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How often do you read sci-fi for pleasure?
After answering the poll, I'm also curious about who your favorite sci-fi authors are.
If you don't read sci-fi, are there other types of books you read for fun?
If you don't read sci-fi, are there other types of books you read for fun?
The last sci-fi I remember reading was Ender's Game - a few months, probably closer to a year, ago. I suppose that qualifies for sci-fi, but I don't really associate it with that. The focus isn't on the physics and gadgets. Can't say much about the author (Orson Scott Card), I haven't read the sequels (yet) or anything else he's written. He seems like a dick IRL. (Google for some of his political writing.)
Recommend me some good sci-fi and I'll give it a go. (Oh, and I've already read The Hitchhiker's..)
I've been reading Huxley (not a sci-fi author) a lot lately. His earlier stuff can be a lot of fun, if one can get through some of the drudgery. I'm currently reading Island (a late one) and it sometimes strikes me that he no more seems like the master writer (style-wise) I thought him to be, but maybe it's just the translation. The ideas aren't lacking.
Someone sent me two of Roald Dahl's children's books - Matilda and The BFG. They're wonderful! I especially liked the BFG's "job" - super cute. Anyone who hasn't read any children's books in a long time definitely should go pick something up. You're never too old for some of these. I loved Oscar Wilde's fairy tales.
Recommend me some good sci-fi and I'll give it a go. (Oh, and I've already read The Hitchhiker's..)
I've been reading Huxley (not a sci-fi author) a lot lately. His earlier stuff can be a lot of fun, if one can get through some of the drudgery. I'm currently reading Island (a late one) and it sometimes strikes me that he no more seems like the master writer (style-wise) I thought him to be, but maybe it's just the translation. The ideas aren't lacking.
Someone sent me two of Roald Dahl's children's books - Matilda and The BFG. They're wonderful! I especially liked the BFG's "job" - super cute. Anyone who hasn't read any children's books in a long time definitely should go pick something up. You're never too old for some of these. I loved Oscar Wilde's fairy tales.
I also think OSC is a brilliant writer, but I'm not too wild about his politics. His work is definitely sci-fi, though-- good sci-fi doesn't rely on high tech gadgets to tell the story. Some other good contemporary authors I'd recommend would be Vernor Vinge, Iain Banks, David Brin (whose politics I don't like either, though they're at the opposite end of the spectrum from OSC), Greg Egan, and Charlie Stross. Neal Stephenson is pretty good too, sometimes. His best so far was The Diamond Age, and the worst book by him I've read so far is Zodiac which reads like internet amateur-fic. Sounds like he banged that one in a hurry to pay off a credit card bill or something.
Charlie Stross is pretty cool because of all writers, him and Cory Doctorow actually understand the information economy instead jealously guarding their creative treasures behind copy-protected ebooks and other nonsense like that.
Charlie Stross is pretty cool because of all writers, him and Cory Doctorow actually understand the information economy instead jealously guarding their creative treasures behind copy-protected ebooks and other nonsense like that.
| Quote: |
| When is the last time you read a science fiction book (for fun, not for class)? |
Half an hour ago.
Dune, written by Frank Herbert and I just started part 4. But I'm not really a science-fiction fan; I rather prefer fantasy.Often. But like watching sci-fi movies instead of reading books nowadays.
I've lost my interest in Science Fiction books after I started getting in realistic fiction (almost scarily in it, as I became almost scarily overtly-girly, haha) but in 6th grade I started reading Anne McCaffrey books. I don't suggest those books at only 6th grade, seeing as they have quite a bit of sexual content in it... but I was naive at that time. Apparently my teacher who suggested it said most people didn't catch on to it, which is true, because I didn't catch on until late 6th grade... what I do recommend are the "kiddie" Anne McCaffrey books. They're quite awesome, hehe.
The Ender and Bean series are... pretty good. I loved the first ender, and the entire bean series, but I didn't like the ender series after the first one. I guess it was too... out there for me. I don't know, all I know is I didn't really like it.
I don't think Roald Dahl's books are science fiction? I thought it was fantasy *shrugs*. Matlida was my favorite book for a while... at first I was sad because she lost her magic in the book, but then now I don't like the movie because she keeps her magic, ha. Times change.
