What'cha Readin'?

laklak · **#3881** by **laklak** » Aug 31, 2016 4:16 pm

Clifford Simak. Couldn't think of what to read, so I started back on some Golden Age science fiction. Did Foundation Trilogy, several Heinlein, and now Simak. It can be a bit dated (the mega computers use tape drives), but I'd forgotten how well written many are. It had been many years since Heinlein, and The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, The Green Hills of Earth, and Starship Troopers have held up remarkably well. ST in particular, anyone who has only seen the movie dreck needs to read the book.

Macdoc · **#3882** by **Macdoc** » Aug 31, 2016 10:57 pm

Try Walter Jon Williams or Lois McMaster Bujold in particular Vorkosigan Saga by her ( get the order correct - lots of somewhat connected novels ) and Hard Wired and Angel Station by WJ

crazyfitter · **#3883** by **crazyfitter** » Sep 01, 2016 7:25 pm

Thanks Macdoc for the heads up on Hardwired. I have just finished the first novel, or I think I have, it finished just before some action with the sentence 'to be continued'. Its a kindle edition and the cover photo isn't one that you posted.

I read Daddy's World first which facinated me but as it's little more than an essay I haven't listed it. Kindle free.

the long way to a small angry planet by Becky Chambers is quite enjoyable but I'm confused with a bit of the science. It's a road trip novel featuring a spaceship who's job is to punch wormholes through the galaxy which is heaving with life. The problem is that faster than light travel is banned throughout the galaxy because of the effects of relativity but galaxy life can for example spend 6 hours traveling through a wormhole, do a job and be back in time for tea so to speak. So, no relativity with wormholes?

Macdoc · **#3884** by **Macdoc** » Sep 13, 2016 7:01 am

Peregrine Spring highly recommended

Blip · **#3885** by **Blip** » Sep 17, 2016 7:32 am

Some of you may be interested in The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable by Amitav Ghosh, which is on my own list. I love Ghosh's fiction writing, so this has to be worth a look.

Evolving · **#3886** by **Evolving** » Sep 21, 2016 4:10 pm

I'm finding Harry Potter and the Cursed Child better than I thought it was going to be. In fact, having reached the end of Act One, I'm intrigued by it.

Macdoc · **#3887** by **Macdoc** » Sep 21, 2016 9:27 pm

Some of you may be interested in The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable by Amitav Ghosh, which is on my own list. I love Ghosh's fiction writing, so this has to be worth a look.

Guardian
“One of its central themes is that writers, artists and filmmakers, including himself, have largely ignored climate change—‘the great derangement’ of the title— simply because it seems too far-fetched and terrifying. But does it really make a difference if authors write about climate change? ‘Making a difference isn’t the point; the point is to examine the meaning of the arts. If we believe that the arts are meant to look ahead, open doors, then how is this huge issue of our time, absent from the arts? It’s like death, no one wants to talk about it.’”

Sunday Guardian Live
“Ghosh’s latest book, The Great Derangement, is a j’accuse issued against all those literary writers who abdicated their social responsibility by being indifferent to the climate crisis—by far the greatest predicament facing humanity. . . . As The Great Derangement emphasises throughout, the crisis of language is at the heart of every human predicament. And now, if our writers are not leading the way, we’re more than doomed.”

there is one quote in there about writers ignoring climate change but I don't find that to be true at all....it's an accepted under current ...certainly in all dystopian fiction in the last few years....if anything it's assumed a given of future earth. I suggest perhaps the reviewers are out of step and too buried in high minded fiction

Not sure what the point of the book would be other than to dress up dramatic prose what IS already happening.....and IS already being addressed on a scale many do not realize.

When Exxon acknowledges it as an "engineering problem" and China reaches peak coal years ahead of plan and EV vehicles are poised to dominate sales by 2020 ( they are already the top selling vehicles in some nations ) ....more imaginative pan banging is not going to move it forward.

It IS an engineering problem....not a shortage of imagination.

