SF/F Read Alongs discussion

If there's any particular book or series you'd like to do a read-along for, post it here! Also, let us know if you're keen on any of the other suggestions so we can see where the interest lies.

Frank Herbert's Dune

The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells (The Cloud Roads) because I've been meaning to read it for soooooooooo long and it looks cool ;-)

Has anyone ever read K.J. Parker?

His/her (the author's gender remains a secret) short stories are AMAZING, and I've just started reading one of the trilogies. The characters are complex, the worldbuilding is very detailed, and the plot seems to be the kind of thing you could argue about forever because you're not sure who should win.

I think most of their fiction is set in the same world too, so it'll become more layered the more you read.

I've wanted to do a readalong for Susan Cooper's Seaward since they reprinted it, but always fail on the coming up with questions part. (It'd be a reread for me.)

And I second Anya's interest in The Cloud Roads! ^_^ I've been meaning to read it for aaaaaaaaages.

This one has been on my TBR list forever as well. I would be up for a read along on this one!

I haven't heard of this author but his/her stuff sounds good.

ooo! I read Cooper's Ghost Hawk which was more historical fiction, though there was a ghost involved. I would like to try her fantasy books at some point.

So K.J. Parker has just been revealed to be the author Tom Holt. Anyone more keen on reading him now? :D

Lauren wrote: "So K.J. Parker has just been revealed to be the author Tom Holt. Anyone more keen on reading him now? :D"

I have heard of his work (Who's afraid of Beowulf?) but haven't read anything by him. I'm always up for exploring new-to-me authors.

I have one of his books lying around here somewhere, I'm sure of it. Haven't read it yet, but hey - any excuse! ;-)

Some of us doing the Two Serpents Rise readlong noted an interest in also doing a Full Fathom Five readalong, so I wanted to note it here as a point for discussion. Anyone interested in a readalong of Gladstone's Full Fathom Five? It's about 384 pages long, so it'll be a 3-to-4 week readalong.

Right now, several of us are just getting started on the Kushiel's Dart readalong or have otherwise busy schedules for a while, so I'd suggest maybe leaving FFF until July when Kushiel's Dart comes to an end? I know that's pretty far into the future as readalongs go. Too far, not far enough, exactly right?

I'd be happy to take on any required hosting duties, though since May is already making my head spin (T_T) I'm not available until at least June myself.

I'm good with waiting a bit until FFF :). I can help host then too since I'll be free from classes!

I'd be happy with waiting until July; it gives me a better chance of being able to take part and maybe host.

I'm cool with waiting until July too. Plus, that is when Book 4 is released, so a read along for Book 3 around that time could be great for the author with his release of the new book.

At some point, I'd love to have a group read for Seanan McGuire's October Daye series, which starts with Rosemary and Rue.

I'd also be interested in Mary Robinette Kowal's series that begins with Shades of Milk and Honey.

Susan wrote: "Frank Herbert's Dune"

I'd be all for a group read of Dune. :)

Michael wrote: "I'd also be interested in Mary Robinette Kowal's series that begins with Shades of Milk and Honey. "

That's something I've been meaning to read too.

Susan wrote: "I'm cool with waiting until July too. Plus, that is when Book 4 is released, so a read along for Book 3 around that time could be great for the author with his release of the new book."

That works for me too. :)

Michael wrote: "At some point, I'd love to have a group read for Seanan McGuire's October Daye series, which starts with Rosemary and Rue.

I'd also be interested in [author:Mary ..."

Oooh, yes to both of these. I love Seanan's books, and Shades of Milk and Honey is a wonderful book - though I haven't read the sequels yet, I plan to get the audiobooks.

Anya wrote: "The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells (The Cloud Roads) because I've been meaning to read it for soooooooooo long and it looks cool ;-)"

Oooh, this does look cool! I'd be up for reading this.

Also, as a suggestion of my own, I'd love to do a readalong for something by Kate Elliot. She's written a few series/trilogies, and I think I'm open to any one of them - I'm completely new to her stuff but it seems to mostly fit in the vein of epic fantasy?

I think that's more or less settled on the "Full Fathom Five" readalong, then? Should I make a new topic to discuss the timing and the schedule?

Lauren wrote: "Michael wrote: "I'd also be interested in Mary Robinette Kowal's series that begins with Shades of Milk and Honey. "

That's something I've been meaning to read too."

Me three!

Lisa wrote: Also, as a suggestion of my own, I'd love to do a readalong for something by Kate Elliot. She's written a few series/trilogies, and I think I'm open to any one of them - I'm completely new to her stuff but it seems to mostly fit in the vein of epic fantasy?

