Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 385115 times)

Frybabe · « **Reply #1600 on:** August 11, 2012, 09:22:47 AM »

Science Fiction / Fantasy

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Discussion Leader: PatH

I started the original Fuzzy Nation by H. Beam Piper, but couldn't get into it. Scalzi did a "remake" with the Piper estate's permission, which is the one everyone is probably talking about. If it is anything like Scalzi's other books, it should be funny. As far as I know, it is not a part of a series.

If you have not read any Scalzi, may I recommend his Agent to the Stars? You can get the ebook free through ManyBooks.net or Project Gutenberg. Scalzi wrote that one and posted it free just to see if he had what it took to be a writer according to the preface. It can also now be bought in print and as an ebook. I am curious to know if there is any real difference between the original freebie and the newer for sale version.

His newest book, Redshirts, is another very funny read. The term "redshirts" refers to all those bit part actors assigned to wear red shirts on Star Trek who invariably end up being killed off or maimed in some way. Sometime in the future crew members of the Intrepid, a ship assigned to scientific exploration, discover a very old TV series and begin to notice parallels between what happens to away teams on their ship and those on the old TV show.

PatH · « **Reply #1601 on:** August 11, 2012, 10:20:16 AM »

I read Piper's Little Fuzzy eons ago. IMO, Scalzi's remake is much better. It is indeed very funny, and full of plot twists and turns and legalistic cleverness. It's not part of a series, although Piper went on to write more books about the fuzzies, and no doubt Scalzi could too if he felt like it.

Babi · « **Reply #1602 on:** August 12, 2012, 08:22:15 AM »

I'm definitely going to try Scalzi. I know my library has the "Fuzzy Nation", at least.

Steph · « **Reply #1603 on:** August 12, 2012, 09:02:39 AM »

Hmm.. Redshirts sounds great. Will look for it.

PatH · « **Reply #1604 on:** August 14, 2012, 10:27:01 AM »

All this talk about "Fuzzy Nation" got me to dig out my old copy of Little Fuzzy and reread it. It's better than I remembered; I was probably remembering one of the sequels. It's not nearly as good as the Scalzi, though. Scalzi is more carefully worked out, more amusing, the science is better, and the twists are more ingenious.

I have a prejudice against H. Beam Piper since reading a book of his called Space Vikings, which isn't any better than you would expect from the title, and is full of very elitist politics and an archaic attitude toward women. There's none of that in Little Fuzzy, though, and the one female character is treated reasonably.

Steph · « **Reply #1605 on:** August 15, 2012, 08:43:33 AM »

I read the Pipe version.. but have never read Scalzi.. I found that used book stores and my paperback swap do not have anything by him, except for a waiting list. So on to ebooks to see what is there.

PatH · « **Reply #1606 on:** August 15, 2012, 09:15:46 AM »

I know Agent to the Stars is there, and since Scalzi himself is a pretty online person, maybe others are too. He has a long-running blog that's very popular; random musings from it have been published under the title Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded.

Steph · « **Reply #1607 on:** August 16, 2012, 08:30:25 AM »

Hmm. a blog?? maybe I will try and find it.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1608 on:** August 16, 2012, 11:18:47 AM »

Here it is Seph. http://whatever.scalzi.com/

I am not familiar with the name, but I did see Soylent Green. Harry Harrison http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19270109

Steph · « **Reply #1609 on:** August 17, 2012, 08:51:25 AM »

Thanks Will look it up. Harry Harrison was fun. I read a lot of his stuff , many many years ago..

Frybabe · « **Reply #1610 on:** August 24, 2012, 10:34:26 AM »

Started a Dr. Who book, The Sands of Time. Pretty good. Haven't watched any of the Dr. Who TV series in years.

Steph · « **Reply #1611 on:** August 25, 2012, 08:42:51 AM »

Readinganother Alleluia book.This one is Obadiah and who and why he falls in love. Interesting. I do love her Alleluia world.

Lorac625 · « **Reply #1612 on:** September 20, 2012, 02:02:57 PM »

Is this an open discussion of any SF/fantasy books?
If so, has anyone eles read the Iron Elf series by Dennis Mckiernan (sp?)?
Oh,just saw the discussion of Forrester's short story. I need to read that. Loved Hornblower.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1613 on:** September 20, 2012, 02:15:37 PM »

I haven't heard of that series, Lorac, but then I prefer the SF side of things. Right now I am not reading any SciFi. Since I finished the Dr. Who book, I've been skipping around a little. Latin classes have started, and I'm reading a nonfiction at the moment.

