VOTE: December Challenge
Welcome to the fourth and final Sponsored Theme for the 2012 Book Club, which will also determine our final Theme Park selection! Earlier this year, I put up a thread requesting theme ideas and what books would encompass said themes, and I've gotten a lot of great suggestions! To end the year, I wanted to go with the person who inspired the idea of Sponsored Themes, and that user is starmetal_oak. Her idea for the end of the year? Second Chances. This giant geek has a deep love for superheroes, and her book blog, Starmetal Oak Reviews showcases a variety of speculative fiction. Let's see what she picked out for us, shall we?
The theme I chose is cleverly titled “Second Chances” and essentially features selections from authors that we have previously read in the Book Club. This is a great opportunity to dive into another book by an author we’ve enjoyed or to continue a series with sequels. I’ve discovered some of my favorite authors from this book club (Kress, Hurley) and what better time to return to some favorites than during the holidays?
Interested yet? Let's take a look at the books starmetal_oak selected for us (and trust me when I say, it was HARD to narrow it down to four titles!), and then vote for our favorite! :) I will provide starmetal_oak's full nomination list in December, when we review our selection!
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!
Allison Goodman: Eona (sequel to Eon)
Once she was Eon, a girl disguised as a boy, risking her life for the chance to become a Dragoneye apprentice. Now she is Eona, the Mirror Dragoneye, her country's savior -- but she has an even more dangerous secret. She cannot control her power. Each time she tries, it twists into a killing force. And more destruction is on her trail -- High Lord Sethon's army. She and her companions must find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona's power if he is to wrest back his throne. But to help him, she must drive a dark bargain with an old enemy, which could obliterate them all. Eona, with its pulse-pounding drama, unforgettable fight scenes, sizzling tension -- and many surprises -- brings to a close an epic story.
Kameron Hurley: Infidel (sequel to God's War)
Nyx is a bodyguard in Mustallah, the capital city of Nasheen. The centuries-long holy war between Nasheen and Chenja is taking its toll, with shortages and rationing causing the Queen to lose power and popularity. While protecting the daughter of a Ras Tiegan Diplomat, Nyx is attacked by a group of assassins. Nyx survives, but begins to suffer from a strange, debilitating condition that nobody can identify. Caught up in a whirl-wind of intrigue involving Bel Dam Assassins plotting against the Queen, Nyx must learn who the rouge Bel Dam is, and find a cure for her illness, while avoiding the wrath of the queen she is trying to protect. The danger that swirls around her may have finally become to much, and Nyx''s colleagues and friends began to die. Will Nyx be next?
Nancy Kress: Steal Across the Sky (stand-alone)
The aliens appeared one day, built a base on the moon, and put an ad on the internet:
“We are an alien race you may call the Atoners. Ten thousand years ago we wronged humanity profoundly. We cannot undo what has been done, but we wish humanity to understand it.
Therefore we request twenty-one volunteers to visit seven planets to Witness for us. We will convey each volunteer there and back in complete safety. Volunteers must speak English. Send requests for electronic applications to witness@Atoners.com."
At first, everyone thought it was a joke. But it wasn’t.
This is the story of three of those volunteers, and what they found on Kular A and Kular B.
Catherynne M. Valente: Deathless (stand-alone)
Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what giants or wicked witches are to European culture: the villain of countless stories which have been passed on through story and text for generations. Valente's take on the legend brings the action to modern times, spanning many of the great developments of Russian history in the twentieth century.
Deathless, however, is no dry, historical tome: it lights up like fire as the young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever peasant girl to Koschei's beautiful bride, to his eventual undoing. Along the way there are Stalinist house elves, magical quests, secrecy and bureaucracy, and games of lust and power. All told, Deathless is a collision of magical history and actual history, of revolution and mythology, of love and death, that will bring Russian myth to life in a stunning new incarnation.
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 December Challenge: Second Chances
Please note, I will not vote unless it is to break a tie.
You've got until midnight, Thursday, October 4th 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, October 5th, 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! :)