I'm stuck at work. Let's talk Sci Fi books

[Ratty]

I''ll be on DU a lot this evening. I'm bored. Anybody reading any good sci fi? I'm reading "Light" by John M. Harrison. It's pretty awful and I probably won't finish it. Some of the things in the book's description seemed really cool in a science fiction way so I bought it, but I hate all the characters and halfway through the book I still don't have a clue what's going on. I really hate that in a book. Where the author begins with several mysterious threads and you don't understand exactly what's going on but things begin to coalesce and finally come together at some point. Well, that's okay as long as it doesn't take too long.

I finished Well of Darkness (The Sovereign Stone Trilogy, Book 1) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. A Fantasy novel with all the usual suspects. Margaret Weis seems to be something of a book mill (or "hack" if you prefer), but I didn't have anything else to read so ... Very disappointing Deus-ex-machinaey ending with no explanation, but the rest of the book was okay for the pure trash it was. It had a couple of very original and intriguing aspects and ideas that were fun and interesting. I would have preferred to read something else though.

The Saga of the Seven Suns series of SF novels by Kevin J. Anderson is turning out to be a pretty good read. Though with the third installment a lot of new crap has been added and I get the impression the author is trying to turn the series into an endless cash-cow a la Robert Jordan and Wheel of Time.

The last REALLY great SF story I read was Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton. That man has a gift for SF (If you haven't read his Reality Dysfunction trilogy DO IT NOW! Put on your pants and head down to the bookstore!) Pandora's Star is the first volume of his new trilogy and it's another winner. Hamilton's great gift is to weave detailed, interesting, consistent universes in which he builds incredible stories. I can't wait for volume 2.

Read the final volume, "The Battle of Corrin", of Brian Herbert (evil, no-talent, money-grubbing son of Frank Herbert) and Kevin J. Anderson's Machine Crusade. I felt so dirty afterwards. The whole thing stank through every volume, I don't know what posessed me.

Ask, and I'll tell my favorite SF books of all.

[Nobody]

1. If you like hard sci-fi

Try Steven Baxter's books. I liked the Xeelee cycle. There really isn't a book you have to start with, you can start anywhere and it'll make sense. I read "Ring" first and it's actually the last in the series. I liked "Manifold: Space" the second book in this trilogy. "Manifold: Time" isn't as good. I haven't read "Manifold: Origin" yet. "Anti-Ice is another good one for mixing in alternative history in with your hard sci-fi. "Titan" was depressing, but a good book nonetheless.

Next, I recommend any of the drow books for your fantasy needs. Of all the D+D based books, these are the best. I wasn't thrilled with the Dragonlance books and have read several. Plot points coming from miles away....

Larry Niven may be a conservative Republican (I met the man), but I really like his short stories, particulary the Beowulf Schaeffer ones and the bar stories starring the only alien race he's come up with with sentient females.

I also would recommend Harry Turtledove's alternate histories, Geg Bear, and several others. This should get you started on a "to read" stack.

[bobbieinok]

3. also Turtledove's The Toxic Spell Dump, great fun

[Ratty]

5. I read most of those.

"Titan" was indeed depressing but a pretty good read nonetheless. Reminds me of "Wreck of the River of Stars" as far as depressingness goes. A lot of people hated that book but I was quite taken by it. Its strength is the ensemble which was magnificently crafted, all the characters crafted just so to fit in the space created for them.

In high school I was a huge Larry Niven fan. My best friend and I had our own collections and talked about Niven all the time. His Known Space stories are all classics and well-deserved ones. I'm kind of disgusted that just about everything he has put out for the last decade or so has been reissues of his old stories with maybe a new one thrown in to entice you to buy it. I read his latest Ringworld novel and was pretty disappointed. I think the light has gone out of his genius-bulb.

I read several of those Baxter books you mention but darnit if I can remember a single one. I have the vague memory of not liking them a whole lot, but now I have to go look up the synopses to refresh my memory. I actually bought Anti-Ice, it sounded good but I only read the first chapter then tossed it.

