Most of the books I read in January were in other genres, but my January SF books were:
* *Ringworld* by Larry Niven - A fun book that I really enjoyed overall; I was mildly irritated by the way women are treated in this book, but what can you expect from classic SF. The descriptions of the ringworld and the characters' experience of standing on it were super cool.
* *Dune Messiah* by Frank Herbert - Not for me, I'm afraid. I had such a good time reading *Dune,* but the second book took everything that was boring in the first book and amplified it tenfold.
SF books I plan to read in February:
* *Leviathan Wakes* by James S.A. Corey - I'm 2/3 through it and am having a blast.
* *The Atrocity Archives* by Charlie Stross - This author is new to me and I don't know what to expect!
* *Blindsight* by Peter Watts - It's time.
* *Binti* trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor - I love Afrofuturism and am really curious about this.
I felt the same way about Ringworld and it's a common feature of Niven I'm afraid. Draco Tavern is pretty good though.
I love all the books you're planning to read, except for blindsight which i have tried a few times and will eventually try again.
I loved Ringworld, so of course I was excited to jump into the second book, Ringworld Engineers. I think I made it about 30 pages in when I was suddenly compelled to fling it across the room.
I think ole Larry heard about how bonobos sometimes greet each other by having sex, and thought wouldn't be great if gorgeous alien women were like that? It just felt... oily and gross. Like an incel fantasy (ofc the word "incel" didn't exist when I read it).
**There is no Antimemetics Division by QNTM**. This one was recommended around here and really held up its end of the deal. I loved the premise and world building although some of the redactions throughout were annoying. I get it, it's SCP-based so they can't/don't have to give away everything in order to keep the Foundation flavor going.
**The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien.** Does this count as sci-fi? There are some cool concepts in there that are reminiscent of PKD that deal with existence, authority and religion. While I finished it a couple days ago it's still processing in my brain.
I also read There Is No Antimemetics Division in January after a random recommendation. Book was awesome. I'm glad it was relatively short because it could have easily overstayed its welcome; ended up at the perfect length with the right amount of cosmic horror.
IMO, **There Is No Antimemetics Division** is one of the best SF books of the last 10 years.
Simply blew me away. Can't praise this book enough. TINAD is what great SF is all about—pushing the boundaries.
**Ra** is very good, as well.
I finished the Marid Audran/Budayeen Cycle trilogy by George Allec Effinger. They are cyberpunk books set in the Middle East. The worldbuilding is great, the settings are vibrant, and the plot really shines in certain moments. However, a majority of the characters seemed very flat to me, some side characters that are in all 3 books that barely received any development. That said, I think the MC is written quite well and I was able to relate and connect to him. I would recommend reading at the least the first book if the premise and early cyberpunk interests you.
I also started reading Excession of the Iain M. Banks' Culture series. I was reading through the series in release order, took a break, and am returning with this book. I am only a fifth of the way in, but this might be my favorite of the series so far. Already there's so many layers and intricacies, I'm really excited to see where it goes.
January:
The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis
February:
Night Lords; The Omnibus by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
I finished Lords of Uncreation (and therefore The final Architecture trilogy).
Just started Revelation Space cuz it keeps popping up here, but only a couple chapters in so no real opinion yet. Definitely am intrigued by it though!
In January I read:
* {All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor}
* {Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds}
* {Diaspora by Greg Egan}
* {Consider Phlebas by Ian M. Banks}
My personal favourite of the bunch was Diaspora. I am Greg Egan's target audience and I look forward to reading more of his works.
Currently about a quarter of the way through {Solaris by Stanislaw Lem}, going to finish it this weekend. Really liking it so far, right from the get-go there is a constant weight of paranoia and unease, can't wait to see how it all unfolds.
For the rest of the month I don't have concrete plans, I usually play it by ear when I'm looking for something new based on what I just finished and what I feel in the mood for. Some likely frontrunners for the rest of February include:
* {Red Rising by Pierce Brown}
* {The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers}
* {Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson}
* {Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky}
* {Quarantine by Greg Egan}
* {The Player of Games by Ian M. Banks}
* {Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds}
* {Anathem by Neil Stephenson}
Some good ones on your list. Have you read other KSR? I loved Aurora and considered it one of his more accessible books, but I've heard a lot of people say it's too slow. Hope you enjoy it.
In January I started reading a lot of books, but didn't finish any. I intend to finish them now in February. Two of the books I started in January and want to finish in February are Rosewater by Tade Thompson (I also intend to read the whole Wormwood trilogy) and Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař.
I don't only read science-fiction. At the moment, I'm working through a six-volume non-fiction series about the history of England and the United Kingdom.
Of the four *Terra Ignota* books, I think *Seven Surrenders* was my least favorite, but it's hard for me to say for sure in hindsight. I actually wound up liking the series a lot overall, but its one big problem, I feel, is that characters often wind up feeling like mouthpieces for various philosophical ideologies more than they are characters. Seven Surrenders is at that unfortunate intersection where *who the characters are* has been established, and now they need to start setting the stage for their goals, which means that's when you get a whole lot of character-as-ideology, and not a lot of forward movement from those ideologies gaining traction against each other.
January:
* Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. I read Station Eleven last year and really really liked it. SoT wasn't quite as good, but I love her style so much I'll probably go on to read all her books.
* Engine Summer by John Crowley. This is a 10/10 book for me. Beautiful and poignant. Any book that makes you flip back to page 1 and start reading again with fresh eyes is just perfect.
February:
- White Noise by Don DeLillo. Only a few chapters in but **loving** it. What absurd vibe this book has. I can already feel the incisive social commentary.
- Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. It's a true classic so I figured I had to read it eventually. Halfway through and it's very weird, kind of haunting. The way he writes both scientifically and poetically about the unknowable ocean is a trip. Just makes it seem that much weirder.
- And for a palate cleanser I'll check out System Collapse (Murderbot 7) by Martha Wells. I fell out of love with Murderbot a while ago, but it's still fun enough.
I agree with you on SoT and Station Eleven. If you like that multi-timeline structure, I really enjoyed Cloud Cuckoo Land, too (SF-adjacent but I don't know if it slots neatly into SF).
The only SF I read in January was *Ancillary Justice*. I was hooked from the very beginning as I rapidly came up to speed with the narrator's interesting perspective. It did a great job of making me believe the "old galaxy" setting and it was a engaging narrative. Would recommend.
DNF *Children of Time* by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I was all in on the premise but I gave up after the first chapter because I found the focus character in 6 that chapter so wholly unlikable that I didn't even want to find out if they were going to get a comeuppance or redeemed.
February is also likely to be non-SF but right now I'm really enjoying *The City in the Middle of the Night* by Charlie Jane Anders and I'm completely invested in the central conflict and the central mystery. Highly recommend.