I think most of it does? I'd be up for it if I could get a copy of the book(s) and the description piqued my interest. ^_^ I've heard her name fairly often, but I haven't really looked into her works closely for some reason.

I'd like to join in for the FFF readalong! I have also recently bought Shades of Milk and Honey, so I could easily save that one for a readalong.

If we do the FFF readalong in July, I may actually have time before then to finally get to Two Serpants Rising, so I'm tentatively interested. I'd be up for a Seanan McGuire reading too.

I'd be up for Seanan McGuire and Dune as well. Maybe we should have a vote once we're done with Kushiel's Dart?

Yes, I think we should set up a poll at some stage.

In the meantime, keep the suggestions coming! This thread could also be great for adding to that towering tbr pile :)

Anyone still up for a readalong of Full Fathom Five in July?

Absolutely!

Yay! ^_^ Should we start up a new thread for it in preparation? (And does anyone have a copy with page numbers we could use to make the schedule? ^_^; )

I'm still in for that as well!

I have FFF though it's currently packed, I'll try to find it this weekend ;)

Another suggestion - I think the release date is still to be decided, but I'd love to do a readalong for Scott Lynch's The Thorn of Emberlain when it comes out (possibly in September)... Anyone up for that?

Lisa wrote: "Another suggestion - I think the release date is still to be decided, but I'd love to do a readalong for Scott Lynch's The Thorn of Emberlain when it comes out (possibly in September)... Anyone up ..."

I loved the readalong for book 3, so I'm definitely in! Although god knows if it'll actually be released in September. Or this year.

Lauren wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Another suggestion - I think the release date is still to be decided, but I'd love to do a readalong for Scott Lynch's The Thorn of Emberlain when it comes out (possibly in September)...."

I know Gollancz have said they're aiming for a September release, though there's been nothing official about a date announced yet. I'm keeping an eye out for one...

I'm in for Scott lynch!

I'm in for Scott lynch!

Oooh, I'd be VERY up for a re-read of all these titles previously mentioned:
The Cloud Roads
Shades of Milk and Honey
Dune
Rosemary and Rue

Scott Lynch... maybe! Need to catch up first, only read the first one.

The audiobooks are great if you like those :D

Re: Emma's last comment, I'd be up for a read of The Cloud Roads or Mary/Seanan, but I was a bit underwhelmed by Dune when I read it so... *Ducks and runs*

Anya wrote: "The audiobooks are great if you like those :D"

The October Daye audiobooks are also really good - and narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal, whose voice I am now in love with. ;)

Lisa wrote: "The October Daye audiobooks are also really good - and narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal, whose voice I am now in love with. ;)"

I've listened to two short story podcasts she narrated – love her performance!

Empire Ascendant, the second book in the Worldbreaker Saga by Kameron Hurley is now available for request on NetGalley, and is due to be published in October. Anyone up for a read of book 1 The Mirror Empire, followed by book 2?

I'd be up for a read of The Mirror Empire, definitely! (Won't know about book 2 until I get a good chunk of the first read, I'm afraid. ^_^;; )

I've already read book one and am not able to reread something so dense at the moment ;)

I'd love to but at the moment I've got to agree with Anya. (I do, however, have that NetGalley ARC waiting for me!)

That's true – that book is a hectic read! I'll admit to suggesting a read-along partly to help me understand it all. You'll have to brace yourself if we do this Lynn :)

If it's that dense I might need to give it a sneakpeek to make sure I get along with the style, but allowing for that I'm sure it'd be fine. ^_^ I like dense from time to time. It's reading big, dense books to a schedule that'd really worry me, if I'm honest. ^_^;

It's not so much the style as the content. It's wildly different from other epic fantasy novels, with totally different genders, social structures, animals, plants, magic etc. Plus there are several different political systems that play a role in the plot, and multiple POV characters. It's great to depart from the norm, but it's a lot of work too.

I do think a read along might be good for properly breaking down and examining the various aspects of this one. Maybe it's best to wait until the current slate is clear? I know a few of us have two readalongs on the go right now.

On that note, there's a SciFi Month blogger event in November. Maybe then, depending on the chapter breakdowns?

Oh, that's good to know. I generally have no issues with any of that. ^_^ It's language use that's a frequent dealbreaker for me.

I'm good with most any time (unless circumstances change radically between now and then), so I'd be happy to defer the book to November. I think there's another scifi-themed challenge that runs in December and January too, but I'm blanking on the name. >>

If we stick to the "roughly 100 pages a week" that we've been doing for the readalongs of Gladstone's books, it'll probably take us about five weeks to complete. (According to my copy anyway. ^_^; )