Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 486763 times)

PatH · « **Reply #560 on:** February 07, 2010, 03:30:29 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

JoanK · « **Reply #561 on:** February 07, 2010, 07:52:42 PM »

PatH: you're back.

PatH · « **Reply #562 on:** February 07, 2010, 10:11:24 PM »

Sort of. It sometimes fades out on me.

Babi · « **Reply #563 on:** February 08, 2010, 08:58:09 AM »

Claire, I totally believe that story. I remember a very young cardinal
that I 'met' because she kept tapping on my window. I think she decided
I was her mother, because she would come tapping on my window every morning until the season changed. She showed up again the next year. Then one morning she returned with a mate in tow, and tapped on my window. When I appeared, she became very excited and turned to her mate chattering madly. It was so clear what she was saying. "See, I told you so!"

Welcome back, PAT. Even somewhat faded, you're appreciated.

JoanK · « **Reply #564 on:** February 08, 2010, 03:02:39 PM »

BABI: I'm glad to hear you have "it" for cardinals.

Steph · « **Reply #565 on:** February 09, 2010, 06:03:56 AM »

Love the cardinal story. We have a cardinal family on the trail in front of me.. They fuss in the spring with the bikers and walkers.. Lots of broken wing dragging and fussing for you to move away from their new family.

Babi · « **Reply #566 on:** February 09, 2010, 08:37:04 AM »

Don't know about all cardinals, JOANK. The male cardinal edged away
eyeing his mate as though she was daft. For whatever reason, that was
her last visit to me. It is a very pleasant memory, tho'.

PatH · « **Reply #567 on:** February 09, 2010, 08:50:28 AM »

Babi, I think she was bringing her proposed mate to you for approval. Once she got it, she felt free to go off with him.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #568 on:** February 09, 2010, 09:47:31 AM »

Babi: You should be very proud she chose you.

winsummm · « **Reply #569 on:** February 09, 2010, 01:15:52 PM »

we don't have cardinals here in southern ca. mocking birds, blue jays robins towhees sea gulls oriels orange/gold and black two kinds and only occasionally. hawks ravens crows. haven't seen much of the doves . .mourning doves and pigeons . it has been raining which is needed.

the Jim lynch weather has a life of its own. you are right about the characters. everything has character. I'm on book two. guess I'm hooked.

I can hear the pickup trash trucks. the one in the morning for garbage the one in the afternoon for recyclables. Even they have character when you think about it.

JoanK · « **Reply #570 on:** February 09, 2010, 03:18:49 PM »

We don't have cardinals in So California, but I've seen 86 species of birds in the three years I've been here, many of them gorgeous. If I could get around more, I could probably see twice as many. There's a lovely bird guide for the region, "Birds of the Los Angeles Region" to help me.

(Never get a fanatic bird watcher talking about birds. I'll go away, and let you get back to science fiction).

PatH · « **Reply #571 on:** February 09, 2010, 06:50:39 PM »

Don't go away, Joan, birds are somewhat alien, so you can squeak in that way.

PatH · « **Reply #572 on:** February 09, 2010, 07:13:14 PM »

In the "Kim" discussion JudeS led us to a link of sci-fi books based in some way on Kipling's book.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_(novel)

One book was Poul Anderson's "The Game of Empire", inspired by "Kim", with opening and closing scenes that are direct pastiches. How could I resist? Abebooks obliged for $3.79.

If you haven't read "Kim", it's good space opera, warring factions, human and non, trying to take over the human Empire. It makes a lot of demands sorting out different worlds, species, and characters, but this gets more or less sorted out.

If you have read the Kipling, yes the plot is loosely based on "Kim" and the first and last chapters are pastiches. It's fun looking for references. Both Mahbub Ali and the lama are alien species, Ali tiger-like, the lama dragon or dinosaur-like, but with a pair of spectacles hung around his neck. The Kim character is female, very Kim-like.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #573 on:** February 09, 2010, 09:01:02 PM »

My library has it! Hooray!!

