SF&F Literati meet January 28!

Drama at the Solar System's edge

Who: The SF&F Literati 

Where: on the 2nd floor of the Barnes & Nobles Booksellers at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park

When: Monday, January 28, 7:00 p.m.

This month's selection is Leviathan Wakes, by Hugo Nominee James A. Corey. It is available from Barnes & Noble.

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations - and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe. 

Please note that the KaCSFFS Blog's Reviews and Commentary Page always welcomes book reviews!

Next month, Fantasy!

The Feb. 25 meeting features Patrick Rothfuss' series opener. Order now from Barnes & Noble:

The Name of the Wind

Kingkiller Chronicles Series, Book #1

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

"I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

"You may have heard of me."

So begins the tale of Kvothe: from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a difficult and dangerous school of magic. In these pages you will come to know Kvothe as a notorious magician, an accomplished thief, a masterful musician, and an infamous assassin. The Name Of The Wind . . . reveals the truth behind Kvothe's legend.

The riveting first-person narrative of a young man who grows to be the most notorious magician his world has ever seen. 

The Name of the Wind . . . transports readers into the body and mind of a wizard. It is a high-action novel written with a poet's hand, a powerful coming-of-age story of a magically gifted young man, told through his eyes.

COVER IMAGES: Many thanks to Barnes & Noble Booksellers, for the cover images for these two books. The cover image for Leviathan Wakes is from its sale page. The image for The Name of the Wind is from its sale page.

For your Holiday reading list!

Book Club Reminder: NO December meeting!

If you plan to attend the January meeting of SF&F Literati, you may want to use some of that holiday cash for a copy of the January and February discussion titles:

January 28, 2013: Leviathan Wakes, by Hugo Award Nominee James A. Corey, and available from Barnes & Noble Booksellers.

February 25, 2013: The Name of the Wind, by ConQuesT 44 GoH Patrick Rothfuss, and available from Barnes & Noble Booksellers.

Please also note that the KaCSFFS Blog's Reviews and Commentary Page always welcomes book reviews!

Leviathan Wakes

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations - and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe. 

The Name of the Wind

Kingkiller Chronicles Series, Book #1

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

"I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

"You may have heard of me."

So begins the tale of Kvothe: from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a difficult and dangerous school of magic. In these pages you will come to know Kvothe as a notorious magician, an accomplished thief, a masterful musician, and an infamous assassin. The Name Of The Wind . . . reveals the truth behind Kvothe's legend.

The riveting first-person narrative of a young man who grows to be the most notorious magician his world has ever seen. 

The Name of the Wind . . . transports readers into the body and mind of a wizard. It is a high-action novel written with a poet's hand, a powerful coming-of-age story of a magically gifted young man, told through his eyes.

COVER IMAGES: Many thanks to Barnes & Noble Booksellers, for the cover images for these two books. The cover image for Leviathan Wakes is from its sale page. The image for The Name of the Wind is from its sale page.

Scalzi's Star Trek Sendup, and a Future Selection

SF&F Literati meet TONIGHT!

Where: 2nd floor of the Barnes & Nobles Booksellers at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park.
When: Nov 26, 2012, 7:00 p.m.
What we're discussing: Redshirts by John Scalzi

Overview:
Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship’s Xenobiology laboratory.

Life couldn’t be better…until Andrew begins to pick up on the fact that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces, (2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations, and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is expendedon avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely transforms his and his colleagues’ understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is…and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.

Please note that the KaCSFFS Blog's Reviews and Commentary Page always welcomes book reviews!

What's Next? 
No meeting in December--our regular "fourth Monday" falls on Christmas Eve this year, when we expect most of our members to be busy elsewhere! But we'll be back in January.

Order now for holiday reading! Our January Selection is Leviathan Wakes by Hugo Nominee James A. Corey, available from Barnes & Noble Booksellers. We'll discuss this book Jan 28, 2013--same time, same place!

Leviathan Wakes Overview:
Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations - and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.

COVER IMAGES: Both images of book covers are courtesy of Barnes & Noble Booksellers. The Redshirts image is from its sale page, and the Leviathan Wakes image is from its sale page. Many thanks for both, and for allowing our group to meet at the Overland Park location!