The Ender and Bean series are... pretty good. I loved the first ender, and the entire bean series, but I didn't like the ender series after the first one. I guess it was too... out there for me. I don't know, all I know is I didn't really like it.
I don't think Roald Dahl's books are science fiction? I thought it was fantasy *shrugs*. Matlida was my favorite book for a while... at first I was sad because she lost her magic in the book, but then now I don't like the movie because she keeps her magic, ha. Times change.
I lost a bit of my enthusiasm for sci-fi too: once I realized that all these great authors predicted stuff like Mars colonies and humanoid robots but utterly failed to predict the internet.
Even in the early 90's, when the writing was already on the wall. And yes, I'm talking about Gibson, Sterling, and Stephenson... they just don't get the whole information revolution thing. They try to write about the bricks-and-mortar world but dress it up in hip cyber gizmos.
I can still find occasional sci-fi that 'gets it' but it's hard to find stuff that's convincing nowadays. Anything written before the 90's reads like straight-up fantasy.
So I helped start an 'open source' sci-fi worldbuilding project, which you can see here: http://al.frihost.net/stfiki/. It's still just getting started, but hopefully by harnessing the energy of large numbers of volunteers we'll be able to dream up a self-consistant, plausible future-history and write some stories set in it.
Even in the early 90's, when the writing was already on the wall. And yes, I'm talking about Gibson, Sterling, and Stephenson... they just don't get the whole information revolution thing. They try to write about the bricks-and-mortar world but dress it up in hip cyber gizmos.
I can still find occasional sci-fi that 'gets it' but it's hard to find stuff that's convincing nowadays. Anything written before the 90's reads like straight-up fantasy.
So I helped start an 'open source' sci-fi worldbuilding project, which you can see here: http://al.frihost.net/stfiki/. It's still just getting started, but hopefully by harnessing the energy of large numbers of volunteers we'll be able to dream up a self-consistant, plausible future-history and write some stories set in it.
| Texas Al wrote: |
| I lost a bit of my enthusiasm for sci-fi too: once I realized that all these great authors predicted stuff like Mars colonies and humanoid robots but utterly failed to predict the internet. |
Science fiction books may predict a lot, but they still remain fiction and are made by humans.
I'm reading Dune at the moment and there is no single computer in the whole universe, or at least there shouldn't be. Why? Instead of thinking themselves the people put all the power in the hands of the machines. The Butlerian Jihad freed people from "thinking machines".
Interesting thought, isn't it?
Actually, that was a deliberate plot device by Frank Herbert. He knew that computers are coming in the real world, and unlike other authors, he was perceptive enough to realize that he knew too little about them to have any hope of writing about them convincingly. So he just did an end-run around the whole issue by creating an interstellar civilization that had a taboo against computers. That's why his novels managed to remain readable despite the fact that they were written quite a long time ago.
On http://freesfonline.de/ if you look for Herbert in the alphabetical listing of authors, you'll find some short stories by his son, I think, set in the Dune universe *during* the Butlerian Jihad, and they're pretty good too. Reminiscent of Fred Saberhagen's Berserker saga.
On http://freesfonline.de/ if you look for Herbert in the alphabetical listing of authors, you'll find some short stories by his son, I think, set in the Dune universe *during* the Butlerian Jihad, and they're pretty good too. Reminiscent of Fred Saberhagen's Berserker saga.
The book i m reading now is STARS LIKE DUST by Asimov and He is my favourite author. Next i like Arthur c. clarke. I havnt read any other sci fi author much.
I enjoy H.G. Wells' The Time Machine and War of the Worlds, as well as Star Trek novels and the Target Doctor Who novelisations (though these probably aren't as "classic" sci-fi as Asimov and other authors). At some point I intend to read Asimov's I, Robot to see how it compares to the film. Probably my favourite authors are Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, who wrote quite a few Star Trek books with William Shatner, as well as writing one of my favourites, Star Trek: Federation. For all the Trekkies out there, I highly recommend Federation.
i would have to say that my favorite Sci Fi authros are Stephenson, Asimov, and Anthony. Though I prefer fantasy, I enjoy reading about the "Fantastic". 
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