[SotarrTheWizard]

10. Niven is interesting. . .

. . . but nowhere near as much of a right-wing nutcase as his occaisional co-writer, Jerry Pournelle. Pournelle is an egomaniac and at least as rabid as most Freepers.

A fairly recent arrival on the scene is John Ringo. Yes, he's a conservative. . .but of the P.J. O'Rourke model: he sees no problem with 2 or more consenting adults of whatever flavor doing whatever, as long as it doesn't get in the way of the mission.

Several series so far: the "Aldenata" series, also known as the Posleen series, in which Earth gets invaded while being "helped" by aliens who make Enron and Halliburton look like a friendly, neighborhood Tupperware party in comparison.

His more recent series is "There Will be Dragons": far future, ultra-high-tech earth, nanotech and teleportation. But the ruling council gets into an argument. . .that turns into a war. And they turn the power off. World crashes from 4100AD to the Middle Ages.

Number of interesting characters, including an absolutely kickass female Elf Warrior/Archer named Bast. (Yes, there ARE elves. . .they were genetically engineered as elite troops sometime in the 21st or 22nd Century. . .). It reads like a fantasy. . .with nuts and bolts.

Two books out so far, "There Will Be Dragons", and "The Emerald Sea". Third book due out next year: highly recommended. . . .

[Ratty]

13. I've noticed Ringo books

For some reason, probably from the cover art, I just assumed he was a military sci-fi writer. I tend to avoid military sci-fi, or at least writers who are known as military sci-fi writers (e.g., David Drake), not because I have anything against the genre in principle, but just because so many of them are incredibly mundane and unimaginative (but just for clarification I do read Drake's fantasy series and it's excellent). I'll take a closer look at Ringo.

[SotarrTheWizard]

26. Actually, Ringo is branching out. . .

. . .now writing a pure military-type book of the "guts-and-glory" infinite paperback series type. . .which, while not even close to great literature, sells like hotcakes. .. the male equivalent of a Harlequin Romance, I guess. . .

. . .and something called "Special Circumstances". Think Anita Blake meets Buffy meets the X-files. . .

I've read opening excerpts of each, good stuff. . .

[Darranar]

15. Salvatore and Cunningham both do drow well...

though I was disappointed a little with the ending of Windwalker, the last in the Starlight and Shadows series.

The "War of the Spider Queen" books are far worse.

[bobbieinok]

2. 1 of the all time great sci-fi books - Hal Clement's Mission of Gravity

John Ringo trilogy March to the Sea etc

Elizabeth Moon series that starts with Hunting Party

Hokka stories

[Ratty]

6. Mission of Gravity

I have toyed with getting that book for quite awhile. Now I definitely will! Thanks!

[SotarrTheWizard]

12. Uh, it's David Weber and John Ringo. . .

. . . for the "Roger" series:

1. March Upcountry

2. March to the Sea

3. March to the Stars

and Vol. IV, "We Few" is now in finishing stages, expect it next year....


Oh, and look at your local bookstore for a Hardcover Copy of "There Will Be Dragons" by John Ringo. 1st Printing includes a CD-ROM, with the ENTIRE Works of John Ringo, and most of David Weber's, plus a bunch of other authors, COMPLETE NOVELS. . .free. And better still, you're ALLOWED and ENCOURAGED to copy the CD and give copies out. . .

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

4. 5 words. "Lord of Light". Roger Zelazny.

The late, great. Humorous, imaginative, epic in scale. A beautiful, wonderful story.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0380014033/qid=1094945089/sr=ka-2/ref=pd_ka_2/002-3002448-4649606

One of the books that I love so much that I often buy extra copies to give friends as a present.

[Book Lover]

7. I second that, plus

his "Doorways in the Sand"

[Ratty]

8. I've never heard of it

But I'm definitely getting it now. Thanks guys!

