The Sword and Laser discussion

Last month's tournament was a lot of fun but we don't want to overdo it. So we'll hold tournaments in reserve.

HOWEVER, that does't mean I'm not up for a poll. And some of you have expressed a desire for some space books involving space people in space. So that is the choice I bring to you for May.

I'm starting this poll WAY early so we can have a nice long leisurely vote. Sound good? Good.

Here is the poll: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Thanks Tom. Those look good and spacey.

Not spacey enough for me, so I'm using the write-in section to go with A Fire Upon the Deep. Intelligent ferns and hive-minded wolves trying to stop a computer virus that can infect organic minds from taking over the galaxy -- that's spacey.

Well truthfully I was looking for something with Kevin Spacey but these will do.

Intelligent plants and hive-mind wolves are clearly fantasy :p

^Not if we genetically engineered them!

No no spaced OUT man... like hippie stoners. IN SPACE.

Sean wrote: "Not spacey enough for me, so I'm using the write-in section to go with A Fire Upon the Deep. Intelligent ferns and hive-minded wolves trying to stop a computer virus that can infect or..."

I adored that book. Vernor Vinge writes aliens at the perfect balance of enough humanlike to empathize with, but enough different to not feel like just humans with makeup on.

Another poll. You're spoiling us! Vote cast.

Hang on, I have to wait how long for the result?

I liked A Fire Upon the Deep except for the main character, who i got a weird Randian vibe from. That he returns for the sequel is a reason i'm leery of reading it.

I would happily read any of the four! Though I'm really torn between voting for Nagata (mil-sci fi! enhancements!) or Robinson (gen ship! thinky!).

Voted for Robinson and put Nagata on my wish list :)

Brendan wrote: "I liked A Fire Upon the Deep except for the main character, who i got a weird Randian vibe from. That he returns for the sequel is a reason i'm leery of reading it."

I guess I'm alone! I didn't hate it, but I did find it pretty boring and self indulgent. Although I do flash on the idea of fast/slow travel when I am stuck in LA traffic.

I really enjoyed A Fire Upon the Deep but I'm about half way through another Vinge ( Rainbows End) that I'm on the verge of lemming.

I quite liked Nagata's The Red: First Light (4 stars), but it's not spacey at all. There's no space travel that I recall.

Leesa - the Nagata is quite good. I like her stuff (Vast, The Bohr Maker, etc).

Phil - Rainbow's End was odd. I read it when it was new and found it... confusing. Oddly, it kind of describes a world we're close to (augmented.virtual reality etc). His earlier stuff is more straightforward SF if you've not read it (Marooned in Realtime, that era).

I'm kind of surprised you didn't add Seveneves. Maybe this is because the group has already read a big Neal Stephenson.

Is there a small Neal Stephenson?

Snow Crash and Diamond Age are small

I wouldn't characterize nearly 500 pages as small, though maybe relative to his other work it is.

In the Beginning...Was the Command Line ?

The Big U and Zodiac were both 308 pages.

You are letting us vote again. We stuffed it up last time ;-)
OK, 4 way tie this time.

Re: The Red:First Light. What is military grade profanity?

Having worked in the mining industry for 30 years it must be the next level down from Miner's Grade Profanity ;-)

I liked the First Light sample. But New Moon sounds awesome. Tough pick.

Oh and thanks for letting us vote again, Tom.

oh man, space people are my favorite kind of people to have in space!

Had to go with the Kimmy Stans here, in part because she's such a major name and I've never read her, in part because her option isn't the start to a series.

Rob Secundus wrote: "Had to go with the Kimmy Stans here, in part because she's such a major name and I've never read her"

I'm either missing some joke or you have your genders mixed up.

KSR is a bloke ;-)

Ack, the latter. In my mind "kim" is a lady's name usually, for Kimberly, even though I've known man-Kims

Yup, everything that he did non SF in the 80s and 90s are all shorter and small, but nobody seems to read them so publishers and bookstores really don't keep them in stock, but I got them 4 years ago at a library book sale.

If you like "Spaced" spacers, one of my favorites is Orbital Decay. It's mostly about blue color workers building in space. It is reasonably realistic, and considering when it was written, it was a pretty decent predictor of a few things that happened.

