Science Fiction
Discussion
Clockwork Cupcake said:
I seem to remember really enjoying them but eventually drifting away from him (I don't even recall why now) but there were some interesting concepts, for sure.
Certainly in his earlier novels the characterisation let him down...people were a bit 2D, bit cliche'd.An (admittedly superficial) article has been published on the Guardian website about Iain (M) Banks, who needs no introduction on this thread, if anyone is interested.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jun/29/wher...
Can't believe it is 10 years since he was taken from us.
edit: Possibly worth it for the comments
"These were the days of fond promise, when the world was very small and there was still magic in it...Then, every day was a week, each month a year. A season was a decade, and every year a life."
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jun/29/wher...
Can't believe it is 10 years since he was taken from us.
edit: Possibly worth it for the comments
"These were the days of fond promise, when the world was very small and there was still magic in it...Then, every day was a week, each month a year. A season was a decade, and every year a life."
Edited by Clockwork Cupcake on Thursday 29th June 17:33
Clockwork Cupcake said:
An (admittedly superficial) article has been published on the Guardian website about Iain (M) Banks, who needs no introduction on this thread, if anyone is interested.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jun/29/wher...
Can't believe it is 10 years since he was taken from us.
edit: Possibly worth it for the comments
"These were the days of fond promise, when the world was very small and there was still magic in it...Then, every day was a week, each month a year. A season was a decade, and every year a life."
10 years... Bimey. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jun/29/wher...
Can't believe it is 10 years since he was taken from us.
edit: Possibly worth it for the comments
"These were the days of fond promise, when the world was very small and there was still magic in it...Then, every day was a week, each month a year. A season was a decade, and every year a life."
Edited by Clockwork Cupcake on Thursday 29th June 17:33
Not sure whose death hit me harder - Banks or Pratchett. Each was a massive loss.
Zumbruk said:
Me too.
I'm trying to read Pratchett's biography at the moment, but have to keep stopping because the print goes all blurry for some reason.
I didn't know that existed! Added to the reading queue, thanks.I'm trying to read Pratchett's biography at the moment, but have to keep stopping because the print goes all blurry for some reason.
the mate who got me in to Pratchett in the first place still hasn't read the Shepherds Crown as he doesn't want to feel it's over. Which is a shame as I think it was really good.
RizzoTheRat said:
Zumbruk said:
Me too.
I'm trying to read Pratchett's biography at the moment, but have to keep stopping because the print goes all blurry for some reason.
I didn't know that existed! Added to the reading queue, thanks.I'm trying to read Pratchett's biography at the moment, but have to keep stopping because the print goes all blurry for some reason.
the mate who got me in to Pratchett in the first place still hasn't read the Shepherds Crown as he doesn't want to feel it's over. Which is a shame as I think it was really good.
Lefty said:
Two of my favourite novels are Recursion and Dark Matter by a fella called Blake Crouch. The sort of thing you’d imagine Christopher Nolan turning into films. Recursion is about memory and Dark Matter about superposition. Hard-science fiction rather than hard science-fiction if you see what I mean.
Anyone got any suggestions of similar stuff?
Both of those are being turned into mini series by the way, dark matter (with Jennifer Connolly - yum) just wrapped
Just read Recursion on holiday last week and loved it. Anyone got any suggestions of similar stuff?
Both of those are being turned into mini series by the way, dark matter (with Jennifer Connolly - yum) just wrapped
Megan O'Keefe, Blighted Stars and Fractured Dark, which are two of a trilogy with the third due next year. Ms O'Keefe has appeared here previously with her Velocity Weapon series, which was well done and well received.
This series is a different universe but the writing has some of the same characteristics. We are in the mid future, and humanity has interstellar ability but is mostly still living only in the solar system, for reasons.
There's an evil empire. There's a rebel alliance, with a People's Front and a Popular Front. There's some unobtainium. There's a darkness at the heart of humanity's affairs. There's a warm but clumsy man trying to right wrongs. There are female characters with strong views and plenty of ammunition. There is unrequited passion and social awkwardness. It's all good.
