Space Opera Fans discussion
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Welcome Wagon & Rules
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Introduce Yourself - Part I
Name: RainaWeatherFavorite Books: Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy (Three Body Problem), Pride and Prejudice, Tipping the Velvet, Fingersmith, almost any star trek:deep space nine book, Unwind dystology, Hunger Games trilogy
Favorite Genres: sci fi, historical fiction
Favorite TV shows: Star Trek:Deep Space Nine, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, How to Get Away with Murder, The Walking Dead, Psych, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Bob's Burgers, Jane the Virgin, The Bletchley Circle
Favorite Movies:Sense and Sensibility (1995), Saving Face, Dark City, Mulholland Drive, The Matrix, V for Vendetta, Best in Show, Hero (Ying Xiong), Lord of the Rings trilogy
Favorite Food: Creole and Cajun food, Mexican food, Chinese food, Thai food. I honestly like too many different kinds of food to name.
Day Job:nope
Mod
Welcome, Tim.
Mod
Favorite Books: Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy (Three Body Problem), Pride and Prejudice, Tipping the Velvet, Fingersmith, almost any star trek:deep space nine book, Unwind..."
Welcome, RainaWeather.
Leonie wrote: "Our old (now passed away) cat was downright terrifying, and had the dog completely bamboozled and frightened ..."We had a cat like that, had my 90 pound Shutzhund terrorized into submission. The cat would walk up to the dog and rub back and forth underneath his muzzle, taunting him, and then attack him.
Like "You can't do nothing 'cause Mommy is watching!!!"
The poor dog would roll his eyes and look to me for help. Funny thing is the dog got cancer and had these sores open up on his body (tumors). Towards the end, the cat would curl up with him to keep him warm and lick his wounds. I cried when we put the dog to sleep, but the poor cat went through the house, crying, for weeks after, looking for his buddy.
Anna wrote: "Leonie wrote: "Our old (now passed away) cat was downright terrifying, and had the dog completely bamboozled and frightened ..."We had a cat like that, had my 90 pound Shutzhund terrorized into s..."
Sounds like the cat actually loved the dog. But still couldn't resist attacking him. Typical cat.
Hello, all! My name is Carol Denehy. I'm an American who happens to live in Australia. I love it here but there are many things I miss about my birth country. I have been reading science fiction since I discovered Andre Norton when I was a child. My Mom loved SF too so we would sometimes share books. I will read just about anything but especially space opera, post apocalyptic, and first contact. I'm not that keen on the military genre but there seems to be a lot of it going around. I loathe fantasy; one whiff of spells or demons and I'm gone. Favourite authors: Nathan Lowell, C. J. Cherryh, Charles Stross, the late Iain Banks
Favourite movies: Serenity, Avatar, new Star Wars, Inception
Favourite TV shows: British police dramas (Vera, Hinterland, Shetland), Poldark, Outlander, Halt and Catch Fire, Firefly (of course)
I'm afflicted with multiple chronic medical disorders so I have a lot of reading time. I'm also doing genealogy which has led me to read early American history. I share a house with two demented Burmese cats.
I love the fact that so much good scifi is in digital format these days so I don't have to hold door-stop books or peer at tiny fonts. I do wish these new guys would find an editor. I know editing is hard but the reader suffers. I used to grade freshman English themes and a lot of what gets published today would have red pencil all over it.
In Canberra? Give me a ring.
I pause if I see SWORD or THRONE in the title. Take care
Carol wrote: "Hello, all! My name is Carol Denehy. I'm an American who happens to live in Australia. I love it here but there are many things I miss about my birth country. I have been reading science fiction si..."One of my favourite series has a character who is a forensic sorcerer. He works with another person who is the chief investigating officer for the Duke of Normandy, who is the King of England's brother. They are considered sci-fi as they are alternate world and alternate history. The world is one where magic is used in place of science and history because Richard I didn't die from a crossbow wound but went on to found what is referred to in the books as the Angevin Empire. So the series works as SF, Fantasy and Mystery.
