a 'Based on a Board Game' and 'Arthurian to finish I and G."

I read a book based on the computer game Myst.

Susan wrote: "I haven't completed a line yet. I need a 'Based on a Board Game' and 'Arthurian to finish I and G."

For the Arthurian title, I recommend Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch, a retelling of Morgan le Fay.

Andrea wrote: "Susan wrote: "I haven't completed a line yet. I need a 'Based on a Board Game' and 'Arthurian to finish I and G."

I read a book based on the computer game Myst."
That is what I read, also!

Georgann wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Susan wrote: "I haven't completed a line yet. I need a 'Based on a Board Game' and 'Arthurian to finish I and G."

I read a book based on the computer game Myst."
That is what I read..."

I planned to read the other two but ran out of time this year, will address that next year :). Hmm, maybe "features a book" since those were key to the Myst worldbuilding, but still broad enough to cover a lot of other Fantasy (SF not so much). Its also a "portal" story but think we did that not long ago. Just brainstorming ideas since I'll be reading it anyway might as well have it fill a slot ;)

Hmm, it has a very Atlantis like lost city...maybe the Atlantis option can be broadened to Lost City/Ruined Civilization in general, will see, I do like that have a few specific "harder" slots along with the very broad easy to fill ones (umm...but no 1k page ones, even I haven't gotten to mine yet)

Good idea! Don't you make the bingo board? Definitely an advantage. Ha! Good for you!

Yeah, I'm the one that makes so of course I try to match to the books I'm planning to read ;) But sometimes I toss in unexpected ones too, like say that Atlantis one (I do have the Rick Riordan one, maybe I'll add to next years to-read). I'll see how the card develops with the various suggestions I'm getting here.

I'm hoping to add 1 more by end of year. I didn't fill it but didn't do too bad:

B1 - Female Leader - The Fourth Wing
B2 - Published 2024 - Sunbringer
B3 - Pre 1960 - The Underground City
B4 - Steampunk -
B5 - Features an Animal - Children of Time

I1 - Author new to me - The Tide, Anthony J. Melchiorri
I2 - Based on a Game - Epic
I3 - Dystopian - Five Trives
I4 - Indie author - Blood of the Lion - CD McKenna
I5 - Spinoff Series - I am Number 4: The Lost Files

N1 - Ghost Story - The Ghost of Marlow House
N2 - Located in Asia -
N3 - Free - All Systems Red
N4 - Military SFF -
N5 - Anthology -

G1 - 1,000+ pages - Rhythm of War
G2 - Arthurian - The Betrayed
G3 - Alternate Form - The Sandman Vol 1
G4 - Magical Building - Echo North
G5 - Title Contains a Colour - Red Rising

O1 - Translated -
O2 - Features a Performer -
O3 - Time Travel -
O4 - Award Winner -
O5 - Alternate History -

Susan wrote: "I'm hoping to add 1 more by end of year. I didn't fill it but didn't do too bad:
"

Definitely not bad if you got the 1k book! Still working on mine, I'm a mere 100 pages in so far so still a ways to go.

Think that was my final edit of the year on my original post. Not a great Bingo year this time, usually I get at least one 😅 Oh well, still fun!

Whew, finished the 1k pages, with just enough time left over for the Title Contains a Colour on the very last day of the year. Considering I design these cards for my own planned reading I seem to struggle a bit to get it completed!

Its one thing to plan out your reading January of one year, but then things change, something in the library catches your eye, or something just turned out to take longer than you expected, or you had less reading time than you thought you would. Though this year I can't blame lack of reading time, I read a lot, darn library tempting me to stray from my planned path.... ;)

With an hour and a half to go, completed the last BINGO slot with The Black Cauldron!

Woot! Andrea!! WTG!