Tremulous Forum
Community => Off Topic => Topic started by: player1 on August 07, 2007, 06:22:28 am
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Hey we have plenty of serious topics where we can get all vociferous and everything, but in the interest of "building community" and just chillin' in the Off Topic Sub-Forum, I ask:
Who is your favorite science-fiction writer?
Who have you read recently?
Favorites among current SF authors?
My answers:
Robert Sheckley (& Harlan Ellison)
Reading Stanislaw Lem right now. (Mortal Engines) <3 Lem!
Iain M. Banks is really good, if you want book-length fiction. For anthology readers, the two or three best editors are Gardner Dozois, or the David G. Hartwell/Kathryn Cramer team, and of course Gordon Van Gelder, as well. (Brian Aldiss is one of my personal favorite editors, for good crusty old weird stuff like A.E. van Vogt, & etc.).
U?
If you don't read/like/enjoy/understand scifi, sry 2 impinge on ur bandwidth. It's a scifi game, so... meh. Humorous, spammatory, inflammatory and other spurious responses always diligently considered.
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Anselm Audley and Isaac Asimov.
When it comes to games, Deus Ex and Anachronox have by far the best scifi stories. Especially Anachronox is a blast, although it's a shame the $$$ got in the way or freedom of mind, resulting in cliffhangers that's almost too much to bear. :(
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1) Hmmm...a tough one, there are so many amazing writers. I guess I have to say Alastair Reynolds. Especialy Chasm City gave me that *wow* experience.
2) In the summer I read Harry Harrison's Wheel-/Star-/Homeworld serie, found the english versions from an antiquarium for 1.50 € a piece :o. Best one of those three I read was Wheelworld. Harrison's other books are maybe a bit better though (like Stainless Steel rat and Bill serie).
3)
Kk, this could be a long list : D. I must mention Dan Simmons atleast, with his Hyperion saga and Ilium/Olympos, which really are enjoyable to the end (and yes, I like long books : p). Vernor Vince is also good at making multilayred storylines, that unfold in the end with huge bang. Though I haven't seen much of his works up here (I've only found two), maybe they just haven't been that popular. Hmmm, I guess I could mention Adam Douglas with his Dirk Gently books and Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. Ouh and Ian Banks does write good books too.
When it comes to games....Well, those that Lava mentioned are good, but I'd like to mention X-COM and Alien versus predators too.
Ouh well, that's it.
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Why didn't you make a poll that was for something... this actually could have been poll-worthy but you poll spammed.. :(
Asimov is a clasic.
Fredrick Phol has written some really good stuff imho
.. heinlin (sp) has done some good books.. i haven't read any sci-fi in a while.. strangely enough read a bit of fiction, and largely educational stuff recently.. so i'm intersted in what people say because i could use some good authors to look up.
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Niven is best.
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@ PIE
ERB - Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan, etc.)
REH - Robert E(rvin) Howard (Conan, etc.)
HPL - H(oward) P(hillips) Lovecraft (Cthulu, etc.)
CAS - Clark Ashton Smith (weird, urbane horror-fantasy)
extra credit would have been given for:
OAK - Otis Adelbert Kline (Maza of the Moon, etc.)
Michael Moorcock (Elric, etc.)
Fletcher Pratt
E. R. Eddison
J. R. R. Tolkein
C. S. Lewis
If you dig Sturgeon and Asimov, you might like: Iain M. Banks (http://www.iainbanks.net/sf.htm), Neal Stephenson, Peter F. Hamilton, Robert Sawyer, Robert Reed, Vernor Vinge, Hal Clement, Joe Haldeman, Fritz Leiber, Poul Anderson, Howard Waldrop, Alistair Reynolds, Paul J. McAuley, Nancy Kress, UKLG, PKD, Gwyneth Jones, Cory Doctorow, Rudy Rucker, Paul DiFillipo, Vonda N. McIntyre, Ted Chiang, Carol Emshwiller, Susie Schwartz, Pat Cadigan, Greg Egan, Jack Williamson, Clifford D. Simak, Geoffrey A. Landis, James Van Pelt, James Patrick Kelly, and dozens of others...
sry if you thought it was a spampoll (science-fantasy)
a scifi poll would've had 150 entries :eek: :P :D
in current writers the letter "B" alone would contain:
Banks, Baxter, Benford, Bear, Bishop, Butler
"S" would have: Sterling, Stross, Sheffield, Swanwick
check out anthologies by the editors listed above:
David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer edit the Year's Best SF series (#12 is the most current) as well as many other fine collections
Gardner Dozois edits the Year's Best Science Fiction (#23 is the latest) as well as many themed anthologies
Gordon van Gelder is/was the eic of F&SF, and as such has released some excellent short-story collections
Asimov's, Analog, and Fantasy & Science Fiction are/were all still around
all in all there is a lot of it, and lots of it is good stuff
novels or short fiction?