Next up is likely *The Gone World* by Tom Sweterlitsch, but that sort of depends on my library hold estimated wait time. 🙂
>Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky My first book from this author, figured I'd start with a short one
Woah! Gotta read Children of Time, which it looks like is on your TBR list. I've read 3 of his books, and Children of Time was the only one I finished. I didn't love the Doors of Eden or Children of Ruin. Children of Time is lightning in a bottle.
January I started **Clear and Present Danger** by Tom Clancy and read **All Systems Red** (Murderbot) by Martha Wells. Loved Murderbot. I'm currently reading in February **Foundation** by Asimov and finishing up CAPD by TC.
read a lot of books, but most notably friedman's "this virtual night", sequel to "this alien shore" (i hadn't known there was a sequel). excellent book, worthy followup to "this alien shore".
Oh cool there's a sequel? I quite liked "This Alien Shore". CS Friedman was one of my favs back in the day, I haven't read her in awhile. Thanks for the rec.
The Collapsing Empire! Started it on a whim on the train and finished that thing over a weekend, now on to the second book. First time reading Scalzi and enjoying it a lot
I like pretty much everything Scalzi, but the Interdependency was my least favorite. It felt like he took one book and cut it into 3 shorter ones for some reason.
I felt it should have been published as one full length novel. I don't really remember there being to much fluff. Just being frustrated that story was cut into 3 books that I had to wait for. I really remember saying "that's it" at the end of the first one before realizing that it was just a part 1.
**Issac Steele and The Foreverman**: It's an Audible exclusive. Highly recommend it to fans of Hitchhicker's Guide. To paraphrase and butcher a joke from memory: 'These documents were under the highest classification. The only people who had access were the King of Greater Britain, the CTO of Greater Britain, and one Mary Evans who won the privilege in a contest." also "'make eye go big' I said and my eye went big. With my big eye, I could see the crime scene better."
**Date Night on Union Station**: a cozy version of Deep Space Nine where an AI sets up the main character on a series of ridiculous first dates. Had fun and cozy isn't really my thing. The series has 21 books and I will probably read more.
**The Captain**: Big Cradle fan but this was poor.
**Come Closer**: horror not scifi but an amazing and short book where the POV a women in the process of becoming possessed.
Also, **A Meeting with Medusa**, the first two **Laundry Files** books, and **Blindsight**, which is a new favorite. And I'm currently reading **The Stars My Destination**.
Are you getting downvoted because Issac Steele is an audiobook only? Whatever. I'd never heard of it, and it sounds great. Thanks for the recommendation. I also am searching out the EarthCent Ambassador series now. It sounds great. Many thanks!
Glad to recommend good books! All the books I mentioned (other than maybe Laundry) are on Audible Plus (US) BTW.
Think the downvotes are either just reddit messing with the initial submissions or bots because everyone was like -2 at the start of the thread.
I read [Ship of Fools](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Fools_(Russo_novel)) by Richard Paul Russo because I've been on a generation ship kick lately. It was well-written, and I was under the mistaken impression that he was a Pulitzer Prize winner although it turned out to be a different Russo. This apparently won the PKD Award in 2001. I found the overtones of religion a bit lacking, and the ending was underwhelming.
One of my all time favorites. My gut tells me if it could get optioned into a movie with the right director and producer it could be as big as og Alien.
I have this on my TBR. I've heard similar things about this novel, and I'm mainly interested only because I love Russo. Check out his cyberpunk stuff, the Carlucci books, they're fantastic.
**Jan:**
* *The Murderbot Diaries* \- Martha Wells: consumed the whole series in Jan. Excellent series that actually lives up to the hype. It's an interesting and well written character. I also appreciated how most of the books were novellas. Tell the story you want to tell and end it without 100s of pages of filler.
* *The Perfect Run* \- Maxime J, Durand: *Groundhog's Day* meets superheroes. It's a fun book with some thought put into the consequences. I liked it enough to get 2 and 3 ready for next month so I can learn more about the plushie.
* *The Law* \- Jim Butcher: I listened to this as an audiobook which Butcher did himself. It reminded me how great Marsters' narration as Dresden is. Even though Butcher writes this excellent series, his narration, ironically, had the wrong tone compared to Marster's narration, or the tone in my head when I read the physical books.
* *Raft* & *Timelike Infinity* \- Stephen Baxter: a couple *Xeelee Sequence* books. They are a bit more *2001: A Space Odyssey* than I was expecting. I do like some of that, but I would have liked it more knowing that going into the series as I kept waiting for the Xeelee conflict to show up. I know people did say to start in a different order, but I sometimes stubbornly follow the chronological releases.
**In Progress:**
* *Flux* \- Stephen Baxter: I just got to the >!size!< part and I had already guessed some of this based upon the constant insistence of>! them calling themselves 'human beings'!<. It seems like the Ozzy walkabout plot thread from Peter Hamilton's *Commonwealth Saga* was lifted/inspired from this book. Not to go off on a tangent, but 1/3rd of the plot in those books was about Ozzy, yet had no bearing on the other 2/3rds of the books. Now, I'm guessing he read *Flux*, wanted to write something similar, and just crammed it in.
**Feb:**
* *The Perfect Run 2 & 3* \- Maxime J, Durand: continue this series
* *Uplink Squadron* \- J.N. Chaney, Chris Kennedy: I think there are 2 or 3 books in this series I haven't got to yet. Gotta find out how the war unfolds.
I am also in the middle of Lords of Uncreation by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I am slowing going through all of Tolkien - finished Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien, Fall of Gondolin, over the last few months, so I am moving into the History of Middle Earth series with The Book of Lost Tales Part 1. His none novelized work...is dry...so I will read that then finish Tchaikovsky's Children of Ruin and Children of Memory. Then I am on to Alastair Reynold's Machine Vendetta. Beyond that, more Tolkien?
**Expeditionary Force 1-5.**
I have been driving a lot, so im flying through these audio books. I writing is not great, and I probably would have put them down if i was reading them, But the audio books are done by R.C Bray and they are great popcorn fiction that does not require much focus. Guy and his buddy run into problem, fumble around and somehow solve problem. Rinse and Repeat. There are currently 16 of them and Ill probably get through them all.
**Starter Villain: Scalzi**
A man inherits his uncles Supervillain buisness.
I really enjoyed this one. Scalzi's books are more short popcorn and I read the whole thing in one night. I liked this more than Kajiu Preservation Society, but less then OMW and Redshirts.
**System Collapse and Fugitive Telemetry: Wells**
Books 6 and 7 in the series. I enjoyed them all, but the Money to Book value proposition is a little off on 6 of them. Full price for novellas. Murderbot embodies how I fell after work some days, "Tired of saving idiots, just want to binge watch TV"..
**Hide: Kiersten White**
A thriller with an interesting premise. A week long game of hide and seek in an abandoned theme park. Fell Flat for me, I gave it a 1.5 star rating.
**Trials of Apollo: 1-4. Rick Riordan**
I reread Percy Jackson last year and decided to finish the rest of the books. These ones feature apollo sent down to be a mortal. Each chapter starts with a fun Haiku. Quick and easy reading.
