Achaean Book Club

edited February 2018 in The Universal Membrane
Hello! This is something we were discussing among some Mhaldorians OOC, and I figured it might be fun to involve more people in general. Since, I assume, most people here have read at least one (1) book in their lifetime, it seems like having people sign up for a book to read and discuss would work well. If no one's interested, oh well, I was gonna read these books anyway, but no harm in trying.

First, I've decided that a RL month per book is probably ideal. This lets people read it casually, without taking too much time away from their other interests. Second, for the first book we'll have to decide on what to read first, so here's a poll with the Goodreads summary + link of each book. Since I assume most people here enjoy sci-fi and fantasy most, I'll try to focus mostly on those genres.

Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie
On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest. Once, she was the Justice of Toren - a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy. Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.
The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison/Sarah Monette

The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.

Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend... and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne – or his life.

The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...

The Left Hand of Darkness
, Ursula K. Le Guin
A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can choose -and change - their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters.

Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.
Parable of the Sower, Octavia E. Butler

In 2025, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful journey toward a better future

Lauren Olamina and her family live in one of the only safe neighborhoods remaining on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Behind the walls of their defended enclave, Lauren’s father, a preacher, and a handful of other citizens try to salvage what remains of a culture that has been destroyed by drugs, disease, war, and chronic water shortages. While her father tries to lead people on the righteous path, Lauren struggles with hyperempathy, a condition that makes her extraordinarily sensitive to the pain of others.

When fire destroys their compound, Lauren’s family is killed and she is forced out into a world that is fraught with danger. With a handful of other refugees, Lauren must make her way north to safety, along the way conceiving a revolutionary idea that may mean salvation for all mankind.

To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
The serene and maternal Mrs. Ramsay, the tragic yet absurd Mr. Ramsay, and their children and assorted guests are on holiday on the Isle of Skye. From the seemingly trivial postponement of a visit to a nearby lighthouse, Woolf constructs a remarkable, moving examination of the complex tensions and allegiances of family life and the conflict between men and women.

As time winds its way through their lives, the Ramsays face, alone and simultaneously, the greatest of human challenges and its greatest triumph--the human capacity for change.

A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth.

Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.

Feel free to try and convince people for one or the other, or suggest future books to read if this goes well!

Comments

  • My vote is on Left Hand of Darkness because I started reading it last week, but I'm up for any of these!
  • I'll do a read along of chapters of Ancillary Justice, if it's chosen.


    Reaching down with a massive hand, Sartan lifts your head and draws a taloned finger across your throat, the wound closing as He does so.

  • Stheno said:
    I'll do a read along of chapters of Ancillary Justice, if it's chosen.
    Only if you do a very creepy old lady voice for Anander Minai
  • dklqklw
    And as he slept he dreamed a dream, and this was his dream.
  • ur not even a legate ellodin
  • A Wizard of Earthsea is a beautiful book, and very light reading! 
  • Some of these sound interesting, and some don't, but I'll give it a try, sounds fun!
  • Can we just do them all? 

    >.> 

  • Kiet said:
    ur not even a legate ellodin
    Of course he isn't, he is Master Namer.
  • Aw I’m the only one who picked Parable is the Sower. That looks interesting even if LA and all of it’s suburbs are gonna be screwed in this scenario!


  • JozlynJozlyn out of here.
    She died recently and I would love to read this one. I'll read anything on the list. Handmaid is fantastic and I'd read it again.
     yes, sir.
  • I'll do readings, because I get bored reading to myself and get ADD :D
  • With the recent passing of Ursula Le Guin, and the fact I love all her books, I chose the Wizard of Earthsea, because the Earthsea series is wonderful and I think everyone should read some of her work.  The world lost a wonderful woman.

    RIP Ursula
  • edited February 2018
    Dang it's getting heated in these votes :open_mouth: Any book could still win.

    I did include Le Guin with two books of different types because I figured people would want to remember her, though, yeah.

    That said, Ancillary Justice looks super interesting, too, so I voted for that. I love anything to do with examining AI.

    We can definitely read them all eventually, but have to start with one!
  • Sounds legit, let's do this.




    Penwize has cowardly forfeited the challenge to mortal combat issued by Atalkez.
  • ... I want story time.
  • MelodieMelodie Port Saint Lucie, Florida
    I was gonna vote Handmaid's Tale, but having a reading swayed my opinion. Cheatsy.
    And I love too                                                                          Be still, my indelible friend
    That love soon might end                                                         You are unbreaking
    And be known in its aching                                                      Though quaking
    Shown in this shaking                                                             Though crazy
    Lately of my wasteland, baby                                                 That's just wasteland, baby
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