Read a good book lately?

[Winston001]

I've never understood why people read (or write) science fiction. I know people like to escape and all that but can't you do it on your bike? Sci Fi is a waste of paper/time IMHO, what's the attraction?

Science fiction presents the imaginative reader a window into the future. The possibilities are endless and new ideas can be incorporated which aren't possible in ordinary novels. In some ways sci fi has taken the place of books in earlier times set in far-flung places. There aren't such places anymore, we can see the whole earth on Google or Discovery Channel.

Sci fi also serves a valuable sociological outlet where writers can explore the consequences of overpopulation, organ growing, cities under the sea, corporations governing countries, cloning, etc.

Each to their own.

[Curious_AJ]

I Like Sci-Fi personally coz it questions things, and provides alternatives and ideas for the future...

one book I read called "The Handmaid's tale" I guess is kind of Sci-Fi, yet Kind of a genre of its own (reguardless of what its actually categorised as).
It's about America in the future, and what may happen due to what was happening back in 1984 when it was written (Margret Atwood's influences for the book were heavily based in the novel 1984 as well).

but yeah, each to theur own.. though I speak for a couple of people here when I say it's really entertaining, not to mention thought provoking to read this genre.

[Swoop]

"Captain Scott" by Ranuloh Fiennes is great as Fiennes has been there and done that.

His book "The feather men" is intriguing. A good read regardless!

[deanohit]

Yesa I agree with Winston and AJ about how there are no more of the old far flung places to write about, so they started Sci-fi to make up for it.

Me, I really enjoy post-apocalyptic novels and movies about what could happen to the earth in the future. If anyone is reading or has read any good novels like that, PM me the title and author please, always looking for a different take on things.

[pritch]

Ta for that. I once started, what I thought would be, an excellent book on the early combatants in the Vietnam war... written by a battallion commander (Airmobile).
What a BORING book! More numbers and statistics than an accounting convention.

I hope that wasn't "We Were Soldiers Once, And Young". An excellent book about real people. The Mel Gibson movie is only about the first half of the book.

My tastes are rather the opposite of most hereabout; favourite author is Bernard Cornwell who writes historical novels. He is getting better with practice (must have about thirty books out by now. His King Arthur trilogy:
"The Winter King", "The Enemy of God" and "Excalibur" would be the pick so far.

[Swoop]

I hope that wasn't "We Were Soldiers Once, And Young". An excellent book about real people. The Mel Gibson movie is only about the first half of the book.

Definately not.
More of "a bean-counters memoirs of war"...

[peasea]

I Like Sci-Fi personally coz it questions things, and provides alternatives and ideas for the future...

one book I read called "The Handmaid's tale" I guess is kind of Sci-Fi, yet Kind of a genre of its own (reguardless of what its actually categorised as).
It's about America in the future, and what may happen due to what was happening back in 1984 when it was written (Margret Atwood's influences for the book were heavily based in the novel 1984 as well).

but yeah, each to theur own.. though I speak for a couple of people here when I say it's really entertaining, not to mention thought provoking to read this genre.

You're right, to each their own. I'm not bagging it, just never understood why anyone would take the time to read what is (IMHO) essentially imaginative ramblings. My reasoning is; as a youngster I found real-life travel stories, a touch of history and practical journals more interesting and useful than things like Robot Archie and the like. Sure I got into Thunderbirds and Stingray but even at an early age I was looking for the strings on the puppets and taking the piss. I was looking behind the scenes, seeing how it was made and wondering 'why bother, it's not real'. Fact is far stranger than fiction.

I studied astronomy for several years, I had my own telescope and was more interested in cosmic facts than sci-fi paperbacks, the real cosmos is truly mind-boggling. As I grew older my reading time was spent on how to build and modify four stroke internal combustion engines. I squeezed some pretty good numbers from a lot of them too and I know why 91 octane gas is crap. If that reading time had been spent in lala land, surfing the cosmos in my own mind, galaxy-hopping and leaping from asteroid to asteriod with gay abandon then what would I have learned about the real world? If I am going to read bollocks it might as well be Bugs Bunny, which I will add, was just one of the dozens of 'Little Golden Books' I read to my daughters.

I'm not saying 'don't read sci-fi' I just can't fathom why anyone would. In the same nanosecond there will be people asking why anyone would buy a Harley, so there you go.

[Hitcher]

I think that the essence of a good sci-fi novel is to challenge our current moral or belief frameworks by putting us (as readers) in a completely new set of circumstances where our current mores no longer apply or are relevant. Similarly to how some people apply counter-factuals to historical events, but in reverse. The heavy-metal "Beam me up, Mr Sulu" stuff only creates a narrative in which to pose such issues. Such as what happens when bionically-enhanced humans fuck.

[Winston001]

......Such as what happens when bionically-enhanced humans fuck.

Which reminds me, there is a wonderful short story by Larry Niven about the consequences of Superman actually having his way with Lois Lane......and the machinegun effect of Supermans orgasm.

[Winston001]

His King Arthur trilogy:
"The Winter King", "The Enemy of God" and "Excalibur" would be the pick so far.

Agreed - great books.

