Spren of Kindness Posted January 19, 2021 Report Share Posted January 19, 2021 I am in a sci-fi Mood and don't know where to find a good one. I figured, might as well ask the Shard! A couple 'filters' specific to this Mood; I really want something with cool tech, it doesn't have to be particularly logical. At least one character who's good at getting stuff done, and a plot with stakes. Maybe not world-threatening level, but like... continent level. Possibly something with a politics subplot. ...Yeah, I'm still watching Red vs Blue and I think it shows. The usual stipulations apply here, preferably no strong language, graphic stuff, that sort of thing. Big epic space battles and space marines required very welcome. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aspiring Writer Posted January 19, 2021 Report Share Posted January 19, 2021 1 hour ago, Spren of Kindness said: I am in a sci-fi Mood and don't know where to find a good one. I figured, might as well ask the Shard! A couple 'filters' specific to this Mood; I really want something with cool tech, it doesn't have to be particularly logical. At least one character who's good at getting stuff done, and a plot with stakes. Maybe not world-threatening level, but like... continent level. Possibly something with a politics subplot. ...Yeah, I'm still watching Red vs Blue and I think it shows. The usual stipulations apply here, preferably no strong language, graphic stuff, that sort of thing. Big epic space battles and space marines required very welcome. Um, you read Skyward? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreezeCauthon Posted January 19, 2021 Report Share Posted January 19, 2021 As I recall, Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein fits your description. It can be read on multiple levels - for entertainment or for meaning. It can be a little slow at times though. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spren of Kindness Posted January 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2021 6 hours ago, Aspiring Writer said: Um, you read Skyward? Yup. 1 hour ago, BreezeCauthon said: As I recall, Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein fits your description. It can be read on multiple levels - for entertainment or for meaning. It can be a little slow at times though. I'm good with slow. I'll put that on the list! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnight13 Posted January 19, 2021 Report Share Posted January 19, 2021 Um, this might be a bit old, but I would recommend Asimov’s The Caves of Steel. It was published in the 1950’s, but I think it’s great. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreezeCauthon Posted January 19, 2021 Report Share Posted January 19, 2021 4 minutes ago, midnight13 said: Um, this might be a bit old, but I would recommend Asimov’s The Caves of Steel. It was published in the 1950’s, but I think it’s great. So was my recommendation, actually! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spren of Kindness Posted January 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 7 hours ago, midnight13 said: Um, this might be a bit old, but I would recommend Asimov’s The Caves of Steel. It was published in the 1950’s, but I think it’s great. Sounds interesting, what's it about? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyingbooks Posted January 21, 2021 Report Share Posted January 21, 2021 I recommend the Orthogonal trilogy by Greg Egan, who is my favorite science fiction author. It's set in an alternate universe where the speed of light is variable. On 1/18/2021 at 10:04 PM, Spren of Kindness said: I really want something with cool tech, it doesn't have to be particularly logical. It's set in a universe with different laws of physics which let all sorts of cool things happen, such as early-industrial-era spaceships which have much more time pass on them than on their home planet (hence the name of the first book, The Clockwork Rocket) and (spoiler alert for third book) Spoiler Pretty easy time travel The math beind all of the different technologies and discoveries is explained in detail in the book, but if you just want to enjoy the cool tech you can skip over those bits. On 1/18/2021 at 10:04 PM, Spren of Kindness said: At least one character who's good at getting stuff done, There are plenty of characters like that in all of the books. On 1/18/2021 at 10:04 PM, Spren of Kindness said: a plot with stakes. Maybe not world-threatening level, but like... continent level. Yes, though the danger is world-threatening. On 1/18/2021 at 10:04 PM, Spren of Kindness said: Possibly something with a politics subplot. Yes, there's a slight politics subplot in two, maybe three, of the books On 1/18/2021 at 10:04 PM, Spren of Kindness said: Big epic space battles and space marines required very welcome. No, sorry. