Hello Everyone!
What are you all reading?
I am currently going through a re-read of Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Currently on 2nd book, Fool Moon.
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I just finished Project Hail Mary. A wonderful and fun read. Highly recommend if you like science fiction.
I just got it during my latest book shopping! Going to read it soon.
As you should. It was very interesting.
The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan. It’s enjoyable.
I really wish he’d describe scenes visually, but it’s character driven and he does a good job with their internal lives.
I used to skip all the visual descriptions, didn’t care much about them (also, didn’t understood half of the words used to explain the appearance of things or people). I have started to pay attention to them now, but I would probably still like a book that doesn’t worry about these too much.
Is it a series? Or a single book?
There’s definitely a balance to be struck with descriptions. Too little beats too much, IMO, but I appreciate a little food for my imagination.
It’s the first book in a series (I think). It’s epic fantasy, but it’s set in the Happily Ever After. The protagonist is part of the motley crew that defeated the big bad twenty years earlier.
His previous series (Black Iron Legacy) was a lot of fun. Of recommend them both.
I’m doing a reread of Human To Human by Rebecca Ore. It’s the third book in the trilogy.
It’s an old scifi series from the early ninties, but holds up well. I absolutely love how she designs her aliens.
The first book is Becoming Alien.
I was itching for a good alien show recently, didn’t find anyhting I liked (though with so many streaming services, couldn’t figure out where to watch half the stuff).
If not TV, I can atleast read a good aliens book. Will check it out.
It is pretty hard to find a good alien show on TV or in movies.
The downside of Star Trek is that aliens are often TOO human, and the downside of Star Wars is some of the aliens are TOO alien…
I find SFF literature does a much better job than visual media at really exploring alien psychology and and how communication might go with aliens who do not look human. Because it can base things in real scientific concepts without worrying overmuch about how much the CGI or prosthetics will cost, or if you’ll lose the casual non-nerd viewer.
I’ve a few quibbles about how Rebecca Ore looks at human behavior with a little too much “nature” over “nurture”, esp. re: gender dynamics, but the biology really is solid with the aliens. And you could argue she’s only looking at humans through the same lens she uses on her aliens.
She posits that intelligent life will sort of fill certain convergently evolved body plans, much like how in an ecosystem animals with very different ancestors can come to look like one another.
Like the mammal wolf and the marsupial tasmanian tiger (Thylacine) have converged to have even really similar skull shapes despite one being a placental mammal and the other a marsupial, or how sharks and dolphins have very similar body plans despite one being a fish and the other a mammal.
So in the series, there’s a few “buckets” that most sapient aliens evolved to fit in…ape-like ex-brachiators, bipedal ground-walking birds/aivan lizards, bear-type creatures, bat-like creatures. There’s cases where the main character runs into two “birds” but they’re not even from the same planet, they just both evolved a bird-like form and became intelligent separately.
The computer tech in her series is old–pre-internet sci-fi didn’t do the greatest job of predicting how fast or complex computer and information technology would become–and the main character is a not-too-bright everyman sort of character…
…but it still works pretty well, to allow us to deconstruct her world through his eyes.
Interestingly enough, my favorite characters aren’t the humans (they’re all very flawed), but instead the aliens, esp. the Rector and the Sub-Rector.
Ward by wildbow. Not technically a book but it’s wonderful if you are into that genre and honestly probably still good if you aren’t. Finished worm and while back and would definitely recommend that as well
To give a brief idea it’s “what if super powers came from incredible trauma and were designed to be the worst possible power for them specifically” there’s a lot more to it like A LOT but that is a general idea. It follows Taylor and her journey after gaining power. It’s essentially her struggle to be in control of everything that goes on around her
I read quite a bit of Worm, I think I was near the end, but then took a break, and after that couldn’t find where I stopped. I plan to reread it someday.
How’s Ward compared to Worm?
Ward is less fighty fighty action and more dealing with trauma and mental illness. If you remember what happened to glory girl you’ll know what I mean when I say shits fucked.
I personally prefer worm so far but I think ward is better writing objectively
Yeah, the novel/book is great, but that world isn’t a great place to live in.
Currently reading Blood of Elves.
Ah, The Witcher series. How are you liking it? Have you played any games? Or coming to it from the TV show?
Hehe, I’ve bought Witcher 3 but haven’t really gotten that far, and I’ve seen the TV series although not a huge fan. I guess I just picked up the books from seeing lots of recommendations online - love it so far!
Ah, nice.
BTW I heard there is another Witcher book in the works, releasing next year. Haven’t confirmed the news yet though.
Awesome! 🙏 let’s hope so
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, which is quite outside my normally preferred genre, but I’ve heard good things.
Also, The Emperors Soul by Brandon Sanderson, which has been great so far.
📖 Les Furtifs by Alain Damasio
and
📖 Mathematica by David Bessis
My experiments with truth - Gandhi (technically I’m listening to the audiobook version)
Mohandas Gandhi is considered to be the father of India who advocated passive resistance against intolerant regimes. His ideas and policies shaped the direction of India’s fight for independence from the British empire.
I’d also like to recommend the Magnus archives if you are interested in audio dramas
The Wheel of Time
A web book, the wandering inn by pirateaba
Iron Gold by Pierce Brown.
Metro 2033
Great book. I’ve started to read it after finishing the PC game:)
I started the games a while back and somehow screwed up and started on the second one lol. Once I found that out I dropped it… Just currently working through the audio books right now. I’ll replay them in the winter. In order this time :)
Is there any similar book but in Cyberpunk 2077 world?
Just read an erotic romance, Heart of the Mountain by Snek Guy. It is about a mercenary going up a mountain to slay a dragon and take her hoard of gold. Things don’t go quite as he planned. It was well written, but a bit too much smut for my taste. I wrote a bit more here.
Just started the My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror series.
