Steampunk/Science Fiction Discussion
- Heidi M Simone
- Official Reviewer Representative
- Posts: 7072
- Joined: 17 Jul 2015, 20:19
- Favorite Book: Harry Potter
- Currently Reading: Apples Never Fall
- Bookshelf Size: 561
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-heidi-m-simone.html
- Latest Review: All You'll Never Be (Kindle Edition) by E. L. Neve
- 2024 Reading Goal: 25
- 2024 Goal Completion: 60%
Steampunk/Science Fiction Discussion
- Steampunk can be considered as "a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery."
- Science Fiction can be thought of as, "a genre of speculative fiction, typically dealing with imaginative concepts such as advanced science and technology, spaceflight, time travel, and extraterrestrial life."
- Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
- What trait(s) made the book you chose unique to this genre?
- Would you recommend this read?
- gali
- Previous Member of the Month
- Posts: 53653
- Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 07:12
- Currently Reading: Five Little Pigs
- Bookshelf Size: 2290
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gali.html
- Reading Device: B00I15SB16
- Publishing Contest Votes: 0
I have read " Zeva-Book 1 by Tesha Finley. It has a very light science fiction element and some fantasy elements. Although the plot was a bit predictable, I enjoyed it. The story moved at a reasonable pace,and I never got bored at any point of time. It wasn't well edited, though. I noticed quite a few grammatical errors. I would recommend this read to YA.hsimone wrote: ↑02 Jul 2018, 07:37 Welcome to our July Genre Discussion! As there was a tie between two genres, I decided to focus on Steampunk/Science Fiction for this month, and the other genre next month.
- What did you read this month for our genre discussion?
- Steampunk can be considered as "a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery."
- Science Fiction can be thought of as, "a genre of speculative fiction, typically dealing with imaginative concepts such as advanced science and technology, spaceflight, time travel, and extraterrestrial life."
- Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
- What trait(s) made the book you chose unique to this genre?
- Would you recommend this read?
I think that I will choose another book for this month, but Steampunk this time. I love Steampunk!
Pronouns: She/Her
"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)
- S Chinaski
- Posts: 29
- Joined: 04 Oct 2017, 16:00
- Currently Reading: Before They're Gone
- Bookshelf Size: 33
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-cheshiercat.html
- Latest Review: Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole
A great read, it played out as a sort of near-future murder investigation.
Scalzi created a very interesting, believable future setting, and used it wonderfully as the backdrop and partial driver of the story, without getting too over-the-top with the violence or getting bogged down in technical details.
It was different from my usual sci-fi fare, and rather refreshing.
I would definitely recommend it!
- Heidi M Simone
- Official Reviewer Representative
- Posts: 7072
- Joined: 17 Jul 2015, 20:19
- Favorite Book: Harry Potter
- Currently Reading: Apples Never Fall
- Bookshelf Size: 561
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-heidi-m-simone.html
- Latest Review: All You'll Never Be (Kindle Edition) by E. L. Neve
- 2024 Reading Goal: 25
- 2024 Goal Completion: 60%
It's great that you finished and found it to be enjoyable! I have a few chapters left, and, unfortunately, I'm not enjoying it as much. I agree, so far, the plot is somewhat predictable and there were several grammatical errors. (I also wasn't a fan of "I want to be with you; me too; but I can't; fine I don't either; but I want to; me too" cycle toward the beginning, lol. When I'm completely finish, I'll come back and give my complete thoughts.gali wrote: ↑06 Jul 2018, 23:50 I have read " Zeva-Book 1 by Tesha Finley. It has a very light science fiction element and some fantasy elements. Although the plot was a bit predictable, I enjoyed it. The story moved at a reasonable pace,and I never got bored at any point of time. It wasn't well edited, though. I noticed quite a few grammatical errors. I would recommend this read to YA.
I think that I will choose another book for this month, but Steampunk this time. I love Steampunk!
Nice! I can't wait to see what you read under the Steampunk subgenre!
- Heidi M Simone
- Official Reviewer Representative
- Posts: 7072
- Joined: 17 Jul 2015, 20:19
- Favorite Book: Harry Potter
- Currently Reading: Apples Never Fall
- Bookshelf Size: 561
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-heidi-m-simone.html
- Latest Review: All You'll Never Be (Kindle Edition) by E. L. Neve
- 2024 Reading Goal: 25
- 2024 Goal Completion: 60%
Hm... That does sound interesting. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for the recommendation!S Chinaski wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 01:38 I just finished John Scalzi's "Head On."
