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Originally Posted by Daradon
First of all I wanted to see if anyone had read the series I just started so I could get their opinions on it and the science in it. I'm just started reading Stephen Baxter's Manifold series. There are three books in it as far as I know. Manifold: Time, Manifold: Space, and Manifold: Origin. Please don't spoil anything for me if you have read them, as I'm just finishing up the first book, but are there any opinions on this series or writer? I am quite enjoying it, lots of great ideas, and the science seems very sound. He's been given praise from Arthur Clarke and been compared to being a writer to stand with Asimov and Clarke. Wondered if anyone else had him their bookshelf and what they thought.
The books are very good, but the first two are IMO a cut above Manifold:Origin. Baxter is very good at creating a believable future history and interesting universe, but the one thing I dislike is his penchant for trying to tell too many different stories from too many viewpoints - sometimes he pulls it off, but more often not. Still he is an excellent writer and certainly the series is worth reading all the way through (there is also a collection of stories set in the same universe published which I misremember the name of).
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i know the OP says to steer away from any star trek/star wars stuff, but any sci-fi fan would do themselves a favor in reading The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn. i've managed to convince non-Star Wars fans to give that a try and they were all glad they did, excellent series. a large chunk of the expanded Star Wars universe owes it's existance to that trilogy, better storyline than the prequel movies and right up there with Empire Strikes Back for depth
I'd vote for Piers Anthony's Bio of a Space Tyrant series as fairly decent sci-fi...I enjoyed reading the original 5 books and only just discovered that he published a 6th in 2002 (that I can't vouch for).
Heinlein is amazing - if you haven't read anything of his some required reading would definitely be: Stranger In A Strange Land, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, The Number Of The Beast, Starship Troopers & The Cat Who Walks Thru Walls.
(I've read pretty much every one of his books/stories and they're all good but these are the best of the sci-fi kind...)
Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park was an excellent read....waaay better than the movie.
David Brin's Uplift series (books 1-3) were quite good and very different....I haven't gotten around to his second set of books based on the same idea tho.
David Brin's Uplift series (books 1-3) were quite good and very different....I haven't gotten around to his second set of books based on the same idea tho.
I really quite enjoy David Brin and I thought the second trilogy was better than the first, though it has a similar problem at the end that Tad Williams Otherland series has.
Both writers are dealing with such huge, complex stories that the only way for them to wrap them up effectively is for a big "telling" scene at the end where one character just kinda sits everyone down and explains what just went on and what that means.
David Brin is ultimately more successful at pulling it off though. I wasn't as pissed at the end of his trilogy as I was at the end of Williams' books.
Another great sci fi writer that hasn't been mentioned yet is Samuel R. Delaney. He's probably the best pure writer, who happens to write sci-fi, I've ever come accross. A good place to start with him is the short-story collection Aye, and Gamorrah.
Also have to mention Neal Stephenson's book Snow Crash. Cyberpunk as good as it's ever been done.
... I also somewhat enjoy SM Stirling, although a good editor who reduced some of the fat would make the books much better.
Ya, he sometimes forgets he's a novelist rather than a poet. While descriptive prose is nice, 125 words describing a flower just gets in the way of the plot. He seems to be getting a little better in his more recent books though, so maybe his editor is getting tougher on him.
Vernor Vinge: "A Fire Upon The Deep", also "A Deepness in The Sky" excellent reads, both, leans more to hard science fiction, rather than fantasy. My brain hurt after after reading.
Robert J. Sawyer: the Hominids series. Fluffier and lighter - with some obvious plot gaps - but still quite enjoyable. As an added bonus, this boy's a Canadian - so if you like your sci-fi presented in metric, by bilingual folks, with mention of loonies, the 401 and Ms. Vickies potato chips, this is the author for you.
S.M. Stirling: "Novels of the Change" series. Not sure if I like this guy yet. But so far, so good.
Robert Charles Wilson: The Spin. Unputdownable. Very sort of "stranger-in-a-strange-land-esque. Liked it almost as much as I liked Vinge's "Deepness" stuff.
