Space Opera Fans discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Welcome Wagon & Rules
>
Introduce Yourself - Part I
Mod
Chocolate no longer among my favourite foods. Too much sugar in it.
Charles wrote: "Wow. I just discovered this group. I have too many favorites to name without regretting that I left some out..."Welcome Charles! A lot of us know that feeling :-) Many of us have the bookshelves and groaning e-reader memory cards to back it up, too!
****
J wrote: "I've gone from my local book store, Boarders near me closed, where I spent a lot of time just reading the backs of books, to a Nook, to Kobo and finally Kindle. Sorting through Amazon to find books is tedious..."
Welcome J! Have you found our Space Opera Listopias? We've tried to build them by sub-sub-genre to help peeps find what they want to read with things such as 'military space opera' or 'girls with guns' or 'young adult' or 'stuff guys recommend to other guys.'
LISTOPIAS are here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Welcome, Charles! I'm sure you'll get some great reading ideas here. Watch out for the books of the month, too.
Name: Travis BiedaFavorite Books: anything with deep thinking or space
Favorite Genres: Fantasy, action adventure
Favorite TV shows: I don't really watch TV
Favorite Movies: There's a ton, but independence is a classic for me.
Favorite Food: Mexican
Day Job: it alternates every few months
Hobbies: Writing fantasy and photography
Other:
Travis wrote: "Name: Travis BiedaFavorite Books: anything with deep thinking or space
Favorite Genres: Fantasy, action adventure
Favorite TV shows: I don't really watch TV
Favorite Movies: There's a ton, but ind..."
Do you not watch TV because it's not really conducive to "deep thinking"?
Hi, just joining a few groups, I've been ambling about on Goodreads for a while now but still finding my way.A bit about me:
Name: Helen
Favourite Books: Anything by CJ Cherryh, Orson Scott Card or Terry Pratchett. Just getting into newer YA/Steampunk authors writers like Cassandra Clare
Favourite Genres: Fantasy, space opera, stuff that makes me laugh out loud. On the rare occasion all three come together I'm as happy as a pig in muck.
Favourite TV shows: Stargate, Sanctuary, Firefly - and New Tricks (a UK drama about a team of clapped out, grumpy ex-policemen following up cold cases and annoying their lady boss. Trust me, it's worth watching!)
Favourite Movies: The Fifth Element, A Matter of Life and Death, Rat Race
Favourite Food: Pretty much anything, as long as it doesn't involve brussels sprouts
Day Job: Writing (but will shortly have to supplement it once more with a paying job)
Hobbies: when not reading or writing, I walk, entertain my dogs and am condescended to by my cats
Other: Volunteering with the MS Society and The Publisher's Association as a Schools Publishing Ambassador. If you're a teacher or student near Guildford, Surrey UK who wants to be a part of a free after school publishing club, shout out!
Feel free to bombard me with "Jeez, you just have to read this book, I loved it!" messages. Be aware though that I might go read it, and forget to answer. I'm not rude but I am very forgetful xxx.
Helen wrote: "Hi, just joining a few groups, I've been ambling about on Goodreads for a while now but still finding my way.A bit about me:
Name: Helen
Favourite Books: Anything by CJ Cherryh, Orson Scott Card..."
Small world. I think my wife had relatives who lived near Guildford at one time. We visited it when we were there for our honeymoon. I will second you on New Tricks. Used to watch it on the provincial Knowledge Network when they carried a new season. Haven't seen it in years since we cut out the cable.
Nice to 'weet' you John (as in meet you in writing rather than in person).The New Tricks gang still make me laugh - and I had the pleasure of meeting Alun Armstrong last month at the MS Society awards, great bloke.
Don't think Guildford will have changed that much. The High Street is still very picturesque, the one way system is still a nightmare...
Are any of the original cast still in it. Seems to me that last episode I saw only one of the originals was stilll there. We had just gotten a new officer in charge (who promptly discovered her husband was cheating on her). Hmm, another hijacking of a thread I think.