Babi · « **Reply #574 on:** February 10, 2010, 08:13:27 AM »

Sounds like fun, PAT. Mahbub Ali as a lion made me smile; so appropriate. My library has Poul Anderson books, but not that one.
Still, I can take a look at some of the others.
I also find two Jim Lynch books there, WIN, but neither of them are
science fiction. If he's good with characters, tho', that should be true
of his other fiction as well.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #575 on:** February 10, 2010, 12:00:56 PM »

Lynch is my married name; I am not aware of a SF writer whose name is Lynch. Jim Lynch I know well having read his two novels, laid in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. He was formerly a reporter on the Portland Oregonian and has published many short stories. His voice is unique; his characters are strong and the influence of their geographic location is well delineated. Even the "bad guys" deserve our empathy. I will never forget the gentle giant border guard who is a rabid birder, Brandon Vanderkool, and the incredible antics featured in Border Songs[/b.]

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/jim-lynch/

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/jim-lynch/border-songs.htm

winsummm · « **Reply #576 on:** February 10, 2010, 01:38:03 PM »

Jackie youo are right it is JIM BUTCHER and it is fantasy. interesting series. At least i've gotten interested in the rolitical aspects of it as well as the imaginary characters.

claire

http://www.amazon.com/Jim-Butcher/e/B001H6U718

at amazon.

Furies of Calderon the first one that got me started. I'm on the second one. . .more political. the first very bloody. I skipped a lot. this about Academ or academy for Tavi the young protagonist.

Babi · « **Reply #577 on:** February 11, 2010, 08:35:00 AM »

Ah, okay. Glad we got that cleared up. I wondered if possibly you were
thinking of Jim Butcher. I've read all of the Alera series to date and loved
them all.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #578 on:** February 11, 2010, 11:29:22 AM »

Jim Butcher books automatically go on my list. Very inventive mind.

winsummm · « **Reply #579 on:** February 11, 2010, 09:07:53 PM »

Aleara series has great plot but horrible graphic violence. I skip most of that.

claire

JoanK · « **Reply #580 on:** February 12, 2010, 03:05:03 PM »

PatH is without internet again. But I'll report to her regularly.

winsummm · « **Reply #581 on:** February 12, 2010, 03:27:24 PM »

poor patH does she have a Mac??? they are notoriously pain free. at least mine is.

claire

JoanK · « **Reply #582 on:** February 12, 2010, 06:43:12 PM »

She does have a Mac. It's not her computer, it's her internet and phone provider. The almost three feet of snow has thrown everything topsy-turvy.

winsummm · « **Reply #583 on:** February 12, 2010, 09:25:59 PM »

wow joan where is she? we are so lucky right now here in CA
the doves made out on the top of the fence this afternoon. she did most of the work. so cute

Frybabe · « **Reply #584 on:** February 13, 2010, 01:07:31 PM »

I use a Mac at work and a PC at home. I have always been impressed by the Mac's ability to recover the rare freeze or crash as opposed to the Windows operating system on the PC.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #585 on:** February 13, 2010, 03:20:12 PM »

I've been a MAC fanatic for 25 years but have a Windows laptop for school, travel, games, etc. There are 3 of us in the household and both puters are usually engaged. Hate Windows!

PatH · « **Reply #586 on:** February 13, 2010, 04:54:37 PM »

My problem is the phone line, not the Mac, which has never given me trouble. Phone cuts in and out, repair promised the 26th!

winsummm · « **Reply #587 on:** February 14, 2010, 01:25:54 AM »

PATh where are you located? sounds like rural service or a cell phone arrangement, wireless for a computer?

just wondering. Of course I have cable here for my phone a well as TV and INTERNET so am not used to being DROPPED any more.. .time marches on. my tv cuts out now and then even though their fiibur optic lines are under ground. all three digital services are on one provider . . .phone, tv, computer.

claire

mrssherlock · « **Reply #588 on:** February 14, 2010, 12:35:36 PM »

