Cool Sci-Fi Films / Books

Off Topic
21

Thanks, guys.

@Schwarzfahrer et. al. Lem fans
Actually, I have a lot of Lem books in my bookcases. And haven’t got around to read them, yet. My SO has taken a liking to them, though. I’ll read 'em. Thanks for the reminder.

I’m also pretty interested in the rest you’ve listed, so far. Damn, I love the prospect of a good reading list…

@C_C
Right on the money, there.
I like Morgan’s work across the board. I thought it was pretty daring and brave of him to really go against the fantasy / sci-fi establishment with ‘The Steel Remains’. Ah, but what I’d give to read another Kovacs novel…Eishundo Organics, anyone? :wink:

And yes, Dune! How could I forget about the Kwisatz Haderach?
You may enjoy R. Scott Bakker’s ‘Prince of Nothing’ series. A blend of fantasy and Sci-Fi, somewhat tangential to some topics of Dune.

@blithe
Yes, Snowcrash is great. Actually my favourite book of Stephenson. It had a slight tongue-in-cheek humour, I mean, come on: Hiro Protagonist?

22

Any Warhammer fans here?

23

[quote]jre67t wrote:
Any Warhammer fans here?[/quote]

40k mostly, but WHF is nice, too.

That being said, the WH fiction varies greatly in quality… A lot of the 40k stuff is really just military sci fi with boring characters.

Plus the fluff stories contradict each other all the time, it’s really hard to get a bearing on what a particular race/army is really like.

Read through the Codex Space Marines or books focusing on a SM Protagonist and they always win, are always faster than their enemies, regenerate, are super strong and skilled, their armor just soaks up damage, they have nearly supernatural senses…

And read a book/codex devoted to some other race and sure enough, they end up owning the Space Marines’ asses.

Bit annoying really, but WH is still one of the best “universes” out there imo. The fiction just has to start living up to the potential…

And goddamnit I hate it when the WH-based computer games use that cartoonish art-style rather than the original, gritty one.

24

25

I recently discovered Isaac Asimov (late, I know). The Foundation series of books is amazing. It was like drinking water when you’re thirsty, I couldn’t stop reading them.

26

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:

[quote]jre67t wrote:
Any Warhammer fans here?[/quote]

40k mostly, but WHF is nice, too.

That being said, the WH fiction varies greatly in quality… A lot of the 40k stuff is really just military sci fi with boring characters.

Plus the fluff stories contradict each other all the time, it’s really hard to get a bearing on what a particular race/army is really like.

Read through the Codex Space Marines or books focusing on a SM Protagonist and they always win, are always faster than their enemies, regenerate, are super strong and skilled, their armor just soaks up damage, they have nearly supernatural senses…

And read a book/codex devoted to some other race and sure enough, they end up owning the Space Marines’ asses.

Bit annoying really, but WH is still one of the best “universes” out there imo. The fiction just has to start living up to the potential…

And goddamnit I hate it when the WH-based computer games use that cartoonish art-style rather than the original, gritty one.

[/quote]

I actually liked the book “Fifteen Hours”, it’s about imperial guard on some remote outpost, not those power-ranger space marine fuckers. Did either of you play 40k?

27

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:

[quote]jre67t wrote:
Any Warhammer fans here?[/quote]

40k mostly, but WHF is nice, too.

That being said, the WH fiction varies greatly in quality… A lot of the 40k stuff is really just military sci fi with boring characters.

Plus the fluff stories contradict each other all the time, it’s really hard to get a bearing on what a particular race/army is really like.

Read through the Codex Space Marines or books focusing on a SM Protagonist and they always win, are always faster than their enemies, regenerate, are super strong and skilled, their armor just soaks up damage, they have nearly supernatural senses…

And read a book/codex devoted to some other race and sure enough, they end up owning the Space Marines’ asses.

Bit annoying really, but WH is still one of the best “universes” out there imo. The fiction just has to start living up to the potential…

And goddamnit I hate it when the WH-based computer games use that cartoonish art-style rather than the original, gritty one.

[/quote]
Ragnar Blackmane series is good.

Black Library books in general suck.

Now the game WHFB is way better than Kiddiek or Fartyk :slight_smile:

Second-thought Reikland wasn’t too bad.