Clifford wrote: "Clifford VanMeter here. I've only recently come to Goodreads. My first novel will be published next month, and yes it's a Space Opera. At least, I'd call it that. My wife says it's more of a space ..."Another Andre Norton fan. Her books is what started me reading science fiction when I was 12 (1971). I was reading a mystery series by someone whose last name was Norton, grabbed the next book on the shelf at our school library and ended up reading Star Man's Son that weekend. Read every science fiction book in our small school library after that and have been hooked for life on scie fi.
Kirsten *Dogs Welcome - People Tolerated" wrote: "I have a 17-year old Australian Shepherd mix named Misty. How about you?"My 15-year old Australian Shepherd passed in March 2014. I had gotten her at a few months old. I finally adjusted and adopted a 4 year old mini Australian Shepherd this past summer. Her owner had died. We are learning each other's ways.
Lizzie wrote: "Clifford wrote: "Clifford VanMeter here. I've only recently come to Goodreads. My first novel will be published next month, and yes it's a Space Opera. At least, I'd call it that. My wife says it's..."That's almost exactly what happened for me. At about the same time period -- early 1970s. Although, X-Factor was my first book. Then I went through everything in the school library, Star Man's Son is a particular favorite. Beastmaster is probably my all time favorite.
My first Norton was the sequel to Beastmaster. No sure which other ones I read though I know I have read the first Witch World novel. The nice thing about Norton was that as her books were considered Juveniles (audience not content) there was always new readers for them so they were kept in print by the publishers, while others' books might go out of print for a time.
Lord of Thunder... Yeah. I like that one a lot too. Her book were approachable, not the voluminous tomes that many writers are churning out these days. The heroes were usually outsiders, trying to find a way to fit. I identified with them because we moved every two years when I was young (Dad was career Navy). I was always an outsider. Many of her books carried the message that it's okay to be different. Don't force yourself to fit, find the place (and people) where you already fit.
Mod
Welcome, Carol. I'm also a Lowell fan. Lowell is so down to earth ... so to speak.
Carol wrote: "Hello, all! My name is Carol Denehy. I'm an American who happens to live in Australia. I love it here but there are many things I miss about my birth country. I have been reading science fiction si..."Hi Carol! I'm an Australian, who lives in Australia :)
And a cat lover to boot! Yay for cats!
Lizzie wrote: "Clifford wrote: "Clifford VanMeter here. I've only recently come to Goodreads. My first novel will be published next month, and yes it's a Space Opera. At least, I'd call it that. My wife says it's..."Me, too!! I loved Andre Norton!
Hi everyone.My name is Chris G. Wright and I am new to the world of self-publishing. This looks like a good community to socialise with and talk about...anything, it seems. I'll stick to the mainstream.
Like I said, I'm a newborn, but at the age of 28, my journey has had variety. I grew up in Greece and experienced a little bit of the 80s, which looked like a cool era to spend you teenage years. Unfortunately, only lived the last 2 years of it. My lifelong dream was to become an air force pilot, but studied Marketing instead, then went on to work in hotels. Writing had been a hobby since the age of 13 and I think it was wise of me to take it seriously. I'm not in for the money; I just want people to experience my imagination.
Favourite Books: So many to choose from, but I'll have to say that R.A Salvatore's Legend of Drizzt series (I know, it's fantasy), particularly his book Sojourn, is my favourite. But if I'm to pick a sci-fi favourite, then I'll have to say The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman.
Favourite Genres: Science fiction, fantasy
Favourite TV shows: Stranger Things, Westworld, Friends
Favourite Movies: Oblivion, Avatar, Arrival, Blade Runner, The Martian, Interstellar and the list goes on....
Favourite Food: Mediterranean (sorry, can't decide on the dish)
Day Job: Search Marketing Executive at English Heritage
Hobbies: Motorcycles, Mountain climbing (definitely not vertical), writing & reading, gaming (I play lots of Destiny on PS4), nature walks, reef diving.
