Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 384992 times)

mrssherlock · « **Reply #760 on:** July 09, 2010, 03:11:14 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.

Links:
Fantastic Fiction, bibliographies of 15,000 authors

Discussion Leader: PatH

Bab: Baxter's story is well founded in up-o-the minute research; he lists the sources in an Afterword. There is a destination and the process for determining it are recounted, no "magical" leaps, not much intuition, but sound science, facts derived from research and then extrapolated. I was impressed by the way Baxter developed his hypotheses, converting disparate journal and conference reports into plausible conclusions. The most recent sources he references are in 2008 and 2009. I believe that this is one of the most important SF book(s) I have read in a long, long time.

PatH · « **Reply #761 on:** July 09, 2010, 09:26:12 PM »

Quote from: mrssherlock on July 09, 2010, 03:11:14 PM

Bab: Baxter's story is well founded in up-o-the minute research; he lists the sources in an Afterword. There is a destination and the process for determining it are recounted, no "magical" leaps, not much intuition, but sound science, facts derived from research and then extrapolated. I was impressed by the way Baxter developed his hypotheses, converting disparate journal and conference reports into plausible conclusions. The most recent sources he references are in 2008 and 2009. I believe that this is one of the most important SF book(s) I have read in a long, long time.

Wow, Jackie, it sounds like something I really have to read--just my kind of thing.

PatH · « **Reply #762 on:** July 09, 2010, 10:23:46 PM »

Last night I tried a local f2f sci-fi discussion group; it's sponsored by Politics and Prose, the holdout good independent bookstore around here. The book discussed was a classic, Alfred Bester's "The Stars My Destination" aka "Tiger, Tiger", 1956. It shows its age--the first page tells you it's 50s--but it holds up very well. It's regarded as preliminary cyberpunk, and in plot is sort of a retelling of "The Count of Monte Cristo".

The discussion was good--the sort of thing I've been spoiled by finding here--with all sorts of attention to detail, reference to other books, background, etc. I'll continue unless I either find I don't like their selections (they're all over the map, but look pretty good) or feel that I'm out of place. I'm definitely the oldest, but there is a wide range, and I feel comfortable there. I avoided freaking anyone out by pointing out that it's possible that I read the book in Galaxy when it first came out in '56.

marcie · « **Reply #763 on:** July 09, 2010, 11:26:16 PM »

It sounds like you found a good group, Pat. LOL re not freaking out the younger ones with mention of Galaxy Science Fiction.

Steph · « **Reply #764 on:** July 10, 2010, 06:06:55 AM »

Could be like James Blish.. Cities in Flight. I did love th ose books.

Babi · « **Reply #765 on:** July 10, 2010, 10:52:50 AM »

Thanks, JACKIE. That one sounds like real sci/fi. Reminds me more of the sort of thing we used
to find in Crichton. So much of what I read now is really fantasy....though I like that, too.

Sounds like you found a good book club, PAT. So many of them I've heard mentioned seem
to be more of "I liked it", "I didn't like it.", 'Pass the nibbles, please'.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #766 on:** July 10, 2010, 11:10:58 AM »

Pat: What a find! Too bad we've never had a discussion of SF except The Road, not exactly mainstream SF. I'd love to discuss either Flood or Ark or even both together. but the theme(s) would not be palatable to most. Even my son won't read either, he dismisses the science out-of-hand, though we know most SF is extrapolating from what we know to "what if". I'd stick with the group even if they wander. Such a forum is a rare gem, to be treasured.

joegreyfan · « **Reply #767 on:** July 10, 2010, 06:32:04 PM »

I've just read Mercedes Lackey's delightful The Sleeping Beauty, and loved it! The "Sleeping Beauty" tale is only a small part of it. She mixes in elements from other fairy tales (Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, Rapunzel, Puss-in-Boots, Cinderella) and Norse myth (Siegfried, Brunnhilde, Wotan). If you've ever heard Anna Russell's hilarious "The Ring of the Nibelungs (An Analysis)," Lackey's version is a variation on it. And she provides a much happier ending for the Ring saga than Wagner does in Gotterdammerung. This is a really fun, lighthearted fantasy, very enjoyable.

