What books are you reading or have recently read?

[Duckman]

There are many types of authors in the world, but with relevance to this conversation I think of two main categories...  Those who write with the intent of making you think of their point of view and those that just write to make you think.  I find that, to my chagrin, I tend to fall into the first category (one reason I avoid the Realm of Chaos) while I have much more respect for the latter.

If a writer has truly done their job then their work can reach you with the message you need when you read it which may mean that it brings a different message each time you read it and that is not a bad thing, particularly if you can understand why you saw the old message then and the new message now.

 

Personally, I have been rereading and exploring related authors or new books on the edges of that content...

 

Azimov's Foundation series

Villains By Necessity, Eve Forward

Kelly McCullough's Fallen Blade series

The original Dragonlance trilogy

Sergei Lukyanenko's Night Watch series

Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy

Daniel O'Malley's The Rook and Stiletto

Hench: A Novel, by Natalie Zina Walschots

Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus series

[Torg]

Hmmm so far mostly this year I have listened to... in a rough order-

 

The Fifth Season - N.K. Jemisin

The Obelisk Gate - N.K. Jemisin

The Stone Sky - N.K. Jemisin

   Excellent series - I devoured these 3 ... I just couldn't stop listening- and had to find spaces where I could continue to listen to this story play out. I really found the take on sci-fi / fantastic ... post apocalyptic world building to be mesmerizing.

 

Interface - Neal Stephenson

   Hey - this seems too realistic lol.  Another fun story from Stephenson.

 

Shards of Earth - Adrian Tchaikovsky

   This... was a very intriguing space-opera story - and it was hard to put down. I couldn't wait to get the next book in the series - which I just finished a week or so ago lol.

 

The Wisdom of Crowds - Joe Abercrombie

  Grim Dark Fantasy ... political intrigue - scum - villains - heroes?  sometimes

 

The Sandman & The Sandman Act 2 (both in prep for the show - rather than going back though my comics lol)

   It has been a long time since I read my comics for The Sandman - the stories are still mostly locked in memory - These were good radio drama style listenings to add fuel to the fire before the series starts on Netflix

 

Day Zero - C. Robert Cargill

   A follow up to another droid future book I read - was OK... fun but not that memorable.

 

The Kaiju Preservation Society - John Scalzi

  Short and fun - excellent pandemic fodder.

 

Recorder - Cathy McCrumb

   I love to check out new writers ... this was a good listen - world building sci fi. The story seemed to slowly build - but was left with questions to be continued in a book two at some point. Soon I hope.

 

The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin

   Classic listen. 

 

In Emergency Break Glass - Nate Anderson

   An anti-tech sorta take on Nietzsche - the distractions of our modern trappings - and what that means for how we live our lives.

 

Eyes of the Void - Adrian Tchaikovsky

   Excellent new series - Lots of stuff going on - but very memorable characters and scenes. I will be sad when this series comes to an end. Great space opera that doesn't feel like a re-skin of other space opera.

-d