For all you sci-fi buffs out there

[Nyll Bergbahn]

I just love Iain M Banks' Culture novels and his new novel The Hydrogen Sonata was published a couple of weeks ago. Bought it the other day and look forward to immersing myself in the weird and wonderful Culture again when I finish Lee Child's Jack Reacher novel A Wanted Man. The Hydrogen Sonata is a huge 571-page book so should be a great read.

The Culture always reminds me of Second Life in ways, especially the way Culture members embed weapons systems into their bodies and change their bodies into many strange and wonderful forms just like many do in Second Life. I usually use the term body sculpture when adapting my shape to fit mesh clothes as I think it's a nicer term than shape editing. While merely thumbing through the pages of The Hydrogen Sonata, it stopped purely by chance at a page where a Culture member says the new term for what they used to call plastic surgery or bodily amendments (far more extreme to what we in real life regard as plastic surgery though) is now called Sculption. Maybe that word will catch on in Second Life.

Anyone got recommendations for any other recently published sci-fi novels as I just love them?

 

 

[Phil Deakins]

I like sci-fi but I've never read a sci-fi book. The best I can offer is are Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' books. There are dozens of them. They are not sci-fi but films of them would be shown on sci-fi channels. They are amusing phantasy about witches, wizards, Foul Ol' Ron, Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibler, werewolves, trolls, zombies, dwarfs, the Tooth Fairy, Death, and many many more - and humans.

[Nyll Bergbahn]

Thanks Phil!

I am aware of Terry Pratchett but never read any of his books. I'll check out Discworld as I like fantasy novels too.

[Porky Gorky]

I just finished Further: Beyond the Threshold by Chris Robertson. I thought it was great. My wife thought it was bollocks.

I should review books for a living with insight like that :matte-motes-big-grin: 

[Dillon Levenque]

Neither of these is new, but they were new to me. Not sure how I missed them when they first came out.

The first is "Pattern Recognition" by William Gibson. It's nothing to do with virtual worlds but it's a terrific book with an absolutely fascinating heroine. It also revolves to a small extent around an internet forum and it was fun to recognize all the usual forum shenanigans taking place. It's the first in a trilogy.

Older, and also by Gibson: "Idoru". This one is all about virtual worlds—really incredibly advanced virtual worlds they are, too—and is also part of a trilogy, in this case the middle book.

 

 

Edited for brain cramp: I'd originally called "Idoru" the first of a trilogy; started thinking about it more and remembered some of the characters came from the earlier book. "Idoru" is the only one of the three to have anything to do with virtual worlds.

[Orca Flotta]

Hi Nyll, I haven't read any Iain Banks yet (I hear his style is somehow 'out there' and the German translation sucks) so I dunno if my suggestions are helpful or meeting your style. But lately I love these authors:

Richard K. Morgan: his 3 novels around the character Takeshi Kovacs (Altered Carbon, Woken Furies, Broken Angels) are a fantabulous mix of sci-fi and hard-boiled crime stories. Very well written, brutal, laconic, intelligent, socio-critic. In his universe people can re-sleeve into other bodies once their old body dies, so they are basically immortal if their 'stacks' aren't destroyed. I've just re-read them and still love them to bits. So what basically is like cheapo film-noir settings turns out to be a very intelligent read.

Dan Simmons: Don't be fooled by the fact that Simmons is a buddy of Steven King, since he writes much better and more intelligent than KIng could ever do. His style is more quiet, unexcited, observing and slow. I love all his books but particularly Olympos, Ilium and Hyperion.

China Miéville: Now that is an interesting new talent. Miéville's taking the scene by storm. His Perdido Street Station is set in a universe where aliens and magic are existing together with human steampunk technology. Fascinating.

I read Morgan and Miéville in English original version and was blown away by their style. Simmons' German translator did a good job too, I believe.

 

[Kelli May]

Two writers I'd especially recommend:

Neal Stephenson... 'Snow Crash' could be seen as required reading for Second Lifers, but it's hardly what you'd call recent. A lot of SL terminology and concepts originated in this novel. His most recent work, 'Reamde', is more techno-thriller than SF (like William Gibson's last few novels), but it's full of interesting ideas about virtual worlds and MMORPGs.

Charles Stross... I've yet to be disappointed by a Stross novel, but the most relevant to SL are probably 'Halting State' and 'Rule 34'. Much more SF orientated than 'Reamde' but covering some similar concepts. The 'Laundry' series doesn't have much to do with SL, but is hugely entertaining, bridging spy novels, horror & the blackest comedy, all wrapped in a pseudo-scientific rationale. 'Glasshouse' is set in a similar level of tech as the Iain Bank's Culture, and has all kinds of mental & physical upgrading (and body swaps), so you might particularly enjoy it .

