Science Fiction

[irocfan]

recently finished these - more mil-fic and well worth a read (if you like that sort of thing, I do)

[RobDickinson]

jeec omg wow hueg pic.

Easier to just type the title and link amazon/goodreads..

[jimmyjimjim]

There's a couple of short stories in that series as well, worth reading.

[telecat]

Do not know how I missed this thread. Back in my childhood and teenage years I read Sci-Fi till it came out of my ears. Heinlein, Dick, Aldiss, Asimov and others. My favourites I still remember were the "Ship Singing" or Brain and Brawn series By Anne McCaffrey and co-authors. Piers Anthony and his "Incarnations of Immortality" as well as older stuff like Van Vogt's "Weapon Shops of Isher". In recent years I just haven't been engaged by many of the authors out there. One of the first to turn me off was the "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant". I tried to like it but since then haven't been that engaged. I still keep a lookout though and the "Lost Fleet" sounds like a good one to pickup on.

And I just found an Old favourite I have been looking for for years. "The Time Mercenaries" by Philip E. High. A RN Sub returns to base after just avoiding a collision. Except things are just not right.

Edited by telecat on Friday 22 May 10:41

[RizzoTheRat]

telecat said:

One of the first to turn me off was the "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant".

Read them when I was at school and really enjoyed them. Reread them recently and was disappointed, very shallow characters and not really much plot.

telecat said:

the "Lost Fleet" sounds like a good one to pickup on.

Anyone read these? Any good? They seem to crop up on the Kindle 99p deals every so often.


I recently read Dark Eden which won the Arthur C Clarke award in 2013. Not 100% sure I'd classify it as science fiction as it's about the breakdown of the distinctly low tech society of the ancestors of some people stranded on an alien world. Good read though.

Edited by RizzoTheRat on Friday 22 May 10:45

[irocfan]

The Lost Fleet is good fun... interestingly enough it was one of the first books I can remember using relativistic issues when talking about space conflict

[Tonsko]

Yeh, agreed, The Lost Fleet is great fun. Pretty much one big long space battle, with a few bits of politics.

[jimmyjimjim]

Thanks for the reminder on The Lost Fleet; there's a new one out.

And another book in the star carrier series out on Tuesday.

Edited by jimmyjimjim on Friday 22 May 14:05

[RizzoTheRat]

First lost fleet book is down to 99p on Kindle again
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dauntless-Lost-Fleet-Book-...

[JonRB]

I'm re-reading John Barnes' "Mother of Storms" at the moment. I'd forgotten just how good it is and how, despite dealing with near-future technology and predicting how the internet might evolve, it's aged surprisingly well. Especially considering it was first published in 1994.

[jmorgan]

Just finished Terminal World, Alistair Reynolds. Not bad, liked the premise but cannot help but think there is a load more to be done with it.

Started Ian M Banks, Consider Phlebas, not sure I can keep up with it. Maybe something else.

[JonRB]

jmorgan said:

Started Ian M Banks, Consider Phlebas, not sure I can keep up with it. Maybe something else.

Stick with it - it's superb. Excession is even better.

[Baron Greenback]

JonRB said:

jmorgan said:

Started Ian M Banks, Consider Phlebas, not sure I can keep up with it. Maybe something else.

Stick with it - it's superb. Excession is even better.

agreed - Use of Weapons is still my fav of his!

[JonRB]

Baron Greenback said:

agreed - Use of Weapons is still my fav of his!

'Against a Dark Background' is also very good, but is such a sad story though.

[grumbledoak]

jmorgan said:

Started Ian M Banks, Consider Phlebas, not sure I can keep up with it. Maybe something else.

It is well worth skipping that one and reading Use Of Weapons or Player of Games instead. You won't miss anything by coming back to it later. Or never, frankly.

[Mannginger]

I'm of the same view, didn't really like Phlebas, it is (as they all are IMO) better as an audiobook, but the later books are much more compelling. Maybe with the exception of Inversions.

[DibblyDobbler]

grumbledoak said:

jmorgan said:

Started Ian M Banks, Consider Phlebas, not sure I can keep up with it. Maybe something else.

It is well worth skipping that one and reading Use Of Weapons or Player of Games instead. You won't miss anything by coming back to it later. Or never, frankly.

Heresy! I recently re-read it for the second time and it is classic Banks for me - brutal, brilliant yet somewhat unsatisfying at the finish. I always felt these books ended rather than concluded if you see what I mean. Use of Weapons is the daddy but it's pretty bloomin' complicated and maybe not the best starter for one new to the genre IMHO

[jmorgan]

Righty, might jump to another then and see what happens.

[Tonsko]

Is Phlebas the one with Cheradenine Zakalwe?

[Halmyre]

Tonsko said:

Is Phlebas the one with Cheradenine Zakalwe?

Zakalwe is 'Use of Weapons'.

Bora Horza Gobuchul is 'Consider Phlebas'.