Space Opera Fans discussion
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Welcome Wagon & Rules
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Introduce Yourself - Part I
Rowan wrote: "I'm a massive Trekkie, Babylon 5, Stargate & Farscape fan and my GF recently got me back into Doctor Who - anyone else think Capaldi is underrated?"Absolutely! By far the best Doctor of the new era.
Mod
I'm actually not much of a book worm so I decided to join Good Reads to change that. I've always loved watching sci-fi/fantasy so I thought I should probably read m..."
Welcome Rowan. I'm sure we can do something to increase your book worminess. :)
Hi, good to be here. I'm science fiction author Donald Swan.I spent my life cruising around the galaxy fighting against vastly superior alien forces that were hell-bent on destroying Earth. In my mind anyway. ;)
I really grew up on the Space Coast of Florida where I watched my fair share of rocket launches and built my share of model rockets and spaceships. Big Sci-fi fan. I Love Star Trek and I was in awe of Star Wars when it came out. As a kid I even built a hand-made Enterprise model lit with fiber-optics. (Before you could buy them that way.) And won awards for a hand-made Darth Vader outfit. It is no wonder then that I imagine flying around distant worlds and interacting with alien creatures. I wrote my first story in the fourth grade. (About an alien monster of course.)
I'm a:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Best Selling Amazon Author.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #1 Seller on Google Play.
Artist, Sculptor, Potter, Wood Worker, Yacht Builder, Former Vice President of Multi-Million Dollar Company, Surfer, Able to do One-Handed Pushups and Pull-ups, and Jack of All Trades, yada, yada....
Husband to wonderful, multi-talented wife who is also an author of over 50 books. One of which reached #36 out of all books on Amazon.
I live in a modest home with my wife and two furry, four-legged "children."
Mod
I spent my life cruising around the galaxy fighting against vastly superior alien forces that were hell-bent on destroying Earth. In my..."
Welcome, Donald.
Hello!I grew up with the original Star Wars, but Kylo Ren is growing on me.
Stargate got me thru middle school and The Wheel of Time saw me thru the rest. I received my 4 year Bachelor's degree playing World of Warcraft.
I love all things including "fireflies", wands, ships, and dragons.
Attempting to find a series that speaks to me.
X
Mod
Hey!My name's Dan, and I started to really explore goodreads a couple of months ago, and man I'm hooked.
I'd love to get into some interesting discussions, and find some great new books.
In case you're wondering about most of the questions, I don't like to choose specific genres for books / movies / tv shows. Culture is like cuisine: can you really say you like Vietnamese better than Italian? Some days I want pizza, and some days I want Pho.
(BTW: If you've never had Vietnamese food you're missing out, it's delicious!)
With that said, usually I'll have one or two non-fiction books or self improvement books on my bookshelf in various state of being read, a stretch book collecting dust, and one or two delicious morsels.
Right now that's:
* Pre-Suasion, a great book on how to influence people which is my "career skills" book
* The Republic of Pirates -- my serious non fiction book -- because after watching Black Sails I wanted to learn what the real story was
* Proust's In Search of Lost Time Series which is my "challenge" book. This one is mostly collecting dust. It's beautiful but it seems like the chapters are hundreds of pages, and the 90 hours reading time estimate just is a downer
And besides that I just finished Legionnaire from the Galaxy's Edge Series, and the Bobiverse series.
Diversity aside, I seem to keep coming back to Sci Fi
and Fantasy more often than not, so I'm really looking forward to recommendations from my fellow Space Opera Fans
Besides that, when I'm not reading I enjoy Guitar, Photography, Kayaking, Hiking, Cycling, and just being outdoors.
All of which are not mutually exclusive :D
Mod
My name's Dan, and I started to really explore goodreads a couple of months ago, and man I'm hooked.
I'd love to get into some interesting discussions, and find some great new books.
In cas..."
Welcome, Dan. I agree, diversity is best. I like several genres, depending on my mood and current situation. And I generally have at least one non-fiction going. Looking forward to your participation.
Please allow me to introduce...myself.I'm Paul from the UK. I have been a sci-fi geek my whole life, I grew up on Star Wars and Star Trek; I flirt with fantasy and horror too.
So answers to the key questions:
Name: Paul
Favorite Books: Peter F. Hamilton - Fallen Dragon + Nights Dawn
Trilogy. Stephen King - The Stand, Elidor - Alan Garner to name but three.
Favourite Genres: Space Opera / Space Fantasy
Favourite TV shows: Battlestar Galactica (both incarnations), Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, The Expanse, Red Dwarf. Monty Python. I' currently enjoying Dark Matter on Sci-fy.
