Error Pop-Up - Close Button Must be signed in and friends with that member to view that page.

readers advisory for all discussion

53 views
so ask already!!! > Generation Spaceship

Comments Showing 1-31 of 31 (31 new)    post a comment »
dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Nadine (new)

Nadine | 51 comments I really enjoyed the idea of VERY secluded society in a generation spaceship as in Across the Universe, Glow and (view spoiler). (Put that as a spoiler as it isn't all that clear at the start of the book.)
Are there similar (dystopian) books out there? Thanks for your help!


message 2: by karen, future RA queen (new)

karen (karenbrissette) | 1315 comments Mod
i am just bumping this one as well, because i think it got lost in the shuffle. sorry.


message 3: by Nadine (new)

Nadine | 51 comments Thanks :-)


message 4: by karen, future RA queen (new)

karen (karenbrissette) | 1315 comments Mod
i feel like flannery would know some of these....


message 5: by Mir (new)

Mir | 191 comments You might want to keep an eye on the suggestions people make here: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/6...


message 6: by Eh?Eh! (new)

Eh?Eh! | 51 comments Lovelock fits that description, from the perspective of an enhanced capuchin.

I feel like I've read more secluded-society-generation-spaceship books. I'll try to remember.


message 7: by karen, future RA queen (new)

karen (karenbrissette) | 1315 comments Mod
capuchin!!

(is my contribution)


message 8: by [deleted user] (new)

The concluding story in the collection The Birthday of the World and Other Stories called "Paradises Lost" takes place on a generational starship. It might even be a novella at 100+ pages. It is a haunting story.


message 9: by Eh?Eh! (new)

Eh?Eh! | 51 comments Oh! I just read Leviathan Wakes, which doesn't take place on the SSGS (secluded-society-generation-spaceship) but the ship has a key role towards the end. Heh, the ship is called the Nauvoo.


message 10: by [deleted user] (new)

Oh, and Paradises Lost has a secluded society within a secluded society. Yeesh.


message 11: by Mir (new)

Mir | 191 comments Not completely secluded, but Falling Free is about people genetically engineered to work in zero gravity, living on a space station.


message 12: by Flannery, html whiz (last edited Oct 14, 2011 02:33AM) (new)

Flannery (flannabanana) | 63 comments Mod
Nadine, since those are all YA books, you might also try the Galahad series by Dom Testa. The first one is The Comet's Curse. It is a contained spaceship but everyone starts out as teens. (but the ship design is similar to the feel of both Across the Universe and Glow)

Also, if you are interest in space-related YA, I have a whole shelf of those books here. Another book from that list that sounds like it has a generational spaceship-type deal going on is The Mayflower Project.

They don't involve spaceships (well, not completely) but you might also dig Academy 7 (because of the romantic element), The Game (because of the action/mystery), and the Ender/Shadow series by Orson Scott Card. (because it is the most well-known YA space stuff out there. Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow are the two beginning books.)

Edit: I just looked at your shelves and you rated The Game 4 stars. (It was released earlier as Invitation to the Game)


message 13: by Nadine (new)

Nadine | 51 comments Wow, thank you all for your input! I will make my way through the suggestions, some sound really great at first sight. :-) I will let you know which one made it to my to be read pile and how I liked them.


message 14: by karen, future RA queen (new)

karen (karenbrissette) | 1315 comments Mod
great! we love feedback! even those of us who contributed nothing to the suggestion-pile!


message 15: by Nadine (new)

Nadine | 51 comments First bit of feedback: I instantly had to get a copy of The Comet's Curse It sounds really good. But I think a lot more of your suggestions will make it. Ender`s Game has been crossing my way again and again when I was looking for books, so I think I will give in and get that one as well. It seems to be insisting to be read by me.


message 16: by Nadine (last edited Oct 14, 2011 07:38AM) (new)

Nadine | 51 comments Eh?Eh! wrote: "Lovelock fits that description, from the perspective of an enhanced capuchin.

I feel like I've read more secluded-society-generation-spaceship books. I'll try to remember."


I am not entirely sure I want to read a book narrated by a capuchin. It might be just perfect though. Did you read and enjoy it? The story itself sounds promising and indeed just what I am looking for.
Edit: Ok, it was a bargain as well, so I am giving it a shot. :-)


message 17: by Nadine (new)

Nadine | 51 comments Ceridwen wrote: "The concluding story in the collection The Birthday of the World and Other Stories called "Paradises Lost" takes place on a generational starship. It might even be a novella at 100+ pa..."

