Posted on 06/07/2009 11:29:27 PM PDT by Jotmo
This will be the firs in what will hopefully be regular threads dedicated to the discussion of Sci Fi Literature.
How many times have you bought what appeared to be a promising Science Fiction novel, only to discover it laden with heavy liberal bias or overt enviro wacko propaganda?
Here's the place to get and give recommendations, and warnings for all the FR Sci Fi book readers out there.
I have no idea if this will work, or how frequent these threads will be, but let's just give it a shot and see how it goes.
So if you'd like to be on the ping list, let me know.
Silverberg is a such a good writer. I am currently reading The Majipoor Chronicles.
Please add me to the ping list..
How about the Honor Harrington series by David Drake?
Also, I’m a big fantasy fan as well... can we include that genre or make another ping list? Just asking is all hehe..
Jotmo is the keeper of this ping list. Not I.
This list will be for Sci Fi only.
A fantasy literature list sounds like a good idea, but it's not my thing.
The 1970s version was much better than the 1990s rewrite. You saw the descent into survival, and the trends that created the future to be. (And on a hopeful note at that.)
Agreed. One of my favorite. And unlike many anarchist environments, it is actually something that real characters live in. Not a perfect utopia, where all are happy and great until evil Earth men (or women) come along.
Not yet, it is on my long “to do” list...
Never knew there was a rewrite... I grabbed a copy when it first came on the scene around '77.
Heard there was an attempt to do a cinema version... alas, nothing since.
I’m trying to catch up on all the Sci-fi I never read. I just finished “Mission of Gravity” and am starting on “The Mote in God’s Eye.”
The rewrite was “The Hammer” or similar title. It actually ended with a corny line of the woman being pregnant and worried, because the asteroid will indeed strike - and the father says it isn’t that risky, women have done it without advanced technology for years.
No discussion of aftermath, just a “we tried to deflect the asteroid and flopped, oh, well, we’ll be fine after it hits”.
somewhere maybe 10-15 years ago it seems like turtledove discovered it was more lucrative to publish 6000 pages of fairly repetitive material in 4 series at once than to write one or two really tight novels.
Now it seems his stories have expository background or general comments repeated by characters dozens of times per book. I gave up. I miss the author who wrote THe GUns of the south, The Toxic Spell-Dump, etc.
Drake seems to have been bitten by the same bug, with his two current series as well.
A somewhat different military sci-fi story based on the starship troopers bug war is Armor, by John Steakley. It is one of my favorites.
“Please don’t hurt me...but I’ve read every novel published by Games Workshop for their Warhammer 40k line...and I enjoy Dan Abnett’s books a LOT...especially his Gaunt’s Ghost series.”
Abnett has a singular talent for both dark imagery and action scenes. His eisenhorn trilogy is one of my favorites. Most of the gaunt stories I like, with some exceptions (one seemed like he wrote a generic story for WWI and ported it.) Some of his other non-ravenor, non-gaunt stories I have found mixed, though they may have been directed projects from BL (brothers of the snake, anyone? there is also that battle of britain makeover story, double eagle or something)
I will be interested in seeing if he ever goes solo fiction with his career.
“I’m trying to catch up on all the Sci-fi I never read. I just finished “Mission of Gravity” and am starting on “The Mote in God’s Eye.””
Hal Clement doesn’t get near enough mention, imho. I cannot recall titles now but he has 3 or 4 of his books that are just brilliant.
Thanks. I will check it out.
_Iceworld_ was pretty good, as was _Needle_.
Could you add me to the Sci-Fi ping list, please?
Thank you!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.