Science Fiction
Discussion
Grey_Area said:
DibblyDobbler said:
Grey_Area said:
DibblyDobbler said:
Mannginger said:
It's a wonderful audiobook!
Never thought of that! I might give it another go - it’s the only one I’ve read just once and it was a long time ago…
From Excession right?
Baron Greenback said:
Just hope AI in cars don't start reading Banks novel and decide to name themselves ike culture ships.
GPV* "Traffic lights are optional"SRV** "Understeer is for amateurs"
LHV*** "Might is right"
* General People Vehicle
** Small Recreational Vehicle
*** Large Haulage Vehicle
Just gave the first Murderbot novella a try.
I found it... curious. Apart from the bot the characters are absolute nothings, the worldbuilding is exceedingly weedy, the finale doesn't seem to actually happen and what happens along the way is deeply uninteresting too.
I presume what's supposed to be unique about it is that it's from the bot's POV therefore it doesn't really care about humans or the tale it's involved in. But the end user is not a bot so needs the occasional bone thrown at it.
I found it... curious. Apart from the bot the characters are absolute nothings, the worldbuilding is exceedingly weedy, the finale doesn't seem to actually happen and what happens along the way is deeply uninteresting too.
I presume what's supposed to be unique about it is that it's from the bot's POV therefore it doesn't really care about humans or the tale it's involved in. But the end user is not a bot so needs the occasional bone thrown at it.
Fornfans of the Frontlines series, Frontlines Evolution 1: Scorpio has been released this month. If you're expecting a radical departure from Frontlines you'll be disappointed as it's more of the same. If you liked the 8 books of Frontlines you'll like this.
It's basically the same universe with different characters, exit Andrew Grayson, enter Alex Archer and picks up shortly after the end of Centres of Gravity with a band of survivors on an occupied planet.
It's basically the same universe with different characters, exit Andrew Grayson, enter Alex Archer and picks up shortly after the end of Centres of Gravity with a band of survivors on an occupied planet.
bloomen said:
Just gave the first Murderbot novella a try.
I've been avoiding this series because it's marketing bumfs haven't even been able to arouse my interest. Obviously paying Amazon for advertising as it shows up in a lot of searches regardless of if I'm logged in or not.captain_cynic said:
Fornfans of the Frontlines series, Frontlines Evolution 1: Scorpio has been released this month. If you're expecting a radical departure from Frontlines you'll be disappointed as it's more of the same. If you liked the 8 books of Frontlines you'll like this.
It's basically the same universe with different characters, exit Andrew Grayson, enter Alex Archer and picks up shortly after the end of Centres of Gravity with a band of survivors on an occupied planet.
It's a good read, though fairly short.It's basically the same universe with different characters, exit Andrew Grayson, enter Alex Archer and picks up shortly after the end of Centres of Gravity with a band of survivors on an occupied planet.
Clockwork Cupcake said:
Grey_Area said:
I don't see the problem. Other than the fact that the Banks books are all higgldy-piggldyOr are you saying you lent a book and never got it back?
All bar the last few of my Iain (M) Banks books are signed. No one, but no one, gets to borrow these.
Clockwork Cupcake said:
Grey_Area said:
I don't see the problem. Other than the fact that the Banks books are all higgldy-piggldyOr are you saying you lent a book and never got it back?
maybe search for more signed copies...
that's a positive from a negative I feel..
judas said:
I don't lend out books I'm not prepared to not get back again, especially after lending out several signed Discworld books, only to never see them again
Same here. I had a signed copy of Small Gods, signed by pTerry when the paperback was released in 1992. I stupidly lent it to someone and never got it back. I am still annoyed about it even now, 30+ years on. Edited by Clockwork Cupcake on Tuesday 23 January 20:32
I finished Consider Phlebas today. It was my first Banks book back in school (much) over 20 years ago and I hadn't read it since.
My main memory was of not really knowing what was going on for the first bit. It's all a bit exciting and sci-fi and there's this guy called Horza and he keeps cheating death and doesn't like the Culture (whatever that is), but I just took it all at face value and then at the end he seems to lose anyway. I wrote a character study on him as I couldn't really see what else to write about. The internet was pretty poor back then so finding a scifi forum was way beyond my thinking and few of my friends at that age were into reading at all.
Reading it back now there's so much to enjoy. I'm so used to reading books where the other aliens think they've got it sussed only for the Culture to totally overmatch them at the end that it was a joy to remember a time when I didn't see such an end coming at all. Indeed even the ending we do get is a hollow victory.
The way the fresh mind self-destructs it's ship with multiple pulsed plasma blasts that send out a coded message over a fraction of a second, that the Iridians see what is happening and are powerless to stop it. Then it somehow may have found a way, between the waves of plasma explosions to enter hyperspace by itself and possibly transfer itself into the gravity well of a planet and into the tunnels of a dead planet! It's all there pretty much in a pararaph which I must have glossed over when I didn't know what I was reading.
On my first read Horza's beliefs, the Culture agents doubts, the Idirians incredible physical, material and spiritual advantages were entirely reasonable and it was the Culture who should be worried, and the generally unworried placid nature of the Culture people we see doesn't really dissuade you of that. It's only when used to it that the easy confidence is actually a sign of their near unassailable position.
Even when Hand of God 137 finds (or rather is found by) Balvedas ship after it was hiding in the sun it doesn't twig with them that their puny adversaries have more than enough time and resources to be a match for them, far less the will!
Loved it. Like meeting an aquantance from years ago and realising you actually really get on. RIP Iain, what joy you gave the world.
