Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 370722 times)

Babi · « **Reply #1240 on:** December 07, 2011, 08:31:29 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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Discussion Leader: PatH

Laughing modes are definitely good! Enjoy.

JoanK · « **Reply #1241 on:** December 07, 2011, 11:31:36 AM »

This isn't JoanK, it's PatH using Joan's computer. Any giggles you may hear coming from the west ar the two of us laughing together.

Babi, I forget whether you have read any Scalzi. The Old Men's War series is very good, but, especially the first one, have a lot of profanity, violence, and gory scenes of aliens and humans being splatted to bits. They get less and less violent as they go on, but should be read in order.

Agent to the Stars and Fuzzy Nation are lighthearted, funny, have very little gore, and a low profanity level.

Scalzi also wrote Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded, which is a collection of letters and his answers, bits from his blog, and other such miscellany. It's quite funny at times, but pretty miscellaneous.

One of his pieces of advice to young people wanting to become writers: "marry someone with a steady income". I'm guessing he doesn't need his wife's income now, but he's very grateful to her for her earlier support.

Babi · « **Reply #1242 on:** December 08, 2011, 08:08:35 AM »

"Agent to the Stars" and "Fuzzy Nation" are the two I was interested in trying. The county
library has "Fuzzy Nation", so I'll ask my older daughter to bring me that one when she can.
"Agent to the Stars" I haven't found so far. The Paperback Swap Club has a lot of Scalzi books,
but only for sale; none available from swap members. I'm perfectly willing to skip the bloody
old men.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1243 on:** December 08, 2011, 11:29:43 AM »

Babi, Agent to the Stars was originally a free e-book, because as the author stated, he wanted to see if he could actually write. It has since been printed and is available for sale in print, but the original e-book is still free. http://www.manybooks.net/titles/scalzijother06agent_to_the_stars.html There are typos, etc. in the original e-book that may or may not have been corrected in the print version. Have fun reading it.

JoanK · « **Reply #1244 on:** December 08, 2011, 12:58:45 PM »

This is PatH, using JoanK's computer. The paperback agent still has some typos, but I'm guessing they got most of them.

Steph · « **Reply #1245 on:** December 09, 2011, 05:40:51 AM »

I may give him a try. I read the original of the science fiction novel..Many many years ago.

Babi · « **Reply #1246 on:** December 09, 2011, 08:59:56 AM »

I'll definitely need to find a print copy, FRYBABE. I don't have any of the
e-book gadgets. I take pleasure in the books themselves; we have such a long and rewarding relationship.

Steph · « **Reply #1247 on:** December 11, 2011, 06:06:33 AM »

I am trying to get into a Mercedes Lackey..Some of them I love, others..not so much.. I need a new science fiction writer.. The writers nowadays seems to specialize in war types and I am not into that.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1248 on:** December 11, 2011, 08:33:08 AM »

Have you tried Elizabeth Moon's Remnant Population? It is about an old colonist who manages to escape being moved off her world when the rest of the colony is relocated. Mostly the book is about how free she feels from colony regulations and how she and the native population (newly discovered and the reason for the colony moving as a matter of policy) begin to interact and learn from each other.

Steph · « **Reply #1249 on:** December 12, 2011, 05:51:28 AM »

I like Elizabeth Moon and have not read anything of hers in quite a while.. Will look for it.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1250 on:** December 28, 2011, 05:23:54 PM »

I stopped into the local used bookstore and came away with Jack McDevitt's Infinity Beach. Don't laugh. I am not a video game fan, but I really must get my hands on the Halo books which came out of the video game of the same name. after seeing trailers for the last version of the game. I loved the graphics. The original book was written by Eric Nylund as a promotional for the game. There was supposed to be a movie in the making, but it fell through. It seems that Microsoft wanted a big chunk of the profit from the movie without taking on any of risk to produce it. Too bad they were so greedy up front. They would have been better off being more reasonable and then making huge bucks off the movie royalties, and the toy deals that seem to accompany many movies these days. Aside from what games they sell these days, they are probably only getting royalties off the use of the Halo name in the book spin-offs.

