Space Opera Fans discussion

This thread is for nominations for READER category for March 2025.

READER books need to be
* currently in print in either hardback or paperback (or both). Requiring a special order from a store or website counts, but not if the book is only available used.
* currently available in multiple ebook formats, from multiple vendors
* Space Opera, which means a spaceship has to be involved in the story somewhere.
* If it is part of a series, it needs to be suitable to being read without having read other books in the series.
* Please no blatantly erotic books, as some of our members are not full adults yet.

RULES:
* you may nominate one book on this thread.
* you may second as many nominations as you like on this thread.
* it is okay to nominate the same book on more than one nomination thread, as long as it meets the criteria
* books we already have on our bookshelf will be disqualified if they were added less than two years ago
* If a book you nominate or second is selected, you are expected to post at least one comment about it on the thread about the book.
* On the 22nd I will draw a book randomly, with each second being one raffle ticket for the book. That is, a book with three seconds (so four of us want it) will get three chances in the pool.

It is likely helpful if you know something about a book that has been nominated if you mention it in this thread, whether it is for or against the book.

I nominate Diviner's Bow by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. It is scheduled for release on April 1. We read Ribbon Dance not too long ago.

Second Diviner’s Bow. I have NOT read the eARC but I’m sure it’s going to be good.

I'd like to nominate Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee please.

This is Book 1 of the "Machineries of Empire" series -

NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR - WINNER OF THE 2016 LOCUS AWARD - NOMINATED FOR THE HUGO, NEBULA AND ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARDS.

When Captain Kel Cheris of the hexarchate is disgraced for her unconventional tactics, Kel Command gives her a chance to redeem herself by retaking the Fortress of Scattered Needles from the heretics. Cheris’s career isn’t the only thing at stake: if the fortress falls, the hexarchate itself might be next.

Cheris’s best hope is to ally with the undead tactician Shuos Jedao. The good news is that Jedao has never lost a battle, and he may be the only one who can figure out how to successfully besiege the fortress. The bad news is that Jedao went mad in his first life and massacred two armies, one of them his own.

As the siege wears on, Cheris must decide how far she can trust Jedao – because she might be his next victim.

‘Starship Troopers meets Apocalypse Now – and they’ve put Kurtz in charge... An unmissable debut.’ - Stephen Baxter

‘I love Yoon’s work! Full of battles and political intrigue, in a beautifully built far-future that manages to be human and alien at the same time.’ - Ann Leckie

In support of Ninefox Gambit, not only have we never read this book, the group has never read this author - who looks worthy of our attention.

"Since his first sale in 1999, Lee has published short fiction in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Clarkesworld, Lightspeed and elsewhere. Three of his stories have been reprinted in Gardner Dozois's The Year's Best Science Fiction anthologies. Dozois wrote that Lee is "one of those helping to move science fiction into the twenty-first century".

Aliette de Bodard wrote the introduction for Conservation of Shadows and has twice recommended one of Lee's stories in her best of year-round-ups: she selected "Ghostweight" as a favorite of 2011 and "The Knight of Chains, the Deuce of Stars" was chosen in her 2013 eligibility and recommendations post as "the one that most blew me away this year". "Flower, Mercy, Needle, Chain" and "Ghostweight" were both nominated for the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award and Locus Award and were both reprinted in two "Year's Best" anthologies. "The Pirate Captain's Daughter" was nominated for the WSFA Small Press Award.

His debut novel, Ninefox Gambit, received the 2017 Locus Award for Best First Novel. It was also nominated for the 2016 Nebula and Hugo Awards for Best Novel and the 2017 Clarke award. Revenant Gun, the third novel in the Machineries of Empire series, was nominated for a 2019 Hugo Award.

Dragon Pearl, the first book of the middle grade Thousand Worlds series, was released on January 15, 2019, and published by Disney Hyperion under the "Rick Riordan Presents" publishing imprint and became a New York Times bestseller. Dragon Pearl won the 2020 Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book and the 2020 Mythopoeic Award for Children's Literature. It was a finalist for the 2020 Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book and the 2019 Andre Norton Award."

I’ll second Ninefox Gambit. Read it in February and would love to discuss with the folks in this group.

Summary so far:
Diviner's Bow by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Nominated by Audrey. Seconded by Teresa.
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee. Nominated by John. Seconded by Caitlin.

Excellent - it always adds excitement to this part of the month when we have a contest!

And if we don’t get a Limited book seconded perhaps we can just pick both of these.

Ach, now I'm torn, Teresa - I like the idea of reading both of these nominations, but I'm also keen to read the "Limited" nomination. Still, I suppose I could read these three - plus a culture series choice - in April, and keep Red Mars for another month.

John wrote: "I'd like to nominate Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee please.

This is Book 1 of the "Machineries of Empire" series -

NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR - WINNER OF ..."
Dang that is quite a resume. Looks awesome.

Jen wrote: "Dang that is quite a resume. Looks awesome.

Why not second it Jen? (And if you got locked in another nunnery, you'd have lots of time to read it!)

Nominations are now closed. Since we didn’t get a Limited second, I’m going to do a double Reader pick, so both the books seconded here are chosen.