Favourite Movies: Star Wars (maybe not so much the three that never be spoken of). Alien, Aliens, Terminator, Evil Dead II, Dredd.
Favorite Food: Indian + Trooper Ale
Day Job: IT Geek
Hobbies: Guitar, Writing, Photography, collecting Vinyl.
Mod
I'm Paul from the UK. I have been a sci-fi geek my whole life, I grew up on Star Wars and Star Trek; I flirt with fantasy and horror too.
So answers to the..."
Welcome Paul. I'm curious, what is Space Fantasy? I'm not sure I've heard of that designation before. Examples?
Betsy wrote: "Paul wrote: "Please allow me to introduce...myself.I'm Paul from the UK. I have been a sci-fi geek my whole life, I grew up on Star Wars and Star Trek; I flirt with fantasy and horror too.
So a..."
I've always tended to view Star Wars as "Space Fantasy / science fantasy" although broadly space opera, the "magical / mystical" elements gives it a some commonality with fantasy stories. I had not heard the term until a few years ago but it made a kind of sense.
Going back to Star Wars - there are other aspects that echo a fantasy setting - good wizard, bad wizard, princess in a tower, farm boy becomes hero and so on.
I guess it's just another way of sub dividing genres (in an already super subdivided genre!)
Paul wrote: "Going back to Star Wars - there are other aspects that echo a fantasy setting - good wizard, bad wizard, princess in a tower, farm boy becomes hero and so on. "I'd say the fantasy elements go even farther than that. I see Star Wars as basically a retelling of the Arthur legend, with Luke Skywalker as a young King Arthur, Han Solo as Lancelot, Leia as Guinevere, Obi-Wan (and later Yoda) as Merlin, Vader as Mordred . . . you get the idea. Heck, you even have knights and swords.
I recall Ben Bova bitterly complaining about the ending of Star Wars. He hated the idea of Luke Skywalker turning off his technology based targeting system (which wasn't getting the job done but he conveniently forgot about that) and turned to the force, some sort of mystical thing. instead.
Genres are really funny things. I get a laugh when I walk through a bookshelf and see sections labeled things like "Paranormal Teen Romance"[1]A great story doesn't have to fit a formula, and sometimes being a bit indefinable is what makes a book great.
[1] True story, was in the borders in London before they closed. And there were a surprising number of them. Really???
Mod
Favorite TV..."
Welcome Jack.
Hi all, I'm new to the discussion thing, thought it would be a new and interesting way to dive deeper into books.Also new to the genre, didn't really know that Space Opera was a genre until I started searching for groups on Goodreads and found many of the books I enjoy to be a part of it.
This is quite the thread already, but here is my 2 cents:
Name: Matt
Favorite Books: Sherlock Holmes, Lord of the Rings, Ender's Game, Red Rising Series, The Forever War, The Martian, Old Man's War, and too many others.
Favorite Genres: Space Opera, Military Fiction and Non-Fiction, Leadership Study, Psychology, and Philosophy.
Favorite TV shows: Game of Thrones, really don't watch anything else.
Favorite Movies: This is difficult to nail down, there are too many great movies and it really depends on my mood. A couple are: Braveheart, Pitch Perfect, Saving Private Ryan, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and soo many others.
Favorite Food: Hhhmmm, Mexican.
Day Job: Infantry Officer
Hobbies: Family time, cycling, video editing.
I look forward to joining the discussion!
Hi Matt I am much like you I never knew Space Opera was a thing until the internet told me! It was one of those "Oh so that's what it's called moments"
I to only seem to watch Game of Thrones (apparently there are others shows, or so I am told). I recently discovered The Expanse on Netflix and that has me hooked. The novel's are definitly on my to read list.
Paul wrote: "Hi Matt I am much like you I never knew Space Opera was a thing until the internet told me! It was one of those "Oh so that's what it's called moments"
I to only seem to watch Game of Thrones (a..."
Great to meet you Paul, I have not yet seen The Expanse on Netflix, but I just finished the first novel Leviathan Wakes and it was great!
To be honest, Matt, I have never really thought of Space Opera as as separate genre, but more of a sub-genre of Science Fiction (or SF\Sci-Fi\Stf, take your pick). But to each their own I always say. Welcome to the group and much good reading ahead. If you would like to try some really early Space Opera let me know. I can suggest a few titles. (Yeah, I just noticed my comics have finished downloading).
Mod
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
As you can see there are lots of different opinions. And in this group, we're pretty lax about the definition.
Thankyou Anna. My name is Brian and I'm a science fiction fan. Favorite books. Am currently reading Ian M. Banks, consider Phlebas.
Favourite TV shows. Am a Treky from way back, and love all the movies.