Steph · « **Reply #768 on:** July 11, 2010, 06:10:07 AM »

I like Mercys work very much. Will look for that one.

salan · « **Reply #769 on:** July 11, 2010, 06:45:40 AM »

Thanks for reminding me about Mercedes Lackey. I really liked other books I have read by her and will look for this one. Is it new? Is she still alive and publishing?
Sally

Babi · « **Reply #770 on:** July 11, 2010, 08:37:36 AM »

The Lackey book sounds like it would be a great companion read to the upcoming discussion on fairy tales. The title eludes me; I can only think of 'Blondes and Beasts'. Too early in the morning. (That's my excuse, anyway.)

PatH · « **Reply #771 on:** July 11, 2010, 11:00:41 AM »

Since it's sitting right here, I don't have to turn my brain on. It's "From the Beast to the Blonde"

Steph · « **Reply #772 on:** July 12, 2010, 05:44:05 AM »

I believe that Lackey did a small series on The Godmother? Will have to check my library out.. Think I might even still have it.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #773 on:** July 12, 2010, 03:45:45 PM »

Spending so much time in Stephen Baxter's Flood and Ark I was struck by the review of the non-fiction book,The Flooded Earth: Our Future in a World Without Ice Caps by Peter Ward. Ward reviews the impact of several cataclysmic events in Earth's 4 billion year history, events precipitated by vast climate changes earth created on her own. The brief history of Life on earth as victim instead of instigator is overwhelming leading one to wonder at how little we matter in the entire scheme of things. Baxter's earth is flooded by the earth adjusting her systems with little correlation to the damage Man has inflicted and our efforts to recover, cope, adapt are puny in the light of nature's implacable pragmatism. This conjunction of powerful fiction and non-fiction dealing with the same dilemma is too compelling to resist so Ward's book has joined my TBR stack. http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2010/07/nonfiction_review_the_flooded.html

Babi · « **Reply #774 on:** July 13, 2010, 09:20:23 AM »

Oh, joy! I have found a Bujold book I haven't already read. It's the "Hallowed Hunt", and anything else I've bee reading has simply had to wait. Bujold is one of my prime favorites.

joegreyfan · « **Reply #775 on:** July 13, 2010, 06:38:55 PM »

Yes, Mercedes Lackey is still very much alive and writing. In fact, I've just started another new book by her, co-authored with Rosemary Edghill. It's Legacies, the first in the Shadow Grail series. It's a YA mystery/thriller with magical elements. I'm not far into it yet, but it's already proving to be a real page-turner!

All of the books in Lackey's "500 Kingdoms" series, including The Sleeping Beauty, feature fairy godmothers. The first book in the series is titled The Fairy Godmother.

There's also a really fun trilogy by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough that mixes up all sorts of fairy tales and folk tales. The first book in the series is The Godmother.

Steph · « **Reply #776 on:** July 14, 2010, 05:48:47 AM »

Aha.. It was the Scarborough books that I loved.. She is a good writer and has done a lot of odd and interesting things. I believe she was also a nurse in VietNam..

joegreyfan · « **Reply #777 on:** July 17, 2010, 06:59:15 PM »

Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill's new YA fantasy/mystery, Legacies, which I mentioned in my above post, started out well, but proved to be something of a disappointment. It's a fairly entertaining story, but the characters are flat, and it doesn't have the lightness and humor I'd expect from these authors. It's set at a school of magic located in the middle of Montana, but it's very different from Hogwarts and not nearly as much fun. This book falls way below the standard set by the authors' previous collaboration, the series of urban fantasies featuring elves, which I loved and have kept on my shelves for rereading.