They ended the series last year. A good bunch but not quite the chemistry of the original three - and Tamsin didn't put across the boiling resentment laced with grudging respect for the men she was landed with that Amanda achieved.
Anna wrote: "Welcome Space Opera Fans!Why not tell us a little bit about yourself, who you are and what attracts you to Space Opera as a genre. What are your favorite foods, books and movies? Do you ever go t..."
My Name: Ian Dorge
Favourite Books: Foundation Trilogy, Inherit The Stars, David Weber's Safehold Series
Favourite Genres: Sci Fi specifically Spade Opera, Action Fiction such as Clive Clussler, Non-Fiction (Freemasonry mostly).
Favourite TV Shows: Star Trek (The Next Generation), The Blacklist.
Favourite Movies: Star Wars, Blade Runner, Interstellar
Favourite Food: Poutine if done correctly with cheese curds
Day Job - Public Servent for the Canadian Government
Hobbies: Reading, Walking our Dog, Computer Games, Travel, Toronto Blue Jays fan.
Disclaimer: I am not an author. I am capable of stringing words into sentences but do so rarely.. I've just started on Goodreads and we'll see where it goes.
If you can string words into sentences you are ahead of some writers. Welcome to Goodreads and our little corner of it.
Geez! I go away for a day and we explode with awesome new people :-)Welcome Travis!
Welcome Helen!
Welcome Ian!
Be sure to peruse our threads to find space opera conversations from people far more interesting than I am :-)
Ian wrote: "Anna wrote: "Welcome Space Opera Fans!Why not tell us a little bit about yourself, who you are and what attracts you to Space Opera as a genre. What are your favorite foods, books and movies? Do ..."
Welcome, Ian! Love Clive Cussler!
Leonie wrote: "Hi New people!"Hi back, will try to keep up with what you're (all) doing...
Anna wrote: "Geez! I go away for a day and we explode with awesome new people :-)Welcome Travis!
Welcome Helen!
Welcome Ian!
Be sure to peruse our threads to find space opera conversations from people far mo..."
Thanks for the welcome Anna.
My nickname at a past job was Seven of Nine, when I was an auditor.
In my defence, I never actually used the phrase "Resistance is useless."
Helen wrote: "Anna wrote: "Geez! I go away for a day and we explode with awesome new people :-)Welcome Travis!
Welcome Helen!
Welcome Ian!
Be sure to peruse our threads to find space opera conversations from ..."
Hah! That's mod-Betsy who is 7-of-9. And it's 'Resistance is futile...' I use it all the time 3:-)
Anna wrote: "Helen wrote: "Anna wrote: "Geez! I go away for a day and we explode with awesome new people :-)Welcome Travis!
Welcome Helen!
Welcome Ian!
Be sure to peruse our threads to find space opera conve..."
Thank you for all of the kind words. I look forward to reading some of the conversations you have been having, along with the reviews that have been written. Hopefully I will find a place or two to contribute. I'm not sure if I have been assimilated.
Re: Resistance is futile/useless/in any other way a waste of time - was that Vogons then?
Well I know it wasn't the Voltamen. Syntax is all wrong for them. They would say "resistance futile is".
Ian wrote: "Favourite Food: Poutine if done correctly with cheese curds"Welcome Ian. I had to look that one up... "poutine"... used to work with several Canadians but never heard it mentioned... sounds quite yummy :-)
It originated in Quebec. In parts of Canada it is referred to as "Heart Attack on a Plate". It is also one of the things I will not forgive my birth province for (yes I am a Les Anglais).
Gaines wrote: "Ian wrote: "Favourite Food: Poutine if done correctly with cheese curds"Welcome Ian. I had to look that one up... "poutine"... used to work with several Canadians but never heard it mentioned... ..."
I've heard of it. I think it's one of those "acquired tastes". Like hominy and grits (eeewwww).
Hello everyone. New to the Forum. Avid reader of all types of SF and History. Appreciate all the reading recommendations from the group. Presently working on my first SF/Alt. History novel which will be completed in July. Thank you all for the wonderful tips and encouragement you provide!
