Welcome back, one and all, to the At Boundary’s Edge summer reading roundup.. Last time around I talked about my various ambitions and goals for the year, and today I’m going to catch you up on all the series I’m currently reading.

Ongoing Universes

The Grand Tour, by Ben Bova

I continue to pick away at this multi-series epic, but am once again stymied by a lack of availability in the UK. The good news is that Bova’s books are worth the wait, and he has one of the highest batting averages in my library.

Dune, by Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson

Despite the release of Dune: Part II and the upcoming Sisterhood of Dune TV show, publication of new books appears to be on hold, at leas for the time being. That gives me plenty of time to pick up last year’s Princess of Dune, a standalone about Irulan and Chani.

Honorverse, by David Weber et al.

Another universe I’m only one book behind on, the Honorverse will definitely be continuing, with one ongoing series, and two more co-authored works waiting in the wings. It’s been nice to take a break from this series, which has grown a little bloated over time, but I’ll likely pick up future books once they make it to paperback.

Halo, by Various Authors

Despite being one of my big reading plans for 2024, Halo has fallen off my radar. There’s a lot of interconnectivity going on here, which makes diving into any particular book a bewildering experience. Not having access to Halo 5 is another issue, but I’ll still pick these books up if and when I see them for a decent price.

Star Trek, by Various Authors

I am making good progress with my TNG and DS9 relaunch reads, and have also dipped my toes into TOS via audio. I’ve already got the Mission Gamma miniseries lined up for next month, and I’m sorely tempted by some bundles of older books I’ve seen floating around.

Star Wars, by Various Authors

The new audiobook releases of the old Expanded Universe have been a great way of reconnecting with the saga. I’m holding out hope that the Coruscant Knights trilogy gets a rerelease, but until then I’m eyeing up the Wraith Squadron series and potentially some the Old Republic novels.

Warhammer 40,000, by Various Authors

This is where most of my new releases come from, and I’m doing a pretty good job of staying on top of things. There are a couple of summer releases I missed out on, but Black Library’s stellar audiobook narrators continue to lure me away from physical copies.

Ongoing Series

Xeelee, by Stephen Baxter

I’ve completed the first four Xeelee novels thanks to a chunky omnibus, which leaves me the three sequel novels to read. I’m super excited to get to these, but in the meantime I’ve got plenty more Baxter to keep me going.

Frontlines/The Palladium Wars, by Marko Kloos

I really enjoyed the mainline Frontlines series, but I’m holding off on the spin-off series Evolution until I get some sense of where the series is headed. Likewise, I’m excited for the fourth Palladium Wars novel, but I do get the feeling it’s spinning wheels rather than going anywhere in particular.

Antares, by Michael McCollum

The latest addition to this list. I picked up Antares Passage at random back in March, and I’m enjoying it so much I’ve already added the other books in the series to my wishlist.

Alex Benedict, by Jack McDevitt

Another series that’s hard to come by in the UK, these far future archaeological adventures are occasionally slow going, but ultimately very rewarding. The fact that each of the books is relatively standalone definitely helps with the long wait between volumes. I’m currently averaging one a year, but hope to pick up the pace sooner rather than later.

Sun Eater, by Christopher Ruocchio

I still rank Sun Eater as my favourite ongoing series, but developments in the latter half of the series do have me hesitant to continue. While the writing is second to none, some of the thematic underpinnings of the saga are, to put it bluntly, the least interesting path that could have been taken. I have Disquiet Gods on my shelf as I write this, and will likely get to it next month.

StarDoc, by S. L. Viehl

This medical space opera is about as cheesy as they come, but sometimes a bit of cheese can be good for you. It’s got a vaguely Trek-like charm that I can’t deny, and if the first book is anything to go by, they’ll be perfect refreshers in-between heavier novels.

Venture SF, by various Authors

This eclectic collection of space opera and military SF has offered banger after banger in a way that even the SF Masterworks range would be envious of. I’ve discovered some new favourite authors from the range, and I’m not even halfway in. I’m on the hunt for more, and my hopes are very, very high.

Finished Series

Uplift, by David Brin

David Brin’s epic six-part saga had a lot of interesting ideas, but an execution that was very shaky. Idea-driven SF is often my favourite genre, but it’s one best delivered in smaller doses. I don’t regret reading the series, but I’m unlikely to pursue Brin further.

Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card

This one hurts, because the Enderverse was one of my priorities for the year. Having read five novels, however, I can only conclude that the original is a classic that should have been left alone. Speaker for the Dead was a misfire in almost every respect, and I’ve decided to cut my losses and run before I get suckered into another sprawling epic.

Night’s Dawn, by Peter F. Hamilton

This was the big compatibility test for Peter F. Hamilton, and either he or I failed. Again, there were some promising elements, but the bloated nature of the series and a fixation on certain tropes failed to make the grade for me, and i have sadly concluded that Britain’s bestselling SF author is not for me.

Far Stars and Future Times, by Richard S. McEnroe

Despite a dip in quality for the middle novel, this trilogy was an enjoyable slice of eighties action SF. It’s a shame that McEnroe didn’t write more, as the universe was ripe for further exploration.

Skyward, by Brandon Sanderson

Knocking out one of only two YA series (the other is an epic fantasy) that I was reading, the Skyward series hit the ground running but faltered towards the end. A large part of that is me aging out of the YA tropes associated with the series, and perhaps a turning away from Sanderson’s style as a whole. The rest of that conversation, however, will play out on the other side of the boundary, in the worlds of fantasy.

So there you have it. A whirlwind tour of the series I’m in the middle of reading. Some of them, I’m nearly at the end of, whereas more are waiting in the wings for me to start something totally new. Next time on the Great Summer Reading Roundup, I’ll be concluding with a look at my Boundary’s Edge Book Bingo Challenge.