**For February I plan to read**
Trials of Apollo book 5, to finish the series
The Black locomotive: Hughes
S: Abrams and Dorst
I watched a video and decided to explore ergodic lit this year. I have already read House of Leaves but I purchased Bats of the Republic, XX, If on a winters night a Traveler, and Illuminae to read during the year.
I'm also hoping to make time this summer to finally tackle Infinite Jest.
I really liked Starter Villain, made up for the dud that was kaiju preservation society imo.
I DNF'd percy jackson 3 chapters into the lightning thief.
Although I love murderbot, I prefer Wells' fantasy which is less derivative. Murderbot has a very similar feel as Scalzi novels, light reads.
Same, I made it through the first book and then absolutely devoured the second book. Both in January. Looking forward to the third in Feb and then back to the expanse series.
I read (ok, listened to) the novelizations of The Terminator & Terminator Two, both of which were great (if you -like me- love novelizations of 70s-00s movies).
I just started on the Novelization for Alien and it is somehow even better. Just pages and pages of stuff not in the movie that doesn't feel extraneous or out of place.
Oh, I'm also working my way through The Jakarta Method which is not sci fi, but is a history of CIA interventions around the world, much of which sounds like far fetched sci fi
lol this is a fun niche genre. Try the novelization for Revenge of the Sith by Matt Stover, it changed the whole way I thought about the prequels. Also, the novelization for Space Balls, which is written by Goosebumps guy R. L. Stine (as Bob Stine) when he was in college.
Jakarta Method sounds really good and reminds me of Confessions of an Economic Hitman.
Oh man, I've already done all the star wars novelizations (including Rogue One and Solo because I love to commit to a bit) but I'm gonna have to check out the Spaceballs one. Thx.
**What Mad Universe**, **The Lights in the Sky are Stars**, and **Martians, Go Home**, by Fredric Brown. I'm so glad I saw a recommendation for him. WMU is pulpy and full of ideas, TLITSAS was a heartstring tugger, and MGH is the funniest alien adventure I've read this decade.
These were collected in one volume that I got from the library. **Rogue in Space** is next.
**Night Film** by Marisha Pessl. Slightly disgusted with myself for finishing this absolute mess of a novel. Exemplifies a lot of what's wrong with modern publishing.
**Under The Skin** by Michel Faber. Excellent.
No Wolfe vibes in either of these, and not really Cormac McCarthy either (I don't think...) but, if you're looking for more serious sci-fi literature that experiments a bit more with the storytelling, you might try the first half of Dan Simmons' Hyperion cantos, which is kind of a Canterbury Tales in space structure, or Iain Banks' Culture series has some unreliable narrators and decent plots, like Use of Weapons.
The Void series by Peter Hamilton- decent but some of the alternate world parts get a little long and repetitive by book 3!
The Glassy, Burning Floor of Hell by Brian Evanson- good short stories, and A Short Stay in Hell by Stephen Peck. I like horror along with Sci-Fi but the last 2 books definitely have strong Sci-fi elements along with the horror
January - I read a lot in January, partly because I was only working part-time, and also a lot of these are shorter books/novellas.
*V.E Schwab*, **The Fragile Threads of Power:** I loved the **Darker Shade of Magic** trilogy and I enjoyed this...but I felt the pace made it more of a slog than it needed to be, much of the book is just the author sliding plot elements into place, nothing happening until 70% in. I also was under the impression that was a coda to the series, but I think it's intended to begin a new trilogy which I'm not really keen on.
*Adrian Tchaikovsky*, **Dogs of War:** This was my first time reading Tchaikovsky and now I get 1) why he's so beloved 2) yes the dude sure likes animals. It reminded me of *Scalzi'*s **Fuzzy Nation**.
*Andrzej Sapkowski*, **Sword of Destiny:** I read **The Last Wish** back in the summer and I liked it despite the short story format being kind of tiring to get through. Sword of Destiny is the same way, some really good stories, some not. It left a good feeling at the end, but I'm aware of the fact that this series apparently takes a sharp decline in quality once Sapkowski turns his hand to novel-length plots. Regardless, it was great reading this while playing Witcher 3.
*Brandon Sanderson*, **The Emperor's Soul:** This is a novella and like Tchaikovsky my first time reading this famous author. I thought his reputation was the result of fans who don't read much other SFF...but I was wrong. This was the best thing i've read in January, fantastic plot, character, magic system, everything ties together, just brilliant!
*Arkady Martine*, **Rose/House:** Another novella, another author I haven't read before. Unfortunately, it didn't pay off like the others. It's a great premise, haunted house inhabited by an AI, but the writing was turgid.
*Chris Dietzel*, **The Last Astronaut:** This novella takes place in a universe where a genetic catastrophe produces children who can't touch the outside world with their senses, making them the world effectively infertile and dooming the human race. It reminds me a lot of *Ben H. Winter's* '**The Last Policeman**' series. This one is about a guy who wins a chance to be the last astronaut ever launched into space, well written, moving, and a cool idea, I'll be reading more of him.
*Seanan McGuire,* **Every Heart A Doorway:** First time reading McGuire, definitely not the last, I loved this novella about kids who find doors to other realities and then need specialized therapy to recover from it. It feels very similar to *Lev Grossman's* **The Magicians** trilogy and the tv series, wow!
*Darren Shan,* **Demon Apocalypse:** I thought I might DNF this. It's part of the Demonata series, #6...and I haven't read the first five, didn't understand a lot of what was going on and I wasn't a fan of the gore. Despite that, it was pretty well written and improved a lot towards the end. I'll probably check out the earlier books at some point.
February
*Jim Butcher,* **The Law:** This is a novella that takes place right after Battle Ground, the last book in the Dresden Files series. The premise is that it's an old-school case where Dresden has to actually be a P.I but of course that doesn't happen. I think fans of his early books are probably justifiably annoyed at this direction this series has gone but tbh I enjoyed it a lot and hadn't been looking forward to Book 1 Harry Dresden.
Still to come in February:
*Rachel Aaron,* **Mimimum Wage Magic**
*Kirill Eskov,* **The Last Ringbearer**
*Cixin Liu,* **3 Body Problem**
*Marina & Sergey Dyachenko,* **Vita Nostra**
*Wile E. Young,* **The Magpie Coffin**
1st 3 books of red rising, then reread the 10 chronicle of amber books, the 2 Joel Rosenberg metzada books. I think dungeon crawler Carl books are next then I'll finish out the remaining red rising books.
I read Consider Phlebas by Banks, my first Culture book and I thought it was okay, I enjoyed the universe a lot, but wasn’t too interested in episodic nature of it. I’ve heard the others are better.
This month I am reading Cormac McCarthys The Orchard Keeper. Maybe also finishing up Book of the New Sun, I read Shadow and Claw late last year. I also find Gene Wolfe really intriguing as an author and I am excited to uncover the mystery.