My first novel, which I won't talk about too much in this post, is a sci-fi adventure set in a post apocalyptic setting and incorporates a bit of space opera in small quantities. The follow-up will have a lot more space opera involved.
Oh yeah, I live in England.
Carol wrote: "Hello, all! My name is Carol Denehy. I'm an American who happens to live in Australia. I love it here but there are many things I miss about my birth country. I have been reading science fiction si..."Welcome Carol! I hear you about tiny fonts. I keep sizing up the fonts in my screen so I can see without squinting!
****
Chris wrote: "Hi everyone.
My name is Chris G. Wright and I am new to the world of self-publishing. This looks like a good community to socialise with and talk about...anything, it seems. I'll stick to the main..."
Welcome Chris!
Hello Everyone! In following the group intro criteria I'll start with the basics :) Name: Royce Sears
Favorite Books: Stranger in a Strange Land The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and almost anything else by Robert A. Heinlein, Asimov Arthur C. Clarke, Anne McCaffrey and Many more
Favorite Genres: Hard Science Fiction, Space Opera, Post-Apocalyptic, and Science Fiction in General
Favorite TV shows: (I don't watch TV much, but current favs are Supergirl and Dark Matter)
Favorite Movies: How much time do you have (Current Favs: Interstellar, Deadpool, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers, Any Star Trek (almost--we don't count the odd numbers) Star Wars, and the list goes on...
Favorite Food: Humm.. something edible? (Open to almost any ethnic cuisine, a good steak, I'm pretty flexible, really..especially if you're buying *grin*
Day Job: Registered Nurse, Author
Hobbies: Reading, Writing, Blogging, Brewing (mead and beer), Blacksmithing (as time permits) Walking my Dog (Sangria--Yes my wife chose her name based on her favorite drink)
Other: If you want to know more, feel free to check out my Goodreads author profile or my website www.roycesears.com
Kirsten *Don't Be A Grinch* wrote: "Lizzie wrote: "Clifford wrote: "Clifford VanMeter here. I've only recently come to Goodreads. My first novel will be published next month, and yes it's a Space Opera. At least, I'd call it that. My..."i like to own books in any format. Over the years I have seen some of my favorites go out of print. For those of you who want to own copies or are interested in rereading one of those Andre Norton books we discovered so long ago ---
i have found Andre Norton ebooks for free in various places over the past few years but recently, amazon had some of the time traders and solar queen for free. i think i obtained 8 to 10 of her books from them during this month
Amazon also had some of Weber's Honor books. Between Amazon and Baen I obtained 10 of those. Baen has other books and authors along with best if colkectiins for each year available for free also with the majority being military sci-fi. I didnt check other genres, just sci fi.
Name: D. TolmachFavorite Books: Anything by Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams. I also like some Ben Elton, basically I like my scifi with humor
Favorite Genres: Dystopian, absurdist
Favorite TV shows: The Leftovers, Westworld, Walking Dead, MST3K, Louie, Broad City
Favorite Movies: Labyrinth, the Princess Bride
Favorite Food: Indian, home-cooked Russian, Mexican,
Day Job: Translator/language editor
Hobbies: playing the accordion
Other: I write songs and am a goodreads author
Mod
Favorite Books: Anything by Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams. I also like some Ben Elton, basically I like my scifi with humor."
Welcome, D.
Hmm. I could have sworn I did write an introduction here, but if so, I can't find it now...Anyway: hi! My name is Watts Martin (not Martin Watts, even though a lot of people keep trying to rearrange it for me that way). I grew up reading science fiction and fantasy, then sort of drifted away over the years--it was still my favorite genre, ostensibly, but I just wasn't reading very much anymore. I've been trying to claw my way back over the last five years or so.
