Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Forums

  - You must read at least two books from each of the 3 lists, and

  - Write 6 reviews of the books read (and to be candid, is the real challenge for me) 

 Please use this thread to discuss all things Masterworks, and some thoughts on your reading.

 Good Luck to all, and enjoy the journey.

      Michael. (aka ILikeMaps) 

Thanks Dave for your kind comments.  I had fun putting together the logo.

Three challenges? my that would be ambitious. But as others have said, you might be able to manipulate the books where you can almost make this one a "freebie."

I am still tempted to develop a second RYO Challenge. A one book read called "Game WWEnd". The book would be Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov, which sits near the bottom (#262 with 100 reads) of the WWEnd Most Read Books of All-Time list. The purpose would be to see how far we could raise it up the list in 2014.

Oh, one more thing, would it be possible to add the link to this thread under the description.

Thanks again for the wonderful site

Michael

Just checked - after one day,  there are now 9 participants signed up for the 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge -- I'm blown away.  

But even more amazing is that gondagt was the first to finish a book, Tau Zero by Poul Anderson from the SF Masterworks list -

congrats to Geza Gonda (aka gondagt).

I just began my first book in the challenge - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by PKD. I'm looking forward to some of that noir, dystopian, Blade Runner atmosphere.

Michael 

Trying to find the books that cover many different challenges is an addictive game!  The winner is the person who can read the fewest books whilst still finishing the most challenges.

ILikeMaps - 2014-01-08 12:36 PM  I am still tempted to develop a second RYO Challenge. A one book read called "Game WWEnd". The book would be Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov, which sits near the bottom (#262 with 100 reads) of the WWEnd Most Read Books of All-Time list. The purpose would be to see how far we could raise it up the list in 2014.

Oh, one more thing, would it be possible to add the link to this thread under the description.

Thanks again for the wonderful site

Michael

I LOVE this idea!  You can actually make a 1 book challenge though if that caught on we could be flooded with singles.  Not sure anyone would want to wade through a bunch of those trying to find a "real" challenge.  You could do a 12 month challenge and every month call out a different title from the list for everyone to read.  Do a follow the leader/book group style challenge where everyone reads the same titles at the same time.  It would be fun to see a couple titles rise up the ranking!

For the forum thread you can cope the URL and paste it into the edit screen for the challenge.  I can't access the DB at the moment so I can't do it right now.

So glad you're enjoying the site and we love to see all the buzz here in the forums for the various challenges.  With 10 challenges in the first 2 days we may end up with quite a few as the year goes on.  Interesting that we haven't seen any mini-challenges yet.  3 month runs or short 6 book challenges.  Or for that matter there have been no challenges over 12 books yet either.  Plenty of time for those still!

Will think about how to make it work, I might make it a 3 month challenge, with the goal of seeing how high we can raise a bottom level book up the rankings.  If it catches on, could do four of them through the year. 

 Thanks for the support

Michael

Deven

Fully understand, I am a fairly slow reader as well, and also read other things (although I am not very rigid about rotating any type of reading), That is why I don't want to commit to more than 12 books for the year. 

Regarding finding two on each list, there are some interesting books on the Fantasy list which are not the Sword and Sorcery types, you might consider:

The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers - more of a steampunk, time travel Book.
Something Wicked This Way Comes? by Ray Bradbury - more of a modern fantasy or even horror of novel (a classic)
Replay by Ken by Grimwood - another time travel novel

While probably not for this challenge as it is really 5 (smallish) books I would also highly recommend:
The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny - one of my favorate book series of all time, although it is listed as Sword and Sorcery, I wouldn't classify it that way in any shape or fom.  The first book hooks you at the very beginning and doesn't let go.

Hope you can join us.

Michael

DrNefario - 2014-01-08 6:13 AM Twelve's quite a good number for me, because it's doable without being too much of a burden, especially if I get some crossover between challenges. If I'm going to sign up for many more they'll need to be shorter, though. Anyway, I need a ruling. Two of my Masterworks are actually omnibuses: Helliconia and Riddle-Master's Game (which is incorrectly listed as just the first volume, Riddle-Master of Hed, in the database, unless they did a single-volume version too). Does reading one book from the omnibus count, or do I have to read the whole lot? I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen in a single year with Helliconia, at least.

DrNefario

Whew, Helliconia would be quite a challenge, but good luck.

Regarding counting books, in reality this challenge is for you, so if you read the first book in the series and want to count it, that is fine by me, but you will probably need to click off the entire omnibus as included in the SF Masterworks as "Read"  to have it count. 

I have one such multibook series on my list as well, The Book of the New Sun, Volume 1: Shadow and Claw by Gene Wolfe, which is really two books.  I will do my best to get through them

Glad to have you aboard.

Michael

DrNefario - 2014-01-09 5:13 AM  Anyway, I need a ruling. Two of my Masterworks are actually omnibuses: Helliconia and Riddle-Master's Game (which is incorrectly listed as just the first volume, Riddle-Master of Hed, in the database, unless they did a single-volume version too). Does reading one book from the omnibus count, or do I have to read the whole lot? I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen in a single year with Helliconia, at least.

So I looked into the The Riddle-Master of Hed business and you're right.  We should have The Riddle-Master's Game as a separate listing and tag that for the FM series.  Strange that there is a FM cover with just the first title when there never was such a book. The internet has screwed me again.  I'll try to correct that at lunch.

In which case if you want to read The Riddle-Master's Game (or Helliconia) for the Masterworks Challenge you'll need to read the entire omnibus since that is the version on the Masterworks list.

Thanks for the heads up about RMH.

Another option to consider would be  In Conquest Born  by C.S. Friedman.  It is a Space Opera and Military Fiction novel. 

Michael 

DrNefario

WELCOME to the Masterworks Challenge. 

I also signed up for a second challenge (12 awards in 12 months), but I carefully looked to make sure that most of the readings worked for both challenges.  Only a couple of extra books too read.

Don't know about you, I took a trip to the 2nd hand bookshop yesterday, and found three of books for the challenge for only $2 US each. 

Heck for you, One trip to  Hay-on-Wye and you could probably find them ALL.

Good Luck

Michael 

I have finished my first book in the Challenge.  Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by PK Dick. (even wrote a Review).

This is a classic I have been meaning to read for quite a while, and now that I have read the book, I understand the title much more. It seems that an electronic sheep plays an important role in the book. (go figure).

As I read through each of these books, I will be asking myself: Do I believe it should be on the SF Masterworks List? For this book, the answer would be ABSOLUTELY. Essentially it is book that wrestles with the question "What does it mean to he human", it seems to hold up very well with age, and it contributes significantly to the "robot / android" genre of Science Fiction.  (plus I really like the noir, detective novel style of writing).

    Thoughts from others who have read the book?

OK, on to my next book:  From SF to Fantasy (sort of) as I begin reading The Book of the New Sun, Volume 1: Shadow and Claw.  The first book (really first two books) of Gene Wolfe’s New Sun Series. 

Michael

 I understand completely, everybody loved the Demolished Man, but frankly I was less than impressed, just couldn't get past Bester's writing style. I enjoyed DADoES because it reminded me of the hard boiled detective novel of the 40s and 50s, although I wouldn't describe Deckard as hard boiled. Although I enjoy some of the more "literate" stuff,  I think the novels I enjoy most are rip roaring space ( or fantasy) adventures, and space operas.  Just a shallow reader at heart I guess.