Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 370887 times)

Steph · « **Reply #1320 on:** February 23, 2012, 06:04:29 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.

Links:
Fantastic Fiction, bibliographies of 15,000 authors

Discussion Leader: PatH

GoodWill in Sarasota, Fl. has so many book donations, they now have a used book store of their own. Very nicely done.. Its a closed bank.. My d-i-l took me to show me when I was down visiting them..

PatH · « **Reply #1321 on:** February 25, 2012, 06:23:00 PM »

"Very nicely done"--you should know, Steph, you're the expert.

PatH · « **Reply #1322 on:** February 25, 2012, 08:19:08 PM »

I never reported on this month's f2f sci-fi/fantasy book club. the sci-fi was John Scalzi's Old Man's War, which we've talked about here, and those of us who can stand the gore and profanity have enjoyed. The fantasy selection was Barry Hughart's The Bridge of Birds, which I'd never heard of. It's a tale of an imaginary medieval China, combining real and imaginary Chinese mythology, legends, philosophy and theology to tell its story--the quest of a villager, Number Ten Ox, and a philosopher, Li Kao, who has a character flaw, to find the cure for the sickness of the village children. It's got a lot of charm, but after a while you feel he is piling on just too many demons, magics, and weird characters. However, they all come together into a point at the end.

Steph · « **Reply #1323 on:** February 26, 2012, 06:30:38 AM »

Riverbourne is a bit slow and strange at this point.. Granted she is on her honeymoon, normally she pays a bit more attention to what is happening.

Babi · « **Reply #1324 on:** February 26, 2012, 08:55:25 AM »

By the way, I decided to go ahead and finish "Sisterhood of Dune". Who knows when, or if, I'd
find the first two books. Glad I did; it's gotten fully into the 'Dune' pace and I'm greatly enjoying
it. Can't wait to see the more obnoxious villains get their just deserts!

Steph · « **Reply #1325 on:** February 27, 2012, 06:04:31 AM »

As I remember the Sisterhood was not exactly kind loving ladies.

Babi · « **Reply #1326 on:** February 27, 2012, 08:24:18 AM »

No, but they were the epitome of the strong, powerful, incredibly intelligent and self-controlled woman. Awesome!

Steph · « **Reply #1327 on:** February 28, 2012, 06:23:33 AM »

Poison was their weapon as I recall.. About half through River touched.. Good one, although the Indians are throwing me.. Different type of otherness..

Frybabe · « **Reply #1328 on:** March 04, 2012, 05:37:39 PM »

I decided to forgo the two serious book discussions due to very limited time to devote to it just now. However, I did pick the John Carter series back up with Thuvia of Mars to read a bit at a time. What an interesting philosophical question about what is reality. Are things actually real or is everything a manifestation of the mind (or collective mind). But, of course, that episode passed and now the scene is changing and setting up for a mega-war in the next chapters.

Steph · « **Reply #1329 on:** March 05, 2012, 06:23:20 AM »

Did I mention that one of the local tv stations showed the last Star Trek movie a few weeks ago. I had already seen it, but watched it again.. Mostly because I had just read somewhere that the man who played the young Spock has been signed for another Star Trek movie. He was really good and looked remarkably like Nemoy.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1330 on:** March 05, 2012, 08:43:25 AM »

I have not yet seen that Star Trek, Steph.

Steph · « **Reply #1331 on:** March 06, 2012, 06:15:21 AM »

It is roughly three years old, since my husband and I saw it when we were out on the west coast in Portland.

marcie · « **Reply #1332 on:** March 08, 2012, 10:50:24 AM »

I enjoyed the latest Star Trek movie.

In the "Movies/TV" discussion, Frybabe mentioned a series that is on the Science station, Prophets of Science Fiction. I'll repeat a post that I made in that discussion in case any of you are interested in the series.