Steph · « **Reply #1251 on:** December 29, 2011, 10:31:02 AM »

Idownloaded the first Star book by Dana Stabenow. She wrote the sci fi some years ago and I had read them, but since it was free and I had liked it, I decided to see it.. Still a compelling story.. She is such a good writer in so many genres..

Frybabe · « **Reply #1252 on:** December 29, 2011, 10:54:23 AM »

I discovered I like A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Borroughs, so I've downloaded four more of the John (Jack) Carter series. Freebies all. The rest have a charge, so I'll wait on those a while.

Steph · « **Reply #1253 on:** December 30, 2011, 06:40:10 AM »

Burroughs is so much more of a adventure writer than sci fi..

Babi · « **Reply #1254 on:** December 30, 2011, 08:41:25 AM »

True, STEPH, but he was so good at it!

So annoying! My library carries the Stabenow mysteries, but none of the
'Star' series. Of course, they are older books; perhaps that's why.

PatH · « **Reply #1255 on:** December 30, 2011, 08:39:26 PM »

Libraries are indeed annoying.

I'm back to real life after a wonderful Christmas vacation in Portland, OR. Of course part of my Christmas shopping was in Powell's book store, and while there I picked up Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Mouse and Dragon for myself. This is one of their fill-in novels, and deals with what happens to Aelliana Caylon and Daav yos'Phelium after Scout's Progress. There can't be any major surprises, since we have later info from I Dare, Fledgeling and Saltation, but it's still worth reading for fans.

It's hard to be sure, since Lee and Miller keep reshuffling their books and putting them out in combos, but I think I've now read all of their Liaden books except Ghost Ship, which isn't out in paperback yet (sigh).

Steph · « **Reply #1256 on:** December 31, 2011, 06:15:09 AM »

Babi, the free Star Svensdaghter is because the whole series ( I think only three) is being reissued for paper and ebook..So maybe your library will pick it up.
Our library insists on only keeping books on the shelves that are very very new.. they discard the older stuff. Makes no sense to me, since when I read a new ( to me) author, I want to go back and read everything they wrote.. Libraries are weird sometimes.

Babi · « **Reply #1257 on:** December 31, 2011, 09:49:52 AM »

I loved the Liaden series, and have been unhappy that I couldn't find any
more "Lee/Miller' books. Hadn't heard of "Muse and Dragon". I certainly read
"I Dare", and I think I remember the title "Saltation", but not certain.
Same with "Fledgeling" I'll have to go on the search again. Thanks so much,
PatH, for letting me know they're still out there!

Sometimes is space restrictions, STEPH. Sometimes it's budgetary limitations. And sometimes it's just a ruthless mindset for a clientele that's
partial to the 'latest' and has no interest in last years...or last century...great books.

Steph · « **Reply #1258 on:** January 01, 2012, 06:07:51 AM »

Our library has tons of space, but devotes the majority to computers, dvd's,cd's, a huge childrens section and another huge space for the teens.. It is affiliated with the adjoining community college, so they have another large space specifically for them.. Another large room for genealogy.. But general fiction suffers.

Babi · « **Reply #1259 on:** January 01, 2012, 08:24:32 AM »

I suppose every good library adapts itself to its community. Probably is the
best and most useful approach. You can still ask them to find some of the
authors you want. I'm sure they'll be glad to accommodate you. My small
library is always very helpful and obliging.

marjifay · « **Reply #1260 on:** January 01, 2012, 02:00:07 PM »

I just peeked into this group this morning which I haven't done before. I'd never heard of the Lee/Miller Liaden series, Babi, but I don't read much Sci-Fi. I put I DARE on my TBR list. Their books get very good reviews at Amazon, I see.

I did just finish HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins with another book group. It was kind of a YA Sci-Fi book, not bad, but not good enough that I'll read the others in the trilogy.

Am currently reading Stephen King's 11/22/63 which I'm enjoying. Have only read one other by him, The Stand, which was also very good.

