Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

We are starting Watership Down tomorrow June 1st.

ok that's today.

Yup.

I just finished Watership Down and I really like its world-building, especially the author's ideas about rabbit's culture, which is both human-like and alien at the same time. And I like how Hazel's achievements gradually become part of their mythology.

yeah and I like how General Woundwort is tied in with disipline and punishment and scaring babies from being bad.

I'm currently reading Excession by Iain M Banks. I've been reading sci-fi since I was a teenager (a while ago) and I can't understand how I've never come across The Culture novels before. My only explanation is that I read The Wasp Factory and (wrongly) assumed that that was his only thing. Shame on me! Excession is brilliant!

Ok, this topic is for talking about books you are currently reading.

Xdyj wrote: "Ok, this topic is for talking about books you are currently reading."

yep... and it looks like she's reading Excession to me (which seems relevant cf. the June posts ... Sci-fi & Heroic Fantasy = Watership Down? (good book but hmmm...))

Vicky - am sure you're going to love all of Banks' Culture Novels... enjoy.

fyi xdyj - am reading Oliver Twist at the moment but that also doesn't seem relevant to this thread/group... and it's very bleak... so best to just forget reading this last sentence... LOL

When I read Wizard of Earthsea years ago, it really opened my eyes to how much influence it had on later writers. Fun, quick read.

I am currently reading by Lizzy Ford.

Having to go on a brief reading hiatus as have to put my energies to other things for a few days. Whilst this is going on I am dipping into Adam Roberts The History of Science Fictionand a few short stories I have been meaning to read for a while such as Jeffrey Ford's The Natural History of Autumn and Joanna Russ' When it changed.

I just finished 2 very good SF, post-apocalyptic adventure books. Three by Jay Posey is very skillfully written with a neat world. It's not pure action, but character driven & subtle. While it is the first of a series, it stands alone just fine. My 4 star review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

In audio format, I just finished the 6th book of E.E. Knight's Vampire Earth series. No Count Draculas, but an SF/war series that follows one man. It's quite good & this book was no exception. Another 4 star review here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I typically read 2 books, at the same time, 1 physical, 1 digital.

Physical book: Vol'jin: Shadows of the Horde
Digital: A Kingdom Besieged.

I wanted a quick, entertaining read & found the Casca series on my shelves. It's been ages since I read any of them. If you're not familiar with the series,
https://www.goodreads.com/series/5120...
it follows Casca, the legionnaire who killed Christ as he was dying on the cross. Christ cursed Casca to be as he was until they met again. Sadler wrote a couple of dozen books with Casca fighting as a soldier, usually some sort of grunt, in different time periods. He gets killed occasionally, but always comes back to fight another day, so provides a lot of adventure.

Since Barry Sadler died, another dozen have been published. I read one & decided it wasn't for me, but 3 different authors have tried their hand at them, so one of the others might be better. I didn't care too much for many of the later ones that Sadler did, though. I prefer it when the book concentrates more on the history than on how tough/cool Casca is. Sadler did that best with the first & the 20th century ones from WWI up through Vietnam, as I recall. Panzer Soldier is possibly the best, IMO. I gave it 4 stars & reviewed it here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm going to start reading the next in chronological order, The Legionnaire at lunch.

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan (again). I haven't read A Memory of Light yet, so this is it - one last hurrah to the conclusion.

Ciara wrote: "The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan (again). I haven't read A Memory of Light yet, so this is it - one last hurrah to the conclusion."

I managed to time my "final" re-read of Wheel of Time such that when A Memory of Light arrived on January 7, I was ready to read! We had a Wheel of Time Discussion topic for fans of the series earlier this year. When you're finished (and I appreciate that's an awful lot of pages :) drop in and add your own thoughts, if you will. (Or for that matter, had your thoughts at any time! :)

I read CHARLOTTE TEMPLE by Susanna Rowson, which I reviewed here on Goodreads. I doubt anyone on this board will enjoy it. To cleanse my palate, I am rereading the entire run of TOP TEN, the graphic novel series. Then I am going to settle down, with palpitating excitement and notebook at the ready, to read two biographies of Dante back to back. And then, THEN, world, watch out. I will write a novel.

Just reading Ancillary Justice (37%).

It is sooo hard to get in. Lots of confusing confusing topics, mostly only hints, no direct explanations. Mixed with spacial and temporal jumps in a kind of spread-out stream-of-consciousness.
I don't know if the interesting ideas are worth the effort. Others have told me that things get rolling at around half the novel.

There seems to be a large hype behind that Ancillary Justice. And very different opinions.
Mine is here.

Now reading Zoey Rogue by Lizzy Ford. She is such a badass character! :)