Into the Forest by Jean Hegland.  

Near future, apocalyptic ... focusing on 2 teenaged sisters.

Not going to be a keeper, but I'll finish it :-)

SETTLING ACCOUNTS: DRIVE TO THE EAST, by Harry Turtledove, 2005.

This is book 2 of the 4-book alternate WW2-era series Settling Accounts, which makes this book 9 of Turtledove 11-book alternate history of North America. I will say this for Harry Turtledove's writing - he is not afraid to kill off a major character that has been around for 2 or 3 thousand pages. And it happens in a fairly accurate way; that particular storyline simply stops after the sentence in which the character dies. Things still happen of course, but now the reader only sees them from the great distance of one of the other characters.

I enjoyed when two storylines quietly crossed - Chester Martin is wounded and goes to a mobile army hospital in one storyline. Dr. O'Doull treats a wounded soldier with the same sort of injury in the next storyline. But they never speak or otherwise recognize that the reader is following both of them.

Finally, Milwaukee and Wisconsin get mentioned, if only very briefly.

So, on to the next book.

-Tom Hl.

April was a prettt slow month for me.  I'm not sure what's next for me SF-wise.  I've been meaning to read The Third Lynx by Timothy Zahn, which I have laying around, and continue in Rudy Rucker's Ware books...I did start the third Zach Johnson book, The Radioactive Redhead but I've mostly been reading other non-SF stuff.

I'm going to finish up the Lost Fleet series [or what is out to date] and then start in on some of Alan Dean Fosters older stuff.

William Gibson's novel Spook Country. More thriller than sci-fi but Gibson writing still makes it fit the genre.

Larry Niven's Destiny's Road. I like it rougly 100 times better than Ringworld (which I never even finished). I'm glad that this board suggested I give him another chance.

I just got Patricia Briggs Bone Crossed from my wish list, but I didn't realize it was vampires and werewolves.  I think I'll just repost it and try reading The Host again.

Oh, I loved Darwin's Radio! I asked the author to autograph my copy ...

To Karen, "Hello, Mitch!" Greg Bear

I laughed and laughed at that line. Just the .... surprise of it all.

ok just finished Galactic Corps Bk # 2 of the Inheritance Trilogy, it took me a few days

it was a good read , i've notice lately seems like most of the books i'm reading involve stargates, jumpgates ,supergates ect...

just thought it was funny how so many books & authors kinda point to the same thing or maybe they borrowed a idea that seems to fit most stories.

Stargate - stargates

Babylon 5 - jumpgates

The Lost Fleet - jump points, jumpgates, supergates

the Inheritance Trilogy - stargates 

Antares Passage - Stargates / wormholes

I'm sure there are more but those were just a few off the top of my head ...

I read The Handmaids Tale by Margret Atwood. It was good. I found myself wanting to know more. More backstory, more of what happened to the character. It's one of those books you think about long after finishing it.

I also read Lovelock by Orson Scott Card and Katherine Kidd. I usually love Card's stuff, and this one had a very interesting premise, but it was disappointing. It was sort of a "small-town in space" kinda book. The people developed small communites on a spaceship called The Mayflower. They are leaving earth to colonize a new planet. Of course, since they live in small-town environments everyone is gossipy and backbiting (to an exaggerated degree, IMO).  There was hardly a likable character in the lot, and the only one that was decently likable was killed off at the end. I didn't care for this book much. The neat thing about the book is that it is told through the perspective of a genetically enhanced capuchin monkey, who is a "witness" (living video recorder) to a very important scientist to this colony. This monkey starts to realize he is nothing more than a slave and yearns for his freedom, for a family of his own. It's supposed to be a trilogy but only the first book was ever published, so far anyways.

Sarah - Card is one of my favorite authors, and I'll read anything he writes, but I had a tough time getting through that book too (at least three tries).  I think after 15 years they might have given up on the trilogy...

Lovelock by Orson Scott Card and Katherine Kidd.  It's supposed to be a trilogy but only the first book was ever published, so far anyways.

i was actually reading something not that long ago from Card that implied he might finally be working on the second book.  i wish i could remember what i was reading at the time.  Lovelock is one of his few novels i haven't read, because it said it was the first and i was waiting for the others so i could read the trilogy all together.  then when nothing showed up, well...

I also love Card, but that book never captured my fancy. I'll read anything of his, but that book, after the first few chapters was put down and never picked back up. So I guess that's a common problem.

I read The Handmaids Tale by Margret Atwood. It was good. I found myself wanting to know more. More backstory, more of what happened to the character. It's one of those books you think about long after finishing it.

Definitely a classic.  I think it's been too long since I read this one, and it'll be going on my re-read list.

If you liked The Handmaids Tale, I would predict you will also like Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler.

-Tom Hl.

It seems I've gotten on another little Vance kick - I finished Emphyrio last night, now I've got Ports of Call and Lurulu calling my name.  I also recently picked up Emil Petaja's two science-fantasy Kalevala volumes and short story collections by Vance and Pohl, so I've got plenty of SF to last me a while...

Thanks, Tom, for the recommendation. I'll check it out!

Right now I'm reading Accidental Goddess by Linnea Sinclair. I'm enjoying the storyline. A woman is yanked foward 300 years in time during a space battle to find out she's become the goddess everyone is worshipping. She is very un-goddess like (she prefers a pub to a temple) but over the course of the story you start to understand that maybe this character did earn these people's reverence although she seems unlikely to ever see it that way. Good story, Sinclair writes romances (she calls it science fiction romance),  so if you don't like romance along with your science fiction then you might not like her stuff. I love her books, though.

I'm about 20 pages from the end of Tobias Buckell's Ragamuffin - it should be released to the next person on the wish list real soon now.

Not a keeper for me. Sigh. I really really wanted to like this series.

I've got Ragamuffin in my TBR. I didn't realize it is part of a series though.

My sister had me list a bunch of her books, so I have lots of sci fi and fantasy to choose from that I ordinarily wouldn't read.  One set is by Jennifer Roberson (Sword dancer, Sword Singer, Sword Maker and Sword Breaker).  I had these listed, but am taking down so that I can read them this month.   Looking forward to reading this saga.

Stephanie

Just finishing Star Troopers.

Sarah F -

Ragamuffin is his sophomore book. The first one is called Crystal Rain, and the 3rd is called Sly Mongoose.

just finished

The Stonehenge Gate  by Jack Williamson, I found this book while just searching through the sci-fi section and thought it sounded pretty good , a book about using the stonehenge type stones as portals so i grabbed it up  not knowing this could very well have been the last written novel by the author.

If your looking for a quick adventure thats actually quite good, then this is it. I only gave it 4 stars because it should have been a two or three book series with a little bit more character development and maybe splitting scenes and following some of the characters at the same time, exploring and viewing the worlds these adventurers are on. But as it was its a quick book and fairly easy to follow.

Some of the technology they find is a bit hard to believe but others at time felt right in place.  The author might have intended to follow up on the story with more of the adventure but we will never know.  I'm a fan of artifacts and this book falls into both adventure and one about artifacts. Enjoy

Just finished Stardoc and ordered books 2 and 3. As soon as I get more credits in I'll order some more. This board has now lead me to 2 series that I really enjoy. Taken altogether the site has lead me to 4 or 5. And I just joined a few months ago. By the way- I LOVE series. They make me happy.