Favourite Movie. The first of The Matrix trilogies. Watched that movie until I knew every line the characters spoke.
Favourite food. Trying to go vegetarian and that kills me because
my favorite food is a good old fashioned meat pie.
Hobbies. Surfing. We live where the track out the back of our house leads straight down to a sandy surf beach.
Others. Sailing and anything to do with the ocean. Although I read I'm not prolific, but am embracing the knew audio book thing.
And of late have started to write.
Thank you for setting up what looks to be a active and engaging group. I look forward to being a part of it.Name: Tony
Favorite Books: Lots and lots. :) It's hard to pick for me. If I had to for Sci-fi I would go with the SW:Thrawn Trilogy by Zahn, SW:X-Wing series by Stackpole, Honor Harrington Series by Weber, Enders Game by Card, and Ready Player One by Cline. In genres besides science fiction I loved the Night Angel trillogy by Weeks, Demon Cylce by Brett, Dresden Files by Butcher and A Song of Ice and Fire by Martin. I also love comic books. Especially Marvel
Favorite Genres: If I had to choose one Military Sci Fi
Favorite TV shows: All time favorites are Babylon 5, Stargate Sg-1, Deep Space Nine, Firefly and Buffy. Favorites that are currently on the air....A Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Killjoys, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Dr. Who
Favorite Movies: Star Wars: the OT(like you couldn't have guessed with my first two listings under favorite books lol), Aliens, Ghostbusters, Shawshank Redemption, Back to the Future 1, Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark , Major League
Favorite Food: Burgers
Day Job: Municipal administration
Hobbies: Reading books and comics. Gaming when I have the time
Other: Spend a lot of time with my family and active kids. They are voracious readers and interested in a lot of the same stuff as I am so we can do that together. My daughter started playing D&D, my son loves video games and both love comic books.
Why is it every time I look at someone's list of favourite authors I usually feel a little older? Ah well.
Name: Kenneth WardFavorite Books: "Old Man's War", "X-Wing: Rogue Squadron", "The Road"
Favorite Genres: Sci-Fi/Space Opera, Cyberpunk, Technothriller, Fantasy, Dystopia
Favorite TV shows: Star Trek TNG, Game of Thrones, Voltron, The Orville
Favorite Movies: Star Wars, Star Trek, The Terminator, Back to the Future, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Matrix, Seven
Favorite Food: Pizza
Day Job: Struggling writer
Hobbies: Reading, watching movies, listening to podcasts
Happy to be here. Nice to find a group that discusses a genre I love. Cheers!
Ken wrote: "Name: Kenneth WardFavorite Books: "Old Man's War", "X-Wing: Rogue Squadron", "The Road"
Favorite Genres: Sci-Fi/Space Opera, Cyberpunk, Technothriller, Fantasy, Dystopia
Favorite TV shows: Star Tr..."
Is that a new Voltron or the 1980's Voltron.
Hi Ken! It's nice to meet you.Back to the Future is a movie that is both expertly constructed and wildly entertaining.
Which podcasts do you like? For a Star Wars fan, Blast Points, Full of Sith, and ForceCenter are the three I would recommend. There's a Star Trek one called Mission Log that discusses an episode a week, and they are currently doing TNG Season 7, so you might check that one out, too.
Hello all!Name: Emily
Favorite Books: My all time favorite book is The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. I've read it each year since the first time I read it in 4th grade.
Favorite Genres: Sci-fi, fantasy, and romance are my most commonly read.
Favorite TV shows: Star Trek (yes, all of them).
Favorite Movies: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Favorite Food: Chocolate Milkshakes
Day Job: Accountant
Hobbies: Soap-making, jewelry-making, reading, and running.
Hi, Emily! Welcome to the group!The Phantom Tollbooth and Star Trek are both awesome, and it's always nice to see another accountant out there.
Where are some good chocolate milkshakes at?
Name: Dirk LucasFavorite Books: Peter F Hamilton's books. Wilbur Smith, Steven King, Terry Pratchet
Favorite Genres: Scifi, commedy. Any good audiobooks to listen to while sitting in traffic.
Favorite TV shows: Star Trek
Favorite Movies: Star Trek :-)
Favorite Food: Braaibroodjies.
Day Job: Software stuff, particularly ERP systems.
Hobbies: Aspiring writer, photography, woodworking, food blogger. Jack of all trades but master of none.
Other: My favorite Space opera: Pandora's Star
Mod
Thanks Betsy.Ok to explain Braaibroodjies: braai = BBQ or grill but on an open fire with meat on a grid over the coals. Broodjie = sandwich.