That sounds really good as well, I do love short stories...


message 18: by Nadine (new)

Nadine | 51 comments The Mayflower Project sounds great as well... I might get an overkill of that genre ;-). But actually I enjoy reading books with similar themes, I love to compare. :-) And how can you NOT give a 1 Cent book (plus shipping though) a new and loving home?


message 19: by Eh?Eh! (last edited Oct 14, 2011 10:04AM) (new)

Eh?Eh! | 51 comments Nadine wrote: "I am not entirely sure I want to read a book narrated by a capuchin. It might be just perfect though. Did you read and enjoy it? The story itself sounds promising and indeed just what I am looking for.
Edit: Ok, it was a bargain as well, so I am giving it a shot. :-)"


Woohoo! I read it as a pre-teen and was shocked by some of it. I did love it, although my love has waned in the manymany eons since I read it. For your own reading experience, I hope you like it!


message 20: by [deleted user] (new)

In a weird convergence, I was poking around the books listed in the First Reads giveaway program, and a generational starship novel was listed: Unity Alpha. Obviously, I have not read this, but hey! Giveaway!


message 21: by karen, future RA queen (new)

karen (karenbrissette) | 1315 comments Mod
capuchin!


message 22: by Eh?Eh! (new)

Eh?Eh! | 51 comments Enhanced capuchin!


message 23: by Nadine (new)

Nadine | 51 comments Unfortunately they only give the Giveaway away (;-) ) to people in the US and Canada. I am in Germany, so Ican't participate. It does does interesting though.


message 24: by Nadine (new)

Nadine | 51 comments Ceridwen wrote: "In a weird convergence, I was poking around the books listed in the First Reads giveaway program, and a generational starship novel was listed: Unity Alpha. Obviously, I have not re..."

Ah just 99 Cent as a Kindle file. That is almost like a giveaway! :-)


message 25: by [deleted user] (new)

Oh, whoops, I didn't notice where you were located. But cheap! So, good!


message 26: by Nadine (last edited Oct 16, 2011 07:22AM) (new)

Nadine | 51 comments Ok, reporting back now: I just finished Unity Alpha and it was indeed fitting what I was looking for in terms of being a generation spaceship (within an asteroid). It sounded great so I gave it a shot. BUt I have to say I was highly disappointed. It felt like an amateur's novel, which doesn't have to be a bad thing. Non professionals wrote great stuff, often before they decided to do it full time.
I had problems to imagine the rotating asteroid and the physics somehow, which surely partly was my fault, but I think it wasn't explained/sold in a convincing way.
The protagonists, a female police officer and a male technician are investigating some odd occurences and find out more and more about who is behind some strange power outages and missing items. The story is constructed in a boring way, they each stumble over mysterious things, then meet up to talk about it, then stumble over more stuff and talk about it again. I never cared for the characters and much less about their slowly growing fondness for each other. In short it all felt terribly constructed. I would have hoped for a better, more complex, maybe morally more interesting cause for the mysterious things happening. There is an interesting idea behind it all, but it seems dealt with as just a crazy scientist messing around.
It was a good suggestion and I don't mind having read the book as it covered the theme I was looking for and I am interested it at the moment, but it really felt like a cheapish detective story with an air of science fiction, when I was looking for something rather dealing with the problems of an enclosed society in a generation space ship. I hope I don't sound too negative about the book and the suggestion. It wasn't suggested by someone having read it anyway. And my verdict is that it isn't really recomendable.
I will keep you updated once I read more of your suggestions :-).


message 27: by Shanshad (new)

Shanshad Whelan | 15 comments Didn't see it here but thought I'd add this one, it's a YA title from some time ago, but I did like the story. Earthseed


message 28: by Grey (new)

Grey Wolf | 29 comments Non Stop by Brian Aldiss, that's very good!


message 29: by Nadine (new)

Nadine | 51 comments Thank you! Will have a look!


message 30: by [deleted user] (new)

Starglass is out soon, a YA novel about a generation ship.


message 31: by karen, future RA queen (new)

karen (karenbrissette) | 1315 comments Mod
yes!!!! yes!!!! it is good!!!!


back to top