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  Pick Your Top Three SFR Novels

  I'm always looking to build my TBR tower higher and wider. What are your choices for the top three Skiffy Rommer novels you've read to date?
  
  Here are my picks:
  
  1) THE OUTBACK STARS by Sandra McDonald
  (See my recent review at www.spacefreighters.blogspot.com or www.enduringromance.blogspot.com)
  
  2) GAMES OF COMMAND by Linnea Sinclair
  (You can find a review on Spacefreighters in the archives.)
  
  3) GABRIEL'S GHOST by Linnea Sinclair
  
  List is subject to change without notice! :)

  Laurie G started this discussion 1 year ago. ( reply )

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  Kimber A 

  Okay, I'll bite.
  
  1) CONTACT by Susan Grant
  
  2) THE STAR KING by Susan Grant
  
  3) THE STAR PRINCE by Susan Grant
  
  4) GAMES OF COMMAND by Linnea Sinclair
  
  5) DOWN HOME ZOMBIE BLUES by Linnea Sinclair
  
  What? Three? Well, you know I can't count with my mittens on.

  posted 1 year ago. ( reply )

  show 1 reply

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    Kimber A 

    Now, I'll take my own suggestion and explain why I chose these three...uh...five. These things are so subjective, yanno. Of course, all five of these novels are awesome Science Fiction Romance. That's a no-brainer. Multi-dimensional characters, gripping plot - you know the drill. So, I tried to think of what one thing put all five of them over the edge and concluded it was personal. Back when I was husband-hunting, my number one priority was finding a husband who would be a great dad. Besides being totally hot, all of the heroes in all of these novels have what I call EDP - Excellent Dad Potential. Whether he successfully knocks up the Heroine by the end is irrelevent. I can close the book knowing that if he does, she's in great hands and so are their children. I can believe in their Happily Ever After.

    posted 1 year ago. ( reply )

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  Kimber A (edited)

  Laurie, I was thinking we should tell why we chose these novels. What makes you love Outback Stars, Games of Command, and Gabriel's Ghost?

  posted 1 year ago. ( reply )

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  Danger Gal 

  THE OUTBACK STARS are on my TBR list already. I may have to move it up because I keep hearing great things about it.
  
  I find it very difficult to choose my favorites, because the list is so long. But I'll try to pick my top five.
  
  (1) THE SUMMER QUEEN by Joan Vinge. Oh, Gundhalinu and Moon. I zipped through all 4 books in this series, and it was Gunhalinu's determination to get back to Moon that gripped me.
  
  (2) GABRIEL'S GHOST by Linnea Sinclair. It's really tough to choose only one of Linnea's books. I also very much enjoyed GAMES OF COMMAND and DOWN HOME ZOMBIE BLUES.
  
  (3) CONTACT by Susan Grant. YOUR PLANET OR MINE and THE LEGEND OF BANZAI MAGUIRE are both a close second.
  
  (4) CORDELIA'S HONOR by Lois McMaster Bujold
  
  (5) PRIMARY INVERSION by Catherine Asaro (and all the books about Soz and Jaibriol)

  posted 1 year ago. ( reply )

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    Laurie G 

    Oh, I'll have to go look up THE SUMMER QUEEN and the other two you mentioned that I haven't read yet.

    posted 1 year ago. ( reply )

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    Danger Gal 

    I will put the caveat out there that for a good portion of two of those books Gundhalinu and Moon are apart. I need to re-read them I think!

    posted 1 year ago. ( reply )

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  Heather M 

  I think this is a super post and I'm looking forward to reading everyone's picks. I have difficulty doing lists, though, for the following reasons.
  
  I don't know that I have top favorites because I like both highbrow and lowbrow stories. I enjoy different books for different reasons (and read them while in different moods) so for me there's no one clear factor that makes certain ones on the top of the list vs. others.
  
  Then there's the difference between books I read years ago vs. the current releases. Certain books will be favorites more because I read them as a youngster, a nostalgia factor, as it were. So they might have an unfair advantage, lol!
  
  Plus I've also got OUTBACK on my shelf this very minute so I'd prefer to read that first. Among others.
  
