Did I Make It? // Dancing with Fantasy & Sci-Fi Reading Challenge

Ambitious as I was at the end of of 2018, I created a sci-fi and fantasy reading challenge with 52 prompts. I can tell you right away, I am never doing that again.  I also picked some hard prompts which in a way was nice because challenging, but also so hard to find books for.

Down below we’ll be looking at seeing how I as organizer did with this challenge, and let me tell you, I had a hard time as well. After that I am shortly looking back on how the reading challenge organization went and things I’ve learned for hosting reading challenges this year.

Be A Generic Robot

Prompts	Book
Over 800 Pages	Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Under 500 Pages	Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
Satire	Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Novella	Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Finish a Series	The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
Mental Health	Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones / Bipolar
Disability	Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu
Published before 1990	The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
Library	Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
By a Woman of Color	Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa
One Word Title	Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
Set in Africa	David Mogo, Godhunter by Suya Davies Okungbowa

Be A Fire Breathing Dragon

Prompts	Book
Classic Fantasy	Avempartha by Michael J. Sullivan
Magic School	Wundersmith by Jessia Townsend
Necromancers	Trinity of Bones by Caitlin Seal
PTSD	Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb
Dragon	The Silver Tide by Jen Williams
Fairytale Retelling	The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
Grimdark	Grey Sister by Mark Lawrence
Ghosts	The Awakening by Amanda Stevens
Uncommon Fantasy Creatures	Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon by Mary Fan
Shapeshifters	King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
Gods	Firestarter by Tara Sim
Animal Companion	Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger
Matriarchy	The True Queen by Zen Cho
Set in Our World	The Fever King by Victoria Lee
Witches	Monstress volume 1 by Marjorie Liu
Magical Law Enforcement	The Barrow Will Send What it May by Margaret Killjoy
Thief	The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan
Pirates	The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie
Portal Fantasy	Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
Warrior	Slayer by Kierstin White

Be An Alien

Prompts	Book
On a Different Planet	Second Star by J.M Sullivan
Space Ship	Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
AI Point of View	All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Utopia	The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guinn
Virtual Reality	Wildcard by Marie Lu
Hive	Hellstrom’s Hive by Frank Herbert
Steampunk	Cogheart by Peter Bunzl
Alien	Warp Gate Concerto by Dorian Graves
Superpowers	Not Your Backup by C.B. Lee
Science	To Be Taught If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
Proto Sci-Fi	From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne
Replicate	Autofac by Philip K. Dick
Space Colonization	The Expanse 2 by James S.A. Corey
Time Travel	The Color of Paradox by A.M. Dellamonica
Mecha	Neon Genesis Evangelion volume 2 to 5 by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Space Creatures/Beasts	The Outside by Ada Hoffmann
Teleportation	The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
Space Western	The Expanse 1 by James S.A. Corey
The Moon	The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Invasion	The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu

Statistics

I find it interesting to see here that I mostly read 2019 books for this reading challenge. That was not initially in my plans for most of these prompts so I ended up being quite opportunistic with filling in some of the prompts if I happen to come across it in an arc as well. Other than that it is reasonably divided. I think the older books there are certainly more in the sci-fi genre than in fantasy.

The light green is sci-fi and the darker green is fantasy. Mostly I read more women in this reading challenge which is something that has carried over in all my reading this year. But with sci-fi it has been more 50-50%. Sci-fi is a harder genre to get well known in as a woman compared to fantasy, and I might not always come across lesser known female authors (and even non-binary ones) because I am not that into sci-fi as I am into fantasy.

And lastly the target group, wich is again not really a surprise. I have been reading more adult books in 2019 and it jsut makes sense that this would carry over in a reading challenge like this.

What I Have Learned

This is the first time I have really done one of these year long reading challenges. It stands to reason I would take some learning points from them.

First off I really missed a general place to talk to you guys. Creating a twitter group or goodreads group would have been a good thing I think. It would have been easier to share recs and ideas for all the different prompts. Quartly check-ins on the blog with you guys would have been good too I think.

Adding on to that I think this whole reading challenge was a bit too ambitious. I think I had too many prompts but also some of them were a lot harder to find a book for that I had given consideration too. I really struggled with finding books myself so I can imagine it was the same for you guys.

I also think I wasn’t too clear in my set of rules. I saw some read contemporary for the general area when it was meant to read sci-fi and fantasy for those as well. I didn’t say anything though because it is what it is. And people fill in reading challenges in whatever way they want to as well.

I am taking a lot of this on board for the reading challenges I am hosting in 2020. If you have any other feedback, please let me know? I tried to visit people but with my own life, depression and not always finding all the links it was hard for me to do so.

Please drop all your wrap up linkies down below and I will make sure to come visit you if I haven’t already!