That's too bad, Steph, that your library puts general fiction low on their list. Makes me realize how lucky I am to be so near to great libraries from Los Angeles and Orange Counties, as well as several city libraries. I would hope your library would order from other libraries or purchase books you request.

Marj

PatH · « **Reply #1261 on:** January 01, 2012, 08:19:08 PM »

Marjifay, I hope you will come to love Lee and Miller's books as a lot of us do, but don't start with I Dare. It's the fifth of a series that sort of has to be read in order, and it won't make much sense if you read it first.

The five are:
Conflict of Honors
Agent of Change
Carpe Diem
Plan B
I Dare

The first three were, maybe are still, available in one volume called Partners in Necessity. But they keep reshuffling, so I don't know what you will find now.

I liked The Stand too, kind of read it non-stop. I'm guessing that you would like Lee and Miller. Although they are definitely sci-fi, the main point of the stories is human problems and relationships, which are well done.

You are lucky to be part of the LA library system. My sister, JoanK, lives in Torrance, and has nothing but praise for the libraries.

PatH · « **Reply #1262 on:** January 01, 2012, 08:29:51 PM »

I just learned that we have lost Anne McCaffrey. She died November 21 of a stroke at her home in Ireland, at age 85. Alas.

Steph · « **Reply #1263 on:** January 02, 2012, 06:05:32 AM »

Y es, we lost a truly great fantasy writer in McCaffrey. I have all of hers that was written by her and not many of the ones written by her and her son..He was too into war and conflilct..

Babi · « **Reply #1264 on:** January 02, 2012, 08:38:40 AM »

MARJ, if you can it is really most enjoyable to read the Liaden series by
Lee/Mill in sequence. Actually, there are a couple of 'prequels' that were
written later, but those can be enjoyed later with no problems.
Oh, good, I see PatH has listed the books in sequence. I don't need to go
find that. Were there only five, Pat? I seem to remember more. They didn't
all take place on Liaden, but they were about members of the same remarkable
family.

I am sorry to hear about Anne McCaffrey. She was a terrific writer. I have
to agree that her son's books tend to be very similar in their absorption with
conflict. He doesn't have his mother's sympathetic knack for warm characters and dragon/flyer relationships.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1265 on:** January 02, 2012, 06:55:51 PM »

I just borrowed my very first digital library book. It is the first six books of the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. It was the only one I was moderately interested in from what I saw on the list before I got tired of browsing. I don't read much fantasy. This may be the first Urban Fantasy for me. I did like the short-lived TV show. The library setup worked fine except for the message that the library system isn't set up for Wifi downloads. I am okay with that being used to downloading to my computer and then copying into the Kindle folder.

PatH · « **Reply #1266 on:** January 02, 2012, 08:45:18 PM »

Good start, Frybabe. Let me know what you think of the Butcher--I haven't read any of him.

My current assignment, due on the 12th for the fantasy side of my f2f sci-fi/fantasy book group, is Neil Gaiman's American Gods. I started it a few years ago. It was an interesting idea, the old gods getting stuck in modern America and trying to find a place, but I got bogged down when the shabby protagonist kept going from one sleazy motel to another, meeting up with more and more gods from various religions. My daughter assures me that eventually it comes to a worthwhile point, so maybe I can plow through it.

PatH · « **Reply #1267 on:** January 02, 2012, 09:23:07 PM »

Babi, you are quite right that there more than 5 Liaden books. I think I may have listed them all a year back, but it's easier to do it again than to find it.

The 5 I already listed are the core, and were written first. They deal with one generation of Clan Korval (and the mates they find) and their battle against an evil organization. There are a lot of prequels: Crystal Soldier and Crystal Dragon go back hundreds of years to the founding of the clan by the pirate-smuggler Cantra and her mate, the soldier Jela.

Scout's Progress and Mouse and Dragon tell the story of Daav and Aelliana, parents of Val Con, a major character in the basic 5. Local Custom tells of the meeting of the parents of Shan, another major character.

Balance of Trade takes place in between Cantra's story and the time of the rest of the books; the characters are mostly unrelated.

