Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy  (Read 357749 times)

PatH

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 10917
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2960 on: September 18, 2017, 09:29:57 PM »
heading

PatH

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 10917
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2961 on: September 18, 2017, 09:57:06 PM »
Frybabe, I do like Charles Stross, but the only series of his I've read is his Laundry Files, so I don't know about order for Merchant Princes.  Laundry Files had definitely better be read in order.

That online convention certainly has a lot of interesting participants.  I wonder how such a thing plays out online.  In my youth I went to a couple of local sci-fi conventions with my father.  He was a big fan, and knew some writers through L. Sprague De Camp.  (De Camp was a patent lawyer in private life, and my father was a big gun in the Patent Office.) So I got to shake hands with a few writers, and watch Isaac Asimov being a totally stuck up egotistical snob.  (To be fair, I think I saw him at his worst.)  So with an online convention you would miss the fun of seeing the writers in person, but you would gain some things too.  I await your report eagerly.


Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2962 on: September 19, 2017, 06:10:43 PM »
Okay, I admit it! I am lost in the Liaden Universe. (or I am going through a second childhood?). Three quarters of the way through Mouse and Dragon. I do adore Daav.

Now, I find myself playing lots of Two Steps from Hell songs while reading these books. The music seems to fit. Here is one that speaks of passion and love, of tragic love perhaps, souls lost to each other yet the yearning remains across time and space. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk-Sauafa6Y

 STAR SKY lyrics
Here we are
Riding the sky
Painting the night with sun
You and I, Mirrors of light
Twin flames of fire
Lit in another time and place
I knew your name
I knew your face
Your love and grace
Past and present now embrace
Worlds collide in inner space
Unstoppable, the song we play
Burn the page for me
I cannot erase the time of sleep
I cannot be loved so set me free
I cannot deliver your love
Or caress your soul so
turn that page for me
I cannot embrace the touch that you give
I cannot find solace in your words
I cannot deliver you your love
and caress your soul
Age to age
I feel the call
Memory of future dreams
You and I, riding the sky
Keeping the fire bright
From another time and place
I know your name
I know your face
Your touch and grace
All of time cannot erase
What our hearts remember stays
Forever on a song we play
Burn the page for me
I cannot erase the time of sleep
I cannot be loved so set me free
I cannot deliver your love
Or caress your soul so
turn that page for me
I cannot embrace the touch that you give
I cannot find solace in your words
I cannot deliver you your love
or caress your soul


Two Steps From Hell - Battlecry 2015 Composed by Thomas Bergersen Female vocals Felicia Farrere

Bergersen and his production company specialize in Epic music for movies, gaming platforms, etc. The Two Steps from Hello motto is: Music makes you braver.

PatH

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 10917
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2963 on: September 22, 2017, 10:02:15 AM »
Frybabe, thanks for the Two Steps clip.  It's good you gave me the lyrics, since I found the vocalists very hard to understand, and the lyrics were good.

I don't know if it's better to have a lot of a series available at once to binge on, or to have to wait eagerly for the next in line.  I got part of both.  When I started reading the Liaden series, the first 5 had been written, Conflict of Honors, Agent of Change, Carpe Diem, Plan B, Scout's Progress, and I Dare.  They were available, but the authors were in the midst of a publisher change, and those of the background stories that had been written were hard to find.  Those 5 make a complete phase of Korval's history; the following books add many new characters to the old, and go in several directions.  I've been working through them as they come out in paperback, am currently reading Alliance of Equals.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2964 on: September 22, 2017, 12:22:52 PM »
Pat, I've just finished rereading Conflict of Honors, and a good thing I did. There are things I'd forgotten (like where the writers actually made a comment about how the Liadens seemed similar to elves), and things that were made richer or were clarified by reading the "earlier" books by timeline. Now, although I hated to say goodbye to Daav and now Shan and Pricilla, I am anxious to reread all about Val Con and his escapades.

Are you liking the Theo Waitley section? I read some of the brief descriptions of them and see they get more modern what with her interfacing with AI and all. Not sure I want to follow that route. Theo was just briefly introduced in I Dare (if I remember correctly). I will have to find a copy of Saltation before continuing along her line. I physically have Fledgling, Ghost Ship and Necessity's Child; the rest I will need to get my hands on when the time comes.

