tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post111976752403023191..comments2024-03-28T06:52:24.129-07:00Comments on Kung Fu Monkey: Geek Texts 101Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12551450586119958881noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-25645189335382002082011-11-22T23:57:44.576-08:002011-11-22T23:57:44.576-08:00I found a lot of helpful info here!I found a lot of helpful info here!www.islas-baleares-3d.comhttp://www.islas-baleares-3d.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-28997602594422389002010-08-09T02:28:36.148-07:002010-08-09T02:28:36.148-07:00зеленый лазер
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He also wrote a couple of stand alone Sci-Fi novels, such "Against A Dark Backround" which would make a great movie. <BR/><BR/>As a kid I liked Papa Schimmelhorn stories by Reginal Bretnor, who's infulence you can see on the Liks of Douglas Addams and Gaimen.Brian McRobertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397159046079490551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120604894669662802005-07-05T16:08:00.000-07:002005-07-05T16:08:00.000-07:00Wow-- I've just been giddy reading these comments....Wow-- I've just been giddy reading these comments. They're a tour of of my junior high/high school reading list. Each time I wondered whether why a particular author or book hadn't been mentioned yet, zap!! There it was!! John Brunner and Samuel R. Delany were pretty late mentions, though, I have to say. What's up with that? Oh, and did anyone mention Joanna Russ and I missed it?<BR/><BR/>That being said, I'm not entirely sure how one would come up with a definitive 10-book canonical list. Though it seems easy to shove "science fiction" into a genre ghetto, it's hard to define what would constitute "canonical" works -- especially since much of the best science fiction challenges canons of one sort or another. It's easier for me to come up with a couple of quick additions to the "B" list:<BR/><BR/><I><B>Camp Concentration</B></I>, Thomas Disch; and<BR/><BR/><I><B>Stars In My Pockets Like Grains of Sand</B></I>, Samuel R. Delany.nolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06254422842868378340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120486441148539102005-07-04T07:14:00.000-07:002005-07-04T07:14:00.000-07:00Someone tell me I must have missed it reading down...Someone tell me I must have missed it reading down the list - Heinlein's Future History? especially "Time enough for love," which i feel is a must read for sci-fi fans. Others I have seen on the list that I really dug were ANYTHING from Stephenson, "Harsh Mistress" "Foundation" series, The Niven "Ring" series. I also feel that Zelazny's "Amber" series is good, but some might consider that more fantasy than Sci-Fi. Another author I have always enjoyed, but who might not deserve the list is PJ Farmer, very talented guy, the OZ books, his bio of Doc Savage was neat, and the Tarzan stuff also, but he excelled with "World of Tiers" & especially the "Riverworld" series...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120447566253774232005-07-03T20:26:00.000-07:002005-07-03T20:26:00.000-07:0084 Comments?! Who the hell are you people?!!84 Comments?! Who the hell are you people?!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120427938426448982005-07-03T14:58:00.000-07:002005-07-03T14:58:00.000-07:00I'd definitely agree with a lot that's been said h...I'd definitely agree with a lot that's been said here. I'm surprised no one has mentioned Hyperion by Dan Simmons - admittedly it's a play on Chaucer, but it's a damn good book in its own right. my ten:<BR/><BR/><B>The Forever War </B>(Joe Haldeman)/<B>Starship Troopers </B>(Robert Heinlein)/<B>Armor</B>(John Steakley) - although by different authors, I would consider these three novels to be so similar in topic that reading them together really brings the subject of future war into focus. Forever War is the best of them, in my opinion.<BR/><BR/><B>Ender's Game</B> (Orson Scott Card)<BR/><BR/><B>Snow Crash</B> (Neal Stephenson) - I think it's done enough to warrent a place, it added a lot of style to the flagging cyberpunk genre.<BR/><BR/><B>Neuromancer</B> (william Gibson) - for creating a large part of cyberpunk.