@ Paradox:
Thoroughly enjoyed both World of Ptavvs and The Mote in God's Eye. Read a great deal of Niven, Blish and van Vogt, as well as a lot of Andre Norton, as well as the usual Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, PKD, etc. about thirty-odd years ago.
Oh and if you guys have never read any Stanislaw Lem, get some tomorrow and thank me the next day. Same goes for Robert Sheckley. The retrospective Masque of Manana was released recently, collecting his short fiction. If you can't find it at your local library or bookseller, berate them for their lack of taste and take your business elsewhere. XD
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i just dont get how people can like to read when they can watch a movie
help
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the movie inside my head has a budget of infinity
oh I forgot William Gibson, Kage Baker, and about twenty others
thx to Lava for Anselm Audley tip
as mentioned above, Dan Simmons is also well-regarded
Fred Pohl and Harry Harrison are also good, but you guys must be old like me to bring up these authors, lol ;p
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My favorite SF author is probably Oroson Scott Card (Ender's game, Ender's Shadow ect.)
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Who is your favorite science-fiction writer?
dont read enough to have one.
Who have you read recently?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Recoil-Andy-McNab/dp/0593055578/ref=pd_bbs_3/202-1876842-9402230?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186563493&sr=8-3
my rating: not bad, 6/10
Favorites among current SF authors?
refer to first q.
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Philip Pullman - His Dark Materials (Amber Spyglass, Northern Lights, Subtle Knife) - Best trilogy IMO.
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I have an ancient copy of Protector signed by larry niven:
(http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/5049/img002cu7.th.jpg) (http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/5049/img002cu7.jpg)
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jack mc devvitt, his characters are so realistic
orson scott card, i love teh situations
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I have an ancient copy of Protector signed by larry niven:
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/5049/img002cu7.jpg
sweet...
I not only have a signed copy of Isaac Asimov's collected short stories, I also have a personal note from him wishing me luck in my future endeavors. :D
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Reading? Wtf is that? lol, I was gonna say "reading is for noobs," but decided to go with that one instead. :P
I read some sci-fi but I don't know who any of the authors are.
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hehe, my irc server is niven.freenode.net
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Hmmm, sci-fi authors I like...
Here we go, all the sci-fi authors I enjoy reading:
Robert Anson Heinlein (Classic; go look him up)
Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game)
Spider Robinson (Callahan series)
Issac Asimov ('I, Robot' & Foundation)
Larry Niven (Ringworld)
Philip K. Dick (Assorted works)
If you want fantasy authors:
Piers Anthony (Xanth series)
J.R.R. Tolkien (Middle-Earth)
Anne McCaffrey (Dragonrider books)
J.K. Rowling (Get a clue, people)
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J.K. Rowling (Get a clue, people)
Get a clue, people ?
never heard of it
google doesnt seem to have any answers either D:
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I know that larry niven is going to publish another ringworld book this fall, said so at RadCon
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The Forever War
Second best book evah!!!
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What's the best book ever, then, Kaleo?
Just stopped by to say I just finished reading Spaceman Blues, by Brian Francis Slattery. Read some blurbs here (http://www.bfslattery.com/spaceman.html). It was a crazy book, and I liked it. Check it out. You may enjoy it.
l8z
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HI PLAYER1!
I'm not sure if this was ever mentioned but A moat in God's eye, by some author was good.
Also here is todays discussion:
Movies made out of science fiction books fail hard.
Example: Dune, with Sting in it.
Counter example: Blade runner- do androids dream of electric sheep?
Personally I say that with a few possible exceptions, movies made out of science fiction books do not come close to doing those books justice.
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The Mote in God's Eye (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mote_in_God's_Eye) was a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed that one.
You may also enjoy Cities in Flight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Blish#Cities_in_Flight).
I agree about the movies, but then my imagination has a budget of infinity.
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I'm surprised no one mentioned Ursula Le Guin.
