Happy Sunday Funday and welcome to my first weekly update for Sci-Fi Month 2020! Sci-Fi Month is a month long celebration of all things sci-fi and it's hosted by Lisa @ Dear Geek Place and Imyril @ One More. (Image credit: Photo by Tithi Luadthong on 123RF.com with a quote from Seven Devils by Elizabeth May and Laura Lam). So far, Sci-Fi Month has gotten off to a good start. I've already made a dent in my tbr and read some good books and I've started in on my watchlist as well. Keep reading to see what I got up to since this monthly event began:
My Sci-Fi Month Posts This Week:
What I Watched This Week:
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I can't say I'm a fan of James Caan at all, but I liked Rollerball (1975) quite a bit more than I was expecting to. The rollerball scenes are spectacularly deranged, chaotic, and brutal as the story goes on. There are great little hints at what the wider world is like beyond Jonathan's life and the sport, but I wanted to know so, so much more.
I've read the first book in the series that this tv series is based on and really enjoyed it, so I had high hopes with this. I've only watched season 1, episode 1 so far, but for the most part I liked it. To be honest, there were a couple of things I totally could have done without, but overall the intro to the world of the series really worked for me. I think I'm really going to get hooked on this series!
What I Read This Week (In Order):
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The concept of Genius: The Game (Genius #1) by Leopoldo Gout sounds pretty fantastic with high stakes and a diverse cast of characters. Plus, it's been a popular item at my library since it was released. I'd had my eye on it for quite some time since it looked like it had so much potential. Unfortunately, though, it just wasn't for me. My main complaint is that I had a tough time telling the difference between the four members of the main cast. I mean, I know what their stories are and what they were doing, but tonally they all sounded exactly the same. I kept having to flip back to the beginning of each chapter to check the heading to see which character we were following at any given time. Next, I felt really out of the loop when it came to the Game itself as if I were missing a vital piece of information. It didn't help that some elements didn't make much sense on their own either. Needless to say, it was very difficult to become invested in the cast and story and the ending didn't improve my view of the rest of the novel. I will not be back to continue this series.
My review is also on Goodreads.
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Rated by Melissa Grey is a solid YA dystopia, but it's never quite is as thrilling or as unsettling as it should have been. I think it's aiming for something along the lines of a thriller like Fahrenheit 451 even though it's much too light and cheesy to get there. If it weren't for the concept of the rating system, the book would definitely be a contemporary. I appreciate that it's very much a 20 minutes into the future sort of story. I don't see enough of that trope in YA.
My review is also on Goodreads.
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Railhead (Railhead #1) by Philip Reeve has been on my tbr for ages and I've noticed that it's been incredibly popular at my library since it was released, so I was quite interested in finally picking it up. Reeve's world-building in this series opener is pretty outstanding. There's so much more I'd love to know about the history of the world than we got to see. Now, if I were as interested in the cast of characters, and for that reason I haven't yet decided if I want to continue with the series.
My review is also on Goodreads.
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Record of a Spaceborn Few (Wayfarers #3) by Becky Chambers is another fantastic sci-fi space opera from one of my favorite authors. I love the author's style so much. Her characters are always outstanding as is her world-building. I still think my favorite from the series is still The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet for the voyage elements, but the internal journey presented in this installment is still more than worth reading. I can't wait to continue the series with The Galaxy, and the Ground Within. February 16th, 2021 can't come soon enough!
My review is also on Goodreads.
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My review is also on Goodreads.
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The Exodus Towers (Dire Earth #2) by Jason M. Hough is a great follow up to The Darwin Elevator. It's such a fun, and brutal, sci-fi post apocalyptic dystopia. It's goes so fast and I was on the edge of my seat for it. I'm so glad I'll be reading book three, The Plague Forge next after that ending! I can't wait to read more from Jason M. Hough in the future.
My review is also on Goodreads.
What have you been up to this past week? Are you taking part in Sci-Fi Month this year? Have you read any of these books? As always thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below.
I like Rollerball in that grim, 70's dystopia way (kinda like Soylent Green). I like The Expanse too. And I agree about Chambers. I've liked everything by her so far, but yes Long Way is my favorite- I think it's the itinerant ship and the tightness of the crew that makes it really my favorite. Dune I wasn't crazy about but I love the look of the movie- it looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteIt does remind me of Soylent Green in tone now that you mention it.
DeleteWow, you read all those books in one week? Thats amazing. I really need to wear Dune one of these days, i feel so left out, lol.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit I did skim a bit through the first two on my list there. Dune is so worth it, Tammy!
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