Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

I had no job last month so I read a lot of stuff, but I just started a new job which means less reading - boo!

Last month I read -

I reread the entire Expanse series - the show inspired me, love this series

Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead - really liked this one

The Warded Man - liked it and will eventually continue the series.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - took me a bit to get into it, then it was fun.

Clean Sweep - fun, and not what I expected - a mix of urban fantasy and scifi

The Last Policeman, Countdown City, World of Trouble - this trilogy was excellent

Angel with the Sword - a reread, it's been a long time since I last read it, still good - I like Cherryh's style

and I just finished A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - another one I really liked and not quite what I expected

Up next is All the Birds in the Sky and then whatever else catches my eye.

For those interested in what's coming out in March,...

Tor.com lists:




SFSignal has a more comprehensive (including re-releases & new formats):

I've pre-orders The Last Mortal Bond, concludion of the Staveley's Unhewn Throne trilogy and Ken Liu's collection The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories.

For March, I am planning on finishing off His Majesty's Dragon, going to read Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn Vol 3 and take some whacks at the books listed on my currently reading shelf.

Update: I have finished reading His Majesty's Dragon and Pandora in the Crimson Shell vol 3. I finished rereading The Fellowship of the Ring. I had one chapter to go.

I am planning on starting to reread Enchanter's End Game. I am doing it because I read it thirty years ago and have forgotten the details of the ending.

Currently re-reading The Providence of Fire in preparation for the release of Staveley's latest, The Last Mortal Bond.

One of my favorite sub-genres is post apocalypse, so I'm surprised it took me so long to stumble across George R. Stewart's Earth Abides, first published in 1949. In about 100 pps, so far so good.

I've just started reading Neal Asher's Dark Intelligence:

I'm currently reading Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb. I struggled to get into it but its getting better. Its quite a long book so it will probably take me a while to get through it.

currently reading

For March I'm reading and in many cases re-reading all the Elizabeth Moon & Brandon Sanderson books I have. I may stray from this before I get threw them but so long as I'm enjoying the books then I'm happy happy!!

So, I had to set our contemporary read aside, because I got the ARC for Ken Liu's collection The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories which will appear tomorrow and had to read it until today. Read my review here.
G33z3r will buy it, of course. There even is a previously unpublished story in it!

Just started The Pillars of the World by Anne Bishop. Her stuff seems a little more lightweight then the books I've been reading recently, but nothing wrong with that!

Finished All the Birds in the Sky. Now reading Mind of My Mind as I work my way through Butler's Patternmaster series.

Patricia Briggs new Mercy Thompson Fire Touched!

Not reading yet, but I'm looking forward to the new Skyboat Media production of "The City On The Edge Of Forever" by Harlan Ellison. His version & side, not the original Star Trek episode. They've met their original Kick Starter goal & are now looking to expand the project. You can read about it & listen to a sample here:

Yesterday I finished The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Currently reading The Fellowship of the Ring and Redshirts.

Currently I'm reading Cyberbooks by Ben Bova who is one of my favorite sci-fi authors. It's about a man who invents a gadget that will revolutionize reading.

Well, I finished up de Boddard's The House of Shattered Wings. I mentioned last month setting it aside because I wasn't enthusiastic about fallen angel stories. Still not. Fallen Angels, of which there seem to be quite a few hanging around Paris, have banded together into "Houses" to play petty power games with one another. The plot starter is a newcomer who is actually a fallen from some Vietnamese pantheon, and doesn't fit into the usual post-angelic mold. Although set in Paris after the first World War, the story is so claustrophobic, set almost entirely within House Silver Spires, it could just as easily be any half-ruined city in most any time period.

Also finished Hugh Howey's Beacon 23. Like his Wool stories, this is a compilation of short stories set in a one-man space station used as an interstellar "lighthouse". I thought the first four sections were really entertaining light space opera, the concluding part 5 somewhat less so. At least it's more upbeat than Wool

I read the 2nd book of Nagata's military/cyberpunk sci-fi "The Red" trilogy, The Trials. About two thirds of the way through, my suspension of disbelief finally snapped with one heroic miracle too many. Not sure about reading the 3rd volume, even though it's already on my Kindle (from an Amazon sale.)

I wanted to read some of the Nebula Award nominated novella before the Hugo nomination deadline, so I picked up Cato's Wings of Sorrow and Bone. That turns out to be a follow-up to her Clockwork Dagger duology, and I hadn't previously gotten around to the 2nd book in that series.

So, read Cato's The Clockwork Crown, which continues the alternate world gaslight fantasy, has some excellent fantasy world building and a well-realized primary character, but a stereotyped romantic interest. I thought contorted itself to produce a happy ending. Still was definitely worth reading.

Then back to Wings of Sorrow and Bone which united some secondary characters from Clockwork Crown for a short, light adventure in animal rights activism.

