Science Fiction / Fantasy

[PatH]

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

[Babi]

 It has been so long since I read the original series.  I don't remember
Theo Waitly at all. I don't know how I missed PatH's post about Flegling;
I would have been eager to get my hands on a new Lee/Miller book.
Thanks for alerting me to 'Saltation', PAT.

[Steph]

 I  am still on the trail of some of Mary Browns older books. Hard to find.

[Babi]

 If no one on your paperback swap club has Mary Brown books,  they must be scarce.  Oh, well, it's not as though we don't have enough names on our list to last us a very long time.

[mrssherlock]

Attracted by the names of Mercedes Lackey and David Weber I was curious to see what their collaboration could produce.  Add Eric Flint to the brew, he wrote 1632, an alternate history story about a small town in present-day West Virginia which is plucked up, land and all, and deposited in the middle of Europe in, yep, 1632 with the 100 Year War raging all around them.  David Weber writes the Honor Harrington stories and Lackey writes fantasy - several of her series I have enjoyed, especially those tales of Valdemar.  Well, The Shadow of the Lion starts strong. political and religious skulduggery in 16th century Venice with magic, good and bad, a Viking from Vinland, lost heirs, etc.  But it lost me somehow so its gone. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/eric-flint/shadow-of-lion.htm

[salan]

Steph, I ordered the Mary Brown books from Amazon (used).  I used to have them, but must have loaned them out because they are no longer on my bookshelves.  Most of the books were $5.00, including shipping---not bad.
Jackie, I haven't read Mercedes Lackey in several years, but really enjoyed her books.
Sally

[Steph]

I like some of Mercy's books, but not all.. They are having some sort of fantasy-sci fi convention here in a few weeks and the couple that you have been discussing with a new book will be the guest speakers... Small world. I dont do the conventions.. Way too many storm troopers, etc to suit me.. I love sci fi, but see no need for costumes.

[Babi]

 I agree, STEPH.  That does seem to be carrying escapism a bit too far.  I have noted, tho', that
many 'sci/fi' imaginings have become reality in my own lifetime.   Now, that's exciting!

[mrssherlock]

Babi:  Yes, it is thrilling to hear a returning astronaut reveal that he was an avid Trekker, read Isaac Asimov, just like us!  My daughter was "into" that scene; one of her GFs went on to become PA to Gene Roddenberry, at least according to the rumor mill.

[Steph]

Got home from a picnic.. Was looking for some sort of no brain escape.. Found a Star Trek. Next Generation on and swooned over Jean Luc.. It was the episode where Worf reclaims his girlfriend. discovers he has a son and loses the woman to death.. Nicely done. Had forgotten it.. I loved Next Generation and need to start watching it again.

[Babi]

 Jean Luc is definitely a hard act to follow.  The captain in the next series was a real disappointment for a long time, until he quit being silly and got serious.

[Steph]

I loved most of the different star trek series, but Jean Luc is hands down my favorite
Captain..

[mrssherlock]

Oh, me, too.  His "Make it so" is very sexy.

[marcie]

Yes, definitely Jean Luc. So intelligent, compassionate, thoughtful, decisive and more! A couple of my favorite STTNG episodes are THE PERFECT MATE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perfect_Mate) and Darmok (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darmok)

[Steph]

Aha.. the series seems to be on BBC here in the late afternoon. Saw one yesterday that Councilor Troy lost her empath ability.. Scared her to death. Interesting premise.

[Babi]

 I can understand how it would.  If one is accustomed to that kind of
closeness to people, having it suddenly cut off must be like suddenly
becoming nearly deaf and blind.  And of course, it is the basis of her professional skills.

[mrssherlock]

Three of the Mary Brown novels are off my TBR list and it has become clear that the novels should be read in chronological order.  There is an important thread which connects the individual stories over the centuries.  i believe that she would have written more of this saga had she lived longer.

[Frybabe]

Darmok was my very favorite Star Trek: Next Generation episode. It introduced me to Gilgamesh. I had heard of Gilgamesh before, but didn't know anything about it.

[marcie]

Me too, Frybabe. How cultured, Jean Luc was. Who better to understand an alien culture that spoke in metaphors? The episode made me want to learn more about myths.

[Steph]

I must look up Darmok.. Myths are interesting.

[Babi]

 Gilgamesh was an epic poem, possibly the earliest ever written. I've never read it, and if it used metaphors as common language, I would think it would be hard
to understand.  I need to see "Darmok" and find out a bit more about it.

[mrssherlock]

The Barbara Cleverly series begins with The Last Kashmiri Rose.  It is the 1920s and Scotland Yard has sent Joe Sandilands, former WWI hero, to bring local British authorities of the advances in what we now call Forensics.  On the very day he is to return to his beloved London coolness, the fog and the rain, he learns that he has been assigned to investigate what seems to be a series of accidental deaths among the wives of the officers of the Bengal Greys at Panikhat.  An interesting mystery/puzzle,  profound sense of place, engaging characters plus, for those who read Kim, deja vu all over again.  It is disappointing to read that you were not enchanted by your book, BABI.  I had high hopes that this series would be entertaining.  http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/barbara-cleverly/last-kashmiri-rose.htm

[Steph]

Patricia Briggs has a totally different set of books, that are more magic, etc. Has anyone read them. I saw them at B and N and did not really like the book blurb. Are they as good as the current books.