NamelessFaceless · **#3888** by **NamelessFaceless** » Sep 22, 2016 2:50 pm

Evolving wrote:I'm finding Harry Potter and the Cursed Child better than I thought it was going to be. In fact, having reached the end of Act One, I'm intrigued by it.

I kind of want to read it, but I don't know if I will like reading a play. I read all the books out loud to Little Faceless, so reading a play like that just seems weird.

NamelessFaceless · **#3889** by **NamelessFaceless** » Sep 22, 2016 2:53 pm

I'm also currently reading Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov, as well as Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.

Nabokov was just freaking brilliant. His writing is so beautiful I can't believe English was not even his native language.

Evolving · **#3890** by **Evolving** » Sep 22, 2016 3:23 pm

Pale Fire is an astonishing book: read it many years ago. And of course I love Emma's story.

I'm sure Cursed Child works far better in the theatre (would love to see it), but even reading it you get a good idea of her imagination and her characters; both of which are what I most admire about Rowling. That, and her humour.

Blip · **#3891** by **Blip** » Sep 23, 2016 12:39 pm

Macdoc wrote:
there is one quote in there about writers ignoring climate change but I don't find that to be true at all....it's an accepted under current ...certainly in all dystopian fiction in the last few years....if anything it's assumed a given of future earth. I suggest perhaps the reviewers are out of step and too buried in high minded fiction

Not sure what the point of the book would be other than to dress up dramatic prose what IS already happening.....and IS already being addressed on a scale many do not realize.
[...]

Indeed, I've just finished reading Margaret Atwood's dystopian trilogy (Oryx and Crake; The Year of the Flood; MaddAddam), writing which must surely be known to Ghosh and The Guardian's book reviewers, just as one high-profile example.

My reaction is to read Ghosh's work for myself, which I'll do shortly. I'm in the middle of The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver at the moment; it's wonderful.

Macdoc · **#3892** by **Macdoc** » Sep 24, 2016 1:06 am

Reading some dystopian YT Hunger Games wanna be ...totally suckered in by the first triology freebie - David Estes - Country Saga

It's a really messed up planet but not by humans ..size large bollide.

It would be interesting to go back and see early climate change in SciFi...

Certainly Mother of Storms was scary prescient and not only for climate/weather

That he crafted this 20 years ago is remarkable and he called self driving cars and massive social networking/blogging for money as well as climate catastrophe ....nominated for a few awards...highly recommended

Fallible · **#3893** by **Fallible** » Sep 24, 2016 10:47 am

NamelessFaceless wrote:I'm also currently reading Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov, as well as Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.

Nabokov was just freaking brilliant. His writing is so beautiful I can't believe English was not even his native language.

Agreed. I must get around to Pale Fire again. I picked it up to start reading a number of year ago now, but something was going on at that time and I couldn't commit to it. I've been living all this time in the hope that it will be half as good as Lolita.

Evolving · **#3894** by **Evolving** » Sep 24, 2016 12:11 pm

It has no similarity whatsoever; but you know that.

Fallible · **#3895** by **Fallible** » Sep 24, 2016 12:29 pm

Yeah. I remember being intrigued by the premise and format; think I might have to bump it up the 'to-read' list.

Spinozasgalt · **#3896** by **Spinozasgalt** » Sep 24, 2016 12:41 pm

Nabokov, pfft. He's a poor man's Ayn Rand.

Fallible · **#3897** by **Fallible** » Sep 24, 2016 12:55 pm

Naughty children don't care whether the attention they get is positive or negative, do they.

smudge · **#3898** by **smudge** » Sep 25, 2016 10:46 am

Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C Clarke. Two thirds in- so good. :-)

Fallible · **#3899** by **Fallible** » Oct 02, 2016 11:17 am

I'm reading this at the moment.

I love this bloke, and he's just gone up even more in my estimation now that I've just witnessed him tearing the author of The Secret a new one.

Macdoc · **#3900** by **Macdoc** » Oct 02, 2016 11:41 am

Bear loves his big scale hard scifi grounded into today.

and now on to the diabolical minds behind the Man Who Never Was...much fun and astonishing

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