Babi · « **Reply #778 on:** July 18, 2010, 09:08:56 AM »

I am reading my second Mary Brown book (thanks to STEPH), called
"The Unlikely Ones". I'm enjoying it, but am surprised to find the plot is
the same as in the first book. You have an unattactive young girl, with
an assortment of animals she can talk to, on a difficult journey in which
they meet a knight in distress. Lots of magic, of course.
I do hope she doesn't use the same plot in all her books. Only the names changed. Oh, and some interesting instruction in mushrooms.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #779 on:** July 18, 2010, 01:47:00 PM »

Babi: The Unlikely Ones is the first book and the thread is about quests so there is a girl and a band of companions each time, but that is not the story. Instead it is the mystery with ties throughout the series which covers many generations. The Unicorn in Unlikely is one of the continuing threads. Pigs Don't Fly picks up the story after some years and the events occur closer in time than the interval between Unlikely and Pigs. It all makes more sense when you start with Unlikely but reading it after one of the others is confusing because of the threads in Unlikely which resonate in the others and tie it all together. I read them out of order, too, and intend to go back and start at the beginning.

Babi · « **Reply #780 on:** July 19, 2010, 08:38:38 AM »

Thanks for that explanation, JACKIE. I'm curious now to find that thread of mystery that ties
the books together. The two books are so similar, though. If they continue to be this
identical in plot and characters, it will really need to find that thread in order to enjoy them.

Steph · « **Reply #781 on:** July 20, 2010, 09:05:20 AM »

There is a clear thread in Unlikely and Pigs, but I need to find the later ones. The ones I found in the bookstore were not in that series..

mrssherlock · « **Reply #782 on:** July 20, 2010, 04:45:28 PM »

Steph: Master of Many Disguises and Dragon's Eg do continue the story begun in Unlikely. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/mary-brown/

Steph · « **Reply #783 on:** July 21, 2010, 05:45:13 AM »

Thanks for the Mary Brown continuation. Will put them on my find list.

JoanP · « **Reply #784 on:** July 23, 2010, 07:27:36 PM »

Sorry to interrupt, but I need to make sure everyone sees this -

We've just now opened the vote for fall book discussions. You can vote for your top choice in Part I of the poll and then in Part II click on ALL of those you would be interested in discussing at some time. Some great choices - note that there are reviews linked to the book titles in the header in the Suggestion Box if you are not familiar with some of them.

Are you ready? -
Click Here to Cast your Vote! -

mrssherlock · « **Reply #785 on:** July 26, 2010, 10:19:32 AM »

Somewhere (here?) a reference to Guy Gavriel Kay's Under Heaven caught my eye. For an unique reading experience I'm forever grateful to that person for the world Kay has created in this historical fantasy novel has become so rich in detail it feels almost like biography. The Tang Dynasty (618-907) is the setting for Kay's story of the second son of General Shen, in honor of his father's memory, has spent the last two years alone at the site of his father's last battlefield, burying the bones of the 40,000 dead. As Shen Tai says, who can pick the bones of the Kitai warriors (Chinese) from the enemies (Tibetan), so he treats all bones with reverence and respect. His labors gain him respect and an

Quote

extraordinary gift (that) threatens to engulf Shen Tai in the political and dynastic struggles that surround the throne of the Kitan Emperor, but also permits Shen Tai to form friendships and gain access to the most powerful figures in Kitai.

An extraordinary look into the intricacies of China's convoluted society is compelling with the result that I literally couldn't put the book down until the last page.

PatH · « **Reply #786 on:** July 26, 2010, 11:01:39 AM »

You're not the only one who likes it, Jackie. My library system has a lot of copies, but when I tried to reserve it, I'm #41 in the queue. It sounds like it's worth waiting for, though.

Frybabe · « **Reply #787 on:** July 26, 2010, 06:25:32 PM »

I have read only one of Kay's books so far - Ysabel. My enjoyment of it was augmented by Google maps from which I printed out maps of Aix-en-Provence and surrounding area to follow along with the story. I also found pictures of the Saint-Sauveur Cathedral where some of the action takes place.

