What are you reading in 2025?

[Nellisir]

Finished Artificial Condition, aka Murderbot 2, by Martha Wells last night. It was pretty good. Nice quick read. I liked Art as a character and enjoyed the A and B stories. I’m a big fan of short stories and novellas but would like a novel-length story of Murderbot, even if only 40,000 words.

The first 4 novellas are linked and form a single story arc. Then chronologically, Fugitive Telemetry is next, then Network Effect, which IS a novel, then System Collapse. I understand it's a little dismaying to be buying novellas, but I thought it was worth it.

I think there are some editions (an edition?) that collects 1&2 and 3&4 of the novellas, but I've never looked for it.

 

[overgeeked]

The first 4 novellas are linked and form a single story arc. Then chronologically, Fugitive Telemetry is next, then Network Effect, which IS a novel, then System Collapse. I understand it's a little dismaying to be buying novellas, but I thought it was worth it.

I think there are some editions (an edition?) that collects 1&2 and 3&4 of the novellas, but I've never looked for it.

I love shorts and novellas and I don't mind buying them at all. My issue is I want these specific stories to be longer.

 

[trappedslider]

My ILL came in so i'm reading that, I also picked up The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

A couple re-reads for me. Re-read Martha Wells' All Systems Red. On a second read, I liked it much more. Then re-read John Shirley's Eclipse. John Shirley saw the writing on the wall with the threat of American christofascism, even the return of a Le Pen to France, back in the 80s. There's still some cool Rock and Rebellion moments, but it's a fairly grim cyberpunk vision.

Now I'm reading Embodied Exegesis: Transfeminine Cyberpunk Futures, edited by Ann Leblanc

 

[Mannahnin]

I re-read Heinlein's Glory Road a week or two ago. Something random reminded me of a passage, and once I cracked it I just felt like diving in. This is one of his I've read several times, has nostalgia value, is a light read and so doesn't take me more than a few hours to tear through. It's got a few issues (though much less so than Farnham's Freehold, from a year later) but it's mostly a fun tale, well-told.

Only in recent years did I learn A) that Heinlein modeled the specifications off Gordon's sword The Lady Vivamus off his old 1911 Navy dress saber, and B) that a modern armory, Albion Swords, had created a really beautiful recreation per the book description. As a teenage fencer the description of it, and of the duel with the Eater of Souls, always fascinated me.

Albion Swords - Lady Vivamus

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[Nellisir]

I love shorts and novellas and I don't mind buying them at all. My issue is I want these specific stories to be longer.

So say we all.

 

[trappedslider]

My ILL came in so i'm reading that, I also picked up The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson.

so 8i finished Under a graveyard sky and went ahead and bought the next book.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Last week finished volume one of Versus manga, and it was not terrible. I’ll keep reading for a bit. The concept is a fantasy world is getting decimated by demons, and humans are all but wiped out. In a last ditch effort, they open up a gate to a parallel world for succor. Turns out jokes on them, the parallel world thought they were opening a dimensional rift to the first world. But in their case, humanity is all but wiped out by AI gone wild. Turns out there are 13 worlds and in all of them humanity is all but wiped out due to some type of “natural predator”. I’ll be interested to see how it moves forward. Art is pretty good, although more busy than I like. Overall would give a 3.5. Versus (2022 manga) - Wikipedia

 

[Reynard]

Joe Abercrombie's Devils dropped today and I jumped on the audiobook instantly.

Just an hour in I am a little bit concerned that it is going to be too "humorous" for me. The pinnacle of his work, IMO, is The Heroes. That has humor in it, but it is black as pitch. Devils is giving me Suicide Squad vibes, and... I'm not sure.

I'll keep listening, of course, at least for a while but I prefer him grimmer and less dank, I guess.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm finishing up The Hanging Tree, in the Rivers of London series.

I wish these books weren't so serialized. I don't think it adds much to them -- I really don't care much about the recurring villains or mysteries beyond Leslie May. I'm in it for the worldbuilding and the procedurals. The Rivers of London would be much stronger if it was a mystery series first and a fantasy series second.

I am enjoying the series, but I'm glad to be approaching what appears to be the end of these.