Sci Fi and Fantasy writing is not an excuse to be SHIT
- Thread starter DotCommunist
- Start date
Recommendation for Roger Zelazny interesting, original and literary sci-fi.
Bob_the_lost
Elsewhere
Only read one of his books but it was different and well written.
Think it was lord of light or something.
Think it was lord of light or something.
Structaural
in Chatsubo
I read a lot of his stuff as a teenager - very good writer.
God knows what Frank Herbert did to little Brian, so he would grow up and revenge himself on his old man with his shitey Dune prequels.
However, I love Alistair Reynolds who is an excellent 'hard' sci-fi writer - Century Rain is ace (sci fi noir?), but balances the hard science with really good plots, characters and writing. And he can write female characters well, which a lot of sci-fi writers can't manage. (yes, Philip Kerr, I'm referring to you and your large-breasted Amazonian scientists)
However, I love Alistair Reynolds who is an excellent 'hard' sci-fi writer - Century Rain is ace (sci fi noir?), but balances the hard science with really good plots, characters and writing. And he can write female characters well, which a lot of sci-fi writers can't manage. (yes, Philip Kerr, I'm referring to you and your large-breasted Amazonian scientists)
Bob_the_lost
Elsewhere
Good callcat107 said:
This was a view I always held as well (ie, the selling point was going to be the Forgotten Realms / D&D setting and not the quality of the actual book itself) and as a result I stayed well clear of them all.
But recently picked one* up and enjoyed it so much that I read the follow ups.
Homeland, pt 1 of the Dark Elf trilogy -
http://www.amazon.com/Trilogy-Collectors-Homeland-Exile-Sojourn/dp/0786915889
Wyndham, Aldiss, Reynolds, Atwood, Herbert (père!), Ballard, Dick, Pohl, Bear, Wells, Heinlein. Special mention to David Mitchell for Cloud Atlas.
Brainaddict
slight system overdrive
I second this recommendation (quite belatedly). Scott Lynch has a new one out that I have read yet - anyone tried it?
The Groke
hot hail/Paging Dr. Beat
Chairman Meow
Perth, WA
Dillinger4
Es gibt Zeit
corrr.
*gets stonk on*
*gets stonk on*
Shippou-Sensei
4:1:2.5
picasso porn....
Iguana
Well-Known Member
Firm protruding busts? Lithe opaque noses? Are these women deformed?
She must be if she has sagging nipples on her firm protruding busts.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
I grew up on Lawhead. found 'The Silver Hand' in a church bookshelf. When your 12, Stephen Lawhead is the fucking Man
mentalchik
"I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit."
You all forgot Marion Zimmer Bradley...............
(DC you know the other day when i said about having quite a lot of embarrassing stuff in my collection..................there's quite a few mentioned here).............
Sheri Tepper is a favourite of mine.........
(DC you know the other day when i said about having quite a lot of embarrassing stuff in my collection..................there's quite a few mentioned here
).............Sheri Tepper is a favourite of mine.........
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
You all forgot Marion Zimmer Bradley...............
(DC you know the other day when i said about having quite a lot of embarrassing stuff in my collection..................there's quite a few mentioned here
Sheri Tepper is a favourite of mine.........
Footfall has recieved some damning condemnations in this thread (its in my collection
)Yes, yes it is. Very good. So good I nearly bought a copy. (Actually, I might have bought a copy and lent it to someone 8 hours later, having finished it in one go).
So good I had to close my mind to the thought of it, to prevent me worrying about what's going to happen in the next one.
Damn you for reminding me of this!!!
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
oh dear. Thats not even funnily bad. Its just poor.
I've long nursed in my heart a hatred of the awfulness of Heinlens 'Number of the Beast'
But, apparently its a deconstruction of good and bad ways to write. Supposedly the appalingly written sex scenes etc. were cleverly bad examples, and the good bits were the opposing examples.
I'd have to read it again to judge, but I reckon the above is bollocks. It's just a fucking awful book with enough sci-fi markers to suck in the obsessed reader of skiffy (me)
iirc I gave it up when his characters popped into the fucking Lensman universe.
It says a lot about Heinlen that he considered E.E Doc Smiths work to be brilliant.
mentalchik
"I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit."
Footfall has recieved some damning condemnations in this thread (its in my collection
It's in mine too............i quite like it as well !
Chz
Stark Raving Sane
Someone mentioned Niven/Pournelle earlier. Niven was a good writer once, but that was in the past. Pournelle could never write, but had some interesting ideas. The only books the two of them did together that were any good were The Mote in God's Eye and The Gripping Hand. By the time they did Footfall and others, Niven was well past his prime and Pournelle could never write anyways.
Agreed with whoever said that SF&F can be some of the best writing around, but the other 98% is utter crap.
Recently not shite authors - Vernor Vinge, Alistair Reynolds, Ian (M.) Banks.
SF's heydey was probably in the 60s and 70s - a lot of very well written stuff from there. I've always liked Harlan Ellison, Connie Willis, Philip Dick, etc. Though Connie's best novel (Domesday Book) was 1992 or so, the earlier novella Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang is a prototype for all post-apocalyptic novels.
(Obviously *I* can't write, but I can recognise it in others...)
Agreed with whoever said that SF&F can be some of the best writing around, but the other 98% is utter crap.
Recently not shite authors - Vernor Vinge, Alistair Reynolds, Ian (M.) Banks.
SF's heydey was probably in the 60s and 70s - a lot of very well written stuff from there. I've always liked Harlan Ellison, Connie Willis, Philip Dick, etc. Though Connie's best novel (Domesday Book) was 1992 or so, the earlier novella Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang is a prototype for all post-apocalyptic novels.
(Obviously *I* can't write, but I can recognise it in others...)
Lysistrata
Well-Known Member
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang was written by the brilliant Kate Wilhelm (unfortunately nowadays she just writes cosy whodunnits). Connie Willis is weak by comparison.
I've pretty much given up on fantasty because there are so many dire trilogies around. I read all three Helliconia books because they were all I had with me on a rainy family holiday and they were dire. Can't understand why people like Brian Aldiss, at one time he was the only SF writer you saw on TV. Guy Gavriel Kay and Robert Holdstock write good fantasy.
I've pretty much given up on fantasty because there are so many dire trilogies around. I read all three Helliconia books because they were all I had with me on a rainy family holiday and they were dire. Can't understand why people like Brian Aldiss, at one time he was the only SF writer you saw on TV. Guy Gavriel Kay and Robert Holdstock write good fantasy.
I got taken out to lunch by his editor- he gave me Mis-Spent youth for freeI enjoyed them actually, his editor needs to force him to write short stories - at all times
It was crap though
Started well but I got really bored of it by the third novel, could have done with a good edit (though thats true of a lot of SF).
Just ordered Years fo Rice and Salt which I'm really looking forward to.
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