It's hard for me to come up with a favorite author, but some of the classic SF books that I've liked--which at least involve space, although I guess one can argue which ones are or aren't "space opera"--include Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy (almost a prerequisite, I guess), Alfred Bester's still-amazing-after-all-these-years The Stars My Destination , Joe Haldeman's The Forever War , and Larry Niven's Ringworld (although I couldn't get into much of Niven's other stuff). Lately I've really liked Jennifer Foehner Wells' Fluency, which I've described somewhat cattily as "kind of like Rendezvous with Rama except things happen."
(And, yes, I do still like fantasy, but in deference to Brad, I will not mention the magnificent Sword of Thrones. Okay, I just made that up. I hope.)
Welcome, Watts. I love all things Niven and Asimov. What haven't you liked by Niven?
Hi, all. I am Audrey Dorofy. As a brief overview... I started reading science fiction with Andre Norton in the early 70's and never stopped. I am currently reading my way through Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden series, plowed through Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga, and still haven't gotten over Firefly being cancelled. I rewatch Babylon 5 periodically.
Heather wrote: "Welcome, Watts. I love all things Niven and Asimov. What haven't you liked by Niven?"IIRC, I couldn't get through The Integral Trees after two attempts, and while I liked Footfall the first time I read it mumble-something years ago it didn't feel like it had aged very well.
On the flip side, I suppose, I kept a copy of his short story "Cloak of Anarchy" in the research folder for a novel I was writing, so I suppose I can't be too hard on him. :)
Mod
Welcome Audrey. I'm also reading the Liaden books. What do you think? I have mixed feelings.
Mod
I am Esther from Hamburg, Germany and I joined Goodreads just yesterday!
I love fantasy and science fiction. The Hyperion Cantos was one of the first space operas I have read and I fel..."
Welcome Esther. We have lots of threads that should give you inspiration for what to read. Do you know if there is much science fiction written in German?
Betsy wrote: "Audrey wrote: "Hi, all. I am Audrey Dorofy. As a brief overview... I started reading science fiction with Andre Norton in the early 70's and never stopped. I am currently reading my way through Sha..."Overall, I like the Liaden series; some books are better than others. I am wondering if I should start over from the very beginning because I keep thinking I missed something important plot-wise.
Hi everyone! We are Jim and John Gaines and we write together as J. M. R. Gaines, creating novels in the Forlani Saga universe. See https://www.amazon.com/Life-Sentence-... Jim is a retired lit professor and his son John is a librarian. We live in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where we are active in Riverside Writers. We also have a blog, Gainesscifi.blogspot.com, where we talk about some of our favorite topics. Proud to say it has an international following, with about half the hits coming from Russia, France, China, and a dozen other countries. We are lifelong fans and love almost everything, including MST3K, where we helped sponser the recent revival. Besides classic authors like Bradbury, Asimov, Burroughs, Wells, Verne, Van Vogt, and PKD, we are into really early sci fi (17th century) and Lovecraft. As foodies, we like Asian, Mediterranean, and North African cuisine. We are also fervent environmentalists, as you will quickly learn from Life Sentence, which features ecology as a major theme. Look forward to hearing from you.
J. wrote: "Hi everyone! We are Jim and John Gaines and we write together as J. M. R. Gaines, creating novels in the Forlani Saga universe. See https://www.amazon.com/Life-Sentence-......"I have read some of Well's fiction but also his book 'Crux Ansata'. Ended up selling that one to a friend when we moved out here.
Hi everyone, I'm Julia. I like a huge assortment of different genres of books, movies, and music. I do really like scifi, but I have a hard time getting into the older scifi books that a lot of people deem classics. I find them boring and severely lacking in women characters, so I really hope you guys will be able to help me out in that arena!Favorite Books: (in no particular order) Ready Player One, The Martian, The Lunar Chronicles, Freakonomics, Flight of the Silvers, Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded, Graceling Realm
Favorite Genres: SciFi, Fantasy, YA, science, history
Favorite TV shows: Killjoys, Firefly, Veronica Mars
Favorite Food: Cheese, anything with cheese on it
Day Job: Grad Student in engineering
Hobbies: boardgames, tv, crafting, archery
Hello Julie. Not sure about the boring factor but as far as female characters go you could try E.E. Smith's works. In both his Skylark and Lensman series the female characters are not just along for the ride.
