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Post by fallen on Jul 10, 2018 11:28:57 GMT -5
Andrew and I have both always been a fan of science fiction anthologies. There are a lot of great collections of sci-fi short stories out there as well. A great example by a single author is "A Second Chance at Eden" which I know we both loved. Thanks to grävling for that suggestion!
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Post by resistor on Jul 10, 2018 11:39:20 GMT -5
Any story whether truth or fiction that can make you stop and think for a moment is a good one. Not sure I agree with that, venerable sheep. There are a lot of good entertaining stories that are little more than entertainment.
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Post by tenbsmith on Jul 12, 2018 12:00:05 GMT -5
Hey y'all, please provide brief descriptions of the books or authors, so we can quickly judge whether we want to try them. I copied this one for Moon off Amazon: "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress rose from the golden age of science fiction to become an undisputed classic--and a touchstone for the philosophy of personal responsibility and political freedom. A revolution on a lunar penal colony--aided by a self-aware supercomputer--provides the framework for a story of a diverse group of men and women grappling with the ever-changing definitions of humanity, technology, and free will" I'm a big fan of Heinlein's books. They tend to be adventures that move along quickly so they're fun to read. Fans of War of The Worlds and progressive rock should check out "Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds". This YouTube version is missing the first track, which sucks, but it gives you an idea. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tM-Ww_eGLU
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Post by havnor on Jul 12, 2018 12:07:02 GMT -5
I have recently found this fiction. It is about small imaginary country which attacked US and won. I haven't read it but on Wikipedia it looks quite good and there is 5 books in series. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mouse_That_Roared
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Post by ntsheep on Jul 12, 2018 14:20:32 GMT -5
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Post by havnor on Jul 12, 2018 16:29:39 GMT -5
Definitely going to watch it thnx for recommendation 😉
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Post by tenbsmith on Jul 13, 2018 8:20:49 GMT -5
If you like your scifi with really interesting ideas and quick moving plots check out some Larry Niven. Ringworld seems to be his most famous novel, but I'd recommend The Mote in God's Eye. One of the most interesting, best developed truly alien, alien societies ever developed.
"The united 'Second Empire of Man' spans vast distances, due to the Alderson Drive which has enabled humans to travel easily between the stars. After an alien probe is discovered, the Navy dispatches two ships to determine whether the aliens pose a threat… Called by Robert A. Heinlein: "Possibly the greatest science fiction novel ever written," this magnificent exploration of first contact and a truly alien society is a "must read" for science fiction fans."-Amazon
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Post by tay on Jul 15, 2018 16:40:08 GMT -5
Larry Niven- Protector & Ringworld engineers are both worth a try if you've read the first one. The first Dune book by Frank Herbert is superb, the first 2 sequels are decent enough, but the last 3 drag on a bit. The Faded Sun trilogy by C.J Cherryh is excellent. One of my favourites. Chronicles of Morgaine as well though this is probably more fantasy than sci-fi. Harry Harrison; Deathworld, The Stainless Steel Rat, good fun. Joe Haldeman; The Forever War. Written as a bit of a riposte to Heinlein's gung-ho Starship Troopers and a better book. Also All my sins remembered. Bleak but brilliant.
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Post by tenbsmith on Aug 13, 2018 10:34:36 GMT -5
I'm starting William Gibson's Neuromancer. The best known cyberpunk novel and first book to win the Hugo, Nebula, & Philippe K Dick awards. The beginning of cyberpunk in some ways. Going old school printed book for the first time in a while.
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Post by drdave on Aug 14, 2018 8:24:35 GMT -5
I'm starting William Gibson's Neuromancer. The best known cyberpunk novel and first book to win the Hugo, Nebula, & Philippe K Dick awards. The beginning of cyberpunk in some ways. Going old school printed book for the first time in a while. Good choice, I read it soon after it came out, I stumbled across it in the local library. Someone it their purchasing dept had very good taste. I was still in High School at the time and it is the first occasion that I recommended an author to my father, rather than the other way round.
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Post by sigurdcole on Aug 23, 2018 14:55:09 GMT -5
Definitely seconding The Mote in God's Eye. If I had to recommend a single work of Niven's, that's probably it.
I've worked my way through Pohl's Gateway, which was also great, if unconventional.
Stanislav Lem's Solaris was amazing. It's really cerebral though, definitely a conditional recommendation.
Canticle for Liebowitz was also excellent. It's fairly early post-apocalypse work (1959!), and develops really well.
I wish I could recommend any Asimov, but most of the time he's just too dry for me to enjoy. I did enjoy I, Robot, though.
There's always a place in my heart for Rendezvous with Rama, though I read it young, so I may have nostalgia filters. Then again, I really enjoy Clarke's stuff generally.
And a strong seconding for anthologies. When I need something fresh, I pick up the latest release of "The Year's Best Science Fiction", and it's never disappointed me.
edit: argh, also seconding The Forever War and C.J. Cherryh's Foreigner and Morgaine Saga (it doesn't look like sci-fi, but stick with it, it gets there).
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Post by Lord Gansai on Sept 11, 2018 2:04:37 GMT -5
I know I always sound like a broken record with this one but... Gene Wolfe!
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Post by tenbsmith on Sept 25, 2018 10:13:42 GMT -5
I've just started on Cherryh's Alliance-Union Universe, which features independent starship traders and, in that way, aligns with Star Traders. I started with Hugo award winning Downbelow Station--great read. Then went on to Merchanter's Luck, a rollicing good space adventure with very well developed characters. Here's the brief description from the amazon: "His name was Sandor and he was the owner and entire crew of a tramp star-freighter that flew the Union planets under false papers and fake names. Her name was Allison and she was a proud but junior member of the powerful family whose mighty starship, Dublin Again, was the true queen of the spaceways. They met at Viking Station, she seeking a night’s dalliance, he desperately in search of a spacer assistant. Their fateful meeting was to lead to a record-breaking race to Pell Station, thereby catching the calculating eye of the grim commander of the Alliance battlecraft Norway, and a terrifying showdown at a deadly destination off the cosmic charts."
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Post by tay on Sept 25, 2018 17:42:42 GMT -5
Solaris and canticle for liebowitz were both serialized on BBC radio. You might find them on the iPlayer. Worth a listen. They also did 2 superb Lovecraft stories, Shadows over Innsmouth and Mountains of Madness. 6 hours of your time. But really well read. And scary.
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Post by tay on Sept 25, 2018 17:45:43 GMT -5
Oh and Gene Wolfe. Shadow of the Torturer, and sequels. Brilliant.
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