Australian Politics Forum - best Science fiction book

Emma Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 9853 OZ Gender:	Re: best Science fiction book Reply #15 - Aug 31^st, 2012 at 5:25pm I agree with your choices Felon...... I've read so many I can't remember them all... but I definitely remember them. ! I've enjoyed all the Wyndhams I've read, and C S Lewis ..outstanding. and yeah vampire books are not science fiction. More romantic horror fantasy.
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Emma

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Re: best Science fiction book
Reply #16 - Aug 31^st, 2012 at 10:56pm

I think the last SF novel I read , from memory, Roll Eyes

, that really grabbed me, was

a novel published in 1996... and I've read a few since I read this... which was only a couple of years ago...

'Richter 10', by Arthur C Clarke & Mike McQuay.

I think it pretty much has it all....

Or it might have been 'Next' by Michael Crichton..

Or ...... was that 'Specie' Undecided

See my problem ??

Of course, these are basically earth-based SF.

If you go for galactic epics.., or gritty future-war, there is a whole lot out there, that is for sure.

I'll NEVER be able to read all the books I'd love to. Thats just a fact. Sigh.

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Sir Spot of Borg Gold Member Offline WE ARE BORG Posts: 26588 Australia	Re: best Science fiction book Reply #17 - Sep 1^st, 2012 at 4:42am Read some larry niven. He is considered "hard scifi" thought im not sure what that means. He wrote the ringworld series and several doomsday books (i think he wrote the book that movie about the asteroid was based on). SOB
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Emma

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Re: best Science fiction book
Reply #18 - Sep 1^st, 2012 at 7:16pm

good advice...have reads lots of Niven....one of my faves.

Don't know ...but Footfall By Larry Niven was about the Earth under attack from extra-terrestrials who used meteor and space rocks and asteroids to wipe the enemies.
Pretty neat .

I'd have to vote for at least one CJ Cherryh probably

DownBelow Station........

But loved the series she did of first contact with 'others'. Foreigner ..Invader...damn can't remember ...but a stunning opus IMO

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Sir Spot of Borg Gold Member Offline WE ARE BORG Posts: 26588 Australia	Re: best Science fiction book Reply #19 - Sep 2^nd, 2012 at 7:32am I thought footfall was the one about the baby elephants? i thought the asteroid one was lucifers hammer or the hammer of god (cant remember which) . . .. No matter he has written a lot of books. SOB
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Emma Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 9853 OZ Gender:	Re: best Science fiction book Reply #20 - Sep 2^nd, 2012 at 8:44pm well you could be right... my memory has too much stuffed in it. Lucifer's Hammer sounds familiar, , but I still think it was Footfall.... I try to trust my memory, but I'm certainly not infallible.
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Grey Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 5341 Gender:	Re: best Science fiction book Reply #21 - Sep 9^th, 2012 at 5:05pm I haven't read what I term 'Speculative fiction' for a long time. But my favourite author was Ursula Le Guin. Favourite book... 'The dispossesed' naturally
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Emma

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Re: best Science fiction book
Reply #22 - Sep 9^th, 2012 at 5:51pm

Ursula Le Guin was certainly one of my favourites, back when.

I still have her on my shelves.

I'd recommend her works.

Also like Doris Lessing, Kate Wilhelm....

and love C J Cherryh.
Most all of her novels are worth reading, and she is very diverse in her subject, theme and style.

For a really good read try

The Saga of the Hani ...comprising

The Pride of Chanur
Chanur's Venture
The Kif Strike Back
Chanur's Homecoming

Alien worlds, with a human stuck in the middle, again. Loved it, and have them on my shelf as well.

I also really liked Alan Dean Foster's series 'The Book of the Damned'.

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Grey

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Re: best Science fiction book
Reply #23 - Sep 9^th, 2012 at 11:24pm

Emma wrote on Sep 9^th, 2012 at 5:51pm:

Ursula Le Guin was certainly one of my favourites, back when.

I still have her on my shelves.

I'd recommend her works.

Also like Doris Lessing, Kate Wilhelm....

and love C J Cherryh.
Most all of her novels are worth reading, and she is very diverse in her subject, theme and style.

