What we do and don't read
We usually read character led Science Fiction paperbacks which could be anything from New Wave SF, Modern novels with an SF slant, Cross Genera SF, Dystopian Fiction, Feminist SF, Literary SF, Post-Apocalyptic SF, Short Story Collections, Space Opera or anything else that helps us become 'Well Read' in SF. We try to pick books that are as likely to appeal to men as women and will generally be no more than 400 pages long. Something that a commuter will easily be able to finish within one month.

We will not read vampire novels, multipart series, Star-Trek/Star-Wars/RPG/TV/Movie novelisations or most books with leather/PVC clad cyber-assassin-strong-yet-sensitive-robo-ultrababes on the front cover***.


Upcoming Books
We generally try to provide at least one months notice of the upcoming book to allow people plenty of time to read them. Suggestions for books are always welcome. If you want to suggest a book, add it to your profile in the appropriate place by going here.


Group size
So that each meeting do not get too busy a maximum limit of 16 places per meeting has been set. Members are expected to RSVP before attending to allow us to control the number attending and provide the best experience for as many as possible. Those simply turning up without an RSVP will be asked to return with an RSVP.


How much is membership
Membership is free but unless otherwise stated Bookclub meetings are charge at £2 per meeting. This covers our costs, provides us modest amount to advertise with and reduces 'tourists' taking all the places & never attending. Members have to pay their dues when they RSVP. Refunds will only be offered if the meeting is cancelled or rescheduled. Membership dues are made for named meetings and do not provide a form of credit that can be transferred between meetings. Everything you need to know about Membership Dues is here.


Two strikes and your out policy
It has always been the case that those who change their RSVP from YES to NO tend to do so at the last minute, making it unlikely that someone else will see that a place has become available, let alone have time to read the book. Over the last few months the number of people on a waiting list has also steadily increased and now usually hovers between 1-3 people. Clearly there are more people keen to attend than we can comfortably accommodate. So for these reasons there is a two-strikes-and-you're-out-policy for those changing their RSVP from YES to NO within 48 hours of a meeting or those simply don't turning up. When I say "Out" I mean being removed from the group and banned from rejoining.

Sadly Your Glorious Leader ® is not really in a position to judge whether people have a legitimate reason for pulling out of a meeting at the last minute and it would be foolish to try. What we do know from personal experience is that when people are aware of this type of policy they tend to change their RSVP much much earlier, which helps everyone.


"My god Jim, I'm a bookclub, not a billboard"
or absolutely no commercial or link building fake memberships
Any 'members' seen to place links advertising any blogs/books/products/websites whatsoever or mails members with similar material will be immediately removed from the group and banned from rejoining.


Contact us
If you would like to contact the Glorious Leader ® of the Science Fiction Book Club please feel free to do so through the meetup site.**


** Spam
Unsolicited Commercial, Public Relations, Advertising or "I thought you might be interested" emails will automatically be blacklisted and forwarded onto Spamhaus and recorded as spam. You have been warned. We will also never provide our members email address to a commercial company or email our members on anyone else's behalf, so please don't ask! Its embarrassing.

*** Star-Trek/Star-Wars or RPG novelisations
I know they are popular but they are the Sci-Fi equivalent of Mills and Boone.