I’ve decided on the book, and since this is the first book we’ll be reading, I’ve made this is a short, and easy read.
And it is
“All Systems Red” is only 144 pages long, and is, as I’ve heard at least, beloved among many readers for it’s incredibly relatable main character.
And if you guys collectively like this book, it has many novella sequels that we can read at later dates, or that you can read on your own time.
I was considering making a basic reading time table, but have decided just to let everyone read at their own pace, with a book this short I’m sure we’ll all be able to finish in a nice amount of time.
Once you’ve finished the book feel free to post your thoughts on it, just make sure to mark it for any spoilers
Nice choice @Nateninja21. Now to find time to read it…
IIRC, this was one of the books we got free from Tor. So you should have all 4 of them. If you don’t, let me know. We can fix that.
EDIT: OH. MY. LORD! This is so intense.I am already on Chapter 8…I finished it and it’s a continuation. We NEED to read the next one. You can’t leave us hanging like that.
Good choice. I’ve read all 4 of the original novellas, the 2 short stories, the 1 novel (I’m calling Network Effect a novel and the others novellas because it is 3x their length) and the 1 follow on novella that’s actually supposed to take place between the originals and the novel. Enjoyed them all.
The 4 novellas were the best of the work and instantly made it into my favorites book list.
IMHO the sequel Network Effect wasn’t quite as good (but still quite good) and the “pre-sequel” Fugitive Telemetry was quite frankly a step down in quality as it suffered from the “Haha, reader, I betcha didn’t see that coming… because I did absolutely nothing to foreshadow that major plot twist!” syndrome.
But the original 4, cheff’s kiss.
PS: the timeline order, as I have them arranged in my library:
It’s totally fine if you’re late, I’m going to make sure to give tons of extra reading time for everyone because I know sometimes there’s not a lot of time to read.
Also, you can read the book however you like, audiobooks and other languages included.
okay so i started it today in english on my phone and now i am considering the possibility of acquiring a ebookreader
i am really enjoying reading so far, i have only been reading articles and webtoons for the past 2 years or so so thank you for making this club and helping me read some booklike things
Be sure to search the forum for other places to find ebooks, magazines, and even some comics. I think. If you got any questions, ask. The only stupid question, is the one you don’t ask.
If you don’t get a an ereader, Calibre would be my suggestion to use on your computer. It even has an addon to remove the drm.
I would change this to “if you plan to read an ebook in any way, shape, or form, get Calibre.” That is, use it to manage your ebook library on and off any e-reader. There’s just nothing else that comes close.
As I said before this was an intense read, a real page turner. It was was well written and it awoke an urge in me to reread, I, Robot as soon as I finish the other 3 parts. YOU HAVE TO READ THE OTHER PARTS. There is no way to just go to another book.
As I was reading, I thought of the many Star trek episodes that explore the treatment of Data and of the Doctor on Voyager. IRL We need to do better as Amazon, Elon Musk and other tech companies implement robotics In their products or how they do business.
I will, once I am finished with the entire novel, add to this. Until I finish it, I feel I can’t properly review it.
Kudos to @Nateninja21 for picking such a good book to be our first read.
Now that I think everyone has probably finished the book, I will be giving my 2 cents on it. Note, I actually read this about a month ago, so the details aren’t fresh in my mind.
Review
As I think we can all agree, the main character was phenomenal, a real knock out of the park when it came to humor, relatability, and believability. Were it not for the incredibly well-done main character, I definitely wouldn’t have liked this book, because I found the plot to be a little weak, or at least it didn’t interest me all too much. As a consequence of my lack of interest in the plot, and also having read the story a month ago, I don’t actually remember too much of the fine details about the plot, one thing I remember though is thinking that it ended too soon, almost anti-climatically. I’m not sure if it would work or not, but I think the book could do with another 100 or so pages to really flesh out the story, and give a more satisfying climax.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading further in the series.
I will be posting the poll on the next book we’ll read on the 21st, so if you have any book recommendations, preferably holiday-related, make sure to let me know before then.
(And don’t worry @delenn13 , Murderbot has my vote )
WRT your comment about length, I will say FWIW that it’s best to think of this as the first quarter of the book. And I’ve certainly come to appreciate (particularly in puzzle games, but generally everywhere) an artistic decision to not overstay their welcome, even it it means leaving me wanting more.
More thoughts
It’s not often we get a protagonist of this flavor, and I really related to it for that. Usually protagonists are traditionally likeable (or bad-boy/girl likeable), social, charming, etc. Here we delightfully get a textbook Asperger’s character (that some of us can relate to, and hopefully all of us can appreciate): introverted, socially awkward, obsessed with a niche interest, forced to work in an extrovert’s world, cynical about their corporate employers, and incredibly competent in their domain (somehow to the surprise of everyone who thinks this last trait doesn’t go with the others).
The poll below will be the vote on which book we will be reading next, it will also help tell me how many people are still participating so make sure to vote if you will be participating.
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption
Artificial Condition (Murderbot Book #2)
The Emperor’s Soul
Project Hail Mary
The Road
I Am Legend
0voters
Couldn’t edit the links into the poll, so here they are.
Remember this list isn’t set in stone, if anyone brings up a different book they would like to read, I would happily place it into this poll, and any future polls we may have.
If you’re not sure which book you would like to read, I personally recommend “Artificial Condition”, “I am Legend”, and “The Emporer’s Soul.” As I have read the 3 of them, enjoyed them thoroughly, and would love to discuss them, especially “I am Legend” since it has a movie counterpart, which I think would be a nice addition to the conversation.
What’s the deadline for finishing the book? I’m reluctant to participate because I don’t often get the chance to sit and read, so it takes me months to get through most books.
the last one was really short and there was almost two weeks to finish it so I would assume the deadline not to be a problem
as a took a quick look at the ones on offer this time they dont seem like long reads
As of now, there is no strict deadline. I will be setting the end date according to how long it takes for everyone to finish the book, to make sure no one gets left behind. So as long as I’m aware of your progress, the deadline won’t be set until you, and everyone else is done. Although I can’t promise that I’ll always know how far everyone is in the book, so if I don’t give you enough time, just let me know and I will happily extend the deadline.
Also, since it’s likely we’ll be reading the second book in a series this time around, there may be problems if you haven’t read the first book. If that’s so, I would recommend just reading the first one, making that you can still contribute your opinion to the conversation, and possibly even catch up due to all the extra time given.
cheff’s kiss.
)