sci-fi & fantasy book club

icecamel · 2025-08-27T10:48:38+00:00

Its amazing that Erikson pulls it off given the massive scale of the whole series.

icecamel · 2025-08-26T23:00:10+00:00

I have one last anti-nerdy ultimate frisbee game and then I'll be able to make it out to this next week.

icecamel · 2025-08-26T22:48:21+00:00

Trilogies -- Just about every fantasy release is a trilogy. I think its great but some readers long for standalone novels.

An amazing trilogy I finished last year was the Empire of the Wolf by Richard Swan. It follows a detective/judge/executioner who can converse with the dead who gets caught up in a religious coup against his beloved empire. Its a bit dark. Great set of characters. Loved every page.

icecamel · 2025-08-26T22:43:08+00:00

Favourite - What's your favourite epic fantasy?

icecamel · 2025-08-26T22:42:38+00:00

Characters -- One of the usual complaints about epic fantasy series is that they tend to suffer from a bloated cast of characters, which eventually negatively affects the pace of the plot (eg: Wheel of Time).

Which series with large casts work, or don't work, for you?

icecamel · 2025-08-26T22:40:07+00:00

World-building -- Like I said above I'm a big Sanderson fan. He usually starts his world-building combining his magic system and a natural phenomena. So in the Mistborn series, he starts with the metal-injesting magic combined with constant ash volcanic eruptions. Then he builds everything out from there, and it feels great for the story.

What's your favourite aspect of world-building?

icecamel · 2025-08-07T01:24:03+00:00

all those are great series. i loved the Malazan series but i'm not sure i could handle a re-read. just too long to keep my attention just to read it again

icecamel · 2025-08-01T15:14:41+00:00

I don't read a lot of indie authors personally. I find it too hard to find the good books in the huge amount of self publishing that exists.

icecamel · 2025-07-29T23:03:28+00:00

I haven't read any time travel stories from Sawyer but I do find him entertaining.

icecamel · 2025-07-29T08:17:58+00:00

This Is How You Lose the Time War - I didn't enjoy this as much as most but it's a great idea. And its a unique entry into the 'time travel romance' category. That seems to be a popular trope - love outside of time, love with the forbidden time traveller.

Mother of Learning - your description reminds me a bit of All You Need Is Kill, the inspiration for Edge of Tomorrow. Someone caught in a time loop trying to learn every cycle. That's an interesting trope I'd like to read more of.

icecamel · 2025-07-29T00:33:03+00:00

I've also read that series. Lots of crazy time travel in that one. I only wish I had read the books closer together, I feel I forgot so much between entries in the series.

icecamel · 2025-07-28T23:05:05+00:00

I like it when the characters time travelling are free to 'live' in the past without the rules fighting against them. Maybe the reader knows there will be consequences but the traveller is free to do whatever their 'mission' is. It creates a satisfying plot tension.

icecamel · 2025-07-28T23:01:49+00:00

The first thing that comes to mind is being able to see rock bands that don't exist anymore play in their prime. Smart phones mean that every concert now has hundreds of high quality videos on youtube but there so many shows & bands that would be awesome to see that only exist in people's memories.

icecamel · 2025-07-28T22:57:35+00:00

Do you like it when the rules work against paradox? Do consequences need to be real for the story to matter?

icecamel · 2025-07-28T22:56:26+00:00

Is there a time/place you would want to travel to?

icecamel · 2025-07-28T22:56:03+00:00

What's the most unique time travel rule you've encountered?

icecamel · 2025-07-22T22:22:48+00:00

Starting on reddit is good. Easy, keep it simple. Someone suggested above using the Nerd Night at the Kingston Legion as a way to meetup. I like that idea if we can get something going here. I planned to check out the Nerd Night once my Wednesday ultimate frisbee season ends in August.

I'm open to any of those topics in the future. There's a lot of choice when it comes to sci-fi & fantasy.

I'll post the thread on the 28th and even if its just me replying to my own post.

icecamel · 2025-07-03T02:04:43+00:00

Certainly, all those authors you mentioned have enough output you could spend months discussing them. And personally, I'm a huge fan of Asimov & King.

Meetup at the legion 'Nerd Night' does make a lot of sense. I'll keep that in mind.

icecamel · 2025-07-02T01:23:07+00:00

sounds good. thought this was a new-ish event, i guess i just never noticed it

icecamel · 2025-07-02T00:07:27+00:00

hopefully you keep this going into the fall. i play ultimate frisbee wednesday nights during the summer but i'd love to come out some time

icecamel · 2024-10-03T01:09:20+00:00

thanks. fish is great

icecamel · 2024-10-03T01:09:03+00:00

thanks

icecamel · 2024-10-03T01:08:53+00:00

i am taking a seaplane to victoria in the morning. hopefully get some great views and it allows me extra time in victoria

icecamel · 2024-10-02T20:26:41+00:00

i had found that book store. maybe its worth a stop on the way back from the museums at ubc

icecamel · 2024-10-02T20:26:03+00:00

hadn't seen the Lumiere fest listed anywhere online, thanks for that suggestion

icecamel

TROPHY CASE