I recently found Prophets of Science Fiction on my cable "on demand." The series is interesting and thought provoking. One that I watched recently on Isaac Asimov showed how he grew up reading about dangerous robot-like creatures taking over the world but they he reinterpreted robots benignly, helping mankind. The episode said that John Campbell, the editor of Astounding Science Fiction (the magazine to which Asimov submitted stories) was the person who recognized that Asimov had included in his early robot stories three laws of robotics which all robots must obey. John Campbell helped Asimov to make them explicit.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1333 on:** March 08, 2012, 12:01:59 PM »

Did you see the one on Heinlein, Marcie? I thought that was good too. I skipped H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and George Lucas. I hope they continue with a new season that includes more of the newer SciFi writers like Orson Scott Card, Ursula La Guin, and Ray Bradbury. I'd like to see what they say about the advanced communications, medical tech, and off world mining and colonization. If they did George Lucas, I expect to see Gene Roddenberry in the mix somewhere too.

marcie · « **Reply #1334 on:** March 08, 2012, 08:54:33 PM »

Frybabe, yes, I thought the episode on Heinlein was very good. I enjoyed the one on Mary Shelley too.

I too hope that they will have a second season. The list of season one episodes is at http://science.discovery.com/tv/prophets-of-science-fiction/episodes/

PatH · « **Reply #1335 on:** March 08, 2012, 10:13:41 PM »

Things like this series almost make me get cable. The blurbs make it sound like they are doing a good job.

Steph · « **Reply #1336 on:** March 09, 2012, 06:21:31 AM »

Hmm. Will check our where this is on my cable. I dont pay enough attention to what is going on on TV. The reality shows put me off.

Babi · « **Reply #1337 on:** March 09, 2012, 08:44:42 AM »

I'm with you, STEPH. The only 'reality' I can see is that people will do most anything if there is
a chance of making a good chunk of money doing it. The whole psychology of 'Survivor', for
instance, is skewed. In the kind of situations they present, survival would depend on mutual
cooperation, NOT competition!

Steph · « **Reply #1338 on:** March 10, 2012, 06:17:52 AM »

Our newspaper no longer prints a little tv guide..only whats on after 7pm and that is not always right. Ah the days of newspapers that actually did stuff. I love my IPAD because I have CNN and the New York Times and the Washington Post and Slate.. Lots of news..

Frybabe · « **Reply #1339 on:** March 10, 2012, 08:28:19 AM »

Just started the fifth of the John Carter series. This one, Chessmen of Mars, is starting out with Carter's very spoiled and self-centered daughter. She is just getting herself into a pickle and finding out that there are forces of nature that exist outside of her control and don't heel to her beck and call. She is just into her teen or pre-teen years where her emotional response to the attentions of the opposites are beginning to emerge and are a puzzlement to her.

Babi · « **Reply #1340 on:** March 10, 2012, 09:08:26 AM »

Oh, my. I really must get back into the Jack Carter series. It's been so long, I don't remember
much of anything. I remember how it all started, but after that....

Frybabe · « **Reply #1341 on:** March 10, 2012, 11:42:26 AM »

The Chessmen of Mars is the last of the free e-books in that series, so far. I'm going to have to find inexpensive versions of the rest. Just this morning I downloaded Burrough's The Outlaw of Torn which, from the little bit I read, appears to be an historical fiction during the reign of Henry III.

Steph · « **Reply #1342 on:** March 11, 2012, 06:37:12 AM »

I had a lot of Burroughs in the book store, but I could never get into him at all.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1343 on:** April 02, 2012, 04:05:34 PM »

PatH, thanks for the link to this discussion. Lots of interesting stuff. I have read about 3 Dune books, hadn't heard of Sisterhood of Dune. I don't think I've seen a Science Fiction series on cable.
I dislike the so called reality shows too. I posted in the Library that I liked scifi, I think I lean more toward the fantasy, big favorites are the Ann McCaffrey dragon books, her son does a good job of writing stories of Pern. Jean Auel's books were fascinating to me too, what category would they be in? I've been looking for something to read in this genre, i just finished some really good novels about a real person from the 12 century,, and two murder mysteries. Time for a good scifi/fantasy.

PatH · « **Reply #1344 on:** April 02, 2012, 04:52:42 PM »

Welcome, HallieMae. I don't know if you went back that far in the discussion, but you might like the Liaden Universe series by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Anne McCaffrey loved it. There are a lot of books, but it makes sense best if you read the core 5 in order. They are:

Conflict of Honors
Agent of Change
Carpe Diem
Plan B
I Dare

The first three were, maybe are still, available in one paperback volume called Partners in Necessity. Lately they have been re-issuing the books in paperback in various new combinations, so it takes a lot of work to figure out what you are getting.

If you don't know the website Fantastic Fiction, there's a link to it in our heading. You can look up any author of mystery, fantasy, or sci-fi and find a complete list of their works, with dates and often brief descriptions.