Lorac625 · « **Reply #1614 on:** September 20, 2012, 02:23:46 PM »

Well,then, we will have to translate SF into Latin and take care of both at once! I read almost anything, as I can't work due to illness and I have lots of time. I recently read the newest book in the continuation of the Hari Seldon (Federation and Empire?) series. I think they are good,and continue the series in a logical and very readable way.

marcie · « **Reply #1615 on:** September 20, 2012, 03:46:58 PM »

Lorac, I love Asimov's Foundation series. Here is some information I found on the "chronological" order and publication order.

The chronological order authored by Asimov is:

   * Prelude to Foundation
   * Forward the Foundation
   * Foundation
   * Foundation and Empire
   * Second Foundation
   * Foundation's Edge
   * Foundation and Earth

The publication order is:

   * Foundation (1951)
   * Foundation and Empire (1952)
   * Second Foundation (1953)
   * Foundation's Edge (1982)
   * Foundation and Earth (1986)
   * Prelude to Foundation (1988)
   * Forward the Foundation (1993)

http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/2335/what-order-should-asimovs-foundation-series-be-read-in

The Second Foundation series, not written by Asimov, but "officially approved" which continues the story (started in Prelude to Foundation) of Hari Seldon's career before the original trilogy's events, is:

   1997    Foundation's Fear by Gregory Benford.
   1998    Foundation and Chaos by Greg Bear.
   1999    Foundation's Triumph    by David Brin.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1616 on:** September 20, 2012, 04:43:43 PM »

Oh my. So many Foundations. I read the original trilogy eons ago. I had no idea he went back and wrote more, or that the there were two he wrote that went unpublished until later. Didn't know about the other three either, and Greg Bear wrote one of them. I like his writing. David Brin is a familiar name, but I don't think I've read any of his bookis. He also wrote The Postman (made into film of same name). Gregory Benford is a physics professor cum novelist. He's written quite a few books, but oddly, I've never heard of him. I'm afraid to add anything else to my TBR pile. Sigh!

Lorac625 · « **Reply #1617 on:** September 20, 2012, 07:48:04 PM »

Anything by Jim Butcher is a good read,though some are better than others. I started with The Dresden Files,then read the Codex series. Liked them both. Would The Emperor's Edge series by Lindsay Burroker fit here? I guess it's fantasy,it's steampunk and magic,but the characters are wonderful. I liked Books especially. Read these books one after another,and just devoured them
Greg Bear is good. I just read The Mogoliad,which had several authors,one of whom was Greg Bear's son,Mark Bear.

Steph · « **Reply #1618 on:** September 20, 2012, 08:50:11 PM »

I read the original trilogy, but did not like the others..

Lorac625 · « **Reply #1619 on:** September 21, 2012, 12:48:04 PM »

Whoops,sorry,that it the MoNgoliad; it is about the Mongols conquering everything.

PatH · « **Reply #1620 on:** September 21, 2012, 03:21:49 PM »

Quote from: Lorac625 on September 20, 2012, 02:02:57 PM

Is this an open discussion of any SF/fantasy books?

Yes, anything goes.

Frybabe mentioned Gregory Benford. As you might expect from a physics professor, he tends to write "hard" sci-fi, with lots of science. I like some of his stuff. My favorite is Artifact, in which an archaeologist discovers a very strange item in a Greek tomb, with odd and dangerous properties. There is ingenious physics in what the object really is, archaeology in its history, a love interest, suspense and danger from the actions of the Greek general who is after the scientists, a bit of everything.

Timescape is good too, though rather technical. Scientists from the future are trying to send messages, via tachyons, to a scientist in the 60s, warning him of a potential disaster. Again, it has some ingenious physics.

Steph · « **Reply #1621 on:** September 22, 2012, 08:48:13 AM »

I like Sci fi, but leaning toward alternate worlds and fantasy types.. Not hard science. Although Dune was a form of science and Heinlin did some as well.

Babi · « **Reply #1622 on:** September 22, 2012, 10:05:15 AM »

"Artifact" sounds good. On the whole, I'm also not a fan of sci/fi that gets bogged down in esoteric technical language.
I loved Dune, but thoroughly disliked Heinlein. I think that some highly scientific writers tend to forget that they are
writing fiction for entertainment, and not a text. Or maybe they consider the plot to be a sweetener to get some science
into more reluctant brains.

