frankie Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Here's the next bookish challenge I'm going to be busy with. Me and sci-fi/fantasy don't mix well together, but with the assistance of Karsa Orlong I am going to take the plunge and make an effort to broaden my horizons a little bit. A teeny tiny little bit! Here are the choices: Right, here we go then, Frankie! A lot of hard decisions (although some were made easier by your ex having already recommended some of my faves ). I've tried to stick to books that can be read as one-offs and that don't require reading of sequels/series etc. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay I changed my choice from 'A Song for Arbonne' to this because it was the first of GGK's books that I read, and I loved it so much I went out and bought all his others. It's also closer to high fantasy than the others, and his wonderfully lyrical writing style is in full flow. "Tigana is the magical story of a beleaguered land struggling to be free. It is the tale of a people so cursed by the black sorcery of a cruel despotic king that even the name of their once-beautiful homeland cannot be spoken or remembered." Excerpt: http://www.amazon.co...ader_0451457765 The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers This is one of those stories that really shouldn't work - but it does. Powers throws everything (including the kitchen sink) into the mix and comes up with a rollicking time travel adventure. "Winner of the 1984 Philip K. Dick Award for best original science fiction paperback. The colonization of Egypt by western European powers is the launch point for power plays and machinations. Steeping together in this time-warp stew are such characters as an unassuming Coleridge scholar, ancient gods, wizards, the Knights Templar, werewolves, and other quasi-mortals, all wrapped in the organizing fabric of Egyptian mythology. In the best of fantasy traditions, the reluctant heroes fight for survival against an evil that lurks beneath the surface of their everyday lives." Excerpt: http://www.amazon.co...ader_0575077255 Replay by Ken Grimwood I only read this one recently, so it's fresh in my memory. I found it exciting, scary and heartbreaking. I got a 'Fantasy Masterworks' edition of it, but it's not really fantasy or science fiction, it just is what it is - a fantastic story beautifully told. "At forty-three Jeff Winston is tired of his low-paid, unrewarding job, tired of the long silences at the breakfast table with his wife, saddened by the thought of no children to comfort his old age. But he hopes for better things, for happiness, maybe tomorrow . . . But a sudden, fatal heart attack puts paid to that. Until Jeff wakes up in his eighteen-year-old body, all his memories of the next twenty-five years intact. If he applies those memories, he can be rich in this new chance at life and can become one of the most powerful men in America." Excerpt: http://www.amazon.co...ader_0575075597 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card I read this many, many years ago and, whilst I can't remember the detail, I remember the effect it had on me. It's a fantastic, exciting, thought-provoking, as all great science fiction should be. "Ender's Game is one of the great ones, a novel of extraordinary power that is among the very best the genre has ever produced. Written at a stage in Orson Scott Card's career when it seemed as if he could genuinely do no wrong, Ender's Game takes a familiar theme from war fiction — war as seen through the eyes of a child, as in Ballard's Empire of the Sun — and reframes it by making the child the war's central figure. It is a tale defined by a sense of both tragic inevitability and cold irony. It is not merely about the loss of innocence, as so many stories are with children at their center. It is about innocence systematically deceived and purposefully destroyed in the fanatical pursuit of a misguided higher ideal." Excerpt: http://www.amazon.co...ader_0812550706 The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester It's an oldie but a goodie. The story is endlessly inventive and, in Gully Foyle, probably has the greatest anti-hero I've ever come across. If you can get past it's slightly quaint stylings it's a fabulous, fast-paced read. "Gully Foyle, Mechanic's Mate 3rd Class. EDUCATION: none SKILLS: none MERITS: none RECOMMENDATIONS: none That's the official verdict on Gully Foyle, unskilled space crewman. But right now he is the only survivor on his drifting, wrecked spaceship, and when another space vessel, the Vorga, ignores his distress flares and sails by, Gully becomes obsessed with revenge. He endures 170 days alone in deep space before finding refuge on the Sargasso Asteroid and returning to Earth to track down the crew and owners of the Vorga. But, as he works out his murderous grudge, Gully Foyle also uncovers a secret of momentous proportions . . ." Excerpt: http://www.amazon.co...ader_0575094192 Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds Getting into the big boys now One of my favourite reads of last year, Chasm City is a marvellous, galaxy-spanning revenge thriller. It's got three interweaving plot lines that somehow combine to make a logical whole. This, for me, is modern-day science fiction at its best. "Tanner Mirabel was a security specialist who never made a mistake - until the day a woman in his care was blown away by Argent Reivich, a vengeful young postmortal. Tanner's pursuit of Reivich takes him across light-years of space to Chasm City, the domed human settlement on the otherwise inhospitable planet of Yellowstone. But Chasm City is not what it was. The one-time high-tech utopia has become a Gothic nightmare: a nanotechnological virus has corrupted the city's inhabitants as thoroughly as it has the buildings and machines. Before the chase is done, Tanner will have to confront truths which reach back centuries, towards deep space and an atrocity history barely remembers." Excerpt: http://www.amazon.co...ader_0575083158 The Forever War by Joe Haldeman From Amazon: "Today we're going to show you eight silent ways to kill a man." The Earth's leaders have drawn a line in the interstellar sand--despite the fact that the fierce alien enemy