Thursday 23 May 2013

12 Question SF/F/H Book Meme

SF Signal did a book meme post this past Saturday and I've now got time to do it. :)

  1. The last sf/f/h book I read and enjoyed was: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (YA); Up Against It by M. J. Locke (adult SF)
  2. The last sf/f/h book I read and did not enjoy was: something I didn't finish and now can't remember
  3. A sf/f/h book that I would recommend to new sf/f/h readers is: 0.4 by Mike Lancaster (YA); Transformation by Carol Berg (fantasy); The Shining by Stephen King (horror); On Basilisk Station by David Weber (SF)
  4. A sf/f/h book that I would recommend to seasoned sf/f/h readers is: Kop by Warren Hammond (SF); The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie or The Adamantine Palace by Stephen Deas (fantasy), Shadows by John Saul (horror)
  5. The sf/f/h book I most want to read next is: I have a huge list that's constantly changing and growing.  Some books I want to read soon (but won't due to other obligations) are: The Explorer by James Smythe, The Testament of Jesse Lamb by Jane Rogers, The Killing Moon by N. K. Jemisin, A Once Crowded Sky by Tom King, Stand on Zanzibar by John Brenner, The World Inside by Robert Silverberg, Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed...
  6. My favorite sf/f/h book series include: Terry Pratchett's Discworld, Weiss & Hickman's Death Gate Cycle, Terry Brooks' Shannara Books (though I'm woefully behind), R. A. Salvatore's Drizzt books (which I'm also behind in)
  7. I will read anything by this sf/f/h author: Carol Berg.  She's created several worlds, all complex with different magic systems and manages to torture her characters while still imbuing her books with humour.
  8. The first sf/f/h book I read was: either The 7th Princess by Nick Sullivan (I managed to track down a copy and enjoy it just as much as an adult) or Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert O'Brien; the book that got me reading SF/F almost exclusively was The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, but I had to start it 2 or 3 times before I really got into it
  9. The sf/f/h book I’m most surprised that more people don’t like is: Transformation by Carol Berg.  It's got humour, character growth, magic, and some very dark moments.  Berg's a fantastic author and criminally under read.
  10. The sf/f/h book I’m surprised so many people do like is: Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein.  I forced myself to finish it because it's so well revered, and hated every page.
  11. The most expensive sf/f/h book I own is: None of my books were more expensive than the art and history texts I needed for university.  I paid $90 for a hardcover Chaucer, which is beautiful and worth every cent.
  12. The number of sf/f/h books I own and have yet to read is: at least 50-100, not counting my husband's collection.  With his books, add at least 100 or 200 more.

2 comments:

John Wiswell said...

I'm also very curious for The Killing Moon and almost picked it up, ironically getting Throne of the Crescent Moon instead. You've made me quite curious for what Carol Berg's work is like after all the mentions. I'll have to poke around Goodreads.

Loved your answers. And you know, I think I have the same Chaucer. Is it the Riverside?

Jessica Strider said...

Hi John,

Yeah, I've got the Riverside Chaucer. It's fantastic. :)

There are SO many books to read, and new ones coming out every day.

I haven't read Carol Berg's newest series (I'm waiting for a chance to read them all together), but her stuff's great. She does go overboard on punishing her protagonists at times (hence I recommend reading Transformation, but I found its sequels (Revelation and Restoration) got a bit intense. Good, but intense). I'm also impressed that so many fantasy authors focus on one world for decades and she's managed to create several intricate - and wildly different - worlds, and still writes a book a year. She's also got series with different numbers of books. Song of the Beast is a stand alone, Flesh & Spirit/Blood & Bone is a duology, Transformation and The Spirit Lens are the start of trilogies and Son of Avonar is the first in a 4 book series.