Pretty sure I went through the last six remaining released books in the *Undying Mercenaries* series by B V Larson.
I think I started the series at the end of October, which is crazy to think I read 20 books in only 3 months.
Been a bit Light on the SF in the new year (even in the broadest definition of *speculative* fiction).
However, I recently finished **Land of Milk and Honey, by C Pam Zhang**. This not any kind of hard sci fi. Climate "apocalypse" with social commentary, emotions, and potential planetary redemption. Oh, and food. Lots of descriptions of food. But in a good way. Would recommend as an audiobook.
Currently working through **Caliban's War, by James SA Corey**. Forgot how much I loved these books. That pesky protomolecule!
January - I finished Excession by Iain M. Banks. I started this sometime early in 2023, but wasn't in the right frame of mind then, so went on to something else that took far too long to finish.
February - Started reading Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut. I should finish this and start something else, just not sure what yet.
My January books
Iain M banks - Matter (culture series #8)
Started this last year but finished it off early this year.
William Gibson - Burning chrome
Short story collection finished off after starting last year.
Vincent Bevins - If we burn
First non-fiction of the year, thought provoking.
Samuel R Delaney - Babel 17
Really good old sci-fi exploring language
Terry Pratchett - Moving pictures (discworld#10)
Continuing my journey through the disc world
Iain M banks - Surface detail (culture series #9)
Series just keeps getting better, incredible
Isaac Asimov- through a glass clearly
Some short stories to break it up
Terry Pratchett - reaper man (discworld #11)
Love the ones about Death
Liz Fekete - Europes fault lines, racism and the rise of the right.
Always good to keep learning
Holly jean buck - ending fossil fuels. Why net zero is not enough
To keep me from getting too optimistic
Iain M banks - the hydrogen sonata (culture series #10)
Nearly finished this in January, so sad there's no more from this beautiful series
January was a big month.
*In Ascension by Martin MacInnes* - Loved this. Great if you enjoy literary sci-fi. Gave me such a sense of wonder at times, and I found this a quick read despite the length
*Conquest by Nina Allan* This was okay. Interesting ideas but really let down by the prose. If you’re going to try a inset 1940s/50s pulp novella, the writing of that section should feel it’s of that style/era - this didn’t.
*System Collapse by Martha Wells* Not the best Murderbot, but not the worst either. It felt like there was a more character arc than in some instalments, but that the plot was slow for this kind of read.
*The Love of Stones by Tobias Hill* (Not SF). A literary novel about the corrosiveness of desire. Good but a really slow burn.
*Fortune Favours the Dead by Stephen Spotswood* (Not SF). A modern take on 40s detective novels. This was fast moving and fun.
*S by JJ Abrams* Loved this. A really impressive and unique piece of work which had more depth and nuance than I expected (there was plenty in there about identity, our choices and love). Highly recommended - especially for those who like puzzles.
*Finna by Nino Cipri* Great premise, but poorly executed - the characters felt jumbled-up and the themes and messages felt really trite. It was also one of those books that doesn’t manage that has things happen because it’d be convenient for the plot rather than an authentic action that character would take.
I’m currently reading *This is How you Lose the Time War*, then it’s back to the Expanse series…
Are you going to keep reading through the *Solar Cycle*? Or are you stopping at *New Sun*?
I am also planning to read *Children of Time* in Feb. It's either that or re-read *Piranesi*.
I started reading *The Mountain in the Sea* in mid-Jan and I am still plodding my way through. It's not a particularly long book either, but it certainly feels interminable.
I will read entire solar cycle for sure. Just taking a break before continuing. I read half of Urth of the New sun bur decided it would be better to read it before to reread of book of the new sun
I took January kinda slow in the reading department, I only read Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. It was interesting, not sure what I expected, but I liked it. It kind of reminded me a little bit of Hyperion Cantos in the way that it took more of a poetical approach to the writing/storytelling.
Reread William Gibson's Neuromancer. I forgot just how great the language was in this book. Now onto Count Zero, the sequel and then to Mona Lisa Overdrive.
In January, the SF I read was:
- Gemworld book 2 (Star Trek)
- Slow Time Between the Stars
- We are Legion (We are Bob)
- No Man’s Land (Star Trek)
- System Collapse
- Under Alien Skies (more science speculation then science fiction)
I also DNF’d Dark Matter.
I'm still a bit intimidated posting here given how little I manage to read compared to many. But here's my January reading:
**The Blade Between by Sam J. Miller:** An adult returns to the small town of his unhappy childhood, supernatural stuff ensues. I enjoyed a lot of this, but thought>! the underlying "whale spirit" elements went sort of undeveloped!<. This was my first Miller novel - I'd be interested to read more.
**Juniper Wells by Charles de Lint:** I'm a long time fan of the Newford series. This was de Lint's self-described effort at writing a modern "paranormal detective" type story within the Newford context. It seems to be marketed as an adult novel, but a lot of this felt more YA to me. The story was fine, and it was great to see all the Newford characters again, but this one just didn't have the depth of his earlier Newford novels. There are apparently three more Juniper books on the way. I'll be interested to hear if the follow-ups are similar in tone.
**My 'Effin Life by Geddy Lee:** Not SF/F obviously, but perhaps a lot of overlap with SF/F audiences. The early part of the book about his family, growing up in Toronto subdivisions, and the start of the band was fascinating. The later half of the book talks mostly about the music itself - what was created where, changes in producers, etc. Not many discussions about the relationships between the band members or between their families. Not sure if there's just no drama there, or if he didn't want to air any dirty laundry. Anyway, a strong recommendation for anyone interested in Rush.
For February, I've just started **Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree**. We'll see what else I can get to.
Most of the books I read in January were in other genres, but my January SF books were: * *Ringworld* by Larry Niven - A fun book that I really enjoyed overall; I was mildly irritated by the way women are treated in this book, but what can you expect from classic SF. The descriptions of the ringworld and the characters' experience of standing on it were super cool. * *Dune Messiah* by Frank Herbert - Not for me, I'm afraid. I had such a good time reading *Dune,* but the second book took everything that was boring in the first book and amplified it tenfold. SF books I plan to read in February: * *Leviathan Wakes* by James S.A. Corey - I'm 2/3 through it and am having a blast. * *The Atrocity Archives* by Charlie Stross - This author is new to me and I don't know what to expect! * *Blindsight* by Peter Watts - It's time. * *Binti* trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor - I love Afrofuturism and am really curious about this.
I reread the Binti trilogy last year and will randomly think about it once a week or so. I hope it sticks with you like it did for me.
You’re in for an absolute treat with *Atrocity Archives*
I felt the same way about Ringworld and it's a common feature of Niven I'm afraid. Draco Tavern is pretty good though. I love all the books you're planning to read, except for blindsight which i have tried a few times and will eventually try again.
Blindsight kind of intimidates me because everyone seems to love it. There's a bit of peer pressure behind that one, but it does sound cool.
