Lux Forums

Muad'Dib · Luxer Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 13 Location: Arrakis

I don't see you but give a PM next time, i'll play

paranoiarodeo · Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 6:33 pm Post subject:

Hey Muad'Dib ... hang with danmax recently ... ?!

I hear he lives in your neck of the woods ...

danmax · Lux Ancient Joined: 25 Dec 2004 Posts: 1270

pls · Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 10:16 pm Post subject:

danmax · Lux Ancient Joined: 25 Dec 2004 Posts: 1270

Ahh. To each his own. While this is not a thread about the movie Dune it's good to see people have something to say about this classic story.

magpie · Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 10:46 pm Post subject:

loved the movie, reading the books have been on my to do list for a long time.

Very Happy

Muad'Dib · Luxer Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 13 Location: Arrakis

AquaRegia · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 4:28 pm Post subject:

The first one was excellent.

The next two, while not truely worthy successors, were OK.

After that they go downhill rapidly - confusing, muddled, and just plain silly.

My $0.02.

Muad'Dib · Luxer Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 13 Location: Arrakis

Elisaelli · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 5:57 pm Post subject:

The Butlerian Jihad trilogy had way too much detail into the politics...It left a bad taste in my mouth. The three house books, however, are much better, and the new characters are interesting without being too completely out of it. I liked learning the origins of some of my favorite characters in Dune.

AquaRegia · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 5:58 pm Post subject:

I took the liberty of splitting these posts into the pub.

I read three of the Ender series. The first one was a bit childish, but intriguing; the later two were much better. Enjoyed them all.

As far as the Dune series goes, once Leto started turning into an actual Worm, my suspension of disbelief was stretched beyond the breaking point and I was out of there.

Elisaelli · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 6:04 pm Post subject:

I didn't like any of the books by Frank Herbert after Dune, since I thought most of them were just...too fictious? However, the new series by his son, Brian Herbert, I think are more realistic and interesting.

I didn't like most of the first Ender series, but the new(er) sequels that follow Bean (Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, and Shadow of the Giant) are, in my opinion, much deeper and better novels.

pls · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:51 pm Post subject:

I frankly rotted my brain by reading too many SF novels (sci-fi is something totally different from SF: think "Trek") in the '50's and '60's, starting with "Freddy the Pig Goes to Mars" (hilarious) and some of the earlier Heinleins. Then - I discovered Arthur C. Clarke, who in some ways has never been matched in vision and who set the standard for all my future SF selections. Now, I dive into one of the 500 or so SF books I have on my shelves once in awhile just for fun, especially some of the really early Heinleins. Thanks to Smedz' recommendation, at the moment I'm deep into Alistair Gray's Lanark which is at least part SF, part speculative, but very enjoyable. One of my favorite SF authors has been Lee Killough, who happens to live just down I-70 from me, in Manhattan, KS. The last writing of hers that I've found were vampire-type stuff - not really to my taste, but still well-done. And let me plug Bladerunner here, my all-time favorite movie. I'm done. Over and out.

AquaRegia · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 8:01 pm Post subject:

Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Speaker For the Dead were the three I read, and yes, the latter two were much meatier. The ideas there do stay with you.

pls - I'm a huge Heinlein fan. I disagreed with some of his politics, but he was a master storyteller and rock-solid science buff. The emotional content of his novels, while limited in scope, was very deep in some key areas. I have an entire RAH shelf in my library. The Lazarus Long universe is another which will always be with me.

pls · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:07 pm Post subject:

Of the Big Three - Heinlein, Clarke, and Asimov - Clarke will always be my favorite. But then I've found that I'm partial to British writers anyway - Victor Canning, Nevil Shute, Geoffrey Household, Dick Francis, et al. I have a complete set of Isaac Asimov's SF magazine, and of course I'm about 12 years behind on catching up reading the entire set. I never cared much for IA's SF, except perhaps the Robot series, but I thoroughly enjoyed his essays and editorials. In fact, I'm probably about 20-30 years behind on what's going on in current science fiction, so just ignore me unless you really want a historical perspective.

