The Evolution of Science Fiction discussion
2000-2014
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What SF are you reading now, 2000-2014?
Except for challenge reading, I'm focusing on contemporary books this year, as I feel like I've really fallen behind on reading new stuff.I just finished catching up on David Weber's Manticore Ascendant series. The first book A Call to Duty I read a couple years ago, but I just finished A Call to Arms and A Call to Vengeance. These read a lot like Weber's early Honor Harrington book and I'm really enjoying them.
I've also read Artemis by Andy Weir. In some ways, it was better than his first book The Martian, in other ways it struggled a little.
On top of my TBR pile, I've got Her Brother's Keeper and Sins of Her Father by Mike Kupari. Both look pretty interesting so I'm looking forward to getting into them. Next, I've got Kali's Children by Craig Allen. Another SciFi adventure.
Gregg wrote: "I just finished the New Annotated Lovecraft this spring. It was a fun read and gives lots of insight into how his physical environment impacted his storytelling..."
Is that this book:
I'm an old fan of Lovecraft, but I just bought this book recently to learn a little more about him and his writing.
Jim wrote: "Martians Abroad by Carrie Vaughn was a fun YA romp that reminded me very much of one of the Heinlein juveniles. I gave it a 4 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.c..."
This is another book that's been sitting on my Kindle for a while. I love Ms. Vaughn's writing, and I had already drawn the comparison to Heinlein's Podkayne of Mars. I think I need to push this one up the queue.
I finished Leviathan Wakes and gave it 1 star. Now I'm reading We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor.
Binary Storm by Christopher Hinz is a SF adventure, a prequel to his Paratwa trilogy that was written & should be read afterward. It fills in some gaps & I really liked it. I was a bit surprised since often such additions are a let down. This wasn't. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The 2 books by Andy Weir
Des milliards de tapis de cheveux by Andreas Eschbach
Semiosis by Sue Burke
And others...
Mod
Just started a re-read of Among Others by Jo Walton. I feel closer than usual ties to this book due to the protagonist condition and similar to mine reading list
Oleksandr wrote: "Just started a re-read of Among Others by Jo Walton. I feel closer than usual ties to this book due to the protagonist condition and similar to mine reading list"I read Among Others a couple of years ago. Reading list: I counted references to 138 science fiction books.
Buck wrote: "I read Among Others a couple of years ago. Reading list: I counted references to 138 science fiction books. "here is a GR list of all books mentioned in her novel
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
I'm proud to read a significant number of them, not by age of 15 though
Mod
here is a GR list of all books mentioned in her novel..."
That is a novel I enjoyed mostly because of all the references to other books I've read rather than because of the story itself. I had a similar reaction to "Ready Player One" in that I enjoyed the references more than the story or writing.
And "Among Others" taught me the word "cwm" which I hope to use someday in Scrabble when I have no vowels. (Knowing some Welsh and Scots words helps a lot in that game!)
I was supposed to be reading Spin for our library SF book club meeting but I have to put it off since my hold for Iron Gold came in! I hope to start it this weekend. Book #4 in the Red Rising Saga series. I enjoyed the first three books.
I just started All Systems Red by Martha Wells, a TOR free ebook. So far it's good. Don't know the first thing about Martha Wells.
I finished it yesterday:
by S.J. Morden. It's really good, realistic and all. And there is even a whodunit intertwined with science fiction.
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That was book-of-the-month recently in another group. I enjoyed it but didn't love it. But I do intend to read book 2 of the series.
Mod
The book is in French, but maybe my review here in English will spur you to contact the authorities to demand that all her work be translated to all languages!
Calvo is one of the few authors I've ever befriended on social media (maybe 10 years ago). And I did that mainly so I would know when their next book was coming out. That also meant that I was among the first to know when she came out as transsexual. It was a surprise, and I'm glad I learned it directly from her rather than second-hand. Anyhow, that has nothing to do with the fact that I love her books.
(Her books so far are published as David Calvo, but she plans in future to use just Calvo in public. Goodreads policies seem to require listing books under the name on the cover so I've not changed the author profile.)
