Science Fiction Aficionados discussion

There are so many under explored science fiction works out there that are awesome! I think we should collectively work together and bring them out of obscurity.

The most recent one I've come upon is Russian sci-fi. Hard to Be a God

Metro 2033. My friend Maciek recommended that one. From the reviews, it's tops on my list to get to.

Would you like a little list of hidden-gem short stories?

I have friends who only read short stories.

I would love a list of hidden-gem short stories, Paul!

Err...so would I. Sort of dozed off there for a while.

Hey Nicki, that's my territory, to say hidden meanings!

Should toss out a Short Story folder, maybe?

This one is a free for all. Feel free to post anything you think is under represented.

One short story folder coming up!

Would some of the older science fiction that has been "forgotten" or "obsoleted" count? (Like When Worlds Collide, an old favorite of mine that predates computers etc.)

Yes! Work like that is what I was trying to get at. Stuff that was great but everyone seems to have forgotten of. And I must say, I'm surprised you're still awake. It's like 1am. That's ungodly late for me but I feel great regardless.

It's midnight here in the central time zone...but I'm headed off to bed soon. I plan to run across town tomorrow, so I need to sleep a couple of hours anyway. :)

I'm going to New York tomorrow and I have to catch the bus early. Good night Mike. You paladin, you.

here's some hidden gems:

Davy by edgar pangborn. i love this book, it is wonderful.
Rite of Passage by alexei panshin. classic.
The Gardens of Delight by ian watson. pretty bizarre.
The Sardonyx Net by elizabeth lynn. issues of slavery and gender roles explored.
The Humanoids: A Novel and The Humanoid Touch by jack williamson. classic golden age.
The World Below and The Amphibians - A Romance of 50,000 Years Hence by s fowler wright. strange golden age classic and its even stranger sequel.
The Void Captain's Tale by norman spinrad. new wave.
Rumors of Spring by richard grant. i really loved this one too, it's awesome. it is science fantasy i suppose.

Have fun in New York. I was there Tuesday for the Museum Mile. That was fun, especially the crazy hat making.

We're going for my cousins b-day! It's gonna be awesome. And thanks for the list Mark.

my pleasure! have fun in new york milo.

Yes indeed, Milo. I hope you have tons of fun in New York as well! :)

And I'm back! Thanks for all the love guys. It was an awesome trip.

Nothing much happening in this area, huh? He's gone and back in two posts. Lol I've been so behind in my Goodreads posts, I was expecting 100 posts every time I pop back onto a thread.

I guess not. But on the up side I found some awesome sci-fi books the other day.

What sci-fi books?

I got The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Battlefield Earth, Consider Phlebas, and the last two books of the Hyperion Series.

Those are great books, Milo!

I thought so too. Now I'm excited to read them! The first three are rather thick so it should take me a while before I get through them. I also picked up some King(The Waste Lands) and Sanderson(The Way of Kings) for that dreamer in me.

A few years ago I discovered Retief: Diplomat at Arms by Keith Laumer. He was a great author!

Thanks Brick. You're a brick.

As long as he's not sh*tting bricks, all's right with the world.

=D All is right with the world indeed.

Gives a new meaning to "hidden gems".

Milo wrote: "Thanks Brick. You're a brick."

LOL!!

Aloha wrote: "As long as he's not sh*tting bricks, all's right with the world."

The only ones 'round here pooping bricks outta their butts is my literary gremlins - writer's block/bricks, that is...* :(

*Too bad it couldn't be Legos, then I could actually BUILD this tale better.

Milo wrote: "I got The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Battlefield Earth, Consider Phlebas, and the last two books of the Hyperion Series."

If you don't mind a little humor in sci-fi books, or in any other genre for that matter, you will love Battlefield Earth! After I read it, I realized that there were 9 more books in the series. It was a shock to me!

Battlefield Earth was that bad, huh?

I think he meant he was shocked because the book is huge; and if there are nine more of equal length...you get the picture.

Yeah, Battlefield Earth is one of my favorite books. The entire series was a great ride!

Do you all actually mean Mission Earth, not Battlefield Earth?

Battlefield Earth, I'm fairly certain...

Battlefield Earth isn't a series. Mission Earth is.

I see...

Scott is correct. My bad, guys. Guess as much as I read and write I tend to have brain burps. :)

No problem. I guess you were actually referring to Mission Earth. 'Sigh' Yet another series to add to the to-read list.

Yes, I was. It was a fun series to read!

Has anyone mentioned The Cyberiad by Stanislaw Lem?

Extermely humorous SF of two robots competing to create the greater invention. Eventually one robot (can't remember his name right now (something long with a K?)) invents a calculator the size of a three story building, which insists (no matter how many times the machine is reprogrammed) that two + two = seven!

Those silly machines. They don't understand anything...

I joke now but I had to count my phalanges to make sure I'd done my math right.

Michael wrote: "Has anyone mentioned The Cyberiad by Stanislaw Lem?

Extermely humorous SF of two robots competing to create the greater invention. Eventually one robot (can't remember his name rig..."

I have been wanting to read Cyberiad...glad you endorse it!

Just to add some clearity, the robots names are: Trurl and Klaupacius. Trurl is usually the protagonist and Klaupacius (his 'friend' and competitor) is the antagonist.

I did remember that one name started with 'K'! Not bad for having read 30 years ago...

Not too shabby. My short term memory span is right around thirty seconds...I think. This does not bode well for me. At all.

The Jaguar Hunter. It's Lucius Shepard, need I say more?