Now, I can finally get started on Bennett's City of Blades, follow-up to 2014's excellent City of Stairs, which I've been dying to read since January. (And will be our group's contemporary fantasy novel discussion topic next week :).

So many books, so little time....

Calamity: Brandon Sanderson's final book of the Reckoners series.

I started the Blood Destiny Series four days ago from Connie Suttle and finished it yesterday. Now I'm about to start the God Wars series by the same author :)

Working on The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. I started it on audio from my library but had to return it before i was done, so i went to my other "library", my Dad. He's the one i got my love of sf/f from. He has the whole collection of Robert Jordan and also Asimov. When i borrowed Eye of the World I also borrowed more of the Foundation books. I'm set for a while now for reading material!!

Catherine wrote: "Working on The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan...."

That could be the start of a lengthy read. :)

Catherine wrote: "Working on The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. I started it on audio from my library but had to return it before i was done, so i went to my other "library", my Dad. ..."

I have read The Eye of the World twice. I liked it enough that I wrote a parody of it called "The Wheelie of Time".

I am currently wanting to reread The Lord of Chaos. I set it aside years ago and don't know where it got to.

I read Crown of Swords not long after it came out.

My Dad read Asimov, but as for high fantasy, he set aside The Hobbit and allowed me to add it to my library.

Finished Pillars of the World yesterday, and am now tearing through the sequel, Shadows and Light, thanks to a long train journey! I should finish it on the journey home tomorrow. At the moment it's okay-ish. It's undemanding fantasy with clear good guys and bad guys. I'll finish the trilogy, but I'm in no hurry to read it again (if at all).

Just received The Last Mortal Bond, and I'm 100 pages in. So excited!

Just started The House of Gaian, the last part of Tir Alainn Trilogy. It's okay without being gripping.

The Mechanical by Ian Tregillis

This novel from last year turned out to be quite engaging. Alternate history steampunk fused with a bit of fantasy has the Dutch Protestants using robots to drive the French Catholic monarchy off the continent and into exile in the New World. But sometimes, one of the Dutch robots slips its hierarchy of enslaving geas and finds itself with free will. France's only chance seems to be figuring out how to turn the mechanical slaves against their Dutch Masters. A free robot and some French spies make for interesting characters. The clockmakers lie.

Dang, this means I'll have to read the entire trilogy.

I read that they were making a movie of Steve Alten's Meg so I figured I'd pick up the book at the library. It was out so I went with The Omega Project. Got home and saw it rated a bit lower than Meg on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ and was hoping it wouldn't ruin Alten for me. Sometimes the first book I read from an author can unduly influence me....but....50 pages in and not bad.

My TBR for March
completed
Nalini Singh - Archangel's Shadows
Benedict Jacka - Hidden
Arthur C Clarke - The Fountains of Paradise
Samuel R Delany - The Ballad of Beta B
Samuel R Delaney - Empire Star
John Varley - The Ophiuchi Hotline
Mary Norton - The Borrowers Afield
Susan Cooper - The Grey King
Andre Norton - Uncharted Stars
Evan Hunter - Find the Feathered Serpent

still to read
Chloe Neill - Midnight Marked
Susan Cooper - Silver on the Tree

I'm now reading Noir by K.W. Jeter. Set in a future Los Angeles, it's about a man who's trying to investigate a murder.

Garyjn wrote: "I read that they were making a movie of Steve Alten's Meg so I figured I'd pick up the book at the library. It was out so I went with The Omega Project. Got home and saw it rated a bit lower than M..."

I read Meg after learning about it from a group of readers in an AOL chat room. I'll try not to spoil it for you. My response to it was to write a satire of it called "Mugged". If I really don't like a book, I will sometimes write a pastiche in the writer's style, making fun of the poor qualities of the writing.

Michele wrote: "I had no job last month so I read a lot of stuff, but I just started a new job which means less reading - boo!

Last month I read -

I reread the entire Expanse series - the show inspired me, love ..."
I've seen some of it on and may just read the series.

Red Rising Love the entire series. Currently reading Beacon 23: The Complete Novel I love so loved Wool Omnibus Howey is an amazing writer.

Halfway through Path into the Unknown: The Best of Soviet SF, Judith Merril's 1966 anthology. I've only really liked one story so far, but they have all at least been interesting.

Finished Andre Norton's Uncharted Stars.This is the sequel to The Zero Stones where Murdoc Jern attempted to find out why his father had been murdered,and tangled with the Guild and the Patrol who blacklist him from trading as a gem appraiser. Jern is linked telepathically to Eet, a strange mutant creature born from the ship's cat.In this engaging tale Jern and Eet continue to search for more of the Zero Stones,which have strange powers,while struggling to scrape a living. Finally Jern scrapes together enough to hire a disreputable and unreliable pilot for their ship,and after perilous contact with space pirates,he will finally reach the source of the stones,and solve the mystery of Eet's origins. Pleasant enough,but the ending was very rushed,too many developments packed into less than half a dozen pages,though there are some rather odd surprises there. All in all typical of Norton's engaging juvenile novels,with enough interesting world building and quirky relationships to keep the attention of adults. A fun read.

