A 12-Question SF/F/H Book Meme

J-Sun

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A 12-Question SF/F/H Book Meme at SF Signal

I thought we could play here, too.

1. The last sf/f/h book I read and enjoyed was: John Varley's Blue Champagne, an excellent collection of ideal SF stories.
2. The last sf/f/h book I read and did not enjoy was: Robert Silverberg's Up the Line, a sort of an indulgent mess of a time-travel novel. I didn't hate it, though - the last SF book I had a hard time finishing goes back to February and Greg Bear's Hull Zero Three or Stephen Baxter's The Time Ships and the last book I couldn't finish goes back to June of last year with Ian Watson's The Very Slow Time Machine.
3. A sf/f/h book that I would recommend to new sf/f/h readers is: pass. Unless see #6/#8.
4. A sf/f/h book that I would recommend to seasoned sf/f/h readers is: ditto. Unless see #9.
5. The sf/f/h book I most want to read next is: whatever's next in the pile.
6. My favorite sf/f/h book series includes: well, it probably is the Foundation or Robot/Empire/Foundation series.
7. I will read anything by this sf/f/h author: strangely enough, Isaac Asimov (one of the books I'm currently reading is Isaac Asimov's Treasury of Humor).
8. The first sf/f/h book I read was: strangely enough, I think it was The Foundation Trilogy.
9. The sf/f/h book I'm most surprised that more people don't like is: Greg Egan's Diaspora, which should have knocked the SF world on its ear as the Neuromancer of the 90s.
10. The sf/f/h book I'm surprised so many people do like is: the Bujold books. I just don't see it. I mean, I can't stand Ender's Game, but I see the attraction in a distant, theoretical way. The Bujold thing just kind of mystifies me.
11. The most expensive sf/f/h book I own is: almost certainly my 30 dollar The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction/The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. For actual fiction, I don't know. One candidate is The Collected Stories of Carol Emshwiller, Vol. 1 which I paid 30 bucks for - but it came with a free bonus book of Emshwiller: Infinity X 2 which had a sticker price of 40 bucks. So I don't know how to count that. 30/0? 15/15? Is the 40 buck book a 40 buck book? Otherwise, it'd probably be one of several Dozois annual anthologies that cost around 20 bucks even in trade paper. But I don't collect zillion dollar first editions or anything.
12. The number of sf/f/h books I own and have yet to read is: no idea - maybe a couple hundred? Over one hundred, anyway. I mean, I just added 50-some the other day.
 
1. The last sf/f/h book I read and enjoyed was: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
2. The last sf/f/h book I read and did not enjoy was: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewzki. It's meant to be this great post-post-modern work of genius. While I enjoyed the secret codes etc... the story, in a story, within a story became old very fast, as did the fancy formatting.
3. A sf/f/h book that I would recommend to new sf/f/h readers is: Nation by Terry Pratchett. It's not diskworld but it is one of, if not, his best.
4. A sf/f/h book that I would recommend to seasoned sf/f/h readers is: The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi, because whatever it is that follows cyberpunk, this is as close as it gets.
5. The sf/f/h book I most want to read next is: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, because it is a seminal work and I STILL haven't gotten around to it.
6. My favorite sf/f/h book series includes: The Night's Dawn Trilogy and Void Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton, Diskworld Series by Sir Terry, Girl Genius by Phil and Kaja Foglio, not strictly a series but any of Ian M. Banks' Culture novels. The Sprawl and Bridge trilogies by William Gibson, Laundry Series by Charles Stross, Arebesk Triligy by Jon Courtenay Grimwood.
7. I will read anything by this sf/f/h author: Ian Banks, Peter F. Hamilton, Neal Asher, Neal Stephenson, Charles Stross, Cory Doctorow, Ian McDonald, Bruce Sterling, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Hannu Rajaniemi, William Gibson and Sir Terry Pratchett.
8. The first sf/f/h book I read was: Nightwatch by Stephen King at 13.
9. The sf/f/h book I'm most surprised that more people don't like is: Can't think of any.
10. The sf/f/h book I'm surprised so many people do like is: Nope, no idea here either.
11. The most expensive sf/f/h book I own is: Anathem by Neal Stephenson - hardback. Not for the cost of the actual book but because this book was so massive, it gave me stomach ache to read it in bed - too heavy to hold so I had to rest it on my tummy. This book was the reason I caved in and bought an ebook reader (before they took off and before the Kindle) and therefore cost me £180+
12. The number of sf/f/h books I own and have yet to read is: 4 or 5. I had a pile but between the wife 'tidying' and my son dipping in and pinching the book, I've lost track.
 

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