@Orca: Definitely support you on Richard Morgan, especially the 'Kovacs trilogy'. I like his new fantasy series, too.

[Nyll Bergbahn]

Hi Orca! Yes, 'out there' is a good description and I think I would find the later Culture novels harder reading if I hadn't been reading the series from its beginning so I'm well versed in the universe of the Culture.

I've never liked Stephen King's novels, gave up on him after one book. I'll certainly check out the books by Simmons and Morgan though.

China Miéville's Perdido Street Station sounds just what I'm looking for. Reading a review online now and I certainly like the sound of it. Thanks so much for your reply!

[Ciaran Laval]

---

Phil Deakins wrote:

I like sci-fi but I've never read a sci-fi book. The best I can offer is are Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' books. There are dozens of them. They are not sci-fi but films of them would be shown on sci-fi channels. They are amusing phantasy about witches, wizards, Foul Ol' Ron, Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibler, werewolves, trolls, zombies, dwarfs, the Tooth Fairy, Death, and many many more - and humans.

---

Sky 1 have done The Color Of Magic, The Hogfather and Going Postal, they're currently on Virgin Media on demand too. They are nowhere near as good as the books mind you.

 

[Ciaran Laval]

---

Nyll Bergbahn wrote:

 

Anyone got recommendations for any other recently published sci-fi novels as I just love them?

 

 

---

I've just started another read of Philip K Dick's Do androids dream of electric sheep? This is not a new sci fi novel but Philip K Dick tells some bloody good stories, although the timelines are far fetched these days as some of the dates that were the future when he wrote the stories, have passed and we haven't colonised Mars yet!

 

[Nyll Bergbahn]

Thanks Kelli! I read Reamde a while ago and found it way too long and a bit tedious. The characters seemed somewhat unbelievable, especially the software creator of the game (whose name escapes me). He was just too naive for someone in his position, so it has kind of put me off Neal Stephenson.

Stross's Glasshouse sounds more interesting. I hadn't heard of it.

[Storm Clarence]

---

Kelli May wrote:

Two writers I'd especially recommend:

 

Charles Stross... I've yet to be disappointed by a Stross novel, but the most relevant to SL are probably '

Halting State

' and '

Rule 34

'. Much more SF orientated than 'Reamde' but covering some similar concepts. The '

Laundry

' series doesn't have much to do with SL, but is hugely entertaining, bridging spy novels, horror & the blackest comedy, all wrapped in a pseudo-scientific rationale. '

Glasshouse

' is set in a similar level of tech as the Iain Bank's Culture, and has all kinds of mental & physical upgrading (and body swaps), so you might 

particularly 

enjoy it .

.

---

I can read and recommend almost anything written by Stross; hugely entertaining.  "The Singularity" and, like Kelli stated, any of the "Laundry" series: "The Atrocity Archives"; "The Jennifer Morgue" are really fun reads.

 

[Czari Zenovka]

---

Kelli May wrote:

 

Neal Stephenson... '

Snow Crash

' could be seen as required reading for Second Lifers, but it's hardly what you'd call recent. A lot of SL terminology and concepts originated in this novel. 

 

---

I heard so much about "Snow Crash" when I first began SL that I tracked it down not too long ago and was anticipating a great read.  I'm a prolific reader although I do admit Sci-Fi is not my preferred genre but...I just can't get into it.  I've read about 5 chapters hoping it will get better but finally put it aside to pursue other reading.  Maybe it's the teen/early 20's "speak" and point of view, but I don't think I would have liked when I was a teen.

Some of the other books mentioned sound interesting. 

 

[Nyll Bergbahn]

---

Ciaran Laval wrote:

I've just started another read of Philip K Dick's Do androids dream of electric sheep? This is not a new sci fi novel but Philip K Dick tells some bloody good stories, although the timelines are far fetched these days as some of the dates that were the future when he wrote the stories, have passed and we haven't colonised Mars yet!

 

---

Great book title! Yes, good stories and some good films derived from them too.

I think many people are fascinated by Mars. I read Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy or at least two of them, and his latest work, 2312. He gave Mars a little more time to be colonised, starting in 2026 I think but even that is probably optimistic. His books are harder reads than many other sci-fi novels though.

 

[Ciaran Laval]

Kim Stanley Robinson had an accout in Second Life, he was a guest speaker at an evet but he already had an account. I don't know if he's still around inworld.

