Books 2nd Edition, Foreword by m0r1arty Options

[Raven]

Has anyone read anything by Kevin J Anderson?

Yes, several of his Star Wars novels, and I think I may have read his X-Files novel as well. It's a long time since I read them now, but I seem to remember enjoying his Star Wars novels at the time. Looking back, I suspect they weren't the best literature and I've never been inspired to seek out any of his other work.

On a slightly related note, if I were to try a Peter F. Hamilton novel, what would people recommend?

[Chapman Baxter]

On a slightly related note, if I were to try a Peter F. Hamilton novel, what would people recommend?

I'd say Pandora's Star, which has one sequel - Judas Unchained. You can read the prologue here.

[Raven]

Cheers Jon, I'll take a look at that this evening.

[Jubei]

On a slightly related note, if I were to try a Peter F. Hamilton novel, what would people recommend?

His Nights Dawn Trilogy is one of the best sci-fi stories, hell, any genre, that I've ever read. It is over 3000 pages of greatness though. That's The Reality Dysfunction > The Nuetronium Alchemist > The Naked God.

His Commonwealth Sagaincludes the two part Pandoras Star and Judas Unchained. Again, big books, and good, but not up to the Nights Dawn. Still very high quality though. In th same universe is theh Void Trilogy, which is only one book in so far. Best to read the others first. Also in this universe is the shorter Mispent Youth which I haven't read but haven't heard great things about.

Fallen Dragon is an excellent single book story. It's a neat story and reminds me a bit of Richard Morgans Kovac books.

He also has a few books in his Greg Mandel series, detective novels, but I haven't read any of those.

If you don't mind being in for the long haul, I'd jump in to the Nights Dawn Trilogy with The Reality Dysfunction, but if you want a taste that won't leave you wondering what happens next at the end, then I'd read Fallen Dragon. Both are excellent.

[Jessopjessopjess...]

On a slightly related note, if I were to try a Peter F. Hamilton novel, what would people recommend?

I'd say Pandora's Star, which has one sequel - Judas Unchained. You can read the prologue here.

Wrong!

His Nights Dawn Trilogy is one of the best sci-fi stories, hell, any genre, that I've ever read. It is over 3000 pages of greatness though. That's The Reality Dysfunction > The Nuetronium Alchemist > The Naked God.

Right!

'Nights Dawn' encapsulates all the best of PFH. Re-reading it now I'm hugely impressed with how so many disparate threads drawn together so masterfully. And it's all better written than his more recent stuff, I think. There are enough people who disagree - I wasn't a big fan of the two Commonwealth saga books Jon mentioned, although the latest one (set several hundred years later) strips away all the crap and gets down to business in a much more entertaining way. The later books are also essentially the same story of 'universal horror threatening all life'.

I've finally decided my favourite SF author is Alastair Reynolds, which is why I'm so excited about this, House of Suns out in April.

[Jubei]

I've finally decided my favourite SF author is Alastair Reynolds, which is why I'm so excited about this, House of Suns out in April.

I'm not 100% on Alistair Reynolds. I do enjoy the books, but I seem to have just blanked a lot of revelation space. I remember the ship and the captain, the 'tower', the cubes, the psycho Conjoiner, and some big guns? And the greenfly. And Chasm City. But the rest, and the story, has just gone in and out. I really liked Century Rain though, and Pushing Ice was brilliant if a little protracted at the end, and the recent short stories I read make me think I should go back and reread the other books.

[Jessopjessopjess...]

I'm not 100% on Alistair Reynolds.  I do enjoy the books, but I seem to have just blanked a lot of revelation space.  I remember the ship and the captain, the 'tower', the cubes, the psycho Conjoiner, and some big guns?  And the greenfly.  And Chasm City.  But the rest, and the story, has just gone in and out.  I really liked Century Rain though, and Pushing Ice was brilliant if a little protracted at the end, and the recent short stories I read make me think I should go back and reread the other books.

