Science Fiction

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I see that the World Science Fiction Convention will be held in Kansas City next year, August 17th through 21st.

http://midamericon2.org/

Also, Dragon Con will be held in Atlanta September 2 through September 5th.

http://www.dragoncon.org/

I've never been to one, but Dragon Con in particular looks like an interesting time.

Regards
John

 

[LeeRevell]

I would have loved to attend Dragon Con back in my old AD&D days.  But these days I don't do crowds.  We used to have an annual Sci Fi Convention here in our convention center, but they stopped several years back.  I do miss them.  Got to see Mark Leonard (Sarek of Vulcan) before he passed away.

 

[blars]

It has been a while since I've been to Worldcon, for a decade or so I did it every year. Tuscon (Tucson), Lepricon (Phoenix) and Condor (San Diego) are the only SF cons I've been to since I've been fulltiming, and over a year since I did any of those.

If anyone wants a free Baen ebook and does not have an account with them already, send me a PM with your email address and next time I have a code for one available I'll have them send it to you.

 

[BradKW]

Last I looked, Baen has a large library of free SF/Fantasy ebooks available for download...

 

[blars]

Yes, the Baen Free Library has a bunch of books, frequently the first one or two in a series. At irregular intervals (months/years) some are removed and more are added. There are also a bunch of CDs that are legal to copy and give away but not sell with additional books, you may be able to find them online.

 

[rgs80074]

i've been going to megacon in orlando since 2004. but alas this year(next may) it does not look like i'll be attending. the price of the tickets have gotten to high to justify buying them for the family.

besides if your lucky you get an hour or 2 in the show room then you spend most of your time picking and choosing panels and such and get there early (so you end up missing ones you would like to have seen) just to be sure you get in. wait till the last minute and most are full.

the other year they had a walking dead panel. was in line over an hour early and still almost missed getting in by 10 or so people.

 

[nobodyG17]

Not really a fan of conventions like that but I'm a giant Sci-fi nerd.  

I need room to fit Firefly quotes in my signature.

 

[GypsyDogs]

My sister met her husband through a Dr.Who convention years ago.
Local TV showed a clip of her as a 'monster' attacking a U.N.I.T. soldier.
Future husband saw the clip and it was love at first sight. LOL

Was also fun, on the 2 hour drive, watching the the looks from people in other cars on the freeway- seeing a car full of aliens...

 

[GotSmart]

My sister met her husband through a Dr.Who convention years ago.
Local TV showed a clip of her as a 'monster' attacking a U.N.I.T. soldier.
Future husband saw the clip and it was love at first sight.  LOL

Was also fun, on the 2 hour drive, watching the the looks from people in other cars on the freeway- seeing a car full of aliens...  

I experience that all the time on the West Coast???   :huh: Especially the aliens.   Perhaps it is the cat looking out the windshield and my Walkabout hat.~~~

 

[ACagedTraveller]

What science fiction books that you have read (recently or in the past) would you recommend for others that maintain a interest in this genre? I have read Hellstrom's Hive by Frank Herbert, the Destination: Void series, the Dune Series, and The Mars Triology.

 

[LeeRevell]

Anything by the old masters, Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Anything by the old masters, Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke.

In addition to those three, also H. Beam Piper, who died in 1964.  Had he lived longer, he would certainly be ranked up there with those three.

John F. Carr continues to write sequels to some of Piper's work, and they are excellent.

Lois McMasters Bujold's VOR novels are not to be missed.

I would also recommend S. M. Stirling.  Particularly his sequels to Jerry Pournelle's FALKENBERG'S LEGION books.

These days, I mostly read military sci-fi.

David Weber is the current acknowledged grand-master of that sub-genre with his Honor Harrington series.  His Safehold series is also quite good.

I would also recommend Jack Campbell's LOST FLEET series, currently at about 11 books, all excellent.

Finally, newcomer H. Paul Honsinger's  BROTHER'S IN VALOR trilogy is excellent.

Regards
John

 

[Tele]

For a few years now i have been thinking of a galactic story of my own, and if I get away from this job and home that tethers me and hit the road i could work up a draft for a screenplay. I had a little exposure at college level with screenplays and found them fascinating. Examples The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The Last Picture Show, The Wild Bunch, and an Italian film.
The latter was adapted from a novel and set in fascist Italy. Very memorable. I read the translation and it had an insight, a piece of anthropological symbolism, that has stayed with me through the years. It was not in the movie and therefore ripe to be plagiarised or put to work after adding an original twist (now thats real Hollywood is it not).