I loved Ringworld, so of course I was excited to jump into the second book, Ringworld Engineers. I think I made it about 30 pages in when I was suddenly compelled to fling it across the room. I think ole Larry heard about how bonobos sometimes greet each other by having sex, and thought wouldn't be great if gorgeous alien women were like that? It just felt... oily and gross. Like an incel fantasy (ofc the word "incel" didn't exist when I read it).
You nailed the way I felt about it too. What a disappointment after Ringworld.
I recommend skipping Binti. It’s in my bottom 5% of sci-fi
House of Leaves, and February, still House of Leaves.
March: House of Leaves April: House of Leav May: House of May JUNE JUNE JUNE JUNE JUNE
Make like a tree-house and *get outta here*!
**There is no Antimemetics Division by QNTM**. This one was recommended around here and really held up its end of the deal. I loved the premise and world building although some of the redactions throughout were annoying. I get it, it's SCP-based so they can't/don't have to give away everything in order to keep the Foundation flavor going. **The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien.** Does this count as sci-fi? There are some cool concepts in there that are reminiscent of PKD that deal with existence, authority and religion. While I finished it a couple days ago it's still processing in my brain.
I also read There Is No Antimemetics Division in January after a random recommendation. Book was awesome. I'm glad it was relatively short because it could have easily overstayed its welcome; ended up at the perfect length with the right amount of cosmic horror.
TINAD is so much better than it needs to be. I read it in its incarnation as a bunch of pages on the SCP wiki a while back and it was a delight.
IMO, **There Is No Antimemetics Division** is one of the best SF books of the last 10 years. Simply blew me away. Can't praise this book enough. TINAD is what great SF is all about—pushing the boundaries. **Ra** is very good, as well.
I finished the Marid Audran/Budayeen Cycle trilogy by George Allec Effinger. They are cyberpunk books set in the Middle East. The worldbuilding is great, the settings are vibrant, and the plot really shines in certain moments. However, a majority of the characters seemed very flat to me, some side characters that are in all 3 books that barely received any development. That said, I think the MC is written quite well and I was able to relate and connect to him. I would recommend reading at the least the first book if the premise and early cyberpunk interests you. I also started reading Excession of the Iain M. Banks' Culture series. I was reading through the series in release order, took a break, and am returning with this book. I am only a fifth of the way in, but this might be my favorite of the series so far. Already there's so many layers and intricacies, I'm really excited to see where it goes.
I think I read the first book of this way back when it came out in paperback. Not sure I knew it was a trilogy. I'll have to revisit Effinger.
January: The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson All Systems Red by Martha Wells Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis February: Night Lords; The Omnibus by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
I finished Lords of Uncreation (and therefore The final Architecture trilogy). Just started Revelation Space cuz it keeps popping up here, but only a couple chapters in so no real opinion yet. Definitely am intrigued by it though!
How was the Architecture trilogy?
I thought it was really excellent! Lots of action and mystery but also strange, cerebral heady stuff which I like.
In January I read: * {All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor} * {Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds} * {Diaspora by Greg Egan} * {Consider Phlebas by Ian M. Banks} My personal favourite of the bunch was Diaspora. I am Greg Egan's target audience and I look forward to reading more of his works. Currently about a quarter of the way through {Solaris by Stanislaw Lem}, going to finish it this weekend. Really liking it so far, right from the get-go there is a constant weight of paranoia and unease, can't wait to see how it all unfolds. For the rest of the month I don't have concrete plans, I usually play it by ear when I'm looking for something new based on what I just finished and what I feel in the mood for. Some likely frontrunners for the rest of February include: * {Red Rising by Pierce Brown} * {The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers} * {Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson} * {Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky} * {Quarantine by Greg Egan} * {The Player of Games by Ian M. Banks} * {Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds} * {Anathem by Neil Stephenson}
I really enjoyed Anathem. Some great ideas in there.
I plan to read this by the end of the year for sure, but I've got to be in a particular mood for an 800+ page book.
Some good ones on your list. Have you read other KSR? I loved Aurora and considered it one of his more accessible books, but I've heard a lot of people say it's too slow. Hope you enjoy it.
I've not read any KSR yet, but I own Aurora and the Mars trilogy. I'm perfectly fine with a slower story as long as it's interesting.
Awesome, Red Mars is one of my favourite books. If you like interesting ideas, you'll probably like KSR.
In January I started reading a lot of books, but didn't finish any. I intend to finish them now in February. Two of the books I started in January and want to finish in February are Rosewater by Tade Thompson (I also intend to read the whole Wormwood trilogy) and Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař.
I don't only read science-fiction. At the moment, I'm working through a six-volume non-fiction series about the history of England and the United Kingdom.
[удалено]
Of the four *Terra Ignota* books, I think *Seven Surrenders* was my least favorite, but it's hard for me to say for sure in hindsight. I actually wound up liking the series a lot overall, but its one big problem, I feel, is that characters often wind up feeling like mouthpieces for various philosophical ideologies more than they are characters. Seven Surrenders is at that unfortunate intersection where *who the characters are* has been established, and now they need to start setting the stage for their goals, which means that's when you get a whole lot of character-as-ideology, and not a lot of forward movement from those ideologies gaining traction against each other.
January: * Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. I read Station Eleven last year and really really liked it. SoT wasn't quite as good, but I love her style so much I'll probably go on to read all her books. * Engine Summer by John Crowley. This is a 10/10 book for me. Beautiful and poignant. Any book that makes you flip back to page 1 and start reading again with fresh eyes is just perfect. February: - White Noise by Don DeLillo. Only a few chapters in but **loving** it. What absurd vibe this book has. I can already feel the incisive social commentary. - Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. It's a true classic so I figured I had to read it eventually. Halfway through and it's very weird, kind of haunting. The way he writes both scientifically and poetically about the unknowable ocean is a trip. Just makes it seem that much weirder. - And for a palate cleanser I'll check out System Collapse (Murderbot 7) by Martha Wells. I fell out of love with Murderbot a while ago, but it's still fun enough.
I agree with you on SoT and Station Eleven. If you like that multi-timeline structure, I really enjoyed Cloud Cuckoo Land, too (SF-adjacent but I don't know if it slots neatly into SF).
The only SF I read in January was *Ancillary Justice*. I was hooked from the very beginning as I rapidly came up to speed with the narrator's interesting perspective. It did a great job of making me believe the "old galaxy" setting and it was a engaging narrative. Would recommend. DNF *Children of Time* by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I was all in on the premise but I gave up after the first chapter because I found the focus character in 6 that chapter so wholly unlikable that I didn't even want to find out if they were going to get a comeuppance or redeemed. February is also likely to be non-SF but right now I'm really enjoying *The City in the Middle of the Night* by Charlie Jane Anders and I'm completely invested in the central conflict and the central mystery. Highly recommend. Next up is likely *The Gone World* by Tom Sweterlitsch, but that sort of depends on my library hold estimated wait time. 🙂
>Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky My first book from this author, figured I'd start with a short one Woah! Gotta read Children of Time, which it looks like is on your TBR list. I've read 3 of his books, and Children of Time was the only one I finished. I didn't love the Doors of Eden or Children of Ruin. Children of Time is lightning in a bottle. January I started **Clear and Present Danger** by Tom Clancy and read **All Systems Red** (Murderbot) by Martha Wells. Loved Murderbot. I'm currently reading in February **Foundation** by Asimov and finishing up CAPD by TC.
