Introduce Yourself - Part 2

[Ronnie]

Greetings Roly, and welcome to the group.

[Fredrik]

Hi! I am new to Goodreads, and just joined the author program (I will post about my book in the self-promotion topic in due time). I grew up on a diet of Jules Verne, Jack Vance, Arthur C. Clarke, and lots of other sci-fi. Today, I feel most attracted to the classic sci-fi, such as Edgar Rice Burroughs and H. G. Wells. I also love old sci-fi films, e.g. from the 1950s.

I work as a language teacher in my native Sweden, and I have just started on my career as a part-time author (non-fiction).

Other than reading and writing, I like to spend my free time with my family (wife, dog and two daughters), and I also do martial arts (3rd dan black belt in ju-jutsu) and singing (I sing in and lead several choirs).

That's it about me, I guess, other than I am glad I found this great group!

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome Fredrik!

[Mars]

Hi my name is Mars!
My favourite book is Kafka on the Shore, but my favourite scifi right now is The Incal. I can't pin down a favourite genre because it changes with mood, but I love pretty much everything from fantasy, scifi, history, general fiction; really if it has a good story and compelling writing I love it regardless of genre. I love reading comics and manga as well. There is some fantastic space opera in that medium. Lately I've been reading a comic called Knights of Sidonia, which is about humans who have fled a destroyed Earth (destroyed in 2371) in this massive generation ship named Sidonia. The main story is set in 3394, 170 lightyears after their last contact with another generation ship. They are in an existential fight with what I would call "titanic space bacterium", that seems to be intent on their annihilation.
I am also currently reading Consider Phlebas by Ian M. Banks, which was recommended to me by a fellow lover of scifi. I also want to read Shadow and Claw by Gene Wolfe at some point. Oh, and Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons!
Anyway, hope to find some good recommendations here and like minded readers!
greetings!

[Betsy]

Welcome Mars.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome Mars!

[Fredrik]

Hi, Mars! I read Consider Phlebas several years ago, but did not really enjoy it that much. I do not remember exactly what I did not like about it. Not bad, just not the kind of book that really excites me.

[G.C.]

Hello!
My name's Christian. I'm a big fan of fantasy, sci-fi, space opera and all that good stuff my whole life. Love things like Star Wars, Mass Effect, Warhammer 40k and what have you.
I've been out of touch with books and reading for years now but I'm looking to get back into it. I'd love to connect with other readers and find cool books I've missed.
Glad to be here! :D

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome Christian!

[G.C.]

Thanks!

[George]

Hello, I’m George. An author, reader and massive sci fi nerd. I love reading action stories, so for me the pace of the story has to be fast. So if the book has a lot of world building, then it better be a damn good book with a bloody good pay-off. Otherwise just thrill me from page to page. Needless to say, I like thrillers, sci fi or not. But I write sci fi because where better to escape than to the stars. As a child I loved Star Wars, then I moved to Star Trek. Now it’s the Orville. DC v Marvel. Well, marvel doesn’t have Batman, so DC every single time. But I will talk about the MCU and DCEU as if they’re real, so you’ve been warned. Favourite book? Tough one. Let me think. Favourite colour is red. Back to my favourite book. It’s off genre, and it’s full of world building. But it has to be Lord of the Rings. Read it as a kid and it has just stuck with me ever since. Strangely, I have not enjoyed a single fantasy book since. Tried George RR Martin and Brandon Sanderson, but just couldn’t get into them. See, it has to be fast paced. But favourite sci fi thriller? I would say The Martian. It was just great, and it made me laugh out loud. Anyway, that’s me for now. George

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome George!

[Fredrik]

George wrote: "Hello, I’m George. An author, reader and massive sci fi nerd. I love reading action stories, so for me the pace of the story has to be fast. So if the book has a lot of world building, then it bett..."

George, did you ever try Edgar Rice Burroughs? His best sci-fi, e.g. The Gods of Mars or The Warlord of Mars, have a blinding pace and are great fun to read. They are old, so they reflect semi-victorian values regarding women, for example, and his "science" is terrible, but for pure entertainment he is hard to beat.

[Sydney]

Hi everyone! My name is Sydney. I'm from Arkansas. Just a southern lady looking for other bookworms with whom to discuss books. No one in my personal life where I live reads as much as I do or of the same genre's I prefer. It's mid-month, so I may not start the group readings until October. Currently Reading: R. A. Salvatore's 1st Legend of Drizzt book, and John Gwynne's Shadow of the Gods.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome Sydney! Feel free to nominate or second a book for October on the nomination threads. And also feel free to add comments on old discussion threads, if you have read the book it is about.