William wrote: "Hello everyone. New to the Forum. Avid reader of all types of SF and History. Appreciate all the reading recommendations from the group. Presently working on my first SF/Alt. History novel which wi..."Welcome William! Alt-history, eh? :-)
Anna, you are truly the Borg Queen of Goodreads! I see your name everywhere. How do you find the time?
William wrote: "Anna, you are truly the Borg Queen of Goodreads! I see your name everywhere. How do you find the time?"Maybe she has "The Magic Boomerang".
William wrote: "Anna, you are truly the Borg Queen of Goodreads! I see your name everywhere. How do you find the time?"Drones... :-)
Honestly, I just tend the fire. It's the awesome COMMUNITY MEMBERS who make this place special. I just pop in a couple of times of day to tidy up, give things a nudge.
And of course we have to thank Betsy, our Seven-of-Nine who keeps things organized and on-track. I get 'seen' more because I'm the one who sends out the community annoucements, but Betsy does a ton of the actual WORK :-)
Hope, welcome to the Space Opera Fans group!Getting the obvious out of the way, have you read or enjoyed any of the various hundreds of Star Trek novels that are out there? I can recommend you a bunch of good ones from that line.
Other more upbeat sci-fi would include the work of Timothy Zahn (The Icarus Hunt and Conquerors' Trilogy especially), A Wrinkle in Time, and The End of Eternity.
Of course one has to remember that Asimov, along with writers such as Heinlein, Hamilton, Anderson et al started their careers in the thirties or forties so a lot of their work is going to seem dated now. Just realized "A Princess of Mars" is over a hundred years old.
Trek recommendations:Federation by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens (TOS/TNG)
A Stitch in Time by Andrew Robinson (DS9)
Full Circle by Kirsten Beyer (VOY)
Watching the Clock by Christopher L. Bennett (time travel book that touches on all series but especially TNG/DS9/VOY)
Taking Wing by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin (Titan, series that follows Riker leading a very diverse crew)
Serpents Among the Ruins by David R. George III (between TOS and TNG, featuring Captain Harriman and Demora Sulu from Generations plus Romulans)
The Art of the Impossible by Keith R.A. DeCandido (between TOS and TNG, sets up a lot of the Klingon stories in TNG)
All of these go beyond what could be done on the shows themselves and take advantage of the prose form. They wrote a lot of books that were set during the run of the shows, and those had a wide range of quality. I am the type that prefers the novels to have more freedom, so the post-series and epic stories appeal to me the most.
Hey folks!Thought I'd pop in and introduce myself. I'm an avid sci fi reader, especially space opera. The grander, the better. Been struggling to find the next great saga to delve into and found this group so hoping to steal everyone's ideas.
I'm a Biomedical Engineer in Sydney, Australia.
I love all things sci fi, with a light sprinkle of fantasy.
I am an author (second book out this month), but I won't be promoting it here (unless anyone asks). I started writing late last year and haven't been able to stop - I think something is wrong with my brain now.
I thoroughly believe the best way to get inspiration to write is to read as much as I can. Just finished Poul Anderson's Starfarers, and before that a slew of hard sci fi (god I love hard sci fi!) by Alistair Reynolds.
Loved the TV series The Expanse - only now that I've found the ebooks on Amazon I can't read them because it will spoil what happens in the next season. Moral dilemma!
Hey, that's weird...I could have sworn the correct spelling was 'dilemna'. Have I fallen into a parallel dimension?
Holy cow! I thought they were the Berenstein Bears!
Hi Jim, I'm also from Australia - Upper Hunter NSW :) Welcome!
Jim wrote: "Hey folks!Thought I'd pop in and introduce myself. I'm an avid sci fi reader, especially space opera. The grander, the better. Been struggling to find the next great saga to delve into and found ..."
