tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post3266266578609692116..comments2024-03-27T23:59:01.850-07:00Comments on Writing About Writing (And Occasionally Some Writing): Best Contemporary Science Fiction Poll (or Series)––Nominations Needed (and New Rules!)Chris Brecheenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819138776404280633noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-53985083665026911022019-02-27T20:28:27.804-08:002019-02-27T20:28:27.804-08:00I will personally second your Leckie nomination. G...I will personally second your Leckie nomination. Good shit!Chris Brecheenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07819138776404280633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-91688825803793134972019-02-24T01:18:37.110-08:002019-02-24T01:18:37.110-08:00I nominate Amatka by Karin Tidbeck. I think it has...I nominate Amatka by Karin Tidbeck. I think it has the chance to become a great classic. Dani Scythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05563819728330004536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-56060274759001566162019-02-23T22:40:18.428-08:002019-02-23T22:40:18.428-08:00I second The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey SO...I second The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey SO HARD.CLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05379941842914152339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-52065228827335797122019-02-18T14:26:24.908-08:002019-02-18T14:26:24.908-08:00If it can be a series that's been going longer...If it can be a series that's been going longer than ten years but had its last book come out in the last decade, The Obernewtyn Chronicles don't get enough love! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12546795342623051788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-44957990421441670372019-02-16T21:34:37.829-08:002019-02-16T21:34:37.829-08:00Let me nominate Arabella of Mars by David Levine. ...Let me nominate Arabella of Mars by David Levine. <br />For UNSUNG HERO: The Manifold Worlds series by Foz Meadows. Super cool, super inclusive; kinda on the border of sci-fi/fantasy but worth the read. Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10113125090323229330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-29845211477701887272019-02-16T21:28:39.566-08:002019-02-16T21:28:39.566-08:00Seconding The Martian!Seconding The Martian!Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10113125090323229330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-4008220417310191762019-02-16T21:12:04.538-08:002019-02-16T21:12:04.538-08:00Seconded. So good!Seconded. So good!Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02773063591841139572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-75465572791287516822019-02-16T21:08:46.609-08:002019-02-16T21:08:46.609-08:00The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
They're...The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells<br /><br />They're novellas, but pack a punch in few pagesAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13328675153975146082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-55226234837340566132019-02-16T18:28:12.951-08:002019-02-16T18:28:12.951-08:00Noumenon by Marina J Losetta. (It’s sort of like R...Noumenon by Marina J Losetta. (It’s sort of like Rendezvous With Rama meets Cloud Atlas)<br />Clade by James Bradley. (If you’re not already scared of climate change, this will do it.)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18316183022972869907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-37744999234226590392019-02-16T18:22:13.065-08:002019-02-16T18:22:13.065-08:00Seconding Yoon Ha Lee’s work. Ninefox Gambit was t...Seconding Yoon Ha Lee’s work. Ninefox Gambit was the most unique book I’ve read in a long while.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18316183022972869907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-87911235694479839652019-02-16T14:49:07.842-08:002019-02-16T14:49:07.842-08:00seconding the Expanse seriesseconding the Expanse serieswednesdayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08399011071423976049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-89630507793944848142019-02-11T05:52:04.991-08:002019-02-11T05:52:04.991-08:00Nominations:
Terminal Alliance by Jim C. Hines
Wo...Nominations: <br />Terminal Alliance by Jim C. Hines<br />Wool by Hugh Howie<br /><br />Seconding:<br />The Expanse Series by James CoreyApril Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05939666431626698601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-70462446575556033792019-02-09T18:05:36.903-08:002019-02-09T18:05:36.903-08:00Hegemony, by Mark Kalinda, for the hard sci-fi spa...Hegemony, by Mark Kalinda, for the hard sci-fi space battles and exploration of mind uploading.<br />Unsung Hero: A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, for a great ensemble story about the day to day lives of an interspecies starship crew.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14163297308456334447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-77300835189610948032019-02-09T18:04:03.772-08:002019-02-09T18:04:03.772-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14163297308456334447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-11659077910660875512019-02-09T15:34:05.063-08:002019-02-09T15:34:05.063-08:00The nominations:
The Martian, by Andy wier.
