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TheSpineView
Escape Velocity | Victor Manibo
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#LSFBC #LitsySciFiBookClub
Discussion is now open for this month's selection, Escape Velocity. I have presented a few questions to get us started; however, you are welcome to discuss anything. Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the tag list.

@Larkken @Deblovestoread @bnp @Johanna414 @BookmarkTavern @julesG @sebrittainclark @BookBelle84 @Readergrrl @CSeydel @Roary47 @Lizpixie @AmandaBlaze @psalva @rretzler

TheSpineView 1. I thought there were too many POVs. I felt it diluted the story. 2. My favorite plot line was the murder mystery. I also think the story would have been much better if it had focused on that and no more than one subplot. 3. My biggest takeaway is not about the story per se, it is that this could have been two separate books. One about the murder mystery and the other about the class struggles. 6d
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The_Literary_Jedi Multi POV would‘ve been better if there was less about social class; I was intrigued by the murder/mystery and wish it were the focus; I also think this would be better as 2 separate stories (edited) 6d
Ruthiella @The_Literary_Jedi @TheSpineView I agree that this could easily been two novels, one that focused on the murder mystery and one about the class division and unrest. It was too packed with ideas for any of them to really be dealt with satisfactorily. 5d
Ruthiella Annalee Newitz blurbed this book and I did think of her book The Terraformers, which we read last year, in how Manibo shows a gender queer friendly future. I appreciated this aspect of the book. (edited) 5d
TheSpineView @Ruthiella "Satisfactorily" Yes! This story left me with a feeling of want. 5d
Larkken Maybe the multiple povs would be ok if they weren‘t all so unlikeable 😆 5d
Larkken @Ruthiella @TheSpineView yes, a bit overpacked and I didn‘t fully connect with anything as a result 5d
kwmg40 I did not manage to read this book in time. I'm still waiting for a library copy, but based on the mixed reviews I'm seeing, I'm not sure if will get around to it. If someone says, “Yes, this is an absolute must-read“, then I will keep it on the TBR list. 5d
RamsFan1963 I didn't care for any of the characters, they all seemed so shallow and self service, I couldn't find myself rooting for any of them. There were a number of things that annoyed me about the book, I felt Ava being transgender was used as a gimmick and she was never filled developed as a character. I did get into the mystery of who killed Ava's brother (and why), but then the conclusion kind of made the whole mystery kind of a moot point. 5d
TheSpineView @RamsFan1963 I agree with you on the characters. They were rather two-dimensional. It was a gimmick. 5d
36 likes12 comments
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TheSpineView
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The votes are in, and the selection for November's #LSFBC #LitsySciFiBookClub is The Family Experiment by John Marrs. I read the blurb and it sounds interesting. Most of the reviews are favorable. I am looking forward to this book.

My library has both the ebook and the audio version. I looked on Amazon and the US price for the ebook is $14.99.
@Larkken @Deblovestoread @bnp @Johanna414 @BookmarkTavern @julesG @sebrittainclark @BookBelle84

53 likes11 comments
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TheSpineView
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Yuki_Onna 🤩 1w
julesG Ook! 1w
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 1w
43 likes3 comments
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TheSpineView
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#LSFBC Voting is now open for November's selection of the #LitsySciFiBookClub

Please cast your vote in the comments. Voting will be open at least through the end of the week. Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the tag list.

@Larkken @Deblovestoread @bnp @Johanna414 @BookmarkTavern @julesG @sebrittainclark @BookBelle84 @Readergrrl @CSeydel @roary @Lizpixie @Ruthiella @PaperbackPirate @PageShifter @kwmg40

julesG Going with my nomination 2w
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CatLass007 The only one free on Audible or that doesn‘t have a huge waiting list at the library… 2w
AmandaBlaze The Family Experiment. 2w
Lesliereadsalot Anything! Having a blast reading these. 2w
RamsFan1963 I think I'm going to skip November's selection, too much going on, but please keep me on the list 2w
Ruthiella I‘m curious to try John Marrs 2w
TheSpineView @RamsFan1963 No problem. 2w
Larkken I enjoyed station eternity already, so I‘m up for 2w
rwmg I've just finished “Station Eternity“ and I read “Sisters of the Vast Black“ quite recently and can recommend both of them. 2w
The_Literary_Jedi Realized my nomination isn‘t out until 2025!! My apologies! I‘m voting for 2w
Karisimo I‘m on a “several months wait” for the family experiment so would love to have that one come up again later… 1w
TheSpineView Not too late to vote for your choice. 1w
55 likes20 comments
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TheSpineView
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#LSFBC #LitsySciFiBookClub