Fledgling and Saltation deal with the next generation, Daav's daughter after he has left the clan. The final scene of Saltation is the same as the final scene of I Dare. Ghost Ship, which I haven't yet read, will take this story on, and there is another one in the works.

Publishers keep re-packaging these books in pairs, with new titles, so it's very frustrating to figure out where you are. I think I've got all the original titles here, but if anyone can add something, please do.

Steph · « **Reply #1268 on:** January 03, 2012, 06:18:29 AM »

Sounds like a series I might like. Have to look for the early ones.

Babi · « **Reply #1269 on:** January 03, 2012, 08:57:06 AM »

PatH, I greatly enjoyed the first several Jim Butcher books. But after a
while they seemed to be too similar, based too much on 'how much pain can our
hero stand?" I stopped reading them at that point.

Thanks so much for that expanded list of the Miller/Lee books. I haven't
read the two books about Val Con's parents, and looked in vain for new books
after Daav left started his own 'world'. I can now happily start searching
for all of these!

Frybabe · « **Reply #1270 on:** January 11, 2012, 09:10:43 PM »

I finished the first Dresden Files book, then returned it to the library. While I liked the Wizard's attitude, and flip style, overall the genre is not my cup of tea. So, now I am back to Edgar Rice Burroughs and his John Carter series.

Steph · « **Reply #1271 on:** January 12, 2012, 06:43:37 AM »

I will try the Miller -Lee series. Just need to have time to find some.

Babi · « **Reply #1272 on:** January 12, 2012, 09:16:41 AM »

FRYBABE, Jim Butcher has another series that you might like. Codex Alera
series, which I followed avidly to the end. I did not tire of it, as I did the Dresden books. You can find the complete list on Fantastic Fiction.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1273 on:** January 12, 2012, 09:17:54 AM »

Thanks Babi. I'll look into it.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1274 on:** January 14, 2012, 08:33:00 PM »

It dawned on me that Edgar Rice Borroughs' John Carter series is an indictment against superstition and prejudice. I am reading the second book, The Gods of Mars, now. He has added two more races to the original red and green men - black and white. Both of these consider themselves holy of holies. The black race calls itself "First Born", which brings to mind the out of Africa theory of human progression. Also in it are flying machines and submarines. Marvelous! I am thoroughly enjoying Mr. Borroughs almost as much as Jules Verne.

Babi · « **Reply #1275 on:** January 15, 2012, 10:04:27 AM »

Edgar Rice Burroughs almost got lost, I think, in the changing generations. He is,
IMO, well worth preserving. As FRYBABE observes, there is more to the man and
his work than most realize.

I have finished re-reading the Miller/Lee book, "Fledgling" and am about to start
"Patriot Games". It has been long enough since I read them that I can enjoy them
as though they were new. I believe someone mentioned them as new books, which
is what sent me hunting them up. Unfortunately, they're not new; but fortunately,
I still love them. I would happily re-read the entire series, and wish I owned them.

Steph · « **Reply #1276 on:** January 16, 2012, 06:06:25 AM »

I dont like Edgar R. Burroughs, but I know when I owned the bookstore, that people came in asking for him all the time. He is just too wordy for me.

Babi · « **Reply #1277 on:** January 16, 2012, 08:53:57 AM »

Perhaps, STEPH, but if I recall correctly, I found what he said worth thinking about
if I stopped to consider it. I am thinking, I believe, of his 'Silent Worlds' trilogy.

Steph · « **Reply #1278 on:** January 17, 2012, 06:03:22 AM »

My perfect fantasy reading tends to be.. Anne McCaffrey... and Marion Zimmer Bradley, both of course are dead, but I like their worlds.

Babi · « **Reply #1279 on:** January 17, 2012, 08:40:18 AM »

Oh, yes, STEPH. And there is also another woman author that I dearly loved, and cannot at
the moment recall her name. I don't think she is deceased, but I haven't seen any new books
by her, sad to say. Her books always featured a strong, gifted woman.

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Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 370722 times)