So What Are you Reading?: Generations

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by captcalhoun, Dec 22, 2011.

  1. 2of1million

    2of1million Captain Captain

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    Jan 16, 2002
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    Canada
    Just purchased Dayton Ward's From History's Shadow(ebook). However, I am reading The Shocks of Adversity by William Leisner first, since I borrowed it from the library and it will have to go back.

    I also just finished The Shift Omnibus by Hugh Howey. Good sci-fi author, the ebooks are cheaply priced and DRM-Free. You just can't go wrong there. Recommended.

    I also recently read Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. Fantastic book.I think it won the Hugo award too.
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2013
  2. Thrawn

    Thrawn Rear Admiral Premium Member

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    Jun 15, 2008
    Location:
    Washington, DC
    I've bounced around a bit lately; I read all the Mass Effect novels (rather shallow, but entertaining and nifty, excepting the infamous last one), I read Scott Westerfeld's two-novel Succession (wildly creative but dramatically a bit unsatisfying), and now I'm finishing up the Vorkosigan saga - three books left.

    The Vorkosigan saga is absolutely utterly phenomenal; it's not precisely Star-Trekkian in theme or content, but anyone who enjoys long stories where people grow and change with memorable characters and interesting sci-fi conceits will love it.

    Haven't read much Trek lately, I'm not too into the TOS glut and I'm not caught up on Enterprise, but I might read Leisner's Shocks of Adversity. I really liked his other two, and Shocks was well reviewed here.
     
  3. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Arizona, USA
    I read the first "episode" of the Smallville Season 11 digital comic series. I posted a longer review over in the series thread in the SF&F forum, but I'll just summarize it here: I loved it.
     
  4. Anika Hanson

    Anika Hanson Captain Captain

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    Aug 30, 2008
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    Thallon
    Currently reading The eye of the world by Robert Jordan. I'm just over half way through and it's excellent.

    The last book I finished reading was Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. Quite superficial and sparse storyline but enjoyable nonetheless.
     
  5. JoeP

    JoeP Captain Captain

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    The Mighty Dominion of Canada
    Allegiance in Exile.
     
  6. captcalhoun

    captcalhoun Admiral Admiral

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    everywhere
    wow, so i guess they finally decided to leave threads open and not start news ones eh? nineteen months and counting...
     
  7. Sci

    Sci Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Mar 2, 2002
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    Montgomery County, State of Maryland
    Currently reading "The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius" by George Orwell.
     
  8. ryan123450

    ryan123450 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Woodward, OK
    Just started The Pandora Principal. Already learning tons I didn't know about Saavik.
     
  9. Lonemagpie

    Lonemagpie Writer Admiral

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    Jan 31, 2007
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    Yorkshire
    THEM: Adventures With Extremists, by Jon Ronson. The makers of Four Lions have obviously read this...
     
  10. Cap'n Crunch

    Cap'n Crunch Captain Captain

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    Jul 3, 2008
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    Knoxville, TN
    Over the last few days I read some stories from New Frontier: No Limits. I finished the Soleta story, "Revelations" by KRAD. I then read the Si Cwan and Selar stories, "Turning Point" by Josepha Sherman and "Q'uandary" by Terri Osborne. I'm now about to start the Burgoyne 172 story, "Oil and Water" by Robert T. Jeschonek.
     
  11. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Gotham
    "Star Trek Typhon Pact: Raise the Dawn" by David R. George III. Finished Greg Cox's "Man of Steel" novelization and thought it was fantastic.
     
  12. CaffeineAddict

    CaffeineAddict Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    May 25, 2013
    Finished book one of Cold Equations a couple of days ago (a brilliant read), and just finished book two. Enjoyed the second one a lot, but I wasn't thrilled with the explanation for the plot. It left too many unanswered questions. I hope that's expanded in book three. Either way, on to the third.
     
  13. Paris

    Paris Commodore Commodore

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    In the future's past
    With the Star Trek: Seekers announcement, i've decided to head back to Vanguard and read the rest of the series faster than i had originally planned. I'm only on the thrid book, Reap The Whirlwind, and with 5 more to go, plus all those books coming in the next bunch of months...i'd better get started so i can jump right into David Mack's first Seekers offering in August 2014 :techman:
     
  14. Daddy Todd

    Daddy Todd Commodore Commodore

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    Oct 13, 2004
    Location:
    Utah
    Ditto. I also bogged down some 80 pages int RtW several years back, so I'll probably start at the beginning again. The Seekers sounds awesome.
     
  15. Paris

    Paris Commodore Commodore

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    Everyone's opinion that I care about on this board, has said over and over how good the series is. I totally agree, but sometimes i get bogged down as well. Currently about 250 pages in. Hoping to be on book #4 by the middle of the week :)
     
  16. Cap'n Crunch

    Cap'n Crunch Captain Captain

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    Knoxville, TN
    I finished the Burgoyne 172 story from New Frontier: No Limits, "Oil and Water", by Robert T. Jeschonek. I'm now reading the McHenry story, "Singularity", by Christina F. York.
     
  17. RandyS

    RandyS Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I hope to God that doesn't mean that all the Orion/Breen stuff is continued in book three. I'm working my way through book two right now myself and, man, is it WORK. Hain's storyline, and whatever the hell is it she and her people are doing makes no sense whatsoever.

    And I'm beginning to think I should have read the Typhon Pact novels first. I don't understand any of THAT either.