Steph · « **Reply #1623 on:** September 23, 2012, 09:20:33 AM »

Just like Tom Clancy, who seems to only be happy when he is including complete plans for subs,etc.. Cannot finish a book by him because of the technical stuff.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1624 on:** September 23, 2012, 09:27:36 AM »

I, on the other-hand, like the technical stuff. I've always liked stories with some detail which prompted my Dad to say once that I should like Victor Hugo because he wrote pages of description. Oddly, I never got around to reading him. The Hunchback of Notre Dame has been in my TBR pile for years (and years).

Babi · « **Reply #1625 on:** September 24, 2012, 08:40:03 AM »

Well, description isn't confined to technical, obviously. "Hunchback of Notre Dame" is a classic, of course, but I
don't recall any technical descriptions. Certainly not any modern science. For that period, I would think the guillotine
was about as 'technical' as you could get.

Steph · « **Reply #1626 on:** September 24, 2012, 08:42:56 AM »

For my money, technical and description are quite different. Technical is just that mechanical or some such. Description,, lots of writers specialize in this, but it all depends on how much and how long they go on as to whether I like them.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1627 on:** September 24, 2012, 09:01:32 AM »

I would think that technical detail, in part at least, a form of description. You are describing how something works, how it is put together, what it looks like, how it is used, etc. Technical manuals and user's guides are full of descriptions in words and diagrams/photos on what something looks like, how to put it together, how to use, and precautions among other things.

Lorac625 · « **Reply #1628 on:** September 24, 2012, 12:46:20 PM »

I don't think anyone can beat Thomas Mann at trivial description. He spent an entire pg (in a lg hardbound edition of The Magic Mountain) describing a bureau someone was putting his clothes in!

Frybabe · « **Reply #1629 on:** September 24, 2012, 03:53:58 PM »

Talk about overboard!

Lorac625 · « **Reply #1630 on:** September 24, 2012, 08:49:20 PM »

True,if I had been on a boat while reading it I probably would have been overboard too!

Steph · « **Reply #1631 on:** September 25, 2012, 08:29:00 AM »

But Marion Zimmer Bradley had wonderful descriptions of her world in the Darkover series. I felt like I could walk and hikethe world and know exactly where I was..

Babi · « **Reply #1632 on:** September 25, 2012, 09:27:09 AM »

Nah, LORAC. Just toss the book overboard.

I do agree with STEPH here. The kind of description that makes a place real to the reader, that's craftsmanship
I really appreciate.

Steph · « **Reply #1633 on:** September 26, 2012, 08:47:58 AM »

Some Science fiction writers are excellent at creating worlds or situations.. I think the old ones that were titled Cities in Flight were marvelous. A spin dizzy sounds like a great way to travel.

Lorac625 · « **Reply #1634 on:** September 29, 2012, 02:12:27 PM »

I just finished re-reading Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistresss for the bazillionth time. I never considered Heinlein a really science oriented author, but I kept that in mind while reading it. Just one book of many, but I certainly didn't find it overfull of science. It was there,but nothing really outside of the science I studied in school, except for the orbital types. And they were familiar,because I was in school during the Apollo missions, and spent a lot of time as a kid studying about them. There are many SF writers who go a lot further into science. I think David Brin is who comes to mind immediately, but I'm not sure that he is actually the author I am thinking of. I'll have to go look at some books and report back.
I would have loved living on the Moon Heinlein wrote about. Sounded like a really good life. And his politcal theories are spot on,in my opinion. TANSTAAFL!

PatH · « **Reply #1635 on:** September 29, 2012, 02:56:39 PM »

One of my daughters is an economist, and she really enjoyed the economic system Heinlein set up for his moon society. I read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress with my f2f sci-fi/fantasy discussion group, and it made for a really good discussion.

Do tell me more about David Brin. He's an author I keep meaning to try, but haven't gotten around to yet.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1636 on:** September 29, 2012, 04:20:22 PM »

Brin has written a lot of books. It is a wonder that I haven't read him either. I did discover recently that he wrote The Postman. I've seen the movie.

Steph · « **Reply #1637 on:** September 30, 2012, 08:21:56 AM »

I like the Postman and read another one by Brin that I was not fond of.. He writes a lot of survivalists stuff.

Babi · « **Reply #1638 on:** September 30, 2012, 09:26:34 AM »

i'm not a survivalist fan, either. Speaking of which, I read on Huffington this morning that there are Mayan scholars
who believe the Mayans predicted some kind of major event...like the end of the world, maybe...due on Dec. 21 of this
year. I can't say that I'm too worried about it.

Steph · « **Reply #1639 on:** October 01, 2012, 08:51:16 AM »

Hmmm day after my birthday.. The Mayans were odd, but I suspect this is more rumor than fact.

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Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 385115 times)