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SF Words of Wonder
United States
Приєднався 29 січ 2021
My name is Ira and I mostly read and talk about classic science fiction books.
I started this channel to share my love for SF books, and sometimes other genres. I'm an optimist and truly enjoy reading so most of my reviews are positive.
I started this channel to share my love for SF books, and sometimes other genres. I'm an optimist and truly enjoy reading so most of my reviews are positive.
Gateway by Frederik Pohl [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 58][Heechee Saga #1]
Thanks Joseph for the fun discussion on Gateway by Frederik Pohl. Check out Joseph's channel here @JosephReadsBooks
Also check out a video Joseph did on tier list ranking the top 50 SF books from Goodreads
ua-cam.com/video/44hLRZibgT8/v-deo.htmlsi=owQbc6I_dW2IQBfC
Thanks for watching!
Also check out a video Joseph did on tier list ranking the top 50 SF books from Goodreads
ua-cam.com/video/44hLRZibgT8/v-deo.htmlsi=owQbc6I_dW2IQBfC
Thanks for watching!
Переглядів: 306
Відео
August 2024 Book Haul [Montana Road Trip and Local SF Paperbacks]
Переглядів 77916 годин тому
Playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLki1mx9hWKMxBKFuJ5_uicpNtFSH7Rd1j.html&si=ySgcONgeFDntW9qe Thanks for watching!
Rax (Hello Summer, Goodbye) by Michael G. Coney [Spoiler Free Review][Pallahaxi #1]
Переглядів 291День тому
Playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLki1mx9hWKMy4WLcRCASjiM8fTE_8PLSJ.html&si=6AjY0Rp5wPWT9V_5 Thanks for watching!
Top 10 Recent Classic Science Fiction Reads All Under 250 Pages [Round 1][The Board of Judgment]
Переглядів 703День тому
00:00 Intro 00:59 10. ua-cam.com/video/Cait1EiCObw/v-deo.html 02:13 9. ua-cam.com/video/J7o_iyawT40/v-deo.html 03:19 8. ua-cam.com/video/rhVHbeGo48Q/v-deo.html 04:17 7. ua-cam.com/video/1Hpunm3TST0/v-deo.html 05:23 6. ua-cam.com/video/gJ4AIdMDpYY/v-deo.html 06:14 5. ua-cam.com/video/58KwSgBgcBw/v-deo.html 07:26 4. ua-cam.com/video/4xNIqWonCQE/v-deo.html 08:12 3. ua-cam.com/video/3f0g7YUcaig/v-d...
Brute Orbits by George Zebrowski [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 57]
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Playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLki1mx9hWKMyYQXQXSnA02lPoKsjx1woZ.html&si=phE1eo3tUa5hCBqO Thanks for watching!
The Cyberiad by Stanislaw Lem [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 56]
Переглядів 26614 днів тому
Playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLki1mx9hWKMyYQXQXSnA02lPoKsjx1woZ.html&si=phE1eo3tUa5hCBqO Thanks for watching!
July 2024 Wrap Up - Book of the Month - August TBR - Upcoming Collaborations
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Channels I mentioned in this video: @JosephReadsBooks @PulpMortem @TheBookGraveyard @secretfirebooks7894 @LiminalSpaces03 Full reviews: ua-cam.com/video/TEZVOWsU6a8/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/UEFfbM886jY/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/UKM0ExEpEJw/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/ytbJ2FxFl2A/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/JtGU_sR0XAI/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/Fd2iDq_skCE/v-deo.html Thanks for watching!
The Moon Pool by Abraham Merritt [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 55]
Переглядів 30421 день тому
Playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLki1mx9hWKMyYQXQXSnA02lPoKsjx1woZ.html&si=phE1eo3tUa5hCBqO Series Announcement ua-cam.com/video/LmDcXwLpK8w/v-deo.htmlsi=jQA6_lK_OapRpEab Thanks for watching!
We All Died at Breakaway Station by Richard C. Meredith [Spoiler Free Review]
Переглядів 30028 днів тому
Playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLki1mx9hWKMy4WLcRCASjiM8fTE_8PLSJ.html&si=6AjY0Rp5wPWT9V_5 Thanks for watching!