<BR/><BR/><B>1984</B> (George Orwell)<BR/><BR/><B>2001: A Space Oddyssey</B> (Arthur C Clarke)<BR/><BR/><B>A Scanner Darkly</B> (Phillip K. Dick) - my pick of Dick's many great novels. this one really homed in on his favourite topic - forced schizophrenia and loss of identity.<BR/><BR/><B>Stranger In A Strange Land</B> (Robert Heinlein)<BR/><BR/><B>Downbelow Station</B>(C.J. Cherryh) - the panic as the refugee ships arrive... this is good stuff.<BR/><BR/>I'd also put a little note in for Helliconia Spring by Brian Aldiss, which really protrayed life on a planet with different natural conditions - in this case season length than ones humans are used to.<BR/><BR/>Dark Horses, or writers to look out for:<BR/><BR/>mostly british. Cyberpunk seems to be having a renaissance over here, which is great. <B> China Mieville</B> is absolutedly fantastic. <B>Ken Mcleod, Neal Asher and Richard Morgan</B> are writing some really good scifi thrillers. Morgan's <B>Market Forces</B> and Asher's <B>The Skinner</B> are particularly worth checking out. John Courtney Grimwood is writing well, and could be big.<BR/><BR/>on the other side of the Atlantic, I second calls for Michael Marshall Smith (sadly he's gone into writing thrillers - I hope once his bank balance clears up a bit he'll go back to the brilliant imaginings of <B>Only Forward</B> and <B>Spares</B>.) and Cory Doctorow of Boing Boing fame - <B>Down And Out in The Magic Kingdom</B> is excellent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120248317134288202005-07-01T13:05:00.000-07:002005-07-01T13:05:00.000-07:00And I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Jack Vance....And I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Jack Vance. <BR/><BR/>Emphyrio, To Live Forever, Tschai-series, Demon Princes -series. These are my favourite books of all time.<BR/><BR/>And a little gem: City, by Clifford D. SimakAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120204788342994242005-07-01T00:59:00.000-07:002005-07-01T00:59:00.000-07:00A couple of good overviews of sf:Age of Wonders, D...A couple of good overviews of sf:<BR/><BR/><I>Age of Wonders</I>, David Hartwell<BR/><BR/><I>Trillion Year Spree</I>, Brian Aldissscotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02604634784693508470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120136433775237022005-06-30T06:00:00.000-07:002005-06-30T06:00:00.000-07:00In no order"The Day of the Triffids" - John Wyndha...In no order<BR/><BR/>"The Day of the Triffids" - John Wyndham - <BR/><BR/>"Ubik" - Phillip Dick<BR/><BR/>"Waro of the Worlds" - Mr. Wells<BR/><BR/>"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" - Heinlein<BR/><BR/>"Time Out of Joint" - Phillip Dick<BR/><BR/>"Radio Free ALbemuth" - Phillip Dick<BR/><BR/>"Cat's Cradle" - Vonnegut<BR/><BR/>"Player Piano" - Vonnegut<BR/><BR/>That'll do for now. I'm a really big Phillip K. Dick fan. I'm about halfway through his works but I really can't recommend "the Day of the Triffids" highly enough. It is scary and smart. Most everyone on Earth has gpne blind. Civilization ends. Thwn what? That's the book. Amazing. Forget you even heard of the movie.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120120387352083192005-06-30T01:33:00.000-07:002005-06-30T01:33:00.000-07:00For simplicity, I'm leaving out all short stories,...For simplicity, I'm leaving out all short stories, comics, and adaptations from other media. That cuts out <I>Hitchhiker's Guide</I> in case anyone was curious where that went. I'm also leaving out any titles I haven't actually read. I'm following a loose definition of Science Fiction that will include <I>Bellwether</I>, as a fiction that uses a scientific idea to illuminate human behavior.<BR/><BR/>I also love many of the stories from the <I>Science Fiction Hall of Fame</I>. I read a lot of different stuff, and not most of it is SF. <BR/><BR/><B>10 representative titles</B><BR/><I>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</I>, Jules Verne<BR/><I>A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court</I>, Mark Twain<BR/><I>The War of the Worlds</I>, H.G. Wells<BR/><I>The Martian Chronicles</I>, Ray Bradbury<BR/><I>A Canticle for Liebowitz</I>, Walter M. Miller, Jr.