Science Fiction / Fantasy

[PatH]

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.

Links: Fantastic Fiction, bibliographies of 15,000 authors

Discussion Leader:  PatH

[mrssherlock]

Hello, Adichie, we are always happy to greet new posters and discuss their favorite authors.  FF has an update the first of the month with the new books (I look for them by author.)  I haven't read the Kress novel you mention but will check it out
Here is a link to Kress' site on FF; She has an impressive list of awards.  scrool down to the end of the page where she has listed some of her favorite books.  http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/nancy-kress/

Under Heaven, by Guy Gavriel Kay was an enchanting experience combining history of the Tang Dynasty, fantasy, strong characters and a true sense of place in the china of the 7th century.  Kay's previous book. Ysabel, takes place in modern day Provence where world famous photographer Edward Marriner, his 15-yr-old son Ned and his three assistants have begun his latest project, a book combining his photos with a narrative by an ex-pat British novelist who has made his home in Provence for 30 years.  All Kay's strengths are evident here, one can almost smell the lavendar, taste the dust on the mistral.  His lead character, Ned, is vividly portrayed in all his splendor, warts, iPod, and all.  http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/guy-gavriel-kay/ysabel.htm Now I'll have to read his other books though Yasbel is not as compelling as was Heaven/

[adichie]

Thank you everyone for the welcome and for the information.

The "Fantastic Fiction" site is just, well, fantastic!.  That should keep me busy for a long time.

Mrs. Sherlock - Thanks for the recommendation of "Under Heaven" - I am not familiar with Guy Gavriel Kay but look forward to finding out about his work.  Looks like the kind of writing I like.

Have a good day all!

[Babi]

 My library has a few Guy Kay books but neither of the two you mention, Jackie.  I picked up a couple and looked at them. I hesitate to check them out, as one is large and heavy while the other has very small print. I don't know if I'm up to the challenge.

[mrssherlock]

Guy Kay is a heckova story teller.  Provence, I learned reading Ysabel, is one of history's turning points where Celts and Romans faced off, the Roman triumph leading to the foundation of the Roman Empire.  As a nexus there are many influential points where Ned, the 15-yr-old becomes aware of the personalities from the past swirling around and repeating that confrontation.  A remarkable blend of fantasy and fiction with strong characters; the travelogue of Provence historical sites is seductive.

[JoanP]

The Results are just in -  you all have selected quite an interesting group of THREE for  the Fall line-up:
 
ZEITOUN (Eggers)- An American epic. Fifty years from now, when people want to know what happened to the once great city of New Orleans during a shameful episode of our history, they will still be talking about a family named Zeitoun
We will read and discuss David Egger's  Zeitoun in September with Ella and JoanK.  This is a true story, but as gripping as Fiction.   Just  opened today - Zeitoun .  Please drop in now and let them know whether you will be part of the discussion.

LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS (Le Guin) - Story of a lone human emissary's mission to an alien world. Groundbreaking science fiction hat leaves you thinking about gender issues, "nature vs nurture," nationalism and more.  Proposed for October


 EXCELLENT WOMEN (Pym) - High comedy about a never-married woman in her 30s, which in 1950s England makes her a nearly confirmed spinster.Often compared to Jane Austen  Proposed for November

.  

[marcie]

Yay! Another science fiction selection (after Frankenstein) has made it into the monthly featured book selections! I love Ursula LeGuin. "The Left Hand of Darkness" made a big impact on me when I first read it. It will be interesting to read it again and talk about it with others.

[Frybabe]

I am excited about dipping into another LeGuin. I've read several of her works, all of which were interesting. The one that stands out the most is the first one I read, The Lathe of Heaven. I first came across this as a made for TV movie. It left an impression.

[PatH]

I think "The Lathe of Heaven" is my favorite, but "Left Hand of Darkness" is pretty high on the list.  One I like that you don't see much is "The Word for World is Forest".

[mrssherlock]

Ursula Le Guin has penned some highly unique stories.  I have read many of her books more than once.  One book I can't find that I thought was Le Guin's is about a young woman who has grown up in a political system where people are literally only tools.  Her mother, a physician, is so numbed by the system that she has little empathy for her daughter's yearnings for love as she moves from one assignment to the next.  The story is so bleak it is almost overwhelming but it is a powerful paean to mother love by its absence.

[Frybabe]

I haven't heard of that one PatH. It's a good thing I checked my LeGuin collection. I just discovered that I never finished her short stories from The Wind's Twelve Quarters.

[Steph]

I read the Left Hand many years ago. Will look for it..

[PatH]

You've got a while, Steph, the discussion is proposed for October.

[Steph]

No,I was referring to I think I have the darned book somewhere. Not sure.

[PatH]

I think I have the darned book somewhere.

Boy does that sound familiar.

[PatH]

We have just lost Patricia Neal.  In addition to being a good actress, she did a heroic job of recovering from a massive stroke and resuming her career.  I've got to admit that (sci-fi fan that I am) I think of her mostly for her role in "The Day the Earth Stood Still".  I think she thought of it as slumming, but she did a good job, and it's classic sci-fi.  Maybe I'll re-watch it (I own it) in memoriam.

[Steph]

She was married to Rouald Dahl when she had the stroke. After that at some point, one of her children was gravely injured in a car accident or fall. Forget which. A brave woman and talented actress..Saw Witness for the Prosecution last night as part of the Law and Order class for Elderhostel.. Great fun.. Charles Laughton chewed up that scenery..

[mrssherlock]

Her voice enchanted me.  Recently I watched "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and she was magnificent.

[Steph]

NOw to find a sci fi elderhostel.. Do you suppose?? Must look in my catalog.

