What sci-fi book have you just read?

[PSXtreme]

Eyes go blue...very nice...

Perhaps if I try the gom jabbar at work, I'll get a little co-operation.

I haven't seen anything about coffee yet...and don't remember it being mentioned either...but it is about the same thing...

Here IRL: He who controls the coffee, controls the universe...

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

PSXtreme wrote: "Eyes go blue...very nice...

Perhaps if I try the gom jabbar at work, I'll get a little co-operation.

I haven't seen anything about coffee yet...and don't remember it being mentioned either...but ..."

LOL And there is no life worth living without coffee! The gom jabbar would indeed be handy from time to time. ;)

[PSXtreme]

and I've gotten to the parts where coffee is mentioned...not a big plot point...they serve coffee with melange...so Frank Herbert is responsible for the creation of Starbucks and their flavored coffee...

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

PSXtreme wrote: "and I've gotten to the parts where coffee is mentioned...not a big plot point...they serve coffee with melange...so Frank Herbert is responsible for the creation of Starbucks and their flavored cof..."

LOL If only we could engage in interstellar travel after having a coffee at Starbuck's!

[Damon, ZARDOZ]

There is a spice coffee ceremony often referred to in Dune which makes me think of Turkish coffee.

http://www.turkishcoffeeworld.com/How...



I would suggest using cinnamon instead of sugar to get the spice flavour.

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Damon wrote: "There is a spice coffee ceremony often referred to in Dune which makes me think of Turkish coffee.

http://www.turkishcoffeeworld.com/How...



I would suggest using ci..."

Cinnamon would be great! I think I'd like my sweeteners and a bit of milk though.

[PSXtreme]

The SB coffee costs enough that we should get a complimentary trip to Mars with every cup.

The coffee service set that Paul wins in his conflict with Jamis is mentioned a couple of times. I have a hint that Islam, or the Arab lifestyle in itself, was the model for Herbert's desert Fremen. The use of the word Jihad is hint enough.

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

On a manga binge at the moment so I've read Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1 and Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 2. Since alchemy was a pseudo-science perhaps these books should be called pseudo-science fiction? :P

[David]

I recently finished All Flesh is Grass by Clifford D. Simak after having read in rapid succession his Ring Around the Sun, City and Way Station. For me, All Flesh is Grass was a huge letdown compared to those other three, but that's OK -- you can't expect perfection every time. I hope to start The Goblin Reservation pretty soon.

[Branson]

I just finished "The Enemy Beneath" by Brandon Clarke. I loved the action and the concept of Aura, however the story was a little short and there wasn't enough emphasis on other characters. I liked how it followed the protagonist and his crew, but there were plenty of opportunities for the author to expand on other characters' actions. Instead, you end up seeing only what the main character, Damon Granger, sees. A few major events are seemingly glossed over as a result of following him so closely. Its a new book and a little obscure, its the author's only title, but I'd recommend it if you're looking for a quick action fix.

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Last Sunday, I re-read an old graphic novella called Rigel Express (Starblazer #49). I did this to index it for the Grand Comics Database. It wasn't a great story - a suicide mission is sent from Earth to defend a space observatory from attack by an alien humanoid species. The suicide team ends up causing havoc on the aliens' home planet but there was no alien POV and they were only presented as cannon fodder for the humans. I may have liked this better when I first read it at age 11!

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Read two short stories listed as ebooks today: Prophet and Foundation. Both are speculative fiction (YA dystopian), the former leaning more towards fantasy/science fiction/horror, the latter to a kind of zombie-apocalypse-style horror/sci-fi tale. Both are available for free on Tor.com and are prequel stories to two distinct series.

While I found both to be well-written, I preferred Foundation because it was a longer and meatier read and because I think it's stronger as science science fiction.

[Susan]

I just read The War of the Worlds. (Review here.)

[Mel]

I have just finished reading Firefall which incorporates Blindsight and Echopraxia into one volume. And I just wanted to say....it is brilliant!!! Read the first part in a day!
That is all....carry on :)

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Mel wrote: "I have just finished reading Firefall which incorporates Blindsight and Echopraxia into one volume. And I just wanted to say....it is brilliant!!! Read the first part in a day!
Tha..."

Added that to my TBR shelf! Looks cool!

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

I finally finished reading Snow Crash on Saturday, in this its 25th-anniversary year! While the book shows its age in places, and its fundamental plot device is a bit far-fetched, I enjoyed this cyberpunk novel for its action, interesting characters and technology, and for its weird futuristic politics in a highly fragmented America.

