Some tough decisions among these polls.
And yes I continue to vote against Game of Thrones.
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Tag: science fiction
Audiobook Review: King of Thorns by Lawrence (DNF)
King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Fantasy Book Club selection August 2013
Attempted to Read/Listen: August 2013
I tried reading, or rather listening, to this in August 2013 for the GoodReads Fantasy Book Club. We previously read Prince of Thorns as a group in October 2011 and I actually liked the first book of the series. But I had to give up listening at around twenty percent. I may come back to it at a later date, but right now I need something a lot less bleak.
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Fantasy v SF Round One Second Half Gets Weird
io9 continues whittling down the first sixty-four entries, getting decidedly weirder, digging around in the classics for mad scientists, dystopian alternate realities, monsters and magic.
Results from the first half of the voting returned only one disappointment for me, and it’s a bittersweet one. The Princess Bride edged out The Wheel of Time in the Epic Fantasy bracket. Bit of a quibble for me as I don’t really think the former qualifies as ‘epic’ fantasy; rather, it’s more like humorous high fantasy. The latter clearly takes epic to the next level and should not have been so easily defeated. I’ve read both, though, and loved them both.
Update March 20, 2014: I missed the vote yesterday for the first half of round two. Some of the results are already in and can be found here.
Upcoming Schedule:
- Friday, March 21: Sweet Sixteen
- Monday, March 24: Elite Eight
- Wednesday, March 26: Final Four
- Friday, March 28: Championship
Fantasy v SF Round One Pits Epic Fantasy Against Space Opera
io9’s version of March Madness begins today with ‘Epic Fantasy v. Space Opera‘ so vote now so Gandalf won’t have to smack down Vader. It won’t be pretty.
Of course, we’re holding the Mouse in reserve in case of foul play.
Book Review: Bible Stories for Adults by Morrow (3.3 Stars)
Bible Stories for Adults by James K. Morrow
Read in January 2014
Anthology Synopsis:
Morrow unabashedly delves into matters both sacred and secular in this collection of short stories buoyed by his deliciously irreverent wit. Among the dozen selections is the Nebula Award-winning “Bible Stories for Adults, No. 17: The Deluge.”
Contents:
Bible Stories for Adults, No. 17: The Deluge (1988)
Daughter Earth (1991)
Known but to God and Wilbur Hines (1991)
Bible Stories for Adults, No. 20: The Tower (1994)
Spelling God with the Wrong Blocks (1987)
The Assemblage of Kristin (1984)
Bible Stories for Adults, No. 31: The Covenant (1989)
Abe Lincoln in McDonald’s (1989)
The Confessions of Ebenezer Scrooge (1989)
Bible Stories for Adults No. 46: The Soap Opera (1994)
Diary of a Mad Deity (1988)
Arms and the Woman (1991)
My Thoughts:
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Book Review: A Highly Unlikely Scenario by Cantor (3 Stars)
A Highly Unlikely Scenario or, a Neetsa Pizza Employee’s Guide to Saving the World by Rachel Cantor
Read in February 2014
Suggested reading for the Kansas City Public Library Adult Winter Reading Program “Stop Me If You’ve Read This One”
Publisher’s Synopsis:
In the not-too-distant future, competing giant fast food factions rule the world. Leonard works for Neetsa Pizza, the Pythagorean pizza chain, in a lonely but highly surveilled home office, answering calls on his complaints hotline. It’s a boring job, but he likes it—there’s a set answer for every scenario, and he never has to leave the house. Except then he starts getting calls from Marco, who claims to be a thirteenth-century explorer just returned from Cathay. And what do you say to a caller like that? Plus, Neetsa Pizza doesn’t like it when you go off script.
Meanwhile, Leonard’s sister keeps disappearing on secret missions with her “book club,” leaving him to take care of his nephew, which means Leonard has to go outside. And outside is where the trouble starts.
My Thoughts:
I read this new novel with every intention of joining the local real-life book discussion group. I try to participate in at least one or two book discussion groups during the annual adult winter reading program at the Kansas City Public Library. Continue reading “Book Review: A Highly Unlikely Scenario by Cantor (3 Stars)”
Book Review: Influx by Daniel Suarez
I don’t read much science fiction, especially of the hard variety, but my uncle does. So check out his review of the recently released Influx.
Book Review: Martian by Weir (4 stars)
My uncle posted a review of a recently released hard science fiction novel as his second blog post on his new blog. I supplied some technical assistance, but the content and publication are all his. Stop by and wish him well in his new electronic frontier adventure.
Book Review: Frankenstein by Shelley (3.5 Stars)
Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Read in November 2008
I don’t know what I was expecting to find but it definitely was different than all my preconceptions. I had some trouble, at times, staying tuned into the story. Mary Shelley’s prose was first person, but often second or third hand (one person telling another person’s story who was then telling yet another story). At times, I had to stop and remember what “I” was actually telling the story at that particular time. Nevertheless, it did make for compelling reading at times.
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Book Review: The Anubis Gates by Powers (3 Stars)
The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
Read in October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Brendan Doyle is a biographer and researcher specializing in poetry and prose of the early 19th century. In fact, it’s his knowledge of Coleridge and the obscure contemporary William Ashbless that leads Doyle into his time traveling adventure. An eccentric named Darrow has discovered a method of time travel. To secure venture capital for his personal scheme, he sells tickets to a Coleridge lecture in 1810. Doyle is hired as the Coleridge expert brought along to prep the audience.
The party arrives successfully in London in 1810 and convinces Coleridge to give an impromptu lecture. Darrow had misinformation about the date of the “real” lecture. At the conclusion of the lecture, Doyle is sent to fetch the carriages and is kidnapped.
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