    And, We FINALLY get Data back after a decade, and instead of him simply rejoining the Enterprise crew as he should have, he goes off on a search for Vasilvik for....reasons. I hope that makes more sense in part three also.

    Now, I don't want to sound like I'm disparaging Dave Mack's work here. I'm not. I usually love his stuff. Book one was great. I REALLY enjoyed the look it gave us at Noonien Soong and what he was doing all those years, and of course, his part in Data's return. It's just all this Orion/Breen intrigue that seems to have come from nowhere. Of course, the attempts to involve Data in all that will, I hope, pay off in book three. Maybe I just can't see it all yet.
     
  18. Daddy Todd

    Daddy Todd Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2004
    Location:
    Utah
    July was busy. Not much reading, and not much listening, as I took a Gym Break during the last week of the month (just started back on Saturday the 3rd.)

    07/03/2013 Mary Ann in Autumn (audiobook) by Armistead Maupin
    07/03/2013 Star Trek (DC Series II) 61-70, Special 2, Annual 5 by Howard Weinstein & Various
    07/04/2013 Star Trek (DC Series II) 71-80, Special 3, Annual 6, Ashes of Eden GN by Howard Weinstein & Various
    07/07/2013 The Fountains of Paradise (audiobook) by Arthur C. Clarke
    07/13/2013 Star Trek: The Next Generation: Vendetta (audiobook) by Peter David
    07/13/2013 Snows of Darkover (anthology) Edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley
    07/20/2013 Creating the Enterprise (2nd Edition) by Paul Olsen
    07/20/2013 Red Sun of Darkover (anthology) Edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley
    07/22/2013 The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold
    07/24/2013 Clingfire I: The Fall of Neskaya (audiobook) by Marion Zimmer Bradley & Deborah J. Ross
    07/27/2013 The Love and Rockets Companion: 30 Years (and Counting) edited by Marc Sobel and Kristy Valenti
    07/30/2013 Love and Rockets Book 1: Music for Mechanics (gn) by Los Bros Hernandez
    07/31/2013 The Complete Omaha the Cat Dancer Vol. 8 (gn) by Red Waller & Kate Worley with James Vance

    This that & the other. Some Star Trek comics (finished re-reading DC Series II). Some Darkover fan fiction, followed by Darkover audio of the Ages of Chaos Clingfire Trilogy. I enjoyed these books a whole lot more when I read them myself. I think the reader just doesn't work for me. Sadly.

    David Gerrold's The Man Who Folded Himself, first re-read since the 70's, I think. Man, is that a compelling read. It still holds up beautifully, by the way. I Kindled this one after reading Gerrold's ringing denouncement of Orson Scott Coward (I think that's his name, right?) and the whole Ender's Game movie boycott brouhaha. Thanks Dave!

    Last year was the 30th anniversary of the first issue of Love & Rockets, and their publisher, Fantagraphics, announced an extensive celebration, to include 3 big celebratory volumes to be published in the latter half of the year. Twelve months late, but it looks like that material is finally going to come out, just in time for the 31st anniversary. Better late than never, I say. The first book, the Love and Rockets Companion, showed up from Amazon on, I think, Wednesday the 24th of July. It went camping with me over the weekend, and I finished in on Saturday. That got me in the mood for L&R again, so I'm re-reading the whole series in trade paper. The early stuff (the first volume, essentially) is weird and tonally quite different from what came later, but still wonderful.

    The L&R re-read got interrupted when the final, belated volume of Omaha the Cat Dancer showed up last Tuesday. I finished it the next day. It was OK, and a good wrap-up for the series, but not up to the highs of some of the earlier material.

    Yesterday, I did some living room cleaning, and finally put away a stack of books I had planned to read over last year's Xmess break - those plans went out the window when my younger brother passed away on Christmas eve, and I spend the next couple of weeks shuttling back & forth to Boise, trying to help my sister-in-law and my parents deal with the fall-out.

    I did pull one book out of that stack and started reading it again -- Lou Scheimer's memoirs of his years with Filmation, making kid's TV programming. Fun read!

    Currently reading: L&R Book 3, Las Mujeres Perdidas by Los Bros Hernandez, Creating the Filmation Generation by Lou Scheimer & Andy Mangels, Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation: A Choice of Futures by Christopher Bennett. Currently listening to Clingfire II: Zandru's Forge by MZB & Deborah J. Ross.
     
  19. Timewalker

    Timewalker Cat-lovin', Star Trekkin' Time Lady Premium Member

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    May 26, 2007
    Location:
    In many different universes, simultaneously.
    It's not often I run across other Darkover fans. May I ask what fanfic you read? I've been trying to track down as much as possible, and it's definitely not easy.
     
  20. Daddy Todd

    Daddy Todd Commodore Commodore

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    Oct 13, 2004
    Location:
    Utah
    Uh, just what I listed above -- I consider the Darkover anthologies to be glorified fanfic (like Star Trek's late, lamented Strange New World anthologies.)

    I do have a few issues of Starstone and the Friends of Darkover newsletter, but they're pretty damn pricy, and I've never been able to find a comprehensive listing of her fanzines, so I have no idea what I'm missing.

    I'm a big Marion Zimmer Bradley fan -- I've read virtually everything she ever published, with the exception of her early, pseudonymous "lesbian" novels, which I'm saving for a rainy day, and some of her late-career "collaborations" (Trillium, Glenraven, Tiger Burning Bright) which I find unreadable. But pretty much everything she wrote from the '60's through the '80's is good, and frequently rises to brilliant.