[Marian]

I finished up War of the Worlds,and Day of The Triffids,Soylent Green

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Marian wrote: "I finished up War of the Worlds,and Day of The Triffids,Soylent Green"

Those are all great classics, Marian! I've only read War of the Worlds but I've seen film adaptations of all three.

A couple of days ago, I read the short story The Department of Alterations - a three-star read for me. Tor.com has published a lot of free-to-read science fiction stories on its Web site - well worth taking a look at between longer reads.

[Marian]

Greg wrote: "Marian wrote: "I finished up War of the Worlds,and Day of The Triffids,Soylent Green"

Those are all great classics, Marian! I've only read War of the Worlds but I've seen film adaptations of all t..."

Thank you very much Greg:)I have been certainly in the mood these days to read a lot of sci fi..some of the kbooks I have also read,are 1984,Farebheit451,The Handmaids Take(second reading of it)And now I am currently reading Stephen Kings "The Stand" and also his second book in the Mr.Mercedes trio books.

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

I read 1984 - as a kid - in 1984 and liked it then but a re-read as an adult might be a different experience. I found out a few years later that the author's restored text had recently been published and I guess if I do a re-read, I'll have to get this version.

I've read a number of Stephen King novels but neither The Stand nor the Mr Mercedes books. So much to read - so little time!

[Marian]

Humm,I never knew that about 1984 Greg..but I tell ya,the book and the movie are almost the same,and in some places,word for word.With Stephen King,as you probably know,he also writes a bit of sci fi as well,with The Stand as one of them.Now this book is over a thousand pages,so its going to be awhile for me:)

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Marian wrote: "Humm,I never knew that about 1984 Greg..but I tell ya,the book and the movie are almost the same,and in some places,word for word.With Stephen King,as you probably know,he also writes a bit of sci ..."

I read another door-stopper (at over 1100 pages!) by King when I was 20 or so and loved it - the book It! The recent movie isn't bad but doesn't really do justice to the book - or rather the half that it focuses on.

[Marian]

ah..I heard the movie was not THAT great when it came to the book.Right now,I am mesmerized by Kings..Mr.Mercedes trilology..
Have you by any chance Greg,read Kings..11/22/63?Thats a great book as well:)

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Marian wrote: "ah..I heard the movie was not THAT great when it came to the book.Right now,I am mesmerized by Kings..Mr.Mercedes trilology..
Have you by any chance Greg,read Kings..11/22/63?Thats a great book as..."

I haven't read any of his recent books yet - something I have to remedy in due course.

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

While still reading - and enjoying - Perdido Street Station, I thought I'd take a detour through the short graphic story collection recently bundled with the latest issue of Judge Dredd Megazine today: The Best of Tharg's Terror Tales. These stories are mainly supernatural horror although they originally appeared in the science fiction comic, 2000 AD.

[Hank]

I just finished reading Troubled Times by Harold Eugene Covey jr.
Its a time travel novel. A sequel of at least two of his earlier short stories. His style involves more interaction between characters than scene description. That being said I don't think he has a problem settig a scene.

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Just finished reading Perdido Street Station, which was a solid, four-star, read for me! Took me two months to get through it though!

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Hank wrote: "I just finished reading Troubled Times by Harold Eugene Covey jr.
Its a time travel novel. A sequel of at least two of his earlier short stories. His style involves more interaction between charac..."

Looks interesting, Hank!

EDIT: Wouldn't it be more correct to say that you wrote it? :P

[Hank]

Yes it would. However, I spend at least a month, maybe two, lookingbback through it and saying "why dud I put that in there?" or "darn spell check". :)

[Hank]

Greg wrote: "Hank wrote: "I just finished reading Troubled Times by Harold Eugene Covey jr.
Its a time travel novel. A sequel of at least two of his earlier short stories. His style involves more interaction b..."

Yes, it would. I spend about thirty minutes re-reading a chapter or two checking myself, even after publishing saying things like "why did I use that word" or "darn spell check".

[Hank]

Hank wrote: "Greg wrote: "Hank wrote: "I just finished reading Troubled Times by Harold Eugene Covey jr.
Its a time travel novel. A sequel of at least two of his earlier short stories. His style involves more ..."

Decent? Interesting for an early novel?
The first two in that series were really practice runs and came out as really short stories.

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Hank wrote: "Yes it would. However, I spend at least a month, maybe two, lookingbback through it and saying "why dud I put that in there?" or "darn spell check". :)"

Ah I understand that. I've written a number of articles over the years so sometimes I do re-read an article I wrote if only because I want to cite it in a fresh piece of writing.