Silvana wrote: "I liked the First Light sample. But New Moon sounds awesome. Tough pick. "

New Moon is great unless you know actual science.

As for me, I'd like to read more by James Tiptree, Jr. I hear he's pretty good!

John (Taloni) wrote: "As for me, I'd like to read more by James Tiptree, Jr. I hear he's pretty good!"

I see what you did there.

I voted for Planetfall, it's been on my to-read list for a bit. KSR I have trouble with, Luna does look good also as a political space thriller, The Red I started once but wasn't in the mood for power armor and soldiers.

Since we're going for Spacey McSpaceface - Planetfall sounds the most interesting to me, hopefully others will agree :)

Michele wrote: "I voted for Planetfall, it's been on my to-read list for a bit. KSR I have trouble with, Luna does look good also as a political space thriller, The Red I started once but wasn't in the mood for po..."

It falls into my category of books about which I am super intrigued, but it just came out so the price is higher, and it's getting a lot of buzz. If it's picked, then I have an excuse to read it sooner, but if it isn't picked, I have plenty already bought to read.

So, if a story happens to be all on one planet, and that planet is a colony, there are other inhabited planets out there, but there's not a lot of actual transit through actual space, is it still Spacey McSpaceface? I don't know whether Planetfall fits my description, although I suspect it does.

I've heard good things about Aurora (most notably the discussion on SFBRP) but I have a deep love of Ian McDonald and want to see what he will do in space.

Okay, so that deep love is based on only one book. I've only read one! But it was really good. :)

Tassie Dave wrote: "You are letting us vote again. We stuffed it up last time ;-)
OK, 4 way tie this time."

That will take some serious organisation. I'll do my best.

Actually, these all sound good, so I'd be happy with any of them.

Question, I was looking at the genres and New Moon by Ian McDonald is listed as Space Opera and Hard Science, is that possible? I sort of thought of them as opposites.

Greg wrote: "Question, I was looking at the genres and New Moon by Ian McDonald is listed as Space Opera and Hard Science, is that possible? I sort of thought of them as opposites."

I think those are what shelves that people have tagged them as on Goodreads. So there could be anything listed there.

Greg wrote: "Question, I was looking at the genres and New Moon by Ian McDonald is listed as Space Opera and Hard Science, is that possible? I sort of thought of them as opposites."

They typically aren't coincident, but that doesn't mean they can't be.

Hmm. I'm so not interested in space sci fi, pretty ambivalent on all of them. I voted for one by an author I've wanted to read but haven't yet. I hope whatever wins doesn't try to get the space science stuff right, that it just goes for self-consistency.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAW2l...

Never heard of any of these books so I will use a trusty d4 :)

I have three book in my MP3 player via Overdrive that are in the poll, which means, of course, the one book I don't have will win. I got the head start because of rave reviews from blogs or nominations mentions that got me interested.

John (Nevets) wrote: "If you like "Spaced" spacers, one of my favorites is Orbital Decay. It's mostly about blue color workers building in space. It is reasonably realistic, and considering when it was wri..."
Thanks. There goes another weekend

John (Nevets) wrote: "If you like "Spaced" spacers, one of my favorites is Orbital Decay. It's mostly about blue color workers building in space. It is reasonably realistic, and considering when it was wri..."

I keep meaning to get around to reading the novels of Allen Steele, after encountering a short story in space of his and liking in, not remembering which one.

I have the ebook for The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. It is a cozy space opera. I should finish it.

Tamahome wrote: "I have the ebook for The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. It is a cozy space opera. I should finish it."

My phrase, stolen from two other phrases. It spreads, precious.

Aurora is already on my list, so that would be convenient, but I gather that KSR is not everyone's cup of tea.

^Depends, he's just the ticket whenever I have insomnia.

Sam wrote: "Aurora is already on my list, so that would be convenient, but I gather that KSR is not everyone's cup of tea."

I really liked his Mars trilogy, but I had a little trouble getting into 2312. He writes sprawlers.

I actually really like his work. The utopian stuff tends to hold my interest in places where the action might be lacking. Memory of Whiteness is the only one so far that was hard for me to get into. But I haven't read 2312 yet, either.