The Embedding by Ian Watson [Spoiler Light Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 54]
Переглядів 298Місяць тому
Oops, episode 54. Also, there are some gruesome/disgusting scenes in this one. Playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLki1mx9hWKMyYQXQXSnA02lPoKsjx1woZ.html&si=phE1eo3tUa5hCBqO Series Announcement ua-cam.com/video/LmDcXwLpK8w/v-deo.htmlsi=jQA6_lK_OapRpEab Thanks for watching!
July 2024 Book Haul [Upgrades, a Couple HB's and lots of SF Paperbacks]
Переглядів 775Місяць тому
Playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLki1mx9hWKMxBKFuJ5_uicpNtFSH7Rd1j.html&si=ySgcONgeFDntW9qe Thanks for watching!
The Hopkins Manuscript by R. C. Sherriff [Spoiler Free Review]
Переглядів 498Місяць тому
Playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLki1mx9hWKMy4WLcRCASjiM8fTE_8PLSJ.html&si=6AjY0Rp5wPWT9V_5 Thanks for watching!
On Wings of Song by Thomas M. Disch [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 53]
Переглядів 279Місяць тому
Playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLki1mx9hWKMyYQXQXSnA02lPoKsjx1woZ.html&si=phE1eo3tUa5hCBqO Series Announcement ua-cam.com/video/LmDcXwLpK8w/v-deo.htmlsi=jQA6_lK_OapRpEab Thanks for watching!
Fury by Henry Kuttner [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 52]
Переглядів 324Місяць тому
Playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLki1mx9hWKMyYQXQXSnA02lPoKsjx1woZ.html&si=phE1eo3tUa5hCBqO Series Announcement ua-cam.com/video/LmDcXwLpK8w/v-deo.htmlsi=jQA6_lK_OapRpEab Thanks for watching!
June 2024 Wrap Up - Book of the Month - July TBR
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ua-cam.com/video/FGcn3DPX64s/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/nR2EYHQEDm8/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/1IlEwIwbGN0/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/_CR1V6NibVE/v-deo.html Playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLki1mx9hWKMwKEPz63B5d0_HB9ChpNnwq.html&si=ILAzSk-flziKJow6 Thanks for watching!
Final Blackout by L. Ron Hubbard [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 51]
Переглядів 294Місяць тому
Final Blackout by L. Ron Hubbard [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 51]
Transfigurations by Michael Bishop [Spoiler Free Review]
Переглядів 278Місяць тому
Transfigurations by Michael Bishop [Spoiler Free Review]
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 50]
Переглядів 239Місяць тому
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 50]
June 2024 Book Haul [A Few Book Club Editions and Lots of Paperbacks]
Переглядів 7102 місяці тому
June 2024 Book Haul [A Few Book Club Editions and Lots of Paperbacks]
The Kinsman Saga by Ben Bova [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 49]
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The Kinsman Saga by Ben Bova [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 49]
May 2024 Wrap Up - Book of the Month - June TBR
Переглядів 3762 місяці тому
May 2024 Wrap Up - Book of the Month - June TBR
The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett [Spoiler Free Review]
Переглядів 2842 місяці тому
The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett [Spoiler Free Review]
The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 48]
Переглядів 2852 місяці тому
The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 48]
The Palace of Eternity by Bob Shaw [Spoiler Free Review]
Переглядів 4002 місяці тому
The Palace of Eternity by Bob Shaw [Spoiler Free Review]
May 2024 Book Haul [The One With The White Whale]
Переглядів 1,3 тис.3 місяці тому
May 2024 Book Haul [The One With The White Whale]
The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 47]
Переглядів 2863 місяці тому
The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson [Spoiler Free Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 47]
Beyond Apollo by Barry N. Malzberg [Spoiler Light Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 46]
Переглядів 3313 місяці тому
Beyond Apollo by Barry N. Malzberg [Spoiler Light Review][Masterpieces of SF Ep. 46]
The High Crusade by Poul Anderson [Spoiler Free Review]
Переглядів 3723 місяці тому
The High Crusade by Poul Anderson [Spoiler Free Review]
The Best of Fredric Brown 1977 - Ballantine's Classic Library of Science Fiction
Переглядів 5523 місяці тому
The Best of Fredric Brown 1977 - Ballantine's Classic Library of Science Fiction
April 2024 Wrap Up - Book of the Month - May TBR
Переглядів 2533 місяці тому
April 2024 Wrap Up - Book of the Month - May TBR
Good review Ira, thank you. In a strange synchronicity, I was watching @outlawbookselleroriginal reviewing this one, only yesterday. I am pretty keen to find something by this author now and this book sounds good.