Hi everyone:I'm Nina, I've been a Space Opera fan ever since I read Dan Simmon's Cantos (Hyperion/Endymion series). I absolutely love reading sci-fi but none of my friends are into it. My husband got me into the whole sci-fi world when we first met 15 years ago, but he doesn't read any - he just watches movies/series. Also, I'm from Canada (eh) but currently live in Cancun, MX. Anyway here is a bit about me :
Favorite Books: i have a lot, but off the top of my head - Hyperion/Endymion Series by Dan Simmons, Lord of the Rings (not sci-fi I know) GoT
Favorite Genres: Sci-fi , Fantasy, Mystery
Favorite TV shows: I have a lot, but right now really enjoying Dark Matter and GoT. Old faves, Star Trek (especially DS9 & TNG) Battle Star Galactica, Babylon Five, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Fringe, Twin Peaks (can't wait for the revival) Veronica Mars
Favorite Movies: Again, too many - but off the top of my head The Matrix Trilogy (especially first one) Star Wars (all of them) The 13th Floor, Dark City, Waking Life
Favorite Food: Persian Food
Day Job: ESL teacher now but worked in retail/customer service for over 15 years.
Hobbies: Playing video games, watching anime, drawing (reading obviously haha) yoga and swimming
Other: I also love love love anime. Especially old school anime. Feel like the new stuff has gotten way stupid, but I feel like that with a lot of things.
Mod
Welcome, Julia. I agree many of the "classic" space opera were a little lacking in estrogen, although one of my favorites, Hellspark was written in the 80s. Also be sure to check out our Listopias thread for other suggestions.
Mod
I'm Nina, I've been a Space Opera fan ever since I read Dan Simmon's Cantos (Hyperion/Endymion series). I absolutely love reading sci-fi but none of my friends are into it. My husband ..."
Welcome, Nina. I think you'll find a lot of kindred spirits here.
My sister is also an ESL teacher. Did you know there are several ESL groups on Goodreads? They share ideas of books at different reading levels. I should think it would be an excellent resource.
Betsy wrote: "Nina wrote: "Hi everyone:I'm Nina, I've been a Space Opera fan ever since I read Dan Simmon's Cantos (Hyperion/Endymion series). I absolutely love reading sci-fi but none of my friends are into it..."
Hi Betsy! Thank you for the welcome. I did not know about the ESL groups! That's very helpful, thank you so much. I'll definitely check it out :)
Nice to see another Canadian in any of the groups I am in. Which part of the country are you orginally from. I note you have Galactic Patrol on your TBR shelf. Good place to start as it was the first Lensman novel really. Triplanetary was added to the series after the fact and First Lensman was written to fill some the gaps between those two novels.
John wrote: "Nice to see another Canadian in any of the groups I am in. Which part of the country are you orginally from. I note you have Galactic Patrol on your TBR shelf. Good place to start as it was the fir..."Hi John, I'm originally from Vancouver, how about you? GP was a goodreads recommendation actually. Right now, I just got into Peter Hamilton's Pandora Star and will be reading the Commonwealth/Void sereis after. But this is on the list so I'll keep your recommendation in mind when I'm ready to move on.
Currently live in Nanaimo, was born in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec and in between the two lived in Mississauga, Ontario. I think I have pretty much all os "Doc" Smith's work, save for an article he wrote for Astounding.
Welcome Nina & John!John - I live in eastern Washington state and have always loved that name Nanaimo.
I used to work for Zellers and at one time we had a photo lab. If there was a problem we had to phone the call centre, which was in Charotte. It was fun listening to them trying to pronounce Nanaimo
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Suzy: Welcome. I am forever trying to find another series as good as the Honorverse. I did find Campbell's Lost Fleet series. Good so far.
In the Honorverse books I always speedread thru the bad guys "plotting" chapters. It helps. Take Care.