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/lit/ - Literature

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File: 18 KB, 200x300, endersgame.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3172705 No.3172705 [Reply] [Original]

Whats sci fi novels are you reading /lit/ whats is /lit/'s favorite?

I just finished enders game the other day, I nearly came on the bus when i got to the twist.

>> No.3172707

I just started rereading this a couple of days ago. Just got to the part when Ender gets his own army. God DAMN I love this book. Excited to read Ender's Shadow next.

>> No.3172708

>>3172705
currently none
the last one i read was oryx and crake
it was all right
i liked that it seemed like a reality that is entirely possible
if a bit too heightened

>> No.3172718

I love The Hitchhiker's Guide, but I need to read a lot more.

>> No.3172721

>>3172708
That book sounds interesting. Im thinking of going for some Arthur C Clarke stuff next.

>>3172707
Not particularly inerested in the rest of the series i feel like it might be a bit of a cash in but i could be convinced otherwise.

>> No.3172726

>>3172721
Yeah, I've heard the rest of the series isn't as good, since I just want Battle Room all day everyday. But I already have it since they came packaged together, AND I have no other books to read until Xmas. So I'll make do.

>> No.3172728

>Favorite
Neuromancer and Daemon, though the latter is a techno-thriller since all the awesome technology in it is absolutely real.
>Currently Reading
Pattern Recognition, though it's more of a thriller.

>> No.3172729

why does reddit have such a massive hard on for this book? it just seems like shitty teen scifi to me.

>> No.3172734

>>3172729
which book? enders game?
Probably because its an easy read. Its got an easy to follow story for casual readers, moral issues for people who want to dig deeper and symbolism for complete litfags.

>> No.3172748
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3172748

ender's game? no. read them all. and the side stories. and the bean series.
i've reread every one a ridiculous number of times, to give you an idea how emphatic i'd like to come on as through this black and white text.
my favorite is probably the summer queen(&world's end side) of the snow queen series. recently read hyperion: excellent. also snow crash: very entertaining. if you consider blood meridian sf, that, too.

no one's read the snow queen series. this makes me sad, lit. (2 books+1novella. read the first to get to the novella+second. they are god.)

>> No.3172755

>>3172748
oh, shit. i forgot. also dune.
(and again, all [of those by herbert] are necessary.)

>> No.3172774

>>3172755
fuck yeah dune took me to another world.

>> No.3172780

>>3172748
Actually, I've read the Snow Queen series. BTW Joan Vinge has written a fourth book, sort of a prequel/tangent to the rest of the series, called "Tangled Up In Blue," if you're interested.

>> No.3172784
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3172784

About to start Leviathan Wakes. Ive been stoked to read it for a while. That or Time Enough for Love by Robert A. Heinlein. Just picked both of them up today. :)

>> No.3172792

>>3172784
Leviathan Wakes was *great.* Haven't started the sequel yet.

>> No.3172799

I want to start reading the Strugatskis.

>> No.3172808

... just wrapped up "Blackout/All Clear" by Connie Willis. Eh ... meh ... decent but I expected better. (Her "Doomsday Book," set against the same background, was quite good.)

>> No.3172820

>>3172774
from your mouth to god's ear, my brother.
>>3172780
then: i love you. and thanks very much. i can't believe i forgot about tangled. found it much later than the others, so subconsciously never really thought of it as part of the Series, i 'spose. many cheers, fellow SQ connoisseur
>>3172784
>>3172792
excited to try something new. i will now look this up

>> No.3172839

I am in the middle of reading Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space series

He's not very strong when it comes to the story and is obviously more interested in writing about the science side of things, being an astronomer, but I've enjoyed it all the same. Although I became a bit disillusioned when "pig people" started appearing.

>> No.3172857

>>3172792

Good to hear. :D I cant wait to start.

>> No.3174141
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3174141

>that feel when you commit mass genocide because you were good at video games

>> No.3174154

>>3174141
Oh god it's an allegory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_controversies#Crime_and_violence
That made the book so much worse for me.

>> No.3174169
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3174169

>>3174141
>>3174154
Oh wow really? I'm never touching THAT piece of shit then. Not that I had any intention to previously
>Orson Scott Card
>good books
>image related

>> No.3174197
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3174197

i second the herbert dune series

recently i loved steven donaldsons the gap series

>> No.3174200

>>3174154
It's only as related to vidya as you want it to be. Dumbledore is gay and all that jazz. Ender's Game came out in 1985, the whole "vidya = murder" thing wasn't a huge issue back then. If you want to think of it as an allegory, I guess you could.

