What are you reading in 2024?

[Richards]

When I was in high school (class of 1982 - yeah, I'm old), I joined the Science Fiction Book Club, and one month I didn't return the order sheet in time and as a result was shipped (and billed for) the two featured selections for the month. One was a book by C. J. Cherryh and the other looked halfway okay, so I let laziness win out and just paid for them. I started reading the Cherryh book...and it was a slog. So much so, in fact, that I broke my standard rule and started reading a second book at the same time, forcing myself to read a chapter of the Cherryh book and then "rewarding" myself by getting to read a chapter in the book I was really interested in reading.

I finished both books over the weekend, and on Monday was complaining to my friend Neil about how hard it had been to finish that Cherryh book (I can't recall which title it was - it was one of the few books I happily gave away after having read it). Neil expressed disbelief, asking, "Why didn't you just stop reading the book you didn't like?"

I was literally dumbfounded. That perfectly obvious solution had never even crossed my mind. Not read a book I owned? Pure craziness!

(Fortunately, in the years since, I've accepted there are only so many books I'll ever get to read in this lifetime and it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of time on books you're not enjoying.)

Anyway, that one experience has had me avoiding Cherryh ever since, so it's possible I've missed out on some really good stories. But once bitten, twice shy.

Johnathan

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

Anyway, that one experience has had me avoiding Cherryh ever since, so it's possible I've missed out on some really good stories.

You have.

 

[Richards]

I'm willing to accept that.

Johnathan

 

[Nellisir]

It's not her most thrilling read, granted. Still, I have soft spot for "belter" stories even if this one is more depressing (and probably realistic) than most.

This may have been the first Cherryh book I ever read. One of the things I like about Cherryh is the mundanity. Nothing is shiny in her worlds.

Are you going on to re-read Hellburner, which was pretty much a direct sequel?

The plan is to read them ALL, in something like chronological order except when I don't. I'm on page 10 or something of Hellburner now; Downbelow Station is on deck. My copy of Rimrunners is missing so I'll have to get that one this week. I've got Merchanter's Luck and I SHOULD have Tripoint & Finity's End but I looked the other day and I think I'm missing Tripoint as well (I had all of them, but my books are in multiple boxes and it's driving me bonkers). I did Chanur etc. earlier, and Forty Thousand in Gehenna. Cyteen & Regenesis, and then on to the weird stuff.

If I'm remembering my timelines right, I wonder if her current Alliance series is going to wind up crossing paths with some elements of HT/Hellburner. Alliance might be a little too early yet, though. Should probably re-read both books while I'm waiting for the new one just on case, it's been a very long time now.

I didn't even know she'd written new ones until recently. The blurb on wikipedia says they're set "before the Company Wars", and I think Dekker (Heavy Time/Hellburner) is the spark for that whole thing, so maybe Bird and/or Meg is there? They both have history that gets remarked on but not explicated in Heavy Time. Those are on my list to get soon - oh, wait, I think my gf ordered them yesterday.

 

[Nellisir]

Anyway, that one experience has had me avoiding Cherryh ever since, so it's possible I've missed out on some really good stories. But once bitten, twice shy.

Johnathan

The SFBC STILL EXISTS!!! It was SO AMAZING back then. All these books I'd never even heard of! And I forgot to send that thing back a LOT.

Anyway, Cherryh is a...demanding writer. She's very good. Very very VERY good. But the story goes at her pace, in her way, and sometimes that's slow. And then everything suddenly explodes, and the last quarter of the book is absolutely hell for the leather the whole way. She's also very psychological, and interested in alien psyches, and politics and political maneuvering. Heavy Time was, in a weird way, about union negotiations.

Or it's Gehenna and it just sort of goes along.

I really like the Chanur books. Highly recommend. They get better as you go along, too. Should be available in an omnibus or something. Also the Morgaine Cycle, which is TECHNICALLY SF but basically fantasy.

 

[Nellisir]

The Witch King ..... About twenty percent thru. Really liking it so far.

By Wells? I really like her stuff. Be prepared for more ruined mega-structures. She loves them.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

The plan is to read them ALL, in something like chronological order except when I don't.

Ambitious. I'm pretty sure there are some I still haven't read myself and I've been a fan since 1976. She's got quite the body of work, which is part of why I'm confident there's something in it for almost everyone.

I didn't even know she'd written new ones until recently.

I read Alliance Rising last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a very polished example of her overall style of work and a great addition to the Union-Cyteen timeline with one of the best looks we've had yet at merchanter and stationer life. First time she's co-authored anything in ages AFAIK, and unsurprisingly she seems to work well with her "spousal unit" Fancher - who's done adaptations of Cherryh's work before. Anxiously awaiting the sequel, which should be where any direct crossover with Heavy Time/Hellburner happens if it's going to at all.

Anyway, Cherryh is a...demanding writer.

This is true, although despite having a definite style and pet themes there is a fair bit of variation, particularly in her collab work and other shorter fiction. Her fantasy stuff seems more diverse in approach than her scifi, although I prefer the latter myself.

Also the Morgaine Cycle, which is TECHNICALLY SF but basically fantasy.

The same can be said for her Merovingen Nights novel and collab series, although the premise is quite different otherwise. Those also have the merit of being quite short compared to later works, which might be appealing for someone who struggles with her longer books.

She also did quite a bit of short collab work on Thieves' World and the Heroes In Hell series, all of which are pretty atypical of the rest of her stuff. Supposedly she wrote a Lois & Clark Superman novel, although I've never seen it in person - I think that might be her only licensed work. Always been curious about that one.

 

[cranberry]

I just finished "Red Shirts" by Scalzi.

Redshirts (novel) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

And recently began "Holly" by Stephen King

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

I just finished "Red Shirts" by Scalzi.

Is there anything to recommend it beyond what's in the spoiler-filled wiki article? I don't like Scalzi's writing style enough to really get excited about a Trek deconstruction with a layer of Inception-style meta-nonsense and I've now effectively seen the entire plot synopsized.

 

[cranberry]

Is there anything to recommend it beyond what's in the spoiler-filled wiki article? I don't like Scalzi's writing style enough to really get excited about a Trek deconstruction with a layer of Inception-style meta-nonsense and I've now effectively seen the entire plot synopsized.

It's a light read, and not his most creative work, but I don't think it was bad.

However, if you don't like his writing style, then you probably shouldn't bother.