Oh and BTW David Gemmel has a character named Jon Shannow in the Stones of Power series books 3,4 that are post-Apocalypse. Real good. David Gemmel has a character named Waylander guess who likes’em ? (popular member here)

28

For some reason reading sci-fi has never been as fun as watching sci-fi movies, but it’s the other way around with fantasy. I liked Dune and Enders Game, but not Peter Hamilton’s stuff and others like him.

29

A friend of mine says the Hyperion novels by Dan Simmons are worth reading, they look quite interesting.

30

I tried to read Dune, but I found it wasn’t compelling enough to keep reading. Sure, the idea is cool, but it just felt like I was reading the book as a debt to the author, not because it was very interesting. Kind of like reading Atlas Shrugged (which I’m almost done with).

31

[quote]johnconkle wrote:
I tried to read Dune, but I found it wasn’t compelling enough to keep reading. Sure, the idea is cool, but it just felt like I was reading the book as a debt to the author, not because it was very interesting. Kind of like reading Atlas Shrugged (which I’m almost done with).[/quote]

I prefer the house trilogy over the original Dune series… Dune gets a little weird after the third or so book… And the characters aren’t really all that interesting/important…
Plus the scope is so large compared to the noble house/court intrigue/warfare of the house trilogy.

32

[quote]FISCHER613 wrote:

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:

[quote]jre67t wrote:
Any Warhammer fans here?[/quote]

40k mostly, but WHF is nice, too.

That being said, the WH fiction varies greatly in quality… A lot of the 40k stuff is really just military sci fi with boring characters.

Plus the fluff stories contradict each other all the time, it’s really hard to get a bearing on what a particular race/army is really like.

Read through the Codex Space Marines or books focusing on a SM Protagonist and they always win, are always faster than their enemies, regenerate, are super strong and skilled, their armor just soaks up damage, they have nearly supernatural senses…

And read a book/codex devoted to some other race and sure enough, they end up owning the Space Marines’ asses.

Bit annoying really, but WH is still one of the best “universes” out there imo. The fiction just has to start living up to the potential…

And goddamnit I hate it when the WH-based computer games use that cartoonish art-style rather than the original, gritty one.

[/quote]
Ragnar Blackmane series is good. [/quote] I think I’ve read one of them… Wolfsblade or so? Or am I thinking of a different Ragnar? Space Wolves marine who lost their holy spear or something like that? [quote]

Black Library books in general suck.

Now the game WHFB is way better than Kiddiek or Fartyk :slight_smile:

Second-thought Reikland wasn’t too bad.

Oh and BTW David Gemmel has a character named Jon Shannow in the Stones of Power series books 3,4 that are post-Apocalypse. Real good. David Gemmel has a character named Waylander guess who likes’em ? (popular member here)[/quote]

Haven’t read the Gemmel books, I’ll try to get a hold of them…

33

[quote]BJack wrote:
I actually liked the book “Fifteen Hours”, it’s about imperial guard on some remote outpost, not those power-ranger space marine fuckers. Did either of you play 40k?[/quote]

Have not read 15 hours yet, but most of the Gaunt’s Ghosts series and a whole bunch of others…

The space marines can be great when the authors stick to the grittier fluff and stay away from the usual blue/red toy-soldier chapters like the Ultramarines or some Blood Angels offshoot.

I used to play 40k (and a bit of fantasy), but none of the newer editions…

Plus practically every warhammer videogame, though most of them aren’t all that great…

I think Dark Omen and Mark of Chaos are actually decent, but Dawn of War 1 felt nothing like WH…

DOW2 is a bit better, closer to the mechanics of company of heroes (so you won’t have to watch 2 squats slug it out for hours while constantly teleporting in reinforcements anymore) in terms of cover mechanics and how fast troops die out in the open etc… But still not nearly good enough.

Fire Warrior was just plain atrocious.

Chaos Gate was, while ugly and weird in terms of game mechanics, story etc, actually quite decent.

Space Hulk/Crusade or whatever was amusing back in the day…

Final Liberation, while once again featuring the orcs as comic relief (…) etc, was also semi-decent.

Rites of War was a Panzer General clone, oh well…

The warhammer universe offers so much potential, but I doubt people will use that potential to it’s fullest…

34

Haha, I remember rushing out to buy Fire Warrior as soon as it was released(had 5000 points or so of Tau at the time). And my boner just wilted as soon as I played it, it had like 1995-era graphics. I liked DoW, was a bit unrealistic, but entertaining. It’s definitely my favorite universe as far as sci-fi, that dark, gothic style is was initially drew me in. Plus, chainsaws everywhere.

