SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
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Thanks for the add CodyIt is uncommon these days for young people to read as much. Im on a losing battle to try and get my younger siblings to read, but will try anyway.
And also i am gamer myself but have decided to put the pad down and become a full time reader. Im even looking to buy a kindle.
Just wondering whats peoples views on getting a kindle. I do love the art of collecting books and so fourth but i always find i finish a book then wait about a month to get another one.
Let me know what you guys think.
Cody wrote: "it's trying to be serious, yet has aliens in it who act like humans" and "I'll check out those books you've mentioned..."Hi Cody
Thanks for the reply - and broadly speaking, I agree with you, though I think you may be overstating your case.
The problem with aliens acting human is as you say, they might as well be human - but on the other hand, if they act truly alien they are likely to be incomprehensible. References: An early James Blish short - can't remember the title - lone pilot on experimental vessel returns from alien contact with vague memories of talking in irregular german plurals - the something Beademungen 'with all of love'. Also Robert L Forward's works "Flight of the Dragonfly" and maybe "Dragon's Egg" - those aliens are about as alien as I can go and still understand them. I also thought about early Hal Clement - "Mission of Gravity" - but those aliens are definitely human in motivation.
As for the examples I mentioned earlier - be warned - you could be five or six books into the Dragonflight series before you start to see any SF - the early ones (by publication order, not sequence/chronological order) are pure Fantasy. And the Julian May is an 8-volume (8 large volume!) epic!
Cheers.
Dominic wrote: "Thanks for the add Cody
It is uncommon these days for young people to read as much. Im on a losing battle to try and get my younger siblings to read, but will try anyway.
And also i am gamer myse..."
I absolutely love my kindle. It's the paperwhite version. It is probably the best thing I've ever spent money on.
It only takes a few minutes to become completely comfortable reading with it, but afterwards it will be hard going back to physical books.
What makes it even better is the fact that kindle books are generaly cheaper and you get them almost instantly. Plus there are a lot of free or super cheap (mine is $0.99) self-published books available on the kindle.
It is uncommon these days for young people to read as much. Im on a losing battle to try and get my younger siblings to read, but will try anyway.
And also i am gamer myse..."
I absolutely love my kindle. It's the paperwhite version. It is probably the best thing I've ever spent money on.
It only takes a few minutes to become completely comfortable reading with it, but afterwards it will be hard going back to physical books.
What makes it even better is the fact that kindle books are generaly cheaper and you get them almost instantly. Plus there are a lot of free or super cheap (mine is $0.99) self-published books available on the kindle.
Alan wrote: "Cody wrote: "it's trying to be serious, yet has aliens in it who act like humans" and "I'll check out those books you've mentioned..."
Hi Cody
Thanks for the reply - and broadly speaking, I agre..."
I agree with you to a point. Biologically speaking, there are only so many motivations that drive organisms, be they human or alien, such as the need to survive. So, aliens don't necessarily have to be completely incomprehensible, just different enough to warrant interest.
I actually started "Dragons Egg" the other day, which is what made me think of this whole thing to begin with. Liking it so far.
Hi Cody
Thanks for the reply - and broadly speaking, I agre..."
I agree with you to a point. Biologically speaking, there are only so many motivations that drive organisms, be they human or alien, such as the need to survive. So, aliens don't necessarily have to be completely incomprehensible, just different enough to warrant interest.
I actually started "Dragons Egg" the other day, which is what made me think of this whole thing to begin with. Liking it so far.
Hi everyone, been reading fantasy since the early 80s, read lots of books over the years and as you can see by my to read list have lots more to read.Enjoying urban fantasy at the moment.
Cody wrote: "Biologically speaking, there are only so many motivations that drive organisms, be they human or alien, such as the need to survive. So, aliens don't necessarily have to be completely incomprehensible, just different enough to warrant interest..."Hi Cody
Room there for a major thesis in exobiology! This debate could run & run.
Start here with Maslow's heirarchy. We can assume a fairly closely corresponding set of physiological needs for any alien, but the further you go up the pyramid, into the safety, social and self areas the stranger things could get. Maslow is pretty old hat now (50 years out of date!) but is still used for social analyses, though there are competing methods available.
For serious academic exobiology the only name I know is Jack Cohen - and I don't think he has published much academic stuff recently (fair enough, he's even older than me!) though he was involved as consultant in a pretty good a BBC TV series a couple of years ago. For another oddball alien, take a look at the single organism in Peter Hamilton's "Pandora's Star" - it is an interesting concept, though I wasn't that impressed with the rest of the book.
