SF Bookclub

 Jo Walton and Ada Palmer are experts in the field of science fiction and fantasy. Both have been nominated for multiple awards and both lean into the academic side of writing as well as the practice. Trace Elements explains history of SF, the role of publishers, and why so many SF novels were capped at around 80,000 words. This book is fascinating for anyone who likes to read SF as well as anyone who is interested in popular fiction or genre fiction as some of the same forces shaped those books as well. At 368 pages, this is not an exhaustive history of all things sf, but it provides enough context to enhance any fan's enjoyment of works published as SF.  What we think of as Science Fiction began to be published in the United States in the 1920s in pulp magazines, and books soon followed. Walton and Palmer call this "Imprint Science Fiction" to distinguish it from other genres, including dystopia written by authors of other genres (such as Atwood's Handmaid's Ta...

  Some Desperate Glory, winner of the 2024 Hugo for Best Novel was our pick for April and May.  A good set of discussion questions can be found here . My favorite question is the first one:   "Many stories, especially space operas, are told from the perspective of a likable underdog. How did it feel to be so deep in the head of a protagonist who was cruel to others? " And Tesh actually addresses the question of Kyr's likability.  Book Key has chapter-by-chapter questions. Questions from Super Summary . Nerds of a Feather blog interviews Tesh .  The most interesting thing I learned in preparing for book club was the existence of the "Humanity, F*ck Yeah!" trope. Read about it here  and  here . 

I've read most of Rebecca Roanhouse's novels, and have enjoyed them all. So I was looking forward to Roanhouse's _River of Bones and Other Stories_ and was not disappointed. In this excellent collection, she infuses Native American mythology and concerns. The collection opens with Roanhorse's first published short story, “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™" which explores the commodification of Indigenous People's identity for entertainment and self-aggrandizement. Other highlights include "The Boys from Blood River" about cowboy vampires and "A Harvest of Beating Hearts" about a sapphic serial killer. "White Hills" made me deeply uncomfortable, but I think that was the point. How much "Indian" blood/identity is "too much" to pass for white? To BE white? To be white ENOUGH for the White Hills Country Club? Overall, this is an excellent collection about identity and the supernatural, which is where Rebe...