A reading group for fantasy, science-fiction, dystopian or utopian books at the Department of English, American and Celtic Studies, University of Bonn (and beyond)
We talked about book boxes a bit and you were interested. After talking to Klara from Magic Chest (an English book box from a German student of English Studies from another university), I am happy to share a discount code with you: “BSFG10” (without the quotation marks obviously) gives you a 10% discount on everything from the shop, be it subscriptions or single purchases. Check the shop our here: https://www.magicchest.net/
(I do not receive any money, favours or discounts from Magic Chest for the discount code. I just thought that it would be nice if you wanted to check such a box out without paying the full price at first.)
Do you receive any boxes?
Here’s a picture of my “Lost Travelers” Magic Chest box (I only receive a book plus a tea in my box.)
I am very much looking forward to our talk with Meg on Monday. Please be on time (4pm sharp!) and prepare some questions in advance, Meg will have one hour for us before she has to go to work! đ
Our “summer readings” (August and September) that are both queer-themed (June is also Pride Month so yay, so have a gay day!). You will be able to purchase to books via Witsch & Behrendt (prices from them as well):
– July: “Trail of Lightning” by Rebecca Roanhorse; Native American (!) urban fantasy, Hugo Award nominated, 11⏠(Softcover) (Rebecca will also answer your questions via mail, I already got a bunch of questions answered!) [If you have read this one already, please read the sequel and let me know if I should order “Storm of Locusts” for you!)
– August & September: “The Gloaming” by Kirsty Logan: Mermaids, queer love, Scotland, weird fiction, 11⏠(Softcover) /// “The Binding” by Bridget Collins: Bind your memories into a book, books are forbidden, queer love, 16⏠as hardcover (no softcover yet sorry, but it’s beaaaautiful)
–> If you cannot afford any of the books, feel free to use my copy! đ
(You can still have my copy of “Book of the Unnamed Midwife” for next
week! Let me know if you need it!)
Thank you for the home-made cookies, lively discussions and great ideas! Here’s a brief introduction concerning Terry Pratchett followed by a short summary of what we talked about. If you could not make it to our first two meetings, do not fret. Come to the next!
Sir Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) was a bestselling author of mostly comical fantasy novels, most famously his 41 Discworld novels. In 1998 he became Office of the Order of the British Empire, in 2009 he was ” by knighted by the Queen for services to literature, although he maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing anyâ (taken from the Official Website of Sir Terry). When he died of dementia (he called it the “embuggerance”) in 2015, many authors reacted – the great Ursula Le Guin wrote:
âHe wasnât imagining an alternative universe; he was reimagining ours. His fantasies sit alongside â and are the equals of â those of Rabelais, Voltaire, Swift, Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams. Heâs surely our most quotable writer after Shakespeare and Wilde. Granny Weatherwaxâs definition of sin â âWhen you treat people as thingsâ â is all you need to know about ethics. Whereas all my beloved PâG Wodehouses and Philip Pullmans are neatly arranged on the bookshelves, my Pratchetts are strewn under the beds, in the bathrooms, the glove compartments. They have shopping lists, takeaway orders and Scrabble scores scribbled on the fly leaves. They were part of life. Rincewind is always looking for something âbetter than magicâ. Pratchett found something better than literature.âhttps://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/tributes-to-sir-terry-pratchett/
His Discworld novels take place on the Disc, a flat Earth which lies on the backs of four giant elephants, who are standing on the carapace of a giant space turtle, called Great A’Tuin. The novel we read, “The Wee Free Men”, is targeted at a younger audience and serves as a good introduction into his Discworld. If you want to read more of the Disc, read the other Tiffany novels. You can then either start with the very first Discworld book or start with one of the series within the Discworld, such as the witches, the watch or DEATH.