[Babi]

 Found it!  'Darmok' was presented in Season 5, 1991.  My daughter knows a way to 'browse' the Netflix DVD's and was able to inform me
that Darmok was in the very first DVD for the season.
  "The Palace Tiger" was reminiscent of Kim, JACKIE.  And I admit that I didn't
figure out who the culprits were before the end.

[Frybabe]

I watched a movie on TV last night called Princess of Mars from an Edgar Rice Burroughs story. Well, remember the BabbleFish in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? I was surprised to find that it wasn't exactly original. Burrough's used a worm looking thing that was swallowed as a universal language translator rather than the fish in the ear that Douglas Adams devised for the same purpose.

[roshanarose]

Hi everyone.
I thought I might drop in my two cents worth here.
Have any of you heard of Sara Douglass?  She is an Australian writer, currently living in Tasmania.  Beautiful place, but too cold for me.
If I had to place her work in one particular category it would probably be historical science fantasy.  Some of her series are better than other.  My favourite series is "The Troy Game" which consists of four books:

Hades' Daughter - c1100 BCE Crete.  After the big bang at Thera, modern day Santorini.  Look out for the Minotaur!

God's Concubine - Power struggle between Harold (Harald?) Godwinson and William the Conqueror to control the Game.

Darkwitch Rising - Early to mid 17th century.  Mostly London about kings and their follies, esp Charles II.  This was my favourite.  I think that often it is important where you read books.  If it cold and miserable it all seems an effort, unless the book is exceptional.  I was lucky with Darkwitch.  I took the book on holiday to Cairns and the Barrier Reef.  If you read the books you will probably not be able to imagine two more different settings than 17 century London and 21 st century Barrier Reef. 

Druids' Sword - I havent' finished this one yet.  The setting is not as interesting to me as the others are.  Set in the London Blitz 1939 - 1941.

www.saradouglass.com

[roshanarose]

If you are wondering why I don't enjoy reading when it is cold and miserable.  Here's why.  In Australia central heating is very rare, particularly Queensland, euphemistically called "The Sunshine State".  I have a wee heater which I can sit on   Not happy now as I have a horrid head cold.  In general, Australian houses are not built to suit the weather.  We are supposed to be very tough, didn't you know.  TIC.

[mrssherlock]

Rose:  I had no idea!  Glad now that I dedn't move to Oz when I wanted to in the 60s. Thanks for Sara Douglass' name, lots to read there.

Found another new-to-me author, Stephen Baxter.  In Flood the world of 2016 begins with the release of four hostages arranged by a mega-billionaire.  It is a vastly different world than the one Lily Brooke left behind when she was captured by extremists in 2011.  her neice learns, through texting with a network of other kids world-wide, that the average sea level has risen by one meter, information not officially acknowledged, and it is still rising.  As more and more of the world's coastlines disappear Lily and her three former captive-comrades find themselves searching for answers.  This is  an old-fashioned SF story with characters in second place to the science and technology, but they are not cardboard cutouts.  The descriptions of the devastation is powerful and the menace of the water blindly creeping over the land, drowning everything in its path, is no quite middle-of-the-night creepy.  The scientists and technolgists are i telligenyt, competent and seeking answers, not overwhelmed by Nature's vast put-down of man's attempt to conquer her.

[Steph]

Sara Douglas sounds interesting. Will check my swap club and then Amazon. Amazing about Australia.. We were recruited in the late 50's and wanted to move there, but my husbands mother was a widow and he was the only child left, so she howled and wailed and generally made sure we did not go. Always wondered what my life would have been if we had gone.. Sounded fascinating and at that time they really wanted white immigrants.

[Frybabe]

Mrssherlock, I see my high school girlfriend and I weren't the only ones who wanted to move to Australia in the 60s. We went a far as contacting the Australian Embassy about emigration but never followed through. Don't remember why.

[Babi]

 I read several of Sara Douglass books in that series, ROSE, and enjoyed
them very much. But then it got to the point where it seemed to be dragging on and on, with no end in sight. When I realized it was going to carry through to modern times, I dropped it. Just not the same.

  From what Rose says of the weather and the housing, STEPH, perhaps it's fortunate that you didn't move there.  ROSE, you really need to do something about heating your place. Phoeey on tough! Being sick and cold is no fun.

 "Flood" sounds good, JACKIE. Makes me think of the strong scientific character of "Andromeda Strain".