I'm listening to Titus Groan right now and didn't expect the satire and completely baroque writing style. It seems as though most of the writing is descriptive and not just succinctly descriptive but full of curlicues and flourishes and diversions and deep, dark rivulets. I am, though, beginning to wonder where the plot goes. I am having fun with it and find myself laughing out loud at times.

I finished Zero History by William Gibson. It was terrible. Gibson has really polished his prose over the last 30 years or so although to his detriment he favors long run-on sentences. Also he seems obsessed with lavish descriptions of hotel furnishings. He still hasn't figured out how to tell a decent story (I've read his best book Neuromancer at least three times but I'll be darned if I could tell you what it's about) and his endings are getting worse not better. My suggestion for improving his more recent work: "needs more ninjas" (which would actually improve most books, now that I think about it). I'll leave it at that.

I'm onto Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card, which is I think the 7th novel (publication order) in the Ender series and the 3rd book in the Bean/Shadow series. Some of Card's stuff gets too wordy, relying on lengthy character debates instead of action and I expect this one to fall into that category.

Coming up next: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I've just posted my review for Dark Intelligence by Neal Asher and it's a quality sci-fi read:

Read...


City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett
Which is our current Contemporary Novel discussion topic, and you can find my comments there.

Also read...
Patchwerk by David Tallerman
It's a stand-alone novella. I don't remember where I picked up the recommendation, but I didn't especially care for it. It's a concept story involving characters bouncing around between multiple parallel realities, but the lengthy, single action scene seemed way too boring for an action scene.

Was disappointed in Beth Cato's Clockwork Dagger prequel short story The Deepest Poison. Seemed perfunctory filling in material we are the new from the novel's backstory.

Also read the novel...
Saturn Run by John Sandford & Ctein
A race between US and Chinese to an alien artifact discovered around Saturn seems strangely reminiscent of Clarke's 2010: Odyssey Two, except with some updated technology and a bit more political thriller folded in. Okay, but not particularly special.

Saturn Run was the penultimate book I wanted to read before the Hugo nominations close, so if I can get to The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood by Thursday, I'll have finally completed my 2015 reading goals! :) 'cause I'm really eager to get started on 2016 already!

Just finished Maresi (review copy). As a short YA fantasy it took me one and a half days to plough through it. Fairly light but enjoyable.

I just finished Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey. Enjoyed the book and looking forward to reading the sequel.

I finally picked up the The Wheel of Time Companion. I wanted to get it hardcover, because all my WoT books are hardcover, and I had to order it because I couldn't find it locally.

Then it occurred to me, since it's really more an encyclopedia, it might've been better to get the e-book. Besides, I have the complete Wheel of Time ebook on my Kindle thanks to the Hugo packet a couple of years ago. And so now I'm thinking, gee, next time I reread WoT, I'll probably read the e-book, so all those hardcovers on the shelf are, what? Showpieces?

I'm reading Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay. I'm enjoying it, but prefer his novels that are wholly set in an imaginary world.

The Devil You Know by KJ Parker
is another of his fun stories (novella-length, a little over 100 pages.) A cranky old philosopher (Saloninus - Parker has referred to his books in previous stories) makes a deal with the devil (who appears to be a large corporation with many sales representatives in Parker's universe); the usual exchange of soul for another 20 years of youthful life and anything else he desires. As time goes on, the devil begins to suspect he's gotten the short end of the deal. Written in Parker's usual sparkling narration that's never shy about wandering off the main path for a while. I've been reading a Parker novella every month for over a year now, and they never seem to get old.

I read Collective Mind
It's my first sci-fi ever! I don't really think that I'll like this genre.
Now I'm here, with you and want to read more

Anna wrote: "I read Collective Mind
It's my first sci-fi ever! I don't really think that I'll like this genre.
Now I'm here, with you and want to read more"

Science fiction covers such a diverse range of stories that there's something for everyone :-)

Michael wrote: "Anna wrote: "I read Collective Mind
It's my first sci-fi ever! I don't really think that I'll like this genre.
Now I'm here, with you and want to read more"

Science fiction covers ..."

Can you advice me smth about medical experiments?

The Russian Sleep Experiment probably counts as horror more than sci-fi, but it's an excellent read.

Michael wrote: "The Russian Sleep Experiment probably counts as horror more than sci-fi, but it's an excellent read."

Oh, thanks lot! I'm Russian and your advice is very symbolic:)
By the way do you like russian literature itself?

I've not read a lot of Russian writing - Roadside Picnic and Metro 2033 are the examples that spring to mind.

I love Stanislaw Lem. His literature is amazing.