  But I will say that some top old favorites are CRYSTAL SINGER and the DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN series (borderline SFR, I know, but for me they count). If anything impacted my book choices in this genre it was Anne McCaffrey.
  
  New favorites include but aren't limited to/are subject to change:
  
  CORDELIA'S HONOR--Lois McMaster Bujold (I enjoyed it for the realism, sexual tension, and Cordelia's pluck)
  
  SUNRISE ALLEY--Catherine Asaro (Loved it for the speculative elements and the nice balance with the romance)
  
  CONTACT by Susan Grant (Loved that it was such a dark premise)
  
  GAMES OF COMMAND--Linnea Sinclair (Kel-Paten was a breakout character imho)
  
  GRIMSPACE--Ann Aguirre (Loved the premise and her--Jax's, really--voice)
  
  KNIGHT OF A TRILLION STARS--Dara Joy (it was just silly fun)
  
  So if I may evaluate this as an evolving list, that makes it easier to come up with titles.

  posted 1 year ago. ( reply )

  show 1 reply

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    Laurie G 

    Ah, yes, Heather, I cut my teeth on the Dragonriders series, too. It combined two of my favorite things, dragons and science fiction. Thanks for adding some more great leads for my TBR tower.

    posted 1 year ago. ( reply )

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  Jennifer J 

  Hello, I'm inadvertently stalking Laurie G and Heather M from the Tor boards.
  My favorite romantic SF books are:
  1) Primary Inversion by Catherine Asaro- I love the forbidden romance, subversion of gender roles, vulnerable hero, and kick-butt heroine, plus I'm a sucker for stories about psychics
  2) The Summer Queen by Joan D. Vinge- I'm very much into angst and Vinge does it best. I love BZ!
  3) The Sharing Knife (the whole series) by Lois McMaster Bujold- I love everything by Bujold, but I think the romance is best developed in this series.
  4) Summers at Castle Auburn, the Samaria series, the Safe-Keeper series, the Twelve Houses series all by Sharon Shinn- There's just something so satisfying about her books and she blends romance and speculative elements almost 50/50.
  5) Karen Traviss' entire Wess'har Wars series (warning, not a conventional romance)- It's all about Adrian Bennett for me, although I love Shan and Aras too.
  I'm also a fan of gay/gender-bending romantic fantasy & SF like Mercedes Lackey's Last Herald Mage and IMO, Clive Barker's Imajica is a perfect romantic fantasy story.
  
  I know, I totally cheated, but I couldn't leave anything out.
  

  posted 1 year ago. ( reply )

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    Laurie G 

    Hi Jennifer. Thanks for your post. Heather's a tough one to keep up with, but I do my best. I'll have to check out a few of your recommendations. Welcome to Shelfari. :)

    posted 1 year ago. ( reply )

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  Lizzie N 

  Ascendant Sun by Catherine Asaro
  Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold
  Necropolis by Mareen McHugh

  posted 11 months ago. ( reply )

  show 3 replies

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    Laurie G 

    Interesting, Lizzie. I haven't read any of those, though A CIVIL CAMPAIGN was recommended to me as part of the Miles series. I'll check those out. :)

    posted 11 months ago. ( reply )

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    Lizzie N 

    I should warn you Necropolis lacks a happy ever after ending, so it couldn't be shelved with Romance. The story makes ironic use of romance conventions, an anti-romance I suppose. Hm maybe we could start a discussion on anti-romance or should we call it dis-romance? It seems to me to be a strong component of the R-SF. All three of my favorites have elements of dis-romance.
    a Civil Campaign does it in a light and funny manner. Necropolis runs to gritty satire.

    posted 11 months ago. ( reply )

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    Laurie G 

    Well, I do like a HEA, or at least a HUTS (Happy Until the Sequel), but a tragedy when done right can be a compelling read too. Thanks for the warning. I'll check out the reviews.

    posted 11 months ago. ( reply )

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  nina d 

  It would make sense to me. Part of what I don't like is the predictability. So I , like you,
  tend that way. I also tend towards highly flawed characters. Not only does the tall-dark-handsome-yet-sensitive
  hero lack imagination, sometimes its just damn boring.

  Nina

  posted 2 months ago. ( reply )

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