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Do you prefer the extended summer thread format? This poll is closed. |
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Question for the thread: is there a sci-fi novel that features a game that is only played on a planet that’s about to explode/by a sun that’s about to supernova and has to be completed before that happens? I don’t feel like it was central to the plot necessarily. My friend thought it was part of Player of Games but as I’ve just read it I decided that wasn’t likely since I didn’t remember that. Any ideas?
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Jul 22, 2021 23:05
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That is the climax of player of games, the planet has a wildfire that runs across its entire surface and burns everything down, which then re-grows in time for it to be burned down again when the fire reaches the other side of the planet again. And the game is being played on a moving fortress that constantly drives around the planet to stay ahead of the fire, the emperor stops it because he is corncobbing about losing the game and decides to kill everyone by letting the fire catch up.
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Jul 22, 2021 23:10
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Player of Games has the final game on a planet that entirely burns itself in a giant wildfire at regular intervals, could be that? e: you pause to plot check yourself...
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Jul 22, 2021 23:12
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Consider Phlebas also has a game being played on a world that's about to be destroyed, but it's the controlled demolition of a ringworld.
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Jul 22, 2021 23:18
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2 novels by Peter F Hamilton (Great Northern Road and whatever the 'confederation' series about souls coming back to life is called) involve species which have lifecycles based on solar phenomena, could you be maybe mixing it up with that?
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Jul 22, 2021 23:20
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OwlFancier posted:the planet has a wildfire that runs across its entire surface and burns everything down, which then re-grows in time for it to be burned down again when the fire reaches the other side of the planet again. And the game is being played on a moving fortress that constantly drives around the planet to stay ahead of the fire, the emperor stops it because he is corncobbing about losing the game and decides to kill everyone by letting the fire catch up.
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Jul 22, 2021 23:27
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Consider Phlebas also has a planet with a mobile train command center that can constantly move. So I think the two thngs banks likes are people playing games during the apocalypse and train forts.
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Jul 22, 2021 23:29
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Thanks for all the Banks chat recently. It’s pushed me to finally read the last Culture book The Hydrogen Sonata. I was saving it since there won’t be any more. But if I read it, then I get to reread them anyway 
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Jul 22, 2021 23:41
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OwlFancier posted:Consider Phlebas also has a planet with a mobile train command center that can constantly move. So I think the two thngs banks likes are people playing games during the apocalypse and train forts. and writing lots of freaky sex scenes
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Jul 22, 2021 23:41
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Unkempt posted:Consider Phlebas also has a game being played on a world that's about to be destroyed, but it's the controlled demolition of a ringworld. I think this is it! Thanks! I did ask him if it was the fire planet but it was definitely the planet being destroyed not just a fire passing round. Just finished pog and really enjoyed it. Think I’ve gathered sufficient momentum that I’ll likely be reading all the series over the next few months.
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Jul 22, 2021 23:44
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Sounds like the Frieza arc tbh.
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Jul 22, 2021 23:48
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Private Speech posted:whatever the 'confederation' series about souls coming back to life is called Night's Dawn.
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Jul 23, 2021 00:12
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killerwhat posted:Thanks for all the Banks chat recently. It’s pushed me to finally read the last Culture book The Hydrogen Sonata. I was saving it since there won’t be any more. But if I read it, then I get to reread them anyway its a pretty nice conclusion i thought
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Jul 23, 2021 00:29
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Just Another Lurker posted:William Crozier!!!!! I thought he was the bloke that died on the Terror and Erebus?
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Jul 23, 2021 00:30
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Speaking of leftist non-fiction has anyone read the Powder Mage trilogy by Brian McKellen? It starts with the overthrow of a king and guillotining of all the upper classes and leads to the masses rising up to deal with a god the rich bastards forgot to tell every one about! It's nowhere near as out their as a M Banks book but the whole trilogy is some drat good leftist fantasy.
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Jul 23, 2021 01:38
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OwlFancier posted:Consider Phlebas also has a planet with a mobile train command center that can constantly move. So I think the two thngs banks likes are people playing games during the apocalypse and train forts. The one all about ascension (Hydrogen sonata?) Has a scary culture warship jump into a set of rails and cruise along behind a blimp, also a giant base doing a star wars trench run so you might be onto something there.