A great read, it played out as a sort of near-future murder investigation.
Scalzi created a very interesting, believable future setting, and used it wonderfully as the backdrop and partial driver of the story, without getting too over-the-top with the violence or getting bogged down in technical details.
It was different from my usual sci-fi fare, and rather refreshing.
I would definitely recommend it!
- Gravy
- Gravymaster of Bookshelves
- Posts: 39044
- Joined: 27 Aug 2014, 02:02
- Favorite Book: As many as there are stars in the sky
- Currently Reading: The Ghost Tree
- Bookshelf Size: 1027
I have his Lock In waiting for me. So many books, so little time.S Chinaski wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 01:38 I just finished John Scalzi's "Head On."
A great read, it played out as a sort of near-future murder investigation.
Scalzi created a very interesting, believable future setting, and used it wonderfully as the backdrop and partial driver of the story, without getting too over-the-top with the violence or getting bogged down in technical details.
It was different from my usual sci-fi fare, and rather refreshing.
I would definitely recommend it!
What is grief, if not love persevering?
Grief is just love with no place to go.
- gali
- Previous Member of the Month
- Posts: 53653
- Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 07:12
- Currently Reading: Five Little Pigs
- Bookshelf Size: 2290
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gali.html
- Reading Device: B00I15SB16
- Publishing Contest Votes: 0
Thank you, I added the book to my TBR list.S Chinaski wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 01:38 I just finished John Scalzi's "Head On."
A great read, it played out as a sort of near-future murder investigation.
Scalzi created a very interesting, believable future setting, and used it wonderfully as the backdrop and partial driver of the story, without getting too over-the-top with the violence or getting bogged down in technical details.
It was different from my usual sci-fi fare, and rather refreshing.
I would definitely recommend it!
Pronouns: She/Her
"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)
- Heidi M Simone
- Official Reviewer Representative
- Posts: 7072
- Joined: 17 Jul 2015, 20:19
- Favorite Book: Harry Potter
- Currently Reading: Apples Never Fall
- Bookshelf Size: 561
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-heidi-m-simone.html
- Latest Review: All You'll Never Be (Kindle Edition) by E. L. Neve
- 2024 Reading Goal: 25
- 2024 Goal Completion: 60%
Okay, so I have officially finished this one, and I'm afraid it was a bit disappointing. You're right, it had very light science fiction (an alien race called Zevian here to protect Earth). However, I don't think the author fully explored how were the Zevians protecting Earth, except in time of war. For instance, why were Tristan and his dad stationed on Earth for a year?gali wrote: ↑06 Jul 2018, 23:50 I have read " Zeva-Book 1 by Tesha Finley. It has a very light science fiction element and some fantasy elements. Although the plot was a bit predictable, I enjoyed it. The story moved at a reasonable pace,and I never got bored at any point of time. It wasn't well edited, though. I noticed quite a few grammatical errors. I would recommend this read to YA.
I think that I will choose another book for this month, but Steampunk this time. I love Steampunk!
The young love would probably appeal to YA, but as I have said before the back-and-forth of wanting to be together and couldn't be together, just to end up together was too annoying for me . However, with the editing issues, I'm not sure if this would be the best example of good literature for younger people to be exposed to.
The plot was easy to follow, but more-or-less predictable. I think the book could have been 100-150 pages shorter and the story would still be the same. I also thought its message to young girls about relationships left a stale taste in my mouth.
With that being, I gave the book a 1 out of 4 stars. Oh well, here's hoping my next read will be better!
- gali
- Previous Member of the Month
- Posts: 53653
- Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 07:12
- Currently Reading: Five Little Pigs
- Bookshelf Size: 2290
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gali.html
- Reading Device: B00I15SB16
- Publishing Contest Votes: 0
I gave it 2 out of 4 stars as I enjoyed parts of it. I agree about sending the wrong message.hsimone wrote: ↑09 Jul 2018, 08:00Okay, so I have officially finished this one, and I'm afraid it was a bit disappointing. You're right, it had very light science fiction (an alien race called Zevian here to protect Earth). However, I don't think the author fully explored how were the Zevians protecting Earth, except in time of war. For instance, why were Tristan and his dad stationed on Earth for a year?gali wrote: ↑06 Jul 2018, 23:50 I have read " Zeva-Book 1 by Tesha Finley. It has a very light science fiction element and some fantasy elements. Although the plot was a bit predictable, I enjoyed it. The story moved at a reasonable pace,and I never got bored at any point of time. It wasn't well edited, though. I noticed quite a few grammatical errors. I would recommend this read to YA.
