Hard Sci Fi / space opera books, the who's who!!

[ChrisC]

I never considered bacteria the same way after I read that, realised they do actually communicate with eachother, in a way. Both creepy and amazing really.

Excellent book wasn't it?

 

[cybertect]

A thread on Space Opera and nobody's mentioned E. E. 'Doc' Smith yet?

 

[Radar]

A thread on Space Opera and nobody's mentioned E. E. 'Doc' Smith yet?

Thankfully

 

[cybertect]

[heads off to the Drugs forum with a kilo of Thionite...]

 

[DotCommunist]

The Lensman series is one of the most depressingly shite scifi books I have ever read. Tellingly enough, Hienlen hailed him as one of the gratest authors of skiffy

 

[MikeMcc]

The Lensman series is one of the most depressingly shite scifi books I have ever read. Tellingly enough, Hienlen hailed him as one of the gratest authors of skiffy

Started off well enough but went increasing bizarre. At the end they were totally invincible and capable of anything. Some of the crappiest use of the English language (though not as bad as Steven Donaldson with his White Ring series)

 

[cybertect]

White Ring

That sounds painful. I'd see a doctor

[gets coat]

 

[nosos]

Dan Simmons and his Hyperion books are nowhere near as good as some people here are likely to tell you they are on this thread.

*butts swarfega*

 

[nosos]

In all seriousness I did think the 4 books as a whole were a work of utter genius. The sheer scope of the story he told left me stunned.

 

[maya]

Anyone else noticed the similarity between space opera and westerns?
"The vast, unexplored plains... Hiding terrors yet unknown..." etc.

 

[Reno]

Anyone else noticed the similarity between space opera and westerns?
"The vast, unexplored plains... Hiding terrors yet unknown..." etc.

The similarities a fairly obvious. Just the title Star Trek is a reference to westerns.

 

[maya]

Just the title Star Trek is a reference to westerns.

- Ah! Didn't know that...

 

[DotCommunist]

Well yeah it's been noted that Space Opera is cowboys and indians in space a hell of a lot, but the best space opera doesn't stick to the cliches of the genre.

I suppose the same is true of my favorite westerns (soldier blue, death wish).

To recommend an old master Aldiss does a great quartet, the Helliconia series, which is like space opera in terms of epicness, but far from cliched, despite it's age

 

[Reno]

I suppose the same is true of my favorite westerns (soldier blue, death wish).

Since when is Death Wish a western

 

[DotCommunist]

Since when is Death Wish a western

everyone always says that to me. I'm like, it's old, it's on some scummy frontier and it has a massive shootout scene that I firkin love. It's a western in my head

 

[Crispy]

Hamilton is more action and a bit trashy in places, although not in a bad way. I really dont know how you can call his excellent NIghts Dawn Trilogy boring.

I found the 1st of these (reality disfunction) in a carpark the other day and have nearly finished it. It's trashy, but in a good way like you say. At first I thought it was going to be like Banks, but when the bonkers action, gratuitous sex, improbable coincidental plotlines and scfi cliches didn't stop coming, I just submitted to it and got on with the silly fun

If I find the other two books in a carpark I'll read them too, but no more, I think...

 

[DotCommunist]

Hamilton is the sven hassell of sci-fi. Very entertaining, but sadly lacking in depth

 

[Idris2002]

Charles Stross, some potential, but fell short due to insufficient story-telling talent. .

YOu are fucking joking, aren't you?

 

[harticus]

I've just read Blindsight by Peter Watts, had to import the bloody thing from the US as no one stocked it in UK.

Its kinda like super hard edged Sci Fi with a bit of Philosophy thrown in with a Vampire resurrected by Genetics and the blood of Sociopaths. The whole book had the feel of the dining area scene in Alien.

I've just ordered the first of a trilogy by the same author called the Rifters Trilogy. Again i've had to have it imported from US becasue for a used paperback from Amazon it was £45.

 

[steveo87]

Ian M Banks- Consider Phelbas (sp.)
Got to love Banksie (no! Not that one) really got me into Spae Opera.
Really got me into writeing SciFi too.

 

[ch750536]

Dare I mention Foundation?

 

[ChrisC]

Really enjoying Revelation Space by Alistair Reynolds at the moment.

 

[DotCommunist]

Dare I mention Foundation?

I find asimov a tedious bore. And his work has not aged well. Not at all