[PatH]

Steph, if you find one, let me know.

[Steph]

I am home from the Law and Order and did ask some of the people who have been to tons of elderhostel, They insist there have been quite a few sci fi, so I will resort to the catalogues..

[PatH]

Keep us posted, Steph.

I just finished "Space Viking" by H. Beam Piper.  I've forgotten what led me to it, but it's just about what you would expect from a book with a title like that written in 1963.  Decent quality space opera, but the plot doesn't go much of anywhere, and I don't think I agree with the author's politics.  Still, I finished it and enjoyed.

[mrssherlock]

David Weber's Honor Harrington series continues in  Mission of Honor.  Some of these writers must get paid by the word; he can spend pages in ruminations between one comment and the response.  So I skip a lot.  BUT it is still good stuff about wicked Solarian League and our guys of the Kingdom of Manticore.  Meanwhile Haven is lurking in the background waiting to see what's next. The Mesa group is keeping a low profile but are they really as tame as they appear?  Stay tuned.

[Steph]

I have read either one or two of the Honor Harrington series, but oh me, I agree the person writes like he gets paid by the word.

[Babi]

 As far as I know, I've read all the Honor Harrington books.  Loved them.  I didn't know there
was a new one.  A quick check of Fantastic Fiction and I see there are two new ones I've missed.
Thanks so much for the update, JACKIE.

[roshanarose]

I have been reading online reviews about "The Passage" by Justine Cronin and swear if I read the words "dystopia" and "post-apocalyptic" one more time I shall scream so loudly you will hear me.  And that's a loud scream! 

I guess my favourite "starter" book was "Brave New World", but Huxley was well before his time.  By "starter" I mean the book that helped to develop my impressionable mind into becoming ever so slightly less impressionable.

Has anyone read "The Passage"? 

[Steph]

Zenna Henderson who wrote very little, but what she wrote was Choice.. Oh me, she made me think about perception and difference..Woke me up to a different type of world.

[marcie]

mrssherlock and steph, thanks for the recommendation of Sharon Shinn books earlier this year. I just found a few at a local thrift store and have added them to my TBR stack.

[mrssherlock]

How I devoured the Zenna Henderson books.  Wish she was still around and still writing. http://www.adherents.com/lit/bk_Zenna.html

[PatH]

Steph, and Jackie, I reread some of Zenna Henderson a year or two ago, and although the stories show their age, they are still a good read, with the good qualities we remember.

I.....swear if I read the words "dystopia" and "post-apocalyptic" one more time I shall scream so loudly you will hear me.  And that's a loud scream! 
Has anyone read "The Passage"? 

roshanarose, I have limited tolerance for post-apocalyptic dystopias, best taken in small doses and not too often.  Probably my next post-apocalyptic book will be Mary Shelley's "The Last Man".  I meant to read it during the "Frankenstein" discussion, but didn't have time.  I think it's not a dystopia though, just the end of the world.

No, I haven't read "The Passage".  But I did recently read Connie Willis' "Passage".  It's about near-death experiences, and although very good, is kind of a downer.  Sort of like "Doomsday Book" without the cheery bits.

[Steph]

There has always been a certain type of science fiction writer, who specializes in very very strange books. I have a list of men, mostly that I simply dont even look at.

[mrssherlock]

The fantasy worlds some of the old guard created reveal much about their own needs. A E Van Vogt had a society in which high IQs lead to success.  L Ron Hubbard's views fostered the Dianetics movement, and Robert Heinlein, one of the Big Three of 50s SF (Isaac Asimov and Arthur C Clark are the other two) was enamored of the military, graduate of Annapolis, that his worlds were highly organized with emphasis on extrapolations of science/engineering.  They were writing for adolescent boys, for the most part, and there were few women in their stories.  Mostly the women appeared as a story element similar to the proverbial spear-carriers on the opera stage.  Without the advent of women SF writers and the female persona they write of, I doubt that I would read SF today.  Henderson's advent filled the void and I'm guided the way for all the women who followed her.

[Steph]

A fantasy write who I loved.. Marion Zimmer Bradley had quite a complete world. She is dead, but in her heyday, the fans wrote in her world and published as a fanzine. I have every single one of her Darkover books. She also did a small Arthur series on Guinivere and Morgan le Fey. But I did love darkover and of course Anne McCaffrey is an old favorite. I love her dragon books, although now writing with her son, he tends to love to have battles.. darn.

[PatH]

For those of you who are interested in discussing "The Left Hand of Darkness", the pre-discussion is now open:

http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=1645.0

[mrssherlock]

Pat:  Knock, knock, I can't open the door.  Error message says I'm not permitted entry.  Now, really, Pat, what did I say?  Whatever it was, I apologize.  Can't we be friends again?  (Glad I can type , this would be so hard to say with my tongue so firmly in my cheek!)

[PatH]

Jackie, it should work now.  Please stay friends .  There can be glitches in opening a new site.

[Steph]

Cant find the darned book, but will go over to the site anyway.

[marcie]

Step, I too was sure I owned a copy of THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS but can't find it. I've gotten a copy from my public library for now.

[Steph]

Found it on my paperback swap, so it should be here in the next week or so.. Hooray.
I hate it when I know I had the book, but over the years, it has slipped away.

[Babi]

 I've been reading the David Weber War God series, and liking it very much.  It is different from
the Honor Harrington series; that one was more sci/fi.  This one is less sci/fi and more fantasy,
but Weber still spends a wee bit too much time giving you technical details.  It you don't care for
that, you can just skim a page or two and get back to the 7 & 1/2 foot tall hero and gods that
actually do appear when they want to make a point.