I think that I will choose another book for this month, but Steampunk this time. I love Steampunk!
The young love would probably appeal to YA, but as I have said before the back-and-forth of wanting to be together and couldn't be together, just to end up together was too annoying for me . However, with the editing issues, I'm not sure if this would be the best example of good literature for younger people to be exposed to.
The plot was easy to follow, but more-or-less predictable. I think the book could have been 100-150 pages shorter and the story would still be the same. I also thought its message to young girls about relationships left a stale taste in my mouth.
With that being, I gave the book a 1 out of 4 stars. Oh well, here's hoping my next read will be better!
lol The back-and-forth of wanting to be together irritated me as well.
Pronouns: She/Her
"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)
- Alice Heritage
- Review Team Guidelines Team Leader
- Posts: 6594
- Joined: 29 Apr 2017, 02:00
- Favorite Book: Wuthering Heights
- Currently Reading: 50 Masterpieces of Gothic Fiction
- Bookshelf Size: 382
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-alice-heritage.html
- Latest Review: The Emotional Alchemy of Healing by Rachel Marie Rabatin
- Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU
- Publishing Contest Votes: 1
- Signature Addition: Mod
- Nidhi1603
- Posts: 6
- Joined: 12 Mar 2018, 03:55
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 12
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nidhi1603.html
- Latest Review: From Drift to SHIFT by Jody B. Miller
- Gravy
- Gravymaster of Bookshelves
- Posts: 39044
- Joined: 27 Aug 2014, 02:02
- Favorite Book: As many as there are stars in the sky
- Currently Reading: The Ghost Tree
- Bookshelf Size: 1027
I read two this month!hsimone wrote: ↑02 Jul 2018, 07:37 Welcome to our July Genre Discussion! As there was a tie between two genres, I decided to focus on Steampunk/Science Fiction for this month, and the other genre next month.
- What did you read this month for our genre discussion?
- Steampunk can be considered as "a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery."
- Science Fiction can be thought of as, "a genre of speculative fiction, typically dealing with imaginative concepts such as advanced science and technology, spaceflight, time travel, and extraterrestrial life."
- Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
- What trait(s) made the book you chose unique to this genre?
- Would you recommend this read?
My first was a reread of the first Lazarus graphic novel.
I actually loved it even more, because I got even more out of it. Not only is it an apt read for this point in time, I know things I didn't before.
It's a dystopian future world, and the main character is a genetical engineered human.
(Not to sound like a broken record, but...) YES!!!
Second book: Unwind by Neal Shusterman
I enjoyed it, and love the premise, but was not fully impressed by the execution.
Again, a dystopian future world. After a second civil war, fought between pro-choicers and pro-lifers, peace is achieved by making all abortion illegal, but allowing parents to have their children unwound any time between their 13th and 18th birthday. The unwinding process (basically a human chop shop, but the person is alive and conscious the entire time) is actually shown in the book, from the POV of an unwind, and is rather disturbing. It was actually the part of the book that impressed me most, writing-wise.
Not great character developement, but would recommend on the premise alone.
What is grief, if not love persevering?
Grief is just love with no place to go.
- gali
- Previous Member of the Month
- Posts: 53653
- Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 07:12
- Currently Reading: Five Little Pigs
- Bookshelf Size: 2290
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gali.html
- Reading Device: B00I15SB16
- Publishing Contest Votes: 0
"Unwind" is on my reading list. I understand it is part of a series. Does it stand on its own?Gravy wrote: ↑22 Jul 2018, 06:41I read two this month!hsimone wrote: ↑02 Jul 2018, 07:37 Welcome to our July Genre Discussion! As there was a tie between two genres, I decided to focus on Steampunk/Science Fiction for this month, and the other genre next month.
- What did you read this month for our genre discussion?
- Steampunk can be considered as "a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery."
- Science Fiction can be thought of as, "a genre of speculative fiction, typically dealing with imaginative concepts such as advanced science and technology, spaceflight, time travel, and extraterrestrial life."
- Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
- What trait(s) made the book you chose unique to this genre?
- Would you recommend this read?
My first was a reread of the first Lazarus graphic novel.
I actually loved it even more, because I got even more out of it. Not only is it an apt read for this point in time, I know things I didn't before.