<BR/><I>Dune</I>, Frank Herbert<BR/><I>Slaughterhouse Five</I>, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.<BR/><I>Bellwether</I>, Connie Willis<BR/><I>Ender's Game</I>, Orson Scott Card<BR/><I>Ware</I> series, Rudy Rucker<BR/><BR/>One of my favorite books that never hit among other readers is <I>Glimpses</I>, by Lewis Shiner. It's more of a rock 'n' roll fantasy novel, or perhaps a classic rock journey through magical realism. It surprises me that more people haven't read Shiner's work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120116418887077242005-06-30T00:26:00.000-07:002005-06-30T00:26:00.000-07:00Warren Ellis wrote this kick-ass novel called Tran...Warren Ellis wrote this kick-ass novel called Transmetropolitan. You know Warren so maybe you've allready read it but if not you should.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120111063704828462005-06-29T22:57:00.000-07:002005-06-29T22:57:00.000-07:00Very surprised that no one's mentioned Samuel Dela...Very surprised that no one's mentioned Samuel Delaney. <BR/>Start with his short story, "Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-precious Stones" in the collection Driftglass.<BR/>All the early work is fabulous. <BR/><BR/>Also John Crowley's astonishing "Beasts"Peter Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14536171819660564067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120106706558434492005-06-29T21:45:00.000-07:002005-06-29T21:45:00.000-07:00Wow, just 10?!! Seriously?Wait, you must be thinki...Wow, just 10?!! Seriously?<BR/><BR/>Wait, you must be thinking in Base four hundred Right? In which case, my list is well under. Because realistically, there's no way you could do it with Base Ten 10. So I've whittled it down to this. But still feel like I'm missing too much:<BR/><BR/><BR/>Frank Herbert - Dune Series<BR/><BR/>Robert Heinlein - Everything - read it . . . now!<BR/><BR/>Charles Sheffield - Everything, but especially:<BR/>Jupiter Novels<BR/>Cold As Ice<BR/><BR/>Isaac Asimov - Foundation Series<BR/><BR/>Jules Verne - <BR/>Journey to the Center of the Earth<BR/>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea<BR/><BR/>Greg Bear - Most works, but especially:<BR/>Blood Music (in novel form)<BR/>Eon<BR/>Moving Mars<BR/>Queen of Angels/Slant<BR/><BR/>Jack Williamson - The Humanoid Touch<BR/><BR/>Gregory Benford / David Brin - Heart of the Comet<BR/><BR/>Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game<BR/><BR/>William Gibson - Pattern Recognition<BR/><BR/>Kim Stanley Robinson - Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars<BR/><BR/>Vernor Vinge - <BR/>A Fire Upon the Deep<BR/>A Deepness in the Sky<BR/><BR/>John Barnes - Meme Wars (Series)<BR/><BR/>Neal Stephenson -<BR/>Snow Crash<BR/>The Diamond Age<BR/>Cryptonomicon<BR/><BR/>Robert Sawyer - Everything, but especially:<BR/>The Terminal Experiment<BR/>Frameshift<BR/><BR/>Kurt Vonnegut - Cat's Cradle<BR/><BR/>Douglas Adams - Hitchhiker's Guide (Entire Series)<BR/><BR/>Connie Willis - BellWether<BR/><BR/>James Halparin - The Truth Machine<BR/><BR/>David Zindell - Neverness<BR/><BR/>Larry Niven -<BR/>The Mote in God's Eye<BR/>The Gripping Hand<BR/><BR/>Michael Flynn - FireStar Saga<BR/><BR/>Peter F. Hamilton - Reality Dysfunction Series<BR/><BR/>----------------------<BR/><BR/>Authors for the future of sci-fi (all of these have some fantastic works out there):<BR/><BR/>Charles Stross<BR/>Cory Doctorow<BR/>Ken MacLeon<BR/>Neal Asher<BR/>Kevin J. Anderson - Saga of the Seven Suns<BR/><BR/>These might hold you over on a deserted island for 6 months to a year, but after that, you're gonna need some more sci-fi!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120099573450341812005-06-29T19:46:00.000-07:002005-06-29T19:46:00.000-07:00Wow, People have gone way out now!I would like to ...Wow, People have gone way out now!<BR/><BR/>I would like to add some controversy at this point and say that:<BR/><BR/>Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy doesn't count.<BR/><BR/>It was a radio play first. So if one is following the milestones of Sci-Fi it should be mentioned but as a nice cross-over and not so much as a book.