Mostly Sci-Fi September Book Reviews

[@bridge4241]

I don’t watch reviews for books I’m not planning on reading but I watch every one of your videos because I love your vibe.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Thanks - that's really cool to hear! :)

[@jasoncloer3792]

Already subscribed, pal! It's relaxing to hear your reviews on other books while I'm waiting to pick up my next, most likely 11 22 63. I'm a slow reader. I could read more but, i guess it's the lazinitis (lazy) that my mom warned me about, lol. For Fairy Tale, I'd only read a chapter a day, sometimes two. I'm 37 but, I just started my reading journey in February after my fathers unexpected death which has me crushed. He was an avid reader and I guess it's a weird way of bonding or getting closer to him when he's no longer here. Seems like a lost cause, I know but, I Enjoy it. My mother bought Fairy Tale for him as a gift but, he only made it to page 207 so, my mother wanted me to read it! Enough of the sad stuff! A local book store in my area has 11 22 63 and I'm going to pick it up soon! Ah! I do miss good ole Charlie Reade...

[@RedFuryBooks]

Although I'm sorry for your loss, what a wonderful way to honor your father!

[@andrewvelzen2913]

Looking forward to the readalong announcement. Really have my fingers crossed for a realm of the elderlings readalong, as I know you and Tall Guy Reads both really like it. It would finally be the excuse I need to get me over the hump to tackle a 16 book series Haha

[@RedFuryBooks]

I don't think you need an excuse - go read those books! :). Hobb is the best!

[@drawyrral]

Replay sounds like something I'll have to check out. I can hardly wait to hear what you have to say about your upcoming read along. I started that series before book tube got up and running, so I never got the chance to talk with people about it. I love to watch first time readers reactions to the story.

[@RedFuryBooks]

I look forward to talking to you about Malazan! I'm extremely excited for this series and the discussions to come. I've heard so many people give this series such high praise that I can't wait to be in on those conversations!

[@Danny_Matson]

Nice wrap-up! These are always a lot of fun. I read the Martian Chronicles for my sci-fi read and it was just ok for me. My best read though was a book called The Night Circus. Very majestic.

[@RedFuryBooks]

The only Bradbury I've read is Fahrenheit 451, but I'd be curious to read more, but maybe not with that one!

[@TallGuyReads]

Awesome video, Josh! First, thanks for the shoutout and I’m super excited for the collab announcement this week and for the readalong soon! Also, sorry the Foundation novels didn’t work out well for you, but so happy to hear Replay was such a huge hit with you! I’ve been wanting to read that book for years and finally got a copy and hopefully I’ll be getting to it soon! Great video!

[@RedFuryBooks]

Oooh - definitely let me know how you like Replay!

[@Danny_Matson]

I have a strange feeling a Malazan announcement is imminent.

[@TallGuyReads]

@@Danny_Matson 👀

[@RedFuryBooks]

@@Danny_Matson 👀

[@ethanr6394]

Great list Josh, I love hearing you talk about science fiction. It's tied with fantasy as my favorite genre, but I find that many fantasy readers will read much more fantasy than sci-fi, so I'm also happy to see more science fiction. I can certainly see why the last section of Childhood's End didn't work for you, it's not for everybody. Personally for me, the ending just showed the coldness and isolation of space and it really made me feel small, but not in a negative way. It showed me the beauty in the enormity of space and it honestly blew my mind. The only sci-fi novel to top it for me (so far) is Dune. What I read in September: Siddhartha: Hermann Hesse (5 stars) - My book of the month. Something about this story just resonated with me. It's incredibly short, but I felt like I was able to experience the whole life of another. The ups and downs and the changes in his worldview that Siddhartha faced were something that actually provided me with a lot of comfort. The Road: Cormac McCarthy (5 stars) - Another incredible book and would have been my book of the month in almost any other month. I found that at the end of the day this was a story about a father and son and what we are willing to do for the people we love. Most find this a depressing or bleak novel, but I actually found it quite hopeful (even if the end emotionally devastated me haha). A Midsummer Night's Dream (5 stars) - First Shakespeare I've read outside of high school and I really enjoyed. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the humor held up for me. Jitterbug Perfume: Tom Robbins (4.5 stars) - A really entertaining read that was also really funny, but sneaks in a little bit of philosophy as well. I love how it reminds me to not take myself and my life so seriously. Call of the Wild: Jack London (4.5 stars) - Just a great story about a dog surviving in the wild. White Fang: Jack London (4 stars) - Not as good as Call of the Wild, but still a very good read with pretty much the same themes as the former.

