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Drifter posted:Is this book standalone or part of a necessary series? Read it. It's considered a classic for a reason. I'm with Freebooter as it being Clarke's best. I'd take it step further and rank it in my top 5 of best science fiction novels full stop. There's a bittersweet wistfulness to the novel that's both uplifting and disturbing at the same time. FAKE EDIT FOR NEW PAGE: The book is Childhood's End
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Nov 25, 2015 17:40
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flosofl posted:Read it. It's considered a classic for a reason. I'm with Freebooter as it being Clarke's best. I'd take it step further and rank it in my top 5 of best science fiction novels full stop. I could make arguments for other Clarke books being the "best", but 'bittersweet wistfulness' is the perfect 2 word review.
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Nov 25, 2015 17:56
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Kesper North posted:The premiere of The Expanse is now available to watch legally on most streaming services. Here is a youtube link: This and the others mentioned get the old 'Not available.....' Anyone got a valid link for the uk?
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Nov 25, 2015 18:00
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flosofl posted:Read it. It's considered a classic for a reason. I'm with Freebooter as it being Clarke's best. I'd take it step further and rank it in my top 5 of best science fiction novels full stop. Which people should also read.
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Nov 25, 2015 20:11
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Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Serpent's Reach in particular looks to be the kind of thing I'm looking for. Good to know that hiveminds aren't always limited to either horror or SPACEWAR. While I'm at it, are there any current authors to look out for who write humorous or light-hearted space adventure sci-fi? I liked The Android's Dream by John Scalzi well enough but I'm not as big of a fan of his other stuff, and most of the recent books I've found from browsing recommendation lists tend toward being either super gritty or sweepingly dramatic.
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Nov 25, 2015 20:57
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Clark Nova posted:The Tines in Vernor Venge's A Fire Upon the Deep maybe? Not really a species-wide hive mind, though. I don't want to spell it out completely because figuring out what the hell is going on in the first few chapters is part of the fun. The hornet collective in Neal Asher's Polity universe, perhaps?
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Nov 25, 2015 21:07
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Doctor Soup posted:Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Serpent's Reach in particular looks to be the kind of thing I'm looking for. Good to know that hiveminds aren't always limited to either horror or SPACEWAR.
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Nov 25, 2015 22:21
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I really liked ...Small Angry Planet. Here's my review if you want to check it out: https://outtherebooks.wordpress.com/2015/06/30/review-the-long-way-to-a-small-angry-planet-by-becky-chambers/
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Nov 25, 2015 22:25
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Deptfordx posted:This and the others mentioned get the old 'Not available.....' It has not been legally released in any country other than the US and Canada. Queenhavers must proxy up or hit bittorrent. edit: Yes, I know Canadians are technically queenhavers, but they're also technically North American 
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Nov 25, 2015 22:57
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Pleasantly surprised by that Expanse episode. Definitely not the usual low budget Syfy garbage. Though I think I pictured Amos being a bigger dude, almost like a Heavy from tf2. A Proper Uppercut fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Nov 26, 2015 |
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Nov 25, 2015 23:49
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Kesper North posted:It has not been legally released in any country other than the US and Canada. Queenhavers must proxy up or hit bittorrent. I'm in Canada and I get the same error 
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Nov 26, 2015 01:23
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ToxicFrog posted:I'm in Canada and I get the same error Canadians can stream from Space.ca: http://www.space.ca/show/the-expanse/
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Nov 26, 2015 02:39
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A Proper Uppercut posted:Pleasantly surprised by that Expanse episode. Definitely not the usual low budget Syfy garbage. It's been my impression that SyFy has been trying to move back to the state that they were at ~10 years ago when they invested time and talent into their shows.
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Nov 26, 2015 03:41
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Internet Wizard posted:It's been my impression that SyFy has been trying to move back to the state that they were at ~10 years ago when they invested time and talent into their shows. Seriously, this. They're also doing adaptations of Childhood's End, Hyperion and Brave New World. (edit: I forget which of these has already been mentioned ITT)
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Nov 26, 2015 05:44
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Can anyone recommend some humorous sci fi or fantasy books? Stuff I mean is like the Johannes Cabal series, or Caverns and Creatures, or Dungeonkeepers. Things with humor, albeit not ENTIRELY humor (ok, ya got me C&C is basically that, but it's still good). I've got the Dis series, and I've read the Mercury series, but I'm just trying to find some new stuff that isn't "try hard" humor or something that just doesn't fall flat.
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Nov 26, 2015 06:06
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Have you read Pratchett?
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Nov 26, 2015 06:17
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Consider the thread's new and awesome title. edit: Oh, one book of the kind I really enjoyed lately was To Say Nothing Of The Dog by Connie Willis. It's time travel meets comedy of manners; rather (intentionally) old-fashioned but funny and engaging. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 10:06 on Nov 26, 2015 |
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Nov 26, 2015 07:29
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Have you read Douglas Adams?
