43 Comments on “New Books and ARCs, 6/20/14”

1. I’ve been looking forward to both the Lightspeed WDSF issue and Beth Cato’s Clockwork Dagger.

   I’ve also been working on reading the prequels to Correia’s book in the Hugo voters packet, so that one also caught my eye.

2. Women Destroy Science Fiction!

   Looking forward to this one!

3. Hadn’t heard of the Lightspeed WDSF issue, but it looks so good I’ve just subbed to the magazine.

4. The thirst series

5. See, I’da placed the second-to-last book on top of the second-from-first book, but I am more committed to snark than symmetry.

   I’m looking forward to see another installment in Rowland’s WT zombie series. They’re fun stuff, though I hope she makes some of the character development stick a little better in this one. I get the challenge of keeping a series going but it gets a little frustrating seeing some notes get repeated.

6. I just finished _Warbound_ a few days ago. It was a good end to an enjoyable trilogy.

7. Given the popularity of series it may be unique to me, but I’m generally not willing to pursue any series past a second volume (only very rarely into a third). By the time it hist the third, fourth, and subsequent volumes I find that the background inserted so those picking that book up as their first look at the series becomes distracting and redundant, the characters have become entirely predictable, the plot worn thin, and the writing repetitive and uninspiring. (Comments driven by noticing Ringo’s book, but most certainly not limited to him.) (One thing I would find worthwhile in a multivolume series–put a couple of page forward at the start with any needed background, explanation, character or worldbuilding backstory, etc. Don’t keep dropping inserts into the story–I find that becomes extremely annoying.)

8. Caitlin Kiernan’s – I loved her Alabaster comics and am keen to read her short stories.

9. The Ape’s Wife looks good. I am officially jealous of your ARC pile, though.

10. I’d say that the Lightspeed anthology looks the most interesting, and you really can’t go wrong with Mark Hobber.

    …Warbound is good too, but I’m aware that you and Larry don’t really like each other very much, so I’m not sure I recommend it to you.

11. LIGHTSPEED! Also, THE FOURTH WISH and THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER sound like someone one ought to just pick up because they are there.

12. something rather. Clearly, I need to go and read.

13. That Lightspeed special edition!

14. I started Warbound. It’s a pretty good end to the trilogy. I’m not a fan of Correia but I started the series before I knew what kind of man he was and I want to finish that series.

    I love the Mark Hodder series but I’m a little behind. I’d like to catch up before the release of this one but I probably won’t.

    I made sure to get the Lightspeed Ebook. I love the essays.

15. ‘The Ape’s Wife’ – Kiernan short stories are always intricate mind-twisters.

16. The Lightspeed looks good and I’ve got The Ape’s Wife sitting on my ereader.

17. Did your copy of “The Ape’s Wife” come with the limited-edition “Black Helicopters”? That’s probably the best thing I’ve read this year.

18. I enjoyed Warbound and have some interest in How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back.

19. Fairly good eclectic choices there.

20. And look, none of the books burst into flames in your presences. Funny, that…

    I might check out Lightspeed on principle, but otherwise, nothin’s grabbing me as must read.

21. My first Kickstarter contribution was for WOMEN DESTROY SF…because, well, who can resist that title? It’s in my e-book queue, waiting to be read.

22. @FL Transplant I think your idea is brilliant. I would love it if every new book in a series had a short summary of plot points or character history that would be relevant to the new book. Just like TV shows often start with a “Previously on ….” They don’t summarize the entire past, but give you some info so you aren’t completely lost. It can be hard enough for me to remember something I saw a month ago, much less what I read a year or more ago.

    If they did that, they could leave out some of the boring repetitive backstory you find so annoying, but they could also keep people like me from being lost for the first N chapters.

    I have several books on my “to be read” pile that I can’t quite pick up because I know I’ve forgotten what happened in the previous 4 books and that’s going to be important, but I don’t have the time to reread the entire series right now to bring myself up to date. So they languish there.

    Heck, I would settle for a pointer to a web page or something that says, “If you are a new reader (or a forgetful reader) this is some stuff you should know.” I know that I can find plot summaries on wikipedia for some books, but a page that was controlled by the author, that revealed what she really feels is vital, would be so much more helpful.