All participants liked the novel, even those who thought they would dislike it as comic fantasy isn’t their cup of tea. (This pleased me a lot.) – the first chapter of the novel was somewhat confusing as many did not know what a Jenny Greenteeth was (a folkloric creature) – the story takes place from Tiffany’s point of view, making adults seem weird, Tiffany is much smarter and responsible than her age – it somewhat felt like a fairy tale, magic works, logic is not that necessary – we liked Tiffany’s way of thinking (first, second and third thoughts) or overthinking – the idea that magic is hard work and that, in most cases, you do not need to employ magic but reason (or pretend that it’s magic to make people listen to reason) was very interesting – we talked about William McGonagall (world’s worst poet) as an inspiration for the Feegles’s war poet, the gonnagle. Listen to the poem here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXWbEW4OvW0 – we discussed the Feegles and whether Pratchett (as an Englishman) is allowed to present such a partly stereotypical depiction of Scotland inspired fairies (pixies are the “wee shites” from Cornwall the Feegles hate, they call themselves pictsies after the Picts, they speak Glaswegian Scots, wear kilts, are blue all over, are afraid of lawyers and the written word (as were people in Medieval times that could not read), can cross dimensions and even annoy DEATH, they believe that they are in heaven as the Disc is full of creatures to fight, booze and a clear, blue sky) –> we came to the conclusion that they are somewhat stereotypical but they are more than that: they are Tiffany’s friends and helpers, they defy certain stereotypes and they evolve in the course of the Tiffany novels – we talked about that words can be used to bind and control somebody (inspired by the Feegle’s fear of the written word which is overcome in one of the later novels as Rob Anybody learns how to read) – we discussed inhowfar cultural appropriation and writing fantasy (being inspired by something as an author) is problematic and how it could work: respect, the situation of the different cultures, but of course there was no finite answer
Leigh Bardugoâs Grishaverse has become a well-known fantasy world, especially to YA enthusiasts. The Grishaverse consists of three series: the Grisha trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, and the King of Scars duology. But what even is a Grisha? Grishas are human beings that have an affinity for one of the so-called Small Sciences, which are divided into three orders: Corporalki, Etherealki and Materialki. These powers are connected to different elements which lead the categorization in one of these orders. Grisha are thus the basis of the magical world building that happens in the Grishaverse.
Apart from the magic, the world-building spans an amazing diversity of different, Europe-influenced cultures. While the Grisha trilogy takes place in a Russia-like country, Six of Crows takes the reader to Ketterdam, a place obviously inspired by Amsterdam, a Dutch city. Later, Scandinavian influences join the mixture of European cultures. King of Scars is a culmination of many more influences, creating a rich world that delights many readers.
Most popular and incredibly well-received is Six of Crows which tells the story of a group of misfits going on a heist â a plot that lends itself well to excitement and breathtaking cliffhangers. But even if the duology is praised everywhere, the roots of the Grishaverse should not be forgotten: it is recommendable to read the original Grisha trilogy first to avoid confusion that will definitely arise if Six of Crows is read first. Thus, proceed at your own caution if you do decide to skip the trilogy. Just be aware: King of Scars will be the ultimate spoiler and should only be read after both initial series have been devoured.
A short overview of the series in the order they should be read in:
Grisha Trilogy
Shadow & Bone
Siege & Storm
Ruin & Rising
Six of Crows Duology
Six of Crows
Crooked Kingdom
King of Scars Duology
King of Scars
Tba
Additional
Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic (a collection of six stories set in the Grishaverse)
Our third book for BSFG will be the feminist dystopian novel “The Book of the Unnamed Midwife” by queer and Philip K. Dick award winning author and feminist essayist Meg Elison!
Meg will skype with us on June 17, 4.30pm (7.30am at her place) and is very much looking forward to all your questions! If you can somehow make it to our meeting in June, both Meg and myself would be thrilled. đ
It might take a few weeks to ship, yet (and I will repeat myself for all eternity): Support your local bookshop! â€
I hope you are as excited as I am! I am also looking forward to our Terry Pratchett + Grishaverse meeting on May 21, where we will also talk about Roshani’s answers to your questions!
Brandon Sanderson published his debut novel Elantris in 2005 and has made himself a home in the fantasy genre ever since. Apart from writing several independent novels such as the YA Reckoners series, Sanderson has also created a universe (âCosmereâ) that connects several of his biggest projects with each other. A mutual backstory that is unraveled bit by bit in different novels provides background knowledge on his worldbuilding and magic systems and creates a storyline that goes beyond each individual book. His current project The Stormlight Archive is planned to be a ten novel installment which dives deeper into the history of the Cosmere with massive worldbuilding, epic battles and well-developed, lovable characters. Sanderson teaches creative writing classes at his university which can all be found online and has even created his own âLaws of Magicâ:
An authorâs ability to solve conflict with magic is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic
Limitations > Powers (flaws are more interesting than powers)
Expand what you already have before you add something new
+ Bonus 0th Law: Always err on the side of what is awesome
Check out his website for his current projects and more info about literally everything: https://brandonsanderson.com/
Where to start reading/Selected Works:
Cosmere Works:
– The Stormlight Archive series (starting with The Way of Kings)
– Mistborn series (starting with The Final Empire)
– The Emporerâs Soul (Hugo Award-winning novella)
Non-Cosmere:
– Reckoners series (starting with Steelheart)
– Alcatraz series (starting with Acatraz vs The Evil Librarians)
– Legion (series of novellas)
Thanks so much for all of you who showed up for our first meeting. We had some nice tea (let me know what other sorts of tea you want!) & cookies & excellent discussions.
