By Slanted Light

I'm just not getting the hang of this posting-and-working thing, am I? I'll try for a monthly book post, I think! So this was my January reading - counting long-ish Prosfic, but only short fics if I remember to add them at the time.

I ended up reading three books for the Sci-Fi Experience challenge (but with no way to link/post/comment to the challenge itself, it feels a bit odd this year) and I've read three books (and two fanfics, though I don't supposed they'd officially count) for Mount TBR - so off to a pretty decent start, I think.

1. Helstrom's Hive by Frank Herbert
2. Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold
3. Encounters by Jason Wallace
4. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
5. Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell (book group)
6. His Maggie May by Spotty Dog (Pros fic)
7. So This is Us by Jojo (Pros fic)


Helstrom's Hive I've already reviewed.

( Warrior's Apprentice... )

( Encounters... )

( The Wee Free Men... )

( Instructions for a Heatwave... )


I finally worked out how to get into my Kobo again, just before Christmas (it was the cable I was using for the connection that was the problem, which seems odd to me, but was definitely the issue) and so finally got into the Prosfic I'd loaded way back when - hurrah!

His Maggie May was an excellent read, in that it felt fresh and made me want to keep reading Pros again. I thought Doyle was a bit less Doyle than in the eps - I don't think we get much canon that suggests he'd take drugs while on duty, for instance - and Bodie was a bit too much more diligent and professional in comparison (I'd say the eps suggest the opposite characterisation, personally) but the writing meant that I could go with it, and was able to trust the author rather than having to wince and put the story down, so... yeay! I had a feeling our Snailbones might be a fab Pros author to go with all her shiny artwork... *g*

I always feel in safe hands with Jojo's Pros fic too, so I was a bit wary when So This is Us turned out to feature a teacher (Doyle) and a hairdresser (Bodie) - but luckily it also turned out to be properly convincing in both cases, and another excellent read. *g* I'm especially wary of the way teachers are often portrayed in fic (and even on Doctor Who) as being able to take time off from their basically good-hearted ragamuffin classes whenever they need to, because they have such wonderful colleagues that they can magically provide cover for days at a time (just what-what-what?!) but the teaching part of the story was written with a light and realistic touch too, so phew! Also, hee for Cowley as the headteacher... *g*

And that was January, I think! Did anyone else read anything good?

I have also started the year by reading a book loaned to me by my sci-fi friend here in Somerset (Hellstrom's Hive) and by going to see The Last Jedi, so even though I've missed a month of it (I wish it didn't start in December!) I'm going to join in The 2018 Sci-Fi Experience, hosted by Carl V. Anderson at Stainless Steel Droppings. I love going out on dark and frosty clear winter nights and seeing the stars, and dreaming about all the maybes of it, and a new year always feels a bit that way too. Maybe. *g* And maybe it'll get me blogging more again too. *g*

I was a bit sad to see that there are only four other people signed up for it so far though - is it true, is blogging mostly history now? Even book blogging? I'm going to pretend there's life in it yet, and then I can keep talking to you all and hope that you'll talk back. Or maybe even decide to join in the challenge for what's left of January! *g* And I can already start a list of Science Fiction Experienced in January 2018!

The Last Jedi (film)
Absolutely loved this. Okay, the odd I-wish-they'd-done-that-differently, but I loved how much deeper it seemed to be, and thoughtful. And I want to see it again. *g*

Hard Sun (tv series)
Does this count as science fiction? The premise we seem to be starting out with is science fiction - in five years time the sun is going to consume the Earth...
( Episodes... )

Doctor Who - an Unearthly Child (tv series)
I've seen this before, and actually I've only watched the first episode of it so far because I dropped my remote control and there's no other obvious way to do anything except "play" and "stop" on my dvd machine - and "Play all" just resulted in looping back to the first episode rather than going onto the second, oddly enough. But perhaps because I have seen it before, and was more prepared for the 1960s-tv vibe, I think I enjoyed it more this time - and I was disappointed that I have to wait for the next one until I can find a new remote. Gaargh!
... ...Gaargh again, and damn, now the dvd disc isn't working for Episode 2 even though I have a new remote. Gaaaah!

Helstrom's Hive by Frank Herbert (book)

Doctor Who - The Daleks (tv series)
( Episodes )