You seem to be recalling things from right across the Inhibitors series, but there are indeed sections of it which are forgettable. 'Chasm City' itself is a brilliant SF mystery novel meets detective story which sits well alone, if you were thinking of rereading it. I have only managed to go back and read that and 'Revelation Space'; not the other two.

But yeah, 'Century Rain' and 'Pushing Ice' were the two stand-alones which really impressed me, and stood up to re-reading also.

And since then, the two superb short-story collections 'Zima Blue' and 'Galactic North' have cemented his position as my favourite.

[Jubei]

You seem to be recalling things from right across the Inhibitors series, but there are indeed sections of it which are forgettable. 'Chasm City' itself is a brilliant SF mystery novel meets detective story which sits well alone, if you were thinking of rereading it. I have only managed to go back and read that and 'Revelation Space'; not the other two.

But yeah, 'Century Rain' and 'Pushing Ice' were the two stand-alones which really impressed me, and stood up to re-reading also.

And since then, the two superb short-story collections 'Zima Blue' and 'Galactic North' have cemented his position as my favourite.

Yeah, when I said revelation Space I meant the whole arc of books. And when I said Chasm City, I meant the City, not the book, that's the only one I haven't read yet.

Also, in your short stories, your forgetting Diamond Dogs/Turquoise Days. Diamond Dogs is one of my favourite shorts, although longer than most.

[Jessopjessopjess...]

Also, in your short stories, your forgetting Diamond Dogs/Turquoise Days.  Diamond Dogs is one of my favourite shorts, although longer than most.

Oh, I'm not forgetting Andy, I just meant the two most recent collections. And yeah, DD is a great story and a worthy-though-slightly-irrelevant addition to the Revelation Space universe.

[sweetbutinsane]

Just read Act I: The Twilight War and Act II: Communion of the Broken Sky series by Chris Wooding. Okay, they're not as brilliant as some of his more recent books, but they're still really good. Very original ideas and storylines, teamed with interesting characters and his fantastic flair for describing something in perfect detail without over-doing it - classic Wooding.

Act II ended on an evil cliffhanger, which has left me willing April to come around very quickly so I can buy the final part.

[Jubei]

Oh, I'm not forgetting Andy, I just meant the two most recent collections. And yeah, DD is a great story and a worthy-though-slightly-irrelevant addition to the Revelation Space universe.

I believe though that it introduces Dr Trintigant and then removes him again, who appears in Grafenwalder's Bestiary. Anyway yes, it is irrelevant to the main story arc.

[Sostie]

What Happens Now? - Jeremy Dyson
Shfts between the 80's and "now". A story of how one shocking event in their youth has impacted on each of the two main character's adult life. Not the jolliest of books.

Now reading The Joke's Over: Memories Of Hunter S Thompson by Ralph Steadman


Just bought:
On Chesil Beach by Ian Mc Ewan
Apples by Richard Milward
The Glass Books Of The Dream Eaters by G W Dahlquist

[rebelstar]

But yeah, 'Century Rain' and 'Pushing Ice' were the two stand-alones which really impressed me, and stood up to re-reading also.

I have those on order, so I'll be reading them soon - I recently read The Prefect which, while good, had something missing I felt. Not sure what, exactly...

I'm a couple of hundred pages into Fallen Dragon at the moment - interesting, and very good.

[Zoe]

What Happens Now? - Jeremy Dyson
Shfts between  the 80's and "now".  A story of how one shocking event in their youth has impacted on each of the two main character's adult life. Not the jolliest of books.

I very much enjoyed it. Touches of 'Atonement' and 'What a Carve Up!', which are two of my favourite books ever.

[Sostie]

I very much enjoyed it. Touches of 'Atonement' and 'What a Carve Up!', which are two of my favourite books ever.

Oh I did too. I particularly loved the 80's nostalgia in there. I liked both the main characters a lot, so found the ending a bit of a downer.