I live in Indiana and have long enjoyed science fiction. I work as a Director of Workflow Services for Pearson Education as well as reach technical writing at IUPUI.I love space opera, but I read a lot outside of the genre as well, including history, poetry, and crime fiction, particularly noir. I saw Star Wars when but a lad at a drive-in theater, marking my entrance to being a science fiction fan. I don't read a lot of fantasy, but that's probably because I prefer spaceships for no good reason other than I think they are cool.
When aliens, not primitive, interact with humans they, and us, will try to understand each other. And given our short history of civilization most probably they will be at least as advanced as us. Thus, they will try to go down to our level and that will mean that they would seem to behave as humans. I do not think that we will ever encounter a civilization at our development level, the probability of that event is zero. So, three options. They are much more advanced and friendly.
They are more advanced and destructive.
They are indifferent to us.
In my series 'living dangerously in utopia' artificial intelligence has provided the means of understanding. And thus all, aliens and us, communicate in standardized languages and through avatars that behave in understandable ways.
Thank you,
Humberto Contreras
Hi to everyone reading this. My name is Tim and I am married with two young daughters living in Minneapolis. I fell in love with reading sci/fi and fantasy as a child with books such as Lord of the Rings, Dune, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I spent many hours in grade school writing fantasy stories -many of which I rediscovered when my mom pulled them out a box she saved on a shelf in her closet. Recently I have jumped back in with the Song of Fire and Ice (at least the first three books), Harry Potter and the Wizard of Oz (reading to my daughters). In the past 6 months I decided to write a story I had been telling my girls while we hiked. I am looking forward to reading much more in these genres and taking recommendations from the group. Cheers!
Hey all! New to GR, new to this group and new to being an author. Growing up, film and television were a much bigger impact on me when it came to sci-fi and it wasn't until my adult life that I went back and started really becoming interested in some of the classics (Dick, Asimov, etc)I've always love chatting about books, characters and other worlds, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what GR and this group is all about!
Well I am new here, and usually am terrible at these things. I always feel like I'm at an AA meeting. So Hi, I'm Steven, and I have been obsessed with sci fi for as long as I can remember. Because of work and school I have not had a fix for one year. I came here as a chance to explore more fantasy/science fiction books that I haven't had a chance to read yet. I'm a pretty open person so if you want to know anything about me, just ask. I hope that I can find a spot in this book club and that I can read some books I have never tried before.
Steven wrote: "Well I am new here, and usually am terrible at these things. I always feel like I'm at an AA meeting. So Hi, I'm Steven, and I have been obsessed with sci fi for as long as I can remember. Becau..."
If you're still short on time, I'd recommend the original novelette (as opposed to the collection and other follow-ons) Wool by Hugh Howey. It's free on Amazon as an eBook.
Hi im Anna and have a growing love for sci fi which I started reading through a love of fantasy Ringworld is my favourite sci fi so far (not that I've read a lot)
Hi Anna,Glad to have you join the Scifi/fantasy crowd. I'm a bit biased, but I think those are the best genres :)
GoodReads is a great place to find new things to read and see what other authors are out there that you might find you'll enjoy.
Ted
Steven wrote: "I hope that I can find a spot in this book club and that I can read some books I have never tried before. "Many of us have our own favorites that may or may not fit your tastes. If you can give us an idea of what you do and don't like and how much reading time you have, perhaps we can come up with stories that are more likely to suit you.
Also, do you have an eBook reader or prefer paper only? Many new books are only available in electronic format.
I actually have a kindle, and the kindle app on my phone. Thank you for the warm welcome and I can't wait to jump into reading the May books.
Hello everyone!My name is David, I'm married with no kids (a puppy though). I'll be getting my degree from ASU this May, and I love to read a lot of genres, but mainly fantasy. I hope to one day finish my own novel and get it published somewhere.
Looking to have some fun here.
hi. i'm luis. looking for people who love to talk sci- fi and fantasy and looks like i found the place. I read all over the genres. contemporary,epic,military, dark. you get the idea. i've been on an indie kick for a while now. the spelling might be iffy but the stories are usually ok. really i'm a sucker for just about any story. i'm pretty eazy to entertain.
Hi,I'm Bruce Arrington and glad to join the group. Introductions are weird things like, what do you say, what don't you say so you'll not sound (fill in the blank), etc. For me, I got hooked on YA and younger science fiction since I was a kid. I enjoy a good story whether by trad or indy publisher. It's so cool to use your imagination and mind-travel where few have ever gone before....uh-oh, it's the Trekkie in me now coming out (sorry).