[Sydney]

Teresa wrote: "Welcome Sydney! Feel free to nominate or second a book for October on the nomination threads. And also feel free to add comments on old discussion threads, if you have read the book it is about."

Thanks!

[NewHampsterCommuter]

Hi everyone! My name is Jen, and I am a history and economics teacher who spends about 3.5 hours commuting a day. Space opera audiobooks are my latest "treat" for the trip home.

Favorite authors in speculative fiction include Octavia E. Butler, Ursula K. LeGuin, Martha Wells, and Iain M. Banks. I just discovered (and devoured) The Murderbot Diaries #1-4: : All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy series. Anything similar—especially with the same sense of humor—are welcome recommendations. I am reading (i.e. listening to) my first Adrian Tchaikovsky book, Shards of Earth, and am really enjoying it. I see it was a previous book of the month pick, so I feel I'm in the right place.

In TV, I loved Firefly and The Expanse. Dating myself, I was once shamelessly obsessed with Babylon 5, and I am a long-time fan of Battlestar Galactica (both the original when I was a kid and the updated version much later).

I look forward to seeing the recs here, and I plan to do some of the monthly reading picks, as long as I can find it on audiobook from either Libby or Scribd. (Audible is too expensive for what it is, so that leaves a lot out of my reach.) Thanks in advance for your recommendations!

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome Jen!

[Sarah]

Hello Everyone,
My name's Sarah. I'm Head of Physics at a Secondary School in England. Love of sci-fi led me to be a science teacher.
Favourite authors - William Gibson, Iain M. Banks, Ken MacLeod, Ken MacLeod, Ken MacLeodMichael Marshall Smith.
I'm looking forward to finding new people to read.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome Sarah! We have nomination threads open for January group reads. Feel free to nominate or second a book! Browsing through our group’s bookshelf will give you a lot of space opera books to consider reading too.

[Glen]

I began Goodreads several years ago as a devote Stephen King fan. I’ve branched out significantly since and sci-fi has become one of my more ‘apt to’ pick up genre. Since I’ve read To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, The Rage War trilogy, Sleeping Giants trilogy and now Altered Carbon: Takeshi Kovaks, I figured it was time to drift over to a group of ‘like’ minded readers. So hello!

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome Glen!

[gabby ୨୧]

name: gabby

favorite books: caraval, if we were villains, dear edward

favorite genres: sci-fi, fantasy, young adult, unspicy romance

favorite tv shows: lost in space, wednesday, his dark materials, shadow and bone

favorite movies: harry potter, jurassic park, ready player one, matrix

favorite food: new york style cheesecake and pretzels

day job: aspiring author

hobbies: reading, writing, playing the cello, learning trivia, watching my comfort shows

other: i'm in the astronomy club at my school!

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome Gabby!

[Caed]

Hello everyone, I am Caed Aldwych and I am excited to be here and see what folks are reading in this, one of my favorite genres. I have had a long career in technology so seeing some of the newer ideas coming out from space authors has been quite fascinating in terms of future and present technology.

I am also interested in history and the mixing of space with westerns is also one of my loves, like in the short-lived series Firefly.

So far, my favorite novel series is from James S.A. Corey's "The Expanse." which I read some time ago before the television series came out. I read the entire series while deployed in Afghanistan and was probably the highlight of my time over there.

I look forward to seeing what everyone here is reading as I am always on the lookout for a great, somewhat realistic space opera series. Please let me know of any great ones out there, can't wait to find my next adventure.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome Caed!

[Caed]

Teresa wrote: "Welcome Caed!"

Thank you Teresa :)

[C. John]

Been awhile since I have seen one of these pieces of junk. Guess I will have flag it when I get on my computer, using my phone right now.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I deleted the one on this thread, and flagged the other two. I want some evidence to stay behind so the account gets banned from all Goodreads, not just from our group.

Edit: spammer has been removed from our group, and I deleted the spammer’s posts here. Same posts were made by this account elsewhere on Goodreads so I reported the account so it gets blocked eventually.

[bob]

Hey, I am a writer (published some short stories and novellas back in the 80’s) and reader. Started writing again after retiring. Finished two novels that are making the rounds. My third is going to be a full on multiple POV space opera, so I am tanking up trying to read all I can to get in the zone.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome Bob!

