Science Fiction Reading in July 2017

[Jo Zebedee]

Carving through St Mary's Chronicles by Jodi Taylor and very happy to be doing so

 

[Contrarius]

Carving through St Mary's Chronicles by Jodi Taylor and very happy to be doing so

Yeah? Are they good? I keep seeing them around -- I think I've even got one or two through various sales -- but I've never quite made the commitment to read or listen to em.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Yeah? Are they good? I keep seeing them around -- I think I've even got one or two through various sales -- but I've never quite made the commitment to read or listen to em.

I'm finding them tremendous fun. The first didn't blow my socks off but I enjoyed it enough to read on - four weeks later I have book 7 and 8 on order.... great fun, escapist and pacy.

 

[Contrarius]

Not too much like a ripoff of Connie Willis?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Not too much like a ripoff of Connie Willis?

I think this came up on another forum and the concensus was the tone was very different and wider historical periods were visited

 

[Contrarius]

I think this came up on another forum and the concensus was the tone was very different and wider historical periods were visited

Hmm. Thanks for the report!

 

[Prairie_Dog]

I just started Borne by Jeff Vandermeer. I liked the weirdness of his Southern Reach Triology, so I thought I'd give his newest novel a try. It seems to be a standalone work so far, which is refreshing these days.

 

[mylinar]

I put down 'Wool' after a few chapters. Not a thing wrong with it, and I will return to it soon. It was just not the right book for the moment. I then opened up 'Arkwright' by Allen Steele. This one has been a page turner, but not because of action or fast moving plot but just because this one does happen to fit my mood of the moment. This is the first book I've read of his and I will have to check out some others.

 

[Hobbit]

This one has been a page turner, but not because of action or fast moving plot but just because this one does happen to fit my mood of the moment. This is the first book I've read of his and I will have to check out some others.

If you like old-style SF, Arkwright is wonderful. Probably my favourite SF novel of last year. His version of Captain Future is good fun too!

 

[mylinar]

If you like old-style SF, Arkwright is wonderful. Probably my favourite SF novel of last year. His version of Captain Future is good fun too!

I used to read Fredrick Pohl's blog a few times a week and liked his stories and reminisces of the old days. The first part of the book reminds me of those, plus Fred is mentioned also. I know the book moves on into the future but I am liking Steele's writing and think the non-old days parts will be just as enjoyable.

 

[Hobbit]

I used to read Fredrick Pohl's blog a few times a week and liked his stories and reminisces of the old days. The first part of the book reminds me of those, plus Fred is mentioned also.

Yes. It's based on events at what is regarded as the first Hugo Worldcon. Fred was there, as was Asimov, I believe.

 

[Diosces]

Was a tough start with Ian McDonald's Luna but after frequent references to glossary and list of characters, I'm fully invested.
Almost finished, overall rich and interesting.

 

[Hobbit]

Almost finished, overall rich and interesting.

Oooh, big finish coming up!

 

[Diosces]

Yes, huge finish.
I see book 2 , LUNA :Wolf Moon is available.
Didn't fair as well in reviews as the first but got to get it!

 

[Westy]

Finished The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland - an SF/fantasy mash-up about the creation of D.O.D.O. (the Department of Diachronic Operations) and it's quest to bring magic back to the present.

This is a wildly clever, inventive and page-turner of a book - great characters (including witches), a story-line that keeps evolving but in interesting ways, the historical aspect of the time travel, the crazy and humorous acronyms of the DODO organisation, the list goes on.

It's rare that I would read a 700+ page book and not feel like it slows down anywhere, but that was the case here - probably helped by the story being told from multiple points of view and formats - excerpts from diaries, official DODO documents, etc. plus the main narrative from Melisande Stokes, who's marooned in 1851.

As mentioned earlier I've tried other Stephenson novels and couldn't progress; DODO has a nice balance of tech and characters/story.

Definitely my favourite read of the year so far.

 

[Hobbit]

Good to hear, Westy: I quite fancy reading this one!

 

[chitman13]

Finished a few books recently:

Fringe Runner by Rachel Aukes - Firefly-esque story that was very enjoyable despite its short length.

Argonauts by Kevin Kneupper - a sci-fi retelling of Jason and the Argonauts, and I liked the way it was done, especially the genetic editing aspect. Good fun too.

A Forest of Stars by Kevin J Anderson - the second Saga of Seven Suns book, and I enjoyed it much like the first. There are issues and gripes I have with it, but ultimately it's a fun read that kept me entertained throughout. Now on to the third book, Horizon Storms.

 

[Hobbit]

You know, I read that first one as Fridge Runner.....

 

[BigPooh5]

Finished off Emma Newman's After Atlas, a nice read overall but with no common characters to the previous book in the series, Planetfall. The main character has, like the one in Planetfall, severe mental problems, and I hope this trait won't continue as the series progresses.
Next came Salvage by Eric Brown. It's really a collection of related short stories, some of which were quite interesting but overall lacked any sort of cutting edge. After that I picked up The Bridge, on Ropie's recommendation, and really started to get into it until suddenly Banks went completely hatstand; 'It wiz this majishin that geez this thing, cald it a familyar soay did an it sits on ma showdder and gose jibber fukin jibber oll bludy day it gose.' What's that supposed to mean, anyone? I flicked forward a few pages and this drivel continued, so I ditched the book. Maybe I'll pick it up again at some later date and skip that chapter, and just hope it's not crucial to the story. The next time I read a Banks book I'll try Inversions or Matter, the only two Culture books I haven't read yet.
Anyway, after The Bridge debacle I dived straight into A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers, sequel to one of my favourite books of last year, A Long Way. Completely different setting, and many of the main characters of the previous book not even mentioned, but well written, evenly-paced and with some excellent scenarios and interesting ideas. Not as good as A Long Way, in my opinion, but well worth reading.
Just started Neverness by David Zindell. Excellent so far...

 

[Diosces]

Just picked up Ian McDonald's book # 2 Luna:Wolf Moon at the mall. I'm about a quarter in, so far just as great as the first one imho.

Added Fringe Runner to my read list, thx Chitman