they would oppose is inscrutable, unconquerable, and very far away. A reluctant conscript drafted into an elite Military unit, Private William Mandella has been propelled through space and time to fight in the distant thousand-year conflict; to perform his duties and do whatever it takes to survive the ordeal and return home. But "home" may be even more terrifying than battle, because, thanks to the time dilation caused by space travel, Mandella is aging months while the Earth he left behind is aging centuries ... And these are the titles I chose for Steve: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon ("superb novel with epic sweep, spanning continents and eras". Wannabe-Houdini meets comic book enthusiast cousin, set out on a 'quest' of sorts) Crippen by John Boyne (a fictionalized version of a great historic true crime case back in the early 20th century UK) Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami ("A love story combined with a detective story, Sputnik Sweetheart ultimately lingers in the mind as a profound meditation on human longing." This is part of the amazon description. It doesn't really say much about the novel, the novel is at times mind boggling and I, at times, felt like I was hallucinating.) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Epic saga of three Greek-American generations, with a fascinating and rare biological twist.) Under the Skin by Michel Faber (A female seeking hitchhikers. "commonplace expectation is no guide for this strange and deeply unsettling book; small details at first, then more major clues") Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (Historical fiction. "this hypnotic suspense novel is awash with all manner of gloomy Dickensian leitmotifs") Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Do you each have to read all 5 books or is the idea just to choose 1 of the 5? I admit that you can't really sample a whole genre with 1 book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 There are two books there that I really want to read, but I'm not sure if I should mention them because I don't want to sway your opinion in any way. I'll wait till you choose, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I think we're going to pick one to dip our toes in the water, so to speak. I don't know about Frankie's choices (yet) but I tried to make sure that each of mine was a very different take on each genre, so I hope Frankie may come back at some stage and read more of them I'm already tracking down three of you choices, Frankie. I've downloaded samples of Under the Skin and Fingersmith to my Kindle - I think the latter will put me outside my comfort zone, which is cool. I'm going to start with The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, though, and have already ordered it from Waterstones. Thanks for the suggestions, it's been great fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Do you each have to read all 5 books or is the idea just to choose 1 of the 5? I admit that you can't really sample a whole genre with 1 book. The idea was to choose one out of five. I think it's safe to say we would all agree that one book doesn't say much from a whole genre, but as I've read sci-fi/fantasy before, this wouldn't actually be my first such novel. The idea is more about me putting aside my prejudices and just reading a book from that genre. Hopefully it'll inspire me to read more Steve's chosen such interesting titles that I dare say I might give more than one of them ago. And there are the titles Steve suggested I read but were already on my wishlist or TBR, so there will be more! There are two books there that I really want to read, but I'm not sure if I should mention them because I don't want to sway your opinion in any way. I'll wait till you choose, I think. When I went to look at the secondhand bookshops yesterday to see if I could find any of the titles, I stumbled on a John Brunner title and thought of you I've read what you and Steve talked about him in the other thread, and I was very tempted to buy the title. I'm now waiting to see if I will get a bollocking from you two for not buying it Oh and I'd love to hear which book(s) you would choose, I made my choice yesterday (it turned into quite an epic quest!) so you can't influence me in one way or the other, like you usually could I think we're going to pick one to dip our toes in the water, so to speak. I don't know about Frankie's choices (yet) but I tried to make sure that each of mine was a very different take on each genre, so I hope Frankie may come back at some stage and read more of them. That was thoughtful I had an easier (or more difficult?) task because I didn't really have any guidelines. I could just go for books I've really enjoyed, but that have no sci-fi/fantasy in them. Although... well, I'll have to wait til you've read the novel, hehe. I like it, Steve, that you've found a title which will take you away from warm, fuzzy and ever so loving comfort zone Fingersmith is a great novel! Maybe you can give it a go after AAoKC. But I'm certainly not pushing the matter, you are free to do as you wish Thanks for the suggestions, it's been great fun! Yes, at least so far... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 When I went to look at the secondhand bookshops yesterday to see if I could find any of the titles, I stumbled on a John Brunner title and thought of you I've read what you and Steve talked about him in the other thread, and I was very tempted to buy the title. I'm now waiting to see if I will get a bollocking from you two for not buying it Oh and I'd love to hear which book(s) you would choose, I made my choice yesterday (it turned into quite an epic quest!) so you can't influence me in one way or the other, like you usually could Nah, no bollocking. Do you remember the title? John Brunner has written a few that qualify as dystopians... Ender's Game and The Stars My Destination are my two choices, because I have both on my TBR pile. What did you choose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I like it, Steve, that you've found a title which will take you away from warm, fuzzy and ever so loving comfort zone Fingersmith is a great novel! Maybe you can give it a go