What an awesome haul!
That local lot was quite the score. Wish I could have met the person, I think we would have had a lot in common.
You always find really good deals on the books you buy, where I’m at the lowest is normally $3.99 for a used mmpb, it’s rare to find them for a dollar or less. Also The Dragon and the George is the 1st book in a 9 book series. I have the whole set myself and am hopefully going to start it within the next month. Really hoping I enjoy the first but glad my bestie found them for super cheap where she is at haha.
Yeah, it often feels like people want to give books away around here. And our dry Montana air is really kind to books.
In 1919, this book would have been a most amazing tale.
Yeah, mind blowing for that time period. And still pretty good today.
I read the whole series including the short stories collection and the last book which was published in 2004. In the 1st book I loved the ideas and how the story unfolds, but I hated the main character so much, that I gave it 2 stars. The 2nd book was so much better for me. Robinette is not a jerk anymore and even more cool stuff happens, but you still won't meet the Heechee. if you want to meet them, then you need to read the 3rd book. I would say you could stop there, but if you really want to complete the series read the 4th book as well. I wouldn't go for the last one published in 2004, it's not that good.
Great info, I'm definitely going to read the 2nd book, probably next month. I plan on taking it book by book but really do want to know more about the Heechee. The Boy Who Would Live Forever (2004) is really long too, so not sure I'll read that one, but we'll see. Thanks.
I read all the books in this series in high school and really loved them. First contact is my favorite sub genre in science fiction. Similar series are The Heritage Universe five book series by Charles Sheffield, which is sadly out of print, and Stephen Baxter’s Xeelee series, as well as the duology by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle: The Mote in God’s Eye and The Gripping Hand. One of their children wrote a third book called Outies, but it didn’t do well and I haven’t read it. Nice discussion guys! Thanks. 😺✌️
I love that you mentioned Confederacy of Dunces in the beginning. I would love to hear your take on that. Such a great read.
It was very entertaining, him and his mom bantering back and forth was hilarious. I listened to it on audiobook and sometime struggle to comprehend audiobooks. Maybe I'll re-read it at some point and do a video though, who knows.
Great video! I had Gateway in my top 10 recently, lots of people seemed interested in it. Love this format and if you ever need a guest from across the pond, let me know :)
Thanks Jack. I agree this format is fun and breaks up my normal videos. Keep an eye on my monthly wrap ups and if a TBR book sounds interesting then send me and email and we'll set something up.
That was fun to see. Getting a look at the bookshelf. I didn't think you had so much room.....which is great .
Haha, filling the bookshelves up quickly but as you say there is still quite a bit of room.
Good video, ya HeecheeBoys!
Gateway… I was aware of this book but have yet to come across. I’m definitely gonna make the a priority to find it and read it. 👍
It's a great book, unique in a good way.
Love it. Do more Lem!
I will be reading Solaris next from Lem. But I want to read more of his humorous tales as well.
I would love to see you review blade runner
It's on my TBR, hopefully in the next few months.
I read the book 30 years ago. Love it.
I think I will be re-reading this one in the future, it was great. Cheers.
If you want a REALLY disorganized bookstore checkout Ricks Recycled books in Rochester NY. We stopped when we visited Niagara a few years ago and there were books on the shelves more or less by genre, books on the floor, on the shelves, any free inch of room there was a book. Some had penciled prices, some didn’t. The store is in a less reputable part of town and the door to the shop was wide open. When we walked in the owner wasn’t even in the building. Just shows up 10 minuets later and says “anyone here”. Used bookstores are their own wonderland. Amazing haul. One point about the chariots of the Gods- that book started the whole “ancient aliens” movement. It’s a really uhh- interesting- read.
Yes, as much as I complained about that bookstore I really loved it. I've got a lot of comments on Chariots, looked it up some more. Apparently it's sold over 70 million copies!!!
Chariots of Gods is a load of nonsense. Superficially interesting it builds supposition upon supposition, proper cuckoo stuff. Fun to read. Nice haul Ira. 👍📚🎬🚀🔫👽
I like a bit of pseudo science every once in a while, I used to listen to Art Bell, lol. Probably not high on my priority list though. Cheers Jon.
You going to hold to the Nourse Bladerunner?
Probably for now, why you interested?
@@sfwordsofwonder yeah been looking for a copy. Also, that Margaret St Clair is probably the most valuable of the lot you picked up.