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Hank wrote: "Greg wrote: "Hank wrote: "I just finished reading Troubled Times by Harold Eugene Covey jr.
Its a time travel novel. A sequel of at least two of his earlier short stories. His style involves more ..."

I think all artists have that desire to return to something they worked on to refine and improve it - or restore it after a publisher or producer has corrupted it. Hence the 'director's cut' in movie terms.

[Carl]

Just finished Ready Player One. Loved it.

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Carl wrote: "Just finished Ready Player One. Loved it."

I have that among my stack of to-be-read books - I look forward to getting around to it eventually as I keep hearing good things about it!

[Mel]

Just finished Persepolis Rising and I can’t wait for the next instalment! It’s sooo good. I’m not sure when the next one is out but it’s going to get pretty uncomfortable on the edge of this seat I’m stuck on :)

[Paul]

Just finished Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson. Not bad, not great. I liked the premise of the story, but it was a bit of a slog in several places. I gave it 3 stars; a better editor might have made it a 4 star novel.

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Mel wrote: "Just finished Persepolis Rising and I can’t wait for the next instalment! It’s sooo good. I’m not sure when the next one is out but it’s going to get pretty uncomfortable on the edg..."

I have to start reading The Expanse series at some point! Good to hear Persepolis Rising is a good read!

Paul wrote: "Just finished Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson. Not bad, not great. I liked the premise of the story, but it was a bit of a slog in several places. I gave it 3 stars; a better editor might have made ..."

That's been on my TBR shelf for a couple of years. It's a pity to hear that it's a bloated, though still a 3-star read.

[Vicky]

I just finished I, Robot by Isaac Asimov It was my first time actually reading it and found it very fun to read. As I said in my review, I enjoyed R.U.R. even more, but it's stories like these that can't be duplicated in today's sci-fi that make me want to read more sci-fi.

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

I finished reading The Locksmith four days ago, a YA novelette that I downloaded for free on iBooks. It's a well-written tale with an interesting protagonist who has an amazing ability - but faces moral dilemmas in using it. It forms part of the author's Mindjack Origins Series and, based on my enjoyment of this story, I think I'll be checking out the original Mindjack series also.

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Finished reading The Dreams in the Witch House earlier this morning - my first book of the year!

[Vicky]

I finished World Seed: Game Start and left a review at the link for anyone interested in that. It comes across as almost juvenile, though it's a fair first attempt.

But, after that I started The Extinction Series, book 1 by Nicholas Sansbury Smith, one of my favorite authors. I love his Hell Divers series. So, I'd bought the trilogy of the earlier Extinction series thinking it'd be a great read. Seriously, I think most Sci-fi fans would love it. It was something I wanted to read because it had my attention hooked already in the first few minutes. But, I quit reading after 2 and a half hours because it gets quite graphic with the canabilism. I am a bit squemish, so after the second "event" I couldn't keep reading lol.

If you're not squemish, that may be something I could recommend, as it's definitely interesting. And, I do like apocalyptic type lit normally. Just be prepared for feeding frenzies.

[Paul]

This week I finished “The Windup Girl” By Paolo Bacigalupi and “A Night Without Stars” By Peter F. Hamilton. Both were outstanding!

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

As a YA fantasy, it's not science fiction (unless one considers it to be set in an alternate Anglo-Saxonish Britain) but The Ruins of Gorlan was a fun, quick, read all the same!

[Vicky]

I just finished Replay by Ken Grimwood. I decided to read it on the side while the voting was taking place for the current reads, since I voted for The Forever War, which I'm also reading.

I'm glad I read Replay. That's a well written book I highly recommend. My review for this was short, but not because it wasn't great. I rated it 5 stars. I suggest it for anyone who hasn't read it yet. My Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Vicky]

Just finished my first time reading Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

It was a pretty fun sci-fi read, even though I'd already seen the movie a few times.

[Mel]

I’ve just finished Spin and it was excellent! Really absorbing and intriguing. Complete with fully fleshed out character narratives. Recommend!

[Greg, Muad'Dib]

Vicky wrote: "Just finished my first time reading Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

It was a pretty fun sci-fi read, even though I'd already seen the movie a few times."

Wouldn't mind reading that myself! The only Crichton book I've read to date is his Congo which I read when I was a teen. I'm not sure it would hold up to a re-read in 2018 but my younger self liked it a lot.

[Eman]

The Old Man's War by Scalzi.

[Marian]

Just finished last night,a short story by Philip K.Dick called "The Commuter".