Hmm. I've read everything nominated except for the two already thirded. I'll be back.

Kirinyaga sounds interesting. I'll give it a second.

It's still part of the Liaden Universe and still has a place in it and that place is not at the front. So nominating a book in the middle of a series is not a good idea unless the book club has already read all the books that come before.

When someone says that a book in a series is standalone, it's not. It never is and never will be. I've fallen for that too many times. Never again. Sorry.

It's fine because the likelihood of me reading all 13 Liaden novels is virtually zero. I'd rather read the best.

I'll nominate The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....CYhL.SX316.jpg

334 pages

Overdrive: https://www.overdrive.com/search?q=t...lapsing+empire

Of course you mean The Corroding Empire by Johan Kalsi. :)

Oh, Jon, Jon! Five years on and the memory is evergreen, at least for me. :D

#17.6 in the In Death series! I've never fully recovered from the shock.

Kidding aside, there's no reason not to let the voting resolve any issues, if issues there be. Don't vote for it if you don't want to read it. I'm going to have a tough time this month since SF isn't my genre, to put it mildly. I'm more likely to read something with real people in a recognizable world than I am the type of book with little green men with antennae.

It does sound interesting, but I'm suffering from sticker shock, unfortunately.

I will second Roadside Picnic. It's short and OverDrive has it. :)

And it's very good, I read it a few years ago when it was nominated previously.

I will third it.

Before I was paying attention, but I do appreciate the reference. And, for the record, The Liaden Universe(r) is NOT a series, but a universe in which many stories take place. This is a standalone story and requires no prior knowledge of anything else in the Universe. Really. Try it. You might like it. :)

I promise - no little green men. Not even any Clutch Turtles in this one. ;)

This book is about people dealing with the interface between clashing cultures and how those cultural differences lead to potentially serious misunderstandings and expectations. It explores the ways that one goes about bridging that gap, and has the expected bumps and challenges. Oh, and FWIW, it's a good read, or I certainly found it so.
Oh, dear, you ARE behind the times. Novel #20 will release in a couple of weeks. Is this the best in the Universe? Arguable ad nauseam. It is, however, an entry point and can certainly be read stand-alone, which is the primary reason I nominated it. A discussion of which books to read first, and/or in what order after, is probably best done in the Liaden Fans Help Me Out thread, so come on by and we'll chat about it. :)

Second The Collapsing Empire.

I would never read that book. :smack:

In Times Like These has real people, in a familiar world, they just happen to time travel. I read it last year, it was fun, but nothing that would put it on my list of books worth a second read.

I'm seconding Consider Phlebas.

I'll also second The Collapsing Empire.