Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 385156 times)

PatH · « **Reply #2040 on:** January 02, 2014, 01:07:23 PM »

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

PatH · « **Reply #2041 on:** January 02, 2014, 01:08:05 PM »

I got an ad from Amazon this morning for Raising Steam by Pratchett, which is to come out shortly. Is that it? There were some reviews which were all over the place as to whether it's good, but I'm always willing to try a new Pratchett.

Steph · « **Reply #2042 on:** January 04, 2014, 09:14:55 AM »

I refuse to believe there could be a bad Pratchett, so will read it for sure.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2043 on:** January 04, 2014, 02:37:09 PM »

I've started Ender's Shadow. It is not grabbing my attention like the others, so far.

Also, I am in the middle of the last of the Odyssey series. In it, the author talks a lot about a Dyson construct (sphere) in the form of a Dyson Swarm. I looked it up, and sure enough, there is such a thing - theoretically. Here is Wikipedia's article on Dyson spheres. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_sphere I don't remember ever hearing about this, but I must have run across it at least on Star Trek. Fermilab did a search for such possible constructs back in 2004 with the thought that an advanced civilization might have already built such a devise which we would be able to detect. http://home.fnal.gov/~carrigan/infrared_astronomy/Fermilab_search.htm It looks like Richard Carrigan of Fermilab will be holding an "event" on May 27 hopefully updating the information; there is a placeholder page for it on You Tube. You Tube has a number of videos explaining/speculating on Dyson Spheres.

Okay, I've got to go. The cats are orbiting my chair. It's almost time for their dinner.

marcie · « **Reply #2044 on:** January 05, 2014, 02:17:11 PM »

LOL, Frybabe. Your cats might be caught in a Dyson Sphere

Dyson is such an interesting person. It sounds like, though 90 years old, his mind is still working and open to new possibilities.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2045 on:** January 06, 2014, 08:20:45 AM »

One of the great things about reading space type science fiction is that I get acquainted with or reacquainted with marvelous technologies, theories and speculations. Many of the things in the current set of scifi books are now becoming more generally known and now coming into commercial or military use (the ones we know about): 3-D printing (remember the replicators from Star Trek?), drone warfare (well, okay, needs more work to match the scifi I've been reading), high orbital parachute/paraglide jumps and the advanced materials that make it happen. There are more but it is too early in the morning to remember them. Technologies for mining asteroids, the Moon and Mars are in the works.

I have not been happy with the cut backs to NASA. The other day someone at the library mentioned the NASA float in the New Years Day parade in NY, their first ever. My comment was that it was probably all they could afford now. Smirk! China and India are now the game. Will we get off our butts and rejoin the space race in a big way or will we end up being tag-alongs. Maybe we are just regrouping and working on projects that will help real colonization and manned research stations and off world manufacturing facilities. Maybe, just maybe, we are working on new and exciting propulsion systems that will get us there faster and better instead of wasting money on old rocket propulsion technologies.

PatH · « **Reply #2046 on:** January 06, 2014, 12:15:49 PM »

Maybe, just maybe--I hope you're right. It's so frustrating.

That's a remarkably interesting article about Dyson spheres. I didn't know much about them before, but now I do. They seem almost impossible, but that doesn't mean they can't eventually be made. And we're actually searching for evidence of them. I liked the candidates that were "amusing but questionable".

Frybabe · « **Reply #2047 on:** January 06, 2014, 12:22:53 PM »

Back to Ender's Shadow: Bean is incredibly paranoid, doesn't trust anyone. I haven't gotten to him meeting Ender yet.

Steph · « **Reply #2048 on:** January 07, 2014, 08:54:37 AM »

I hope that Nasa will give up all the old ways and look for a different solution to space.. We fell behind, because we simply would not consider other methods and relied on the old stuff for too long.

PatH · « **Reply #2049 on:** January 07, 2014, 09:08:05 AM »

Always assuming they are given enough money to do anything at all.