One of my favorite bookstores in LA was Dangerous Visions. Any else go there? Is it still there?

dustin · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:29 pm Post subject:

I read Dune and the 5 sequels eventually. I liked them all, even though the end was kind of wacky.

From Asimov I liked the robot book and Foundation series.

Lately I have been reading everything by Larry Niven that I can find and loving all of it.

paranoiarodeo · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:35 pm Post subject:

The Foundation universe is one of my favorites ... especially if you read Asimov's books in the order they were written ... and watch the way he wrapped several book series together towards the end of his life ...

Don't get me started about psychohistory and AI sentience ...

Wink

AquaRegia · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:51 pm Post subject:

altidude · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:33 pm Post subject:

hoodie · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 3:13 am Post subject:

I have to pass on the Sci Fi, but I imagine some of you fans might also like Murakami? Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the Universe, in particular.

Hoodie heart Murakami.

Mike · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 10:08 am Post subject:

For my money, there is Nothing Like "Job a comedy of Justice" (forgot the author) but then again, I like more of the Pseudo SciFi, than the actual Sci Fi,...... Kurt Vonnegut rules!

AquaRegia · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 12:02 pm Post subject:

Bertrand · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 12:38 pm Post subject:

Hey guys, I'm a sci-fi nut also - I think I have read Dune 5 times! Right now I'm into british authors like Iaian M.Banks. I think his novels would be ideal for the crowd here; "The player of games" is good first start. He has a wicked sense of humor: for example the whimsical culture ship names have inspired whole web sites. Just google "banks culture ship names" for a look-see. Some of my favorites:

No More Mr Nice Guy
So Much For Subtlety
Gunboat Diplomat
Kiss My Ass
Screw Loose
Funny, It Worked Last Time...
Steely Glint
Attitude Adjuster
Honest Mistake
Quietly Confident
Uninvited Guest
What Is The Answer and Why?
Serious Callers Only
Not Invented Here
Big Sexy Beast
God Told Me To Do It
You'll Thank Me Later
Heavy Messing
Ethics Gradient
Unfortunate Conflict Of Evidence
Just Read The Instructions
Space Monster

BarStar · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 12:48 pm Post subject:

Some great band names in there....

Ethics Gradient

<<BarStar makes notes>>

Blind Willie · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 12:57 pm Post subject:

Bertrand · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 1:07 pm Post subject:

el toro · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 1:59 pm Post subject:

i remember snowcrash coming with marathon.... still love them both.

Elisaelli · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 5:49 pm Post subject:

i know it's been a couple of weeks, but this post is about books...and the topic was never discussed...so what do you guys think of the Frey fiasco? do you think what he did was horrible? Do you think it doesnt matter as long as it initially inspired people?

(for those of you who have no idea what i'm talking about:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/jamesfrey/0104061jamesfrey1.html
http://www.newsday.com/features/booksmags/ny-frey4639560feb24,0,4798021.story?coll=ny-books-print
a couple of websites explaining)

pls · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 6:16 pm Post subject:

AFIAK Frey is as guilty as some kid who plagiarizes or makes up his sources for a research paper ... just advanced a couple of levels in that he failed to reveal that a good portion of his book (which I haven't read and don't plan to waste my time doing so) was out-and-out fiction. Not nice, when you're garnering sympathy for a less-than-normal life on nationwide TV.

Remember Truman Capote's In Cold Blood? He did not try to hide the fact that he was mixing fact and fiction. In doing so he created a new genre of literature which literati have been trying to classify ever since.

Frey is not a Truman Capote. I knew Truman Capote. And frankly, Mr. Frey, you're no ... oops, wrong quote. (I never knew Capote, either.) But you get the idea. Frey's book belongs in the garbage.

paranoiarodeo · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 7:36 pm Post subject:

In Cold Blood isn't a proper parallel ... Capote was writing about third party events, constructing a narrative from first hand research and experience ... whereas Frey's work, if I understand correctly, was mostly "autobiographical" ...