Dec
22
Posted by : | On : December 22, 2009
Nine people gathered at the Milwood Library for this meeting. Our topic was The Caves of Steel, a classic robot sf/detective novel. All of us had read Asimov before. We all started and finished this book.
Several of us liked the team of Elijah Bailey, the human cop, with R. Daneel Olivaw, a robot investigator. One person thought Daneel might have been the first robot cop depicted in fiction. They eventually learn to work together in the “buddy
Dec
07
Posted by : | On : December 7, 2009
Thirteen people attended this meeting at the North Village library. Our topic was Brown Girl in the Ring, a story of Caribbean magic in postapocalyptic Toronto. Three of us had read Hopkinson before. All of us started this book, and five finished it.
We were pleased to see the Caribbean magic base come into urban fantasy. This
Nov
17
Posted by : | On : November 17, 2009
Twelve people gathered at A.T.’s home to discuss More than Human, the classic Sturgeon novel. All of us had read Sturgeon before. We all started and finished this book. The story is rather hard to describe without spoilers, but it’s a science fiction novel that many find mind-blowing.
One reader commented that this is a landmark book. It was an innovative superman story for its time, and a good treatment of posthumans and
Nov
02
Posted by : | On : November 2, 2009
We had twelve in attendance at the North Village library for this meeting. Our topic was Dead until Dark, the first in Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire series, which is the basis for the current television series True Blood. Only one of us had read any of the author’s prior books. Nine of us started this book, and all of us finished. The story involves a series of murders in a small Louisiana town, set in a world were vampires live among humans.
One reader said this book was great fun. She enjoyed how some segments of
Oct
20
Posted by : | On : October 20, 2009
This meeting at the Milwood Library drew nine attendees, including two first-timers. Our topic was Mistborn, a fantasy adventure novel by Brandon Sanderson. Four of us had read the author before. Eight of us started the book, and six finished it.
One reader noted that this book had a unique and well-thought-out magic system, based on ingesting metals and using them as a source for magic. He felt a valid way to describe this book was “What if one of the characters from Lord of the
Oct
05
Posted by : | On : October 5, 2009
This meeting at the North Village Library drew nine attendees. Our topic was The Dispossessed, a classic 1974 utopia novel set on the twin planets of Anarres and Urras. Eight of us had read Le Guin before. All started the book, and seven finished it.
Many of us thought this book was slow and difficult to read initially. One reader
Sep
15
Posted by : | On : September 15, 2009
Thirteen attended this discussion at the Milwood Library. Our topic, Mightier than the Sword, was an omnibus of two Tom Holt humorous fantasy novels: Who’s Afraid of Beowulf? and My Hero. The first book involves enchanted Norse heroes being awakened after a long sleep by archaeologists in the 20th century. The second book concerns a writer whose book takes on a life of its own. Eight of us had read Holt’s work before. Eight started this book, four finished the first novel, and two finished both novels.
Most of us liked this book. We enjoyed reading about normal people being
Aug
16
Posted by : | On : August 16, 2009
This meeting was held at ArmadilloCon. We had eleven attendees, include two first-timers and a former regular visiting from out of town. All of us had read Haldeman before. We all started and finished this book.
One person felt that the book’s opening with Matt, the perennial graduate student, was spot on. Matt was typically spending more time on lab work than his research. This reader felt that Matt jumped too quickly to the realization that his invention
Aug
03
Posted by : | On : August 3, 2009
Sixteen people attended this gathering at the North Village Branch of the Austin Public Library, including two first timers who had found us on the Austin Public Library web page listing.
Several attendees had read Laurie R. King previously and were glad to be given
Jul
21
Posted by : | On : July 21, 2009
This meeting at the Milwood library drew ten attendees. Our topic was The Jennifer Morgue, a spy/horror/high tech novel featuring Stross’s recurring character Bob Howard. All of us had read Stross before. We all started the book, and seven finished it.
We enjoyed returning to the world Bob Howard inhabits, which has a Lovecraftian