October is going fast! 😱 Only two weeks left; therefore, it is time to start thinking about what we want to read in November. Voting is now open to choose next month's selection. Please leave your nomination in the comments. I'll leave the nominations open through the weekend and we will vote next week. Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the tag list. @Larkken @Deblovestoread @bnp @Johanna414 @julesG

Light_of_Aether I'd like to be added to the tag list, please 3w
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The_Literary_Jedi This is about two starships orbiting a black hole and the crews are killed because a “voice” from the black hole tells the killer to do it 3w
TheSpineView @Light_of_Aether You have been added. Hope you enjoy our group! Feel free to nominate a book for November. Please limit it to one book. With so many in this group the nominations can get out of hand if there is not a limit. The only other rule is the book must be a Sci-Fi book. It can be any sub genre, i.e. space opera, classic, etc. I will not accept nominations for fantasy, general fiction, poetry, memoirs, etc. You still have time to read... 3w
TheSpineView @Light_of_Aether ...October's selection. Open discussion usually occurs at the very end of the month. 3w
Ruthiella I‘ll vote from everyone else‘s nominations! 3w
BookmarkTavern This one‘s been on my TBR for a while! 3w
MaleficentBookDragon I‘ll second the nomination for 3w
Larkken Since I had down the wrong book as our selection this month I don‘t feel up to trusting Brain to come up with something suitable, so I‘ll also vote from everyone else‘s noms 😋 3w
Karisimo Just read a positive review for this novella 2w
DogMomIrene Ohhh, please add me to the tag list. I can‘t commit to the October read, but I second @AmandaBlaze nomination for 2w
46 likes16 comments
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TheSpineView
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#LitsySciFiBookClub #LSFBC

Voting is now open for our October selection. Since there were only two books nominated, I added a third to give more choices. Voting will remain open until Thursday.

@Larkken @Deblovestoread @bnp @Johanna414 @BookmarkTavern @julesG @sebrittainclark @BookBelle84 @Readergrrl @CSeydel @Roary47 @Lizpixie

CatLass007 Blindsight is free on Audible and How HighWe Go In the Dark is immediately available from my library. So I will be happy to read and discuss either of those. 1mo
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BookmarkTavern Oh! How High We Go in the Dark has been on my TBR forever! That‘s got my vote. (edited) 1mo
The_Literary_Jedi I own so it has my vote 1mo
kwmg40 I\'d be happy to read any of these, but I\'ll vote for How High We Go in the Dark because it\'s the one I\'m most likely to get in time from my library. The others have long waiting lists. 1mo
RamsFan1963 Despite nominating Escape Velocity, after reading the blurb, I'm changing my pick to Blindsight. I've already read How High We Go in the Dark. 1mo
Ruthiella I‘ve already read “How High We Go” and “Blindsided” sounds like it will be too trippy for my puny brain, so I‘ll vote for 1mo
BookwormAHN They all sound good but I'll go with 1mo
julesG Can't decide. I'm going to flip a coin.... 1mo
AmandaBlaze I loved How We Go in the Dark, but since I already read it, I\'ll go with 1mo
Larkken Parasites or space ? Questions questions lol I‘d read either Blindsight or Escape Velocity! I‘ve already read How High We Go. If needed I can decide later on a “vote” (edited) 1mo
51 likes14 comments
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TheSpineView
Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service
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#ReadAway2024 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

I had both my holds come in yesterday. So I started Raiders of the Lost Heart and Ghost Station. Raiders I am reading for #Littensloveromance @StayCurious and Ghost Station is for #LitsySciFiBookClub #LSFBC

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TheSpineView
The Blighted Stars | Megan E. O'Keefe
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Pickpick

Here are a few questions to start our open discussion of August's #LitsySciFiBookClub selection, The Blighted Stars. Feel free to discuss anything. If you want to be added or removed from the tag list, please let me know.

When I read the synopsis, I wasn't sure I would like this. I was happily surprised. Great plot and characters. The tension was great. I want to read the next book now.