The Warden is going to be a nice respite, if ever so briefly.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2965 on: September 29, 2017, 07:37:54 AM »
Interesting list of underrated SciFi/Fantasy books. http://www.unboundworlds.com/2017/09/26-underrated-sci-fi-fantasy-gems-shouldnt-miss/?cdi=13F0CB1F062E09D7E0534FD66B0A73BA&ref=PRH2028E2388CC9

I have seen at least four of these that I have never read. The only one I have read is Elizabeth Moon's The Speed of Dark which I am sad to see is on the list. It is worth reading.

I am now progressing through a reread of Plan B. One more book featuring Val Con and Mire, I think, and they it switches to Theo Waitley? Picturing Miri and some of the larger characters in the series seems almost comic, especially as she is also described as child-like in appearance. I don't even want to picture the more intimate moments between Val Con and her. It is not something that bothered me the first time I read it, but with all the awareness/media coverage of pedophiles, sexual predictors and offenses, I am now a bit uncomfortable with it, even though the character is around 28 years old. But a tiny, child-like female bossing around big, bulky men does make me laugh.

PatH

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 10917
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2966 on: September 29, 2017, 11:06:07 AM »
My computer rejected your link, saying to check with my administrator.  What were some of the titles on the list?  Elizabeth Moon is definitely underappreciated.

Val Con is only tall for a Liaden, so he and Miri probably aren't that disparate.  But it's amusing to see her totally bringing Nelirikk under her thumb, even though she has to stand on a box to look him in the eye.

You're right; one more book before we switch.  I Dare spends a lot of time with Val Con's cousin Pat Rin, previously not a factor.  Then we switch to Theo completely in Fledgling and Saltation, then the two stories start to recombine again.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2967 on: September 29, 2017, 12:39:24 PM »
What a shame you can't get the link. Here is the list:

Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Daughter of the Empire by Raymond Fiest and Janny Wurts
Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover
The Devourers by Indra Das
The Mark of Ran by Paul Kearney
The Lion of Senet by Jennifer Fallon
     (The previous two are first books of a series)
The Echo by James Smythe
The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling
The Sparrow Mary Doria Russell
     (I may have this one on my library wishlist or almost picked it up to read)
Lamentation by Ken Scholes
The House of Shattered Wings by Annette De Bodard
The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord
The Hidden City by Michelle West
The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
The Grass Dancer by Susan Power (Native American themed)
House of Stairs by William Sleator
The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway
The Rook by Daniel O'Malley (I put this on my library list)
White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman
The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden by Catherynne Valente, Illustrations by Michael Kaluta (folklore inspired stories)
Od Magic by Patricia A. McKillip
Wytches by Scot Snyder and Jock

list by Keith Rice in the September 20, 2017 edition of the webmag,Unbound Worlds






Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2968 on: October 01, 2017, 07:58:25 AM »
Pat, I decided to read Fledgling next in accordance with the overall timeline. It answers the question (kind of, so far) as to who she is, and I get the background before she shows up at the end of I Dare.

I am into Chapter Six now. So far, I don't care for Theo's mother, I certainly do not like the school she is stuck with, and Daav (aka: Jen Sar) is a faint shadow of himself as the story opens. This is the first time I've seen the word "texting" in the series and don't remember previous mention of moving walkways. The book seems a bit disconcerting to the mood of the series (or my mood and attitude toward Liad). Lee and Miller may be bringing the Korvals up-to-date with the more advanced SciFi writings as, I believe, later on Theo gets involved with AI.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2969 on: October 02, 2017, 07:10:36 AM »
Well, things progress. Daav seems back to himself. The space liner trip (where I am now) is most interesting. I do dispise academic politics with all its infighting and backstabbing, and yes, sometimes deceit, fraud and theft of other's research. I have known at least two people, personally, who were victims of such maneuvers and what it cost them.  So I read this book with a hard glare and grumble.