after AAoKC. But I'm certainly not pushing the matter, you are free to do as you wish No, it's okay! It's almost certain that I will read it in the near future. Sometimes it's nice to deviate from the plan (I.e. the TBR pile ). Yes, at least so far... Pessimist! So if I like your choices but you don't like mine, does that mean I'm more open-minded than you are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Nah, no bollocking. Do you remember the title? John Brunner has written a few that qualify as dystopians... Unfortunately I don't. I do remember that it was a rather short novel, consisting of 3-4 stories that were for the first time printed in one book. And there was wordplay in the title, like, if you have the word 'intergalactic', right, but then you as the author add a vowel somewhere in there, like for instance 'intergaleactic' (if 'galeactic was a real word, that is!), and it would give a whole new meaning to the word, because 'intergaleactic doesn't exist on it's own. I hope I explained that properly. I think the wordplay word consisted of 'inter' + something, but I can't remember what it could have been. And there are so many titles on Brunner's wikipage, it's making my head hurt having to read them through Ender's Game and The Stars My Destination are my two choices, because I have both on my TBR pile. But if you didn't have them on your TBR, would you still have gone with those? Meaning, are they the most interesting ones in your opinion? What did you choose? I went with The Stars My Destination in the end. Replay was the most intriguing in my opinion and something I might've chosen to read even without this challenge. However, I didn't want to go the easy way, it would defeat the purpose. But I didn't want to choose the most difficult title either, because it would be ideal that I would actually enjoy reading the book I go for. For me the most difficult one would've been Chasm City. I know I can always go and try it after I've read my challenge book. The Stars My Destination seemed like the perfect choice because it seemed like a book I wouldn't normally read. But the blurb sounds also very intriguing and I immediately felt like 'this could be it for me'. And it just so happened that there were no copies of any of the books in the secondhand bookshops or the bookstore, and the only English title they had at the library was TSMD So I guess you could say it was destined to be! No, it's okay! It's almost certain that I will read it in the near future. Sometimes it's nice to deviate from the plan (I.e. the TBR pile). I'm always up for a little bit of deviation myself Pessimist! So if I like your choices but you don't like mine, does that mean I'm more open-minded than you are? It's 'humourist', not pessimist! And no, it doesn't. It means I read better books and know which books to suggest, and that I should work in that field as a professional Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 And it just so happened that there were no copies of any of the books in the secondhand bookshops or the bookstore, and the only English title they had at the library was TSMD So I guess you could say it was destined to be! Told you I was going for the obscure I'm always up for a little bit of deviation myself Perv It's 'humourist', not pessimist! And no, it doesn't. It means I read better books and know which books to suggest, and that I should work in that field as a professional Ooh, good answer Although the 'better books' part just earned you one of my evil glares Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Perv Oi!! Ooh, good answer Although the 'better books' part just earned you one of my evil glares I'm in trouble now, aren't I? I'll go and put on my mirror sunglasses, maybe you'll end up scaring yourself away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I'm in trouble now, aren't I? I'll go and put on my mirror sunglasses, maybe you'll end up scaring yourself away Yes you are and no I won't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Yes you are and no I won't Yes I bet you have been practising your evil glares infront of the mirror, so you must be quite used to seeing it yourself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Yes I bet you have been practising your evil glares infront of the mirror, so you must be quite used to seeing it yourself Oi I can't see my reflection. I also have an aversion to garlic, sunlight and wooden stakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 I can't see my reflection. I also have an aversion to garlic, sunlight and wooden stakes So, team Edward then, right? ~~ I've completely forgotten to mention that yesterday, on my bookish tour, I found a copy of Quantum Leap: The Beginning by Julie Robitaille! Well, to be more exact I found that the copy I'd seen at the shelf a few times before was still there. Talking with ian about the book series has made me want to get the copy so I was happy I still had a chance to buy it! Also, I got a few book recommendations at the bookshop. It just so happens that a uni friend of mine (also an English major) is working at the bookshop and she was there and came by to chat and see if she could help. Being the book crazed people we are we almost forgot to look for the titles I came there for She recommended I read David Grossman's To the End of the Land. She also wanted to show me a Finnish copy of a book she'd been dying to buy for a while, and it turned out it was Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, a title which I know some of you have read and enjoyed and some of you have it on wishlist, and I told her that, too. I have to add it to my wishlist. The Finnish copy was really beautiful But it cost like 34 euros!! Then I also noticed a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey It was a nice edition, not the not-so-nice one (imo) that I've seen online. We discussed it and it turned out that my friend had actually been thinking about the book and quite possibly even reading it, although it's certainly not what she usually reads. I'm getting really curious about it too. I might have to get a copy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 So, team Edward then, right? Ha, you're so funny Team