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I used to be the biggest cyberpunk fanboy but I can barely read it anymore. The poo poo that came true pisses me off too much to enjoy the silly poo poo that didn't.
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Aug 19, 2015 04:08
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Megazver posted:The Mindscape Investigations series by Alex Hughes. The Breach series by Patrick Lee. The Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry. Mindscape's a good example (I haven't read the other two). If you want UF-like sci-fi, you probably want some mystery/thriller with a main character that's a cyborg/genetically modified/a clone/an alien/telepathic/whatever. UF seems pretty defined by the main character having some sort of unusual abilities or knowledge of some sort, or are part of some secret community. Something that separates them from normal society, which makes them uniquely capable of solving some problem everyone else can't. Wolpertinger fucked around with this message at 06:22 on Aug 19, 2015 |
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Aug 19, 2015 06:18
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berenzen posted:Superhero stories would probably fit into this category as well as the stuff that others have mentioned. Worm by wildbow is a good read for that sort of thing. Seconding this; superhero stories involving technology seem to fit the "urban sci-fi" theme well, and I enjoyed the hell out of that one.
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Aug 19, 2015 10:36
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Isn't Mindspace Investigations basically Dresden Files with telepathy? I don't know how you'd delineate fantasy from science fiction but that still falls under the former camp for me.
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Aug 19, 2015 10:37
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I guess it can depend on how anything paranormal is treated vis-a-vis its source. In most urban fantasy it's going to stem from magic - I think science-fiction is more likely to attribute it to genetic mutations, cybernetic augmentation etc. Functionally, they're pretty similar, though. I haven't heard of Mindspace Investigations but "the Dresden Files with telepathy" sounds like it might be fun. How is it?
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Aug 19, 2015 11:15
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Wheat Loaf posted:I haven't heard of Mindspace Investigations but "the Dresden Files with telepathy" sounds like it might be fun. How is it? I've read a bit. Some writers seem to think that making your first person POV protagonist an (ex)junkie makes for interesting internal conflict. I am of an opinion that it doesn't.
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Aug 19, 2015 11:54
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Wheat Loaf posted:I guess it can depend on how anything paranormal is treated vis-a-vis its source. In most urban fantasy it's going to stem from magic - I think science-fiction is more likely to attribute it to genetic mutations, cybernetic augmentation etc. Functionally, they're pretty similar, though. I like it, it's pretty good. Nothing amazing, but it's an enjoyable enough read. For some reason I've noticed that a large number of people who dislike it name the fact that the main character is a (recovering) junkie as a big minus like Megazver. It doesn't bother me, but some people really seem to hate having the point of view of an addict. I think it works well enough, it gives the main character a rock bottom to crawl out of and a reason to be in the dire straits he's in and made him a bit more sympathetic. It's not like it lingers too excessively on it, as far as I can remember. (It's been a while since I read book 1).
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Aug 19, 2015 12:49
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Right. Well, I've never been a junkie so maybe I'd struggle to relate. Nevertheless, it might be something to add to the list. On my original question, has anyone done anything that's sort of science fantasy stuff in a contemporary urban setting? Most of what's called "science fantasy" seems, in my view, to be space opera and planetary romance stuff. (I should say, the thing that prompted me asking in the first place was that I recently rewatched my favourite horror movie - Phantasm - and I thought stuff like the Tall Man's spheres and the portal to his world, which seem more sci-fi than magical, wouldn't seem totally out of place in something like Dresden.)
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Aug 19, 2015 13:39
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Superhero fiction. Worm. Takes place in Brockton Bay, a populous city on either the northeast coast or the northwest coast (if it was mentioned I've forgotten). Numerous characters are essentially science wizards, others bend the laws of physics in unusual but consistent ways, portals to alternate Universes exist (apparently the Star Wars prequels suck in all of them), and there are several non-human individuals that fall all along the Turing spectrum.
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Aug 19, 2015 18:26
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Error 404 posted:I used to be the biggest cyberpunk fanboy but I can barely read it anymore. The poo poo that came true pisses me off too much to enjoy the silly poo poo that didn't. I can still reread cyberpunk, but I need to put myself back in the mindset of the early 80s when they were mostly written; the early days of personal computing, modems just making it out there and BBSes. When they apparently thought we'd be able to hack interfaces into our brains and have AIs more advanced than Siri by now.