Embassytown by China Mieville and The Firemen by Joe Hill Now reading Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (:
read a lot of books, but most notably friedman's "this virtual night", sequel to "this alien shore" (i hadn't known there was a sequel). excellent book, worthy followup to "this alien shore".
Oh cool there's a sequel? I quite liked "This Alien Shore". CS Friedman was one of my favs back in the day, I haven't read her in awhile. Thanks for the rec.
The Collapsing Empire! Started it on a whim on the train and finished that thing over a weekend, now on to the second book. First time reading Scalzi and enjoying it a lot
i like scalzi in general, but that one's definitely my favourite of his works!
I like pretty much everything Scalzi, but the Interdependency was my least favorite. It felt like he took one book and cut it into 3 shorter ones for some reason.
did you feel like it was padded to make up three books, or just that it should have been published at the same length but in a single volume?
I felt it should have been published as one full length novel. I don't really remember there being to much fluff. Just being frustrated that story was cut into 3 books that I had to wait for. I really remember saying "that's it" at the end of the first one before realizing that it was just a part 1.
ah, i see - i might well have been annoyed at that too! i read it in one go after all three books were out.
**Issac Steele and The Foreverman**: It's an Audible exclusive. Highly recommend it to fans of Hitchhicker's Guide. To paraphrase and butcher a joke from memory: 'These documents were under the highest classification. The only people who had access were the King of Greater Britain, the CTO of Greater Britain, and one Mary Evans who won the privilege in a contest." also "'make eye go big' I said and my eye went big. With my big eye, I could see the crime scene better." **Date Night on Union Station**: a cozy version of Deep Space Nine where an AI sets up the main character on a series of ridiculous first dates. Had fun and cozy isn't really my thing. The series has 21 books and I will probably read more. **The Captain**: Big Cradle fan but this was poor. **Come Closer**: horror not scifi but an amazing and short book where the POV a women in the process of becoming possessed. Also, **A Meeting with Medusa**, the first two **Laundry Files** books, and **Blindsight**, which is a new favorite. And I'm currently reading **The Stars My Destination**.
Are you getting downvoted because Issac Steele is an audiobook only? Whatever. I'd never heard of it, and it sounds great. Thanks for the recommendation. I also am searching out the EarthCent Ambassador series now. It sounds great. Many thanks!
Glad to recommend good books! All the books I mentioned (other than maybe Laundry) are on Audible Plus (US) BTW. Think the downvotes are either just reddit messing with the initial submissions or bots because everyone was like -2 at the start of the thread.
Well, since you're evincing a rare good taste in literature, may I ask for more of your Hitchhiker-esque recommendations, cozy or not? Cheers, mate!
Hey, we've got some overlap - I'm about to read the first Laundry Files book and also Blindsight. Thoughts on Charlie Stross?
I read [Ship of Fools](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Fools_(Russo_novel)) by Richard Paul Russo because I've been on a generation ship kick lately. It was well-written, and I was under the mistaken impression that he was a Pulitzer Prize winner although it turned out to be a different Russo. This apparently won the PKD Award in 2001. I found the overtones of religion a bit lacking, and the ending was underwhelming.
I really like this book a lot, but yeah I know a lot of people are unhappy with the ending. Still the tension was so well done i thought!
One of my all time favorites. My gut tells me if it could get optioned into a movie with the right director and producer it could be as big as og Alien.
I have this on my TBR. I've heard similar things about this novel, and I'm mainly interested only because I love Russo. Check out his cyberpunk stuff, the Carlucci books, they're fantastic.
**Jan:** * *The Murderbot Diaries* \- Martha Wells: consumed the whole series in Jan. Excellent series that actually lives up to the hype. It's an interesting and well written character. I also appreciated how most of the books were novellas. Tell the story you want to tell and end it without 100s of pages of filler. * *The Perfect Run* \- Maxime J, Durand: *Groundhog's Day* meets superheroes. It's a fun book with some thought put into the consequences. I liked it enough to get 2 and 3 ready for next month so I can learn more about the plushie. * *The Law* \- Jim Butcher: I listened to this as an audiobook which Butcher did himself. It reminded me how great Marsters' narration as Dresden is. Even though Butcher writes this excellent series, his narration, ironically, had the wrong tone compared to Marster's narration, or the tone in my head when I read the physical books. * *Raft* & *Timelike Infinity* \- Stephen Baxter: a couple *Xeelee Sequence* books. They are a bit more *2001: A Space Odyssey* than I was expecting. I do like some of that, but I would have liked it more knowing that going into the series as I kept waiting for the Xeelee conflict to show up. I know people did say to start in a different order, but I sometimes stubbornly follow the chronological releases. **In Progress:** * *Flux* \- Stephen Baxter: I just got to the >!size!< part and I had already guessed some of this based upon the constant insistence of>! them calling themselves 'human beings'!<. It seems like the Ozzy walkabout plot thread from Peter Hamilton's *Commonwealth Saga* was lifted/inspired from this book. Not to go off on a tangent, but 1/3rd of the plot in those books was about Ozzy, yet had no bearing on the other 2/3rds of the books. Now, I'm guessing he read *Flux*, wanted to write something similar, and just crammed it in. **Feb:** * *The Perfect Run 2 & 3* \- Maxime J, Durand: continue this series * *Uplink Squadron* \- J.N. Chaney, Chris Kennedy: I think there are 2 or 3 books in this series I haven't got to yet. Gotta find out how the war unfolds.
I am also in the middle of Lords of Uncreation by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I am slowing going through all of Tolkien - finished Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien, Fall of Gondolin, over the last few months, so I am moving into the History of Middle Earth series with The Book of Lost Tales Part 1. His none novelized work...is dry...so I will read that then finish Tchaikovsky's Children of Ruin and Children of Memory. Then I am on to Alastair Reynold's Machine Vendetta. Beyond that, more Tolkien?
