Reading in Science Fiction, June 2022

[Hobbit]

It seems to have come around very quickly, but... Welcome to June!

(Last month's discussion of Science Fiction is HERE. )

The usual message - even though things are beginning to return to some sort of normality, it is in these strange and uncertain times that perhaps you telling us about what you've been reading in SF is important. Communication on such matters means that you may feel less alone.

Remember, good or bad, we still want to know what you think.




Hobbit/Mark

 

[dannymcg]

Currently I'm reading Weaponized by Neal Asher, it's set in the early days of the Polity/Prador war...mega violence as usual, I'm enjoying it

 

[Hobbit]

Currently I'm reading Weaponized by Neal Asher, it's set in the early days of the Polity/Prador war...mega violence as usual, I'm enjoying it

Must admit I've not been that impressed with the latest Asher's I've tried and dnf. Be interested to see how this one goes!

 

[Ropie]

I started a 1982 post apocalyptic novel I'd not heard of before called After the Flood by PC Jersild, as recommended on this blog. A boring title but, so far, a really exciting book!

 

[Westy]

I've started Alastair Reynolds' latest, Eversion - quite liking it so far...

 

[Hobbit]

I've started Alastair Reynolds' latest, Eversion - quite liking it so far...

Review just done.... REALLY liked it!

 

[Agent Cormac]

Currently I'm reading Weaponized by Neal Asher, it's set in the early days of the Polity/Prador war...mega violence as usual, I'm enjoying it

I didn't read his last book because his last couple of trilogies just weren't as much fun as his earlier books, but this one sounds good, danny. Hope it's a return to form.

 

[Westy]

Review just done.... REALLY liked it!

Great (I had a feeling it might be one you're reading/reviewing now)!

I'm still only at the start section on the boat but I really like the dialogue and interaction between the characters (and a noticeable step up from the last book I read).

 

[dannymcg]

Must admit I've not been that impressed with the latest Asher's I've tried and dnf. Be interested to see how this one goes!

It was good for the most part, human colonists incorporating Jain technology into their bodies and becoming super soldiers to fight Pradors. (But things go awry!)

The annoying aspect was the story jumps between present and past and near past - just put it in sequence FFS.

The ending kind of fizzled out, even though you could see it coming.

 

[dannymcg]

Now onto Eversion by Alastair Reynolds

 

[krisbslick]

Finally finished Thin Air by Richard Morgan. For whatever reason this one fell flat for me. I just couldn’t get into it and kept procrastinating on reading it. The Altered Carbon books are definitely going to get pushed out.

Anyways, going forward, someone mentioned Replay last month. I realized it’s been sitting in my pile as well, so I’m going to dive into that next.

After that, I think it’s time to pick back up the expanse series, starting up again with Persepolis Rising. I stopped after #6, because I hated having to read one and then wait and wait, then read the next and wait… Now that they’re all out, I can tackle them in one go!

 

[dannymcg]

Now onto Eversion by Alastair Reynolds

Total pants DNF

 

[AtramentousFlux]

Eversion - quite liking it so far...

Review just done.... REALLY liked it!

Total pants DNF

Well, there's a challenge that cannot be ignored. Acquired ...

 

[Hobbit]

Total pants DNF

Sorry it wasn't for you, Danny - it might not seem like it, but it is science fiction by the end, honest! It begins like H G Wells / Jules Verne, but becomes something ... different ... later.

Very hard not to talk about it without giving big spoilers away - something I struggled with in the review as well! And it is different to Alastair's usual material.

Hope it continues to be something you like, Westy (I suspect about halfway through is where it will split readers!), and you too, AF!

M.

 

[Westy]

Very hard not to talk about it without giving big spoilers away - something I struggled with in the review as well!

I was thinking that might be the case.

And it is different to Alastair's usual material.

Agree (from what I've read so far)!

Hope it continues to be something you like, Westy

So far, 35% in - yes! (and I know there's a far future setting coming). The mystery of the object is what's driving me on, and I think the writing is very good, and befitting the grammar/language of the 1800's.

 

[Sfinx]

Finished part 1 of M.R. Carey’s Rampart trilogy: The Book of Koli.

Really liked it!

The cover bills Carey as a ‘master storyteller’ and they’re not lying. Having read The Girl With All the Gifts and The Boy on the Bridge I’m not surprised - but still, you never know. Some authors are admirably consistent in delivering quality stuff, others…well, less so. Carey definitely delivers. The Book of Koli is a great yarn. Not terribly original (some great catastrophe has occurred and the world a couple of hundred years from now has only a fraction of its population and (very) limited access to ‘tech’), but very, very engaging. Hadn’t happened in quite a while that, anytime I had a spare moment, I found myself reaching for my phone - eager to find out how the story would continue.

I guess that people may find two characteristics of the Book of Koli less to their liking:

1- as mentioned, the basic premise is one that’s been used a lot. And ‘Yew Kay’ or ‘Parley Men’ in London is indeed quite corny. But for me this pales into insignificance when set against the sheer fun and flow of the story.
2- the narrator’s spelling is (deliberately) faulty (think: ‘they was’, ‘I knowed’ etc.). This may, understandably, put some people off. To be honest, I was surprised myself it didn’t bother me one bit. Perhaps because Carey manages to make it all sound very natural, perhaps because I’m not a native speaker and thus less sensitive about it

All in all, very entertaining stuff - now only leaving me with the tough question: dive straight away into part 2 or start Wolfe’s The Sorcerer’s House which has just arrived...choices…

 

[Westy]

I finished reading Eversion, the latest book from Alastair Reynolds. Doctor Silas Coade is part of a crew on a ship in the 1800's seeking a passage through the coastline to an artifact that will supposedly bring them wealth. But when the expeditions seem to start repeating themselves, and ending in disaster, Coade finds himself involved in a more sinister puzzle.

I thought this read well from the start, with realistic dialogue and interaction between well-drawn characters; often with wry humour as they determine the best way to navigate the dangerous elements.

With Coade repeating the mission, I thought it might be a familiar trope that would lessen the impact, but I found this wasn't the case as there was (for me) an unexpected reason why it was happening. So there was a big plot reveal around 60% through that was a real eye-opener, and more to come after that.

As Mark mentions as well, it's hard to describe in too much detail because of spoiler, but this was different to the author's usual style - and I thought it was great. The plot twists that reveal themselves are very clever and impressive, making the last 40% of the book especially gripping.

I've read pretty much all his books, but I think this is one of, if not his best in the last 10 years or so. And some (Dannymcg?) may get put off by the first half (seemingly no SF elements, one setting), but things do change dramatically half way through or so.

 

[cgw]

Close to finishing The Last Watch by Dewes. It is OK. I think there is a sequel. TBD if I continue.

 

[AtramentousFlux]

Eversion, the latest book from Alastair Reynolds

Started this one, and I'm enjoying it so far. The beginning feels like a bit of an homage to Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series.

 

[Westy]

Close to finishing The Last Watch by Dewes. It is OK. I think there is a sequel. TBD if I continue.

Yes I thought it was good but not great, a bit unoriginal overall. Didn't bother with the sequel.

Started this one, and I'm enjoying it so far.

Good to hear!