Take one surreal, futuristic city, built in the wreckage of a five-mile square shopping-mall-airship. Blend with copious amounts of illegal, mind-altering substances. Gently fold in a network of villains with all the odds in their favour. Take one hero – he should be morally challenged, confused, and fighting to exact vengeance for the deaths of family members. Leave to expand. In a separate bowl introduce a cause – let’s say cloned children (Spares), retained as spare parts to mend the rich and generally mistreated. With great care add a pinch of danger – something unknown, possibly from the past, possibly with a mystical element which poses yet another challenge for the hero. These should be heated slowly in a saucepan along with several insane action sequences and horrors so shocking you almost (but not quite) have to put the book down, never to return. Throw everything into a dark, dubious-looking tin and decorate with an abundance of dry, sophisticated humour and sentient machinery with attitude problems!
The moral of this story is best summed up with the quote “Memories are nothing more than a book you’ve read and lost, not a bible for the rest of your life”. So basically, get with the program. This is the recurring theme in Jack Randall’s life. The moral only makes it into words at the end of the book and is significantly less important than the journey which precedes it. Spares is the story of Jack Randall, an ex-cop from a corrupted force with a growing trail of dead friends and family members. He doesn’t consider himself a safe man to know. After abandoning hope, Jack lands a job at a ‘Spares farm’ and succumbs to his drug addictions. He is woken from days of unconsciousness with an urge to takes his current position as caretaker one step further and gradually becomes a father-figure for the children. His caring approach leads him into several worlds of trouble and every man and his dog seems to want him dead.
Smith’s second novel Spares brought him fame, where his debut Only Forward brought him notoriety, and deservedly so. This is a phenomenal book, multi-layered, furiously paced and laugh-out-loud-funny. It is also deeply shocking, horrific and contains copious amounts of strong language. Historically sentient machinery is a safe bet – no self-respecting sci-fi series would be without the talking computer or automaton. Where Smith excels is in his ability to bestow futuristic advances on everyday objects (a fridge, an alarm clock) and he does so with a sly wit and an affectionate hand. This book is as entertaining as it is disturbing. It is a truly satisfying read.
This is ridiculous, I can't find this book anywhere!
I got hooked on the Wing Commander Series which was written by various writers.
the worst of the books are actually the ones directly based on the games Heart of the Tiger, The Price of Freedom.
But the other books in the series to me are very well written and the characterization and military feel of it are outstanding.
Action Stations - How the war started, takes place 20 years before the events of the software and the rest of the books. It introduces us to two of the main characters in Lt Geoffrey Tolywin and Lt Vance Richards. Also shows how the Kilrathi Pearl Harbor the Confederations biggest military base
Freedom Flight - A decent read, covers the defection of a Kilrathi ship commander who later becomes a fighter pilot for the Confederation. The sub plot involves the Kilrathi invasion of the Firekan sector so that they can carry out their once yearly religious ceremony
End Run - The Confederation in a desparate move to throw the Kilrathi off balance plan a deep strike behind enemy lines.
Fleet Action - The Human's are still on the losing end of the war when the Kilrathi suddenly sue for peace. What the hell is going on (best book of the series)
Heart of the Tiger - The 30 year war with the Kilrathi is winding down and Humanity is on the short end of the wind down. Desparate the Confederation pulls a old carrier out of service and put the fighter wing under the command of Col Christopher Blair. See how the war ends.
False Colours - The war is over, but is peace to much to ask for out on the frontier
Price of Freedom - The war is over but can humanity stop an inevitable civil war?
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Sci Fi seems to have got fairly rubbish over the last 5 years, endless trilogies or more on a theme that was good for one book at most, then their are the computer game books or film books, whole shelves of Star Wars or Halo books, its romance novels for spoty 15 year old boys really.
I end up re reading Ray Bradbury or, as already mentioned, John Wyndham.
Sci Fi seems to have got fairly rubbish over the last 5 years, endless trilogies or more on a theme that was good for one book at most, then their are the computer game books or film books, whole shelves of Star Wars or Halo books, its romance novels for spoty 15 year old boys really.