[@RedFuryBooks]

You had quite the literary month! I haven't read any Shakespeare since high school, but really should. The Road is masterful - one of my favorite in the post-apocalypse/dystopian/speculative fiction vein. Bleak, but I did find the ending somewhat hopeful. I'll have some more science fiction in the next few months, too: I'm reading Ilium and Olympos by Dan Simmons the next few months, I will read the Peace and War trilogy by Joe Haldeman in November or December, and still have two by Arthur C. Clarke on the shelf.

[@ethanr6394]

That’s fantastic, I have Hyperion on the shelf and I’ll get to it sometime next year for sure. I’ve heard great things about Ilium and Olympos and they are also on my tbr (as well as The Terror). Joe Haldemon is also on my tbr, so I’ll be looking forward to hearing your thoughts on all of those. I have been trying to read more literary novels lately because I like to branch out as a reader, but sff will always be my home base. And yes The Road was incredible, it had some of the best post apocalyptic imagery I’ve ever seen!

[@RedFuryBooks]

@@ethanr6394 I'm enjoying Ilium quite a bit, although it started as a pretty dense read.

[@jobuckley2999]

I read Replay last week and enjoyed it quite a lot. The author was very innovative crafting each time segment with each becoming increasing more condensed and desperate. For me it wasn't the characters but the story and its interesting creation and evolution that makes it a fascinating book. Thanks for the recommendation.

[@RedFuryBooks]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and I appreciate you letting me know!

[@TheLibraryofAllenxandria]

Great sci-fi books in here! I remember loving Speaker as much as Ender's Game back when I first read it. I hated Xenocide and Children of the Mind though

[@RedFuryBooks]

Yep, just finished filming my Xenocide review and.... ugh is all I can say. I unfortunately read the two best Ender books first this year - Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow, and it's been mostly downhill since unfortunately.

[@TheLibraryofAllenxandria]

@@RedFuryBooks agreed!

[@BookishChas]

Awesome video Josh! I agree that Asimov is not a great character writer. I still need to finish the Foundation trilogy. My favorite book of September was Royal Assassin.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Glad you're loving Hobb! Royal Assassin was my favorite of the series, although I did love all three. I hope you enjoy Assassin's Quest!

[@Johanna_reads]

Great wrap-up, Josh! Loved hearing your thoughts on all of these. I need to read more sci-fi, and I think I would love Replay! After hearing you're dipping your toes into audiobooks, I have to ask: have you ever read The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman? I would love to recommend that as a wonderful audiobook narrated by the author. It's not terribly long, and it was the audiobook that made me a believer in that format!

[@RedFuryBooks]

Thanks again for the Gaiman recommendation! I'll add it to the list for sure. I hope you enjoy Replay if you add it to the list!

[@curtjarrell9710]

Hi, Josh. Due to home and family issues I only managed to read one book last month, a re-read of The Hobbit. I've not read Replay, but I did read an earlier work of his, Breakthrough, about a woman being treated for epilepsy who discovers 'something unusual' during her treatment.

[@RedFuryBooks]

I'll have to check out Breakthrough; I was very impressed with Replay. Thanks, Curt!

[@therealbookaholic]

Nice video. Love it. My concern (unsubstantiated) is that Replay is going to be a written Groundhog’s Day. I realize that is insane to assume. I will likely snag the book due to your recommendation though.

[@RedFuryBooks]

I think I can allay those fears! The minute that it starts to feel like that, he adds something new to the plot and changes the pacing. So fear not!

[@drawyrral]

I read Alistair Reynolds' Absolution Gap, The Prefect, Terminal World, Revelation Space, Redemption Ark, House of Suns, and Neal Asher's Shadow of the scorpion.

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

The only scifi I ended up reading in Sept was The Chrysalids.... it was really good...interesting and gives lots to think abt.

[@RedFuryBooks]

The best kind of science fiction for me are the books that make you think!

[@francoisbouchart4050]

I am with you in regards to Childhood’s End. The third part just did not work for me.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Glad I'm not the only one!