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Jul 23, 2021 01:58
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Jakabite posted:Question for the thread: is there a sci-fi novel that features a game that is only played on a planet that’s about to explode/by a sun that’s about to supernova and has to be completed before that happens? I don’t feel like it was central to the plot necessarily. My friend thought it was part of Player of Games but as I’ve just read it I decided that wasn’t likely since I didn’t remember that. Any ideas? The planet getting regularly scorched by the sun and reset is also a component of the game they play in the Three Body Problem.
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Jul 23, 2021 02:34
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Josef bugman posted:I thought he was the bloke that died on the Terror and Erebus? That would be Sir John Franklin from the Franklin Expedition and he died before they even got to the cannibalism.  edit: Mr Owl posted:Speaking of leftist non-fiction has anyone read the Powder Mage trilogy by Brian McKellen? It starts with the overthrow of a king and guillotining of all the upper classes and leads to the masses rising up to deal with a god the rich bastards forgot to tell every one about! It's nowhere near as out their as a M Banks book but the whole trilogy is some drat good leftist fantasy. That was a pretty good trilogy, different enough to stand out. Just Another Lurker fucked around with this message at 06:53 on Jul 23, 2021 |
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Jul 23, 2021 06:49
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Cookie Cutter posted:The planet getting regularly scorched by the sun and reset is also a component of the game they play in the Three Body Problem. Was also going to say that. 3 Body Problem is an absolute Pro read.
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Jul 23, 2021 07:27
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Sajid Javid has been pretty notable by his absence in the news since he tested positive for Covid, has anyone seen any stories or anything that reference him in the last week or so? Honestly expected him to be everywhere, telling everyone how having Covid really isn't that bad so we should all just get back to normal, but nothing. Wondering if he's actually genuinely ill or something.
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Jul 23, 2021 07:35
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Just Another Lurker posted:That would be Sir John Franklin from the Franklin Expedition and he died before they even got to the cannibalism. I was thinking of this chap! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Crozier I must have been mashing him and a few other people together in my head!
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Jul 23, 2021 07:50
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Goldskull posted:Was also going to say that. 3 Body Problem is an absolute Pro read. really want to read this and i think they’re making it into a movie so i need to be quick so i can be all “oh yeah i read the book before it was famous” like LOTR
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Jul 23, 2021 07:52
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Josef bugman posted:I was thinking of this chap! Oh nice one, i never noticed that name till you did.  Born in Banbridge... oh well then, he was doomed from the start.
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Jul 23, 2021 08:11
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Does anyone have more of a clip of what he was saying in context? https://twitter.com/JRsArmchair/status/1418458599391694848?s=19 I mean it is GMB and it is Madely, so it's very easy to imagine no context needed.
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Jul 23, 2021 08:31
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Regarding Banks chat:quote:They gloried, first and foremost, in their cruelty. Their cruelty was the point. They were not thoughtless. They knew they hurt their own kind and others and they revelled in it; it was their purpose. The rest - the robust joviality, the blokish vivacity - was part happy accident, part cunningly exaggerated ploy, the equivalent of an angelic-looking child discovering that a glowing smile will melt the severest adult heart and excuse almost any act, however dreadful.
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Jul 23, 2021 08:36
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Those space Tory blimps were vile but the alternative was space Jeremy Corbyn so they were the sensible choice
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Jul 23, 2021 08:43
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I’ve read the first of the 3BP trilogy and then struggled with the second - they’re quite difficult reading compared with Banks, who really couldn’t be easier. Amazing though, loved the first and enjoyed what I read of the second but just didn’t have the mental energy at the time, to read anything more complicated than a biff and chip book I suspect. Think I’ll get back to them soon though.
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Jul 23, 2021 08:44
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Failed Imagineer posted:Those space Tory blimps were vile but the alternative was space Jeremy Corbyn so they were the sensible choice Space Jeremy Corbyn (LSV Melon Farmer) would have gotten Special Circumstances-ed for refusing to answer "Would you Gridfire the Idirans?". Antigravitas posted:Regarding Banks chat: Sounds like someone we know to a T.
