Science Fiction / Fantasy

[Frybabe]

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

I just discovered that Dana Stabenow, before she started her Kate Shugak mysteries, wrote science fiction: Second Star (1991), A Handful of Stars (1991), and Red Planet Run (1995). Second Star was her first novel. Her first Kate Shugak novel, A Cold Day for Murder(1992), won an Edgar Award.

I've downloaded free e-book offerings of both Second Star and A Cold Day for Murder. I doubt I will get to read them for a month of so.

Meanwhile, I am almost finished with Wool. It is an interesting book/series.

Sorry I can't say the same for the Rho Project series I started. I can't get into the characters (high school students) as yet.

[PatH]

I've got one of Stabenow's sci-fi books squirreled away somewhere.  Maybe I should find it and read it.

[Steph]

I actually discovered Stabenow in the science fiction area.. Read  and loved them and then discovered Kate. I wish she would write more in the science fiction. I loved them..Just reread an old Marion Zimmer Bradley..City of Sorcery. One of her books that seems to have too many plots.. I think she was trying to wrap up a theme,but it simply did not work well.

[JoanK]

I had no idea that Stabenow wrote Science fiction. Is it good?

[PatH]

I had no idea that Stabenow wrote Science fiction. Is it good?

Steph's the expert, and says yes.  If I find mine and read it, you can have next turn.  She seems to have given it up for mysteries, though.

[Steph]

Stabenows heroine in the sci fi are really just an early version of Kate, so I liked them very much.. She keeps threatening to write some more, but has not done so thus far.

[Frybabe]

 I just finished The Second Ship (the Rho Agenda book one) this morning. It took until about half way through for me to really get interested, then I just had to keep reading, staying up late last night. With the Roswell space ship/alien scientific investigations many years after the supposed crash as a starter, it has turned into a classic good vs evil story. Some of the technologies advanced by the investigations include a practical cold fusion energy source to replace oil, a Nanite based system that, after injection into a person, repairs body injuries quickly - even ones that would otherwise be fatal - and quantum and subspace communications.

Even though the heroes of the story are teens some of the violence, though not overly explicit or extensive for the most part, doesn't lend itself to reading by the early teen set as far as I am concerned. Of course, now that I've gotten interested, belatedly, I will have to borrow the next in the series.

[PatH]

I'm glad the storms/tornados blew out of here yesterday afternoon, so I could go to my f2f book club last night, since for once I'd read both the fantasy and sci-fi selections.  (Fantasy at 6:30, with a small audience, sci-fi following at 7:30 with many more coming in.)

Fantasy was Emma Bull's War for the Oaks, about a band in Minneapolis that gets caught up in a war among fairies.  It's a type of music that's totally outside my comprehension, but she does a good job of explaining what the singer/ protagonist is trying to do with her songs, so it made sense to me.  And I'm not that much into fairies either, but Bull spins a pretty good yarn, and I read the book with pleasure.

Sci-fi was Hyperion, by Dan Simmons.  I had heard good things of his classical Greek themed books, but hadn't checked them out yet.  I automatically distrust a universe with a Hegemony in charge, and we've got that here.  Now the wide-flung universe is facing a possible Armageddon, and the solution may lie in one of the seven pilgrims hoping to get their wish granted by the toxic being on planet Hyperion.  At this point the book takes on the structure of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and we have the Soldier's tale, the Scholar's tale, etc, all of them more or less sympathetic.  The book ends, unresolved, just before they get to present their cases.  Several people had read the next book, but carefully avoided revealing anything.

 Next month we get Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell for fantasy--I own it, on my TBR pile, so that's good--and Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues under the Sea for sci-fi.  I think I may have read it in my youth, but I'll be pleased enough to read it again.

[Steph]

I read Verne when young and hated it. Maybe I will give it another shot as an adult.

[PatH]

I remember liking Around the World in 80 Days.  I'll report on 20,000 Leagues after I read it.

I forgot to mention that Hyperion contains cruelty and violence.

[Frybabe]

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is the only Verne book I have ever read. I liked it a lot. I also liked the James Mason version of the movie too.

[Steph]

James Mason.. I am sure I saw it then, because I thought he was a really truly great actor.

