Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 364088 times)

PatH · « **Reply #440 on:** November 04, 2009, 09:00:40 AM »

Science Fiction / Fantasy

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Welcome to the whole universe! This is where we gather to share our experiences in science fiction and fantasy. We like everything, from Gregory Benford to Stephanie Meyer—hard science to magic and fantasy.

Come in, sit down with us, and tell us what you are reading or have read, what you like or dislike.

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Fantastic Fiction, bibliographies of 15,000 authors

Discussion Leader: PatH

JoanK · « **Reply #441 on:** November 04, 2009, 03:15:13 PM »

Even a dedicated non-science-fiction reader like me loved "Bellweather".

mrssherlock · « **Reply #442 on:** November 04, 2009, 06:54:30 PM »

That short story is "Even the Queen" http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/connie-willis/even-queen.htm

Steph · « **Reply #443 on:** November 05, 2009, 08:12:36 AM »

Short Story?? in a collection or magazine??

mrssherlock · « **Reply #444 on:** November 05, 2009, 10:26:16 AM »

She wrote SSs and there is at least one collection. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/connie-willis/ Firewatch is a novella about that university history department from Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog. This time they travel back to WWII London during the Blitz.

marcie · « **Reply #445 on:** November 08, 2009, 09:23:36 PM »

I just finished "Starplex" by Robert J. Sawyer. It was the first book I've read by this author, whose writing is sometimes compared with Isaac Asimov's type of "hard science"-based fiction. I enjoyed it and will look for more of his books. I'm actually on the library waiting list for his "Flashforward" which I requested after I starting watching the TV series by the same name.

"Starplex" has a setting similar to the Star Trek series--a research space ship made up of different races exploring the universe and looking for new species. The book offers explanations and extrapolations from physics and astrophysics but you don't have to understand that to enjoy the book ... believe me :-)

PatH · « **Reply #446 on:** November 08, 2009, 10:03:58 PM »

Marcie, glad to get your thumbs up on Sawyer--I had just ordered "Flash Forward", based on comments about the TV series.

marcie · « **Reply #447 on:** November 08, 2009, 11:55:23 PM »

Great, Pat. I'm watching the series but understand that the book is different. How different, I don't know yet.

Steph · « **Reply #448 on:** November 09, 2009, 07:44:09 AM »

I have a Sawyer I am trying to read, but must confess his characters strike me as wooden and I am not sure I will keep on. I am not a science fan, more of an alternate universe or fantasy

mrssherlock · « **Reply #449 on:** November 11, 2009, 02:55:47 PM »

Flashforward the novel shares very little with the tv program. There is way too much physics for most of us. Luckily those parts can be scanned or skipped altogether without interfering with the characters' events. Still, it was a satisfying read.

Babi · « **Reply #450 on:** November 12, 2009, 08:12:54 AM »

I watched the opening episode of the much touted "V" and was greatly disappointed. Very much
of the 'same old same old'. You immediately distrust the charming
'visitors'. And of course, an underground resistance movement is underway from the start. I was hoping for a different approach.

marcie · « **Reply #451 on:** November 12, 2009, 12:01:40 PM »

They have sure packed in a lot in the first couple of episodes of "V." I understand that they are only going to broadcast four episodes and then go on hiatus.

Babi · « **Reply #452 on:** November 13, 2009, 07:53:09 AM »

If that's correct, MARCIE, I'm glad I didn't get involved with the show.
I find it very irritating to have a show I've started watching chopped off
after four episodes.

marcie · « **Reply #453 on:** November 13, 2009, 11:24:38 AM »

Yes, that seems very weird to show four episodes in November and then wait until next March to continue with the rest of the 13 episodes. I wonder if they will run the first four again as a "preview"?

mrssherlock · « **Reply #454 on:** November 13, 2009, 03:14:24 PM »

The Stardoc series by SL Viehl is on my TBR list for the second time. Having read the latest one it seemed time to go back to thwe beginning again and it's almost like reading it for the first time. Physician Cherijo Grey Veil is a genius in the operating room, the product of her father's life long mentoring. While he's away at a conference she literally runs to the end of the universe, taking on the job of trauma doctor in a multi-species frontier world. She has discovered something about her father and his parenting that she's attempting to escape. Her introduction to non-Terran species medicine is trial by fire.. Stay tuned. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/v/s-l-viehl/stardoc.htm

marcie · « **Reply #455 on:** November 13, 2009, 04:51:09 PM »

mrssherlock, Thanks for the recommendation of the Stardoc series. One of my nieces has just applied to medical school so that might be an interesting one for her.