Steph · « **Reply #2050 on:** January 09, 2014, 09:01:42 AM »

Living in Florida, I must say that NASA is awfully good at wasting money. The amount of money put into political ways and means is amazing. And the fact that NASA is spread all over the place, when it probably would be best to be in one spot does not help. Blame the last on influential congresspeople who bit off things for each state.

PatH · « **Reply #2051 on:** January 12, 2014, 07:13:27 AM »

The site went down yesterday, and when the server people restored it, they reverted to the day before, so all our brilliant remarks of yesterday were lost.

I was in here a little before the crash, so I think I saw them all, but it's annoying.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2052 on:** January 12, 2014, 08:37:12 AM »

So my brilliant remarks on finishing Ender's Shadow got wiped? Bummer, I can't remember what I said. Let's see. The ending in some ways was surprising.

Bean was actually smarter than Ender but didn't have the ability to engender any real affection or loyalty of his troops like Ender did.
Bean figured out what was going on at the command school, Ender didn't.
Bean created his then and future problems between Achilles and himself by acting on an assumption that Achilles was out to kill him when he got the chance. In fact, Achilles apparently hadn't thought of it (at least, not then) until Bean acted on his assumption. Bean acted to remove the immediate threat but did not remove it permanently. Ender believed that you should hit your enemy hard enough that he could never strike again.

This last reminds me of the kind of thing that is going on today, hitting just enough to temporarily stop enemies from going forward, then having to do it all over again, but with more difficulty, some time in the future..

PatH · « **Reply #2053 on:** January 12, 2014, 01:18:41 PM »

And I responded by saying I own Ender's Shadow, but haven't read it, maybe should take it to read on the plane this week.

And that long ago I read Card's short story that was the starting point for all this. It was a brief version of the battle training and battles, ending with the regret that although they had won the war, they had destroyed the child.

Steph, you mentioned a promising sounding YA fantasy author I hadn't heard of. What was her name?

Steph · « **Reply #2054 on:** January 13, 2014, 09:29:25 AM »

Cassandra Clare... the series is The Mortal Instruments. I have read 1. City of Bones.. am reading 2. City of Ashes andhave ordered the 3. City of Glass.Also ordered one of her Infernal Divices series to see what that one is like. It takes place thus far in NYC.. There are a variety of otherworldly creatures. Both werewolves and vampires are victims of a disease that is transmitted by bites. The Shadowhunters are the primary characters and there are many varieties of good and bad.. They are a mixture of Angels and Demons.. She pulls you along at a great clip.. I like her very much. I understand the City of Bones is being made into a movie.

JoanK · « **Reply #2055 on:** January 17, 2014, 03:21:22 PM »

PatH is off to Hawaii for a week (I tried to hide in her luggage, but couldn't fit). While she's snorkeling, I'll be poking my nose in here.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2056 on:** January 18, 2014, 07:44:02 AM »

Poke away, JoanK.

I've interrupted my SciFi reading to continue Dana Stabenow's, Kate Shugak series.

The Scifi ebook I stopped reading temporarily is called Origins. The author's name escapes me (Mike Hendrickson, maybe?). The premise is interesting, an alien war going on where two alien warships crashed and the occupants were stranded on earth way back in early human history. The character narrating the events checked himself into a mental health clinic and is telling the psychiatrist the story. Of course, the psychiatrist thinks the guy is delusional. Yes, the aliens had found a way to practically live forever (in the narrator's case, 10,000 years). That is the main thread. There is also a narrative involving the FBI/NSA looking for mysterious radiation spikes (they are thinking terrorist cells) and another thread that follows some archaeologists around Cairo and environs who found a secret tunnel to and rooms under the Sphinx. The book seems a little lack luster, but then not everything I read is an action packed "can't put down" book. Oh, and this appears to be book one of a series.

JoanK · « **Reply #2057 on:** January 18, 2014, 04:39:36 PM »

From the Alaskan wilderness to the psychiatrists couch. Oh my!

PatH · « **Reply #2058 on:** January 19, 2014, 07:04:36 PM »

I've got precarious internet here. In between snorkeling, I'm reading Bujold's The Vor Game. Goodness--Miles is certainly as ingenious at getting into messes as getting out of them.