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

9. Ratty, please, please share with me/us when you've read it.

PM or email is fine. I love this book so much, it's just a great experience I enjoy sharing with people! :bounce:

[Darranar]

11. Frankly, I rather enjoyed Well of Darkness...

Death Gate and Dragonlance were both far better, but it was far from a waste of time reading it.

The ending was strange, yes, but I assume it will be explained somewhat in the next book (which I bought but have yet to read).

[Ratty]

14. Domain Lords

The reason I got the book was the whole premise of the Domain Lords was so intriguing and original. I was kind of disappointed that aspect was never really explored. In fact I bought the second volume too, just yesterday. There are some pretty good aspects to the story, but some disappointments too (and yet, good enough for me to shell out more bucks!). I hope you're right about mysteries being revealed.

[Darranar]

16. Yes, I see what you mean...

the supposed main idea of the book, as outlined on its back cover, never really came into play until the very end, and even then not quite the way it was suggested.

But aside from that disappointment, the book was rather well-written. Again, not on par with some of Weis and Hickman's other work, but not bad either.

[Ratty]

17. There were a lot of original aspects

Now that you brought it up I remember why I bought the second novel. There were just some really good things to the story. That dagger that could create undead super-slaves who would follow your every command. The Void! All the dark evil aspects, I'm a big sucker for dark evil. There were many times where the politics just confused me completely though. The Divine and the Shield, I kept getting their motives mixed up, and was surprised by some of the things that elf spy wanted because I thought the Shield wanted something else. Complicated politics in stories like that just bores me to tears.

[brentspeak]

18. "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenent The Unbeliever"

By Stephen R.Donaldson. Probably the one fantasy series that few people are neutral about (you either love it or hate it. I love it - the first trilogy, that is, not the second trilogy).

[Ratty]

20. I've read those several times

I love them. The first is the best by far but I love the second trilogy too.

[brentspeak]

22. Third trilogy to begin this October

First book to be published, I mean. Apparently, Roger, who was Covenent's infant son, is now all grown up and plays a major role.

[crispini]

28. No sh*t?

The things you learn on DU... I was totally enraptured by the 1st trilogy when I was in high school....

[brentspeak]

19. And "Neuromancer" by William Gibson

As gritty as a Jim Thompson mystery.

[Ratty]

21. What do you think of Neil Stephenson?

He writes in the same vein as Gibson. I'm often tempted to take on his latest "Baroque Cycle" magnum opus but it scares me. All of the comments about it being so dense and packed with tedious minutiae. Also it's not really science fiction, although a close cousin. Part of me feels I'm man enough to take it on but the other part fears I'll just get bored fast. Oh well, Quicksilver is out in paperback now, what have I got to lose?

Yeah, I read Neuromancer. I liked it.

[brentspeak]

23. I read "Snow Crash"

It was kind of a wacky, almost comedic, cyberspace story. I though it was OK but not great. It's very different than the serious and gritty Gibson books.

[bigwillq]

24. I feel for you

I'm at work too until about 11 p.m. est.

[Ratty]

25. The thing is

I kind of have to stay away from my house until 11 PM. Really I have a 9 to 5 job and working until 10 is not generally part of the package. I thought it would be a great opportunity to knuckle down and do some intense work, but it turns out I'm just spending the time surfing the web.

[EstimatedProphet]

27. 2 authors-read everything you can get by them

Living: Walter Jon Williams, especially HardWired and Metropolitan. I'm in the middle of Dread Empire's Fall: The Praxis right now, and it's very engaging.

Dead: Philip K. Dick. ANYTHING. But my personal faves are A Maze of Death, Ubik, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Clans of the Alphane Moon, Now Wait for Last Year, We Can Build You

[nicolemrw]

29. lois mcmaster bujold

anything by lois mcmaster bujold. she's simply the best, science fiction and fantasy both.

guy gavriel kay is very good too.