[PatH]

I saw that movie too, but it was a long time ago; I don't remember much of it.

[Steph]

I just remember the smouldering glances, that was what he excelled at.. and that his real wife was name Portland???

[PatH]

Try not to laugh at me too much, but the only thing I remember from the movie is Captain Nemo playing Bach on the organ.  (I like James Mason, but I was newly married at the time, probably didn't have eyes for anyone else.

Some of my fellow discussers feel strongly about Verne translations, and gave me good advice.  It seems that there are a lot of Verne translations which are unreadable, inaccurate, or drastically cut.

The current gold standard seems to be a 1993 translation, new from the original, by Walter James Miller and Frederick Paul Walter, published by the U S Naval Institute in Annapolis, MD (hi, Deems, wherever you are, did you know about this?)  They have fussed endlessly over details, getting all the science right, doing the best job they could of reconciling the original French texts (there is no one definitive text), adding notes, etc.

This is the one I purchased; it can be spendy, but I got a "like new" paperback for $7.   I haven't read much yet, but it's straightforward prose, very readable.  What did they add back?  Apparently, some of the science, all the politics that were cut because they were unfavorable to the British Empire, and probably other stuff too.  It has good reproductions of the original illustrations too.

Another respected translator is William Butcher.

[Frybabe]

Gosh, that's interesting Pat. I may have to get the newer translation. I read 20,000 Leagues while still in my teens and no longer have the book, so I don't know who translated the one I read. Never even thought about translations and translators back then.

[Steph]

I read the Verne as a teen or early 20's as well and guess I would not know which translation. That is interesting. I may do so looking up on that one.

[Frybabe]

I am almost finished reading Simon of Space. Simon certainly leads an eventful life. He is born at 36 years of age after suffering a complete memory loss. When he is released from the hospital to meet the family (or are they?) he doesn't remember, he panics and runs away. Thus begins his adventures as he discovers the memory loss was not from an accident but had been a complete memory wipe. Every time things seem to be close to a conclusion Simon is jerked off into another direction. Characters from earlier acquaintance improbably keep popping up later on, most revealing that they are not who they seem to be and hinting that Simon isn't either. The book has a certain redemptive quality to it as Simon gradually discovers his who is previous self was and tries to correct the ills brought on by this other.

The book is interesting and somewhat amusing, not heavy reading, but a bit overly long in the twist and turn department. The most glaring problem, aside from the not infrequent spelling errors, is the constant use of so and so and I as the object of a sentence instead of so and so and me. Ex: They are coming for Jack and I. No, they are not coming for I, they are coming for ME.

[PatH]

That particular grammatical error is a real red flag for me.  Where was the editor?  Out to lunch?

I'm working away at 20,000 Leagues.  Verne is a little ponderous when setting up the opening situation, but less so as he gets down to business.  In the course of digging up my copy of Jonathan Strange, I came across the Verne in French.  It was my daughter's; I didn't know I had it.  I can see that my copy is pretty much a word-for-word translation of the original, so any stylistic quirks are Verne's.

[Steph]

Is Simon supposed to be a science fiction book?? Does notsound like it.

[Frybabe]

The journey takes Simon to various worlds via space ships and hypernet gates where he interacts with human variations/cultures, evolved chimpanzees (who call themselves little people and speak through sign language) and robots. One of his friends is a real potty mouth which can be a bit annoying; her vocabulary is limited. I am getting near the end now, so I expect another major twist.

[Steph]

I have two old old Pratchetts with me. My emergency stash or times when I get down.

[PatH]

Pratchett is good for that.  Someday I will have read them all--don't know what I'll do then.  Maybe reread them all.

[Steph]

I found a treasure chest ofold ones at this old used book store and am carefully doling themout when I get the blue meanies.

[PatH]

I've gotten hold of the third of The Lost Fleet--Beyond the Frontier: Guardian.  The paperback isn't out here yet, but you can get it from England.

He seems to be spinning his wheels a bit in this one, sort of repeats of the same stuff, but he finally settles down and something new happens.  And for once the book doesn't end with the fleet surrounded by enemies, about to get massacred with no way out.

And I'm about 1/3 of the way through Jules Verne's stately prose in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  You had better not be in a hurry when reading this one.