[161488303349]

Ender's Game by Orson Card. It win both the Nebula and Hugo ages ago in the 1980s

is about a boy and his classmates who play a computer space war game with huge battle fleets the way only children can. like no fear and not worry about how many ships and planets they lose and destroy. they just play to win. is not a game tho and they dont know until after they have won. and the boy's realisation of what they have done and then how he try to fix/undo it

is supposed to be a film came out next year

 

eep. i edit to add the realisation part. oh! well (:

[Phil Deakins]

---

Ciaran Laval wrote:

Sky 1 have done The Color Of Magic, The Hogfather and Going Postal, they're currently on Virgin Media on demand too. They are nowhere near as good as the books mind you. 

---

I've read those 3 books but I've only seen 'Going Postal' as a film. It was nowhere near as good as the book, and it stopped halfway through. Maybe it was made in 2 parts. I did know 'The Hogfather' had been made into a film but I haven't come across it. I have Virgin TV but I don't think I'll be looking for those films.

I haven't read all the Discworld books but so far, my favourite is 'Thief Of Time'.

[Porky Gorky]

---

16 wrote:

Ender's Game by Orson Card. It win both the Nebula and Hugo ages ago in the 1980s

is about a boy and his classmates who play a computer space war game with huge battle fleets the way only children can. like no fear and not worry about how many ships and planets they lose and destroy. they just play to win. is not a game tho and they dont know until after they have won

is supposed to be a film came out next year

---

I love Enders Game, one of the best sci-fi books i've ever read,  there are lots of sequels too that are equally as good. They annouced the film in 2003 and it should arrive in 2013. I've been wainting 10 years for this movie!

[161488303349]

didnt know about the movie taking that long to make. hope they hurry up bc i want to see it (:

[Ciaran Laval]

Going Postal was a two parter, part 1 and 2 are on Virgin.

Thief of time is superb.

[Kelli May]

---

Ciaran Laval wrote:

Kim Stanley Robinson had an accout in Second Life, he was a guest speaker at an evet but he already had an account. I don't know if he's still around inworld.

---

Terry Pratchett did too, although I believe it was only to promote the book "Nation" when it was released. He did a live Q&A in-world which I attended dressed as Susan Sto-Helit.

Digging around to find pictures, I realise you know all this (apart from the bit about me as Susan) because you put a transcript of the event up on your blog.

[Nyll Bergbahn]

---

Ciaran Laval wrote:

Kim Stanley Robinson had an accout in Second Life, he was a guest speaker at an evet but he already had an account. I don't know if he's still around inworld.

---

Very interesting. I didn't know that.

[Czari Zenovka]

---

16 wrote:

Ender's Game by Orson Card. It win both the Nebula and Hugo ages ago in the 1980s

is about a boy and his classmates who play a computer space war game with huge battle fleets the way only children can. like no fear and not worry about how many ships and planets they lose and destroy. they just play to win. is not a game tho and they dont know until after they have won. and the boy's realisation of what they have done and then how he try to fix/undo it

---

That sounds a little like the 1983 movie, "War Games."

~Shall we play a game?

[Dillon Levenque]

---

Kelli May wrote:

Terry Pratchett did too, although I believe it was only to promote the book "Nation" when it was released. He did a live Q&A in-world which I attended dressed as Susan Sto-Helit.

Digging around to find pictures, I realise you know all this (apart from the bit about me as Susan) because you put a transcript of the event up on your blog.

---

 

Yes, PLEASE, a picture! Death was far and away my favorite Discworld character until I met his grand-daughter. Hopefully you have a picture of her enjoying some music with rocks in :-).

[Phil Deakins]

---

Dillon Levenque wrote:

Yes, PLEASE, a picture! Death was far and away my favorite Discworld character until I met his grand-daughter. Hopefully you have a picture of her enjoying some music with rocks in :-).

---

Death is one of my favourite characters too - even when he only has a bit part. I also like the vampire who keeps shouting "sh.t!" when he takes a flash photograph (Pratchett readers know why he shouts that every time). But my outright favourite is the little guy in 'Thief Of Time' - Lu Tze - the one who keeps referring to wise old sayings like, "For is it not written, 'I'll go to the foot of my stairs'?". I always pictured him as the little Chinese guy in the original 'Karate Kid'. And of course there's Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibler, who seems to have unknown relatives all over the world. Thare are so many excellent characters. And "bugrit", of course (Foul Ol' Ron).

Around 1990, someone suggested that I read a Terry Pratchett book. I didn't because I only read non-fiction. But a couple of years ago I borrowed one ('Mort') to give it a go. I'm lucky because, since then, a local second hand book shop phones me when they get any in - and they keep a list of what I've read so they don't phone me unnecessarily. I've read a couple of dozen of them so far. I'm reading 'Lords And Ladies' at the moment - just coming to the climax. But apart from Terry Pratchett books, I'm still a non-fiction reader.