Selene, maybe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Team Selene, maybe I don't know of her and I suppose I probably shouldn't ask, either ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I don't know of her and I suppose I probably shouldn't ask, either ... Probably not but the answer is Kate Beckinsale in Underworld Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Wow, I could never do that! Don't you ever get tempted to just pick up the book you've just bought and start reading it? Yep I do and I have to have a bit of restraint to do it. I am hoping that it will curb my buying a little as I am now at my highest point ever for books! Why can't we just give up everything else and just read all day? I've just re-read your lists and I love them, they are so well organised Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Probably not but the answer is Kate Beckinsale in Underworld I want to say something, but I probably shouldn't. Oh no wait, I can say onething: to each their own Yep I do and I have to have a bit of restraint to do it. I am hoping that it will curb my buying a little as I am now at my highest point ever for books! Why can't we just give up everything else and just read all day? Because life is unfair and the world is evil. Sometimes! I can't think of any other reasons. We'll have to try and make the most of it I do, however, admire your willpower! Especially knowing how many titles you have on that mount TBR of yours I've just re-read your lists and I love them, they are so well organised Awww, thank you. It's always nice to hear compliments of one's lists Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Because life is unfair and the world is evil. Sometimes! I can't think of any other reasons. We'll have to try and make the most of it I do, however, admire your willpower! Especially knowing how many titles you have on that mount TBR of yours Awww, thank you. It's always nice to hear compliments of one's lists I could just imagine my bosses face if he caught me reading at my desk (something I do quite often but have yet to be caught ) and my excuse being my huge TBR! Thank you, I just don't want to think how long it will take me to get through all of my books though! I feel quite protective of my lists, didnt know if you felt the same about yours hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I want to say something, but I probably shouldn't. Doesn't usually stop you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Laura, I sure hope you don't get busted anytime soon so you can continue reading and reducing the titles on the TBR Doesn't usually stop you I have my moments of maturity and common sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 So, team Edward then, right? ~~ I've completely forgotten to mention that yesterday, on my bookish tour, I found a copy of Quantum Leap: The Beginning by Julie Robitaille! Well, to be more exact I found that the copy I'd seen at the shelf a few times before was still there. Talking with ian about the book series has made me want to get the copy so I was happy I still had a chance to buy it! Also, I got a few book recommendations at the bookshop. It just so happens that a uni friend of mine (also an English major) is working at the bookshop and she was there and came by to chat and see if she could help. Being the book crazed people we are we almost forgot to look for the titles I came there for She recommended I read David Grossman's To the End of the Land. She also wanted to show me a Finnish copy of a book she'd been dying to buy for a while, and it turned out it was Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, a title which I know some of you have read and enjoyed and some of you have it on wishlist, and I told her that, too. I have to add it to my wishlist. The Finnish copy was really beautiful But it cost like 34 euros!! Then I also noticed a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey It was a nice edition, not the not-so-nice one (imo) that I've seen online. We discussed it and it turned out that my friend had actually been thinking about the book and quite possibly even reading it, although it's certainly not what she usually reads. I'm getting really curious about it too. I might have to get a copy. So after all of that, did you only buy one book yesterday? I've been dying to know, but this is the only mention I've found of your exploits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 So after all of that, did you only buy one book yesterday? I've been dying to know, but this is the only mention I've found of your exploits! I'm sorry, but it was such a bizarre day, Monday was, and so was Tuesday. Yep, Quantum Leap was the only book I bought. But that's due to them not having any of the sci-fi/fantasy books I was looking for. Also, I asked a friend to go with me, on a whim, and he was actually available, and I'm never that good at properly looking at book titles if there's someone who keeps talking. I need to concentrate on the books 100% There were some great titles though, they had a lot of new titles, but I guess I haven't been there in 6 months so they would have had some new ones. Unfortunately, some of them were beautiful copies of books I already own. Two New Moons in great condition, too. What else... I almost bought Irvine Welsh's book called Ecstasy but it turned out it wasn't a novel but three stories. Edit: Kylie, but today I'm heading to Nurmes and I'm going to the library to see if they have any books on sale I will also visit a few places where they have books. Sometimes you can find something, usually not. I never make great finds of English titles in Nurmes, but I sometimes find some bizarre stuff, or okay stuff. I guess the point for me is the search, I don't usually expect to find anything there. Oh I love book hunting in Nurmes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 Book packing panic attacking... I'm shoving food in my mouth, wondering at the same time, quite franctically, 'which books to pack!?'. Always a real worry. The Hippopotamus of course, as well as The Stars My Destination, but what else. Dang it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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