Science Fiction

[jmorgan]

Sway said:

I've gone round that thought loop!

Definite parallels with Joshua Calvert from Night's Dawn, and I can see where you're coming from with Algebraist. It's not either though!

Just remembered - the ship crews all drink in a bar that was trashed by an 'ambitious' maneuver by the main character's dad, and is now named after him...

The Ship's computer was definitely named Beast, and it was only when it didn't do what it was asked to do that questions started to be asked...

Racking my brain but it's just not working!

Missed this. I am in the middle of it now. Alastair Reynolds, Revelation Space series. Quite an epic.

Book is probably Redemption Ark

[NNH]

Sway said:

I've gone round that thought loop!

Definite parallels with Joshua Calvert from Night's Dawn, and I can see where you're coming from with Algebraist. It's not either though!

Just remembered - the ship crews all drink in a bar that was trashed by an 'ambitious' maneuver by the main character's dad, and is now named after him...

The Ship's computer was definitely named Beast, and it was only when it didn't do what it was asked to do that questions started to be asked...

Racking my brain but it's just not working!

Alastair Reynolds' Redemption Ark, in his Revelation Space series. In my opinion, the best hard science fiction of the last 30 years.

[Sway]

Cheers chaps, I've definitely read those so it must be them.

20% left of Night's Dawn? There's a lot packed in that last 20%!

[benjj]

5 months to the day and I've just finished the Night's Dawn trilogy

fking WOW.

Mega.

[MattyB_]

DibblyDobbler said:

I read 'Ready Player 1' a couple of months ago - basically to shut my mate up who would not stop going on about it! Maybe it was the big build up but to be honest I found it ok rather than amazing, awesome etc etc

Glad it wasn't just me then.

People are waxing lyrical about this book, but in all honesty I felt it to be fairly predictable in the plot with few suprises - the writing lacked finesse and while the 80's references were nice, I felt like I was being smashed around the face with them; they were endless and over-used.

I enjoyed it, but it's more a 6/10 from me.

[irocfan]

MattyB_ said:

DibblyDobbler said:

I read 'Ready Player 1' a couple of months ago - basically to shut my mate up who would not stop going on about it! Maybe it was the big build up but to be honest I found it ok rather than amazing, awesome etc etc

Glad it wasn't just me then.

People are waxing lyrical about this book, but in all honesty I felt it to be fairly predictable in the plot with few suprises - the writing lacked finesse and while the 80's references were nice, I felt like I was being smashed around the face with them; they were endless and over-used.

I enjoyed it, but it's more a 6/10 from me.

it's being adapted for a film with Monsieur Spielberg attached...

[BrassMan]

Has anyone recommended Morgan's Kovachs (Altered Carbon, Woken Furies, Broken Angels) series?

[Guvernator]

BrassMan said:

Has anyone recommended Morgan's Kovachs (Altered Carbon, Woken Furies, Broken Angels) series?

Yes, yes they have. I read them on that recommendation and what a fine read they were too. Great world building and a great character, thanks to whoever recommended those.

I'm just a bit sad that decent cyberpunk novels seem to be few and far between.

[Insanity Magnet]

Some good stuff mentioned here. Haven't read Hyperion but will have a go (just added it to kindle). I am having trouble wading through Ken Macleods's Fall Revolution series at the moment - finding the political stuff a little bit much in Stone Canal (I like his other works)

Books I've read (Kindled?) recently that I have enjoyed are:

The Martian - Andy Weir
Firefall - Peter Watts
On The Steel Breeze - Alastair Reynolds

Felt rather sad after reading The Hydrogen Sonata. Think I'll give the Algebraist another run through - brilliant book. Might follow that with the Revelation Space series as I haven't read those for at least a year...

[Insanity Magnet]

andyroo said:

*Shameless plug alert*

Why don't you guys try Noah's Ark, by, er, me! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Noahs-Ark-ebook/dp/B00B2YA...

I enjoyed this, too!

ETA - And Vessel.

Edited by Insanity Magnet on Friday 17th April 00:44

[Mannginger]

Really enjoying "Fear the Sky" at the moment by Stephen Moss. A proper Science Sci-Fi book and on audiobook is narrated by the same guy who did The Martian so well, RC Bray. Very dry and witty in places.

[Sway]

Recently finished the entire Redemption Ark series.

I've read a couple of them before, but not in order (didn't realise they were part of an arc). Bloody brilliant.

Then gave in to temptation, and downloaded The Abyss Beyond Dreams. Superb, love PFH.

Any suggestions? Loved ILB, read and enjoyed a lot of Ben Bova, China Mielville, etc.

[DibblyDobbler]

I'm on the Greg Mandell series by Hamilton - good solid read if not in the league of his later epics

[Tonsko]

Currently in Book 3 of the Ketty Jay series - not sci-fi per se, but great fun.

[irocfan]

currently at book 10 in the Harry Dresden series... not scifi but 'urban fantasy'- good, fun stuff though

[Ace-T]

Guvernator said:

BrassMan said:

Has anyone recommended Morgan's Kovachs (Altered Carbon, Woken Furies, Broken Angels) series?

Yes, yes they have. I read them on that recommendation and what a fine read they were too. Great world building and a great character, thanks to whoever recommended those.

I'm just a bit sad that decent cyberpunk novels seem to be few and far between.

The Kovacs books are in my desert island read list, utterly brilliant.

I am starting to get into some of Charlie Stross's work. THe OH read Saturns Children and thought it was excellent and I enjoyed Halting State.

If you have not read it yet, try The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester. I thought it was recently written but it is a 1950's work and a pretty astonishing one at that.

irocfan said:

currently at book 10 in the Harry Dresden series... not scifi but 'urban fantasy'- good, fun stuff though

Jim Butcher is working on Book 16 at the moment. 15 was entertaining.

[havoc]

Second the Tak Kovacs novels, and The Demolished Man.

Charlie Stross - Laundry series is a detour (lighter, very tongue-in-cheek), but very entertaining...some nice nods to 007, Lovecraft and IT geekery in there.

[Tonsko]

...and bang up to date with his name-dropping and meme-referencing.

[RobDickinson]

Insanity Magnet said:

The Martian - Andy Weir
Firefall - Peter Watts
On The Steel Breeze - Alastair Reynolds

Felt rather sad after reading The Hydrogen Sonata. Think I'll give the Algebraist another run through - brilliant book. Might follow that with the Revelation Space series as I haven't read those for at least a year...

Firefall (which is 2 old books nailed together) is the first book I have failed to get to the end of in quite a while. Terribly confusing writing style, no characters you can empathise with, and the main character is always a clueless idiot so things can happen around him without the author bothering to justify it. On top of that the first book really goes nowhere and the second seemed to be doing the same. Too much smoke and mirrors also.

I have The Hydrogen Sonata saved up fro my 36hr flight end of the week, have been saving it for this for ages.

Love the Alastair Reynolds stuff will have to re-read it all soon.

[jmorgan]

Chasm City at the moment from Mr Reynolds.

Interesting book, set in Revelation Space but not part of the main story. Few plot holes but pretty good.