As for movies, think 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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What's the best book ever, then, Kaleo?
Just stopped by to say I just finished reading Spaceman Blues, by Brian Francis Slattery. Read some blurbs here (http://www.bfslattery.com/spaceman.html). It was a crazy book, and I liked it. Check it out. You may enjoy it.
l8z
The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester. Hands down.
EDIT: Post removed then reposted, so I could screenie this:
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/MC-Artman/Picture4.png)
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Isn't that GIMP'ed?
Ben Bova.
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Isn't that GIMP'ed?
Nope... Anyway, I have PhotoShop, so if anything, it would be PhotoShopped.
Which it isnt.
When you have 1337 posts, it says leet.
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Favorite authors? Isaac Asimov, Fredrick Pohl, and Piers Anthony.
I've recently read "The Currents of Space", and the "Azazel" series (again) by Asimov; Robot Adept by Piers Anthony, and I'm halfway through reading Chernobyl by Fredrick Pohl.
Yes, contrary to popular belief, I am an avid reader.
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P.S. Orson Scott Card is still my #1.
EDIT: Technically it's not science fiction, but if any of you know Harry Turtledove...
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P.S. Orson Scott Card is still my #1.
EDIT: Technically it's not science fiction, but if any of you know Harry Turtledove...
I think it is...
Ever heard of "Ender's Game"? That's pretty science-fictiony...
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Currently I'm reading Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Haven't seen anyone posting this author before. Thought he was quite famous :-\
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Well you thought wrong...
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I'm surprised no one mentioned Ursula Le Guin.
@infy: See this (http://tremulous.net/forum/index.php?topic=5785.msg87390#msg87390) rambling post.
P.S. Orson Scott Card is still my #1.
EDIT: Technically it's not science fiction, but if any of you know Harry Turtledove...
I think it is...
Ever heard of "Ender's Game"? That's pretty science-fictiony...
I think he meant the Harry Turtledove stuff which is classified under scifi in the sub-category of alternative history. Speaking of which, favorite sub-genre of scifi, if you have a preference?
Currently I'm reading Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Haven't seen anyone posting this author before. Thought he was quite famous :-\
Well you thought wrong...
3)
Kk, this could be a long list : D. I must mention Dan Simmons atleast, with his Hyperion saga and Ilium/Olympos, which really are enjoyable to the end (and yes, I like long books : p).
as mentioned above, Dan Simmons is also well-regarded
i kid... :D
Thanks for recommending Dan Simmons. He's on the "to-read" list, along with Peter F. Hamilton, and a whole slew of others. Iain M. Banks is quite good, if you like the new baroque space opera (and I do).
The last six or seven posters mentioned quite of few of the old guard or grand masters (McCaffrey, PKD, Haldeman, UKLG, Clarke, Bester, Bova, Asimov, Pohl, Anthony), all good authors whose work I quite enjoyed (or did at some point in the last forty years of reading scifi); what current or new authors or unknown or little known authors can you recommend? Cheers to Lava for the Anselm Audley rec & NiTRoX for the Philip Pullman rec. I'm going to the library to look for both now. It could be mind-boggling to read Lava Croft's favorite scifi writer and then read NiTRox's favorite scifi writer. If you never hear from me again, take my advice and read Robert Sheckley (http://www.sheckley.com/).
Also, I want to expand upon something Lava mentioned last summer. Best storyline in a scifi game?
@Plague Bringer: I always had you pegged for a reader. By the way, nice selections.
@techhead: Right on. I kind of thought you might be a scifi reader, too. Good stuff there.
@gareth: That looked pretty militaristic and commercially so. As Paradox would say: Niven (you might enjoy it).
@AKAnotu: This Jack McDevitt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_McDevitt) guy looks interesting, thanks.
@PIE: I guess nobody reads the pulp guys. Most poll respondents had no idea who the authors were. Still, a scifi poll wouldn't fit on the page.
@mooseberry: Paradox hasn't stopped by to say it lately but that book you liked was by
Niven (http://www.larryniven.org/)
(Larry Niven, that is, and his sometime collaborator Jerry Pournelle). 8)
Science Fictionally Yours,
PlayerOne
P.S. Niven (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Niven)
@Paradox: Your programming has achieved completion, I'm going to the library to get some... Niven.
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I read Battlefield Earth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlefield_Earth_%28novel%29) by L. Ron Hubbard and thought it was entertaining, though crappily written.
