I’m not much of a rereader. When it comes to books, there are already far more than I can keep up with. More than anyone could hope to read in a lifetime. I’ma  fairly quick reader, and it’s been several years since I didn’t have a stack of books waiting to be read for the first time. My rule for rereads is that i’ll only do it if there is a new way I can approach the books. This is why I reread Foundation last year, as I had not done so in chronological order before. The same goes for this year’s nearly-complete Dune reread. Both of this series-long rereads have taken up a fair bit of my reading time, but generally speaking have been worth it. I’ve picked up on a lot of things I didn’t catch the first time around. I don’t have another epic reread planned for 2022, but there are a few books I’m considering rereading. here is what they are, and why I think it’s worth giving them another look.

Dark Intelligence, by Neal Asher

I didn’t enjoy this book the first time around, which would have been about eight years ago now. It was a very nihilistic, grimdark space opera. But it had a lot of ideas that I’ve only become more interested in over the years. Asher is an author I’m looking at giving a second chance, and I think the best way to do that is reread the one book of his I already own, rather than taking a risk on a different volume. If I don’t like it, no investment wasted. And if I do, then it opens up a fairly large science fiction universe.

The Lost Fleet, by Jack Campbell

This is one of my all-time favourite series, and the standard to which I hold all military SF. It’s one of the first adult series I kept up with as books were being released (and the one I’ve convinced the most friends to read). It’s a long series so I doubt I’ll have time for it. But I think reading it closer together than the original release dates allowed could be rewarding, especially as the series splits off into sequels, prequels, and spin-offs.

Genellan, by Scott G. Gier

A series I’ve never seen talked about elsewhere, this was one the first adult Sf books I can remember buying. It has been years and years since I last read them, and the series is sadly incomplete due to the author’s failing health. however, this is not the trilogy I used to imagine it as. There is a fourth volume, available only as an ebook. While I don’t enjoy reading digitally, I do want to see where Gier left the series. I also just want an excuse to talk about this series, and how better than a full reread.

Remembrance of Earth’s Past, by Cixin Liu

Beginning with the famous The Three-Body Problem, this series is one of the greats of modern SF. This is a series I remember fairly well, but I think it’s rich enough thematically that it would reward a second read. It’s also a series that I would love to do a deep dive into for this blog, but that would be quite a time investment. Now that a lot of the initial buzz around this book has died down, I’d  like to see if it’s as good as I remember. Plus it seems like a good idea to refresh my memory of it before the Netflix adaptation arrives in a few years’ time.

Sun Eater, by Christopher Ruocchio

Speaking of thematically rich epics, Ruocchio’s series is the only one on this list that’s incomplete. I don’t plan to reread this one any time soon, but I do intend to read through the entire series before the release of the final volume in 2023-2024. I’m also a little annoyed at myself for not having reviewed Empire of Silence after it inspired me to take up blogging, and I can’t fairly do that until it’s fresh in my mind.

X-Wing, by Michael A. Stackpole & Aaron Alston

This little corner of the Star Wars Expanded Universe was a big part of my childhood, and I read it completely out of order. I remember missing out on The Krytos Trap for years, not knowing how one book led to another. I want to read a lot more Star Wars in general, but if I get the time for a reread, this is where I will be starting. Whether or not I fit in the newer Alphabet Squadron books before or after, I have no idea.

Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I meant to get this one done before I read Children of Ruin, but in the end that didn’t happen. With a third book in the works, I may well end up rereading both books in preparation. This is the one I’m most on the fence about, as I remember it fairly well, but I do want to see how the series compares when finished. However, each book is effectively a standalone, so I’m not missing out on much if I don’t get around to a second read.

What about you? Are you a serial rereader? Or do you take a one-and-done approach to books? Let me know in the comments.