New Leaf Nominations for October 2018 • Out of This World: Otherwhence

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by issybird

Jasper Fforde as in The Big Over Easy is most amusing and 99p is really cheap! (It's also available at OverDrive, i.e. free, if that's an option.) And certainly a place that's different. Just in case we want something fun to change things up.

C'mon, there are still some nominations out there!

It sounds weird enough to be fun, issybird, but I'm out of tickets. Hopefully someone will step in and give it a push. It's good to have affordable books on the slate.

[issybird]

Twelve hours to go, for those last-minute nominations!

[CRussel]

Or how about some last minute seconds/thirds? Would be good to see Jasper Fforde get through, at least.

[bfisher]

I'll second The Big Over Easy

[bfisher]

I'll third Against the Fall of Night

[BelleZora]

This lurker will third The Big Over Easy.

[issybird]

There's a poll!

[CRussel]

I'm not encouraging a vote for it, but for any of you interested in reading Against the Fall of Night by Arthur C. Clarke, it's currently $1.99 at AmazonUS. Still not available in the UK, and still more expensive than I'd want to pay in Canada and Australia.

[gmw]

One thing I find quite strange/amusing is: last month we voted in a sci-fi book almost by accident, it seems, whereas this month everyone seems leery of it. I am not implying anything in particular here, I just found it interesting.

[darryl]

The theme is a very wide one. I can't say that any of the books nominated are outside of the theme, though the connection is sometimes a bit tenuous. I too would have expected to see more science fiction nominations or even the odd ghost story. The process for selection is both democratic and fair, and of course everyone is free to vote according to their preferences. I would however be interested in the attitude of those participating to Science Fiction. I would like to read posts from those who will not or are unlikely to nominate or vote for a science fiction book. What is your reason if there is one other than simply not liking the genre? I make no criticism and have no intention of questioning your views or arguing the issue. Just curious.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by darryl

The theme is a very wide one. I can't say that any of the books nominated are outside of the theme, though the connection is sometimes a bit tenuous. I too would have expected to see more science fiction nominations or even the odd ghost story. The process for selection is both democratic and fair, and of course everyone is free to vote according to their preferences. I would however be interested in the attitude of those participating to Science Fiction. I would like to read posts from those who will not or are unlikely to nominate or vote for a science fiction book. What is your reason if there is one other than simply not liking the genre? I make no criticism and have no intention of questioning your views or arguing the issue. Just curious.

I'm going to answer this indirectly. It seems to me we've had relatively few genre nominations and no selections in the club history and I suspect it's partially by design and partially inadvertent, but taking it hind-foremost, I think staying mainstream is best for participation. So to the extent that people have a reason that's not dislike for not voting for a particular genre, maybe it's a recognition of that.

Genre does tend to be polarizing; people like it or don't. In a specifically genre category that someone doesn't like it can be entertaining and useful to tease at the edges of it to find something palatable to nominate, which used to be my strategy in the old MR Book Club, but why force people to jump through that hoop? In the end, successful nominations are the ones a plurality will vote for.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by darryl

The theme is a very wide one. I can't say that any of the books nominated are outside of the theme, though the connection is sometimes a bit tenuous. I too would have expected to see more science fiction nominations or even the odd ghost story. The process for selection is both democratic and fair, and of course everyone is free to vote according to their preferences. I would however be interested in the attitude of those participating to Science Fiction. I would like to read posts from those who will not or are unlikely to nominate or vote for a science fiction book. What is your reason if there is one other than simply not liking the genre? I make no criticism and have no intention of questioning your views or arguing the issue. Just curious.

I hate science fiction. I read a blurb that indicates a story is set on another planet populated by oddly named creatures, in a future time, and my eyes glaze over. No, no, no.

When I was much younger, I did read the a book or two by Robert Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, maybe Asimov. Probably short stories as well, especially if they were Twilight Zone-type stories (I don't consider those science fiction except in the broadest sense--I'm fine with stories that are set in a basically normal milieu with some oddball element).

I don't like Star Wars. I don't like Star Trek (though the original series is OK except for William Shatner). I don't like wizards and magicians and unreal worlds and time travel and overt weirdness.

The September selection was on my radar before I knew it might edge in SF territory. I haven't started it yet, and I am feeling some reluctance.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by Catlady

The September selection was on my radar before I knew it might edge in SF territory. I haven't started it yet, and I am feeling some reluctance.

You shouldn't. Half of the book takes place in an English boarding school. No aliens, space, unusual technology, or any of the like. It's a story about humans, nothing more.

[fantasyfan]

Originally Posted by gmw

I nominate: Against the Fall of Night by Arthur C. Clarke.

Amazon US - USD$7.75 | Amazon CA - CDN$7.99 | Amazon AU - AUD$10.55 | Kobo US - USD$8.09 | Kobo CA - CAD$8.69 | Kobo AU AUD$10.88

From Goodreads:


It's short, barely more than a novella (120 pages in my hardback). I strongly recommend avoiding the rather horrible sequel: Beyond the Fall of Night, written with Gregory Benford many years later. The two are often sold together, but even if you get Beyond the Fall of Night for free I suggest skipping it.

This is early Clarke and some criticise it for that early earnestness, but I like it better than some of his later work for many of the reasons others don't like it. There is much in here that Clarke doesn't try to explain; it's more human and less scientific than Clarke eventually becomes.

I recommend you check out your library options: this book is old and short, no one should be charging $10+ for this! (But some are.) Why I cannot find this on the UK sites is a mystery to me - I mean this is Arthur C. Clarke for crying out loud!

Clarke later wrote a longer version called The City and the Stars. It gets quite a good review in the Science Fiction Encyclopedia. I know I am posting this too late for the poll but if ATFON doesn’t win and/or anyone wants to read Clarke’s final thoughts on Diaspar the later novel (which Clarke preferred) should be easier to obtain.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by fantasyfan

Clarke later wrote a longer version called The City and the Stars. It gets quite a good review in the Science Fiction Encyclopedia. I know I am posting this too late for the poll but if ATFON doesn’t win and/or anyone wants to read Clarke’s final thoughts on Diaspar the later novel (which Clarke preferred) should be easier to obtain.

I don't know about elsewhere, but Against the Fall of Night is available on OverDrive at various libraries here.