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Post by berkley on Aug 26, 2020 19:46:06 GMT -5
Perilous DreamsAndre Norton, 1976 This is a collection of three novellas and a short story (the first one originally published in If magazine in 1969), even though the back cover blurb creates the impression that it’s a novel. The unifying theme is directed or ‘action’ dreaming – specifically, there’s a planet which has a class of people with the genetic ability to enter other people’s minds and create any kind of dream they want, and the dreams feel like reality. All of the stories involve the dream experiences taking unexpected turns and becoming a little “too real” – actually effecting changes in the real world. In general, I’ve never been disappointed by Andre Norton, but I have to say I liked the first part of this book, the first two novellas, far more than the last two. Those two featured the same characters, only in different settings, and there were some story elements that were left dangling that I wished had been resolved – in fact, I would have preferred if the book was indeed a novel that told the complete story of said characters. Overall, this isn’t a bad book, but I can’t say I’d recommend it over Norton’s many (so many) other, better efforts. What are your favourite Andre Norton books? I read a few when I was young but can't remember much about them now.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2020 23:33:40 GMT -5
Quag Keep is still my favorite Andre Norton book. But then I read it just as I was getting into D&D and it was the first D&D novel I ever read. I haven't revisited it in 20 years or so, nor have I read the sequel Norton did for it within that timespan.
I read quite a bit of the Witch World stuff when I was in high school as well, but didn't explore a lot of Norton beyond that.
-M
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Post by EdoBosnar on Aug 27, 2020 3:29:22 GMT -5
What are your favourite Andre Norton books? I read a few when I was young but can't remember much about them now. Probably my favorite is Star Man's Son (also published as Daybreak: 2250 AD); I also liked Star Guard, Sargasso of Space, the unfortunately titled Sioux Spaceman, The Zero Stone and its sequel Uncharted Stars and a few others. Mainly, I like her SF stuff from the 1950s/'60s that are sort of like YA or juvenile fiction - similar to the books Heinlein was writing at about the same time, only I tend to like Norton's work better.
I haven't read any of her fantasy books, though.
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Post by Prince Hal on Aug 27, 2020 7:13:07 GMT -5
I read one, back in high school, called "Shadow Hawk," an historical novel set in ancient Egypt. Started another thinking it might also be historical, but it turned out to be sf and I didn't care for it. PS: I remember really enjoying this.^
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Post by berkley on Aug 27, 2020 10:06:50 GMT -5
I know I liked Daybreak 2250 aka Star Man's Son and I'm pretty sure I read at least one of the Witch World books but can't recall a thing about it now. Hadn't heard of Shadow Hawk or Quag Keep, will keep an eye out for those. I assume you don't have to know anything about D&D to read the latter?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2020 13:13:51 GMT -5
I know I liked Daybreak 2250 aka Star Man's Son and I'm pretty sure I read at least one of the Witch World books but can't recall a thing about it now. Hadn't heard of Shadow Hawk or Quag Keep, will keep an eye out for those. I assume you don't have to know anything about D&D to read the latter? Quag Keep is about a bunch of kids who get transported the the D&D world of their game as their characters, and each has a weird bracer on their arm with dice on it, and every time they do something the dice spin to determine the outcome. They not only have to survive, but complete a quest, to find a way home. Everything inthe book is self-explanatory as long as you have the basic concept that dice rolls determine the outcome of actions in rpg's. -M
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Aug 27, 2020 14:36:43 GMT -5
I read a few Witch World books by Norton as a teen and maybe one or two SF works, but I can't for the life of me remember the titles nor anything about them. I have no idea how they'd hold up 35+ years later.
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Post by brutalis on Aug 27, 2020 16:00:29 GMT -5
Read Norton and Heinlen back in grade school and junior high. Fond, distant memories as they were some of my 1st Science Fiction/Fantasy reads. Totally surprised my 5th grade teacher when turning in book reports on them. Quickly moved on to REH and ERB and Martin Caidin and Leigh Beackett and Lin Carter and Blish Star Trek and various DAW books! Dem was da days of youth and summer kicking back in the shade sipping lemonade with the smell of freshly mowed lawn I had done that morning while I delved into whatever new books I would find in the bookmobile😍
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Post by EdoBosnar on Aug 28, 2020 13:59:18 GMT -5
Black Gods and Scarlet DreamsC.L. Moore, 2002 This volume is a combined publication of two previous collections of Moore’s short stories originally published in Weird Tales back in the 1930s: Jirel of Joiry from 1969 and Scarlet Dream from 1981 (both of which were republished several times afterward). The first five stories feature her medieval sword-wielding warrior woman Jirel, while the rest (9 in all) feature planet-hopping smuggler Northwest Smith. It might seem odd that stories about a sci-fi protagonist are included in a series called ‘Fantasy Masterworks’, but thematically they are very similar to the Jirel material. They all read like descriptions of nightmares. In that regard, I would contest their classification as fantasy stories, as all of them are more like horror than anything else. I liked the stories with NW Smith better than the ones with Jirel, but not by much, as they are all pretty dark and sombre. The Jirel stories usually involve her descending into some otherworldly dark realm to confront powerful evil stand-ins for Satan. The Smith stories are similar, in that he usually encounters some powerful ancient beings on one of the planets in our solar system who are the basis of various mythical creatures, and they’re usually some kind of vampires, either literally wanting to feed on blood or sucking out the life force of their victims in one way or another. Maybe it's more due to my mood over the past few months, but I honestly can’t say I enjoyed any of these very much.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 28, 2020 18:35:07 GMT -5
I definitely have Poppy War on my to-read list.... I think I was waiting to make sure the whole series was out first.