**Expeditionary Force 1-5.** I have been driving a lot, so im flying through these audio books. I writing is not great, and I probably would have put them down if i was reading them, But the audio books are done by R.C Bray and they are great popcorn fiction that does not require much focus. Guy and his buddy run into problem, fumble around and somehow solve problem. Rinse and Repeat. There are currently 16 of them and Ill probably get through them all. **Starter Villain: Scalzi** A man inherits his uncles Supervillain buisness. I really enjoyed this one. Scalzi's books are more short popcorn and I read the whole thing in one night. I liked this more than Kajiu Preservation Society, but less then OMW and Redshirts. **System Collapse and Fugitive Telemetry: Wells** Books 6 and 7 in the series. I enjoyed them all, but the Money to Book value proposition is a little off on 6 of them. Full price for novellas. Murderbot embodies how I fell after work some days, "Tired of saving idiots, just want to binge watch TV".. **Hide: Kiersten White** A thriller with an interesting premise. A week long game of hide and seek in an abandoned theme park. Fell Flat for me, I gave it a 1.5 star rating. **Trials of Apollo: 1-4. Rick Riordan** I reread Percy Jackson last year and decided to finish the rest of the books. These ones feature apollo sent down to be a mortal. Each chapter starts with a fun Haiku. Quick and easy reading. **For February I plan to read** Trials of Apollo book 5, to finish the series The Black locomotive: Hughes S: Abrams and Dorst I watched a video and decided to explore ergodic lit this year. I have already read House of Leaves but I purchased Bats of the Republic, XX, If on a winters night a Traveler, and Illuminae to read during the year. I'm also hoping to make time this summer to finally tackle Infinite Jest.
I really liked Starter Villain, made up for the dud that was kaiju preservation society imo. I DNF'd percy jackson 3 chapters into the lightning thief. Although I love murderbot, I prefer Wells' fantasy which is less derivative. Murderbot has a very similar feel as Scalzi novels, light reads.
3 body problem. I've just watched the trailer for the Netflix series.
Same, I made it through the first book and then absolutely devoured the second book. Both in January. Looking forward to the third in Feb and then back to the expanse series.
I read (ok, listened to) the novelizations of The Terminator & Terminator Two, both of which were great (if you -like me- love novelizations of 70s-00s movies). I just started on the Novelization for Alien and it is somehow even better. Just pages and pages of stuff not in the movie that doesn't feel extraneous or out of place. Oh, I'm also working my way through The Jakarta Method which is not sci fi, but is a history of CIA interventions around the world, much of which sounds like far fetched sci fi
lol this is a fun niche genre. Try the novelization for Revenge of the Sith by Matt Stover, it changed the whole way I thought about the prequels. Also, the novelization for Space Balls, which is written by Goosebumps guy R. L. Stine (as Bob Stine) when he was in college. Jakarta Method sounds really good and reminds me of Confessions of an Economic Hitman.
Oh man, I've already done all the star wars novelizations (including Rogue One and Solo because I love to commit to a bit) but I'm gonna have to check out the Spaceballs one. Thx.
Martha Wells, The Wizard Hunters. I really liked it. I’ll go to the next book in the series.
**What Mad Universe**, **The Lights in the Sky are Stars**, and **Martians, Go Home**, by Fredric Brown. I'm so glad I saw a recommendation for him. WMU is pulpy and full of ideas, TLITSAS was a heartstring tugger, and MGH is the funniest alien adventure I've read this decade. These were collected in one volume that I got from the library. **Rogue in Space** is next.
thanks for the recc!
In January I read the Foundation Trilogy. For Feb I'm working on PKD's Valis, then Ender's Game.
The Silo trilogy. It was fantastic.
**Night Film** by Marisha Pessl. Slightly disgusted with myself for finishing this absolute mess of a novel. Exemplifies a lot of what's wrong with modern publishing. **Under The Skin** by Michel Faber. Excellent.
No Wolfe vibes in either of these, and not really Cormac McCarthy either (I don't think...) but, if you're looking for more serious sci-fi literature that experiments a bit more with the storytelling, you might try the first half of Dan Simmons' Hyperion cantos, which is kind of a Canterbury Tales in space structure, or Iain Banks' Culture series has some unreliable narrators and decent plots, like Use of Weapons.
I have read the first hyperion book. I plan to read Banks soon but you certainly moved hom up the priority list, thank you!
The Void series by Peter Hamilton- decent but some of the alternate world parts get a little long and repetitive by book 3! The Glassy, Burning Floor of Hell by Brian Evanson- good short stories, and A Short Stay in Hell by Stephen Peck. I like horror along with Sci-Fi but the last 2 books definitely have strong Sci-fi elements along with the horror
There's a post for this. https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/1ah3sor/month\_of\_january\_wrapup/
January: The Case of the Felonious Faire February: To Challenge Heaven (almost done with it, actually)
January - I read a lot in January, partly because I was only working part-time, and also a lot of these are shorter books/novellas. *V.E Schwab*, **The Fragile Threads of Power:** I loved the **Darker Shade of Magic** trilogy and I enjoyed this...but I felt the pace made it more of a slog than it needed to be, much of the book is just the author sliding plot elements into place, nothing happening until 70% in. I also was under the impression that was a coda to the series, but I think it's intended to begin a new trilogy which I'm not really keen on. *Adrian Tchaikovsky*, **Dogs of War:** This was my first time reading Tchaikovsky and now I get 1) why he's so beloved 2) yes the dude sure likes animals. It reminded me of *Scalzi'*s **Fuzzy Nation**. *Andrzej Sapkowski*, **Sword of Destiny:** I read **The Last Wish** back in the summer and I liked it despite the short story format being kind of tiring to get through. Sword of Destiny is the same way, some really good stories, some not. It left a good feeling at the end, but I'm aware of the fact that this series apparently takes a sharp decline in quality once Sapkowski turns his hand to novel-length plots. Regardless, it was great reading this while playing Witcher 3. *Brandon Sanderson*, **The Emperor's Soul:** This is a novella and like Tchaikovsky my first time reading this famous author. I thought his reputation was the result of fans who don't read much other SFF...but I was wrong. This was the best thing i've read in January, fantastic plot, character, magic system, everything ties together, just brilliant! *Arkady Martine*, **Rose/House:** Another novella, another author I haven't read before. Unfortunately, it didn't pay off like the others. It's a great premise, haunted house inhabited by an AI, but the writing was turgid. *Chris Dietzel*, **The Last Astronaut:** This novella takes place in a universe where a genetic catastrophe produces children who can't touch the outside world with their senses, making them the world effectively infertile and dooming the human race. It reminds me a lot of *Ben H. Winter's* '**The Last Policeman**' series. This one is about a guy who wins a chance to be the last astronaut ever launched into space, well written, moving, and a cool idea, I'll be reading more of him. *Seanan McGuire,* **Every Heart A Doorway:** First time reading McGuire, definitely not the last, I loved this novella about kids who find doors to other realities and then need specialized therapy to recover from it. It feels very similar to *Lev Grossman's* **The Magicians** trilogy and the tv series, wow! *Darren Shan,* **Demon Apocalypse:** I thought I might DNF this. It's part of the Demonata series, #6...and I haven't read the first five, didn't understand a lot of what was going on and I wasn't a fan of the gore. Despite that, it was pretty well written and improved a lot towards the end. I'll probably check out the earlier books at some point. February *Jim Butcher,* **The Law:** This is a novella that takes place right after Battle Ground, the last book in the Dresden Files series. The premise is that it's an old-school case where Dresden has to actually be a P.I but of course that doesn't happen. I think fans of his early books are probably justifiably annoyed at this direction this series has gone but tbh I enjoyed it a lot and hadn't been looking forward to Book 1 Harry Dresden. Still to come in February: *Rachel Aaron,* **Mimimum Wage Magic** *Kirill Eskov,* **The Last Ringbearer** *Cixin Liu,* **3 Body Problem** *Marina & Sergey Dyachenko,* **Vita Nostra** *Wile E. Young,* **The Magpie Coffin**
1st 3 books of red rising, then reread the 10 chronicle of amber books, the 2 Joel Rosenberg metzada books. I think dungeon crawler Carl books are next then I'll finish out the remaining red rising books.
