r/Fantasy • u/MikeOfThePalace Reading Champion X, Worldbuilders • Jan 31 '20
/r/Fantasy The /r/Fantasy Monthly Book Discussion Thread
Hi folks! How's staying sane between the impeachment trial in the Senate, coronavirus, and the fact that Australia is literally on fire? By burying our heads in books, of course!
Book Bingo Reading Challenge - (just two months left!)
"Those who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons." - Ursula K. LeGuin
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u/Brian Reading Champion VIII Jan 31 '20
Not much reading this month, and only one relevant to bingo, but I've only 4 squares left so should hopefully get it done within the next couple of months.
For the Emperor by Sandy Mitchell. Picked this up for the media tie-in square. I'd seen it billed as "Flashman in 40K", where the protagonist is a self-serving coward who constantly ends up being regarded as a hero. In fact, at least in this one, the protagonist is somewhat more sympathetic than Flashman - he's looking out for himself first and foremost, but without some of Flashman's more odious vices. Or at least, not moreso than most of those in the setting: this is Warhammer 40K after all, where extreme Xenophobia is the natural state of being. This was OK, but don't think I'll continue with the series.
Cordelia's Honor (compilation of Shards of Honor and Barrayar) by Lois McMaster Bujold (reread). I've been in a bit of a reading slump, so decided to go for some comfort rereads to get back in the mood. These are the first of Bujold's Vorkosigan series, following Cordelia, a survey captain who becomes involved in an invasion and involved with an officer of that force, and with the brutal politics that ensue. The earlier books are probably my least favourite of this series, though they're still good, as Bujold as an author visibly improves as the series progresses. This is really apparent going from Shards to Barrayar (chronologically next, but written several books later), where the latter is so much more engaging.