The Sci-Fi Book Thread
- Thread starter Intrinsic
- Start date
-
Guest, it's time once again for the massively important and exciting FoH Asshat Tournament!
Go here and give us your nominations!Who's been the biggest Asshat in the last year? Give us your worst ones!
Void
BAU BAU
- 9,987
- 12,018
Awesome, I had no idea there was going to be another book. Now the question is, do I re-read them all because I can't remember a fucking thing that happened beyond him replicating himself with various personalities?
Intrinsic
Person of Whiteness
- 15,437
- 13,897
I was able to find a matched set of Martha Wells that also included the Compulsory broadside. Never seen one of these before and it is actually cool. Would like to make a nice frame for it and get it hung up. Redacted my # but it is matched with Murderbot Diaries and Network Effect.
After listening to the first four audiobook stories I'm kind of gung ho about the series.
After listening to the first four audiobook stories I'm kind of gung ho about the series.
- 2
Captain Suave
Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
- 5,495
- 9,399
Rod-138
Trakanon Raider
- 1,217
- 979
I didn’t realize Anathem was a bit controversial before picking it up, but after reading it I listened to a couple of reviews to see what others thought - which is kind of backwards I guess but something I like to do in case I miss something big.
Apparently several find it slow, unnecessarily complex, and just not that good. I am grateful for the recommendation and enjoyed it, but I could appreciated people feeling a bit perplexed. There’s no identifiable plot for like the first 20%, but in retrospect that helps develop the world of the avout by forcing you to explore their weird idiosyncrasies.
My gripes… Basically, I didn’t like how this massive worldwide event was going down, but somehow only this super tight crew kept having to step up and figure it out AND take care of it. It didn’t feel unbelievable while reading it, but when you step away it’s like…sure ok.
cool book and appreciated it. May try expanse next.
Apparently several find it slow, unnecessarily complex, and just not that good. I am grateful for the recommendation and enjoyed it, but I could appreciated people feeling a bit perplexed. There’s no identifiable plot for like the first 20%, but in retrospect that helps develop the world of the avout by forcing you to explore their weird idiosyncrasies.
My gripes… Basically, I didn’t like how this massive worldwide event was going down, but somehow only this super tight crew kept having to step up and figure it out AND take care of it. It didn’t feel unbelievable while reading it, but when you step away it’s like…sure ok.
cool book and appreciated it. May try expanse next.
Wombat
Trakanon Raider
- 2,292
- 979
Since I'm re-reading it at the moment, the statistical impossibility of Anathem is intentional - the Incanters / Rhetors are working overtime to drag everyone into a timeline / narrative where things work out for Arbre, and the one they end up with isn't even consistent, hence the confusion with ground support teams as to how many of them are even alive on the black mirror, and why Jad kills their radio, to give the I & R more wiggle room without the comms from the ground locking them into a timeline.
It's entirely possible I & R have actually been working on this endgame for decades, when you think about all the things that have to work out the way they do for the ending - they need the civilians to be led by someone Math-adjacent (the Warden of Heaven) to let them be okay with Maths having power again, getting an ITA on the team required that ITA (Sammann) to have a shared connection with someone on the team (Cord, which implies they needed a timeline where she was working at the machine shop, which happened years and years ago), etc. etc.
It's entirely possible I & R have actually been working on this endgame for decades, when you think about all the things that have to work out the way they do for the ending - they need the civilians to be led by someone Math-adjacent (the Warden of Heaven) to let them be okay with Maths having power again, getting an ITA on the team required that ITA (Sammann) to have a shared connection with someone on the team (Cord, which implies they needed a timeline where she was working at the machine shop, which happened years and years ago), etc. etc.
Audible saw how much people loved the epic game store and thought they needed some of that cool street cred.
Ukerric
Bearded Ape
- 8,448
- 10,614
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the first fantasy story (or story, period) ever written, but this is apparently the first sci-fi novel ever written: "True Story", by Lucian of Samosata in the second century AD. Features: travel to the Moon; a war between the Moon and the Sun's kingdoms over who gets Venus, complete with mutant armies; exploration of a 200-mile large whale's interior ecosystem; and other fun stuff; and even a disclaimer - the first of its kind - about it being a work of pure fiction, and "let no man believe what I write". And he ends up with "More adventures in the next book", which he never wrote (which everyone agreed was the biggest lie of the entire book. Unlike a certain GRRM, I think he did intend that).
- 1
- 2,796
- 5,236
Ukerric
Bearded Ape
- 8,448
- 10,614
Void
BAU BAU
- 9,987
- 12,018
Ukerric
Bearded Ape
- 8,448
- 10,614
Oh, shit. You probably need to be logged into your Alphabet account (Gmail/Youtube), since it's a Google Book scan.
Cad
scientia potentia est
- 26,210
- 53,294
Ukerric
Bearded Ape
- 8,448
- 10,614
It was another of those Audible exclusive deals. As in, it's releasing on audible only, you readers of text need to wait (and it didn't even have an ebook release date at all at first).
Which is probably why I forgot about it. Looks like September for audio, and this january for the ebook. I'll need to check it.
- 1
Cad
scientia potentia est
- 26,210
- 53,294
Intrinsic
Person of Whiteness
- 15,437
- 13,897
Conversation Tree Press is doing a partnership with Subterranean Press to release a new version of Snow Crash in 2026.
I’m excited as there hasn’t been a small press version of this since SubPress did one ages ago and it is hard to find for sale. Details at link below but there isn’t a lot of information or any artwork yet since it was just announced an hour ago.
conversationtreepress.com
I’m excited as there hasn’t been a small press version of this since SubPress did one ages ago and it is hard to find for sale. Details at link below but there isn’t a lot of information or any artwork yet since it was just announced an hour ago.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Ray Bradbury's There Will Come Soft Rains is a limited edition of 300 copies, letterpress printed with a full colour illustration by Guillem H. Pongiluppi.
conversationtreepress.com
- 2