Steph · « **Reply #2059 on:** January 20, 2014, 09:33:19 AM »

Ah, must put the new Miles on my look for list.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2060 on:** January 30, 2014, 02:39:06 PM »

While waiting on the next two Stabenow mysteries, I read Jack McDevitt's Infinity Beach. I get started on one of his books and I never want them to end. This one is a stand alone murder mystery wrapped up in a somewhat spooky first contact situation.

I am waiting on the first of McDevitt's Priscilla Hutchins series and Jack Campbell's The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Guardian to come in. I got tired of waiting for the price to drop on the used price of the latter, not to mention the difficulty of finding either Campbell's or McDevitt's books locally. Neither one is in the county library system.

PatH · « **Reply #2061 on:** January 30, 2014, 09:27:33 PM »

Frybabe, I'll be interested to hear what you think of Guardian. My copy is a UK paperback I bought some time ago; I'm not sure if it's out in paperback here or not. The next book is due to come out in May, and judging from the cover shown in Fantastic Fiction, Geary makes it to Earth. It's frustrating to wait for paperbacks, but if I don't, I'll go broke and run out of space. Our library system is quirky about sci-fi--some plusses and minuses, but Campbell is one of the minuses.

The only McDevitt I've read is Polaris, and indeed, I read it straight through.

More elective reading will have to wait, as I have to keep on with Wives and Daughters for the book discussion, read two books for the Feb f2f sci-fi and fantasy book club, then reread Moby-Dick in preparation for seeing the opera at the end of Feb.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2062 on:** January 31, 2014, 08:01:17 AM »

PatH, Mody Dick as opera? Oh, my. Now there is something to talk about in Classical Corner.

My library system had one Guardian, but it went missing. None of the libraries replaced it. We have a very small SciFi section at our branch. Apparently SciFi is not as popular as I thought, at least not at my branch. The US publication date for the paperback is April 29, 2014. It is on preorder at B&N. All of the original series I have are paperback, the Beyond the Frontier books I have so far are hardcover. I tend to stick with what I start with so the books are not all different sizes. The Lost Stars series I started was borrowed from the library. I really should get hardcopy of that. Campbell is well worth it in my book.

Campbell (Hemry) is going to be at the Balticon 48 (what an odd name for a SciFi convention) Memorial Day weekend (23-24?) which is being held at the Hunt Valley Inn, a regular haunt in times past of mine and my ex's. It's a straight shot down 83, real easy to get to.

PatH · « **Reply #2063 on:** January 31, 2014, 12:06:11 PM »

All the Campbells I have (the original series and the Beyond the Frontier series, and the first Lost Stars) are paperbacks, but they're still different sizes. They would merit hardbacks, since I reread them, but I don't dare go down that road.

Are you going to see Hemry? It would be interesting to see what he's like in person. His personal life must be rather intense, as he has three autistic children, but this doesn't come across in the books, which are inspired more by his Navy career.

I certainly mean to talk about Moby-Dick in the Classical Corner, but thought I'd wait until I actually saw it. The staging is supposed to be very imaginative, and the music clips I've seen on you tube are likeable, so I'm excited to get the chance.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2064 on:** February 01, 2014, 06:49:25 AM »

I don't know if I'll go PatH, probably not. I've never been to a book convention (too chicken to try the National Book Festival last year even though it was a sponsored bus trip). The entrance fee is a bit pricey at $55 to $65 depending on how early you sign up. Here is this year's flyer. I haven't heard of any of the featured writers/artists. http://www.balticon.org/B48_flyer_6w.pdf

PS: Halo Jankowski is a tattoo and airbrush artist. That in itself would be interesting. According to his website, he will be joining this years' Inkmaster TV program.

Steph · « **Reply #2065 on:** February 01, 2014, 01:29:15 PM »

I am considering branching out into National book festivals. problem is they never seem to have the authors that I want to meet.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2066 on:** February 01, 2014, 05:34:25 PM »

Either that or they are not scheduled for the day you can go. It is one of the reasons I talked myself out of going to the DC event. Elizabeth Moon was scheduled for Sunday; the bus trip was Saturday.

