Science Fiction
Discussion
Tonsko said:
One thing a friend said that really jarred with him is that the Amos character has a full head of hair. The books seem most particular about him being this giant bald man, going on about it a fair amount as it does.
Amos isn't stocky enough...although my image of him from the books is short but powerful.
3/4 of the way through the first expanse book and while I do like it, and will read the others....er...do the characters ever develop out of their somewhat unbelievable reactions to events?
It's all a bit Famous Five at times, with people gallivanting off at the drop of a hat or out of character, Prometheus-like decisions of:
"Shall we go and investigate the abandoned space ship that we know contains a catastrophically deadly virus thingy?"
"Yup, sounds good, we've not got much else to do"
or
"It's a stupid idea but wanna go and wander around this space station that's really weirdly just been placed under red alert, with all the mercenaries that we just ran away from still knocking about, and that deadly virus thingy still around here somewhere?"
"Aye, why not. If us two aren't back in a couple of hours, you three need to inexplicably get back to the ship by sneaking through the riots and the mercenaries and the virus without being seen"
The Prometheus insult is a touch unfair actually, the characters are nowhere near as f
kwitted.
It's all a bit Famous Five at times, with people gallivanting off at the drop of a hat or out of character, Prometheus-like decisions of:
"Shall we go and investigate the abandoned space ship that we know contains a catastrophically deadly virus thingy?"
"Yup, sounds good, we've not got much else to do"
or
"It's a stupid idea but wanna go and wander around this space station that's really weirdly just been placed under red alert, with all the mercenaries that we just ran away from still knocking about, and that deadly virus thingy still around here somewhere?"
"Aye, why not. If us two aren't back in a couple of hours, you three need to inexplicably get back to the ship by sneaking through the riots and the mercenaries and the virus without being seen"
The Prometheus insult is a touch unfair actually, the characters are nowhere near as f
kwitted.DrTre said:
3/4 of the way through the first expanse book and while I do like it, and will read the others....er...do the characters ever develop out of their somewhat unbelievable reactions to events?
Nah - they're heroes, aren't they!!! 
More seriously, the characterisation IS a little cliche'd, and it tends to stay that way throughout the series. Storyline is very good though, and some of the supporting cast are more interesting (Avasarala, Miller, Fred Johnson in particular).
For strong/complex sci-fi characterisation I'd be looking at Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy, or perhaps at John Scalzi, Neil Gaiman and Iain M Banks.
Iain M Banks has ruined things as far as I'm concerned.
I really want to find something as good as his stuff but... can't...
Nights dawn was pretty good.
Once I'm done with expanse, I'll give the Mars books a go, thank you.
Actually the Chinese author that won the Hugo (?) recently is good. I enjoyed the first book, the second I've not really started.
I really want to find something as good as his stuff but... can't...
Nights dawn was pretty good.
Once I'm done with expanse, I'll give the Mars books a go, thank you.
Actually the Chinese author that won the Hugo (?) recently is good. I enjoyed the first book, the second I've not really started.
DrTre said:
Actually the Chinese author that won the Hugo (?) recently is good. I enjoyed the first book, the second I've not really started.
Liu Cixin, The Three-Body Problem? I keep looking at that probably get round to reading it I think.I enjoy Neal Asher books as much as IMB but yes Bank's books are so polished they are top of the tree.
Mannginger said:
DrTre said:
Iain M Banks has ruined things as far as I'm concerned.
I really want to find something as good as his stuff but... can't...
Totally agree. His death is a genuine loss to the Sci-Fi communityI really want to find something as good as his stuff but... can't...
The joy I experienced when I discovered there was a IMB culture book I hadn't read was bittersweet. The fact it was one of the best (and what a ship MSV Sleeper Service is!) meant there were genuine tears at times...
QuantumTokoloshi said:
All this talk about Banks has got me reading, the player of games, not sampled IMB before.