I've read a bit of Andre Norton, and remember not liking her much... definitely one of the Witch World books, and another one that was a stand alone.
Rebels of Tuglan (Perry Rhodan #12) This was a much need break from the seemingly endless quest for immortality. I mean, we all know they find it, there's like 1000 stories, just get it done!
The back cover refers to this books as 'Strange Interlude'. truer words have never been spoken. If you had told me I would enjoy a pranking telepathic Mouse-beaver that reminds one of the Great Gazoo, I would have told you you're crazy, but Emby (Pucky?) was extremely amusing, and having him torture Bell was fantastic.
The series needed a bit of lightness... even the main story of the two brothers fighting over Tuglan was pretty light compared to the last few books.
It gets points off for having a plot driving by a crazy coincidence, but otherwise a very entertaining entry
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Post by EdoBosnar on Aug 30, 2020 3:59:13 GMT -5
The Big JumpLeigh Brackett, 1955 This is one of Brackett’s few ‘hard’ SF books – as opposed to her more adventure-oriented sword & planet or space opera stories from the pulp magazines. It’s set at some point in the future when humanity has travelled to, and is commercially exploiting, the planets of the solar system, and a family-owned corporation that holds a monopoly on space travel has jusst tested the first interstellar vessel with an experimental faster-than-light drive. The ship returns from its first mission to check out the planets orbiting Barnard’s Star with only one of its 5-man crew. The book’s main character, Arch Comyn, is good friends with one of the MIA crewmen, so he goes on an ill-advised one-man investigation to find out what happened. This eventually leads him to joining a second mission to Barnard’s Star to clear up the mystery. This is a pretty solid effort by Brackett. I found her treatment of FTL travel interesting, in that she indicates that even if it ever proves possible, it may take a heavy psychological toll on human beings (a topic Ursula LeGuin later also considered in several of her short stories). The book also suggests that humans may not be mentally/emotionally equipped to deal with the things they find outside of the solar system.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Sept 2, 2020 13:15:11 GMT -5
BintiNnnedi Okorafor, 2015 In the distant future, when interstellar travel (via living spaceships) is possible, Binti, a young woman of Namibia’s Himba people, receives a full-ride scholarship to study mathematics at the galactically renowned Oomza University. She breaks with the tradition of her family and people by not only leaving her native land, but also the planet, to accept the opportunity. However, on the trip to the distant planet that’s home to the university, the spaceship conveying the students is hijacked by the Meduse, sworn enemies of humans, who kill everyone on board but the pilot and Binti. Initially Binti doesn’t understand how or why her captors are unable to kill her (nor do they), but once she begins to figure that out, she also realizes that she may be able to put a stop to the war. This is actually a novella (less than a 100 pages), but as per usual with Okorafor, it packs in a lot of story.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 3, 2020 10:40:37 GMT -5
Waiting for Godalming by Robert RankinLazlo Woodbine, the greatest detective on Earth, has his most important case ever. God has been murdered and his other son, Colin, is set to inherit the Earth instead of The Meek (they should get something because they have a Hell of a time). So Woodbine needs to find out who killed God, though he doesn't know for sure who hired him. We also have Icarus Smith, a "Re-locator" (thief) who has stolen a briefcase that holds the key to the secrets of what is happening on Earth. The two storylines of course meet in ways you may or may not be able to believe. The Woodbine novels have been among Rankin's weakest and this one is no exception. Woodbine has never been a particularly interesting protagonist and Smith really doesn't add much to the stew. There are many of Rankin's running gags and tropes, but they just don't quite stick here. If you're a Rankin fan it's probably worth a read. But it likely won't make you a fan and it's definitely not the place to start.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Sept 4, 2020 4:56:38 GMT -5
Binti: Home, Binti: The Night MasqueradeNnedi Okorafor, 2017, 2018 The sequels to Binti; I put them together because they really read like one long continuous book rather than two separate installments of a trilogy. A year after the events of the first book, Binti comes back to Earth to visit her family. Although she’s a bit homesick, she’s also apprehensive about her return, because what she did was such a shock to her family and community, and she’s also changed quite a bit in that time (not just her outlook on life, but even physically – but I won’t divulge any more). And indeed, many in her Himba community, including members of her own family, are displeased with what they see as her flaunting of their traditions and values. Meanwhile, many outside of the Himba are also not happy with Binti for broader political reasons. Eventually this sets off a series of events that sees Binti’s home village almost get destroyed, while she learns some rather intriguing things about her own heritage – that may help her resolve the crisis. Since the topic has come up frequently on this thread in the past few months, I’ll say that the Binti trilogy is a prime example of Afrofuturism, and the story is also (or because of that) quite Afrocentric. All of the humans in the book are from Africa, and even the alien races seem to only deal with them – or at least, they make no reference to humans from any other part of Earth.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 4, 2020 10:33:26 GMT -5
I didn't really love Binti.. not bad mind you, just didn't grab me. Sounds like the 2nd two installments might be a bit more interesting though.
Desert Heritage Zane Grey
Boy, can Zane Grey paint a picture with words.. absolutely amazing descriptions of the desert abound in this book... perhaps too many.
The actual story is not a surprise at all, and the action actually gets skipped over... so if you're looking for a spaghetti western in a book, this definitely isn't it. The character (though totally idealized) are fun to look at in historical perspective. This is easily the most positive portrayal of Mormons I've read.
I've got 1 more Zane Grey book from a 4 pack I got at Ollie.. not sure I'd read more of his stuff, but I'm glad to have been able to get a feel of such a classic and well known author.
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