Then I found out he was the founder of the scientology sect, and crazy as hats.
My favourite SF novel was The Naked Sun by Asimov, none i've read have come close, though i've read some good ones.
Aint read that mucg though, gonna check through here for suggestions. :>
(On a second note, Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow and all those were pretty fscking AWESOME.... Now I can't decide upon which one I like better.)
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Woah! Holy shit. Uber necro; Anyone else notice that?
Kaleo
« Reply #19 on: August 09, 2007, 05:58:47 AM »
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Player One
« Reply #20 on: May 12, 2008, 09:25:23 PM »
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@Bajsefar: "crazy as hats" :D
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He is.
THE GOAL, THE REASON WHY HE FOUNDED THE SCIENTOLOGY SECT WAS TO TAKE OVER THE DAMN WORLD!
Now, if that aint crazy as hats, I am.
I want time for reading again, and doing other stuffs as well. Can't wait till school's over for this year. >.>
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Wow. I made an effort to make sure those post-dates were right. -.-
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So, uh... whatcha readin' now?
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My top 5:
Dan Simmons: Hyperion and The fall of Hyperion are the best Sci-Fi I've ever read.
Orson Scott Card: Ender's game and the following trilogy.
Philip Pullman: ¿Is His dark materials really Sci-Fi? I'm not sure...
Frank Herbert: Dune, in general I like all Dune books.
Isaac Asimov: I loved I, Robot and have to read Fundation trilogy.
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Orson Scott Card is my favourite science fiction writer.
Ender's Game
Ender's Shadow
Speaker for the Dead
Xenocide
Children of the Mind
If you would consider George Orwell's 1984 to be science fiction then that would be #1 on my list.
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I consider both Orwell and Huxley (as well as a few others like C.S. Lewis) to be working well within the bounds of science fiction, or at least speculative fiction, as I personally broadly define it. I would also consider that to be an excellent science fiction book, one of the all-time top five literary science fiction short novels with political overtones. I would include most of Ayn Rand's page-turners in this sub-genre, even the four-hundred page ones. *)_
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-Michael Crichton's Sphere
-Frank Herbert's Dune
-L. Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth (Not a fan of the religion he founded however)
If we're including semi-fantasy with a sci-fi twist:
-CS Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia
-Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis's Death Gate Cycle (One of the most enjoyable works I've ever read)
Most things by Stephen King are entertaining as well.
EDIT: I really like this thread, it reminded me I have yet to read several sci-fi classics. I think I'll hit the library tonight!
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If you like C.S. Lewis, you may enjoy the Space Trilogy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Trilogy); I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books, and have meant to read the last one for some thirty years now.
EDIT: I really like this thread, it reminded me I have yet to read several sci-fi classics. I think I'll hit the library tonight!
Edit: I keep promising myself that if I get time this summer, I'm going to read the authors recommended by Lava, NiTRoX, and AKAnotu. Maybe next summer.
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Now I know they say never judge a book by it's cover (http://malchusear.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/5136m9mhp7l_ss500_.jpg), but how could you not love this? :)
Also thought of another old favorite: Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.
Epic.
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Now I know they say never judge a book by it's cover (http://malchusear.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/5136m9mhp7l_ss500_.jpg), but how could you not love this? :)
Also thought of another old favorite: Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.
Epic.
That is most certainly an awesome book (Out of the Silent Planet), as is the second one, Perelandra.
A Wrinkle in Time was great. I just recently started re-reading Eleanor Cameron's The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet.
Edit: I almost forgot to say Niven. And italicize titles.
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Hands down the worst Sci-fi I've ever read was John Steakley's Armor (http://members.aol.com/misuly/armornew.jpg), with William Gibson's Neuromancer coming in second.
Even still, they weren't that awful. I'll probably give them a re-read in 5-10 years.
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I personally loved the William Gibson stuff, but then, I was also living in NYC in the 90s, so that may explain that. How about Michael Swanwick or Bruce Sterling or Neal Stephenson or Iain M. Banks or Charles Stross or Cory Doctorow or Paul DiFilippo?
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Orson Scott Card is my favourite science fiction writer.
Ender's Game
Ender's Shadow
Speaker for the Dead
Xenocide
Children of the Mind
Still an all time great.
Harry Turtledove's Alternate history (a sub genre of sci fi I believe) is quite wonderful, Stranger in a Strange Land is of course wonderful. I'll think of more later.