<BR/><BR/>Oh and Day of the Triffids was really good (i forgot to mention it before, about 50-or-so posts ago). Thanks GM Doug for reminding me.Hadynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07083326580987476180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120099247676458922005-06-29T19:40:00.000-07:002005-06-29T19:40:00.000-07:00Greg Egan - "Permutation City"A quick read, & I've...Greg Egan - "Permutation City"<BR/>A quick read, & I've read it quickly about 40 times. <BR/><BR/>Of the above comments you are all geniuses :-) I'm going to cope out on a lot of writing & just say all of teh above.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17952071085832963988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120098162682662152005-06-29T19:22:00.000-07:002005-06-29T19:22:00.000-07:00Friend of mine mentioned Bridge of Birds when I to...Friend of mine mentioned Bridge of Birds when I told him about this list. He's been trying to get me to read that and the 2 sequels for years now ;) He also thought Sean Russell's asian fantasy duology was good, too.<BR/><BR/>And, I forgot to mention Melissa Scott in my earlier post. Just about everything by her I've loved, but 2 series specifically:<BR/><BR/>1) Dreamships and Dreaming Metal are just flat out great. A tad hard to follow since she just drops you into this fully realized world with little to no explanation, but it's just fantastic once you get the hang of it.<BR/><BR/>2) her Silence trilogy ( 5/12ths of Heaven, Silence in Solitude, and Empress of Earth). One of the more interesting and nifty ways that I've seen space travel handled. These are almost 20 years old by this point, but still great reads.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120089204145615242005-06-29T16:53:00.000-07:002005-06-29T16:53:00.000-07:00Well, since someone upthread leaked into fantasy, ...Well, since someone upthread leaked into fantasy, then I propose Barry Hughart's "Bridge of Birds." Marvelous story, funny as hell, just begging to be read and passed around.Adam Rakunashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10999789700805333400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120068272199646882005-06-29T11:04:00.000-07:002005-06-29T11:04:00.000-07:00Seeing as absolutely every book that came to mind ...Seeing as absolutely every book that came to mind was instantly taken, (Forever War, Neuromancer, Valis) I'll shoot for the new.<BR/><BR/>Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis and Darrick Robertson. If you don't believe comics can be literature then the spine gets snapped. I've effectively pulled many a new scifi reader in by handing them a trade of this amazingly crafted tale of corrupt politicians, drug addled journalists, and cyberlusting biomech junkies.<BR/><BR/>Then, there's The Invisibles by Grant Morrison, the ultimate conspiracy. Counterculture/Anarchist James Bonds creating the Buddha of the future. Brilliant.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1120066696470022012005-06-29T10:38:00.000-07:002005-06-29T10:38:00.000-07:00Here's a couple I read in my high school days :The...Here's a couple I read in my high school days :<BR/><BR/>The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, great book including time travel, egyptian gods and a bodyswapping werewolf.<BR/><BR/>Dying inside by Robert Silverberg, a visit inside the mind of a telepath who didn't exactly benefit from his gift, the book's a little dated but still a good read.<BR/><BR/>Most of the rest's already been named except this one I just remebered :<BR/>Andreas Eschbach's The carpet makers a little book with a very (IMO) clever way of telling a story, excellent ending and pretty much unguessable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1119995106908098862005-06-28T14:45:00.000-07:002005-06-28T14:45:00.000-07:00Want to second what Mike said about Iain Banks. Co...Want to second what Mike said about Iain Banks. <BR/><BR/>Consider Phlebas and Use of Weapons are a couple of his best (IMHO). And, when I read them after years of self-imposed exile from sci-fi, they made sci-fi feel pretty fresh.