PatH

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 10917
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2970 on: October 02, 2017, 08:48:54 PM »
The whole Delgado culture is unappealing, with its totally risk-averse setup combined with cut-throat academics.  Theo does get out into the wide world, and does get involved with AIs, and it's not clear yet as far as I've gotten where this will lead.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2971 on: October 05, 2017, 05:28:25 PM »
Every once in a while I check on the status of upcoming books in a series I am reading. In the case, I have once agailooked into Lucas Bale's fourth of the "Beyond the Wall" series. Bale (pen name for Andrew Mazibrada) had mentioned it would be completed back in 2015. So far, it has not been published. However, he has been a busy beaver as he continues as editor of Sidetracked Magazine) under his real name and does some traveling connected to it. He also has co-authored two of Matthew Mather's New Earth series books. I am beginning to lose hope of seeing the concluding book for the Beyond the Wall series. A shame, because I thought it an excellent series.

I took a break from Liaden universe and am suffering for it. I am almost done with Forbe's fourth in the War Eternal series and will probably go no further. Also started reading for our newest book discussion.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2972 on: October 07, 2017, 07:49:14 AM »
I just learned that we are in the middle of World Space Week (Oct 4 - Oct 10) They have a website. http://www.worldspaceweek.org/ The few events I checked out seem to be aimed at grade and middle school students.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2973 on: October 10, 2017, 06:35:59 AM »
Interested in a little Pioneer/Saturn history? Here is a pamphlet put out by NASA which includes pictures and charts as well as a list of experiments and their principal investigators. My how far we've come. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55695

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2974 on: October 16, 2017, 09:14:44 PM »
I just finished Dragon Ship and realized that I read that out of order, kind of. Necessity's Child probably should have been next, but I think there is some overlap in time for these. Some new developments in Dragon Ship show interesting potential for later books.

When I opened Necessity's Child I noticed the book had the authors' signatures. At first I thought it was printed because it seemed so smooth on the signature page, but when I turned the page I could definitely feel and see the slight indents made by hand signing. Usually when there is a signature, the book seller charges a bit more. I guess I got lucky. As with some of the others, NC is starting out a bit strangely and with some new characters.

Pat, you may have noticed I gave up on Barchester Towers pretty quick. I enjoyed the first chapter and then things seemed to get confusing and I wasn't up to reading the tons of info the group is posting. I am guessing I am not that interested in the ins and outs of church doings. When I bought The Warden years ago, I didn't know what it was about and certainly wasn't thinking church.

PatH

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 10917
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2975 on: October 17, 2017, 04:56:21 AM »
It's cutthroat church politics without much Christianity visible--a real power struggle.  Makes one appreciate the wisdom of separation of church and state.

PatH

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 10917
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2976 on: October 17, 2017, 05:00:02 AM »
Necessity's child is rather strange, and doesn't have much to do with Dragon Ship. I kind of think it came after, but not sure.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2977 on: October 21, 2017, 05:36:45 AM »
Finished Necessity's Child last night. It is the least interesting of all the series so far. Now on to Dragon in Exile. Looks like I only have two more books to catch up before the newest one is realeased.

BTW, nature surprised me with a birthday present last week. A five week old long-haired ginger kitty who I named Shan. He is too young for shots and flea treatment. I must wait until the first week of Nov. for that. He is in very good shape, no ear mites or worms (amazingly). Unfortunately, he must still stay out on the unheated, uninsulated, enclosed porch until I get the ok to lift quarantine. To be on the safe side I have ordered flea treatment for Oscar and Lucy who have never had to deal the the little nasties. I do not ever, ever, want to have to go through the nasty episode I had once upon a time that included vacating my house for a day to bug bomb the place. Other than defleaing my three cats at the time, I cannot remember what I did with them for a whole day while we waited to get back in the house.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2978 on: October 24, 2017, 02:59:03 PM »
Shan yos'Galan's namesake, at six weeks old. Taken this afternoon.


PatH

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 10917
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2979 on: October 24, 2017, 09:45:36 PM »
Wow.  Gorgeous, and worthy of the name.  But watch out.  The luck runs roughly around that clan. ;)

I've been traveling, and coming back yesterday, the middle aged man sitting next to me on the plane was reading the second of Dan Simmons' Hyperion series.  He seemed surprised when I mentioned I had read the first--guess you don't expect people who look like me to read that kind of thing.  He was rereading it, having read the whole 4 book series, and said that everything gets well tied up at the end.  Good thing I didn't start off with my impression.  I used my standard comment: "I had issues with it but liked (fill in the blank)", which lets us talk without annoying each other.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2980 on: October 28, 2017, 11:57:33 AM »
I've caught up with all the Liaden books, now I have to wait for the next to release.

