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Good thread.

Just finished Consider Phlebas, looking to read Player of Games next, do they read as a series? or could i crack on with Matter now?

I like how the first book made you feel so fucking small and insignificant by giving you all the facts of the war at the end.

Also +1 for Ballard.

Bazzle09 wrote:Good thread.

Just finished Consider Phlebas, looking to read Player of Games next, do they read as a series? or could i crack on with Matter now?

they don't read as a series as such but Matter assumes more knowledge of the Culture universe than say Player of Games


unrelated i just saw an interview with instra:mantal in fact mag where they say that the title of their album was taken from the cloning law in Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs novels

Yeah it would be better to read them somewhat in order, as they tend to be set progressively further into the future. Each will be fine on its own but you might miss tiny bits here and there. Besides, all the old ones are better. I really recommend reading Excession, that's the one I enjoyed most.

janner wrote: just started China Mieville - Kracken

Gearing myself up to read that now. Just finished The City & The City, which was quite a bizarre read. Wouldn't mind a sequel to that exploring more into the setup of the premise.

Isaac Asimov
Philip K Dick
Iain M Banks

......all worth checking

Mr Hyde wrote:Isaac Asimov
Philip K Dick
Iain M Banks

......all worth checking

+ Aldous Huxley (Brave New World)
+ Larry Niven (Ringworld < partially what the 'Halo' game is based on and also used examples of then recent science to explore their effects on future beings [e.g. 'wire' - it's not a drug, it's a wire in the brain to mimick the effects of sex/drugs/rock n roll etc!])

Im currently reading Helliconia by Brian Aldiss. took me a bit to get into but am enjoying it now. Too big to fit in my handbag for the tube tho - so annoying :/

dunno how many times its been mentioned but orson scott card - enders game, all day

I would really recommend this one:



Read some good Iain Banks books too. Dune was good. Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke was really good, need to read more of his stuff.

Alty wrote:Dune was good. Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke was really good, need to read more of his stuff.

I'd agree on them

On a mega geeky note Games Workshop (the company that sells those models from that shop that's probably on your high street but you might not have dared to even consider going in as it's 'not cool') publishes EXCEEDINGLY good books through its 'Black Library' subsidary. Due to the huge amount of detail they put in to their background literature for their games ranges there's such a huge amount of material available while simultaneously permitting artistic license. It's also subtly based on modern and traditional cultures (it's great to try and work out what has been used) so is semi-relevant in the same way sci-fi extrapolates concepts to far-flung, though maybe possible, extension, generally.
Check out their website, you can even read extracts of titles online (it's expanded in a massive way since I bought some of the early releases like 'Farseer'): http://www.blacklibrary.com/

the best ones i read were the foundation trillogy by isaac assimov, aboslutely amazing in every way.

I am amazed how many people think Banks is a good author. He has good ideas but his writing style is dry as a nun's chaff.

I have not enjoyed his last couple books as much.

Alty wrote:I would really recommend this one:

nice one for posting this. some of the stories in it are truly original.

firky wrote:I am amazed how many people think Banks is a good author. He has good ideas but his writing style is dry as a nun's chaff.

you reckon? i do prefer his non sci-fi stuff, the bridge and wasp factory are quality.

i like his m banks stuff too though.....the ideas and way he builds up detail paint a picture of alien worlds better than anything else ive read, but yeah, guess in a few of those books not all that much actually happens!

I like Banks' way of writing...I find it's such a slow build up to some great endings. Kinda feels like your holding your breathe and when you finally get to the end, exhale!

I only read his earlier work atm.

I dont read a lot these days, Peter F Hamilton has some really epic-scaled sci-fi I really enjoyed, can be bit cheesy but interesting ideas I think. Just looked on my shelves, Alan Dean Foster "Sentenced to Prism" is a fun sci-fi adventure story, easy read. As mentioned fifty times Banks is good, Greg Bear often has cool near-future stories.

If you read dune prepare for the series to go dramatically downhill (in terms of writing/ideas) part-way thru. Most of my other books I cant even remember reading, turns out I have a shitload of Clive Barker for some reason. For Lovecraft short stories the ones I liked most are: The Dunwich Horror, Call of Cthulhu, The colour out of space (the last few lines make it), The shadow over Innsmouth. Read a couple online and see if they are up your alley first.

firky wrote:I am amazed how many people think Banks is a good author. He has good ideas but his writing style is dry as a nun's chaff.

i find this statement pretty surprising... which of his books have you read Firky?

obv SF is a genre not known for quality of prose, but for me Banks can definitely hold his own compared to his peers. his books are usually well plotted and have plenty of humour, action, tech, strange aliens, sarcastic AIs... not at all dry

None SF:
The Wasp Factory, Walking through Glass

Thought the Wasp Factory was dire and Walking through Glass a bit better.

His SF Work:
The Algebraist (first book of his I ever read!), Look to Windward

The only reason I finished reading his two SF books was because I find it 'wrong' to give up on a book. I always give it a chance.

Am not saying Banks is shite or anything, I just find him quite dry with good ideas / plots that could be more developed. His characters are almost always wooden.


Morgan is probably one of my favourite SF authors, his writing style is well paced, violent, with highly developed descriptions and subplots, loads of multi-layers going on with the charachters. He uses books to their potential, stuffing everything in that the imagination and intellect can use to paint a picture... Banks doesn't quite have that mastery (to me anyway).

Different strokes for different folks init? I think Skream is shit too

firky wrote:None SF:
The Wasp Factory, Walking through Glass

Thought the Wasp Factory was dire and Walking through Glass a bit better.

His SF Work:
The Algebraist (first book of his I ever read!), Look to Windward

The only reason I finished reading his two SF books was because I find it 'wrong' to give up on a book. I always give it a chance.

Am not saying Banks is shite or anything, I just find him quite dry with good ideas / plots that could be more developed. His characters are almost always wooden.


Morgan is probably one of my favourite SF authors, his writing style is well paced, violent, with highly developed descriptions and subplots, loads of multi-layers going on with the charachters. He uses books to their potential, stuffing everything in that the imagination and intellect can use to paint a picture... Banks doesn't quite have that mastery (to me anyway).

Different strokes for different folks init? I think Skream is shit too

I'd say you picked the wrong books to try. Algebraist (and Matter) are his newest books, and they are no where near as good as the old ones (I would even go so far as to say disappointing). Look to Windward never appealed to me enough to read it. Try Player of Games (or one of my personal all-time favourites, Excession, but without having read some of the other books you might miss a few references), it definitely has a lot more going for it.

I've been intrigued by Morgan's stuff, mainly from you talking about his stuff, but I can't seem to find one with a premise that appeals.

Attention Sci-fi Ninjas! Foyle's is having a 3 for 2 offer on SF Masterworks books! Get your classics in!