Books: SciFi & Fantasy

book reviews

wow! this is a great discussion about sf writers and books. I'm a writer myself. And i found a really coool place to get book reviews and reviews of short Sf.

you might want to check it ourt ; sfreader.com.

I think they had some arguments going on their boards, too, but not nearly as active as this.

great site by the way, i look forward to visiting often.

my favorite Sf writer is Robert E. Howard and my favorite magazine is realms of Fantasy.
 
If one is too state the best sci-fi authors one must include Philip K. Dick. A genius like his comes along only every 100 yrs. Also Bradbury, Clarke and Asimov have not been mentiones. tsk tsk!
 
G'day all....

Iceonfire I too am a newbie to this community and would have posted earlier but was too busy picking up my jaw after seeing the breadth of this site.Slashdotters dont know what they're missing out on.:D

As to the subject at hand, two names.....
Jack Vance
George R.R. Martin

Do yourself a favour..
And as for David Eddings, the first fifty times you read his books they're excellent...after that they get a bit samey.;)
 
enders game by orson scott card
and
maske thaery by jack vance are good...
 
And has anyone other than me heard of the Ghormenghast novels? BBC made a movie out of them that had what's-his-name (the guy who played Dooku and Saruman) in it. The books are really great.
 
I just read 'The Forever War' I forget who authored it though. It was really nice and the science in it was accurate for when it was written.
 
What makes a good SF novel?

-> Internally consistent rules.
-> A setting that allows the exploration and elaboration of social evolution given the forces of technology and scientific understanding on society.
-> The use of scientific ideas to explore the meaning of life and a sentient being's place in the universe.
-> Sometimes cool technology and gizmos.
-> What makes every novel good: character development, style, and good plot progression and completion.

Fantasy is much the same with science and technology replaced by a consistent set of rules based on other powers/forces. Personally I like SF better because inherently it is aimed to be more relevant to the real world.

In my opinion hard SF with realistic science needs to play a greater role in general societal thought. We are racing towards the future and thinking through the scenarios of what forces will be brought to bear on society and how they need to be dealt with are very important. Not that many SF writers attempt to take on such a philosophical role (or at least those I've read, though I must admit I have not thoroughly surveyed or kept up with the genre).
 
Hey Ender!

Forever War, by JOE HALDEMAN

I remember that, cause its on my "to-buy" list (along with about 70 other titles :D )
 
My favorite sci fi authors/books:
Kim Stanley Robinson- red mars, green mars, blue mars.
Frank Herbert-dune series.
Ken MacLeod-the star fraction, cosmonaut keep, dark light.
 
What about the Stone Canal? That's the only one I've read by Macleod, and I really enjoyed it.
 
Originally posted by Pollux V
What about the Stone Canal? That's the only one I've read by Macleod, and I really enjoyed it.
Click to expand...
I haven't read Stone Canal yet, but I plan to do so. I read three of Macleod's books straight through, and I'm afraid to start another as I'll be up all night.:) Macleod does a great job of combining political intrigue, a little economics, and sci fi.
 
Yes, Ender's Game is definitely one of the best! In fact, just about anything by Orson Scott Card is a wonderful read. My recommendations are for Songmaster and Ender's Shadow. The first one, Songmaster, is a beautifully woven tale of a boy who is blessed with a voice so stunning he can kill people just by singing a song of intense joy or sorrow. I won't tell you the rest, but it's so heart-wrenching reading about his trials and hardships. The latter, Ender's Shadow, is a parallel story to Ender's Game, with the exception that it is recounted from one of Ender's friend's point of view. His name is Bean (not his real name, just a nickname), and he is a genius with a troubled past and an uncertain future. He is taken up to Battle School with other gifted children, and is taught the arts of war in order to combat an alien menace. It's really amazing, because you can sort of identify with him, even though he's in a totally different environment. But you should read Ender's Game first, to get familiar with the entire story, then expand into this other character's point of view. Don't worry, it won't be the same story over again, it's more like how Tolkien expands Middle-Earth by providing all sorts of details and background information. You'll really get sucked in. Trust me. ;)
 
Gee whiz, in my O.S.C. fan craze, I forgot to mention my fave authors:

ISAAC ASIMOV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ORSON SCOTT CARD!! (of course)
TERRY PRATCHETT!!
BEN BOVA!!
ROBERT SILVERBERG!!
CHARLES SCHEFFIELD!!
CARL SAGAN!!
J.R.R. TOLKIEN!!
aaand a whole bunch more that I couldn't name because I can't remember.

I've always wanted to read Gormenghast!! but I keep forgetting. I've seen the BBC production, it was pretty cool by the looks of it.

p.s. I thought Asimov was the "Master of Science Fiction"?? I'm suprised not many have mentioned him. Kudos for those who have, and shaaame for those who haven't. Just kidding. :) You guys are still young, you have plenty of time to read Asimov. :)
 
Somewhere on this website I made a list of authors. I'll have to see if I can find it.
 
I found it! Here:

*Terry Brooks(Shannara books)
*Robert Asprin(the Myth Series)
*Christopher Rowley(Bazil Broketail)
*David Weber(Honor harrington, the paladin books that I can't remember the series name for)
*David Eddings
*Margeret Wies and Tracy Hickman(Dragonlance, The Death Gate Cycle, Darksword Trilogy)
*Orson Scott Card(Ender's Game, etc.)
*Elizibeth Moon(Paksinarion)
*Dougalas Adams
*Anne McCaffrey(Pern, the ship books)
*Brian Jacques(Redwall)
*Alan Dean Foster(the Flinx and Commonwealth books)
*Anything else Dragonlance
*The Hole in the Ozone Scare(some of doesn't work, but they bring up some good points)
*Dune wasn't that bad, I've been told that the sequels were, and I enjoyed the the prequels.
The only classic I read were miscelaneous stuff from school, the only Shaekespeare I read was "Romeo and Juliet" and the only Dickens I read is "Great Expectations." I wouldn't heve read any of it if my teachers hadn't had it in the curriculum.

Enjoy!
 
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