It's a good primer, then hit the Culture novels in order. Edited by QuantumTokoloshi on Tuesday 19th January 12:03
Whilst there's often a strong element of deus ex machina, that's entirely consistent with the universe he writes about. Simply a master.
Sway said:
QuantumTokoloshi said:
All this talk about Banks has got me reading, the player of games, not sampled IMB before.
It's a good primer, then hit the Culture novels in order. Edited by QuantumTokoloshi on Tuesday 19th January 12:03
Whilst there's often a strong element of deus ex machina, that's entirely consistent with the universe he writes about. Simply a master.
Seems like I have some time reading ahead of me
Warmfuzzies said:
dagnabit, i started with remember, and last night bought all the rest of the culture novels, presently halfway through Algebraist...
Seems like I have some time reading ahead of me
The Algebraist while not set in his famous Culture universe is still one of his best books IMO. I frikkin love that book, such a shame there won't be any more. Seems like I have some time reading ahead of me
I could have quite easily spent more time with Seer Taak and the Dwellers.RobDickinson said:
Liu Cixin, The Three-Body Problem? I keep looking at that probably get round to reading it I think.
I enjoy Neal Asher books as much as IMB but yes Bank's books are so polished they are top of the tree.
That's him. It's worth a read (though like all things, you may be different to me!)I enjoy Neal Asher books as much as IMB but yes Bank's books are so polished they are top of the tree.
I'll chalk up a Neal Asher book too then, cheers.
As an aids, Jack Glass is a pretty good read... The blurb makes it sound a bit more post modern (for want of a better phrase... And even though I don't actually think post modernism exists... Or more accurately, it's a term that is hugely misapplied... Like I've probably just done... Anyways...)
The Algebraist was one of the best!
I could never understand how it got such a lukewarm reception, I really liked that one.
DrTre said:
The Algebraist was one of the best!
I could never understand how it got such a lukewarm reception, I really liked that one.
I guess if you are a hard sci-fi IMB fan than it could be said that Algebraist is a little bit more "popular fiction" orientated as the plot isn't as nuanced as his other stuff and the action moves along at a fair clip but I still loved it. I like to think of it as his fun book as opposed to his other tomes which are a bit more heavyweight.I could never understand how it got such a lukewarm reception, I really liked that one.
Neal Asher is outstanding, his Ian Cormack and Polity series of books are brilliant. The Polity stuff does borrow quite heavily from IMB's Culture stuff IMO (i.e. incredibly intelligent AI minds running everything) but the pace and action are turned up to 11. If you like IMB's Culture novels, think of Neal Asher as the Micheal Bay\Hollywood version.
Guvernator said:
I guess if you are a hard sci-fi IMB fan than it could be said that Algebraist is a little bit more "popular fiction" orientated as the plot isn't as nuanced as his other stuff and the action moves along at a fair clip but I still loved it. I like to think of it as his fun book as opposed to his other tomes which are a bit more heavyweight.
Neal Asher is outstanding, his Ian Cormack and Polity series of books are brilliant. The Polity stuff does borrow quite heavily from IMB's Culture stuff IMO (i.e. incredibly intelligent AI minds running everything) but the pace and action are turned up to 11. If you like IMB's Culture novels, think of Neal Asher as the Micheal Bay\Hollywood version.
Imb was not the originator of AI iverseers. Its been a constant theme in science fiction since computing existed.. and before.Neal Asher is outstanding, his Ian Cormack and Polity series of books are brilliant. The Polity stuff does borrow quite heavily from IMB's Culture stuff IMO (i.e. incredibly intelligent AI minds running everything) but the pace and action are turned up to 11. If you like IMB's Culture novels, think of Neal Asher as the Micheal Bay\Hollywood version.
Sway said:
QuantumTokoloshi said:
All this talk about Banks has got me reading, the player of games, not sampled IMB before.
It's a good primer, then hit the Culture novels in order. Edited by QuantumTokoloshi on Tuesday 19th January 12:03
Whilst there's often a strong element of deus ex machina, that's entirely consistent with the universe he writes about. Simply a master.
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