Steph · « **Reply #2067 on:** February 02, 2014, 09:27:56 AM »

I would love to hear Elizabeth Moon speak.. The Washington book festival would work for me since I could take the train and stay close to the area.. hmm. what time of year is it??

Frybabe · « **Reply #2068 on:** February 02, 2014, 12:26:52 PM »

Last year the two day event was held on the Mall in September. This year they've changed sites due to new park rules; it will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on August 30. More info here http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/ Be sure to read the link to the "new venue" article which is located under News from the Festival. They've added some things including evening events, I suppose to make up for the one day event. I don't see a list of authors yet.

Steph · « **Reply #2069 on:** February 03, 2014, 09:07:16 AM »

One day and not where I wanted to be. Alas..

PatH · « **Reply #2070 on:** February 16, 2014, 08:57:25 PM »

Our magnificent snowstorm postponed this month's fantasy/sci-fi discussion group. The sci-fi book was Austin Grossman's Soon I Will be Invincible, a first novel about superheroes and villains. Superheroes aren't my kind of thing, and I haven't yet finished the book, since it was obvious we wouldn't be meeting, but now I will finish it. It seems OK, and is picking up as it goes along.

The fantasy selection was Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Angel's Game. I like him, maybe now I'll have time to read this one. But not until after I finish Moby-Dick, which has a fair claim to being fantasy too.

Steph · « **Reply #2071 on:** February 18, 2014, 08:55:10 AM »

I hated Moby Dick, but loved Ahabs wife..

Frybabe · « **Reply #2072 on:** March 06, 2014, 09:33:47 AM »

I'll be picking up John Scalzi's Fuzzy Nation today at the library.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2073 on:** March 07, 2014, 09:23:30 AM »

Redownloaded Little Fuzzy from ManyBooks. I am going to get it another go, after reading Scalzi's intro to Fuzzy Nation, which BTW, I am enjoying.

PatH · « **Reply #2074 on:** March 08, 2014, 09:12:41 PM »

I read Little Fuzzy eons ago, dug out my battered paperback and reread it after reading Fuzzy Nation. I liked the Scalzi better, but the Piper is well worth reading. Fuzzy Nation is full of legalistic twists and turns, and letter-of-the-law showdowns, and I have a taste for that. Piper wrote some sequels to Little Fuzzy, and from my distant memory, they had some annoying patronizing qualities. I also recently read another Piper, Space Vikings. It's about what you would expect from a title like that, and I don't agree with the elitist politics of the main character.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2075 on:** March 08, 2014, 09:23:29 PM »

I have Space Vikings downloaded into my SciFi folder with about 100 other books and short stories. Sigh!

PatH · « **Reply #2076 on:** March 08, 2014, 09:41:56 PM »

Well, I'll be interested to learn what you think of it when you read it.

PatH · « **Reply #2077 on:** March 10, 2014, 09:27:43 PM »

Steph, I would love to hear a bit more about Ahab's Wife. In the book, Ahab married late in life, just before going to sea again, and, as he delicately puts it, only dented the marriage pillow once. That leaves a lot of room for an imaginative author to go off in any direction.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2078 on:** March 11, 2014, 06:40:06 AM »

While waiting on my car's inspection and repairs, I read most (finished last night) an old scifi/fantasy called The Dark World by Henry Kuttner. Goodreads reviews: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1881716.The_Dark_World

It was interesting enough to keep me reading. There is a lot of action, not much in-depth character development, and not much extraneous description other than what helps drive the story forward. Fast read.

What I discovered is that Hanry Kuttner and his wife C. L. Moore were considered top SciFi/Fantasy writers in their day. Moore was one of the first women to write SciFi.
Fantastic Fiction bio: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/henry-kuttner/

PatH · « **Reply #2079 on:** March 11, 2014, 09:28:31 PM »

I remember Moore and Kuttner from their time; they were definitely the big guns. Don't remember much of anything about the books, though; it was a long time ago.

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Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 385156 times)