Anyway, happy to be here!
Hello, my name is Tony, and I'm new to Goodreads and this group. I've read more science fiction, fantasy, and horror books than I can possibly list (I'm 40, another relatively old-timer). When I was twelve, I started checking short story collections out of the library. I would stay up all night reading Ray Bradbury by flashlight (which is why my eyesight is so terrible today!) I moved on to Harlan Ellison, Vonnegut, and Philip K. Dick. As I got older, I branched out to Clive Barker and Stephen King.
I'm an author of science fiction short stories, amongst other things. I'm also an electrician, animator, doodler, and father of two.
It's a pleasure to meet all of you.
-Tony
Welcome all! We do love talking fantasy and science fiction around here and the group starts Cat's Cradle and Magician in a few days which should both make for really interesting discussions. I hope you'll all join in! :)
Hello all. My name is Eric and I live in Florida. A few random facts about me: I'm an attorney, I speak Russian, and I play guitar. I used to read a lot, then law school and being a lawyer sort of beat it out of me. But being a parent has helped me rediscover books. Pretty well read overall, just not recently. Would take days to add all the books I've read onto GR profile.
Hellooo!I'm David,
And I am really into anything scifi related, as well as fantasy. I am new to the whole book club scene. I am also new to reading as much as I have been. I never really liked to read growing up, but now I read non stop whenever I get the chance. I am finishing up Star Wars scoundrels and going into the wheel of time. If anyone has any other good suggestions please let me know! Sorry if my grammar is off I am writing this on my cellphone. Mobile devices are very convenient!
HiI'm Jim, read fantasy and SF,but also write them. Not sure I can mention the books on this thread so won't.
The authors I like best? Jack Vance, Matthew Hughes are the names that come immediately to mind but there is a lot of other good stuff out there
Hi folks. I'm an ear, nose, and throat doc living in Bakersfield, California. I've read SF&F for as long as I've been able to read. The Path Beyond The Stars was my first - I think I got it for fifty cents, which should tell you approximately how old I am. I don't remember much about it, but I loved the cover. Over the years, I've been a big fan of Vonnegut, PK Dick, Silverberg, Vance, Pohl, and Varley. More recently, I've been reading a lot of Mieville, Pratchett, and GRR Martin (yeah, I caught the GoT bug). Oh, and I write, too :)
Hi and welcome everyone I've missed.
Hi!I'm Emelie and love to read fantasy and sci-fi. Mostly I like dark, gritty and realistic fantasy and dystopian and space/tech sci-fi.
I also read various other genres, having an open mind and will try anything that sounds good no matter the genre, like historical, drama and non-fiction about science, literature and history.
Hm yeah! Hiya!
I was born in 1979 to a teacher mother who instilled reading as a staple passion in me as early as four years of age. My father was an endless source of the highest grade of sci fi and fantasy authors and I recall him telling me stories of the Flying Sorcerers when I was a lad of 6 or 7.
I read The Hobbit in second grade and I was hooked. I consumed everything I could get my hands on for the next twelve years...
And then technology caught me in its inexorable grip and reading fell to the wayside. A 300 page book now took me two months to read, as my distraction by gadgets, games and glorious tech left me unable to read but a few pages a day in my frenetic fury of distraction.
The calm and purity of reading has only come back to me in the past few months. And at 34 I'm reminded of how amazing it was half my life ago to curl up with Asimov, Aspirin, Heinlein or Zelazny.
This is where I need to be, thank you for having me
Hi everyone. My name is Eric and i live in waterloo il. I am married with two kiddos and a dog. I have recently finished the third installment of the demon cycle and i also finished the Mistborn trilogy. I absolutely loved the demon cycle and thought mistborn was pretty good. I also loved the Night Angel trilogy. I am looking for something new now and would like a few suggestions. Thanks yall
Welcome Joran, Eric. You should get lots of suggestions here.
Hi everyone. I'm a 37 year-old long-time sci fi and moderate fantasy enthusiast. I read "The Hobbit" in sixth grade, and became hooked, along with quickly becoming a fan of Arthur C. Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein and Larry Niven. I'm obsessed with extrapolating the future. What will it be like? What stories are realistic? What can we expect in our lifetimes and beyond? I tend to like authors that explore those themes in a realistic manner, along with big concept sci fi. If they can do it with good characters, all the better.
I wish everyone the best, and I look forward to finding out about decent reads in the threads!
