SF Bookclub

 For July and August, we'll be reading A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine. This has been on my list since I saw Martine read at the Arkansas Literary Festival a few years ago.  Themes: Queerness Sacrifice  Culture Diplomacy Reviews:  Kirkus: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/arkady-martine/a-memory-called-empire/ Q&A with the author: https://www.npr.org/2019/04/07/710356506/questions-for-arkady-martine-author-of-a-memory-called-empire Vox: https://www.vox.com/culture/21497422/a-memory-called-empire-book-review

I wasn't keeping good records when we first started. I do have a list of books, but not exactly when we read them.  2015-2017   1953 Alfred Bester The Demolished Man (Hugo winner) 1961 Walter M. Miller, Jr. A Canticle for Leibowitz (Hugo winner) 1962 Robert A. Heinlein Stranger in a Strange Land (Hugo winner) 1964 Clifford D. Simak Here Gather the Stars (aka Way Station) (Hugo winner) 1966 Frank Herbert Dune (Hugo winner) 1967 Robert A. Heinlein The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress  (Hugo winner) 1968 Roger Zelazny Lord of Light  (Hugo winner) 1985 William Gibson Neuromancer  ( Hugo winner) 1970 Ursula K. Le Guin The Left Hand of Darkness  (Hugo winner) 1970 Kurt Vonnegut Slaughterhouse-Five (Hugo nominee)  1976 Joe Haldeman The Forever War  (Hugo winner) 1982 C. J. Cherryh Downbelow Station (Hugo winner) 2002 Neil Gaiman American Gods (Hugo winner) 2012 Jo Walton Among Others (Hugo winner) 2013 John Scalzi Redshirts  (Hugo wi...

For May and June 2022, we read Haldeman's Forever Peace . We read Forever War a few years back, and decided to read one of the companion books this spring.  I really enjoyed the book. The American War in Viet Nam has always fascinated me, perhaps because it was always on the television news when I was young. Haldeman is a veteran of that War, and that influence is pervasive. The central conflict of the main character, Julian Class, has to do with his accidental killing of a child in a combat situation. (This happens pretty early in the book, and has little to do with the overall plot.)  I also enjoyed the shifting perspective. At times, it is as though we are "jacked in" to Class, and able to see the actions through his perspective. Other times, though, we get an omniscient third person narrator and get a broader perspective on the story.  Discussion Questions for Second Half (there are definitely spoilers here):  1. Do you think completely understanding other peop...