Alone - Thomas Geha

Two french novels in one volume. In a post-apocalyptic world, Humanity tries to survive and is mostly divided into "Alones" (loners that prefer to try to survive alone, sometimes with a partner) and "Rassemblés" ("gathered", people who live in communities, which doesn't mean at all "democracy" in every case!). The world has succumbed to a series of catastrophes, one of them being nano-machines being crazy and killing everybody in cities while thinking they are just cleaning the place from garbage.. But there were also nuclean or chemical incidents and there is no form of global or even national government.

We follow Pepe (short for Peter-Perceval), an Alone who is looking for Grise, his mentor and lover. Action is taking place in France, even if in the second volume action takes place for a short while in Africa. I won't tell much about the scenario, but it's quite "mad-maxian" S-F plus mutants eventually. The second volume takes place on a larger scale, in all aspects.

A very nice surprise! Never heard of that novel or that french author before opening the book and frankly speaking, it's a very good read. Well, a very good read because the author also takes time to detail places in France that of course appeal to me since I'm french ^_^

But he also succeeds in installing an atmosphere and describing realistic characters, while leaving enough space for imagination and fantasy.

I don't know if it has ever been - or will ever be - translated in other languages, but if it has been or if you can read french, it's really a very good read!

So far in 2020 : https://www.gog.com/forum/general/books_finished_in_2020/post9

The Road to Science Fiction #3 From Heinlein to Here edited by James Gunn.
Contains 36 stories from 40s to the 70s. James Gunn prefaces each story with a bit of history of science fiction, how it changes through the years, how people reacted to it; different views of how science fiction should be. I have mixed reactions. I liked some stories, a few stories I found hard to read through.

I plan this year to read Isaac Asimov's Foundation series minus last 2 books by other authors, as I'm not sure whether to get them.

Very good collection of stories, although the Asimov and Cordwainer Smith stories are not among their best IMO.
The Kuttner, Simak, Godwin, Harrison, Leiber and Bradbury stories are among their very best. I read them some 12 years ago for the first time, and didn't like them too much then.
But after I started to read SF chronologically I liked them much better on rereading when I was in "retro mode" and reading the original magazine versions (not sure if there's much difference, though) in smaller doses.

An interesting seeming selection of stories, of which I have only read a few.
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I could well do the same this year, as part of my return to reading hard core SciFi.
A good few years back, I really enjoyed his robot novels and stories.

So little time and so much to read. At this point in my life, it has become a real juggling act, and I am mostly ruled by mood or urge, while working my way through backlog and new additions. I have a loose list in my head, which has built up over many years, so I do try to encourage what I get the urge for or guide my mood into certain directions.

I got the urge to insert something different ... into my reading agenda.
So slipped in and started a TERRY GOODKIND novel, that I had been meaning to get to for a while.

My reading list for 2020

- Terror on Broadway - David Alexander

A solid story about a serial killer in the Broadway on the Fifties. Interesting characters, interesting stories. My first book by this author, might try to find some other books from him!

The Kingdom of the Wicked - Anthony Burgess

No need to present Anthony Burgess, who wrote among other books a Clockwork Orange, on which the movie is based. The Kingdom of the Wicked tells a story taking place at the time of the Apostles and dreadful roman emperors Nero and Caligula. It's a story full of philosophy, violence, sex, political thoughts. A hell (pun intended) of a book and a real must read!

So far in 2020: https://www.gog.com/forum/general/books_finished_in_2020/post9

The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov

A prequel novel to the Foundation series. Biron Farrill is on the run after an attempt on his life and told his aristocratic ruler father is executed. He seemed somewhat naive but turned out quite intelligent. Boy meet girl, they falls in love, quite cliched but serves its purpose. Tyrann, a desert planet somehow conquered the Nebular Kingdoms, 50 planets in all around 50 years ago. A Golden Space Horde of a sort.

It is certainly something different I slipped into, and things in life have slowed my reading down, even though I am enjoying the story, and about 75% through.

Enjoy is a funny term though.

In this case, I am reading a book about evil and murderers, serial killers even, but it isn't your traditional story about them, no this is fantastical. The novel is called 'Nest', and it delves into the causation of murder, from a fantasy perspective, but has a scientific basis as well.

I won't say much about it, except to say it makes you think about the nature of humankind, and that certain people have a genetic trait that allows them to recognize a murderer when they look into their eyes etc, and of course an opposite number who have a similar trait that lets them recognize that other trait in people. Some of those last are what is called a super predator, and they seek to exterminate all those who can see the murderer in their eyes.

So it is not a murder mystery book, but somewhat akin to fantasy horror scifi thriller, with a touch of the paranormal, and set in our current time. It is of course a book about good versus evil, and the fantastical element, aside from the main premise, is kept to a minimum. As you might expect, it delves into the Dark Web and Cyber stuff. It deals with spying on people and tracking them, it has lots of violence, quite horrific in some scenes, and it is fairly cleverly thought out.

Through all the ages of mankind, there is what are called 'nesting' periods, where evil is rising to ascendancy, and that is what is happening now ... hence the title.

TERRY GOODKIND is a great deep thinking writer and it shows.

My reading list for 2020

Short stories or saga?
I've just found my old "The Last Wish" and "Sword of Destiny" during cleanup (unfortunately, pentalogy has been lost by lending to people who were lending to other ones;) and I think it might be a good idea to read it again, after all those years...

I read The Last Wish last year, and really enjoyed it.

60 - ANDRZEJ SAPKOWSKI [1] - THE LAST WISH - TRA - 17-Oct-19 --> 23-Oct-19

My youngest son has all the books in paperback, so I borrowed the first one so far ... he's still slowly reading the second one ... but I have plenty of other stuff to read for now, so I'm not rushing him ... he's a busy boy.

Before I say good-bye - Mary Higgins Clark

A thriller by the queen of thrillers. Lives up to her reputation! Nell is happily married to Adam, an architect, and has a regular column in a big NY newspaper. She is the grand-daughter of an influent NY politician, who raised her after her parents died in a plane crash. She has the "political" spark but gave it up after getting wed, to the great disappointment of her grand-father, who wanted her to take his place once he'd retire. Until the day Adam dies in the explosion of his husband's yacht, obviously a crime.

Won't say more, of course, but it was pleasantly written and didn't let me let down the book before it was over, which is the mark of a good book, for me!

So far in 2020 : https://www.gog.com/forum/general/books_finished_in_2020/post9

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

I finished Blood of Empire, the 6th and final novel of the Powdermage series by Brian McClellan. It was awesome -- the whole series (including the shorts) was great. I'm sad he's done with the world and moved on, but I'm excited for what he'll do next. I strongly recommend it for anyone who likes fantasy, military, or espionage.