Steal Across the Sky by Nancy Kress

The North Reading Group met on June 21, 2010, to discuss Steal Across the Sky by Nancy Kress, published in 2009.  The meeting was held at the Millwood branch of the Austin Public Library.  Eight people attended, and comments were received by three others who were unable to attend.  Of these, 9 had read Kress before, 11 started the book, and 8 finished it.

Everyone who was familiar with Kress’ writing was complimentary of her earlier works, especially the novellas and short stories.  She has won 4 Nebula awards and two Hugos, among others.  Reaction to this book, though, was mixed.  One reader commented that the core concept was implausible.  Aliens arrived

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Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne

Thirteen people gathered at the North Village library to discuss Jules Verne’s classic undersea adventure. Eleven of us had read Verne before. Eleven attendees started this book, and eight finished.

The book was originally written in French, and several of us read different translations. Overall we read four different versions. The one we most commonly

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The Stormcaller by Tom Lloyd

Twelve people gathered at the organizer’s house to discuss The Stormcaller, Tom Lloyd’s first novel. It’s about a young man, Isak, who rises from humble beginnings to become the heir to the lord of his tribe. All started the book and seven of us finished it.

About half the people at the meeting liked the book and felt that it was a

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The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner

Ten people attended this meeting at the North Village library. Our topic was The Shockwave Rider. Published in 1975, this book examines the projected impact of computers and other emerging social and technological trends on society in the early 21st century. The main character is one of the first depictions of a computer hacker in science fiction. The book was heavily influenced by Alvin Toffler’s nonfiction book Future Shock. Seven of us had read Brunner before. All ten of us started the book, and eight finished it.

One reader commented that the book holds up surprisingly well and that we can

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Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Twelve people attended this discussion at the Milwood library. Our topic was Magic Bites, the first novel by ArmadilloCon 32 Urban Fantasy Guest Ilona Andrews. The book is set in a post-apocalyptic Atlanta where science and magic alternate for dominance in waves. The heroine, Kate Daniels, gets caught up in an adventure involving creepy shapechangers. Eleven of us started the book, and eight finished it.

One reader said the book was a lot of fun. She appreciated the disgusting

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Planet of Adventure by Jack Vance

This meeting at the North Village branch drew twelve attendees. Our topic was Planet of Adventure, an omnibus combining four related novels by Jack Vance: City of the Chasch, Servants of the Wankh, The Dirdir, and The Pnume. They follow the adventures of Adam Reith, the sole survivor of an Earth ship sent to explore the planet Tschai. The planet is populated by three races, all dangerous to our hero.

Ten of us had read Vance previously. Ten started this book. Nine of us finished the first novel, and seven finished all four.

One reader enjoyed these stories. He felt they started quickly and showed great

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On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers

Twelve people gathered at the Milwood library to discuss On Stranger Tides, the pirate novel that will serve as the basis for the next Pirates of the Caribbean film. Eight of us had read Tim Powers before. Nine of us started the book, and seven finished it.

One reader totally enjoyed the action-packed story filled with swordplay, and

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Little Green Men by Christopher Buckley

Eleven people attended this meeting at the North Village library. Our topic was Little Green Men by Christopher Buckley. The book is a humorous novel about what happens when a conservative, bowtie-wearing television talk show host is abducted by aliens. Two of us had read Buckley before. Nine of us started the book, and all nine finished it.

Several of us loved the book. We laughed at all the humor about Washington

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Star Flight by Andre Norton

Thirteen people attended this discussion at the Milwood library, and another submitted comments by email.  Our topic was Star Flight by Andre Norton. This book is an omnibus of two planetary colonization novels, The Stars are Ours (1954) and Star Born (1957).  Eleven of us had read Norton before. All of us started the book. Eleven finished the first novel, and six finished both.

Our group had been interested in reading Norton’s work for years, but her work had been largely out of print for a while. The publisher Baen has recently started

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Incandescence by Greg Egan

This meeting at the North Village branch library drew fifteen attendees. Our topic was Incandescence by Greg Egan, one of our group’s favorite authors. In this hard sf novel, a group of people living in a world much different from Earth are forced to develop their understanding of physics in a hurry to save their home. Thirteen of us had read Egan before. Twelve started the book, and eight finished it.

One reader commented that sf is a literature of ideas, and this book is a

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