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:

[quote]BJack wrote:
I actually liked the book “Fifteen Hours”, it’s about imperial guard on some remote outpost, not those power-ranger space marine fuckers. Did either of you play 40k?[/quote]

Have not read 15 hours yet, but most of the Gaunt’s Ghosts series and a whole bunch of others…

The space marines can be great when the authors stick to the grittier fluff and stay away from the usual blue/red toy-soldier chapters like the Ultramarines or some Blood Angels offshoot.

I used to play 40k (and a bit of fantasy), but none of the newer editions…

Plus practically every warhammer videogame, though most of them aren’t all that great…

I think Dark Omen and Mark of Chaos are actually decent, but Dawn of War 1 felt nothing like WH…

DOW2 is a bit better, closer to the mechanics of company of heroes (so you won’t have to watch 2 squats slug it out for hours while constantly teleporting in reinforcements anymore) in terms of cover mechanics and how fast troops die out in the open etc… But still not nearly good enough.

Fire Warrior was just plain atrocious.

Chaos Gate was, while ugly and weird in terms of game mechanics, story etc, actually quite decent.

Space Hulk/Crusade or whatever was amusing back in the day…

Final Liberation, while once again featuring the orcs as comic relief (…) etc, was also semi-decent.

Rites of War was a Panzer General clone, oh well…

The warhammer universe offers so much potential, but I doubt people will use that potential to it’s fullest… [/quote]

35

[quote]Rational Gaze wrote:
A friend of mine says the Hyperion novels by Dan Simmons are worth reading, they look quite interesting.[/quote]

I liked Hyperion, don’t think I read the sequel. If I did, it was apparently forgettable :slight_smile:

36

dunno if it was mentioned yet, but

Forever war (book series) was a great scifi series that was interesting, good fights, lots of alien battles and I always liked their ultimate test if you were ready to operate a mech suit, you had to shake the generals hand and not crush it…

37

If you liked Starship Troopers you should definitely pick up Armor (John Steakley). It is a great book. Also, The man who never missed series (Steve Perry) are great as well. Hammers Slammers were okay. And of course Hitch Hikers Guide… All I can think of at the moment.

38

[quote]needresults wrote:
If you liked Starship Troopers you should definitely pick up Armor (John Steakley). It is a great book. Also, The man who never missed series (Steve Perry) are great as well. Hammers Slammers were okay. And of course Hitch Hikers Guide… All I can think of at the moment.[/quote]

The hitch hikers book was good, the movie made me die a little inside though.

39

The Dark Beyond the Stars by Frank Robinson remains my favorite one off science fiction novel (other than Starship Troopers, but I consider that to be more of a political essay than anything).

40

As far as Warhammer goes, if it’s written by Dan Abnett or William King (GOD I love those old Gotrek & Felix books), expect delicious pulp. Otherwise it’s all crap. Although the guy writing the “Soul Drinkers” series is doing okay. Lil’ overwrought tho.

SF? Good SF? Maaaaaan…too many to list.

*I take your Starship Troopers and raise you “The Forever War” by Joe R. Haldeman. “Forever Peace” was just as good and eerily prescient to boot.

*As far as old-skool mindfucks go you can’t go wrong with Olaf Stapledon. “Last and First Men” was a revelation when I first read it. If ever there was a book that cried out for a NatGeo special (CG and James Earl Jones narrating, natch) this is it. Think of it as a biography of man. The story of humankind from the beginning to the end, in an unimaginably different (yet familiar) future.

*Alastair Reynolds is a freakin’ rockstar. This guy roffles my waffles. Everything he writes is pure gold. I was the OP I’d start with “Revelation Space” but it’s all good good stuff.

*Dune is a towering work but it’s a little (if I may be allowed to make a hideous pun) DRY. It’s more about the world the characters inhabit and the currents sweeping through it, than the characters themselves.

*It’s not TECHNICALLY science fiction but you all owe it to yourselves to check out “The First Law Trilogy” by Joe R. Abercrombie, starting with “The Blade Itself”. The series is like Tarantino, Elmore Leonard and Robert E. Howard locked in a seedy hotel room, banging away at the keyboards. When noir meets blood-soaked testosterone laced fantasy…that at the same time has strong female leads, snappy dialogue and plot twists you’ll never see coming, good shit is the result.

*If you never read anything by anybody else, you could do a lot worse than reading Philip K Dick. Man was so far ahead of his time we’re STILL not in the right decade to be reading him.