Planetfall Origins is an independently published book by Christopher George Quick. It's his only book to date, just published last year. I have no idea why I bought it new through Amazon, but I did & I loved it. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've read Planetfall Origins last month, the author has some potential but the book is quite weakmy review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
As to how you get it, I think the same as me, you've read user Captain Spook, who actively promoted it (and only it) on many forums here on GR. This behavior got me suspicions that he is the writer, or his family/friend
Many of the things that bugged you were more humorous to me. A bit over the top at times, but subtly fun rather than serious which was why I mentioned it seemed similar to a gaming universe in my review. I didn't read Captain Spock's review until just now, so I'm still not sure how I came across the book. I'm just glad I did.
Jim wrote: "Many of the things that bugged you were more humorous to me. "I wasn't sure the author assumed all those things as humorous. I fully agree that it is reminiscent of Starship Troopers but in this it is a 2D shadow of 3D classic
I don't think "Starship Troopers" is particularly 3D. It's a fine book in its way, but Heinlein is too preachy to ever write a truly 3D story. 'Planetfall' was far more nuanced in the good/evil of governments.
Jim wrote: "I don't think "Starship Troopers" is particularly 3D."I meant it was the original and this is a copy and an inferior one (thus -1D). As said above, the author has a potential, but this novel looked for me as gathering some good ideas from earlier SF (troopers, uplifting, hyperdrive tunnels, restorative medicine, civil life after you earned it by service, etc)
I think writing about space miner w/o actually looking at our world miners is wrong. You want solders, you write them, even ones who cannot kill other humans
By that reasoning would you subtract a 'D' from "The Forever War", "Armor", or "Old Man's War"? I wouldn't. The comparison on different takes of the same basic situation that so closely mirrors our society's take on war at the time makes them all shine even brighter & that includes Heinlein's which would otherwise be very dated in many respects.I thought the idea of miners was quite clever in the way it was used. The whole idea of a military changed to doing another form of tough, dangerous, dirty work was so closely related to the original mission & yet warped to alien ends. The way the author shows us this as the story progresses was masterful. He managed it without any large data dumps.
Jim wrote: "Planetfall Origins is an independently published book by Christopher George Quick. It's his only book to date, just published last year. I have no idea why I bough..."I have it on my Kindle but haven't read it yet. I think it was a freebie. I read a review that said it had typos (I hate typos) but that by the time someone else got the book, they probably would be corrected. Unfortunately, the review was dated just after I acquired the book. So it has languished on the virtual shelf in my Kindle. I do intend to get to it one of these days. Encouraging that you liked it, Jim.
I didn't notice any typos & I'm usually bothered by them too, Buck. Not saying there weren't any, but I'd guess not many. I think you'll like it.
Jim wrote: "By that reasoning would you subtract a 'D' from "The Forever War", "Armor", or "Old Man's War"? I wouldn't."No, because there are more inheritors than shadows, they are strong novels, with novel stuff and novel views, each of them.
The idea of miners is clever. The realization is weak - I see solders, not miners. There was such a thing as labor armies in the 1930s and one trying to imagine them should read about them
I don't see why this one isn't an inheritor, either. I live in the land of the New Deal, WPA, & CCC, Oleksandr.
Jim wrote: "I don't see why this one isn't an inheritor, either."Because I said so :) ok, tastes differ and let's leave at that. I just know some real miners and it seems I know more about mining while the author hasn't cared to get any info.
And with labor armies I mean more like was the ones introduced in Soviet Russia during the Russian Civil War in 1920 and in Nazi Germany in the 1930s (Reichsarbeitsdienst)
I get the difference in taste. As for the labor armies, there's a huge difference between the ones you're thinking of & those I'm more familiar with. Ours were pretty much volunteer, often a way for young men to eat & learn a trade. The reasons for a young man joining were similar, but the experience was quite different. Definitely more military. I found the comparisons & contrasts intriguing.