I sure like Tolly. Shan (the character, not my kitty) had a very close call. Ren Zel hinted at his death, but nothing came of it in this last book.

I tried reading another of Marion Zimmer Bradley's books, The Planet Savers, and a short story by Robert Sheckley, "Watchbird", but couldn't get interested in them.

Next week I hope to be reading Evan Currie's latest in his On Silver Wings series. For now, I am continuing with Wind in the Willows and a few short stories.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2981 on: October 29, 2017, 07:08:25 AM »
It appears I misspoke. I missed The Gathering Edge which comes before Alliance of Equals. I'll have to download that in a few minutes. I thought Theo got dropped from the story rather abruptly. 

PatH

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 10917
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2982 on: October 29, 2017, 02:34:33 PM »
No, The Gathering Edge comes after Alliance of Equals.  It won't be out in paperback until next July, and my library doesn't get the series, so I haven't read it yet, but indeed, it gets back to Theo.

One of the many collections of fill-in short stories and scraps that Lee and Miller have put out has the story of how Ren Zel was kicked out of his clan--unfairly, you will not be surprised to learn.  I can't quite imagine the details of his hinted end, but whatever happens, it will be spectacular.

By the way, I have a friend named Steve Miller.  He's never read any sci-fi, and was surprised to learn he has a literary namesake, seemed totally uninterested in reading any.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2983 on: October 30, 2017, 05:53:57 AM »
Pat, along with The Gathering Edge, I picked up the two short story, Due Diligence. I want to get a hold of the 2nd and 3rd Constellation volumes of short stories; Constellation vol. 1 doesn't interest me so much. The Liaden books are never put on sale as far as I can tell, and the newer used print books are often as expensive (sometimes more) than buying new. Admittedly, I didn't look too hard this time. My library also doe not carry the series. So, I bit the bullet and bought the last three or four for my Kindle. These,  Jack Campbell's books, and some of the Halo series books are the only ones I have paid for at full price.


JoanK

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 8685
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2984 on: November 02, 2017, 05:16:06 PM »
Reading a fun sci do mystery. "We Have Lost the Coffee"by Paul Matthewsa. In 2045 Britain, there has been a revolution and the Royals kicked out out. Rogue members of the royal family are plotting a counterreolution. Meanwhile, due to the Coffee wars, Enngland is a out of coffee, and people are getting desparate, and resorting to crime. The government's secret supply has been stolen, and our secret agent is on the trail, steaLing coffee sips as he goes.



Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2985 on: November 03, 2017, 06:33:30 AM »
Joan, is that the author who wrote We Have Lost the President? Amazon has been featuring this book for a while now and I just saw the one you are reading a few days ago. Catchy titles.

JoanK

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 8685
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2986 on: November 03, 2017, 04:56:22 PM »
Yes. I assume it,a part of the same series. They are free on Amazon unlimited.
Their

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2987 on: November 07, 2017, 07:54:34 AM »
I finished reading Evan Currie's Open Arms the other day. It was not particularly compelling. I will probably not continue with this series. I get the impression that even Currie was unsure of the book from a comment of his I read, I think, in his forward. What did interest me was the cover art. It very much reminds me of some of the Liaden Universe covers. Some of the elements are similar.

Currie's Open Arms cover: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/evan-currie/open-arms.htm

Liaden covers: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/sharon-lee/dragon-variation.htm

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/sharon-lee/crystal-variation.htm

PatH

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 10917
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2988 on: November 07, 2017, 09:50:30 AM »
Definitely similar, though I think they're different artists.  Possibly a current style?

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2989 on: November 09, 2017, 09:28:31 AM »
Just starting Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space. I am surprised to discover characters from The Prefect in it already. I thought it was set farther back in the timeline.

