Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 363986 times)

Babi · « **Reply #1360 on:** April 07, 2012, 08:27:17 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.

Links:
Fantastic Fiction, bibliographies of 15,000 authors

Discussion Leader: PatH

Good luck, HALLIE. You would think the sales descriptions would specify whether a book
was large print, wouldn't you? Have you checked to see if any of the options enable you to
specify large print? Maybe some of our bookies here would know how to identify the lp books.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1361 on:** April 07, 2012, 10:45:32 AM »

Thanks, Babi, I don't remember seeing any designation of the books being available in large print but I shall take another look. I didn't check Amazon for paperbacks, that's next.

Steph · « **Reply #1362 on:** April 07, 2012, 11:21:59 AM »

Sookie and I are at the end of the latest book.. Harris does a fine job of the supernatural world. Some are good, some evil, no race left out.. INteresting.

Steph · « **Reply #1363 on:** April 09, 2012, 05:57:40 AM »

Found one of the first Miles books.. This is Barrayar.. The story of Miles Mother and father and how she adjusted to living in the culture. Interesting..She is quite an interesting character in her own right.

Babi · « **Reply #1364 on:** April 09, 2012, 08:41:33 AM »

She is indeed. In fact, those books are full of highly individualized characters. The author has
written other books as well, which I dearly loved.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1365 on:** April 09, 2012, 11:34:07 AM »

I was going to check out the Sisterhood of Dune and was amazed at the amount of books I've missed that were written about Dune. The last Dune book Frank Herbert wrote is what I purchased. I did read one of Brian Herbert's books, don't now remember which one. There are a lot more Dune books than I realized, any recommendations?

marcie · « **Reply #1366 on:** April 09, 2012, 10:37:38 PM »

HallieMae, I would suggest that you read the books written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson in order of publication. I think that I stopped after The Battle of Corrin. I'll probably read the rest when I get some time.

Steph · « **Reply #1367 on:** April 10, 2012, 06:12:37 AM »

Iloved the ones that Frank wrote, but stopped with Brian. Just got too toocomplicated.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1368 on:** April 10, 2012, 04:51:16 PM »

Thanks Marcie, that's a good suggestion. i think I'll stretch out my "Dune" book reading for a while.

Steph, it's been a while since i read one of the Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson books, i don't think i liked it as much as Frank Herbert's books.

At any rate I'm getting into the complicated world of Chapterhouse: Dune.

Babi · « **Reply #1369 on:** April 11, 2012, 08:23:10 AM »

Alas, HALLIEMAE, I found the Dune books deteriorated the further they went.
The first was, to me, a masterpiece. The last one I read I actually disliked.
Too bad.
Thanks for mentioning the Herbert/Anderson books, MARCIE. I don't believe
I've read any of those.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1370 on:** April 11, 2012, 03:34:24 PM »

Babi, I agree the first book was the best. I can't imagine anyone who saw the Dune movie without having read the book would be able to make heads or tails of it, but I liked it.

So far Chapterhouse is lots of talk, mentat, reverend mothers, etc but very little action, still don't know who the good guys are yet.

Babi · « **Reply #1371 on:** April 12, 2012, 08:29:41 AM »

Even the good guys can be pretty tough, HALLIE.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1372 on:** April 12, 2012, 02:22:19 PM »

Babi, I'll let you know if I ever get to the point of figuring out what the heck is going on

PatH · « **Reply #1373 on:** April 12, 2012, 02:28:51 PM »

You two aren't selling me on reading the book.

Steph · « **Reply #1374 on:** April 13, 2012, 06:21:22 AM »

A good example of why I gave up on the Dune books..

Babi · « **Reply #1375 on:** April 13, 2012, 08:37:15 AM »

PATH, "DUNE" you can read with every expectation of a rich erxperrience. It was/is great! The
whole scene simply got carried too far in the later books. In 'Dune' even the chapter headings
were intriguing and contributed greatly to the background.