Steph · « **Reply #1345 on:** April 03, 2012, 06:33:20 AM »

Fantasy.. How about Terry Pratchett.. Very english, very funny.. Makes me laugh out loud.. I am reading The Sourcerers by him just now.. He has written a lot of books.. I love any of them, that have The Witches, or Death, or Luggage.. Or his world.. which floats on the back of four giant turtles..

PatH · « **Reply #1346 on:** April 03, 2012, 08:30:02 AM »

Pratchett is the funniest author I know, though you mustn't mind some vulgarity. Steph, which books would you recommend starting with?

Babi · « **Reply #1347 on:** April 03, 2012, 09:34:33 AM »

I don't remember reading a Pratchett titled "The Sourcerers", STEPH. Actually, I hope I haven't;
it would be great to find another one of his I haven't read.

PatH · « **Reply #1348 on:** April 03, 2012, 10:26:09 AM »

I think it's Sourcery.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1349 on:** April 03, 2012, 04:30:58 PM »

PatH, thanks for the tip about Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, as i said i now read everything on my Nook. Unless it's a large print book, i can't seem to read regular print very well and I can read my Nook very easily.

Steph, thanks for the tip about Terry Prachett, the name sounds familiar, possibly I have already read some of his books, I'll be looking them up.

Steph · « **Reply #1350 on:** April 04, 2012, 06:16:55 AM »

It is Sourcery... and it is an old one that I missed. copyright.. 1988.. But oh my, a belly laugh type.. Whenever the luggage is involved and Rincewind..Things get extremely strange and the Librarian is a big part of the book.. I loved it, gobbled it up in day and a half and was sorry it was over..
You can really start anywhere with Pratchett.. They loosely join, but I would guess you might enjoy the witches.. I personally would love to be one.. They are very very funny.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1351 on:** April 04, 2012, 02:29:54 PM »

PatH, the books you listed as Liaden Universe books, aren't in Nook, they do have the paperbacks of them though. There are other books by these authors that i can get on Nook which I will do.

Steph, Terry Prachett has a TON of books listed in B&N, he definitely looks like an author I'd like to explore.

PatH · « **Reply #1352 on:** April 04, 2012, 04:03:29 PM »

HallieMae, some of Lee and Miller's other books are not very good, and some of them have a lot of not very appealing sex in them.

Steph · « **Reply #1353 on:** April 05, 2012, 06:28:27 AM »

I am not a Lee and Miller fan, but I think it was because I read some of the other books.. They were very involved sexually, and I am not fond of fantasy that does that.

Babi · « **Reply #1354 on:** April 05, 2012, 08:45:32 AM »

The Liaden books are not like that. In fact, they key family in the series take a most honorable
approach to personal relationships.

PatH · « **Reply #1355 on:** April 05, 2012, 11:30:47 AM »

Occasionally there is sex in some of the Liaden books, but it's appropriate, and understated, and not a big part of things.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1356 on:** April 05, 2012, 05:21:28 PM »

PatH and Steph, what a disappointment, I do not like books that are laced with sex scenes. i have mistakenly bought some books that I had to skip about 4 pages of descriptive sex, why did i finish them, i needed to know how the story came out! My "bookstore" has been the Salvation Army, they have tons of books but it is catch as catch can to find something worth reading. I have found some gems there but also, as stated above, some trash. I haven't been there since getting my Nook since the Nook is so much easier for me to read. There are pretty good bargains in Nook as well as a "Free Friday" book.

Steph · « **Reply #1357 on:** April 06, 2012, 06:29:53 AM »

I have made a note of the Liaden books and will try one if I run across it. I did find at a book sale the precourser book to a series that I loved..Since I am having a seriousl senior moment just now,, cannot remember the main character or the author..Sigh.. It will come..

Babi · « **Reply #1358 on:** April 06, 2012, 09:23:24 AM »

Again, HALLIE, as PatH and I have been saying, this is not an issue in the Liaden books. You won't find them 'laced with sex scenes', and no 'pages of descriptive sex'. I dislike that type
of book, also, but I loved the Liaden series.

HallieMae · « **Reply #1359 on:** April 06, 2012, 02:36:34 PM »

Babi, I will try to find the Liaden series books, I can't order online since I can't tell if I can read the type. So many paperbacks have really small type, wish me luck!

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Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 370887 times)