For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
  • 1
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
User avatar
By OCB
#1687796
Genghis the Engineer wrote:Yes - I was deeply unimpressed with Starship troopers when it first came out, but re-watching it since, it's grown on me massively. In particular the very clever exploitation of RH's views of a military democracy.

Incidentally, if you're an RH fan, did you see that a few years ago somebody found the original text of Stranger in a strange land and published it - considerably longer than the original form. In my opinion far better for it; but since it was published, we have developed a much greater appetite for very long novels, particularly in the SF and Fantasy genres.

G


I didn't know about the long version - think I've got a link and will read on the train - thx!

I could revert to Sci Fi geek and explain the evolution of the genre - but that would be
a. condescending
b. futile, since so many have done it better than I could (and, resistance is futile.....)

I used to - many years ago - collect 1920s->mid 1970s sci-fi books. The cheaper the better. If they'd been clipped, used as ballast, ex-library - all the better. It was such an unloved genre I took pleasure in looking after it's strays. Picking up a Ray Bradbury for 5p etc, those were the days.
User avatar
By rf3flyer
#1687839
Well if you're going to talk about Science Fiction from the old days I'm pretty sure back then it was simply SF, not Sci-Fi.
My dad had a subscription for Astounding which was my introduction to the genre back in the fifties.
User avatar
By OCB
#1687847
rf3flyer wrote:Well if you're going to talk about Science Fiction from the old days I'm pretty sure back then it was simply SF, not Sci-Fi.
My dad had a subscription for Astounding which was my introduction to the genre back in the fifties.


Nice - I hope you still have them :)

I used to see whole collections for sale, at prices that are unimaginable now. 20 quid or thereabouts. I just didn’t have the money otherwise I’d still have them, that and Galaxy collections etc.

for ages in my part of the world we pronounced it “skiffy”. One unfortunate associate of ours advertised a SF gathering in Belfast in the late 80s, not knowing that the abbreviation had a rather politically charged local meaning.
User avatar
By Dave W
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1851365
Very much recommend Weir's latest, Project Hail Mary.

His second novel, Artemis, was disappointing/nothing special -it was more a character-driven mystery; not his forte.

The protagonist of PHM, like The Martian, is another competent but flawed problem solver but with more at stake and with... others involved. :wink:
Rob P, Pete L, akg1486 and 1 others liked this
User avatar
By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1851382
I read The Martian very early on when Keef recommended it and remember thinking at the time- ‘that would make a great movie’

The next one, Artemis, was a disappointing pot-boiler but I’ll give PHM a try……
User avatar
By akg1486
#1851394
Dave W wrote:Very much recommend Weir's latest, Project Hail Mary.

Ordered! Thanks for the tip; I liked The Martian very much.
Dave W liked this
User avatar
By Pete L
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1852935
Neal Stephenson's SevenEves is another good long timescale problem solver but not as much of a personal story.
User avatar
By stevelup
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1852941
Just under 33 hours... That'll do :)



-edit- ugh... Just listened to a sample, not sure I can cope with that narrator for 33 hours. Dead tree incoming.
User avatar
By Pete L
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1852947
His best books are the earlier ones - Cryptonomicon, Diamond Age, Snow Crash - but all the latter ones meet your length criterion at least.

Red Mars/Green Mars/Blue Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson - is another good series in the same vein.
  • 1
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11