August Reading

Hope everyone is enjoying the Olympics and continues to have a great summer:

Summer is almost over, looking forward to at least a few weeks of fall before frigidity sets in. For August we'll be reading the second-written book in "The Continuance" series, "Descendant Machine" by Gareth L. Powell. The first book is not required to enjoy the second, as they are set in the same universe, but deal with different characters and have different plots. This series deals with Humans, but not with Earth.

Author Bio: Gareth L Powell is a British science fiction writer who has published both novels and short stories. He is most well-known for his "Embers of War Trilogy", his "Ack-Ack Macaque Trilogy", the "Continuance" Duology, "Light Chaser" (written with Peter F. Hamilton), and his numerous short stories published in several digital and print publications. He has twice won the BSFA (British Science Fiction Association) Award for Best Novel and has been nominated for a BSFA Award over a dozen other times.

Summary: In the time after Humanity has been banished from Earth, consigned to forever travel amongst the stars on massive intelligent ships, part of a fleet of intergalactic wanderers, humans continue to explore and encounter other alien races. But these explorations are not without danger and when one attack leaves scout ship pilot Nicola Mafalda severely traumatized she is knocked out of commission. It takes the revival of a dormant alien machine, which threatens the existence of the entire universe, to convince her to rejoin the scout ship fleet...with some help from an old flame and a snarky ship's AI as well. They are all that stands between their universe and intergalactic invaders from another.

Book: "Descendant Machine"

Author: Gareth L Powell

Info: A traumatized scout ship pilot, her alien ex-flame and her ship's snarky AI are all that stand between our universe and an ancient race from another universe bent on conquest.

Availability: it is currently available in trade paperback (new & used) and is also available for purchase as an Audible book & for the Kindle (could also work with other digital systems). But local libraries, Amazon.com, aLibris.com, Bookshop.org, and others of their ilk should be able to provide access to the story, via print, digital, or audiobook.

Format: Print: Trade paperback (new & used); Digital; Audible

Date: 19 August 2024

Time: 1800 - 2000 (6:00 - 8:00 p.m.)

Location: Zoom

As always, if anyone is having any trouble locating the reading, please drop the moderators a line via our official website, the Facebook page, or reply to this email.

Enjoy the heat and pray for lower humidity

-Moderators Jess & Beth