[Frybabe]

I'm hoping the Library gets Guardian, but I am not counting on it.

I've requested the library to buy Shift, which is the second division of the Silo series and contains three sections. The Wool omnibus (1-5) is very popular right now with a waiting list, so I thought I'd strike while the fire is hot so to speak. Those who read the Wool Omnibus will want to continue to Shift.

I am taking a break from reading Scifi and am now reading a non-fiction, The Fatal Shore. It is a history of Australia. Thick, heavy book with smallish print. I'll have to renew it, but even then, I don't know if I will finish it. It's not the kind of thing (nor will Lucy let me) that I read for hours on end. It's difficult to hold when Lucy decides she wants my attention. She dives under the book and shoves it away with her nose, then rutches (how do you even spell that?) up to stare me right in the face with her paws on either side of my neck. No room for book maneuvering, and too heavy to hold high for very long. Sigh! The price I pay to serve her highness.

[PatH]

It's difficult living with royalty.

[Frybabe]

 

[Steph]

My younger corgi cannot get in my lap, but he simply rounds up all his toys and surrounds me. I look up from the book and there are toys everywhere and he is sitting nicely in front of me on the floor waiting for me to throw.

[Frybabe]

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is waiting for me at the library. I also downloaded the second of the Rho Agenda series, Immune, from the Kindle Lending Library.

[PatH]

I'll be interested to learn what you think of the Heinlein, Frybabe.  I read it a year or two ago for my f2f group.  I had some issues with it, but found it definitely a good read.  My economist daughter was intrigued by the moon's economic system.

[Frybabe]

Well Pat, one chapter in so far. What an interesting beginning. I am trying to picture the narrator with all his arms. I get the idea that he picks which ever he needs for the job and screws it on. I can see this guy carrying around a rather large, and heavy, kit case where ever he goes. I think I am going to enjoy it.

[Steph]

I used toove Heinlin.. no idea if I still would at all.

[Frybabe]

I am really enjoying The Moon is a Harsh Mistress; It's rather humorous really. I like the strange word substitutions like "I scan it" for "I see it." I suppose. I especially liked the substitution for shut up, but wouldn't you know it, I've forgotten it just now. The There is "Don't crowd yourself" for "Don't put pressure on yourself". The family system is was a little hard to grasp at first. The characters are rather likable. I can't help but feel that they are going to end up trading one master for another or that "Mike" will ultimately betray them. We shall see.

[marcie]

I liked the Heinlein I read a very long time ago. It looks like THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS is available at no cost online as a pdf at http://www.is.wayne.edu/MNISSANI/RevolutionarysToolkit/TheMoonIsAHarshMistress.pdf

[PatH]

I The family system is was a little hard to grasp at first.

I forget the details now, but my daughter particularly admired the family system as a mechanism for hanging on to property and wealth.

[Frybabe]

I downloaded the Adobe Reader app for my KIndle and then downloaded the pdf version. Sometimes during the day it gets a little dark in here when it is cloudy out, but not dark enough for me to want to put lights on. Cheep! Cheep! Cheep! 

[PatH]

You're doing your bit against global warming.

[Steph]

My poor eyes, mistreated, operated on, etc. I need light in back of me to read, so alas I have lights on a lot.

[PatH]

A while back, I pre-ordered a book of short stories by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller about the Liaden Universe (A Liaden Universe Constellation, Volume 1).  It came in the middle of last week, at a very bad time, since I'm supposed to be reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

Of course I should have stuck it away for later, and of course I didn't.

It's a bunch of short stories plus a chunk cut from the book Balance of Trade.  They vary in quality from good to not very good.  Some of them fill in bits from the books, and some of them elaborate the association of Lute and Moonhawk down through the ages.  A fan would enjoy reading a more detailed description of how Val Con and Edger slew the dragon and became brothers, just why Ren Zel dea'Juden was expelled from his clan and declared dead, how Daav and Ailliana turned the battle at Nevlorn, why Priscilla had been exiled from Sintia.  I suspect a non-fan would find the stories unintelligible.

So now I'm left with 100 pages of Verne's stately prose and most of Jonathan Strange to get through before Thursday night.  Any bets?