What we’re about
Hello Richmond Science Fiction and Fantasy book nerds.
Time to blast off into the far future of sci-fi and spelunk into otherworldly realms of fantasy!
The Richmond Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club is a casual group of sff fans who meet once every three weeks at local RVA bars, restaurants and cafés to read a science fiction or fantasy book. (We alternate! And sneak in the occasional horror book under the theory that horror falls under the rubric of “dark fantasy”/the weird.)
Like its sister club, the Hampton Roads Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Club, the RVA sff book club is a democracy (at least when it comes to picking the books) where every member is eligible to vote on a poll that launches typically 6 weeks in advance of the event. Each poll is ranked choice and features six options, with an open nomination process and dedicated slots for “Subgenre Spotlight” and “Around the World” picks.
NOTE: Interested in nominating a book? You can send me a DM, mention a book a one of our meetings, or put it in our sci-fi (https://forms.gle/umsVTmpCEC4fwLfm9) and fantasy (https://forms.gle/jLVBtuYHutNGB5ux6) nomination forms.
Our poll winners tend to be a diverse mix of popular bestsellers as well as award-winners, experimental and subgenre sff, and world sff from a variety of countries.
We also run a Discord page where people can nominate and discuss and show off their books in between meetings. (Here a new Discord server created for the Richmond group: https://discord.gg/3BKC65tJ9U ; You are welcome to join, but it is not required and all event information will appear on Meetup.)
A little about me: I am a librarian. I previously taught two classes about the history of science fiction, so I will sometimes play “scholar” and add nerdy historical context to a discussion. Here’s a “LibGuide” I made at a previous employer with a lot of information about the history, subgenres, and reference sources for contemporary and classic sff: https://libguides.gustavus.edu/sff
Upcoming events (2)
See all- A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan #1) (2019) by Arkady MartineJannat Indian Cuisine, Henrico, VA
Evidently this author must be doing something right, since her first two books have both won the Hugo Award. A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan #1) (2019) by Arkady Martine is the winner of our September 21st poll!
(I started listening to this a while back on audiobook, but it was a little dense and hard to follow while listening so I recommend getting an early start on the print or ebook version.)
Winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel
Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn't an accident - or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court.
Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her station from Teixcalaan's unceasing expansion - all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret - one that might spell the end of her station and her way of life - or rescue it from annihilation.
A fascinating space-opera debut, Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire is an interstellar mystery adventure.
"[A] gorgeously crafted diplomatic space opera . . . Readers will eagerly await the planned sequels to this impressive debut."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"The most thrilling ride ever. This book has everything I love."—Charlie Jane Anders, author of All the Birds in the Sky
