OT - Signed copies of fantasy / science fiction at Uncle Hugo's
CharlasFolio Society Devotees
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1SF-72
This might be of interest to those who are into science fiction / fantasy and signed books, though there's also a very small number of crime novels.
The specialist bookshop Uncle Hugo's (fantastic literature) and its crime branch Uncle Edgar's were burned to the ground in the riots following George Floyd's death. I only just found out about it (a year late) when I took a look at their website. I sometimes bought signed books and / or books by small publishers from their online shop, but not that often due to the ever increasing cost of international shipping in recent years. Still, I found some really nice and rare books there over the years.
Since the fire, the owner has been selling a very limited range of signed books from his home, but depending on one's interests, there are some nice choices there. Examples would be signed copies of the Nesfa Press editions of Lois McMaster Bujold's 'Barrayar' novels as well as several Penric-novellas by Subterranean Press. Other authors I've read myself are Joan D. Vinge or Catherine Asaro, but there are several more. The selection is small, but maybe someone here will also find something at the link below. I decided to replace my Barrayar paperbacks with hardcover editions to support the store at least a bit. The owner is still trying to rebuild the business in a new store and earning some money selling his own book collection on Abebooks, some signed books through his old online shop, and a crowdfunding campaign a customer started.
I thought I'd share this here, even though it's off topic, since we do have people who buy science fiction and fantasy, and I think every little bit will help in this case. I never saw the shop myself, but it must have been a really nice place and what happened there is a crying shame.
http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/gateway.php
The specialist bookshop Uncle Hugo's (fantastic literature) and its crime branch Uncle Edgar's were burned to the ground in the riots following George Floyd's death. I only just found out about it (a year late) when I took a look at their website. I sometimes bought signed books and / or books by small publishers from their online shop, but not that often due to the ever increasing cost of international shipping in recent years. Still, I found some really nice and rare books there over the years.
Since the fire, the owner has been selling a very limited range of signed books from his home, but depending on one's interests, there are some nice choices there. Examples would be signed copies of the Nesfa Press editions of Lois McMaster Bujold's 'Barrayar' novels as well as several Penric-novellas by Subterranean Press. Other authors I've read myself are Joan D. Vinge or Catherine Asaro, but there are several more. The selection is small, but maybe someone here will also find something at the link below. I decided to replace my Barrayar paperbacks with hardcover editions to support the store at least a bit. The owner is still trying to rebuild the business in a new store and earning some money selling his own book collection on Abebooks, some signed books through his old online shop, and a crowdfunding campaign a customer started.
I thought I'd share this here, even though it's off topic, since we do have people who buy science fiction and fantasy, and I think every little bit will help in this case. I never saw the shop myself, but it must have been a really nice place and what happened there is a crying shame.
http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/gateway.php
2sbcr12
Curious what your opinion is of Bujold? I’ve considered her books and done some online research, however I can’t figure out whether her books are just romance/adventure or more serious? Which other writers would you compare her to?
That’s a very sad story, terrible that something like that would happen.
That’s a very sad story, terrible that something like that would happen.
3SF-72
Yes, I was really shocked, more so when I read their detailed description of it on their website. What a terrible mess.
As for Bujold: Her style isn't always the same, it depends on what book / series you're reading. I got to know her through her first published novel in the Barrayar-series, The Warrior's Apprentice. It and the sequels up to Mirror Dance are science fiction with a strong sense of humour, but also the ability to be quite serious and even tragic. The lead character isn't allowed to join the military of his planet due to physical disabilities, but when travelling to other planets he ends up the leader of a mercenary troop, so there's a military element. The (later published) first two novels in the series, Barrayar and Cordelia's Honour, have a romantic plot line and less of the military, but are otherwise on the same wavelength. I found all of these excellent, several of the Barrayar novels and short stories received awards (Hugo, Locus, Analog, Nebula). I'd say she wrote herself into a bit of a corner afterwards and some of the later novels were quite different, partly because the military element was removed. Two other novels (Falling Free and Ethan of Athos) play in the same world, but are quite different in that they deal with what you might call genetic manipulation and its consequences.
I don't really know anyone who writes just like that, but with the main novels in the series, I see some parallels to Glen Cook in that there is a sense of humour, but also the military element. Still, it's really something of its own in my opinion.
She then moved away from science fiction and started writing fantasy novels / series, but I haven't read all of those yet. Those I read (The Spirit Ring and the Sharing Knife series) didn't have the sense of humour of the Barrayar series (some I haven't read might have it), but the worlds and characters she developed were very good and they were an interesting and suspenseful read. She also received Hugos, a Nebula and a Locus for some of her books in The World of the Five Gods series. Not having read them yet, I can't say more about them or the Penric-novellas, which play in that world, but based on the quality of her other work and those awards I expect them to be good quality.
I really don't feel comfortable making comparisons to other authors, but I'd say good world building and characters, suspenseful, well written in my opinion. I preferred the Barrayar novels, though, which are more unusual. It's not that easy to find good books with a sense of humour in science fiction.
Okay, that was more detailed than I'd planned when I started, but I hope it helps.
As for Bujold: Her style isn't always the same, it depends on what book / series you're reading. I got to know her through her first published novel in the Barrayar-series, The Warrior's Apprentice. It and the sequels up to Mirror Dance are science fiction with a strong sense of humour, but also the ability to be quite serious and even tragic. The lead character isn't allowed to join the military of his planet due to physical disabilities, but when travelling to other planets he ends up the leader of a mercenary troop, so there's a military element. The (later published) first two novels in the series, Barrayar and Cordelia's Honour, have a romantic plot line and less of the military, but are otherwise on the same wavelength. I found all of these excellent, several of the Barrayar novels and short stories received awards (Hugo, Locus, Analog, Nebula). I'd say she wrote herself into a bit of a corner afterwards and some of the later novels were quite different, partly because the military element was removed. Two other novels (Falling Free and Ethan of Athos) play in the same world, but are quite different in that they deal with what you might call genetic manipulation and its consequences.
I don't really know anyone who writes just like that, but with the main novels in the series, I see some parallels to Glen Cook in that there is a sense of humour, but also the military element. Still, it's really something of its own in my opinion.
She then moved away from science fiction and started writing fantasy novels / series, but I haven't read all of those yet. Those I read (The Spirit Ring and the Sharing Knife series) didn't have the sense of humour of the Barrayar series (some I haven't read might have it), but the worlds and characters she developed were very good and they were an interesting and suspenseful read. She also received Hugos, a Nebula and a Locus for some of her books in The World of the Five Gods series. Not having read them yet, I can't say more about them or the Penric-novellas, which play in that world, but based on the quality of her other work and those awards I expect them to be good quality.
I really don't feel comfortable making comparisons to other authors, but I'd say good world building and characters, suspenseful, well written in my opinion. I preferred the Barrayar novels, though, which are more unusual. It's not that easy to find good books with a sense of humour in science fiction.
Okay, that was more detailed than I'd planned when I started, but I hope it helps.
