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Looking a little further ahead, for April we have @clash_bowley with the steampunk book The Guns Above by Robyn Bennis. @BarnerCobblewood May would be your month if you're keen on selecting a book this time around? please let us know either way.
I'm looking forward to it!
I have posted a selection of discussion starters in the appropriate monthly area... take part as you see fit
OK! Looks like discussion on The Mind Parasites has died down so let's look ahead.
This month as previously mentioned, @clash_bowley is leading a discussion on The Guns Above, steampunk novel by Robyn Bennis.
What happens net depends on what people want, and the simplest thing is to carry on with the current rotation pattern.
@BarnerCobblewood are you up for a book choice in May?
The rotation would then continue with @Apocryphal , @NeilNjae and me before going back to @clash_bowley . As usual, if @WildCard would like to jump in at any stage, depending on your current circumstances, that would be great.
I appreciate it, but I’m just not able. My pleasure reading is almost nil.
> I appreciate it, but I’m just not able. My pleasure reading is almost nil.
No pressure! Just so's you know you're not forgotten
@RichardAbbott about the book - I think not. Trying to read. I'm overloaded at the moment to lead a discussion though. Not giving up, and I'll let you know when I've cleared my plate a bit.
So it's down to four presenters... We few! We happy few!
> @RichardAbbott about the book - I think not. Trying to read. I'm overloaded at the moment to lead a discussion though. Not giving up, and I'll let you know when I've cleared my plate a bit.
No problem @BarnerCobblewood just let us know when you feel it's the right time
I'm leaning toward Frankenstein in Baghdad by Iraqi writer Ahmed Saadawi. I expect it's more literary fiction than genre fiction, but it was nominated for both the Arthur C. Clarke award and the Man Booker. It won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, though of course I don't expect anyone will read it in Arabic.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30780005-frankenstein-in-baghdad
Let me know if you're keen. If someone is not, I can pick something else - I have tons to choose from.
Sounds good to me
Looks interesting!
I'm still considering choices for June. As my wife is getting me into watching wuxia at the moment, how about a wuxia book? A Hero Born ( review ) could be a good one?
Sounds good to me.
I think it is stand-alone, but was sufficiently popular at the time he wrote a sequel. Or two. Or eleven. Same setting, different characters, but ramifications of one book flow into another.
I'm up for it!
I'm thinking Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear for my choice (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ancestral-Night-Elizabeth-Bear-ebook/dp/B07H8GCC4T/ref=sr_1_1). It's far-future space opera but largely an exploration of character and culture rather than Big Battles and whatnot. It's quite long (about the same as Five Decembers) and in all fairness to the group, although most reviewers liked it, and the author has won a lot of acclaim for her books, some people obviously really didn't get on with it, mainly because Elizabeth Bear uses the first person perspective to have a lot of interior speculation and analysis on the part of the main character.
So we may well find that opinion within the group is divided about this book - not that that is necessarily a bad thing!
I'll give us all a few more days to consider / reconsider the choices mentioned, and then most likely set up the monthly folders next weekend.
Both books boughtenated. When Apocryphal firms up his choice I'll get that too! The Guns Above has reminded me why I love reading...
Which month is Elizabeth Bear?
> Which month is Elizabeth Bear?
July.
Currently we have:
April @clash_bowley The Guns Above
May @Apocryphal Frankenstein in Baghdad
June @NeilNjae A Hero Born
July @RichardAbbott Ancestral Night
Frankie is also ordered!
A Guide to Condor Heroes from Tor. It looks like the books are more of a trilogy than I thought, but still spanning generations.
OK! That was very interesting! Looking forward to this!
Me, I don’t really mind. If I like the book I can always pick up the rest. There are some elements of the world building I’m really interested in, like the names of the attacks and parries, and also the concept of king fu (ie mastery) which I’ve been interest in for a while as a world building element. Also, it sounds like there are some quite fun characters in the book, too, so I’m generally pretty keen on this one.