PatH · « **Reply #1376 on:** April 13, 2012, 10:15:13 AM »

Babi, I read Dune recently, and you're right. Sometime I will probably continue on, reading more until they start getting too overdone.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1377 on:** April 13, 2012, 11:11:03 AM »

OK, I'm puzzled, I did read the first two Dune books by Frank Herbert. True, that was several years ago, so maybe I have a faulty memory. This third book by Frank Herbert which I understand was his last, Chapterhouse:Dune, I'm reading now doesn't seem to have any connection to the second book. To me it seems as if there is a gap of information between the #2 and #3 books.. Either that or I'm really going around the bend and forgetting way too much

marcie · « **Reply #1378 on:** April 13, 2012, 08:32:34 PM »

HallieMae

You'll find a list of Dune books in the order they were published here:
http://dunepedia.wetpaint.com/page/Category%3A+Dune+Universe+Books

Here is a list of the books in the chronological order of the "Dune universe"
http://dunepedia.wetpaint.com/page/List+of+Books+in+Chronological+Order

In both lists there are three books by Frank Herbert that you've missed in between DUNE MESSIAH and CHAPTERHOUSE DUNE:

CHILDREN OF DUNE
GOD EMPEROR OF DUNE
HERETICS OF DUNE

PatH · « **Reply #1379 on:** April 13, 2012, 10:05:46 PM »

I'm glad you straightened out the Dune chronology, marcie, because I wasn't doing to well at trying to figure it out. I did come across something interesting, though. After Dune was serialized in Analog, Herbert had trouble getting it published as a book. One of the 20 rejections started off "I might be making the mistake of the decade, but...." The eventual publisher was a small house best known for its auto repair manuals.

marcie · « **Reply #1380 on:** April 13, 2012, 11:20:43 PM »

"I might be making the mistake of the decade, but...." Oh my gosh, Pat. What a mistake it was!!

Steph · « **Reply #1381 on:** April 14, 2012, 06:51:00 AM »

Thats like all of the publishing houses that passed on Harry Potter.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1382 on:** April 14, 2012, 11:15:27 AM »

Marcie, thanks, that's just what I needed a chronological list. No wonder I was lost

I do believe I read "Children of Dune" and I vaguely recall that I didn't like it so never looked for more Dune books. And there certainly are plenty of them! I'm beginning to enjoy this one it's starting to come together for me. I may backtrack and pick up on the two after "Children"

My all time favorite sci/fi books are the dragon books by Anne McCaffrey, her son is carrying on stories of Pern very well.

PatH · « **Reply #1383 on:** April 14, 2012, 11:26:56 AM »

Well, you landed in a nest of McCaffrey fans, HallieMae, though opinions are divided about her son.

Steph · « **Reply #1384 on:** April 15, 2012, 06:06:13 AM »

I loved Anne, but am not really that fond of the sons stuff. Too much war, not enough dragons and girls.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1385 on:** April 15, 2012, 02:56:19 PM »

Steph, you may be right, I get Pern withdrawal now and then so I'll read her son's stuff, she seems to think he's OK. I've re-read all the books at least twice. I've read her other books, but have to say I'm totally enamored with Pern and the idea of having my very own dragon

How about Jean Auel's books, the first I actually never read "The Clan of the Cave Bear" but have read the rest of them.
2. The Valley of Horses, 1982
3. The Mammoth Hunters, 1985
4. The Plains of Passage, 1990
5. The Shelters of Stone, 2002
6. The Land of Painted Caves, 2011

Steph · « **Reply #1386 on:** April 16, 2012, 06:05:40 AM »

I liked all of Anne McCaffrey.. She lived for a brief period in my home state of Delaware.. not close to where I was, but the only city at that time.. Wilmington. She died last year as I recall.
The Catch Trap was an early novel of hers and I loved it. But like you < I really want my own dragon and the ability to talk with it by minds..

HallieMae · « **Reply #1387 on:** April 16, 2012, 11:33:12 AM »

Steph, I just looked her up in Wikopedia.. O my gosh, the books I haven'tread!!
She died in November 2011 of a stroke at age 85 in ireland where she had lived for many years.