>> No.3174202
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3174202

Currently reading this.

Asimov has no doubt become one of my favorite authors.

>> No.3174246

>reading an Asimov novel for the first time
his short stories are better

>> No.3174279

>>3172721
>cash in
Ender's game was originally written as a prologue to the first book that got way too long

>> No.3174294
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3174294

ctrl +f
no Harlen Ellison
not even Bradbury
i'm usually only a fan of hard sifi, but these guys. just wow.

>> No.3174309

>>3174294
The Last Dangerous Visions is the episode three of Sci-fi

>> No.3174311

I've always wondered what the hell is going on in the cover of Ender's Game. I just can't match up the image with any of the scenes in the book. best i can come up with is that it's one of the random battle room simulation games.

>> No.3174314
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3174314

>>3172748
>>3172748
I have to second the incredibleness that is Hyperion. Amazing book.

>> No.3174325

I have read a bunch of science fiction, this year I especially liked The Space Merchants and PKD books. Most recent science fiction read was Childhood's End which was great.

>>3172784
Don't read Time Enough for Love. That was terrible.

>> No.3175035
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3175035

>>3174246
They're hit or miss. The non-canon stories are mostly miss.

>> No.3175077

I've just finished Rendezvous with Rama. Probably one of my favourite science fiction novels. Clarke really is pretty incredible.
I'm now reading "Consider Phlebas". I'm not sure if it's just because I'm comparing it to 'Rama', but I'm really not enjoying it so far. Seems like very generic, shlocky sci-fi. Still, I'm open to being won over.

>> No.3175085

>enders game

what is this reddit?

>> No.3175091

>>3175085
>hating something just because reddit likes it
What is this, /tv/?

>> No.3175374

>>3172734

This doesn't change the fact that Card is a profoundly mediocre author. You should read some of his other "work".

>> No.3175393

I read the moon is a harsh mistress , the day after tomorrow (the sixth column), and finishing up stranger in a strange land. think im gonna re read Dune next , or look into hyperion or harlan ellison.

>> No.3175452

>>3174294
Well, let's discuss Bradbury then.
>Favorite short story.
Mine is a tie, between "Bang! You're dead!" and "The smiling people".
Although I really don't consider him a science fiction writer, it's true that many of his stories have a science fiction setting, but he mainly focuses on dilemmas, if that makes any sense.

>> No.3175458

>>3175091
Personally I hate it because i tried to read it, and was confused to say the least by the setting, which wasn't really there, nor was there characterization, it all just felt like a vague retelling of a movie I haven't seen.

>> No.3175495

>ctrl+f "Dune"
>not over ten hits

/lit/, I am disappointed. Not enough love for the greatest science fiction work of art of all time.

>> No.3175506

>>3175495
I agree with you. Dune is more than its genre.

>> No.3175508

just read Ballard's Crystal World. that was quite something.

>> No.3175519

>>3175506
A book about the collision between politics, economics, and ecological issues in an inhospitable desert that is the source of a valuable resource that is key to the functioning of a technological society - great powers fighting desperately for control - the deeply religious indigeneous people resorting to terrorism and guerilla warfare to prevent a takeover of their lands ... and all of that written in the early 1960s. Dune is going to be relevant for a long time to come.

>> No.3175687

>>3175519
Not only (all of) that, but also the philosophies entertwined in the houses and people and peoples. It's pretty amazing what Herbert created.

Bit of a shame about the rest of his legacy. He was capable of so much more.

>> No.3175686
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3175686

>>3175495
Original series is fucken god tier.

My favorite is Heretics.

Extended universe is shit.

>> No.3175711

>>3175686
it's pretty obvious Herbert intended it as a standalone, but his sequels are amazing too.

Brian's are not worthy of the bargain bin

>> No.3175724

I'm currently reading Foundation by Issac Asimov. It's a really good read so far.

Some of my favourites are Neuromancer (it got me into Cyberpunk) and I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream (it got me into Harlen Ellison).

>> No.3175728
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3175728

I just finished Hyperion from Dan Simmons. One of my favourite sci fis.

>> No.3175751

just finished the unincorporated future....didn't think I'd like it as much as the first two but..damn that ending. I look towards to the Holy Justin's return.