My main memory was of not really knowing what was going on for the first bit. It's all a bit exciting and sci-fi and there's this guy called Horza and he keeps cheating death and doesn't like the Culture (whatever that is), but I just took it all at face value and then at the end he seems to lose anyway. I wrote a character study on him as I couldn't really see what else to write about. The internet was pretty poor back then so finding a scifi forum was way beyond my thinking and few of my friends at that age were into reading at all.
Reading it back now there's so much to enjoy. I'm so used to reading books where the other aliens think they've got it sussed only for the Culture to totally overmatch them at the end that it was a joy to remember a time when I didn't see such an end coming at all. Indeed even the ending we do get is a hollow victory.
The way the fresh mind self-destructs it's ship with multiple pulsed plasma blasts that send out a coded message over a fraction of a second, that the Iridians see what is happening and are powerless to stop it. Then it somehow may have found a way, between the waves of plasma explosions to enter hyperspace by itself and possibly transfer itself into the gravity well of a planet and into the tunnels of a dead planet! It's all there pretty much in a pararaph which I must have glossed over when I didn't know what I was reading.
On my first read Horza's beliefs, the Culture agents doubts, the Idirians incredible physical, material and spiritual advantages were entirely reasonable and it was the Culture who should be worried, and the generally unworried placid nature of the Culture people we see doesn't really dissuade you of that. It's only when used to it that the easy confidence is actually a sign of their near unassailable position.
Even when Hand of God 137 finds (or rather is found by) Balvedas ship after it was hiding in the sun it doesn't twig with them that their puny adversaries have more than enough time and resources to be a match for them, far less the will!
Loved it. Like meeting an aquantance from years ago and realising you actually really get on. RIP Iain, what joy you gave the world.
Edited by glazbagun on Tuesday 23 January 22:25
glazbagun said:
I finished Consider Phlebas today. It was my first Banks book back in school (much) over 20 years ago and I hadn't read it since.
My main memory was of not really knowing what was going on for the first bit. It's all a bit exciting and sci-fi and there's this guy called Horza and he keeps cheating death and doesn't like the Culture (whatever that is), but I just took it all at face value and then at the end he seems to lose anyway. I wrote a character study on him as I couldn't really see what else to write about. The internet was pretty poor back then so finding a scifi forum was way beyond my thinking and few of my friends at that age were into reading at all.
Reading it back now there's so much to enjoy. I'm so used to reading books where the other aliens think they've got it sussed only for the Culture to totally overmatch them at the end that it was a joy to remember a time when I didn't see such an end coming at all. Indeed even the ending we do get is a hollow victory.
The way the fresh mind self-destructs it's ship with multiple pulsed plasma blasts that send out a coded message over a fraction of a second, that the Iridians see what is happening and are powerless to stop it. Then it somehow may have found a way, between the waves of plasma explosions to enter hyperspace by itself and possibly transfer itself into the gravity well of a planet and into the tunnels of a dead planet! It's all there pretty much in a pararaph which I must have glossed over when I didn't know what I was reading.
On my first read Horza's beliefs, the Culture agents doubts, the Idirians incredible physical, material and spiritual advantages were entirely reasonable and it was the Culture who should be worried, and the generally unworried placid nature of the Culture people we see doesn't really dissuade you of that. It's only when used to it that the easy confidence is actually a sign of their near unassailable position.
Even when Hand of God 137 finds (or rather is found by) Balvedas ship after it was hiding in the sun it doesn't twig with them that their puny adversaries have more than enough time and resources to be a match for them, far less the will!
Loved it. Like meeting an aquantance from years ago and realising you actually really get on. RIP Iain, what joy you gave the world.
How wonderful. Makes me want to go pull my own copy off the bookshelf and read it again, as I too haven't read it in decades. My main memory was of not really knowing what was going on for the first bit. It's all a bit exciting and sci-fi and there's this guy called Horza and he keeps cheating death and doesn't like the Culture (whatever that is), but I just took it all at face value and then at the end he seems to lose anyway. I wrote a character study on him as I couldn't really see what else to write about. The internet was pretty poor back then so finding a scifi forum was way beyond my thinking and few of my friends at that age were into reading at all.
Reading it back now there's so much to enjoy. I'm so used to reading books where the other aliens think they've got it sussed only for the Culture to totally overmatch them at the end that it was a joy to remember a time when I didn't see such an end coming at all. Indeed even the ending we do get is a hollow victory.
The way the fresh mind self-destructs it's ship with multiple pulsed plasma blasts that send out a coded message over a fraction of a second, that the Iridians see what is happening and are powerless to stop it. Then it somehow may have found a way, between the waves of plasma explosions to enter hyperspace by itself and possibly transfer itself into the gravity well of a planet and into the tunnels of a dead planet! It's all there pretty much in a pararaph which I must have glossed over when I didn't know what I was reading.
On my first read Horza's beliefs, the Culture agents doubts, the Idirians incredible physical, material and spiritual advantages were entirely reasonable and it was the Culture who should be worried, and the generally unworried placid nature of the Culture people we see doesn't really dissuade you of that. It's only when used to it that the easy confidence is actually a sign of their near unassailable position.
Even when Hand of God 137 finds (or rather is found by) Balvedas ship after it was hiding in the sun it doesn't twig with them that their puny adversaries have more than enough time and resources to be a match for them, far less the will!
Loved it. Like meeting an aquantance from years ago and realising you actually really get on. RIP Iain, what joy you gave the world.
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