[roshanarose]

It's probably because I am sick that I was so grumpy about the cold.  My ex is American and we went to the States for a "rellie rally".  I stayed in NYC while he went to Maryland, Chevy Chase or wherever the heck it was.  I adored NYC - the culmination of a dream for me.  When he returned he wanted to visit friends in Canada so we made our way up there.  Guelph I think the place is called.  I was impressed by the central heating and the comfort of their house. It was snowing outside but people were walking around in short sleeves inside.  I was very impressed.  Before we reached Guelph (spelling) we stopped off at Buffalo.  I couldn't fathom why people were wearing those silly fluffy things to cover their ears.  We walked along the Lake there and the next day my poor ears were red and scaly, and sore.  The silly fluffy ear things made sense!

Why did those of you who wanted come to live here in the 60s feel thus compelled?  Don't get me wrong, Australia is incredibly beautiful in many places.  I could list a litany of complaints, but won't.  Suffice to say my heart lies elsewhere.

I wouldn't sit down and read "The Troy Game" series in a row, but I agree that the last one seems out of place.  I just can't visualise Asterion in the Blitz.

[Steph]

Australia in the late 50's and 60's was touted to be more like the older US.. An adventure.. A place at the end of the world to begin a new life. It is now more settled.. But we wanted the feel of an adventure. It appealed to young ones at that point. Plus of course for us, we went to an expo in NYC on it.. They asked us to fill out forms and then within a month the embassy offered us a contract. They would pay our way, pay so much for shipping belongings,, and guarantee both of us jobs in our fields if we would stay three years.. Seemed like a good deal to us.. Tim was a disc jockey and they loved the american accent.

[Frybabe]

Steph, you got farther that Linda and I did. I think at the time we heard that Australia was looking for people to emigrate because they needed workers (skilled?). We were just out of high school by a few years and not in college at the time. Canberra appealed to me because of the satellite installations (I was reading about radio astronomy at the time). Also, we had heard they needed more women    In the end, I think we didn't want to be so far away from family.

[Babi]

I remember that, STEPH! People were saying that Australia was like our
old West. Australia would feel like home to Texans.  Things like that. I
never realized it was part of a drive to encourage immigration.

[mrssherlock]

If I had lived my life plan I'd probably be there now, but instead of finishing school and then traveling, I married and had two children.  By the 60s being mommie was paling so the idea of moving to a new world/frontier but with mod convs, was almost irresistible. In stead we bought a larger house relieving some of my restlessness and volunteering at the elementary school (library was staffed and managed by parents) and PTA and scouts, boy and girl in their time, oz faded away into the distance.

[Steph]

Australia and New Zealand are still on my bucket list. I do so want to go, but I hate the long long plane ride.. Maybe someday, but I am beginning to doubt my ability to travel that far by myself.

[Babi]

 I'm already at that point, STEPH.  I would love to see gorgeous New Zealand, tho'.  Shucks,
there are a lot of places I would love to see, but I'll have to see them through travelogues, I
guess.  There is something to be said for seeing the sights from the comfort of your recliner, with a snack and a drink in reach.

[mrssherlock]

Finished Baxter's The Flood and can heartily recommend it.  Baxter can create powerful mental images, it isn't giving anything away to say the final image is so powerful it will be with me for a long time.  In the lead up to that final scene the characters become more animated through the accumulation of their interactions and the sharing their inner thoughts as readers do.   

[roshanarose]

Ladies - I agree that it is a very long trip.  My last long trip was to Greece in 2004.  The first leg to Singapore was fine on a smaller more comfortable aircraft; then a changeover to a Jumbo 747 for the long haul from Singapore to Frankfurt; and then, BLISS, the rest of the journey from Frankfurt to Athens was on a new Airbus with a much alcohol and food as you wanted for free, that was with Lufthansa who treated us like royalty, and that was in Economy!  The complete antithesis of the 747:  a plane which has really had its days in terms of comfort for long leggedie beasties like me.  The return journey was all 747 and I seemed to be cramped into a 24" space for 24 hours.  So - Yes, I know what you mean.  Choose your airline carefully is my opinion and then the aircraft.  QANTAS is fine, but Singapore Airlines is fantastic.  Oh!  Don't forget the location of the seat.  Check www.seatguru.com for the best and worst seats.  In other words do lots of research.

Then there is the season when it is best to visit.  I have a very dear friend who lives in Cambridge, MA.  She so badly wanted to come to Australia.  She told us she would be coming for Christmas and staying for two months with my in-laws.  December and January are months in which visiting the northern parts of Australia should be actively discouraged.  We told our friend this but she insisted on coming.  Australia does not have a gentle, mild summer.  It is bloody hot and the heat unrelenting.  I remember it being so hot one day that my glasses, which were metal, burned the sides of my face.  Our friend had a terrible time with the heat and couldn't get back to Boston quickly enough.  The best months imho, in Queensland, at least, are April/May and August/September.

A visit to NZ is an absolute must.  It is quite magical, particulary the north island.  Right up the top at the Bay of Islands, there is a small town called Waitangi, which is just beautiful.  I loved the thermal activity of the North Island and the fabulous trout fishing on Lake Taupo which fronts three volcanoes.  You just have to go there.  If you visit the South Island go to Queenstown, much of the Lord of the Rings was filmed there.