Under Heaven sounds like a book that should go on my reading list.

Steph · « **Reply #788 on:** July 27, 2010, 09:04:26 AM »

Found the next two of Mary Browns books on my swap club.. Hooray.

Babi · « **Reply #789 on:** July 28, 2010, 09:07:58 AM »

Guy Kay sounds like an author I want to know, JACKIE. Thanks for
introducing him.
STEPH, I'm having so much trouble getting my bookshelf in the swap club straightened out, I'm about to give up. I've asked people there what to do, but nothing seems to be working right. Or I'm not understanding the instructions correctly. I'm going to give it one more try before I call it quits. The site does seem very complicated.

Steph · « **Reply #790 on:** July 29, 2010, 06:15:20 AM »

Babi, what it is is completely automated, so trying to figure out what is what is hard. Dont quite understand.. are you having problems listing books... finding books... or the wish section..

Babi · « **Reply #791 on:** July 29, 2010, 09:09:37 AM »

STEPH, the books I received were on the list with red symbols blocking
them. I tried unsuccessfully to remove the blocks, winding up with a list of just those books, still blocked. I couldn't find the rest of my list.
I re-posted the books that I'd had on the original booklist, but the posting was apparently unsuccessful. No idea why.
I'm going to try again, but with the turmoil last week...(my daughter's MI)...I haven't really been in there at all recently. I'll tackle the problem when I feel up to it; I only hope I will be successful next time.

Steph · « **Reply #792 on:** July 30, 2010, 05:54:56 AM »

Sorry.. are you talking of the book list.. that lists what you have received or ordered or wished for. If so look at the top of the page. I think the red simply means that you have that book..

Babi · « **Reply #793 on:** July 30, 2010, 08:58:22 AM »

No, I mean the list of books I have offered to swap. The only thing on the list now is three 'blocked' books that I received. All the others have
disappeared. I tried to re-list them once, but they're still not there.
One of these days, when I'm feeling clear-headed and energetic again,
I'll try once more.

Steph · « **Reply #794 on:** July 31, 2010, 06:00:18 AM »

Amazing. I checked my book list and ther are different categories in it. Do you suppose there are for you. Check the top and see if it tells you. If not , go to Help and wail..

Babi · « **Reply #795 on:** July 31, 2010, 09:25:38 AM »

I did ask for help, and a friendly lady responded. I was trying to follow her instructions when my list disappeared. She had told me to click on a
button at the bottom of the page. I didn't find such a button there, but
I did find it at the top of the page. Nothing has gone right since.
Don't worry about it. I'll either work it out or I won't.

adichie · « **Reply #796 on:** August 01, 2010, 01:49:22 AM »

Hi! I am new to this site and I am looking for recommendations for recent (within past year or two or three) science fiction and/or fantasy books with thoughtful characters, good world building, interesting plots. To give you some idea of what I like - in fantasy I recently read and loved RobinHobb's duology Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven - also The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. In science fiction I recently read and liked Steal Across the Sky by Nancy Kress.

Thanks for your thoughts. I look forward to being part of this ongoing discussion.

Steph · « **Reply #797 on:** August 01, 2010, 06:21:43 AM »

We have recently been reading Mary Brown and her series on fantasy quests.. I read very little hard sci fi, so no help there.

Babi · « **Reply #798 on:** August 01, 2010, 09:03:30 AM »

Glad to meet you, ADICHIE. I love a number of sci/fi authors, but I
can't say whether the books are within the past year or so. Mary Brown is a lot of fun, but I don't think her books are recent.
May I suggest you look up the "Fantastic Fiction" site. There is a
link to it at the top of this page. They have all the authors and
you can easily find their latest books.

PatH · « **Reply #799 on:** August 01, 2010, 09:13:49 AM »

Welcome, Adichie, hope you enjoy our site. I'm not familiar with Nancy Kress. I'll look her up and see what that suggests to me.

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Author Topic: Science Fiction / Fantasy (Read 384992 times)