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 30,000 authors

Discussion Leader:  PatH

I kind of agree about Gibson. I tried reading Neuromancer but couldn't get very far. Disliked the beginning sequences which, among other things, included a drug party. I am going to try some of his others.

[PatH]

not a cyberpunk fan. and dislike Gibson..

Maybe that's why Frybabe is surprised by how much she likes it.

Gibson has changed with the years, and I think I like him less now.  I liked Neuromancer and Count Zero when they came out, don't know what I'd think of them now.

[Frybabe]

I'll have to try Neuromancer again. I have Spook Country and one other in my TBR pile, it think.

As for Halo, I should expand a little, but just. The book is very Buddhist in philosophy. While the story seems to follow a particular person (Gonzales) it is more about the emergence of a sentient AI.

[Steph]

hmm.  Buddism.. will check that out. A religion that has always interested me.

[PatH]

Last week the Washington Post reviewed Terry Pratchett's final, posthumous, Discworld book, The Shepherd's Crown.  It deals with witch Tiffany Aching, first met in The Wee Free Men, up against her old enemies.  The reviewer, Michael Dirda, a Pratchett fan, says it's definitely up to standards.  However, he warns that it is fairly serious, not many laughs, and sometimes getting solemn.  So it's worth reading, but not one to be kept for cheering up.

[Steph]

I loved all of Pratchett and Tiff was a hoot, so will be sure to get it.

[Frybabe]

I've just started Ryk Brown's, The Frontier Saga series. It looks promising.

[PatH]

Well, if you like it, you're in luck.  There seem to be 14 of them.

[Frybabe]

I've got the first three.

[Steph]

I am reading the second book of Eileen Wilks.. Werewolves in clans, devils, and a separate hell for demons.

[Frybabe]

Oh, great excitement here. Jack McDevitt will have a new book it the stores on Dec. 1. It is titled Thunderbird. For those who read Ancient Shores, the new book returns to that world.

I rather suspect that Coming Home was the last Alex Benedict book we will see out of Jack. Bummer! I think he may be going back over some old, shelved ideas and working on them now, what with the revised edition of The Hercules Text and now this new one coming out being based on another older book.

[PatH]

Bummer is right.  I just got a taste of the Benedict series, and mean to read more.  Haven't read Ancient Shores.

The movie The Martian is coming Oct 2.  I'll be in Portland then, which means I'll probably get to see it with my SIL, which is always fun.  It'll be interesting to see what they do with that very science-nerdy book.

I gave the book to my SIL last Christmas.  He had never heard of it, but a week or two later it started making a big splash.  I don't usually manage to surprise him like that.

[Steph]

PatH,,, when is the best time to visit Portland. I am considering an uncruise that begins and ends there and then staying on for a few more days.. Tim and I were there in late April and it rained solid for two days.. We went to the Japanese Garden anyway and I have the pictures of two drowned rats to prove it.

[Frybabe]

The Martian was originally scheduled to be released Nov. 25. I am quite happy that they are releasing it earlier. Now I know what my sister is getting me for my birthday - dinner and a movie. 

[PatH]

Steph, avoiding rain in Portland is quite a trick.  In general, winter is rainy and grey, summer is the dry season, and the between times vary, but a fair amount of rain.  The last two years have been dry, however.  April was lovely, there wasn't much rain in any season, and summer was hotter than usual, with some killer heat waves.  Fall is pretty, with color mixed with evergreen green.  We're just beginning to see some color now.

[Steph]

At this point, I am leaning toward a May 14 sail date, since that particular cruise has some special events for the Lewis and Clarke Expedition . It sounds like so much fun and the boat is small  88.. Now to get my cousin to make up her mind.. Sigh.

[PatH]

I make no promises, but May sounds like a good bet.  What's an uncruise?

[Frybabe]

I'm reading a John Ringo book titled A Hymn before Battle. The title pays homage to Kipling, and at the end of each chapter (so far), he quotes a bit of Kipling's poem "Hymn before Action" (1896).

Hymn Before Action

The earth is full of anger,
The seas are dark with wrath,
The Nations in their harness
Go up against our path:
Ere yet we loose the legions --
Ere yet we draw the blade,
Jehovah of the Thunders,
Lord God of Battles, aid!

High lust and froward bearing,
Proud heart, rebellious brow --
Deaf ear and soul uncaring,
We seek Thy mercy now!
The sinner that forswore Thee,
The fool that passed Thee by,
Our times are known before Thee --
Lord, grant us strength to die!