<BR/><BR/>CDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1119988234809934572005-06-28T12:50:00.000-07:002005-06-28T12:50:00.000-07:00Has anyone heard of, or read, this new book called...Has anyone heard of, or read, this new book called <I>The Traveler</I>, by a guy named John Twelve Hawks? It was just released today (6/28), and it sounds pretty cool.<BR/><BR/>From the description on the inside flap, I can't tell if it fits more with sci-fi or with fantasy, though I suppose I'll have a better idea of that once I actually read it.david golbitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03494541678536011153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1119987275676554392005-06-28T12:34:00.000-07:002005-06-28T12:34:00.000-07:00I'm looking forward to the final version of this l...I'm looking forward to the final version of this list, because I'm not as well read in the classics as I should be. <BR/><BR/>That said, in my mind there are two types of sci-fi--there are books that use it as setting, and there are books that use it as content. It's a very fuzzy line, and many of my favorite books are those that use sci-fi as a setting, letting the author comment on his or her society. But for purposes of this list, I'm going to try and concentrate on on those that use the science as content, rather than setting. I'm sure some of you will disagree with the side I put some of these books, and others with making the seperation in the first place, but that's a different debate for somewhere else. <BR/><BR/>Cyteen, C. J. Cherryh. As cloning becomes more sophisticated and more common, this book's analysis of identity can only become more relevant. Anything in her Merchanter series is worth the time, however.<BR/><BR/>Dawn, Octavia Butler. Xenophobia directed at others and xenophobia directed at the changing self.<BR/><BR/>Heart of the Comet, Gregory Benford and David Brin, for much the same reasons.<BR/><BR/>Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut<BR/><BR/>I, Robot, Asimov. Every version of robotics that doesn't directly draw from it is invariably compared to it.<BR/><BR/>Something by Greg Bear, but there are too many options to choose. Probably the collected works collection.<BR/><BR/>As for favorite that isn't a classic...my copy's in storage and I can't remember the title or the author; but it was a three book series about a woman who founded a company, built a private SSTO lift vehicle, and kicked off a new space race, this time between private companies. Very interesting for showing the advantages and disadvantages of private investment in space.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1119982990189510632005-06-28T11:23:00.000-07:002005-06-28T11:23:00.000-07:00Don't know if anyone is still reading this far dow...Don't know if anyone is still reading this far down, but had to add 2 things: 1.) No one seems to have answered the request for a scholarly overview of SF, but there is at least one (two, really): James Gunn edited a multi-volume series called The Road to Science Fiction which featured short stories & excerpts from novels from 2nd century Rome (!) to modern day (aaaaand there's a basic SF reading list in the back of the 1st volume for good measure). It was first published in a 4 volume mass market paperback version (the one I have), but is now available in a 6 volume trade paperback (probably hardback too)edition. I don't know if the the TP is still in print but all should be available online & in used bookstores. Great stuff!<BR/>2.) DougBot already mentioned it, but I want to give another shout-out to The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Vol. 1, edited by Robert Silverberg. It's still in print & probably can be found at either your friendly neighborhood library or used bookstore. The best single-volume "beginner book" IMO. The stories are from 1934-1963 so some younger readers make find parts corny; but dammit, if you don't like at least SOME of the contents, you probably should stay any from SF altogether!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380399.post-1119976423424351082005-06-28T09:33:00.000-07:002005-06-28T09:33:00.000-07:00Couple of personal faves:Friday, by Robert Heinlei...Couple of personal faves:<BR/><BR/>Friday, by Robert Heinlein<BR/>On a Pale Horse, by Piers Anthony<BR/>The Stars My Destination, by Alfred BesterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com