>> No.3175770

>Favorite
-Ender's Game, anything by Heinlein and PKD, Snow Crash and The Diamond Age

>Currently Reading
-The Man in the High Castle (scifi / alt history)

>> No.3175820

>>3174169

Card has a style and he's incredible readable which is something to be admitted. His plots are not very versitle but the twists are interesting and there are some good parts indeed.


fav.sci fi must be something made by Dick. Simmons and the old Herbert may suck his dick btw

>> No.3175823

I'm reading through Neuromancer at the moment. The opening line is one of my favorites

>> No.3175837

>>3175823
I love it too
"The sky above the desert was black, and the gunslinger followed"

>> No.3175854

>>3175837
The opening line to Neuromancer is "The sky above then port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel"

>> No.3175862

I've read A LOT of sci fi in 2012 (for the first time ever) and my two favorite books have been Downward to the Earth by Robert Silverberg and Dhalgran by Samuel Delany.

>> No.3175858

>>3175837
The opening line to Neuromancer is "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel."

>> No.3175867
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3175867

>>3175858

you've been tricked

>> No.3175865

>>3175837
Why does that sound like something Stephen King would write?

>> No.3175872
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3175872

Speaking of Card, I'd say this is his best novel so far.

>> No.3175884

Anything in the Culture series. dat Excession, dat Consider Phlebas, dat Perosteck Alseyn Balveda

>> No.3175888

finished leviathan's wake today actually. about to start caliban's war. i'm going to hang up sci fi after that for a few reads so i don't get too sick of the genre

>> No.3175956

>>3175884
+1 for the culture

>> No.3175967

I haven't read much sci fi recently but my favorite is and likely always will be The Stars My Destination

>> No.3175974

Trying to get back into scifi, keep getting distracted by vidya.

picked up a signed copy of The Hydrogen Sonata half price

>> No.3175976

I enjoyed Ender's Game, OP, but I would advise staying away from the sequels. They are quite awful.

>> No.3175991

I don't 'get' enders game. Never made it too far but arent the kids supposed to be like 6 years old or something?
Just didn't feel right

>> No.3176005

Currently reading Neuromancer.
The last sci-fi I read was the original Dune trilogy and I enjoyed them.
I've also read most of Asimov's novels and enjoyed them as well.
One of my favorite Sci-fi books is probably Old Man's War, probably because it was such a departure from reading really dry sci-fi. The rest of the books related to Old Man's War weren't as good in my opinion.

>> No.3176144

Gene Wolfe has the best stuff. Start with "Shadow of the Torturer". That is some mind blowing stuff

>> No.3177882
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3177882

>Favorite
Can't decide betweem The man who fell to Earth and Mockingbird, both by Walter Tevis. A really great and underrated writer, imho.
>Currently Reading
The ask of Loki by Roger Zelazny. Just started it, seems like a lot of fun.

>> No.3177901

>>3175976

The author's explanation is, you don't feel like a kid when you're a kid so it's okay.

>> No.3177935

>>3177901
That's because he's a weirdo mormon aspie. I just imagined them as young in the way that anime does it. You know, they're supposed to be little kids but they look and talk like bad ass adults and fight and smoke all thd time

>> No.3177953

>>3177882
Did you like the film of the former?

>> No.3177975

Iain M Banks has written some excellent scifi. The books that focus more on the working of the ship AIs are fantastic. Surface Detail, Hydrogen Sonata and my favorite Excession.

All worth a read. It's the closest thing to a good description of what I think gods/omnipotent beings I've ever read in literature.

>> No.3177980

>>3177975
They are communist fantasies tho

>> No.3177985

>>3177980
communism kind of is the only viable form of government by that stage of a civilization. What do you need money for when you can literally have anything you want. Anything.

>> No.3177989

>>3177985
You can't have anything, the humans are merely pets of giant AI's. They have no freedom or independence.

>> No.3177994

>>3177989
Yes they do. They don't have control over the ship AIs and they can't tell the ship AIs what to do just like the ship AIs can't tell the humans what to do. But the humans can still get spaceships to do whatever the fuck they want with but the ship will only have a "stupid" AI which doesn't count as a mind/being.

>> No.3178014

>>3177994
communism is not a form of government either.

>> No.3178043

>>3177953
Not much, it felt like they tried too hard on being omg so deep and so Kubrick-style in the direction. David Bowie was great, though.

>> No.3178087

Dick, Asimov and Dune 1 are god tier SF