Science Fiction

[DodgyGeezer]

JonChalk said:

A two-for-one post:

1. A recommendation for the oft-forgotten, but really very good "Embers of War" trilogy from Gareth L. Powell - the tribulations of AI warship Trouble Dog and Captain Sal Konstanz, reminded by seeing this tweet from Powell; https://twitter.com/garethlpowell/status/148742468... because,

2. It's being adapted for TV, with one of The Expanse's directors lined up; https://www.tor.com/2021/01/22/expanse-director-se...

It's also free for prime

[tertius]

Clockwork Cupcake said:

havoc said:

Everywhere, I think.

Arguably the best science fiction writer for a generation, if not ever.

Certainly of a generation

I strongly dislike his tendency to a deus ex machina solution. The writing is lovely but the ending always rather unsatisfactory. IMO of course.

[DibblyDobbler]

tertius said:

Clockwork Cupcake said:

havoc said:

Everywhere, I think.

Arguably the best science fiction writer for a generation, if not ever.

Certainly of a generation

I strongly dislike his tendency to a deus ex machina solution. The writing is lovely but the ending always rather unsatisfactory. IMO of course.

Agreed - books are brilliant, have read them all 3 or 4 times each but a few of them come to a bit of an abrupt halt rather than a conclusion as such eg Consider Phlebas which is an absolute romp but the end is a bit 'it was all awful and pointless and everybody died or topped themselves' which is maybe what he was going for I suppose.

Just as a random by-the-by - anybody a fan of Muse? From 'The Globalist' :

There's no culture left
To love and cherish it's gone,
You know it's gone for good
A trillion memories
Lost in
Space and time for ever...

[havoc]

Yes, hadn't spotted that before - most lyric write-ups use 'country'.

[DibblyDobbler]

Yes I noticed that… always sounded like culture to me

[havoc]

Just re-listened...it is culture...and god, forgot how bad a song it is...

(BTW, really like most of their stuff, seen them 3x)

[DibblyDobbler]

havoc said:

Just re-listened...it is culture...and god, forgot how bad a song it is...

(BTW, really like most of their stuff, seen them 3x)

I like it actually but am no kind of an aficionado!

[p1doc]

xeny said:

Try Vinge - :Fire Upon the Deep:, :Rainbow's End: or :Deepness in the Sky: are all pretty good. Nominally you're meant to read Fire before Deepness, but I know people who have enjoyed them the other way round.

read those in a cheap omnibus vgood

[p1doc]

DodgyGeezer said:

It's also free for prime

was very good so looking forward to series
read player of games was interesting but not managed to get into other books yet

[hairykrishna]

I'm currently really enjoying The Great North Road by Peter F Hamilton.

[blueST]

hairykrishna said:

I'm currently really enjoying The Great North Road by Peter F Hamilton.

I enjoyed that too. The Greg Mandel books are good as well. I want to read more of this sort of less extreme sci-fi, I find it more relaxing and enjoyable than the hard stuff.

[havoc]

blueST said:

I enjoyed that too. The Greg Mandel books are good as well. I want to read more of this sort of less extreme sci-fi, I find it more relaxing and enjoyable than the hard stuff.

Read them before his big heavy stuff. And whilst they're not as grandiose, I prefer them - he did the characterisation better, the humanity better in those stories.

[techguyone]

I thought that,

The Great North Road

Fallen Dragon

Pandora's star/ Judas Unchained were peak Hamilton.

[hairykrishna]

I've somehow never read any Hamilton until now but did Fallen Dragon before the Great North Road and they're both excellent. I'll perhaps do the Mandel trilogy next.

[DibblyDobbler]

hairykrishna said:

I've somehow never read any Hamilton until now but did Fallen Dragon before the Great North Road and they're both excellent. I'll perhaps do the Mandel trilogy next.

Another recommendation for the Greg Mandel books - more straightforward (and better for it IMHO) than some of his later work

[Baron Greenback]

I have Neal Asher infinity engine and Richard Morgan Thin Air waiting for me next.

[JonChalk]

Baron Greenback said:

I have Neal Asher infinity engine and Richard Morgan Thin Air waiting for me next.

Both excellent; Neither should disappoint you.

[hairykrishna]

Thin Air is great.

[p1doc]

Baron Greenback said:

I have Neal Asher infinity engine and Richard Morgan Thin Air waiting for me next.

not heard of richard morgan-will have a look
youngest child-13 asked for book ideas so she will try dogs of war.....

[Baron Greenback]

p1doc said:

Baron Greenback said:

I have Neal Asher infinity engine and Richard Morgan Thin Air waiting for me next.

not heard of richard morgan-will have a look
youngest child-13 asked for book ideas so she will try dogs of war.....

He won Philip K. Dick Award and Arthur C. Clarke Award and generally set in a dystopian world.
Takeshi Kovacs novels are good and tv series on Altered Carbon very good on netflix.
Altered Carbon
Broken Angels
Woken Furies