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Nov 26, 2015 07:57
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Have you read Robert Rankin?
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Nov 26, 2015 11:26
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The answer to all of those is "Yup". Loved Discworld for the most part, didn't really dig Adams, I will look into the BoB and the other one you mentioned, and I didn't dig Rankin that much. I did like some of Tom Holt's stuff though. I did find out there's a new Caverns and Creatures book out though, as well as a new short story, so YAY!!!! 
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Nov 26, 2015 15:45
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:Can anyone recommend some humorous sci fi or fantasy books? L. Sprauge de Camp.
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Nov 26, 2015 20:38
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:Can anyone recommend some humorous sci fi
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Nov 26, 2015 21:01
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I finished 3 books in the last few weeks and wanted to give my thoughts on them. First was "A Fire upon the Deep" by Vernor Vinge. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it considering I'm not usually a huge fan of super far future sci fi. I tend to also prefer books that don't break the FTL barrier but this book gave an interesting reason to explain it. I loved the whole concept of the Tines too, although near the end of the book I thought the parts featuring them dragged a little bit. The Flenser movement seemed a bit too over the top evil and I found myself impatiently waiting for Jefri and everyone else to clue in. Overall though a great book and I'm glad I finally took the time to read it after so many reccomendations in the thread. Second was "A Deepness in the Sky", also by Vinge. In the opening of the book I had a feeling I was going to hate it. I knew from reading the thread it was going to be a semi prequel but as soon as I read the name "Pham Nuwen", I wanted to quit it right there. I thought Nuwen's character in the previous book was the least interesting of the lot. I really wasn't sure how they were going focus a book on him and keep my attention. Holy poo poo was I ever wrong. The pacing was almost perfect when looking back after finishing it. Certain parts seemed to drag a bit at the time but in the context of the whole story arc they make complete sense. I ended up liking this one even more than "A Fire upon the Deep". One of my favourites of the year so far. Then I decided to take a break before starting on the last book of the trilogy and read "Passage at Arms" by Glen Cook. People had described it as "Das Boot in spaaace" and that's a pretty accurate description. However, that didn't take away from it at all. I absolutely loved it and read in in one sitting. It was tense right from the start and didn't let up until the end. So, after reading 3 pretty awesome books, I'm left with the decision of what to read next. I'm either going to go back and read the last Zones of Thought book "Children of the Sky" or start the actual Starfishers trilogy (the same universe as Passage at Arms) with "Shadowline". Anyone have thoughts on that? What do people think of "Children of the Sky" vs the previous 2 books? Same question with "Shadowline" vs "Passage at Arms"?
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Nov 26, 2015 21:05
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Do not read Children of the Sky.
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Nov 26, 2015 21:38
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johnsonrod posted:I loved the whole concept of the Tines too, although near the end of the book I thought the parts featuring them dragged a little bit. Just to reiterate: chrisoya posted:Do not read Children of the Sky. Such a loving disappointment.
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Nov 26, 2015 21:54
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chrisoya posted:Do not read Children of the Sky.
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Nov 26, 2015 22:40
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:The answer to all of those is "Yup". Loved Discworld for the most part, didn't really dig Adams, I will look into the BoB and the other one you mentioned, and I didn't dig Rankin that much. I did like some of Tom Holt's stuff though. It might be stretching it to call it SF — it's contemporary early 80s in setting, and knowing Dave the truth content is somewhere between 40%-90% — but give The Leaky Establishment a shot. Basically, Guy steals filing cabinet from work. Guy finds pit of plutonium in filing cabinet and tries to return it. Hilarity ensues.
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Nov 26, 2015 23:15
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Children of the Sky is a somewhat boring gap-filler to move the pieces into place so Vinge can tell the story of how the Blight spreads to the Slow Zone by enslaving the Tines hive-mind.
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Nov 26, 2015 23:18
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:Can anyone recommend some humorous sci fi or fantasy books? Spellsinger may be worth a shot.
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Nov 27, 2015 02:30
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Jedit posted:Spellsinger may be worth a shot. Sorta scraping the bottom of the barrel there but yeah, still readable. Also of course the Asprin Myrh books. But, really, Bridge of Birds.
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Nov 27, 2015 02:41
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chrisoya posted:Do not read Children of the Sky. I like the Tines, and the whole setting, less after reading CotS. And there was stuff in there. Go for Shadowline. It's a wonderfully bizarre mix of Norse myth, the Free Companies of early Renaissance Italian warfare, and a pretty neat far future setting. The second two books follow Mouse, who sort of has the framing story for the whole thing, through his career in Naval Intelligence.