I have been on an orgy of reading Sharon Shinn's Samaria series. Samarians have lived on this planet for hundreds of years, being brought hither by their god, Jovah, in his hands. They have a tradition of angels, humans with wings, interceding with Jovah through song in times of need: plague, drought, flood, famine. Oracles are the only direct contact with Jovah who direct the principal angel, known as the Archangel, to his/her ordained mate. Every twenty years a new Archangel is chosen by Jovah. Shinn has created a land rich in variety of terrain, climate and peoples. Angels' lives are filled with vocal music. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/sharon-shinn/

Connie Willis' new book, Blackout, takes us once again to the Oxford History Department in 2060 and the time-traveling historians. The nitty-gritty of time travel is exhausting; there are costume fittings, language and accent implants, skills to learn, for example, if you are to be a reporter observing the arrival of the troops from Dunkirk, you need to know how to put paper into your typewriter, how to us the telephone system of that time, etc. etc. Imagine the pressure on the lab where the actual transfers and retrievals take place. Strict adherence to schedules in vital. Then, when the head adminisstrator starts to arbitrarily alter those schedules, chaos ensues.

Steph · « **Reply #589 on:** February 15, 2010, 06:09:27 AM »

I found the second book in the Sharon Shinn series, but am still looking for the first one.. May have to break down and actually buy it.

Babi · « **Reply #590 on:** February 15, 2010, 09:04:52 AM »

My older daughter's library has that Sharon Shinn series. She is reading
the first and will pass it on to me when she finishes. Ditto with the others.
I'm hoping she reads fast.

catbrown · « **Reply #591 on:** February 15, 2010, 12:41:25 PM »

I got "Blackout" immediately upon publication, but have decided to let it rest awhile in the to-be-read pile when I realized it's the first of two volumes (the 2nd supposed due Fall 2010). Since I adored "Doomsday Book," I'm really looking forward to it.

JoanK · « **Reply #592 on:** February 15, 2010, 04:47:33 PM »

PatH is in and out of internet service. It is not exactly "rural " service, since she lives around ten miles from the White House.

Steph · « **Reply #593 on:** February 16, 2010, 06:14:21 AM »

Ah, but our nations capitol loves to believe they are a totally southern city and simply does not handle snow of any type and this time, they got clobbered

JoanK · « **Reply #594 on:** February 16, 2010, 05:19:48 PM »

So sadly true. At the first sign of snow, we Washingtonians go into a complete panic, as if we've never seen it before, even though it snows every Winter.

Steph · « **Reply #595 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:01:07 AM »

I grew up in Delaware and it has the same problem. No idea why the Eastern shore is convinced that it doesnt snow there. It certainly does..

mrssherlock · « **Reply #596 on:** February 20, 2010, 12:34:41 PM »

Connie Willis' latest, Blackout, concerns the Oxford History Time Travel Project in 2060. Where the time travel was in its early stages in Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog. There are several travelers in various stages in their prep for and travel to some of the key points in WWII such as Dunkirk. Others are researching the ancillary effects of Britain's war such as the evacuation of children out of London and to the countryside. Complicating the smooth transitions between Oxford and WWII London is the arbitrary changes to the tight schedules the administrator imposes resulting in chaotic conditions for the graduate students who are traveling. Willis has a deft touch with comic aspects of daily life which can make us cry or laugh hysterically. She can also slyly slip menace in to otherwise mundane domesticity. Warning: This story is continued; next chapter, All Clear, is scheduled for September this year.

Steph · « **Reply #597 on:** February 22, 2010, 06:05:50 AM »

Since I love continuing, will put Connie Willis on my list to try.

Babi · « **Reply #598 on:** February 22, 2010, 08:48:30 AM »

I'm reading Connie Willis' "Doomsday Book" right now. I am a devoted
fan. The current book is described as a 'tour de force' for Miss Willis, but
I have enjoyed everyone of hers I've read, and she ranges from light,
humorous mysteries to the sci/fi of time travel. I'm confident you'll
enjoy her, STEPH.

PatH · « **Reply #599 on:** February 22, 2010, 10:17:47 AM »

I agree with Babi, Steph, Willis is easy to like.

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Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 486763 times)