    I would include our host’s books in this request. I was several chapters in to The Human Division before I realized that one of the main characters was someone I had encountered before. I’m sure that lessened my appreciation of the story as it unfolded. In addition, The Last Colony is one of those purchased-ages-ago-but-still-yet-to-be-read books I was referring to above.

23. The Fourth Wish or Yesterday’s Kin both sound interesting.

24. The Ape’s Wife is breathtaking — read it last week. Feminist-lesbian retelling of Beowulf? Demon black market in the sex trade? Sentient black holes? For. The. Win.

    And WDSF! has so much awesome I can’t even.

25. Ive read lots of Mike Allen’s work and it’s all been quality. Probably the same for Unseaming.

26. Sarah M.: I find tvtropes to be very helpful for that purpose.

27. Does his publisher never send you ARCs or new books by Orson Scott Card? I do not recall seeing one of Card’s books on any of these occasional photos you blog here. He has a new one out now, the third in the First Formic War series, Earth Awakens. His personal politics aside, I am curious why never any Card titles appear in these photos. Just asking.

28. Gary Willis:

    Tor rarely sends me books at this point. Ironic, considering they are my publisher. But there you are.

29. White Trash Zombie is a series? I’m so glad to know this. Read it last year. It was delightful, fresh, funny and the difficulties of living as a zombie worked out so reasonably that I was impressed. Couldn’t get any of my friends to read it, tho. My sister looked at the cover and said “EEK”. That cover was so over the top that I laughed when I saw it.

30. Oooh, I definitely need to pick up that Lightspeed.

31. This a great stack! I would be most interested in the Mike Allen’s, Nancy Kress’, Beth Cato’s and of course the Lightspeed Antho.

32. How many ARCs do you actually have time to read?

33. I’m busy chugging through the Hugo Voting Packet at the moment, but I’d already made a note that I need to go and pick up the Lightspeed once I’m done Hugoing.

34. The Nancy Kress is the one that leaps out at me. She’s not always perfect, but she’s hit enough home runs that I’ll always check out anything new.

    Unseaming, The String Diaries, and Return of the Discontinued Man are the most interesting-looking titles, though I have absolutely no idea what they are or what they’re about. In a store, I’d be fondling them, trying to learn more, just from the titles alone.

    A few of years ago, I might have felt the same about The Clockwork Dagger, but I’m starting to get a bit tired of “clockwork”. Still, I wouldn’t reject it out of hand.

    The Lightspeed thing sounds intriguing, but also worrisome. I *like* science fiction, and don’t want anyone, no matter what sex, to destroy it! :)

35. I really want to read Under the Graveyard Sky.

    I backed the WDSF Lightspeed thing and when I read it I was mainly bored. The Tiptree story is spectacular (of course) but there were only a couple others that didn’t put me to sleep. A lot of very disturbing stuff in the ‘why am I reading this’ way.

36. I have my copy of WDSF along for reading on my current weekend excursion.

    Will get to the Correia as part of the Hugo packet.

37. Oh, new Burton and Swineburne! Didn’t realize that Hodder had a new book coming out. Really need to get caught up on it, but my wife will be thrilled, as she already is.

38. OMG… my usual process of seeing a book I want on Whatever, going to my ebook site and not finding it. I’m thrilled that Lightspeed is on my ebook now!!

39. What’s an ARC?

40. Wade: an Advanced Reading Copy that’s sent out to reviewers and such as publicity before a book goes to final press. They’re often a bound galley proof, complete with uncorrected errors, and usually without the cover art.

41. I am very excited to be reminded that Diana Rowland’s next White Trash Zombie book is out soon. I get so much amusement from this series. I always recommend it to all my friends who read urban fantasy. I always need a good excuse to go to the book store to browse the shelves.

42. I feel like I should read some Nancy Kress, seeing as I love her writing advice.

    As an aside, where do you put all these books every week? I wouldn’t be able to find my dog after six months with this sort of incoming volume.

43. I don’t know what he does with the ARCs, but he gives most of the rest to his local library. Their Friends of the Library sale must be AWESOME!