It's a dystopian future world, and the main character is a genetical engineered human.
(Not to sound like a broken record, but...) YES!!!
Second book: Unwind by Neal Shusterman
I enjoyed it, and love the premise, but was not fully impressed by the execution.
Again, a dystopian future world. After a second civil war, fought between pro-choicers and pro-lifers, peace is achieved by making all abortion illegal, but allowing parents to have their children unwound any time between their 13th and 18th birthday. The unwinding process (basically a human chop shop, but the person is alive and conscious the entire time) is actually shown in the book, from the POV of an unwind, and is rather disturbing. It was actually the part of the book that impressed me most, writing-wise.
Not great character developement, but would recommend on the premise alone.
Pronouns: She/Her
"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)
- Gravy
- Gravymaster of Bookshelves
- Posts: 39044
- Joined: 27 Aug 2014, 02:02
- Favorite Book: As many as there are stars in the sky
- Currently Reading: The Ghost Tree
- Bookshelf Size: 1027
It has a complete story. If I had decided not to continue the series, I would have been okay with the way the book ended.gali wrote: ↑22 Jul 2018, 06:44"Unwind" is on my reading list. I understand it is part of a series. Does it stand on its own?Gravy wrote: ↑22 Jul 2018, 06:41I read two this month!hsimone wrote: ↑02 Jul 2018, 07:37 Welcome to our July Genre Discussion! As there was a tie between two genres, I decided to focus on Steampunk/Science Fiction for this month, and the other genre next month.
- What did you read this month for our genre discussion?
- Steampunk can be considered as "a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery."
- Science Fiction can be thought of as, "a genre of speculative fiction, typically dealing with imaginative concepts such as advanced science and technology, spaceflight, time travel, and extraterrestrial life."
- Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
- What trait(s) made the book you chose unique to this genre?
- Would you recommend this read?
My first was a reread of the first Lazarus graphic novel.
I actually loved it even more, because I got even more out of it. Not only is it an apt read for this point in time, I know things I didn't before.
It's a dystopian future world, and the main character is a genetical engineered human.
(Not to sound like a broken record, but...) YES!!!
Second book: Unwind by Neal Shusterman
I enjoyed it, and love the premise, but was not fully impressed by the execution.
Again, a dystopian future world. After a second civil war, fought between pro-choicers and pro-lifers, peace is achieved by making all abortion illegal, but allowing parents to have their children unwound any time between their 13th and 18th birthday. The unwinding process (basically a human chop shop, but the person is alive and conscious the entire time) is actually shown in the book, from the POV of an unwind, and is rather disturbing. It was actually the part of the book that impressed me most, writing-wise.
Not great character developement, but would recommend on the premise alone.
However, from what I've been able to find, there are only 4 books (and a short story collection), and they're all released.
What is grief, if not love persevering?
Grief is just love with no place to go.
- gali
- Previous Member of the Month
- Posts: 53653
- Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 07:12
- Currently Reading: Five Little Pigs
- Bookshelf Size: 2290
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gali.html
- Reading Device: B00I15SB16
- Publishing Contest Votes: 0
Thank you. I don't know if I want to read the whole series, but I may read this one.Gravy wrote: ↑22 Jul 2018, 06:55It has a complete story. If I had decided not to continue the series, I would have been okay with the way the book ended.gali wrote: ↑22 Jul 2018, 06:44"Unwind" is on my reading list. I understand it is part of a series. Does it stand on its own?Gravy wrote: ↑22 Jul 2018, 06:41
I read two this month!
My first was a reread of the first Lazarus graphic novel.
I actually loved it even more, because I got even more out of it. Not only is it an apt read for this point in time, I know things I didn't before.
It's a dystopian future world, and the main character is a genetical engineered human.
(Not to sound like a broken record, but...) YES!!!
Second book: Unwind by Neal Shusterman
I enjoyed it, and love the premise, but was not fully impressed by the execution.
Again, a dystopian future world. After a second civil war, fought between pro-choicers and pro-lifers, peace is achieved by making all abortion illegal, but allowing parents to have their children unwound any time between their 13th and 18th birthday. The unwinding process (basically a human chop shop, but the person is alive and conscious the entire time) is actually shown in the book, from the POV of an unwind, and is rather disturbing. It was actually the part of the book that impressed me most, writing-wise.
Not great character developement, but would recommend on the premise alone.
However, from what I've been able to find, there are only 4 books (and a short story collection), and they're all released.
Pronouns: She/Her
"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)