For those who kneel beside us
At altars not Thine own,
Who lack the lights that guide us,
Lord, let their faith atone!
If wrong we did to call them,
By honour bound they came;
Let not Thy Wrath befall them,
But deal to us the blame.

From panic, pride, and terror
Revenge that knows no rein --
Light haste and lawless error,
Protect us yet again,
Cloke Thou our undeserving,
Make firm the shuddering breath,
In silence and unswerving
To taste Thy lesser death.

Ah, Mary pierced with sorrow,
Remember, reach and save
The soul that comes to-morrow
Before the God that gave!
Since each was born of woman,
For each at utter need --
True comrade and true foeman --
Madonna, intercede!

E'en now their vanguard gathers,
E'en now we face the fray --
As Thou didst help our fathers,
Help Thou our host to-day.
Fulfilled of signs and wonders,
In life, in death made clear --
Jehovah of the Thunders,
Lord God of Battles, hear!

How about that - Kipling in space. 

[Steph]

hmmlost the first message. Uncruise Adventures.. They do all sorts of cruises.. I am interested in the Lewis and Clark one out of Portland. But they do Alaska, Columbia and Snake rivers, Mexico and Sea of Cortez,Hawaiian Islands, coastal Washington and British Columbia and Galapagos.. Takes professors and reenactors on the boat. very laid back. small boats, all included. my kind of cruising.

[PatH]

Sounds like my kind of cruising too, the smaller the boat the better.

Kipling always does such a great job of rousing one to patriotism and valor, with a bit of religious humility thrown in.

[Frybabe]

While browsing the Free Library of Philadelphia site I discovered several volumes titled The Apex Book of World Sf, or something very close to that. I put a hold on the 1st volume. The emphasis appears to be on writers from the Near and Far East, Eastern Europe, and other non-Western countries.

 

[PatH]

I'll be very interested to learn what the Far East Sci-fi is like.  I've read some Polish sci-fi--Stanislaw Lem.  He wrote Solaris, which was made into a Russian movie a long time ago, and an American movie a few years ago.  The Russian movie is better, even though it doesn't have George Clooney, and both different from the book, being less long-winded, with added material.  I've also read some of his short stories, half of Fiasco, also s-f, and a mystery story, The Investigation, kind of a cross between Inspector Maigret and Franz Kafka.

Sergei Lukyanenko is a Russan fantasy writer I like.  He manages to reduce theconflict between good and evil to a ponderous bureaucratic system.  The books are full of magic, spells, vampires, shape-shifters, etc.

[Steph]

Some of the very best science fiction and fantasy is English, Canadian and Australian..

[PatH]

Yes.  I can't think of any Australian authors at the moment.  Remind me.

[Frybabe]

I checked a list that Wikipedia has, but I didn't recognize any of the names except for the possible exception of Mickael Pryor. Pryor has books listed on Amazon, so I'm betting that is where I ran across his name. His book seem to be mostly on the Fantasy side.

[Steph]

I guess I was thinking of Nevil Shute, for On The Beach, which is a spectacular end of everything book. I went through a period where I must have read dozens of end of the world.. and I loved his, although he is a fiction writer. I also remember that I have read several fantasy books that seem set in New Zealand and assume the writer is Australian. Who knows.. I like a few chinese authors, but not many Culture shock, I suspect

[PatH]

Oh, of course, Nevil Shute.  And if you want to call The Book Thief fantasy, you've got Markus Zusak.  New Zealand film director Vincent Ward directed a weird fantasy movie, The Navigator, involving medieval peasants who, following a vision of how to escape the Black Death, dig a hole through the earth to modern New Zealand to forge a cross for the top of a church there.  It isn't a very good movie, but it has some stunning visual images.

I know there are others, but I can't come up with any.

[Steph]

The image of digging through to the other side is wild.. The mental picture is quite different. Just now on Kindle, I am reading an author who is only on Kindle.. Not bad.

[Frybabe]

Surprise! The Ringo book I just finished, Hymn before Battle, includes Fort Indiantown Gap (just across the river, about 20minutes away, and where my Dad and Mom are buried) as one of the locales. In fact, it ends there. Annville got a brief mention.The battles/skirmishes described in the book are brutal. Gust Front is next. I think most of it will be played out here on Earth as the invasion hits home. The main series is a total of four books, but there are some offshoots.