[Skyryder]

My tastes are rather the opposite of most hereabout; favourite author is Bernard Cornwell who writes historical novels. He is getting better with practice (must have about thirty books out by now. His King Arthur trilogy:
"The Winter King", "The Enemy of God" and "Excalibur" would be the pick so far.

Try the Merlin Trilogies by Mary Sterwart and the Sword at Sunset by Rosemary

Suttcliff. If you like early English history. I've got another one but dammed if I can think of the name. Set in the times of the Celtic church. I'll post it when I can remember.

Skyryder

[Wolf]

My reading list would be longer than this thread.

Just finished Harry Harrison's Deathworld 1 and 2, started on Deathworld 3. Really enjoyable.

Concurrently reading Boorman's "Race to Dakar" and I've got a large number of fiction and non-fiction books in my "yet to read" pile.

SF, fantasy, comedy, thriller, crime fic, "classics", encyclopaedias, dictionaries, motorcycle journeys ... all sorts of stuff.

I've tracked down some great etexts courtesy of the Guttenburg Project, which was great before I got my glasses replaced as I was unable to read books by artificial light with my old glasses and at least with etexts I could resize the letters.

Now I've got my glasses replaced I can sit up in bed at night with a book.

[Curious_AJ]

You're right, to each their own. I'm not bagging it, just never understood why anyone would take the time to read what is (IMHO) essentially imaginative ramblings. My reasoning is; as a youngster I found real-life travel stories, a touch of history and practical journals more interesting and useful than things like Robot Archie and the like. Sure I got into Thunderbirds and Stingray but even at an early age I was looking for the strings on the puppets and taking the piss. I was looking behind the scenes, seeing how it was made and wondering 'why bother, it's not real'. Fact is far stranger than fiction.

I studied astronomy for several years, I had my own telescope and was more interested in cosmic facts than sci-fi paperbacks, the real cosmos is truly mind-boggling. As I grew older my reading time was spent on how to build and modify four stroke internal combustion engines. I squeezed some pretty good numbers from a lot of them too and I know why 91 octane gas is crap. If that reading time had been spent in lala land, surfing the cosmos in my own mind, galaxy-hopping and leaping from asteroid to asteriod with gay abandon then what would I have learned about the real world? If I am going to read bollocks it might as well be Bugs Bunny, which I will add, was just one of the dozens of 'Little Golden Books' I read to my daughters.

I'm not saying 'don't read sci-fi' I just can't fathom why anyone would. In the same nanosecond there will be people asking why anyone would buy a Harley, so there you go.

yeah, don't get me wrong, I love a good non-fiction about something interesting as much as the next person too.. not limited in what i read, but I usually prefer to use books to get away from what's going on.

you got some good points I'd say.

[peasea]

yeah, don't get me wrong, I love a good non-fiction about something interesting as much as the next person too.. not limited in what i read, but I usually prefer to use books to get away from what's going on.

you got some good points I'd say.

Thank you, and when it comes to escapism perhaps that's what sci-fi is all about. My escapism revolves around getting into fact (specifically engines) and I revel in it when dumb-arses go all gooey about things they don't understand and I can shoot them down in flames. When it comes to Space Station 69 on Planet Wifflebat I have to admit, I know nothing.

What turns people's wheels (or gyro's) is interesting; I'm a spanner man, into pushrods and carbs (not your nutritional carbs, you understand) but I can understand and relate to EFI and OHC. All of that is real and relevant. My ultimate escape is on two wheels, where I take my life in my hands, exercise my senses and take everything I see so, so very seriously. Like 'god' how can you take something you can't see or touch (or talk to?) seriously? Sci-fi and the bible have much in common, it's a load of 'what-ifs'. Interpretation, escapism, soul searching and (if you like) spiritual release. (Or self induced imprisonment....)

Star Trek, The Hitch-Hikers Guide, all that, is what it is; entertainment. I don't subscribe to it, thousands do and not all who are interested in those forms of entertainment are idiots. On the flip side, some 'real world' scientists are idiots. Global warming (for example) is, IMHO, cyclical. It will happen, then we'll all cool down and have another ice age, then it'll come back and we'll all bask. Who do you believe? So many things that man (non sexist bracket) has imagined have come to pass. Stanley Kubrick's '2001....' is a good example, we now have space stations etc. Flash Gordon....jet-packs for the back etc. Even DaVinci had choppers (not Orange County-types) on the agenda.

You need to dream, to expand the 'article' and to push the limits. Without such thinking, such imagination, we are lost as one of this planet's greatest beings.

However, don't expect me to be found on a desert island reading about it; I'll be head down, butt up, workshop manual in hand, fixing some antiquated V-Twin motorcycle with more heritage than the entire collection of Jules Verne's greatest hits.

But again; I thank you for your insightful, positive and polite input.

[Curious_AJ]

another good post.

I agree with the whole thing about global warming though, it will happen, but not as fast as they want us to think.. and as much as they'd like to guilt trip us, it's not our fault... shit happens when you live on a giant orb floating around another giant orb with another giant orb floating around the first giant orb...

but back onto topic.

Has anyone read any good vampire or Warewolf books?

I'd say my favourites have to be Anne Rice Interview with a vampire, the vampire lestat, and the queen of the damned in the vampire line

as for warewolves... cant remember the author (dont have the book in the house at the moment either) but its called Heart of Midnight... it really pulls the reader in!