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Aug 19, 2015 18:43
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gently caress me. My internet went out for two days, and I decided to tackle some backlog of books I had on my kindle. Turns out, one of those books was Monster Hunter International..... So yeah, I'd be enjoying this piece of schlock if it wasn't for the self-insert power fantasy gun porn bullshit. It's like Correia went to tvtropes and tried to fit them all in. God damnit Edit: I'm on the fence of whether I should finish the book or just relegate it to the deep and darkest pits, where I also happen to keep Iron Druid. Robzilla fucked around with this message at 18:10 on Aug 20, 2015 |
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Aug 20, 2015 17:59
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Wolpertinger posted:I like it, it's pretty good. Nothing amazing, but it's an enjoyable enough read. For some reason I've noticed that a large number of people who dislike it name the fact that the main character is a (recovering) junkie as a big minus like Megazver. It doesn't bother me, but some people really seem to hate having the point of view of an addict. I think it works well enough, it gives the main character a rock bottom to crawl out of and a reason to be in the dire straits he's in and made him a bit more sympathetic. It's not like it lingers too excessively on it, as far as I can remember. (It's been a while since I read book 1). I'm one of the people who thinks it adds to the story that he's a recovering junkie (imagine taking a Dresden-style pounding from life when your response to stress is to go for a hit but you really really do not want to), but he is a very realistic feeling junkie, which is to say kind of an rear end in a top hat on occasion. Absolutely nobody trusts him for poo poo either, which is of course the logical thing to do but from a first person perspective in a book makes them seem like jerks themselves. So I can see why it can be a turn off to some readers.
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Aug 20, 2015 18:55
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Wolpertinger posted:I like it, it's pretty good. Nothing amazing, but it's an enjoyable enough read. For some reason I've noticed that a large number of people who dislike it name the fact that the main character is a (recovering) junkie as a big minus like Megazver. It doesn't bother me, but some people really seem to hate having the point of view of an addict. I think it works well enough, it gives the main character a rock bottom to crawl out of and a reason to be in the dire straits he's in and made him a bit more sympathetic. It's not like it lingers too excessively on it, as far as I can remember. (It's been a while since I read book 1). The main guy's relationship with his Murphy analogue is also pretty incredibly hosed up. Monster Hunter International is pretty funny in how un-self aware the politics are. The heroes are a bunch of independent minded badass monster hunters who despise the federal government. Guess who funds basically the entirety of their lifestyle? Mars4523 fucked around with this message at 19:20 on Aug 20, 2015 |
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Aug 20, 2015 19:14
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Robzilla posted:gently caress me. I've read three of them, they don't get better. However they are far worse than iron druid so that may be a bit unfair.
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Aug 20, 2015 19:36
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Iron Druid is just lower quality urban fiction, it's nowhere near MHI levels of bad.
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Aug 20, 2015 20:08
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The Iron Druid is pretty good, and comparing books 1 and 2 of the Dresden Files to books 1 and 2 of the Chronicles, and I have a clear favorite. (Hint: It's the one with Irish Religion, and extremely funny one liners.)
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Aug 21, 2015 02:08
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Um....who or what is Mac? He really doesn't want any trouble in his place.
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Aug 21, 2015 02:24
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thrawn527 posted:Um....who or what is Mac? Theories seem to be a Grigori, or Watcher Angel.
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Aug 21, 2015 02:31
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thrawn527 posted:Um....who or what is Mac? Nobody knows...yet. But there are plenty of theories. My, admittedly stupid, theory is that he's either Jesus or a lowercase f fallen angel (as in He's Out).
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Aug 21, 2015 02:32
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He is pretty obviously Harry Dresden time traveled from the future.
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Aug 21, 2015 02:35
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ImpAtom posted:He is pretty obviously Harry Dresden time traveled from the future. Or he's a bodyswapped future Molly. 
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Aug 21, 2015 02:36
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thrawn527 posted:Um....who or what is Mac? Guys guys guys, you all know the answer to this. Mac is out
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Aug 21, 2015 03:08
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Mac is just a guy, just human. Anything else would be megadumb
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Aug 21, 2015 03:11
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Wheat Loaf posted:What would be the science-fiction equivalent of urban fantasy, if there is one? I hear people say cyberpunk, but it seems like an inexact comparison to me. The Last Detective.
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Aug 21, 2015 03:13
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Nemesis Of Moles posted:Mac is just a guy, just human. Anything else would be megadumb Just a guy. Who an Outsider called out, naming him a "Watcher". I don't know what Mac is. But he's not "just" anything. Halfway through Cold Days, and it has me questioning the first few books. I love it when books do that.