 

[BradKW]

I've loved scify/fantasy since I learned to read...I go through at least a book a week on my Kindle. I was never able to get into Asimov when I was younger though, just too dry. And while I respect and appreciate Heinlein for the ground he broke and the way he pushed the field forward, I've found I don't care to read him anymore. Too many young authors were inspired by Heinlein and have gone on to take what he did to the next step. Perfect example is Starship Troopers, the boy-to-basic-to-star marine motif. I've read so many truly great examples of this that when I finally read Troopers it was like watching an old, stiff black'n'white movie. It was cool in the sense that I was reading where all the things I love started, but still...

Weber's Honor Harrington series is not something that should be missed...when he's on his game, its really gripping space opera. His writing has gone downhill a lot in recent years tho...I believe his success has let him sit on his laurels and often put his name on things others have written. Weber wrote in an interview that one of the worst things to happen was when his publisher figured out that he would keep writing whether he was paid or not. For me, one of the worst things to happen was when Weber figured out that I would keep buying Harrington books, whether they sucked or not

You can't go wrong with these books:
1) The Martian by Andy Weir http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/05...artian book&qid=1452639183&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

2) Nexus by Ramez Naam http://www.amazon.com/Nexus-Trilogy.../ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

3) Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse Book 1) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047Y171G?redirect=true&ref_=kinw_myk_ro_title

4) Poor Man's Fight by E.Kay http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B3WZ4VY?redirect=true&ref_=kinw_myk_ro_title

And if care to try what modern fantasy can be, Abercrombie sets the bar. Its dark. It can be funny. The hero doesn't pine after a beautiful woman the entire book . The hero doesn't feel guilty about killing those that need to be killed. Really can't say enough good things about The Blade Itself: The First Law: Book One. http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Itself-.../ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

 

[blars]

Check out the Baen Free library -- I think the first book or two in the Honor Harrington series is there, and maybe one or two of the Vor series. I usually get a "free ebook for new customer" offer once a month (when I bug the monthly collection) from BAEN, so PM me if you want one. David Drake is another author to check out if you like military SF, the Hammers Slammers series is good as is the Cinbar ("with the lightnigs") series, quality of some of the others varies.

 

[nobodyG17]

Richard K. Morgan wrote a series that is sort of cyber punk style sci-fi.   First book is Altered Carbon.  I believe it won a Philip K. Dick award.  It's the book that started my love of sci-fi.

I enjoyed the Reckless Faith series by David kantrowitz.

I will have to look through my kindle soon for more recommendations.   I read a lot of just OK sci-fi but enjoy most of them.

 

[Snowbunny]

1.) Cat House, by Michael Peak. For Cat Lovers - of all kinds and yes, dog lovers too! This is one of my all time favorites! Love the way the author tied in his personal life into the story and developed some good characters. Set in the San Diego area and surrounding desert.
2) Catamount - a sequel to Cat House. This one is a little " wilder". Another good read, though,  imo. Centers around a puma named Serena. This would make a great read boondocked in the SW desert!
I always thought these two books would make great animated movies.....probably Pg 13 rated ones.
I found my first copy of Cat House in the Science Fiction section of a used bookstore (back in the 1980s) and although not typical of of Sci Fi, again imo, there are other-worldly elements to these stories. Really made me think of how we really do not know or fully understand God's design in the animal world.
These are out of print and hard to find in good condition. I ordered my second copy of Cat House and first copy of Catamount from Amazon.
Enjoy!
Snowbunny

 

[nobodyG17]

Check out the Baen Free library -- I think the first book or two in the Honor Harrington series is there, and maybe one or two of the Vor series.  I usually get a "free ebook for new customer" offer once a month (when I bug the monthly collection) from BAEN, so PM me if you want one.  David Drake is another author to check out if you like military SF, the Hammers Slammers series is good as is the Cinbar ("with the lightnigs") series, quality of some of the others varies.

While it's not sci-fi I really enjoyed Larry Correia Monster Hunter series.  I just read the first book in another series of his Hard Magic and it's pretty good as well.   They are more fantasy I guess. 

Baen has a lot of great authors.  I enjoy John Ringo stuff as well. 

I took a look at my kindle and a great easy read is the Spinward Frings series by Randolph Lalonde.  Think it has 9 books now.  Great characters, and fun writing.

The lost starship series by Vaughn Heppner is good.

Ready Player One if you are a child of the 90's is fun.  Ernest Cline wrote it.

 

[AuricTech]

It has been a while since I've been to Worldcon, for a decade or so I did it every year.  Tuscon (Tucson), Lepricon (Phoenix) and Condor (San Diego) are the only SF cons I've been to since I've been fulltiming, and over a year since I did any of those.  

If anyone wants a free Baen ebook and does not have an account with them already, send me a PM with your email address and next time I have a code for one available I'll have them send it to you.

I've been attending TusCon since 2007, after attending in 1996 and 2003.