@Larkken @Deblovestoread @bnp @Johanna414 @BookmarkTavern

See All 17 Comments
CatLass007 @TheSpineView The fact that this is the first book in yet another series is the main reason I decided to sit this one out. We‘ve started The Lady Astronaut series, we‘ve started John Scalzi‘s Lock-In series and I‘ve enjoyed them both. It‘s great to read new-to-me authors. I‘m glad you enjoyed this book and want to read the next one. I‘m sure I‘d feel the same way. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as you did and that eventually I‘ll (cont)⬇️ 2mo
CatLass007 @TheSpineView enjoy it too. It‘s just not as fun to enjoy the first book in a series but not continue the series so that we can continue to discuss the other books. I realize I‘m probably coming across as whiny and that‘s not my intention. I‘m just wondering if there‘s a different way to do things. If there isn‘t, that‘s okay. No one is demanding that I read every book the group chooses. Sorry. Just venting, I guess. (edited) 2mo
TheSpineView @CatLass007 I get it. This is a low-key group, and anyone is welcome to skip books. I'm lucky to have already read all the books in the other series you mentioned. I suggest that you continue to nominate the next books in the series. As for this latest book, I probably will, at some point, go ahead and read the next book on my own. 2mo
CatLass007 @TheSpineView I‘m sure I‘ll read this sooner or later just not now. 2mo
Ruthiella 1. I tolerated the romance more than I enjoyed it. 😂 I‘m not a fan of romance (Jane Austen excepted). It was fine.
2. I did enjoy the scifi aspects more-the ability to move consciousness to another body as well as the parasitic threat. As noted, that does happen in ants and the idea of it is terrifying. 😱
3. The duel perspective was fine, but I think it would have been a tighter (and slightly shorter) narrative if the author had not used it.
2mo
majkia I'm not big on romance, but this book didn't bother me that much in that department.

I really enjoyed the concept of moving consciousness to new bodies. And the idea of that getting corrputed was a fascinating idea.

I'm a GRRM fan, so switching persepectives and POV for this one was , compartatively,, child's play, ;)
2mo
majkia I'm not big on romance, but this book didn't bother me that much in that department.

I really enjoyed the concept of moving consciousness to new bodies. And the idea of that getting corrputed was a fascinating idea.

I'm a GRRM fan, so switching persepectives and POV for this one was , compartatively,, child's play, ;)
2mo
julesG I'm currently listening to the next book in the series. (me and series, I have to binge ?). 1) I don't mind the romance. It is done well. It's not the only focus of the story. 2) O'Keefe plays with topics that aren't new, the concept of casting your mind into a new body has been done before (Altered Carbon comes to mind) as well as the parasitic/symbiotic threat. But it's done with fresh ideas to add to the "trope". 3) dual perspective was ⬇️ 2mo
julesG fine. They offered more information on some scenes - and yes, that means the romance part as well. 2mo
julesG Here's an idea, should we not pick up the Lady Astronaut or Scalzi's series, @CatLass007. You could branch out and offer a low key readalong of the series. Or read them on your own and tag me and @TheSpineView for discussion? 2mo
TheSpineView @julesG Excellent idea 2mo
kwmg40 @julesG @CatLass007 I'd be happy to join a readalong of Scalzi's series. Since there is only one other novel and one novella in that series, it shouldn't take too long to complete. I've already read two other books in the Lady Astronaut series, and those felt very much like standalone books, so reading just the first book isn't as frustrating as doing that for other series where the first book ends in a cliffhanger. 2mo
kwmg40 There was a lot I liked about The Blighted Stars (the technology, the survival story, the twists in the plot) but I could have done without the romantic elements. 2mo
CatLass007 @julesG @kwmg40 Sounds good to me. 2mo
51 likes17 comments
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Ruthiella
Earth Abides | George Rippey Stewart
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A few questions if anyone wants to discuss this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC 🦠 pick.

Question 3: I think for any Litten, the loss of literature would have been devastating…could the parents have at least read picture books to their children to keep stories alive? Or would this have been too strange, given that the world depicted in many of the story books would not make sense to the children given their extremely limited society?

