Shejidan / What have you been reading lately?

**Posted by Surtac** **Online!** 12/02/2025 4:30 pm

I'm finding myself reading more lately rather than less, but it's increasingly skewed away from SF at the moment.

However, having said that, I am looking forward to new books from Paul MacAuley, Ian McDonald, Richard Morgan and China Mieville in 2026.

**Posted by starexplorer** 12/02/2025 10:37 pm

I am always intrigued by anything new from IM or RM. I have not read PMac.

**Posted by Surtac** **Online!** 12/02/2025 11:30 pm

starexplorer wrote:
I am always intrigued by anything new from IM or RM. I have not read PMac.

I think the first of his that I read was Cowboy Angels and I've been happy with all of his work since, particularly Austral and War of the Maps. (which i thought was outstanding, just quietly). Stylistically and thematically, his books would fit well in a group with Ken MacLeod, Iain Banks, Justina Robson and M John Harrison.

And I notice i left Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Strife out of my 2026 wishlist. Almost unforgiveable of me.

**Posted by Kroyd** 12/12/2025 4:54 pm

John Varley has passed on

**Posted by Surtac** **Online!** 12/12/2025 5:18 pm

Kroyd wrote:
John Varley has passed on

Yes, I saw that. It's quite sad.

I was quite a fan of his earlier work in the Eight Worlds stories and I enjoyed the Gaia novels. I think I'll pull out some of his story collections for the re-read portion of my 2026 reading plan.

**Posted by Aja Jin** 12/19/2025 10:24 am

I'm re-reading some Al Reynolds shorts. It occurs to me that "Galactic North" might well be inspired by Larry Niven's "The Ethics of Madness", in which two ships chase each other across the universe. Larry was at his peak of popularity in the '70's and early '80's, the perfect age for Al (born 1966) to be reading him.

**Posted by Surtac** **Online!** 12/19/2025 3:38 pm

Aja Jin wrote:
I'm re-reading some Al Reynolds shorts. It occurs to me that "Galactic North" might well be inspired by Larry Niven's "The Ethics of Madness", in which two ships chase each other across the universe. Larry was at his peak of popularity in the '70's and early '80's, the perfect age for Al (born 1966) to be reading him.

I concur. I've often thought that the lighthuggers in Al's Revelation Space universe were inspired by the ramships in Niven's Known Space stories. And the setting and events in Halcyon Years, whilst not Revelation Space, also reinforce that impression.

The other aspect of Revelation Space I was again reminded of by Halcyon Years was whether the triumvirate of captains concept might be a sly reference to the aggregate ship Minds in Banks' Culture novels.

**Posted by Felicitous Sk8er** 12/30/2025 7:45 pm

I've been reading a lot, just not sff. Most have been biographies / history / Beatles.

Last night I finished BREATHE: A MASTER DIVER'S SURVIVAL TALES (MacGregor & Bettua). Half-way through PAUL MCCARTNEY: THE LIFE (Phillip Norman). Recently finished THE BOYS IN THE BOAT: NINE AMERICANS AND THEIR EPIC QUEST FOR GOLD AT THE 1936 BERLIN OLYMPICS (Daniel James Brown).

My to-read stack never seems to get any smaller. Christmas gifts didn't help.

**Posted by starexplorer** 12/31/2025 3:45 pm

Felicitous Sk8er wrote:
I've been reading a lot, just not sff. Most have been biographies / history / Beatles.

Last night I finished BREATHE: A MASTER DIVER'S SURVIVAL TALES (MacGregor & Bettua). Half-way through PAUL MCCARTNEY: THE LIFE (Phillip Norman). Recently finished THE BOYS IN THE BOAT: NINE AMERICANS AND THEIR EPIC QUEST FOR GOLD AT THE 1936 BERLIN OLYMPICS (Daniel James Brown).

My to-read stack never seems to get any smaller. Christmas gifts didn't help.

Boys in the Boat was a great read!

**Posted by Felicitous Sk8er** 1/01/2026 7:12 pm

Boys in the Boat was compelling on its own -- masterfully written; evocative of another time, yet illustrative of what is going on today even though it was published in 2014. It reminded me a lot of Laura Hillenbrand's SEABISCUIT and UNBROKEN in its attention to detail in the service of storytelling; illustration of an era, and the quiet heroism of men who seemed ordinary but whose character proved extraordinary.

That major portions were set in locations I am very, very familiar with (Univ of WA, Seattle, Spokane, Sequim, Grand Coulee Dam, north Idaho, etc) made it even more compelling.