Hi, I'm Vicky, a mum and medical student from Bristol, UK. Have always loved sci-fi and fantasy (although will read anything well written). I'm looking forward to getting some new suggestions here. Cheers
Vicky
Hello! Marius from Fredrikstad, Norway. Liked fantasy for aslong as I can remember. Very open for recommendations. Finished the (current) A Song of Ice And Fire novels, as well as (of course) Harry Potter. Proud opponent of Twilight (she tried, though she has to admit defeat this time). Starting The Wheel of Time, The Dark Tower by Stephen King and Terry Goodkind soon.
Hi Vicky, Marius, welcome.
I identify myself as a HUGE fan of Science Fiction and Fantasy and HUGE fan of books. I go to SF fan cons, and even volunteer at such events; for your information, fan conventions are different from the huge gated shows you've most likely heard of and the examples are San Diego ComiCon, New York ComicCon, and that ilk. I run a SF book reading group in the San Bernardino/Riverside area of Southern California. And I helped organize a SF book reading group when I lived in the Chicago 'burb. Question, to the group at large, there had to be some objection and resistance to combining together in the group's name Science Fiction along with Fantasy because I know many in fannish groups who would tell you those two categories of texts have 'nothing to do with each other'? TTYL
I agree with U. But that depends on the definition. . If SF & Fantasy are considered as work of the imagination then they fit in the same group. Also all novels. I believe that we are used to mix them together, forever.
H
Humberto wrote: "I agree with U. But that depends on the definition. . If SF & Fantasy are considered as work of the imagination then they fit in the same group. Also all novels. I believe that we are used to mix ..." To claify, I think the distinction is one without a difference. Futhermore, I think those that go about defining the difference through tropes and cliches used by writers come out sounding silly; consider OSC saying, 'trees, wizards, magic = fantasy, and rayguns, nuts and bolts, spaceships = science fiction" that sounds as silly as most things OSC says.
Hi there, just joined the group. I'm a big fan of Fantasy and to a lesser extent Science Fiction, so I'm looking forward to joining the discussions here.I'm Dutch, but have been living in the UK for close to 14 years now. One of the first novels I remember reading as a teenager was Volkhavaar by Tanith Lee, and of course The Lord of the Rings.
I will say it outright - I am also an (aspiring) author, but my interest in this group is as a reader first and foremost.
Greetings! In case you couldn't guess, my folks were Tolkein freaks, so of course, I grew up immersed in fantasy and sci-fi--books, TV shows, movies. I enjoy all types of fantasy, from traditional to urban, and, though I read a lot of hard sci-fi when I was younger, I tend to go more for the soft, sociological stuff now. A few of my favorite authors are Kate Elliot, Janny Wurts, Leslie Ann Moore, Terry Brooks, and Mike Robinson. I look forward to sharing in the discussions!
Hi, welcome...I say that a lot don't I?
Hey Allan, have you compered at Gatecon?
Having Galadriel as a name... Freakin awesome!
Hi everyone,My name is Anthony and I'm an avid reader, thinker, and author of SciFi. All my life I've been a big reader, and really started to take to SciFi that had futuristic dystopian elements incorporated into the storyline. I think SciFi, in some sections of society, gets labelled in a negative light- as though we are all geeks? If so, I'm a full blown geek and love it.
Hi, you should like it here...though I'm not sure if I'm a geek or a nerd???
Hello! My husband & I are “Warneke Reading” and we are super excited to be a part of Goodreads!! Our passion for reading has led us to begin a business of proofreading. We love books! Some of our favorites are: The Lord of the Rings series and the original Dune series. My husband loves Terry Brooks and Tim Dorsey. I’m a huge fan of Charlaine Harris and Michael Crichton. We both love almost any genre, but probably have read more in fantasy and scifi. I also love classic writers like Austen and Dickens. And my husband enjoys graphic novels like Watchmen.
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SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
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I'm 22 and although I've read this and that all my life (and read a lot for school, but... not the same) I just recently (July) decided to create the reading habit within me and oh boy! Have I enjoyed it.
I really like sci-fi and fantasy and as someone mentioned, I like them separately (maybe I haven't found a novel that makes a good fusion out of both of them). I am currently reading Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson and waiting for my Ender Quartet box set to arrive (I try to read in the original language when I can, so importation takes a while hehe).
I am a communication student, video game/technology/music/movies journalist and editor and love to find and talk to more people with both similar or radically different tastes.
Regardging scifi I'm currently looking for some good transhumanism and/or space fleet action novels.
I'm glad to be here with you all. :D