Things we talked about and about which we will continue to talk on Discord or in person:
– Does magic need to make sense, e.g. have a system? Does it need limitations? What impact does it have on the “magician”? Is forging magic? Is it more like magical crafting (steampunk-ey)?
– Different mythologies, e.g. Greek and Etruscan deities of death as the names of the houses; why the biblical allusions, e.g. Order of Babel? Where does it go?
– Some things we liked: diverse characters, take on racism, colonialism, multiculturalism, writing style, heist story, Hypnos
– Our best guesses as to what is going to happen in #2!
– Some things we disliked: vague “magic”, so many characters with just one very important trait, YA sexual tension, enemies, how blunt Paris remains when it could be so much more interesting
–> Yet, most of us enjoyed the book nevertheless. What else did you like or dislike? Let us know in the comments or via Discord! đ (Let me know if I forgot something important…)
Roshani has not sent back answers to our questions yet, but you will receive them as soon as they are made available!
A short intro into Brandon Sanderon will follow here soon. You can buy tickets for the Sanderson event in Bonn on May 15 on the second floor of Thalia Metropol. More info here: https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/veranstaltungen/showDetail/20668/
Some of us will be there, join us! Our next read will be “The Wee Free Men” by Terry Pratchett. (I told you, you would have to read some Pratchett at some point!) Please support your local bookstore and buy it at Witsch & Behrendt. They should have some copies for you right now, but you can always order some more for the next day. Local Bookstores â€
—> https://www.schweitzer-online.de/info/Buchhandlung-Bonn/
If you have already read “The Wee Free Men”, please pick up the next Tiffany novel:
#2 A Hat Full Of Stars
#3 Wintersmith
#4 I Shall Wear Midnight
# 5 The Shepherd’s Crown
If you have already finished all of these, please enjoy “Equal Rites” (Witches #1)
Roshani Chokshi is willing to answer your questions! Check your mailbox, you will have received all the details there. đ Use this chance, don’t be shy!
You can still join our reading group, contact Marthe!
* refers to our little extra talks about other books you have read, following our normal meeting. If you want to do some extra reading, I will publish which books might be interesting for you to pick up here. Please do not hesitate to make suggestions.Â
Please bring your own cup, some snacks (if you like) and your questions / ideas (!) concerning the book to our meetings. I will try to make tea for all of you and bring some vegan snacks. You can of course bring your favourite tea with you! The next book to read will be announced at the meetings, on the website and on Discord.
If you already are a BSFG member, please check your mails (more info in the latest e-mail). If you would like to join the group, you can still do so, please contact me.
If you took a really nice picture of this month’s book, you can send it to me and I will publish it on the website. You can also upload it on Discord (#pictures) and tell me that I am allowed to use it for the website…
The Bonn Speculative Fiction Group (BSFG) was formed on April 9, 2019 when more than 45 students signed up for the reading group. Thank you for making this happen!
Books will be selected by Marthe-SiobhĂĄn Hecke (M.A., M.Ed.), a ravenous reader of unhealthy amounts of books and an enthusiastic PhD student and lecturer at the Department of English, American and Celtic Studies at the University of Bonn. She would love to introduce you to some old and new speculative fiction, such as fantasy, sci-fi, utopian or dystopian literature – literature that does things differently.
You did not make it to the first meeting? You can still join! If you want to sign up for the reading group, please write an e-mail: mshecke[@]uni-bonn.de
An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who canât yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much. Together, theyâll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.”
Dates for the meetings will be published as soon as possible. The Discord channel is already open and books can be purchased at Witsch & Behrendt (8,60âŹ/book). You can already start talking about the book when you join the channel.
 Picture taken from Amazon.
Our next read will be “The Wee Free Men” by Terry Pratchett. (I told you, you would have to read some Pratchett at some point!) Please support your local bookstore and buy it at Witsch & Behrendt. They should have some copies for you right now, but you can always order some more for the next day. Local Bookstores â€
Bonn Speculative Fiction Group 