[Clayton]

Hi Everybody! My name is Clayton (retired) and I live off-grid in a remot-ish mountain valley of Washington state (USA). The chipmunks around here aren't interested in talking about books, so I'm hoping my luck is better with this group! Cheers!

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome Clayton!

[Jonathan]

C. John wrote: "Jonathon, coffee always counts, and don’t let anyone tell you different."

Hahaha, I'm not listening to the naysayers. Just pouring another cup of the secret elixir every morning.

[C. John]

Jonathan wrote: "C. John wrote: "Jonathon, coffee always counts, and don’t let anyone tell you different."

Hahaha, I'm not listening to the naysayers. Just pouring another cup of the secret elixir every morning."

No wonder I didn't recognize that comment of mine. That one was a long time ago.

[Jonathan]

C. John wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "C. John wrote: "Jonathon, coffee always counts, and don’t let anyone tell you different."

Hahaha, I'm not listening to the naysayers. Just pouring another cup of the secret elixir..."

We were different people back then. That version of myself didn't have gray hair.

[C. John]

I have had gray hair for so long it seems natural to have it. Now my hair is gray, missing and long. At least I think it is long. I have so little in front I don't really see it. I would probably make a good mad scientist, except my science knowledge t'aint the best.

[Jonathan]

C. John wrote: "I have had gray hair for so long it seems natural to have it. Now my hair is gray, missing and long. At least I think it is long. I have so little in front I don't really see it. I would probably m..."

lol well said, I always think of myself as a mad scientist but instead of mixing chemicals I'm mixing words.

[Michael]

Greetings,

My name is Michael, and I enjoy all forms of science fiction, from games to movies. My dilemma: books, the written word of the endless void, and the epic sagas in them. I don't read much, so I came here looking for stories that can suck me into the meat and potatoes of an adventure and characters I can fall in love with.

Too often have I picked up a science fiction novel, and everything feels like it's written backward, broken, or not everyday human speech, and sounds like Yoda. I assume it's all about pacing, but I have difficulty reading like that and I'm looking for advice on what book to try next.

Thank you for your time and suggestions.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome Michael! Two that I recommend are Mirabile by Janet Kagan and Bob's Saucer Repair by Jerry Boyd.

[Betsy]

Welcome, Michael. Two I would recommend are the Murderbot Diaries, starting with All Systems Red, and the Ishmael Wang series, starting with Quarter Share.

[C. John]

Not sure I am the best person to suggest writers/series/what have you. My tastes tend to older writers. Thus I am not as familiar with the newer writers as others on this site are,

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome Jared!

[Synek]

Be welcomed Jared!

[Ilana]

Hi there! My name is Shoshana, and I'm super happy to be in this group. I am an author, but I'm into the high fantasy end of things -- though obviously, I devour space operas like a hungry lizard.

Is it an unpopular opinion to hate the Star Trek original pilot?! That's my burning question. 🙋‍♀️ (In all seriousness, I would love to hear everyone's recs. :D)

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Welcome Shoshanna! I read fantasy as well as space opera, and I’m not the only one in our group who does that. There are a lot of good books on the groups bookshelf, and we will start discussing two good books very soon.

[C. John]

Shoshana wrote: "Hi there! My name is Shoshana, and I'm super happy to be in this group. I am an author, but I'm into the high fantasy end of things -- though obviously, I devour space operas like a hungry lizard.
..."
Not sure if it is an unpopular one or not but it is a valid one. After all the network wasn't enthused with it and commissioned a second one. I presume you are talking about "The Cage".

[Ilana]

C. John wrote: "Shoshana wrote: "Hi there! My name is Shoshana, and I'm super happy to be in this group. I am an author, but I'm into the high fantasy end of things -- though obviously, I devour space operas like ..."

That is true!!!! I'm sorry, it sounded so much funnier in my head to say that instead of actually typing it 😂

[C. John]

Not surprising. When we talk we use tone and inflection and such to partially get our message across. And of course some people also talk with their hands as well as the mouth. All that is missing on the printed page. By the way, welcome to the group. There is always room for one more in the limousine, as J. J. Dillon used to say,

[Ilana]

C. John wrote: "Not surprising. When we talk we use tone and inflection and such to partially get our message across. And of course some people also talk with their hands as well as the mouth. All that is missing ..."

Thank you so much! I'm happy to be here.