The un...The nominations:<br />The Martian, by Andy wier.<br />The undersung hero: the coincidence makers, by yoav blum. Maybe will not count as sci-do, but still. 0504031015https://www.blogger.com/profile/03278220232122178160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-24012966684022885952019-02-08T22:04:43.643-08:002019-02-08T22:04:43.643-08:00Second Redshirts!Second Redshirts!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15336372565742759708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-91854417620023494962019-02-08T20:49:04.111-08:002019-02-08T20:49:04.111-08:00The Broken Empire series (The Thorn Prince, The Th...The Broken Empire series (The Thorn Prince, The Thorn King, and The Thorn Emperor) by Mark Lawrence. It appears to be fantasy rather than science fiction on the surface, but it is revealed to be... much more than it seems (for people who have read it - "builders suns", Fexler Brews, the wheel, etc.)<br /><br />It is a brutal, dark, miserable, sadistic, awful story that spends its time inside the head of a young teenager (and follows his growing into a man) who is possibly psychotic and sociopathic, definitely violent, egotistical, and horrific. But his story is unfolded so brilliantly across the books, and the threads are all woven in such a way that it was utterly compelling and moving and tragic and awful and occasionally beautiful.<br /><br />There are scenes in these books that gave me nightmares... for weeks. I will not reread these (though I do read everything else by this author!) I don't know if I could actually recommend anyone actually reads these books (I was ready to burn the first one at the opening scene, but a VERY trusted friend convinced me it was worth forcing myself through the first few chapters).<br /><br />But I felt that the author's ability to make this... horrific character (who remains horrific, he literally never stops being horrific, and the story is told from his point of view) still compelling, and even, maybe, for a glimpse of a moment here and there almost sympathetic, or at least... comprehensible... was amazing. I was in awe at the crafting of this story (across the three books).<br /><br />If you dare risk delving into these books, be warned that the opening scene is all kinds of content warnings. After that, it's not going to get much better. But if you make it to the end of the last book, it might, in its conclusion, might be worth the brutality of the journey. Maybe.<br /><br />It is a testament to this author that I can find a character so horrific and a story so brutal, yet come to the end with something that might almost be sympathy, or at least... empathy for this gut-wrenching, dark story and this deeply terrifyingly, depressingly dark character.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13548441445449875176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-48458525002361245322019-02-08T20:33:10.923-08:002019-02-08T20:33:10.923-08:00Submission by someone who couldn't leave a com...Submission by someone who couldn't leave a comment on blogger.<br /><br />"I would like to second the nomination of The Legacy Hunter series written by C. Heinicke & K. Reedwood."Chris Brecheenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07819138776404280633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-26414535742023331712019-02-08T19:19:11.510-08:002019-02-08T19:19:11.510-08:00The Host by Stephenie Meyer (Yes folks, I did nomi...The Host by Stephenie Meyer (Yes folks, I did nominate a Stephanie Meyer novel. Sue me.) Or rather.... I would have but I just looked and saw that it was written in 2008 which is now more than 10 years ago....<br /><br />daughterofthewaveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10556789699032331557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-47429014835849814762019-01-19T18:20:46.085-08:002019-01-19T18:20:46.085-08:00Best series: The Centenal Cycle by Malka Older
Bes...Best series: The Centenal Cycle by Malka Older<br />Best novel: The first of that series, InfomocracyGalen Stricklandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17226066680814815749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-21786547886739843852019-01-18T07:03:03.068-08:002019-01-18T07:03:03.068-08:00Nominations:
The Binti Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor
R...Nominations:<br />The Binti Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor<br />Redshirts by John Scalzi<br /><br />Seconds:<br />Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu<br />Imperial Radch Trilogy by Anne Leckie<br />Aertenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13263441606866480030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-21883974425386826872019-01-17T22:19:56.929-08:002019-01-17T22:19:56.929-08:00Aside from my seconds, I'll nominate "The...Aside from my seconds, I'll nominate "The Martian" by Weir, and, as "Unsung hero" (which is a fair statement of its visibility in the US) 1Q84. <br /><br />Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06507129113803243988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-71276778280832830422019-01-17T22:16:16.163-08:002019-01-17T22:16:16.163-08:00I would second the Three Body Problem but a second...I would second the Three Body Problem but a second is already in place.<br /><br />And I will second Ancillary, because duh.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06507129113803243988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-60112314205575073112019-01-17T10:52:54.777-08:002019-01-17T10:52:54.777-08:00The Expanse series - James SA Corey
Saturn Run - C...The Expanse series - James SA Corey<br />Saturn Run - Ctein and John SanfordAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02567054240182521732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2660089177097719300.post-16921782903071935632019-01-17T01:45:06.561-08:002019-01-17T01:45:06.561-08:00Cixin Liu, The Three Body Problem trilogyCixin Liu, The Three Body Problem trilogyRunarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09838843440197206217noreply@blogger.com