[Reading Group] April 2014 VOTING OPEN (Classics)

[Philip Overby]

So I'm going to put up the official vote starting March 8th and close it March 15th. So get in any additional nominations this week.

I'm going to add some more.

Dune by Frank Herbert
Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Maybe more later.

 

[Ophiucha]

Only other book I can think of is The Dragonbone Chair, first book in Memory Sorrow Thorn, but it's not really able to stand on its own, like you really need to read all three books to get a good story out of it. Also, kind of long...

Speaking of, Phil, is there a target length we're aiming for? His Majesty's Dragon and Prince of Thorns are both, like, 400 pages or so if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Philip Overby]

Speaking of, Phil, is there a target length we're aiming for? His Majesty's Dragon and Prince of Thorns are both, like, 400 pages or so if I'm not mistaken.

That's something to consider since we're reading these in one month. I figure if we do decide to go with a longer novel, then we could stretch the book out to two months, but I guess I rather keep the books between 250-500 pages? I guess that's pretty manageable for one month.

I'm not sure how long some of the books nominated so far are, but if we end up voting for a really long one, we can decide what to do about it then. I'd say let's err on the shorter side if completely possible and not start a series every time.

 

[ACSmyth]

Can I add another? I've been dying to reread Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury for the longest time to see if it creeps me out like it did first time around. I think it's quite a short one.

 

[Philip Overby]

Yep, that's fine. I'll be locking this thread on March 8th, and open up a new thread for voting, so keep the recs coming!

 

[Steerpike]

On the treacherous streets of Riverside, a man lives and dies by the sword. Even the nobles on the Hill turn to duels to settle their disputes. Within this elite, dangerous world, Richard St. Vier is the undisputed master, as skilled as he is ruthless--until a death by the sword is met with outrage instead of awe, and the city discovers that the line between hero and villain can be altered in the blink of an eye.

 

[Steerpike]

Published in 1949:

 

[Steerpike]

Published in 1936 (first book, anyway):

 

[Philip Overby]

Voting is now open. I edited the nomination thread instead of opening a new one for voting. Less clutter that way.

I put a master list here http://mythicscribes.com/forums/novels-stories/11370-%5Breading-group%5D-april-2014-voting-open-classics.html as well as information about how to vote.

As I said in that post, please vote for three books (but only choose one that you nominated). The book with the most votes at the end will be our chosen book for April.

 

[Steerpike]

I vote:

1. Swordspoint
2. The Black Company
3. The Worm Ouroboros

 

[Philip Overby]

Actually, Swordspoint sounds pretty cool and I've never heard of it until now.

My votes will be:

1. Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Lieber
2. Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner
3. The Black Company by Glen Cook

Two of those books I have, so an added bonus!

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Since I already have it, I vote for Black Company.

Haven't read it yet though.

 

[Philip Overby]

T. Allen: Can you pick two more just in case there is a tie or something? You don't have to choose now, but just later if it comes to that.

Already three votes for The Black Company though, so if others want to read something else, better get your votes in!

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Sure...
1) Black Company
2) Swords & Deviltry
3) Something Wicked this Way Comes

 

[Philip Overby]

Thanks!

I actually read most of The Black Company and enjoyed it a lot. Most of what happened stands out in my mind, so I don't feel like I really have to re-read it, so I'll probably scan those parts just for the topic of discussion. It's definitely not a "normal" fantasy book. Therein may lie the problem for some though as it might not jive with their aesthetics. I think it's a great book myself though. It's also pretty short, which is also a plus. However, it is part of a series, so there's that again.

 

[Steerpike]

I've read The Black Company three times. Great book. I've read the vast majority of nominees so I figure this book club will often be books I've read.

 

[Ankari]

If Black Company wins, can we do the omnibus?

 

[Philip Overby]

I'm kind of hoping to read things I haven't read, but I do prefer to read something I already own if possible. It's also good for me if I at least know of a book's reputation. I knew about Prince of Thorns, but had no clue about His Majesty's Dragon other than some mixed opinions brought up before we started the discussion.

At least if The Black Company is the pick, I know I'll like it in any case. I'd hope that others would as well. Since I feel like it's not a traditional kind of fantasy story, it may turn some readers off. However, that's one of the reasons I really like it.

 

[Philip Overby]

If Black Company wins, can we do the omnibus?

Got ninja'd there. I prefer to only do one book a month myself, but if others want to get the omnibus and read the whole trilogy, then they're welcome to do so and discuss it. I'll have to bow out though because April is going to be pretty busy for me.

Edit: Looks like the entire omnibus is 700 something pages. However, for Kindle is 7.99 which is a pretty good price. If it's selected, I'd say you may be better off just getting the omnibus than the individual books.

 

[Steerpike]

I've read 21 of the 25 nominees, so it isn't very likely something I haven't read will be chosen. But that's OK. If I liked it, I can read it more critically and analyze what I liked about it. If I didn't like it, I can do the same