If we take Starship Troopers, there are not only social ideas (novel at that time) but also the first description of power armor. Take the other end, Old Man's War - not only genetically modified solders but the question of a "just war". In this novel what is techno-level of Earth w/o Celestials' help? It seems close to mid-XX century. At the same time they are perfectly fine with ape-man chimeras and androids. They don't have drones to sent recons, like modern troops already do, but androids are fine?
Actually, Doc Smith had powered armor in his Lensmen series well before Heinlein & this one had a unique look at how we'd channel aggression & why. I think you're misrepresenting the level of tech, too. Anyway, it's obvious we don't agree & we're really giving away too much of the book.
I just started The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin. I read The Three-Body Problem a while back. I think most people enjoyed it more than I did. I hope this second one is good. It has a high rating but I really haven't heard anything about it.
Buck wrote: "I just started The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin..."I liked some ideas there but his style is so... pompous, I guess. In the 2nd you're for a treat of modern China and its commissars :)
I usually try to read as much as possible of current Hugo and Nebula nominees, so that I know what is considered the best (I cannot say I enjoyed all of then though).Therefore now I read Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty, which is nominated for both. I like it
Oleksandr wrote: "I usually try to read as much as possible of current Hugo and Nebula nominees, so that I know what is considered the best (I cannot say I enjoyed all of then though)"Wow. How do you do that, Oleksandr? Just buy 'm all?
Leo wrote: "Wow. How do you do that, Oleksandr? Just buy 'm all? "Short-listed nominees are just 5-7, often a book is nominated in both. I read about 4-5 per year. The main source - overdrive library - I have several US friends who let me use their library cards. I also buy ebooks, but a small faction of what I read
Captain wrote: "haha I just read through this forum! Oleksandr thinks I am a plant by the Author!"I still do. This devotion to just one book and your absence from other threads hints on it :) However, I truly doubt you're paid
Mod
Thanks for the heads-up. I downloaded it, though probably won't read it for a long while.
I'm reading New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson, it is nominated for Hugo award for 2018. So far it is a big too leftist for my taste but the author is a great sources of ideas from other real-life authors
Oleksandr wrote: "Captain wrote: "haha I just read through this forum! Oleksandr thinks I am a plant by the Author!"I still do. This devotion to just one book and your absence from other threads hints on it :) How..."
Maybe not a plant. Possibly the author himself under a fictional name. Captain Spock's behavior is most illogical.
Randy wrote: "Maybe not a plant. Possibly the author himself under a fictional name. Captain Spock's behavior is most illogical."That is a very serious charge, Randy. Using sock puppets to promote a book is one of the few reasons I will ban someone from a group. Flagging a user &/or their post with such an accusation can get the author banned from GR & the other account deleted as well. I've asked GR support to check so we'll know for certain.
Jim wrote: "That is a very serious charge, Randy."Let the record show that I did say "possibly," Your Honor. ;-)
Jim wrote: "I've asked GR support to check so we'll know for certain."
That would be nice. I hadn't heard the term "sock puppet" before. I have had people friend me on GR and then start spamming me for reviews of their book or, worse, a book that they "loved" that happens to be the only book they've ever read. Like Oleksander I find the whole thing suspicious.
By the way, I do have author friends on GR - some who I have reached out to and others who have reached out to me - who are genuinely good folks who love books of all types, not just their own. I thoroughly enjoy my interactions with those authors and wish them all the best in their publishing careers whether I read their books or not.
I suppose to many of us reading is like religion: it's very personal in tastes and it's no fun having it jammed down our throats.
Right now I'm reading
The Mount, which is a mind f*** if I may say so; basically, aliens have taken over the Earth, and humans are now ridden and treated by them as Mounts, how we currently treat horses. Also reading
Outside In - Inside Out and Outside In are the two books of the Inside duology, which is incredible despite being YA - Dreamer and Shudder.
Rachel Adiyah wrote: "Right now I'm reading The Mount."Wasn't the idea of men as horses in Gulliver travel to the Moon?