I end up re reading Ray Bradbury or, as already mentioned, John Wyndham.
I think there's still some good stuff coming out - it's just getting harder to find with shelf-space taken up by the garbage. Personally I avoid anything related to a computer game, movie or TV series. Though I can't really think of anyone off the top of my head with a style similar to Bradbury or Wyndham, if that's the type of book you like.
I got hooked on the Wing Commander Series which was written by various writers.
the worst of the books are actually the ones directly based on the games Heart of the Tiger, The Price of Freedom.
But the other books in the series to me are very well written and the characterization and military feel of it are outstanding.
Action Stations - How the war started, takes place 20 years before the events of the software and the rest of the books. It introduces us to two of the main characters in Lt Geoffrey Tolywin and Lt Vance Richards. Also shows how the Kilrathi Pearl Harbor the Confederations biggest military base
Freedom Flight - A decent read, covers the defection of a Kilrathi ship commander who later becomes a fighter pilot for the Confederation. The sub plot involves the Kilrathi invasion of the Firekan sector so that they can carry out their once yearly religious ceremony
End Run - The Confederation in a desparate move to throw the Kilrathi off balance plan a deep strike behind enemy lines.
Fleet Action - The Human's are still on the losing end of the war when the Kilrathi suddenly sue for peace. What the hell is going on (best book of the series)
Heart of the Tiger - The 30 year war with the Kilrathi is winding down and Humanity is on the short end of the wind down. Desparate the Confederation pulls a old carrier out of service and put the fighter wing under the command of Col Christopher Blair. See how the war ends.
False Colours - The war is over, but is peace to much to ask for out on the frontier
Price of Freedom - The war is over but can humanity stop an inevitable civil war?
This is the only one I was ever able to find, I got it when Woodwards liquidated. I had completely forgotten it was one of the most awesome books I had read. I have no idea where it is now. I totally plagerized it for some book I wrote in Junior High.
I'm still a bit traumatized by "Angel" Devereux getting disembowled in Heart of the Tiger.
This is the only one I was ever able to find, I got it when Woodwards liquidated. I had completely forgotten it was one of the most awesome books I had read. I have no idea where it is now. I totally plagerized it for some book I wrote in Junior High.
I'm still a bit traumatized by "Angel" Devereux getting disembowled in Heart of the Tiger.
I consider that book to be one of the weaker of the original non game based series.
Probably the best ones are Fleet Action and Action Stations. If you can find those you'll be really happy.
Its funny that the main character in the game is rarely mentioned, the main characters are Tolywin and his nephew and Bondaresky.
And if you were traumatized by Angel getting disemboweled, Hunter's death is pretty gut wrenching.
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Its funny that the main character in the game is rarely mentioned, the main characters are Tolywin and his nephew and Bondaresky.
And if you were traumatized by Angel getting disemboweled, Hunter's death is pretty gut wrenching.
It's funny, if I imagine the animated WCI/WCII characters, it sucks, but if it's the actors in WC3/WC4, it's a bit hilarious.
I wonder, would I imagine the novel version of Tolwynn to be a black guy, or Malcolm McDowell? Too bad Mark Hamill's character didn't bite the dust or catch an STD from Ginger Lynn Allen. Chatting her up in WC3 gave me the shivers.
I really wish they would restart that series more than any other, but the whole genre is dead.
It's funny, if I imagine the animated WCI/WCII characters, it sucks, but if it's the actors in WC3/WC4, it's a bit hilarious.
I wonder, would I imagine the novel version of Tolwynn to be a black guy, or Malcolm McDowell? Too bad Mark Hamill's character didn't bite the dust or catch an STD from Ginger Lynn Allen. Chatting her up in WC3 gave me the shivers.
I really wish they would restart that series more than any other, but the whole genre is dead.
Trust me, the Tolwynn in the non game based books is a lot different, and a lot more ruthless, but you get an understanding when you read Action Statements and what he went through at the start of the war. I always thought that it was appropriate that in the end he went from the savior of humanity to representing the worse things that humanity is capable of.
some funny out takes from WC 3, including at 50 seconds in
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