VOTE: November Challenge
Despite having some trouble figuring out what I wanted to do in previous months for themes, November came to me rather easily, thanks to my voting in the Hugos this year. Voting this year means I get to nominate next year, and I'm woefully behind on books that I think might earn a nod. So what better way to start catching up than to make it a theme? Hence, I give you Oscar-Bait.
Wait, what?
The Oscars, for those of you not in the know, are an annual award ceremony for film and film only. And while block-buster hits can walk away with the Best Picture statue (hello, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King!), often, it's the smaller, artsy, indie movies that the masses haven't heard of that wins. Which means any time a such a film is released, pre-Oscars, that gets high praise from the critics, it's referred to as "Oscar-Bait."
I thought about making this theme "Hugo-Bait," but that just didn't have the same ring to it!
So, what was my criteria? Well, I'll admit to being selfish and lazy. Selfish because I chose books that I wanted to read ANYWAY. Lazy because I picked authors who've been nominated in the past, which means there's a good chance they'll be nominated again. And if they are, that means I'll be one more book ahead when voting comes around next year! So there's my lazy logic. But there's a good chance at least one of these books will be nominated for the Hugo, if not more. Furthermore, if you nominate next year, this gives you an eligible book to consider. Win-win, right? Right!
Please note: if you don't have a Live Journal account but can comment using OpenID, just go to Live Journal's home page and in the upper right-hand corner, log in using said OpenID address, and then you can vote on this page!
Elizabeth Bear: Range of Ghosts
A powerful new fantasy from Hugo award-winning author Elizabeth Bear, Range of Ghosts creates a world both deep and broad, where a sorcerer-prince seeks world domination to the glory of his God.
Temur, grandson of the Great Khan, is walking from a battlefield where he was left for dead. All around lie the fallen armies of his cousin and his brother who made war to rule the Khaganate. Temur is now the legitimate heir by blood to his grandfather’s throne, but he is not the strongest. Going into exile is the only way to survive his ruthless cousin.
Once-Princess Samarkar is climbing the thousand steps of the Citadel of the Wizards of Tsarepheth. She was heir to the Rasan Empire until her father got a son on a new wife. Then she was sent to be the wife of a Prince in Song, but that marriage ended in battle and blood. Now she has renounced her worldly power to seek the magical power of the wizards.
These two will come together to stand against the hidden cult that has so carefully brought all the empires of the Celadon Highway to strife and civil war through guile and deceit and sorcerous power.
N.K. Jemisin: The Killing Moon
The city burned beneath the Dreaming Moon.
In the ancient city-state of Gujaareh, peace is the only law. Upon its rooftops and amongst the shadows of its cobbled streets wait the Gatherers - the keepers of this peace. Priests of the dream-goddess, their duty is to harvest the magic of the sleeping mind and use it to heal, soothe . . . and kill those judged corrupt.
But when a conspiracy blooms within Gujaareh's great temple, Ehiru - the most famous of the city's Gatherers - must question everything he knows. Someone, or something, is murdering dreamers in the goddess' name, stalking its prey both in Gujaareh's alleys and the realm of dreams. Ehiru must now protect the woman he was sent to kill - or watch the city be devoured by war and forbidden magic.
Nancy Kress: After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall
The year is 2035. After ecological disasters nearly destroyed the Earth, 26 survivors-the last of humanity-are trapped by an alien race in a sterile enclosure known as the Shell. Fifteen-year-old Pete is one of the Six-children who were born deformed or sterile and raised in the Shell. As, one by one, the survivors grow sick and die, Pete and the Six struggle to put aside their anger at the alien Tesslies in order to find the means to rebuild the earth together. Their only hope lies within brief time-portals into the recent past, where they bring back children to replenish their disappearing gene pool. Meanwhile, in 2013, brilliant mathematician Julie Kahn works with the FBI to solve a series of inexplicable kidnappings.
Suddenly her predictive algorithms begin to reveal more than just criminal activity. As she begins to realize her role in the impending catastrophe, simultaneously affecting the Earth and the Shell, Julie closes in on the truth. She and Pete are converging in time upon the future of humanity-a future which might never unfold. Weaving three consecutive time lines to unravel both the mystery of the Earth's destruction and the key to its salvation, this taut adventure offers a topical message with a satisfying twist.
China Miéville: Railsea
On board the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt: the giant mole bursting from the earth, the harpoonists targeting their prey, the battle resulting in one’s death and the other’s glory. But no matter how spectacular it is, Sham can't shake the sense that there is more to life than traveling the endless rails of the railsea -- even if his captain can think only of the hunt for the ivory-coloured mole she’s been chasing since it took her arm all those years ago. When they come across a wrecked train, at first it's a welcome distraction. But what Sham finds in the derelict -- a series of pictures hinting at something, somewhere, that should be impossible -- leads to considerably more than he'd bargained for. Soon he's hunted on all sides, by pirates, trainsfolk, monsters and salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham's life that's about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea.
From China Miéville comes a novel for readers of all ages, a gripping and brilliantly imagined take on Herman Melville's Moby-Dick that confirms his status as "the most original and talented voice to appear in several years." (Science Fiction Chronicle)
All synopses ganked from Barnes & Noble.
Remember, pick the book that interests you the most. Even if this isn't your genre of choice, the idea is to challenge yourself. Read something new. You never know, you might like it. :)
And while this might be obvious, consider the following before making your selection:
1) Does the premise interest you?
2) Do the first couple of pages (if available) interest you?
3) Do any of the reviews on Amazon, Goodreads (or elsewhere) make you reconsider?
Don't vote solely on the prettiest cover (tempting as it might be), and that's especially true if you don't plan on reading the book, because your vote dictates what others (like me!) are going to read for the challenge. And don't let the three questions above scare you out of a book, and don't let them convince you that you won't like any of them. The trick IS to challenge yourself, but I hope you're giving each book a fair shake before voting. :) I want you to know what you're getting into if your selection wins!
Know what you want to read? Then it's time to vote!
Poll November Challenge: Oscar-Bait
Please note, I will not vote unless it is to break a tie.
You've got until midnight, Thursday, September 6th to make your decision. Vote for the book that YOU want to read the most, and if you're torn, tough. You gotta pick one. :) If you've already read ALL of the books, pick the one you'd most like to re-read. If you're not participating, then maybe next month will bring something more to your liking. :)
I'll announce the official winner on Friday, Septmeber 7th, so don't pick up your copy (whether you buy or borrow) until I make it official. Unless, of course, all of these books are so appealing to you that you must have them all. In that case, have fun and start reading! :)