[@Solsken82]

I love REPLAY, it's one of my favorite books of all time. I try to read it once a year, and every time it strikes me a little bit differently, and I feel connections with some of his lives that I haven't felt so far. I guess as we grow older we understand more and more this old soul reliving his life, understand more the choices he makes and try to feel what it would be like to be in his shoes. If any of you are on the fence about getting this book, do yourself a favor and go ahead, you won't be disappointed!!

[@RedFuryBooks]

Glad I discovered another lover of Replay! And a very eloquent statement about the connections of life as he got older, even as he was 18 years old physically. Such a great book!

[@StElna]

I've known about Replay for many years, but never been interested enough to pick it up. The cover always put me off. I may give it a try based on your review. I also had a mostly science fiction September. Night Over Water by Ken Follett - 3.9 The Star Beast by Heinlein- 3.9 Hothouse by Brian Aldiss- 3.8 The Door Into Summer by Heinlein- 3.5 Demon Seed (1973) by Koontz - 3.5 Demon Seed (1997) by Koontz- 3.1 City and the Stars by Arthur C Clarke - 3.5 Mote in God's Eye by Niven and Pournelle - 3.3 City by Simak - 3.5 Nightside the Long Sun by Gene Wiolfe - 3.9 which is also my Book of the Month

[@RedFuryBooks]

Please let me know if you read Replay! I didn't get to City and the Starts last month, but hope I can get to it this month. Looks like it was a solid month for you!

[@StElna]

Will do. Won't read it this month as it's Spooky Season. So far I've re-read The Silence of the Lambs and I'm quite far into a re-read of The Shining. Hope you like City and the Stars; some huge ideas in that one. Regarding your collaboration on a big fantasy series next year, I think Philip Chase gave a huge spoiler on what it is on his most recent Dr Fantasy.

[@Yesica1993]

I finally read Dune! Loved it so much that a couple of days later I read it again! I don't think I've ever done that before. And then I read Dune Messiah. I wish I had not. I'm still upset over it.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Glad you loved Dune! It's still my favorite sci-fi work. But sorry to hear you didn't love Dune Messiah. It definitely deconstructs a lot of the concepts in the first book. You might consider reading Children of Dune as it finishes at least that arc of the overall story. I did love the imagery at the end of Dune Messiah, although it wasn't my favorite in of Herbert's books (I ranked it 4th of the 6 Dune novels in that video I did last year).

[@Yesica1993]

@@RedFuryBooks I hated the way it was done! Don't fast forward 12 years (!!!) and then TELL me things that happened! I wanted to go through the journey and EXPERIENCE it all, like we did with the first book! Obviously, I wasn't expecting every detail. Otherwise the book would've been a zillion pages. But give us something! Argh, I still can't get over it. I'm sure if I hadn't loved the first one so much, this one wouldn't have hit me the way it did. I generally like to go into books cold. But this may have been one of the rare times when finding this out would have helped. I'll see if I can work up the heart to read Children. I likely will, at some point, just for closure. Right now I need to clear it all out of my head.

[@chucklitka2503]

I think you do have to read the first trilogy to enjoy Shadows of Self. I haven't and so I didn't enjoy it. I downloaded the free copy of the next one, but I won't be going on with the series.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Yes, for sure, I don't think the second trilogy is as good or as interesting without having read the first trilogy. The world elements of the second era to me are the best thing about it, as I don't find the characters as compelling.

[@angelaholmes8888]

Here's what I read in September Swan song by Robert mccammon Lord of chaos by Robert Jordan Natural disaster by ginger zee her first memoir Skyward flight by Brandon Sanderson A book of six john Steinbeck short stories From bad to cursed by lana Harper The regulators by Stephen king Cell by Stephen king Age of legends by Michael j Sullivan The collective by alyson Gaylin Yes and I love you by roni loren Second first impressions by sally Thorne Sailing to sarantium by guy gavriel kay Life's too short by abby Jimenez Fifty words for rain by asha lemmie

[@RedFuryBooks]

Wow - 16 books! Only 10 for me this month.

[@angelaholmes8888]

@@RedFuryBooks 10 is still good 😉

[@angelaholmes8888]

My favorite reads in September Swan song by Robert mccammon I absolutely enjoyed it it's very similar to the stand by Stephen king to me it's way better The collective by alyson Gaylin it's a brilliant thriller about revenge I love these types of stories

[@RedFuryBooks]

I'll definitely be reading Swan Song at some point!

[@angelaholmes8888]

@@RedFuryBooks good 🙂