Frybabe · « **Reply #456 on:** November 13, 2009, 06:35:48 PM »

Sounds interesting MrsSherlock. I'll will keep Stardoc in mind for the future. It is going on my latest list.

PatH · « **Reply #457 on:** November 13, 2009, 06:40:44 PM »

Quote from: marcie on November 13, 2009, 11:24:38 AM

Yes, that seems very weird to show four episodes in November and then wait until next March to continue with the rest of the 13 episodes. I wonder if they will run the first four again as a "preview"?

Maybe the first four are a trial balloon, and if the audience is poor we'll never see the rest.

Babi · « **Reply #458 on:** November 15, 2009, 09:14:30 AM »

The Viehl series sounds like one i would like, JACKIE. Unfortunately, my library doesn't have it.

Sounds good to me, Pat. They can drop it, for my part.

Frybabe · « **Reply #459 on:** November 17, 2009, 10:54:29 AM »

Has anyone been watching the new "The Prisoner" series? I finally sat down to watch the first two episodes (combined on OnDemand). I couldn't watch all at once; I am not sure why. I just got too restless to watch it all at one time. Don't know if I want to watch any more, but I am curious about the boy, number 12. So far, he has had very few lines, but he always seems to be there, watching.

marcie · « **Reply #460 on:** November 17, 2009, 11:03:58 AM »

Oh shoot. I completely forgot the new miniseries of "The Prisoner" was showing this week. Thanks for reminding me, Frybabe. I'm glad to know that it is on cable "On Demand."

Over the past few weeks I had watched all 17 episodes of the original series in preparation for the new one. Those original episodes are available On Demand and online too. I enjoyed the original series although the last episode was even more bizarre than the previous 16.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #461 on:** November 17, 2009, 03:15:41 PM »

Marcie: Watching the first Prisoner may not be the best way to "see" the new one. Separating the two works best for me, not judging the one by its predecessor but viewing it as a separate entity.

marcie · « **Reply #462 on:** November 17, 2009, 10:27:00 PM »

I think you're right, mrssherlock. They are separate entities with some things in common.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #463 on:** November 20, 2009, 03:16:37 PM »

Time Travelers Never Die opens with a funeral the flashes back to introduce the players in Jack McDevitt's new book. This one has some terrific scenes and conflict resolution is quite imaginative. A-

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/jack-mcdevitt/time-travelers-never-die.htm

Babi · « **Reply #464 on:** November 21, 2009, 08:40:27 AM »

The author must be pretty good, JACKIE, if he can come up with an
imaginative conflict resolution. The options seem so limited.

PS: I almost forgot. Anyone here familiar with Sharon Shinn? I am
reading "Fortune and Fate" and thoroughly enjoying it. Unfortunately, it is not a single novel as I thought, but the fifth in a series. It's also the
only one my library has, darn it. They have two books of her short
stories, but this is the only novel. Now I have to go hunting for the
earlier books in the series, but I really want to read them.

PatH · « **Reply #465 on:** November 21, 2009, 09:52:12 AM »

I never heard of her, but Fantastic Fiction makes her sound good.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #466 on:** November 21, 2009, 10:49:43 AM »

Mystic and Rider is #1 in the series and it's on my library list now.

Babi · « **Reply #467 on:** November 22, 2009, 08:00:10 AM »

Lucky you! I'm having trouble finding the earlier books locally. I may be
forced to resort to the on-line book stores. (I keep a couple in my
favorites list, of course.)

Frybabe · « **Reply #468 on:** November 25, 2009, 01:20:28 AM »

Well, I watched NCIS tonite. This episode reminded me of Ender's Game because it involved a group of genius children who were playing war games for a government think tank. Other than that, the story did not in the least resemble Ender's Game.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #469 on:** November 28, 2009, 10:52:13 AM »

FYI:

Quote

There is no easy way to do this... Tim and I were in a traffic accident on he 11th of November. He died on the 20th.. I was injured and am now home with home nursing etc. I am sure I will eventually be ready to deal with things, but just now the world is a bit more than I can deal with.. So. I love you all and will certainly come back, but not yet. Steph

catbrown · « **Reply #470 on:** November 28, 2009, 02:47:55 PM »

Anyone here a Robert Jordan fan? Or an ex-Robert Jordan fan, wearied by the floundering in books 7, 8 and 9 (that's a lot of floundering!). Well, if you are (or were) you probably know that RJ died but left a partially written manuscript of his last book and lots of notes for his editor/ wife, who hired Brandon Sanderson to finish the series and that the first of the three final books was published in October.

