Giving 47 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books Their Final Scores [Much Pain, Equal Pleasure]

Beasts by Crowley is so good. one of the most impressive, one of the most sophisticated and one of the most potently written pieces of science fiction that I've ever read.

I liked this a lot for the most part. It is a short story compilation that includes a lot of material by Australian science fiction writers. Lots of really good stuff in here.

Billionar Spree by Aldis I like a lot. I do not agree with all of his takes.

unfortunately, I also didn't care for. the writing just wasn't that good.

Cham by Pearson sucks. It is the kind of Christian fiction that I don't care for and I thought that it was bad.

This is a book that is not for everybody. At times it was not for me. I just don't think that there's another book that does what Crash does as well as Crash does it.

Don't Bite the Sun, I will give an A. So despite the grit in the old sandals, Don't Bite the Sun is a very good book and it's better than it really should be.

Doomsday Morning by CL Moore I like a lot. this is really good. Really good.

I hate to do it to her, but Drinking Sapphire Wine by Tanith Lee, I'm gonna put in C tier. this book kind of got on my nerves which was too bad.

Fault Lines by Kate Wilhelm. I really like this. I thought it was very strong.

By PKD, I was pleasantly surprised to really love. it also reads like the Matrix. I think it's very good.

I have to bump this one up to S now. The last third of the book is just extremely strong. I was really impressed by it.

I'll give it a B. It's a really decent piece of feminist science fiction about Coyote Jones.

we'll give it a C. No, we'll bump it up to a B because I'm going to include the two short stories that were bundled. Kyle Montana, the novela, not as good.

Kill the Dead by Tanith Lee is just a great. This is what I want every fantasy book to be. I think that this might be my favorite Tanith Lee.

just not up to the same level as Nine Lives. it didn't hit the mark for me.

I will give a C. The most interesting thing in here is Suvin's intro. the material which is science fiction stories with an alleged utopian character or perspective from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union just weren't really that good.

Damn, I'm really tempted to give it S, but I can't because it does certainly have flaws. this book genuinely sort of changed my life.

I'll also give a B. overall the world building is phenomenal. it's good, but it's not great.

Realtime World by Priest I liked a lot. Some of it is pulpy space opera e stuff that I didn't think was very good.

Yeah, we'll give it a B. the book itself is just a total oddity because it came out in the mid like the late 50s.

Space Shanty by Laughy, I'll give a B, which kind of hurts because I like Lafferty. I found this book boring after like the first half or so.

it's still, I think, one of the funniest, one of the weirdest, and one of the most interesting science fiction books that I've read.

I really didn't like these are her kind of also ran stories. I just remember being really profoundly disappointed by this because I had high expectations and high hopes.

Many worlds of Barry Maulsburg. if I'm being objective, I have to give an A, even though I really like it because there were a couple of stories in here that I didn't think were Malzberg at his strongest.

I'll give an A. the writing, however, is intensely good, really strong.

City of the Singing Flame by Clark Ashton Smith. I will give an A. I think that it's the best weird fiction that I've read.

I just happen to find it at a used bookstore. and I think it's incredible.

if I had to name a Malzberg as like the best Malzberg, it would probably be Destruction of the Temple.

definitely I think it's worth reading. It is I would say my favorite of the early disaster books.

Man, is this good. I absolutely think that it's worth reading and I think that you will be as surprised as I am.

Moonpool by Merritt I did not like. I just remember being intensely bored and annoyed by it.

The sheep lookup by Brunner is good. It is bloated. There are too many characters.

Okay, I read Wind from Nowhere. solid C here. It is his first official novel and certainly his worst.

Boy, boy, did I find this boring. Some of these stories are pretty bad.

it's fine. It's fine. I don't think it's that great. I don't think I have a ton to say about it.

Thorns is all right. It's certainly not my favorite Silverberg, although it's one of historically his most important books.

I'll put it in B because I found it less boring. I ultimately found it forgettable, but it's the better of the two.

it was a mixed bag. There are bits in here that I think are truly astonishing, amazingly prescient. I didn't connect that well to all the material, but some of it is truly great.

Vermillion Sands by Ballard I will give an A as well. I don't think that it reaches the level of his best stuff, but it's such a an oddball.

I will give a C. I just didn't care for it that much.

Usain Men by Lawrence Jennifer is the original title of Bloodworld. Fascinating book. there's just a level of thematic sophistication and craftsmanship in this that totally knocked the wind out of me.