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Honestly this grated on me SO much. Stories are so inherently part of being human that we‘ve been telling them around campfires pretty much since we came into existence. I cannot fathom just giving up on keeping literature alive and accessible. If Ish had really cared so much, I think he absolutely could have made more of an effort of getting the younger generation interested. 2mo
Lesliereadsalot I never understood why all the members of the tribe didn‘t go to the library every day! What a waste of a resource that undoubtedly could have helped in so many ways. I enjoyed this book even though I would have liked to see all the characters “Do something!” Was nobody else thinking about the future?? #LSFBC (edited) 2mo
Ruthiella @Lesliereadsalot @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I knew I‘d find kindred spirits here! My first thought about getting the children interested in reading and writing was to read to them and encourage them to tell and write their own stories. 2mo
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Bookwomble I'm late to the discussion, but for what it's worth... books would have been available everywhere the post-disaster people were scavenging, and given Ish's love of books it seems inconceivable that he would have relegated all of them to the 'sacred' space of the university library. A love of reading is passed from parent to child, so this would have happened. I can conceive it dying out, perhaps, over time, but not in the first generation. ⬇️ 2mo
Bookwomble A narrative device, then, to represent the loss/shift in culture. 2mo
Ruthiella @Bookwomble It‘s never too late! I‘m glad I wasn‘t the only one who found the lack of literature odd. You might be right about it being a narrative device to speed up the development. 2mo
kwmg40 This aspect was, to me, the least plausible part of the novel. I\'d expect that the survivors would have sought out books, for entertainment if not for instruction. Maybe it just feels that way to us Littens who, faced with a scary unknown situation, would immediately want to read up on it! 1mo
Ruthiella @kwmg40 Right? It‘s maybe doubly hard for us to understand how this pleasure in life could have been overlooked. I would like to assume there‘s other communities elsewhere that kept literature alive. 1mo
40 likes8 comments
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Ruthiella
Earth Abides | George Rippey Stewart
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A few questions if anyone wants to discuss this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC 🦠 pick. If you want to be tagged next month or untagged from the distribution list let me know.

Question 1: Earth Abides is speculative fiction - a thought experiment exploring how humans might change and adapt to an End of Days scenario. Did you find Stewart‘s depiction plausible? What did he get right and/or wrong?

Bookwomble I'm still reading it - 49% through. So far I'm enjoying it but I'm not gripped, hence the rather slow going. I'll try to maintain focus and get it done! 2mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I think he got people‘s complacency right, as much as it irked me through the whole thing. I like to think people would be more proactive about survival, but I honestly don‘t know. Scavenging premade things seems easier than investing in long term solutions, so why do anything? I found the lack of conflict within The Tribe unrealistic. It seemed a little too quaint and perfect, even for “solid, good people”. 2mo
Lesliereadsalot I was surprised at how little effort the tribe made to hook up with other tribes. It took so many years to even find one other tribe! And I also found the lack of conflict infuriating. Everybody seems to have this happy-go-lucky attitude that isn‘t realistic. #LSFBC (edited) 2mo
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swynn @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm This was the thing that most surprised me, and was most insightful. In my imagination 1949 is full of self-sufficient post-WWII "can-do"ers who could meet the end of the world with grim competence. But after forty years of mostly-ignored climate change warnings and COVID's lesson that the expression "avoid it like the plague" has no source in actual human behavior, I think Stewart gets it right 2mo
Ruthiella @swynn @Lesliereadsalot @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm He indicated however that other communities were more proactive (in the south and southwest). I do think that some humans would have been less willing to rely only on scavenged resources. Just not those Ish hooks up with. 2mo
swynn @Ruthiella Fair point. And the rapid development of very distinct cultures is an interesting prediction, that I think depends on the level of group isolation, which, as @Lesliereadsalot points out, is extreme in Ish's group. 2mo
kwmg40 I started reading this book and was enjoying it but only got about halfway before having to return it to the library. So I'm on the waiting list again and will return to these questions when I finish it! 2mo
Bookwomble @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @Lesliereadsalot @swynn @Ruthiella I did find it generally plausible, given the premise that most people died, leaving the survivors in an environment of scavenger abundance. The introduction of Charlie illustrated the potential for a more stereotypical "Mad Max" dystopian post-apocalypse. I think in this scenario, there just weren't enough people to warrant resource hoarding, other than considering people as resources. 2mo
Ruthiella @Bookwomble I think too he‘s demonstrating (intentionally or not) how poor humans are at long term planning. We have trouble seeing more than a generation beyond our own and the sacrifices we should make to ensure they abide. 2mo
Bookwomble @Ruthiella Agreed 👍🏻 It does seem an intentional pussy of the narrative, given Ish's often stated and then unrealised plans. 2mo
kwmg40 I finally got this book back from the library after a lengthy wait and finished it, so I\'ll chime in, even if it\'s very late. I found Stewart\'s depiction very interesting, as it;s so different from other post-apocalyptic books in which survival is often tied in with optimism and heroic deeds, rather than the complacency of Ish\'s tribe. 1mo
Ruthiella @kwmg40 it‘s never too late to chime in! I agree, the author‘s approach was different from anything I have read so far in this sub genre. 1mo
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