My take on this: A sandwich with cream cheese, thin sliced onions, sliced cheese, thick tomato slices and butter. (In that order) Grilled on open coals until cheese start to drip into the fire.
This is a South African tradition to have with every braai.
Dirk, one of my favorite fictional characters is Dirk Pitt.
Name: JasonFavorite Books: The Dune series, the Foundation series, Dead Girls trilogy by Richard Calder, lots more
Favorite Genres: Sci-fi obviously, fantasy, very occasionally something about real life
Favorite TV shows: The Orville
Favorite Movies: Star Wars(NOT Disney's)
Favorite Food: Pizza
Night Job: Grocery Store
Hobbies: Reading mostly
Other:
Kirsten wrote: "Dirk, one of my favorite fictional characters is Dirk Pitt."I'm a fan of Dirk Gently ;)
Matt wrote: "Hi all, I'm new to the discussion thing, thought it would be a new and interesting way to dive deeper into books.Also new to the genre, didn't really know that Space Opera was a genre until I sta..."
Hello Matt,
If you decide to take a chance on something different to watch, give Stranger Things a shot! I just started watching the second season, and it has yet to disappoint.
- Michael
Hello everyone! Author and long time sci-fi fan here. I love discussing all that is science fiction and fantasy, plus superheros (Supes is my man!), and a little history doesn't hurt. Here's a few things about me.Name: Christiaan Hile (yes, there are two aa's. Not a misspelling. I thank my mother every time I see her. :)
Favorite Books: Too many to list. Love classic sci-fi and new. I like my sci-fi a little dark, with action, and any thrillers.
Favorite Genres: Sci-fi, fantasy, adventure, alt-history,
Favorite TV shows: I write and read/audio books more than I watch tv, but it used to be Firefly, STNG, Star Gate, Doctor Who and the likes.
Favorite Movies: Empire Strikes Back, Alien 1&2, Abyss, Jaws, Superman the Movie, Blade Runner, Mad Max, Terminator, Jurassic Park, Rogue One, Interstellar, The Martian, LOTR, and many more
Favorite Food: Meat & potatoes, Italian, Mexican
Day Job: Client Manager
Hobbies: Writing, hiking, camping, movies, computers
Other: Watching my twin daughters play travel softball.
Betsy wrote: "Welcome Christiaan."Thank you.
Ba weep gra na weep ninibong! (The Universal Greeting)I joined after contributing to the Girls With Guns list.
Name: Keith Fraser
Favorite Books: I hate picking favourites, but some I commonly include from different genres are The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien), War & Peace (Tolstoy), Cryptonomicon (Stephenson), American Gods (Gaiman), Ring (Baxter), The Player of Games (Banks) and The Risen Empire (Westerfeld)
Favorite Genres: I'll generally read any genre, but mostly I read sci-fi and fantasy. I prefer harder sci-fi to softer sci-fi (except for soft sci-fi that knows it's soft and is more allegorical or science fantasy-esque) and properly magical/otherworldly fantasy to "mechanistic" fantasy (where magic/the supernatural is just a tool).
Day Job: Scientist (degree and PhD in materials science, currently working in mathematical modelling of disease)
Other: Wannabe professional writer (successfully completed NaNoWriMo in 2015 and 2017)
My name is Phil. I love Star Wars and even admit to liking the prequel series. It’s a good story if you forget what’s going to happen in the original trilogy. Not many would expect Anakin to betray Mace without that knowledge. I’m also a big adrenaline junkie. I’m an army officer with Explosive Ordnance Disposal. I’ve also been skydiving, scuba diving, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and roller coaster riding. I try to use the exciting bits of my life in my writing. I’m currently earning my MBA at Arizona State and will graduate in May.
Mod
Ba weep gra na weep ninibong, Keith. And welcome.
Mod
Welcome Phillip. I also didn't really mind SW Parts I-III. I even liked Jar Jar, until he became a politician.
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I'm actually not much of a book worm so I decided to join Good Reads to change that. I've always loved watching sci-fi/fantasy so I thought I should probably read more of it too.
From what I have read I'm a big fan of HG Wells, Iain M Banks, Bernard Cornwell and Homer.
Science Fiction/Fantasy/Action/Adventure are my jam.
I'm a massive Trekkie, Babylon 5, Stargate & Farscape fan and my GF recently got me back into Doctor Who - anyone else think Capaldi is underrated?
As far as movies go I have a list that's way too long. Off the top of my head I love Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Avatar, Seven Samurai and many many more.
I'm currently studying TV & Film in Edinburgh. I like video games, martial arts, writing and I maintain a wee youtube channel.
I hope I can become more well read thanks to this group. Live Long and Prosper :)