I read this in early '63 under the title THE LONG AFTERNOON OF EARTH. So "spoiler free" is kind of strange to me after 61 years
Keith Woodcott (The Martian Sphinx) is a psuedonym of John Brunner.
Didn't know that, thanks. I still have yet to read anything from Brunner, but I will be rectifying that soon.
The cover art for Rogue Queen is awesome. I have to track that down. And that copy of Galactic Pot-Healer also looks great.
I can't believe how crisp the PKD book is, love finding them in such great condition.
Don't sleep on The Worm Ourobouros. There is no other book like it. It's a seminal fantasy work. Even if you don't love it, I suspect you will be glad you read it. It's an experience.
Sounds good, it will go on my long term TBR. Thanks for the recommendation.
haha yeah i’m the “worm ouroboros comment” guy! i definitely don’t recommend it unless you like LONG descriptions of a characters appearance but i also believe in checking things our for yourself and seeing what you think. right now i’m reading The World and Thorin by Damon Knight, which is meh. Up next I plan to read The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You, by mystic feminist Dorothy Bryant. The cover has a butterfly coming out of a mystic space vagina, so of course I picked it up on a recent book haul trip of my own. Happy reading!
I always appreciate any comment that help guide my reading selection, so thanks. I haven't read anything from Knight yet, I'll probably start with his 'Best of' short story compilation. He's talked about so highly by other SF writers. I looked up the Bryant cover, lol. Cheers dude.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE when you said you left books at the thrift store for other folks.
Always fighting the internal hoarder inside of me. Actually, I try to be a bit of a minimalist in life, but vintage book buying is one of the exceptions.
I have read Greybeard, didn't really like it
I've only read Hothouse so far from Aldiss, I will be reading Helliconia Spring next. Greybeard sounds interesting and I think I'll read it at some point but it's not a priority as this point.
Little Over 70?! 😮
Yeah, I don't mess around, haha. That local find was too good to pass up.
Interesting haul. Cryptonomicon and The Worm Ouroborus are two of my favorites. Like your commenter said though, some find the Eddison too wordy and old-fashioned sounding. If you ever get around to reading "Chariots of the Gods?", let us know if you still think of it as non-fiction! Enjoy your new books!
Haha, I think of those kind of books as speculative non-fiction.
Ooh... Amazing score regarding _The Bladerunner_ by Alan E. Nourse. Seriously. Go look it up. That paperback is HIGHLY collectable. I've owned my copy for 30 years. Published in the mid-'70s the film makers of the 1982 movie _Blade Runner_ bought the rights to it simply because they wanted to appropriate the title only (and not the story). Actually a pretty darn good tale, it has to be said! 👍
Great information, I was scratching my head thinking 'did this book copy the movie title or vice versa'. Looked up the book on eBay and your right, seems like $30 minimum for good condition. Thanks.
*listening while doing dishes. I had to run into my office after the first 3 minutes to make sure my books were still there! Doomsday Morning looks rad! The Sky is Filled with Ships was one of the first vintage paperbacks I ever bought and I've almost read it soooo many times. I may need to bump it up on the TBR. Great haul!
Haha, lots of books I've seen you read or haul for sure. I really liked We All Died at Breakaway Station by Meredith so Sky is Filled with Ships will be my next read from him.