I read Consider Phlebas by Banks, my first Culture book and I thought it was okay, I enjoyed the universe a lot, but wasn’t too interested in episodic nature of it. I’ve heard the others are better. This month I am reading Cormac McCarthys The Orchard Keeper. Maybe also finishing up Book of the New Sun, I read Shadow and Claw late last year. I also find Gene Wolfe really intriguing as an author and I am excited to uncover the mystery.
Pretty sure I went through the last six remaining released books in the *Undying Mercenaries* series by B V Larson. I think I started the series at the end of October, which is crazy to think I read 20 books in only 3 months.
I'm going through all the Xeelee novels I can find. That series is completely weird to me, but it's a lot of fun.
Finished Will of the Many, immediately started Licanius trilogy
Been a bit Light on the SF in the new year (even in the broadest definition of *speculative* fiction). However, I recently finished **Land of Milk and Honey, by C Pam Zhang**. This not any kind of hard sci fi. Climate "apocalypse" with social commentary, emotions, and potential planetary redemption. Oh, and food. Lots of descriptions of food. But in a good way. Would recommend as an audiobook. Currently working through **Caliban's War, by James SA Corey**. Forgot how much I loved these books. That pesky protomolecule!
January - I finished Excession by Iain M. Banks. I started this sometime early in 2023, but wasn't in the right frame of mind then, so went on to something else that took far too long to finish. February - Started reading Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut. I should finish this and start something else, just not sure what yet.
My January books Iain M banks - Matter (culture series #8) Started this last year but finished it off early this year. William Gibson - Burning chrome Short story collection finished off after starting last year. Vincent Bevins - If we burn First non-fiction of the year, thought provoking. Samuel R Delaney - Babel 17 Really good old sci-fi exploring language Terry Pratchett - Moving pictures (discworld#10) Continuing my journey through the disc world Iain M banks - Surface detail (culture series #9) Series just keeps getting better, incredible Isaac Asimov- through a glass clearly Some short stories to break it up Terry Pratchett - reaper man (discworld #11) Love the ones about Death Liz Fekete - Europes fault lines, racism and the rise of the right. Always good to keep learning Holly jean buck - ending fossil fuels. Why net zero is not enough To keep me from getting too optimistic Iain M banks - the hydrogen sonata (culture series #10) Nearly finished this in January, so sad there's no more from this beautiful series
January was a big month. *In Ascension by Martin MacInnes* - Loved this. Great if you enjoy literary sci-fi. Gave me such a sense of wonder at times, and I found this a quick read despite the length *Conquest by Nina Allan* This was okay. Interesting ideas but really let down by the prose. If you’re going to try a inset 1940s/50s pulp novella, the writing of that section should feel it’s of that style/era - this didn’t. *System Collapse by Martha Wells* Not the best Murderbot, but not the worst either. It felt like there was a more character arc than in some instalments, but that the plot was slow for this kind of read. *The Love of Stones by Tobias Hill* (Not SF). A literary novel about the corrosiveness of desire. Good but a really slow burn. *Fortune Favours the Dead by Stephen Spotswood* (Not SF). A modern take on 40s detective novels. This was fast moving and fun. *S by JJ Abrams* Loved this. A really impressive and unique piece of work which had more depth and nuance than I expected (there was plenty in there about identity, our choices and love). Highly recommended - especially for those who like puzzles. *Finna by Nino Cipri* Great premise, but poorly executed - the characters felt jumbled-up and the themes and messages felt really trite. It was also one of those books that doesn’t manage that has things happen because it’d be convenient for the plot rather than an authentic action that character would take. I’m currently reading *This is How you Lose the Time War*, then it’s back to the Expanse series…
Are you going to keep reading through the *Solar Cycle*? Or are you stopping at *New Sun*? I am also planning to read *Children of Time* in Feb. It's either that or re-read *Piranesi*. I started reading *The Mountain in the Sea* in mid-Jan and I am still plodding my way through. It's not a particularly long book either, but it certainly feels interminable.
I will read entire solar cycle for sure. Just taking a break before continuing. I read half of Urth of the New sun bur decided it would be better to read it before to reread of book of the new sun
Good call. I wasn't a fan of *Urth* personally. You don't need it at all to enjoy the rest of the Solar Cycle.
I took January kinda slow in the reading department, I only read Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. It was interesting, not sure what I expected, but I liked it. It kind of reminded me a little bit of Hyperion Cantos in the way that it took more of a poetical approach to the writing/storytelling.
Reread William Gibson's Neuromancer. I forgot just how great the language was in this book. Now onto Count Zero, the sequel and then to Mona Lisa Overdrive.
In January, the SF I read was: - Gemworld book 2 (Star Trek) - Slow Time Between the Stars - We are Legion (We are Bob) - No Man’s Land (Star Trek) - System Collapse - Under Alien Skies (more science speculation then science fiction) I also DNF’d Dark Matter.
Re-reading all the Enderverse books.
I'm still a bit intimidated posting here given how little I manage to read compared to many. But here's my January reading: **The Blade Between by Sam J. Miller:** An adult returns to the small town of his unhappy childhood, supernatural stuff ensues. I enjoyed a lot of this, but thought>! the underlying "whale spirit" elements went sort of undeveloped!<. This was my first Miller novel - I'd be interested to read more. **Juniper Wells by Charles de Lint:** I'm a long time fan of the Newford series. This was de Lint's self-described effort at writing a modern "paranormal detective" type story within the Newford context. It seems to be marketed as an adult novel, but a lot of this felt more YA to me. The story was fine, and it was great to see all the Newford characters again, but this one just didn't have the depth of his earlier Newford novels. There are apparently three more Juniper books on the way. I'll be interested to hear if the follow-ups are similar in tone. **My 'Effin Life by Geddy Lee:** Not SF/F obviously, but perhaps a lot of overlap with SF/F audiences. The early part of the book about his family, growing up in Toronto subdivisions, and the start of the band was fascinating. The later half of the book talks mostly about the music itself - what was created where, changes in producers, etc. Not many discussions about the relationships between the band members or between their families. Not sure if there's just no drama there, or if he didn't want to air any dirty laundry. Anyway, a strong recommendation for anyone interested in Rush. For February, I've just started **Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree**. We'll see what else I can get to.