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orlion Blight Posted January 21, 2021 Report Share Posted January 21, 2021 Space Opera by Catherynne M Valente You know, read something FUN instead of dry ol' science fiction authors (though I did really like Caves of Steel. It's a murder mystery where the detective has to team up with a robot to solve the crime. I think the robot was designed to look like the murder victim? It's been awhile). Any way, Space Opera is Eurovision....in....Spaaaaaace! Or a hybrid of Eurovision and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I haven't watched or read either, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spren of Kindness Posted January 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2021 3 hours ago, Flyingbooks said: I recommend the Orthogonal trilogy by Greg Egan, who is my favorite science fiction author. It's set in an alternate universe where the speed of light is variable. It's set in a universe with different laws of physics which let all sorts of cool things happen, such as early-industrial-era spaceships which have much more time pass on them than on their home planet (hence the name of the first book, The Clockwork Rocket) and (spoiler alert for third book) Reveal hidden contents Pretty easy time travel The math beind all of the different technologies and discoveries is explained in detail in the book, but if you just want to enjoy the cool tech you can skip over those bits. There are plenty of characters like that in all of the books. Yes, though the danger is world-threatening. Yes, there's a slight politics subplot in two, maybe three, of the books No, sorry. Sounds good, it's on the list! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iarwainiel I Posted January 22, 2021 Report Share Posted January 22, 2021 (edited) I think anything old (1950s-60s) would be less likely to have swearing and graphic stuff (I don't like gratuitous stuff either). I keep meaning to read stuff by Andre Norton - she's one of the top authors from that period. One more recent book that comes to mind is "Agent to the Stars" by John Scalzi. I'm not 100% sure that there's no strong language at all, but defs less than his other books have and they're no worse than what's on network (not cable) TV. "AttS" is about a Hollywood-type agent who is hired to do PR for the first alien who visits Earth - the challenge being that said alien is literally a few gallons of (sentient) slime that smells very, very bad. The book has some funny parts and a good ending. It's been a while since I read it, but I really liked it. Another really great book is "A Talent For War" by Jack McDevitt, which is the start of his series about Alex Benedict, far-future xeno-archeologist. In "ATfW," Benedict uncovers evidence that a hero from centuries before was a fraud ... or was he?Great plot twists. IMO the Benedict series is the author's best work - his Priscilla Hutchins series is too cookie-cutter, and his other books all seem to be very preach-y about causes that even if you agree, it's kind of too much. But the Alex Benedict books are really good. Please let us know what you choose & how you like the book(s)! Happy reading! Edited January 22, 2021 by Iarwainiel 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnight13 Posted January 22, 2021 Report Share Posted January 22, 2021 On 1/19/2021 at 10:17 PM, Spren of Kindness said: Sounds interesting, what's it about? Asimov’s written so many books about robots, and this one is not different, I guess, though I haven’t read any of his other works. The Caves of Steel is about this detective who’s trying to solve this murder, but he was assigned a partner who is a robot. He doesn’t...think very highly of robots, as most don’t in this world, since they take people’s jobs and all that. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spren of Kindness Posted January 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2021 @BreezeCauthon @Flyingbooks @Iarwainiel I finished the books I got from your recommendations! Starship Troopers, The Clockwork Rocket, and A Talent for War: Starship Troopers: Spoiler Pretty good. I really liked the pacing, which I feel really suited the story. I'm still thinking about the ending. I'm an overthinker, so I have no idea what the implication of the ending is. Did his ship blow up and he died? Did he die on the mission? Did he make it out of the war? I don't know. But it was enjoyable to read. I think my favorite part was the first chapter, and the first drop. The moment he didn't go and do the 'big thing' and followed orders, I knew I was going to enjoy the book. (Second-hand embarrassment from books where the character did do the 'big thing' and it didn't work usually leads to me enjoying the book less.) My only real problem was that the plot was a little episodic. Went here, did this, these people died, philosophy, girls. (Last two are somewhat interchangeable.) The Clockwork Rocket: Spoiler I have no idea what's going on. I am not a STEM person. But, it was interesting, and gave me quite a few things to maybe try and draw. Not sure if I'll read the next one - I really didn't understand a good half of the story. A Talent for War: Spoiler The plot wasn't what I was expecting - but it was very interesting. I think I have the important plot points worked out in my head, and it was certainly enjoyable. As I said before, Tarien and Talino's names being similar tripped me up a bit, but that was fairly minor. The idea of the Helios weapon and Armstrong space is really cool, and I'm probably going to be thinking about it for a while. And I definitely want to try to draw the Veiled Lady. I love nebulae. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaidakar the Ghostblood Posted May 26, 2021 Report Share Posted May 26, 2021 the wonderful flight to the mushroom planet is for a young age reader bt is still good. sory that I don't have more thought, I am a new SciFi reader. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.