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Jul 23, 2021 09:00
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DesperateDan posted:I don't drink booze really but still ferment some fruit wine once or twice a year cause it's really fun and good for gifting Tell us more.
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Jul 23, 2021 09:02
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Z the IVth posted:Space Jeremy Corbyn (LSV Melon Farmer) would have gotten Special Circumstances-ed for refusing to answer "Would you Gridfire the Idirans?". Not to mention the continuous accusations of anti-Zetetic-ism
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Jul 23, 2021 09:03
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how do you distinguish mental health problems caused by realising we live in a hosed up society that's only going to get worse as climate change kicks in more and more from actual mental health problems caused by biochemistry cant tell if my panic attacks are from my longstanding OCD and should up my SSRI dose or just a normal reaction to the world we live in sorry for posting this poo poo I just don't know who else would understand my meds got changed to a different brand this week and normally I'm aware of all of the above but can appreciate life as it is now but this week it's all I can think about and suicidal thoughts are creeping back in minema fucked around with this message at 09:24 on Jul 23, 2021 |
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Jul 23, 2021 09:21
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Could this in any way be linked to the med change? :/
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Jul 23, 2021 09:26
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Jakabite posted:I’ve read the first of the 3BP trilogy and then struggled with the second - they’re quite difficult reading compared with Banks, who really couldn’t be easier. Amazing though, loved the first and enjoyed what I read of the second but just didn’t have the mental energy at the time, to read anything more complicated than a biff and chip book I suspect. Think I’ll get back to them soon though. The first half of the second book is a bit of a slog, but it gets wild after that and doesn't really stop until the end of the third book. Some insane concepts in them.
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Jul 23, 2021 09:26
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Z the IVth posted:Space Jeremy Corbyn (LSV Melon Farmer) would have gotten Special Circumstances-ed for refusing to answer "Would you Gridfire the Idirans?".
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Jul 23, 2021 09:27
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Jakabite posted:I’ve read the first of the 3BP trilogy and then struggled with the second - they’re quite difficult reading compared with Banks, who really couldn’t be easier. Amazing though, loved the first and enjoyed what I read of the second but just didn’t have the mental energy at the time, to read anything more complicated than a biff and chip book I suspect. Think I’ll get back to them soon though. Yeah I'm happy with just reading the first book for now, to be honest. It was great but extremely "beep boop", more like slowly unlocking a puzzle box than a novel. I'm not in a very hard sci-fi place with my reading right now so I'm probably biased. Might revisit it later.
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Jul 23, 2021 09:29
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Yeah, the news is no better or worse than it was a week ago, so it's presumably down to the change in your prescription. I'd also suggest that you don't spend your entire day refreshing your news feeds every few minutes and getting anxious from what you read, but as I've proved incapable of stopping doing that myself, I can hardly lecture anyone else.
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Jul 23, 2021 09:29
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Real Cool Catfish posted:Could this in any way be linked to the med change? :/ Writing it out has made it blindingly obvious to me yeah, I'm on the phone to the pharmacy now getting them swapped. It's weird because the active ingredient is still exactly the same so you wouldn't think that would have any effect!
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Jul 23, 2021 09:29
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Pistol_Pete posted:Yeah, the news is no better or worse than it was a week ago, so it's presumably down to the change in your prescription. Making your phone black and white helps
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Jul 23, 2021 09:39
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minema posted:Writing it out has made it blindingly obvious to me yeah, I'm on the phone to the pharmacy now getting them swapped. It's weird because the active ingredient is still exactly the same so you wouldn't think that would have any effect! Turns out inactive ingredients affect how your body processes things. Generally not noticeably but I guess you got unlucky. Hope you get back to where you were before quickly!
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Jul 23, 2021 09:41
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jiggerypokery posted:Making your phone black and white helps It's crazy how effective this is. I have my phone set to go black and white once I plug it in at night, and instantly I look at Twitter like "why do I give a poo poo about any of this" and put it away. It's so effective it raises questions about free will vs. operant conditioning
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Jul 23, 2021 09:55
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