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Nov 27, 2015 03:19
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Evil Fluffy posted:Some day I'll go back and give Malazan another chance. Someday. Probably... Read book 1.  A year or more later, read book 1 and then book 2.  A while later, read book 1, then book 2, then book 3, and everything in book 1 and 2 begins to come together and I suddenly understand the grammar in certain races' naming conventions and other poo poo..  I don't think I've gotten past like book 9 or 10, Dust of Dreams? I got halfway through and got heartbroke and had to stop, that was a few years back though... chrisoya posted:Solomon Kane is basically what happens when Howard tries to write a racist character, yes. Conan stories just have his baseline level of racism, Kane is notably worse. quote:"Kane stood, an unconscious statue of triumph - the ancient empires fall, the dark-skinned peoples fade and even the demons of antiquity gasp their last, but over all stands the Aryan barbarian, white-skinned, cold-eyed, dominant, the supreme fighting man of the earth, whether he be clad in wolf-hide and horned helmet, or boots and doublet - whether he bear in his hand battle-ax or rapier - whether he be called Dorian, Saxon or Englishman - whether his name is Jason, Hengist or Solomon Kane." And of course there's the whole bit in Wings of the Night where Kane sees a bunch of peaceful black people and takes matters into his own hands to stop them from sacrificing people to the nearby harpies, which then come and destroy the village and everyone in it. Kane's got some feels about this until he realizes they hey, they were just black people anyways and wouldn't have amounted to anything so whatevs v  vquote:No, Kane decided, these things were not men. They were the materialization of some ghastly jest of Nature–some travesty of the world’s infancy when Creation was an experiment. Perhaps they were the offspring of a forbidden and obscene mating of man and beast; more likely they were a freakish offshoot on the branch of evolution–for Kane had long ago dimly sensed a truth in the heretical theories of the ancient philosophers, that Man is but a higher beast. And if Nature made many strange beasts in the past ages, why should she not have experimented with monstrous forms of mankind? Surely Man as Kane knew him was not the first of his breed to walk the earth, nor yet to be the last. coyo7e fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Nov 27, 2015 |
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Nov 27, 2015 03:48
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:Can anyone recommend some humorous sci fi or fantasy books? Check the Laundry Files novels, by Charles Stross.
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Nov 27, 2015 12:02
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So I just finished The Traitor Baru Cormorant and holy poo poo, that must have been written from a terribly dark place. Battuta, have you ever told the story of how you came to write that book? Very well written: I had sort of guessed where I thought it would go, but wasn't really sure until I closed the book just now. The sequel hooks sound interesting as well so here's to the next one!
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Nov 27, 2015 13:37
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Sorta scraping the bottom of the barrel there but yeah, still readable. I read the first six books in the Spellsinger series. It's basically the same story over and over again.
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Nov 27, 2015 14:06
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Sorta scraping the bottom of the barrel there but yeah, still readable. I guess. I think I finished the first two and felt it was already tedious. When the third one came out, I flipped through it and then put it back on the shelf. It's up there with the Callahan's books; it's not a bad idea but in practice it quickly become wearying to read.
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Nov 27, 2015 17:04
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I've finally finished Judas Unchained, by Peter Hamilton, and I recommend it to any Space Opera aficionado. It has to be read after Pandora's Star. These two books form a two part novel, and must be read in sequence. The series is similar to a classic "big things" science fiction, with a good writing a quite good character building. And it has a satisfactory ending (in the sense it actually "ends" all the history arcs begun thru both books). Another good thing about the ending: it is not a rushed one. I mean, you won't find a story developing thru a thousand page just to be finished in a ten-page chapter. The build up is slow sometimes, becomes fast paced when it has to be, and the ending takes its time to develop properly. Thinks I have not liked: the society gossip, Melrose Place-ish stuff. I understand it is necessary to properly develop at least two of the characters, but I simply don't like it. Specific things I've liked: some imaginery. I'll spoil the list, but it can be read without killing the story (I'll list things that happen, not why nor when happen):
It doesn't have monsters. I'd say Neal Asher has the monopoly of science fiction monsters among the british writers... I'll go next with the Void series, which happens a thousand years after the events in these two books.
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Nov 27, 2015 17:24
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Amberskin posted:
I'd argue that Prime is definitely a (many-headed!!) monster, and one of the most alien and well thought out ones in British, or even Modern SF. I'm excited for the next in the Fallers chronicle, set even further after the events in the Void series. Void series is pretty good, but pretty radically different thematically and structure-wise than the Commonwealth Series. Commonwealth Series is definitely my favorite P.Ham. thetechnoloser fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Nov 27, 2015 |
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Nov 27, 2015 19:04
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thetechnoloser posted:I'd argue that Prime is definitely a (many-headed!!) monster, and one of the most alien and well thought out ones in British, or even Modern SF. Agreed. I was thinking about the kind of monsters that has big tooth and claws and eats people for breakfast.
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Nov 27, 2015 21:43
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US/UK covers of the next Laundry Files book, minimal info. http://io9.com/charles-stross-revea...dium=socialflow The Slithery D fucked around with this message at 23:58 on Nov 27, 2015 |
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Nov 27, 2015 23:43
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