Sentinels of Space was a recent read by me, and I had a wonderful time with it. Thrilling and inventive, he managed to finally de-throne Sinister Barrier as my preferred EFR book. Highly recommended! Fredric Brown! - but I won’t play my broken record about how much I prefer his Crime & Mystery over his SF. That said, I recall The Lights In the Sky Are Stars being a fun enough read. My thought is: since you liked What Mad Universe overall, you should be fine with Lights in the Sky…but keep an eye out for The Mind Thing. My goodness - I just read that Sax Rohmer collection too. It was in among a bunch of Fu Manchu novels, which I completely passed on. But The Secret of Holm Peel and Other Strange Stories was just too tempting. In the end, the stories are a bit hit or miss, and I would say Rohmer is not royalty when it comes to style. Still - they’re quick, and charismatically melodramatic, and I could not escape Fu Manchu completely. I cannot recommend it as a priority, more as a hammock read for chillin’ to nuthin’ too demandin’. I loved The Worm Ouroboros, was hooked completely for the whole trip, but a lot of people seem to get brick-walled by the style it’s written in. I had a friend who took a month to read it, and says it’s my only dubious recommendation over the years. Either the style bounced right off of me (this is many years ago, and memories are dim), or I read some kind of altered version with a more modern style. I don’t own it any more to go refresh my memory - but if that style was stuffy and archaic, then I guess it didn’t bother me. I just remember a ripping yarn. Ring Around the Sun! My second favourite Simak after Time and Again (yes, I know I’m mentioning favourites by Simak that are not the regular favourites by Simak). I’ve read two SF novels by Lymington: Night of the Big Heat, and Froomb!. They were among the more interesting 2 (out of 5) star reads I’ve read. Froomb!, in particular, was almost recommendable. I have not read that thing you found, but I am actually tempted to find my own copy to satisfy some lingering, masochistic curiosity (“Oh, Lymington, what are you on about now…”). The Missing Man, and The Dragon and the George were enjoyable but average reads for me. On the other hand, I am a huge fan of Aldiss’s Greybeard. That one needs some attention, from all the Hothouse-ers out there (I loved that one too). Thumbs up to A Voyage to Arcturus, but be ready for a very odd challenge. Other than all of that, I feel blitzed by a whole bunch of books I would love to read. Never heard of or never got around to…you showed about 20 books there that - scratched, stamped, scrawled on, or scorched - I may have to check out. That was a great haul, IMO!
Always love the comments Seth. Taking notes on this one.
Fluids Running Out of My Brakes!
Read Chariots of the Gods. There's some very interesting stuff in there.
Nice, it piqued my interest. Thanks for the confirmation.
Will you make a library tour video?
Yes, I'm planning on doing a library tour in a month or two.
I have an epic September book haul I need to get on the shelves before I do the tour. Cheers.
Incredible list of classics. I have read most of these, and the remainder on my TBR, other than Circus World, never came across that one. No one seems to write shorter books today.
Glad you liked this, Ira. I featured it in my 'Best SF to read in the summer' last summer and have mentioned Coney a few times on my channel, I've been a fan since the 1980s. In fact, I'll soon be filming and posting a Career Overview of his work, been meaning to for ages. I think you'd enjoy many of his books.
I really enjoyed it, I think I'll read the sequel in the next month or so.
@@sfwordsofwonder The sequel is darker, not immediately as strong and was not published until long after it was written, as you say by PS Publishing. His novels 'Mirror Image' and its sequels 'Syzygy' and 'Brontomek!' are very good indeed. 'The Girl with a Symphony In Her Fingers' (aka 'The Jaws That Bite, The Claws That Catch')., 'Charisma' and 'The Ultimate Jungle' (which I don't think was ever paperbacked anywhere) are great too. The one to avoid is 'Hero of Downways', easily his weakest early books. I reviewed his novel 'Winter's Children' in my 'best sf to read in winter' video.
@@outlawbookselleroriginal Thanks again Steven, great information.
@@sfwordsofwonder No problem my friend. Incidentally, I've done some checking and 'Charisma' is the fourth book in the Amorph-Arcadia series ('Mirror Image', 'Syzygy', 'Brontomek!') but it is only slightly related to the others- but still excellent. He's been terribly neglected since the 1970s though I will admit I have all his 1980s books and never got around to reading them...but soon.....
Thanks for reminding me of this great author. I read him with other high ‘C’ UK writers in the 1970’s - DG Compton & Edmund Cooper. They brought a lot of thought to their writing and stimulated thought as a result. Time to re-read! See what perspective time does bring. Incidentally, why do publishers change book titles? I’ve been caught out with American imports but also UK published works having different titles so I now do research. Surely a double match of author name and book title would not happen? What is ‘Syzygy’ called in North America?
VTs (Variant Titles) were a very common thing in SF publishing from the 1950s to the 1970s and they even pop up since. Usually, these are British books which are retitled for the North American market as US publishers often though UK titles were too literary to attract mass market SF readers- 'Hello Summer, Goodbye' to DAW's way of thinking would have sounded too unlike the average SF title, so 'Rax' -which sounds more typically 'Sci Fi' was used instead: which is an example of how US publishers viewed their readership as monolithic, dumb and having certain expectations of the genre. One of the most famous examples is John Wyndham's 'The Kraken Wakes', entitled 'Out of the Deeps' in the USA. D G Compton's 'The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe' was entitled 'The Unsleeping Eye' in the US. I've talked about VTs many times on my channel as when you read SF published between 1950 and 1980, they are very common.