The plot is strong, and is revealed in layers, and the pacing is excellent. Some of the bad guys are a bit crayon-on-paper but most of the characters are credible and consistent. And there's a specific technology used which leads to really interesting writing around self, individual choice, free will, and whether evolutionary change means eventually you are not human, or you are the new definition of human.
She doesn't do the astrophysics, or consistent technology development (for example we have real time genome recording and printing while 30th century sensors have 'blind spots', and data needs to be 'loaded on a tablet'), but it doesn't really matter. She delivers enough of it to support the sense of an FTL civilisation, and then we strap in for her literary speciality of double crosses, blind alleys, and unexpected reversals of fortune.
Recommended; add them to your xmas lists.
This series is a different universe but the writing has some of the same characteristics. We are in the mid future, and humanity has interstellar ability but is mostly still living only in the solar system, for reasons.
There's an evil empire. There's a rebel alliance, with a People's Front and a Popular Front. There's some unobtainium. There's a darkness at the heart of humanity's affairs. There's a warm but clumsy man trying to right wrongs. There are female characters with strong views and plenty of ammunition. There is unrequited passion and social awkwardness. It's all good.
The plot is strong, and is revealed in layers, and the pacing is excellent. Some of the bad guys are a bit crayon-on-paper but most of the characters are credible and consistent. And there's a specific technology used which leads to really interesting writing around self, individual choice, free will, and whether evolutionary change means eventually you are not human, or you are the new definition of human.
She doesn't do the astrophysics, or consistent technology development (for example we have real time genome recording and printing while 30th century sensors have 'blind spots', and data needs to be 'loaded on a tablet'), but it doesn't really matter. She delivers enough of it to support the sense of an FTL civilisation, and then we strap in for her literary speciality of double crosses, blind alleys, and unexpected reversals of fortune.
Recommended; add them to your xmas lists.
At the weekend, I finished a three year marathon of reading the entire Warhammer 30k Horus Heresy series...
54 books, read back to back continuously. All in paperback, have been listening to other stuff via audible on my commute.
For those not familiar, a galaxy spanning civil war within the Imperium of Man, set in the 31st Millenium after a somewhat fascist Crusade after a couple of thousand years of dark ages.
Now onto the Siege of Terra, which rolls straight from the Heresy. Only a mere ten books for this set - with the 9th currently out on audible, and the tenth not yet released.
54 books, read back to back continuously. All in paperback, have been listening to other stuff via audible on my commute.
For those not familiar, a galaxy spanning civil war within the Imperium of Man, set in the 31st Millenium after a somewhat fascist Crusade after a couple of thousand years of dark ages.
Now onto the Siege of Terra, which rolls straight from the Heresy. Only a mere ten books for this set - with the 9th currently out on audible, and the tenth not yet released.
Sway said:
At the weekend, I finished a three year marathon of reading the entire Warhammer 30k Horus Heresy series...
54 books, read back to back continuously. All in paperback, have been listening to other stuff via audible on my commute.
For those not familiar, a galaxy spanning civil war within the Imperium of Man, set in the 31st Millenium after a somewhat fascist Crusade after a couple of thousand years of dark ages.
Now onto the Siege of Terra, which rolls straight from the Heresy. Only a mere ten books for this set - with the 9th currently out on audible, and the tenth not yet released.
I've read the Horus Heresy series as well as most of the Siege of Terra and lots of other W40K books. The universe setting is fascinating, very diverse and has an unbelievable amount of lore and backstory considering it's based on a table top game. However, I will caveat that by saying the book output is very variable, some are absolutely brilliant, up there with some of the best sci-fi I've read while others are very poor. If you want to get into reading the W40k and W30k books, I'd suggest looking up some recommendations first before diving in.54 books, read back to back continuously. All in paperback, have been listening to other stuff via audible on my commute.
For those not familiar, a galaxy spanning civil war within the Imperium of Man, set in the 31st Millenium after a somewhat fascist Crusade after a couple of thousand years of dark ages.
Now onto the Siege of Terra, which rolls straight from the Heresy. Only a mere ten books for this set - with the 9th currently out on audible, and the tenth not yet released.
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