Sindome Book Club
Interest check and discussion

Crypt casts an appraising eye over the area, searching for something.

The way I imagine this will work is that each person suggest a title, and I'll put out an anonymous poll (without any text fields for people to sneak info to me) where you can rate which one you want to read. We leave one week or more of time where people can acquire the book, and we can have weekly discussions on each manageable chunks.

Obviously don't suggest any book without an ebook version or we'll never get anything done.

My own nomination is the low-hanging fruit, Count Zero. It's been a while since I've read it.

And Diamond Age - YES, it's so hack. Outstanding reading and except for Snow Crash, the most Sindome of Stephenson's books.

Re-reading classics is great but there's nothin' quite like discovering a new favorite novel.

Books up for voting

Count Zero - William Gibson

Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson

Aleph Zero - Facundo Agüello (Kuzco)

Recombination - Brendan Butts (Slither/Fengshui)

Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson

How to vote

To avoid sharing contact details, we'll be voting here on this thread. Just pick the book . If you change your vote later on I'll really appreciate it if you pointed that out in bold on your new vote post, so that I know to subtract out your old vote.

The provisional deadline is June 22 to get your votes in, but if you guys feel that's too short I can extend it. https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?iso=20200622T00&p0=137&font=cursive

As for my own vote…

First choice: Snow Crash

Second choice: Aleph Zero

1. Aleph Zero

2. Show Crash

(I am a bad person who hasn't yet read Recombination book 2 past the first chapter.)

How this will work is that everyone will be given a week to do their reading, and then you'll be allowed to discuss the section you just read. Don't discuss ahead, so that we don't spoil people who are slow.

Current Book: Aleph Zero, by Facundo Agüello

Read: Chapters 1 - 14 (don't start Chapter 15)

Deadline: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?iso=20200629T00&p0=137&font=cursive&csz=1

I avoid doing business with Amazon whenever possible, but it seems this is the only way to get Aleph Zero. I'm given the option to start a free trial of Kindle, or spend $9 on the novel. I'm assuming that the $9 option puts at least some money in Kuzco's pocket, yes?

How do I ensure the most money goes to Kuzco and the least goes to Amazon?

Current Book: Aleph Zero by Facundo Agüello

Read: Chapters 15-28 (Don't start Part Two)

Any thoughts on the book so far?

I enjoyed how a number of sentences leave you to fill in the blanks. In particular, the phrases "bigger and wider than he would have preferred" and "pleasant memories, now bittersweet" tell stories all by their own. Some of the descriptions are expertly crafted, including mentions of "hydric explosions," and the ceasing of the "electronic bass' seismic tension." The most vivid to me so far is, "A slight mist was beginning to settle, which caused the light sources to be crowned with haloes, like saints in a photonic sky."

I like to get in characters' heads, and so far feels like the characters want to keep me at a distance. They have enough problems as it is, and I'm unwelcome.

I can forgive the numerous typoes. As a translation, it's better than not having one at all.

I did get distracted a bit with learning all sorts of things, like how a microwave gun works. 😅

Looking forward to reading the rest!

Current Book: Aleph Zero by Facundo Agüello

Read: Chapters 29-36

I'm up to chapter 22. The pace is picking up.

Chapter 38 was rough.

I feel we haven't talked much about Alejandro. And that might come from the fact that he's been forced into the action hero trope of being beat to heck and still forced to continue after the past 3 conflicts that left him mortally wounded. I forget if it's mentioned explicitly Shamhat's relationship with him, but it feels like they're together almost out of necessity.

When she accepted Laura's gift for him, he was in too much discomfort to be uncomfortable about that. So maybe it's not that we haven't been able to see much of him as a person (Rubik's cube excepted) but that the circumstances he's been put in prevent him from expressing himself.

We do get internal glimpses into his thoughts and feelings, like when his thoughts flashed in rapid succession while he was attempting to jump over to the bunker.

I foresee the current conflict as what will push Alejandro and Valeria together.

I'm typically the only one who actually does the reading in any book club I've joined, lol.

Hopefully someone else did, but hasn't posted yet?

I had to look away during Alejandro's beating and when the goons were like "we can start the real torture now if you'd like" and I was soooo thankful you didn't go there. I would've had to nope out of that.

You wrote Valeria really well, from start to finish. I was crying as she was dying, and I literally sat up in shock when Alejandro redeemed himself and injected her.