I've found that marketing people aren't always in tune with the audience, haha. I need to read some Compton soon. Cheers.
@@sfwordsofwonder The other Big C of British 1960s-1980s SF that Peter forgot was Richard Cowper, who is also well worth a read. 'Twilight of Briareus' is probably his finest.
Just started reading it
It’s on my TBR! 😊
When I bought my UK copy of "Hello Summer, Goodbye", there was a copy of "Rax" there as well. I didn't know they were the same story until later. I almost bought Rax at the time but put it back at the last minute, remembering that I already had two other Coneys that I need to read.
Love the board of judgement! Can’t wait to see it in the future
Thanks, I've got ideas.
Amazing cover! Sounds like a good one.
It exceeded my expectations.
That sounds like a good time! I'm glad I've got a copy, thanks to you!
If you like it as much as I did maybe we could do a video and discuss it in the future.
Thank you for this. I never I never find any Michael G Coney, so likewise, thank you for the buying tips.
This one was great, I think it deserves some attention.
Appreciate your highlighting the different titles in the different countries. Discovering today that Canada has some aka titles. Can be frustrating if you don’t catch before purchasing. You’re on quite a roll reading right now. Thanks for the great reviews.
I was going to make a joke that the Canadian version is called "Pallahaxi Tide, Eh". Cheers Richard.
@@sfwordsofwonder Yah Hoser, eh!
This sounds cool. It's on my watch list!
This is cool news for someone like me, who has read one Coney novel, and needs one highlighted for serious consideration as a worthy follow-up...maybe even a better follow-up, although I did quite enjoy the one I read years ago: Cat Karina. Cat Karina sits at 3.39 stars ratings average at Goodreads, but I see Rax is more of a crowd-pleaser, probably his best book, so I'll need to check this one out. The cover had me faked out - not looking like 'book of the year' material. Thanks for the review!
I'm not sure any of the covers really do it justice, maybe the one I used in my thumbnail. The Canadian cover is so bad it's almost good.
This is a great list and a great video idea! The Female Man and Tau Zero have been on my TBR for a while. I really need to get to them. The Day of the Triffids was put on my TBR today after I finished reading The Chrysalids. That book was amazing! This Immortal and Childhood's End are some of my favorite SF works.
I think Chrysalids will be my next from Wyndham, mostly because it's the only other one I have from him. But it's great to hear you thought it was amazing, maybe I'll move it up on the TBR.
@@sfwordsofwonder Carlos from Storytoob messaged me and said he really liked it so I dumped my Garbaugust read and dove in and if the rest of his stuff is that good he is going to be one of my favorite SF writers.
Recently read this fun book. It kinda reads like a 30’s to 50’s medieval adventure film (Errol Flynn in Robin Hood) but IN SPACE! The humor largely stems from the English village of a few thousand at first not understanding what they’ve gotten themselves into. They adapt with our monkish narrator slowly using more Sci-Fi terms being just in example or Sir Roger wearing an armored spacesuit into battle. A lot of great lines with one of (in my opinion) best scenes featuring One Eyed Hubert. If for any other reason, read it for the Englishmen hurling nukes from a trebuchet. Yes, they did that.
You summed up my thoughts exactly, what a blast that book was.
Great video and fabulous top 2 choices! I’ve got to read This Immortal. 👍
I loved This Immortal, reading Lord of Light later this month. Zelazny is a great writer. Thanks Bart.
@@sfwordsofwonder Lord of Light is another one I’ll want to read at some point. That one intimidates me due to the fact that I know very little about the pantheon of Hindu gods.
Great list! I loved each of the books in your top 4. Hope to get round to reading A Case of Conscience soon
Thanks Robin, hope you enjoy Case of Conscious. cheers
Great stuff Ira like your book choices some classic reading there . Read 6 of these books will keep an eye out for the others the case of conscience I’ve been meaning to read for ages.
I put off Case of Conscious for a long time as well but glad I got around to reading it.
Fantastic list! Childhood's End is one of my all-time favourites and made its way into my recently posted top 10 video. Keen to try Man Plus too because I absolutely love Gateway.
I'm reading Gateway for the first time later this month. I'll check out your channel.
I’m reading it now, same paperback edition. I’ve seen a Gollancz SF Masterworks edition online.
You'll have to let me know what you think of it.