BTW, Reynolds has re-released The Prefect with a new title, Aurora Rising to better complement the sequel to it. As far as I know, he did not change the text any, just the title. I wonder if he is going to continue more of Panoply and its inspectors. I hope so; I did really like the story.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2990 on: November 13, 2017, 04:51:42 AM »
I am glad I am reading Revelation Space. Some of the history of the universe is in The Prefect but Revelation Space explains it all in more depth. Also, I know know where the title for the first book and series comes from. Still, it is almost as confusing at times as The Prefect was.


PatH

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 10917
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2991 on: November 13, 2017, 09:47:09 AM »
It's been a few years, so I've forgotten a lot, but I found Revelation Space somewhat confusing.  It kept me reading, though.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2992 on: November 17, 2017, 07:58:05 AM »
Unbound Worlds list of four (only four? Really?) books about living on the moon. I am so glad that the editor included The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

I forgot that Elizabeth Moon is returning to science fiction with a new Ky Vatta series. Her first book in the series is Cold Welcome (Vatta's Peace). I very much liked her Vatta's War series so I am hoping I will like this one as well.

Just put holds on both Artemis and Cold Welcome (Vatta's Peace) at the library. I may have a chance at getting Cold Welcome before Thanksgiving. It looks like a longish list for Artemis, at least for now; the library is still processing it or has it on order. We have it in Audio CD, Large Print and regular print. Weir has already sold the rights to Artemis to 20th Century Fox.

Did I mention that the DVD for Valerian: The City of a Thousand Planets is now on pre-order. Don't remember the release date. Want something light, very colorful, and with no swearing or sex, and very little violence (and at that, mild)? This will do just fine. I really liked it despite the less than stellar reviews.


PatH

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 10917
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2993 on: November 17, 2017, 08:47:00 PM »
Frybabe, thanks for the update on Elizabeth Moon.  I'm stuck for library books now, since the only branch I can get to by public transportation has closed for renovations.

Thanks also for the news about the Valerian DVD.  I really wanted to see it, but it wasn't around much here.  And since the opening 20 minutes or so is supposed to be pretty spectacular, I'll be glad to be able to replay.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2994 on: November 19, 2017, 06:37:52 AM »
Cold Welcome was at the library on Sat. for me to pick up. Now I have to read furiously to finish reading Revelation Space, and read the non-fiction book I borrowed from the Free Library of Philadelphia, as well as this one before I must attempt to renew any of them.

I must say that the Calvin beta and Dan Sylveste in Revelation Space are two very arrogant characters and not likeable. I don't much like Pascale either, who Dan married even though he knew she was deceptive and not quite trustworthy. "this a case of "keep your friends close (not the Dan has any of those), but keep your enemies closer"? The Ultras are more than a little strange and a pretty nasty bunch. In fact, I think that most of the book is focusing on nasty people dealing with other nasty people. It does serve to explain the Ultras more fully than in The Prefect.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2995 on: November 21, 2017, 06:02:40 AM »
I am close to 80% done with Revelation Space, and I've gotten to the big confrontation (mutiny?) within the ship over bombing the suspicious "planet". What I noticed is that it is the guys vs. the gals in this struggle.

Another observation is that the Melding Plague reminds me of a cancer and the struggle to find a cure(s) for it. Reynolds has incorporated the struggle at a viral level where the virus is able to adapt and overcome attempts to kill it off.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2996 on: November 22, 2017, 05:33:52 AM »
Almost done. The book narrative has turned into one of those horror/blood bath on a spaceship things which I so very much dislike. However, I persevere since I am so close to the end. All in all, I liked The Prefect (now called Aurora Rising) so much better.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2997 on: November 29, 2017, 06:07:02 AM »
I am about a quarter of the way through Cold Welcome now. It primarily, so far, about sea search and rescue, and survival in foul weather conditions. Moon supplies a large dose of survival gear, prep and procedure for lifeboats, and survival until rescue, as well. Also, there is some info on tidal and weather conditions that affect probable/possible search areas.

PatH

  • BooksDL
  • Posts: 10917
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2998 on: November 29, 2017, 11:13:23 AM »
Sounds like something I would like.

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9939
Re: Science Fiction / Fantasy
« Reply #2999 on: November 30, 2017, 06:10:30 AM »
Ah, now we get to how to survive an arctic winter and one or more saboteurs who are still about, and how to communicate with and be rescued by the good guys before the bad guys show up.