I Like the characters, like the story. Try to imagine a centaur-like creature with a crocidillian head, lays eggs, and is yellow in color. That's the enemy. Allies include a huminoid type (Indowy), short and stout with blue skin and green fur, and a frogish looking creature (the Himmit). The Darhel, an elfish looking alien has sharp teeth, are genetically altered so that if they become enraged, lose self-control, or indulge in "hunt lust", not to mention kill, they automatically go into a coma-like state which results in death.

The story is more about the human characters and their military and political lives than it is about science/technology. Even though the protagonist is a computer guy initially recalled to duty to help design a battle suit and its software, the technical explanations are minimal and easy to follow.

[PatH]

I'm reading Terry Pratchett's  Wyrd Sisters, which somehow I'd missed before.  Tee hee.

[Frybabe]

Saw The Martian yesterday. It did not disappoint, staying pretty close to the book. From what I remember of the book, there were a few minor changes. 

This probably constitutes a Spoiler Alert.

Regarding the potatoes, they didn't mention that he had lots of freeze dried potatoes to use after the accident, only that he had just what was already grown leaving those who haven't read the book to assume they were talking about only the potatoes he had already harvested and put into the food storage area. While the did show him converting rocket fuel to water, etc., they did not show that he later reverse engineered the process to convert back to rocket fuel. The ending, as I recall was a little different - may have to grab the book again to check that. I expected an expansion of the NASA scenes so that the characters at that end had more to say, I can't remember how much. At any rate, it was well done and very balanced. Matt Damon did a good job of showing the mood swings Watney went through from depression and on the verge of giving up to bouncing back with determination and energy.

Kudos to Ridley Scott and the whole crew and cast.

[Steph]

Ah the Wyrd Sisters.. lots of laughing and wishing I was there. Want to see The Martian..so will try to see it when I get home next week.

[PatH]

I just reread The Martian in preparation for seeing it tonight.  I wondered how it would stand up to rereading,and the answer is very well.

[Frybabe]

Pat, how did you like the movie?

YouTube has the soundtrack posted already (without the disco music).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8dE4ZrjcC4

[Steph]

hmmmm,,, book first?? movie first?? ah me,

[PatH]

I thought it was truly excellent.  I didn't have time to write about it before because after coming home from an evening movie I had to finish packing for a 6 am plane in the morning, and when I got back to Bethesda I was too wiped to do anything but eat and sleep.

SPOILER ALERT (sort of, anyone could guess that would happen)

They really did manage to keep the spirit and feel of the story, and not change much.  They cut out maybe half of the disasters and mechanical problems Mark had to face.  That's reasonable.  What worked in the book would be too repetitious in a movie, and they had more time to explain the ones left.   All the actors were well cast, even though Chiwetel Ejiofor can't really pass as Indian, and damon was really perfect in his part.  They didn't so much expand the NASA scenes--they didn't cut them, so they were a greater fraction of the story.

You're right about the ending.  The book ends with Watney getting back to Earth, no clue as to what he'll do with his life, though I bet he never eats another potato.  They show him sticking whole potatoes in the ground.  Didn't anyone on the staff ever plant a potato?

And it's visually gorgeous.  Mars never looked so good.

[PatH]

Steph, both would work.  I'd go for book first, partly because there are a lot of minor characters that would be easier to keep straight in the movie if you had read the book, and there are spots where what's going on is clearer.  But if you get bogged down in all the technical stuff in the book, just ditch the book and see the movie, where that's downplayed.  Don't let waiting to read the book keep you from seeing the movie.

[Steph]

ok.. When I get home on Monday, will put the movie on my list if it is playing locally.

[Frybabe]

Hugh Howey has done it again. Not exactly SciFi, but set in the future on a "beacon", much like our lighthouses, set near an asteroid belt to warn and guide ships in hyperspace away from the rocks. The beacon keeper is a war vet who wants to be left alone. This is a story of depression, guilt, PTSD, moral dilemma, redemption, forgiveness, trust. You can feel the emotion and experience those flashes of insight where both the character and reader go, "oh, so that is what is going on...or that's what happened...or why".

[Steph]

Home, way too tired and cranky, so I dug out a Pratchett... The Fifth Elephant, I suspect I have read it before, but I don't care. He is my reliable laugh maker and I need his silliness.