For a really good read try

The Saga of the Hani ...comprising

The Pride of Chanur
Chanur's Venture
The Kif Strike Back
Chanur's Homecoming

Alien worlds, with a human stuck in the middle, again. Loved it, and have them on my shelf as well.

I also really liked Alan Dean Foster's series 'The Book of the Damned'.

A great deal of speculative fiction is written by women. Certainly a lot of the most intelligent speculation, Vonda McIntyre, (of mist and grass and sand) deserves mention and Joanna Russ, (we who are about to...). It's markedly different from a lot of the 'cowboys and Indians in space' written by males. Why do you think this is? And of course there are exceptions like Frank Herbert, (the jesus incident).

I find the same is true in the cop and murder novels I read a lot of at the moment. I think that Michael Connelly and Lee Child are a lot of fun, but I'm currently reading a Linda La Plante, ( the red dalhia) and I'm very impressed by the grasp she has of good detective work. A very clever woman, I think she should be read as a 'how too' book for aspiring detectives.

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Grey Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 5341 Gender:	Re: best Science fiction book Reply #24 - Sep 9^th, 2012 at 11:35pm Anybody read a Tara Moss by the way? I was REALLY impressed by her on Q & A (ie I agreed with everything she said ); and I went to have a look at her blog. Interesting reading, I subscribed. http://taramoss.com/the-invisible-women/
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Emma

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Re: best Science fiction book
Reply #25 - Sep 10^th, 2012 at 12:33am

yes I have been reading a lot of the murder/thriller killer genre lately too.

Have read most of her novels. Gritty.

No doubt you've read Val McDiarmid? powerful!! and Karin Slaughter,
or even our home-grown Leah Giarratno.... ?

just read her novel.. 'Watch the World Burn'. Not bad at all.
And Michael Connelly's The Fifth Witness, and Peter Robinson's Bad Boy and....

Love the righteous Jack Reacher..

created by Lee Child

... but can you imagine..???!!!??

They're making ( the ubiquitous 'they' ) a movie based on Reacher, !! and
GROAN!! it's said that TOM CRUISE will play Reacher.!!!!! Angry

Can you believe it?? BOOOOOOooooooooooooooo!!

For F's sake,... Reacher is 6 Ft 5 inches tall IN HIS SOCKS.... and Cruise ??
Cruise is 5 Ft 6 inches tall IN HIS SHOES.!!! Roll Eyes

Please let them re-consider. Tongue

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Grey Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 5341 Gender:	Re: best Science fiction book Reply #26 - Sep 10^th, 2012 at 12:37am <Groan> Cruise needs to get an adviser, or to take a break...or die or something.
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Emma

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Re: best Science fiction book
Reply #27 - Sep 10^th, 2012 at 12:43am

ooh oooh

Have you read the books by a Mr Lindsey ( I think) ? any way he wrote the book/s that were turned into 'Dexter' ...a television program. Can't help it... I'll admit...I loved the show.

The books were better... as usual,...but the show's not bad..

But we only saw up to Season 4 here, I think..
.... in fact I didn't watch it for the first couple of yrs... but when I caught up??
...makes me laugh... Grin

But I read somewhere it's up to Season 7 in the States.
Anybody know?

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Grey Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 5341 Gender:	Re: best Science fiction book Reply #28 - Sep 10^th, 2012 at 12:45am No I haven't read those Authors Emma. I've been reading my way through Authors and collecting the works. Damned if I know why. But I've got the full Rankin, Connelly, Cruz-Smith, Mankell, and Reggie Hill collections and Lee Childs and La Plante are building. I do enjoy a Peter Corris sometimes, he says a bit shamefaced.
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Emma Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 9853 OZ Gender:	Re: best Science fiction book Reply #29 - Sep 10^th, 2012 at 12:51am yes sigh .. Ian Rankin - his character ... shucks... great writing... I can still remember the impact that Knots and Crosses had. Magic. I continue to read new authors (to me) and am still astonished at the ability of a good piece of writing to take you there.
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