I quite liked the last two written by Jordan (mostly because there was lots of Mat, my favorite character and because things actually began to happen again), but this new one by Jordan/ Sanderson just blew me away. I couldn't put the damn thing down. I think it's fully as good as the first 5 or 6 books and a lot happens to move the story along to its conclusion. On top of that, the book's ending is satisfying in and of itself.

I've been lurking, but just realized this hasn't been discussed so I thought I'd delurk, poke my nose in and see if anyone else is interested.

Oh, and I love Connie Willis!

Cathy

I just saw the quote from Steph after I posted this and have to say, having lost my husband a little over three years ago, that my heart is with you, Steph.

Frybabe · « **Reply #471 on:** November 29, 2009, 01:55:07 AM »

Sorry CatBrown, I am not familiar with Robert Jordan. What is the series about?

Babi · « **Reply #472 on:** November 29, 2009, 08:56:55 AM »

So glad you delurked, CATHY. I loved the early Jordan books, but I gave up on them eventually,..probably about the time the floundering set in. I'll look for this new one.

Robert Jordan would be hard to miss, FRYBABE. It's been a while since
he started his series, so you may have read some of them and forgotten who wrote them. The rather long list of his books should be available in Fantastic Fiction. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/

I'll let Cathy tell you what they'r about..other than fantasy, of course.
It's been so long since I read them.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #473 on:** November 29, 2009, 11:55:52 AM »

Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses series was mentioned so I reserved the first one, Mystic and Rider and it's captivating to say the least. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/sharon-shinn/mystic-and-rider.htm Shinn is a story-teller first class with a fertile imagination, much to the reader's delight. There are four more in this series and she has two other series so lots and lots of reading here, just what we all need, more books TBR. Enjoy!

Frybabe · « **Reply #474 on:** November 29, 2009, 01:33:51 PM »

Nope, Babi, don't recognize any of Jordan's books. I did see two of the Conan movies, though.

catbrown · « **Reply #475 on:** November 29, 2009, 02:01:23 PM »

What's Robert Jordan about... hmmm ... well, he's writing what at first seems the standard high fantasy savior of the world story. Boy from small town in a medieval-level world finds himself the prophesied savior of a world destined otherwise to fall into darkness.

Except, not as usual, not everyone accepts him as savior, and, in fact due to a complicated set of historical factors, he seems destined for madness and destruction just as much as he is destined as savior. Or both.

Jordan has created a very, very complicated world with a complicated history and geography. There are many cultures, all convincingly rendered and a great deal of politics. There is also a group of women with special powers who think they can control the world, supposedly for good, but who have a secret faction within them that is working against that public goal.

The first five books are wonderful, each better than the one before. The sixth book drops off a bit and then books 7-9 seriously drift, with too many minor characters introduced, characterizations (particularly of the women) sometimes becoming caricature, and the underlying story moving too slowly. Books 9-10 are much better with events beginning to seriously move toward conclusion and some longstanding prophecies being fulfilled.

As I wrote above, I think that book 11 is fantastic. I couldn't put it down and it's been a while since I found any book that worked that magic for me. There will be two more books to finish the story.

So, if high fantasy is your cup of tea, give the first book a try and see what you think: "The Eye of the World."

Cathy

Babi · « **Reply #476 on:** November 30, 2009, 08:09:09 AM »

My library doesn't have the first three Shinn books, but my elder daughter's does. I'm asking her to check them out for me.

By all means, FRYBABE, try Robert Jordan. I loved the first five or six
books.

JoanK · « **Reply #477 on:** November 30, 2009, 09:51:19 PM »

We're looking forward to seeing you at the

Holiday Open House

December 1 - 20

winsummm · « **Reply #478 on:** December 05, 2009, 01:13:34 AM »

welll, thanks to you people I have two new samples for my kindle, the sharon shinn book and another to see i I want to go on with them. I Currently have ten books going. Living alone gives me time to read and I'm being obsessive about it. over seventy books since mid march when I received the Kindle. My own life is very simmple so I've been hopping into that of others, all kinds but mosty fiction.
claire

Babi · « **Reply #479 on:** December 05, 2009, 09:23:03 AM »

Thank goodness for eyesight and books as we grow older. If the good
Lord will just preserve my eyesight- and my mind-I won't complain too
much.

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Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 364088 times)