I did a bit of checking and no you haven't. There are a lot of people who spell it dilemna. They were all taught that spelling as the correct one, but no one seem to know where that spelling has come from. One of my sources did mention that everyone who spelled it that way was in their 40s or 50s so there might be a clue there. I also wonder if it is one of those things were in the UK (and elsewhere) it is spelled one way and in the US it is another. I am forever having to add to the dictionary so that the correct spelling of words like colour don't continually have that stupid red line. But I am afraid it has always been the Berenstain Bears (but then that is the last name of the author) and before anyone complains, there is a definite SF connection. The Bears did go to the moon in one of their books after all.
Leonie wrote: "Hi Jim, I'm also from Australia - Upper Hunter NSW :) Welcome!"Not too far from wine country :)
Also a great way to get inspired to write - great wine!
John wrote: "Jim wrote: "Hey folks!Thought I'd pop in and introduce myself. I'm an avid sci fi reader, especially space opera. The grander, the better. Been struggling to find the next great saga to delve int..."
You sure this is not another dimension? I mean...Trump? Is this for real?
Hope wrote: "Leonie wrote: "Hi Hope! Welcome :)"Thank you! :)
Brandon wrote: "Hope, welcome to the Space Opera Fans group!
Getting the obvious out of the way, have you read or enjoyed any of the various hund..."
I was a fan of the original series novels, but the Next Gen era ones were a mixed bag, I found.
Jim wrote: "Leonie wrote: "Hi Jim, I'm also from Australia - Upper Hunter NSW :) Welcome!"Not too far from wine country :)
Also a great way to get inspired to write - great wine!"
The wine is very nice, however if I drink it and try to write, I tend to wake up about an hour later with my head on my laptop!
That reminds me of the time a friend of mine had too much to drink, I saw him chatting to a girl he told me he didn't like (who was also a friend of mine). He didn't believe me the next morning.
I am new to Goodreads and both a passionate fan of space opera and a writer of it myself, so I am looking forward to meeting you and having some great discussions here.If I had to pin down a favourite genre author it would probably have to be Robert A. Heinlein, and I could not choose between Stranger in a Strange Land and Time Enough for Love as being my favourite books by him. Dune is also up there on my 'all time greats' listing and I will forever treasure The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for it's wit and wisdom. Oh - and Blake's 7 would have to be top of my TV listing, but the books are good romping reads too.
I am hoping to get some good recommendations for new (and new to me) authors as well as having the chance to hear and share thoughts about those I already know.
E.M. wrote: "I am new to Goodreads and both a passionate fan of space opera and a writer of it myself, so I am looking forward to meeting you and having some great discussions here...."Welcome E.M.! You can check our community bookshelf which lists books we've read as a group over the past several years, as well as whatever group reads we have up this month. We also have an R2R read-to-review program that is still rather fledgling, but if you see anything you like, the authors would be delighted to gift it to you in exchange for a review. Last but not least are our LISTOPIAS which break space opera down by sub-sub-genre.
Hello Hope and Jim and EM, I hope you're all settled in now. Welcome anyway!
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Space Opera Fans
Books mentioned in this topic
Space Deputy (other topics)Perilous Waif (other topics)
Her Robot Wolf: Gift of Gaia (other topics)
The Sculpted Ship (other topics)
Space Deputy (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jenny Schwartz (other topics)Jenny Schwartz (other topics)
Leo Tolstoy (other topics)
Isaac Asimov (other topics)
Leo Tolstoy (other topics)
More...
Name: J. Clifton Slater
Favorite Books: Which ever one I'm currently reading
Favorite Genres: Space Opera, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Prefer long books or series. If I like a book, I never want it to end.
Favorite TV shows: Game of Thrones & Defiance & Dark Matter
Favorite Movies: Leap of Faith with Steven Martian, Conan The Barbarian with Arnold
Favorite Food: Carbs and Chocolate
Day Job: National Sales Manager for a company doing marketing for Criminal Defense lawyers
Hobbies: Martial Arts & Writing
Favorite Video Games: All the Elder Scrolls versions & Fallout Series
Other: Author of the Galactic Council Realm series