I really thought i had read all or at least most of her books. Wrong, I couldn't believe how many she wrote, I've got a lot of catching up to do

PatH · « **Reply #1388 on:** April 16, 2012, 12:02:15 PM »

HallieMae, don't forget the link to Fantastic Fiction in the heading. It gives basic information and complete bibliographies for more authors than you can imagine. It did give misleading information about Chapterhouse Dune, though.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1389 on:** April 16, 2012, 03:17:08 PM »

Thanks so much, PatH, for directing me to that fabulous link - could get lost in there

Steph · « **Reply #1390 on:** April 17, 2012, 06:27:59 AM »

McCaffrey had a gift. I will never forget The Ship Who Sang. Made me cry and think at the same time. She always said, she wrote it when her Father died as a tribute..

HallieMae · « **Reply #1391 on:** April 17, 2012, 02:34:39 PM »

Steph, I might have read that a long time ago, I'd get it again but it's not in Nook. I'm going crazy trying to figure out which book to read next. I sort of have to stick with Nook books because most paperbacks are in small print, and I can't find any notation about it being in large print. i would dearly love to read "The Ship Who Sang' and the others in the series. One book I think I'll get is "Restoree" which is apparently a very early book of hers and is in Nook form. I'll see if I can get to a book store and check out "Ship" paperbacks.

PatH · « **Reply #1392 on:** April 17, 2012, 04:13:36 PM »

Quote from: HallieMae on April 17, 2012, 02:34:39 PM

I'm going crazy trying to figure out which book to read next.

That's not a bad problem to have.

Steph · « **Reply #1393 on:** April 18, 2012, 06:29:54 AM »

Restoree is darned close to the first sci fi book she wrote.She had written several novels before that and someshort stories. The Ship would be a novella or short story really..

Babi · « **Reply #1394 on:** April 19, 2012, 06:17:48 PM »

Valerie read all of Jean Auel's books, HALLIE. I don't think I quite made it
through, but I did enjoy those I read.

I've tried to read every one of McCaffrey's books, but would be happy to learn
there was one I had missed. That would be one more to look forward to.

Steph · « **Reply #1395 on:** April 20, 2012, 06:19:09 AM »

McCaffrey wrote a lot of short stories as well and they are hard to find.. No collections that I know of. She wrote for the Sci fi magazines a lot at the beginning of her career.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1396 on:** April 20, 2012, 11:32:00 AM »

Babi, some of the Jean Auel books were heavy going but I don't read a book to take a test on it, if I can't quite get something I sail on and usually "get it" later on. My favorite was "Valley of the Horses", second favorite "Mammoth Hunters". Glad you were able to get back online, did you have "withdrawal" symptoms

Steph, I know, lucky for me, according to that list in Fantastic Fiction, I have a lot of McCaffrey books to look forward to reading. I'm starting with the earliest one I found "Restoree".

Today's "free" Friday in B&N, I usually get whatever is free, so far they have been a fairly diverse lot of books, mysteries, spy novels, etc. so I'm not totally stuck in fantasy world

I finally finished Chapterhouse:Dune, think I'll lay that series to rest for now, talk about complicated!

Babi · « **Reply #1397 on:** April 21, 2012, 09:16:28 AM »

Oh, you know I did, HALLIE. I was reduced to playing JT's block and solitaire on the TV, and
spending a lot of my time with my crossword book. And worrying about my on-line duties at
"Bleak House". And missing my friends.

But all is well again.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1398 on:** April 21, 2012, 10:47:06 AM »

Babi, I think I've seen some scenes of "Bleak House" on PBS, the name Inspector Bucket called to mind the comedy where the grand lady said it was pronouced "Bouquet".

There are so many fine offerings on PBS it's hard to keep up with them. I saw snatches of "Great Expectations", I had seen the original movie, which was totally scarifying~ I saw a good chunk of "the Mystery of Edwin Drood" mainly because the lead actor looked so familiar. Finally the dawn broke when it was mentioned he was in "Brothers & Sisters." Hard to keep up with everything.

PatH · « **Reply #1399 on:** April 21, 2012, 11:21:01 AM »

HallieMae, we had a really good discussion of Edwin Drood here a few years ago, and we're now 2/3 through another really good discussion of Bleak House. It's been going on for over two months already, so it would be hard to catch up, but if you want to try, you would be very welcome. There is some talk of doing Great Expectations later, so you could get in on the start on that one.

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Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 363986 times)