Jim wrote: "That is a very serious charge, Randy. Using sock puppets"I feel bad tat may I downed a potentially nice writer if he is really beside it. A lot of GR groups have very sharp rules against authors' self-promotion, which can (not does) lead to more nefarious methods...
Randy wrote: "Let the record show that I did say "possibly," Your Honor. ;-)..."
You did, but it's serious enough that I think we need a firm answer. Glad you agree since I won't have a charge like that hanging around. It's potentially too explosive. That said, you all know I enjoyed Planetfall Origins & found Christopher a nice enough guy in the couple of PMs we have exchanged.
Most authors who use sock puppets aren't very smart about it. In one group I moderated, we had an author use 4 of them to swing a monthly read vote. They were all brown heads (no picture or much else in their profile) & acted very much like puppets chiming in with pretty much the same thing at the same times. There were complaints & I had to spend a couple of hours going through all those who voted to check their profiles & further in suspicious cases.
Anyway, it happens too often, is against GR policy, & I'm fairly sensitive about the practice. I realize there isn't much truth in advertising, but I have limits & this one is way over the line I draw.
Oleksandr wrote: "I feel bad tat may I downed a potentially nice writer if he is really beside it. A lot of GR groups have very sharp rules against authors' self-promotion, which can (not does) lead to more nefarious methods... "
I don't think I understand the first sentence, but if you had the thought that Christopher might also be Captain Spock then others probably did, too. Best just to clear it up & move on. If nothing else, it might get Captain Spock to post something other than gushes about Christopher's book. There are other good books out there & it doesn't do an author much good to have a one-dimensional character rooting for them.
As for group rules about self-promotion, that's entirely due to bad marketing practices by authors. Some mentioned their book in every post they made, others were pigeon authors & just crapped out the same message anywhere they felt like it in every group they could find. It got really bad for a while until GR clamped down & then there was an overreaction.
In some groups, an author can't even mention they wrote a book or use an example from their own in any topic outside their promotion topic. I think that's going too far, but I understand the backlash in some cases. Still, I quit several groups because of their draconian rules. I like to chat with authors about their books so long as they're reasonable about it.
We give an author a place to promote their book here & welcome their input about others. If they're regular members & want to occasionally compare things in their book to others in normal conversation, I don't think Jo or I will mind.
Also, in non-sock puppet news, I finished We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor and gave it 3 stars. It's a fun story about von Neumann probes that takes a while to ramp up and the first time author could probably use a bit more polish and editing but overall worth reading. Now I'm reading Old Man's War by John Scalzi which is probably the best Scalzi I've ever read, although that's not saying much. I'm probably enjoying it because there's less "snarky dialogue" than his other books. I'm not a fan of the snark.
Randy wrote: "Now I'm reading Old Man's War by John Scalzi which is probably the best Scalzi I've ever read, although that's not saying much"Do you have a strong 'Heinleinian feel' reading this book? Because I had
Oleksandr wrote: "Do you have a strong 'Heinleinian feel' reading this b..."I did, too. I liked it a lot & read a couple more, but that was enough.
Jim wrote: "Oleksandr wrote: "Do you have a strong 'Heinleinian feel' reading this b..."I did, too. I liked it a lot & read a couple more, but that was enough."
There is a strong resemblance to Starship Troopers of course. Otherwise I don't think of Heinlein often when I read Scalzi.
The Evolution of Science Fiction
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Dark Matter (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Peter F. Hamilton (other topics)Blake Crouch (other topics)
Stephen King (other topics)
Blake Crouch (other topics)
Blake Crouch (other topics)
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The mix of genres (Urban Fantasy, Horror, SF, Alternate History) is right up my alley. Demonic possession is a real, and fairly common, thing in this world. The main character is trying to get himself unpossessed.
Lots of references to other literature, but if you don't get them, it shouldn't hurt your enjoyment. I love it that in a book that straddles genres, they have characters arguing about the distinction between SF and Fantasy. And arguing about how to pronounce A.E. van Vogt. And getting advice from VALIS.
Four and 1/2 stars. I'll be looking for more from this author.