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Aug 21, 2015 03:35
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Turtlicious posted:The Iron Druid is pretty good, and comparing books 1 and 2 of the Dresden Files to books 1 and 2 of the Chronicles, and I have a clear favorite. Iron Druid is very much the polar opposite of Dresden Dresden starts out fairly weak and gets better. ID starts out fairly strong and gets worse.
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Aug 21, 2015 03:40
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thrawn527 posted:Just a guy. Who an Outsider called out, naming him a "Watcher". I don't know what Mac is. But he's not "just" anything. He hangs out and watches people. Duh.
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Aug 21, 2015 03:41
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thrawn527 posted:Just a guy. Who an Outsider called out, naming him a "Watcher". I don't know what Mac is. But he's not "just" anything.
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Aug 21, 2015 04:14
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The outsider isn't a native English speaker. Mac specialized in the design and repair of quality timepieces.
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Aug 21, 2015 05:11
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ConfusedUs posted:Iron Druid is very much the polar opposite of Dresden Yeah, and then on the 5th or 6th book it wraps around to awesome again. like a parabola of wit.
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Aug 21, 2015 05:40
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torgeaux posted:The Last Detective. I don't know if I endorse the equivalency, but I endorse reading the last Edit: fixed title navyjack fucked around with this message at 08:10 on Aug 21, 2015 |
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Aug 21, 2015 07:16
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I think it's Policeman, not Detective.
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Aug 21, 2015 07:46
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Barbe Rouge posted:I think it's Policeman, not Detective. Yeah, that's what I meant. Thanks!
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Aug 21, 2015 08:11
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Turtlicious posted:Yeah, and then on the 5th or 6th book it wraps around to awesome again. like a parabola of wit. This (mostly). I'm not saying anyone should stick with a series they aren't enjoying, but if you do stop, you don't have the full picture. It'd be similar to someone stopping after Fool Moon and concluding the entire Dresden series is garbage: a reasonable conclusion based on the evidence reviewed, but flawed in that it doesn't consider the remaining books. Sandman Slim is in a similar boat, though it didn't plumb the depths of awfulness that ID did, so it was quicker to get back on its feet.
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Aug 21, 2015 12:11
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Barbe Rouge posted:I think it's Policeman, not Detective. Sorry, I'm going thru the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike books again, and just read the last Detective. I meant the last policeman. Yes, existential dread.
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Aug 21, 2015 14:37
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Ornamented Death posted:This (mostly). I'm not saying anyone should stick with a series they aren't enjoying, but if you do stop, you don't have the full picture. It'd be similar to someone stopping after Fool Moon and concluding the entire Dresden series is garbage: a reasonable conclusion based on the evidence reviewed, but flawed in that it doesn't consider the remaining books. The only reason the latter books got better for Iron Druid is they shifted away from Atticus's viewpoint. Really, the best thing that could happen in that series is if Atticus was killed off and from then on it was from the other characters' points of view.
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Aug 21, 2015 16:52
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Wade Wilson posted:The only reason the latter books got better for Iron Druid is they shifted away from Atticus's viewpoint. Nnnno. Whats-her-face's POV was painful to read. I dropped the series after a couple of chapters of that.
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Aug 21, 2015 17:06
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Megazver posted:Nnnno. Whats-her-face's POV was painful to read. I dropped the series after a couple of chapters of that. I was thinking more of the druid that trained Atticus. Also story time with everyone that wasn't Atticus when they killed Thor. Like, the way Atticus reacted to the Morrigan buying him time to get some distance on the greek gods trying to kill him because she loved him was just terrible. Literally every other character and aspect of the world in those books is more interesting than the main character. Some Pinko Commie fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Aug 21, 2015 |
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Aug 21, 2015 17:14
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Wade Wilson posted:I was thinking more of the druid that trained Atticus. Also story time with everyone that wasn't Atticus when they killed Thor. I've skipped to half of a chapter of that to check it out. It wasn't exactly amazing either.
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Aug 21, 2015 18:11
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Wade Wilson posted:Like, the way Atticus reacted to the Morrigan buying him time to get some distance on the greek gods trying to kill him because she loved him was just terrible. I stopped on the book before, and holy poo poo that's awful.
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Aug 21, 2015 18:28
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