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RF Kuang's new book's just been released (she previously did the excellent Poppy War, though the sequels were less good): Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
A review of Babel from the Guardian
Any thoughts on choosing that as a book to read in November? Is the recency an issue?
Looks purchasable in several formats here in the UK, though I got sidetracked by a totally different book which seems to be "Short Notes and Extensive Analysis Of" said work - maybe fan-fiction? I couldn't be sure, but it's by a totally different author Jordan C. Moore
Ah, found it. It looks like a summary of the book, perhaps like a budget "Cliff Notes".
@Apocryphal if you're settled on Berserker for October I will set up the appropriate monthly selection page.
A note of caution about Babel, it really seems like the kind of book that appeals to the side of me that likes literary and history works, but (maybe because of that) I can’t help but wonder it’ll be too dry for a club read?
I'm open to hearing other thoughts. There's no point proposing a book that no-one will finish or enjoy.
There are reviews from The Guardian and Goodreads, and others at Grimdark Magazine and Paste Magazine. Take a look, see what people think.
If you've not read the previous books, The Poppy War trilogy, I'll just point out that they were not genteel books about history. There was action and emotion, it was visceral, and made all the more powerful because it was rooted in real events. Babel could well be in the same vein.
Etymology is something we love to geek out about in this group, so possibly this isn’t a concern. I’ve just heard a lot of comments ‘pretentious this’ and ‘the story was lost in wankery’ type comments over the years, so my ‘try-to-keep-everyone-happy’ alarm bells are ringing. But that said, we’ve all happily geeked out over Tolkien before.
So I’m mostly expressing this concern on behalf of others, and one might rightly say it’s not my place to do so. What does everyone else think? And if we go for it, does anyone need extra time? (I likely don’t, myself).
We now have a discussion category for October's Berserker, by Fred Saberhagen. Now's the time to update your notification preferences!!
I'd be more concerned about the length than the content - I think, though I might change my mind later on
Maybe it's worth downloading the Kindle sample and seeing what that reads like
I hadn't realised is was such a long book. Do we think it's too long for this venue? Or we could split the read over two months, if that's easier.
Or, I could find another book. It's not like there's aren't lots of books to choose from!
If there are no objections I'll set up November's area
Sorry @NeilNjae I posted at the same time as you so missed your comment
A two month read makes this sound much more attractive for me. I like the idea but the length is daunting.
So... what do we all think? The current apparent choices are:
1) @NeilNjae leads Babel in just one month (November) with me in December and @BarnerCobblewood in January (unless @WildCard wants to leap in)
2) @NeilNjae leads Babel over two months (November and December) with me in January and @BarnerCobblewood in February (unless @WildCard wants to leap in)
Either way we've got @clash_bowley about to lead The Man who Fell to Earth quite soon, and @Apocryphal leading Berserker at the end of October.
I think the preference is for Babel in two months. I'm happy to go along with that.
Cool, I'll set it up (and buy the book as well
)
Done - now's the time to update notification prefs!
Hi all, as discussion continues for The Man who Fell to Earth, here's a quick reminder that October's read is Berserker, by Fred Saberhagen, selected by @Apocryphal who wil be setting out discussion starters around the end of the month.
Who is up?
> Richard then Barner, I think.
I think so too (unless @WildCard wants to leap in
I won't be able to run a discussion at that time. Just too busy in real life I'm afraid.
In that case in terms of the regular rotation we're looking at me in January, @clash_bowley in Feb and @Apocryphal in March
I'm thinking of A Master of Djinn by P Djeli Clark, a kind of fantasy steampunk novel set in an alternative 1912 Cairo. I don't think we've read it before. It won several awards including Nebula in 2021 and is IMHO a lot of fun.
Sounds great to me!
I read the prequel short story A Dead Djinn in Cairo and really enjoyed it. Hopefully the novel is as good!
Looks good!