Karsa Orlong

Oops, I think that might have been me

It's far from the greatest thing I've ever seen but it's reasonably enjoyable I'm about 200 pages through The Hunt now.

I didn't realise I'd classed it as hard SF Yeah, I've seen and enjoyed both, but the John Carpenter remake is a classic of the genre, imo, one of my favourite movies, seen it countless times, love it Interesting, I've never considered Star Trek to be hard SF. You're right about the sub-genres, though - there are so many now, as with fantasy, too. I don't have a preference as far as SF is concerned - if a book's good I don't mind where it fits in - but there's all sorts of fantasy I shy away from. I think my previous preference for fantasy has disappeared completely over the last couple of years

I really enjoyed that one. Please don't expect it to be Blade Runner in book form, though Heathen If it's the Will Smith film you mean, it's the worst book to screen adaptation I've seen

Oh dear I haven't read that one, and I don't think I will now!

Blimey. I'm getting quite good at spending other people's money I hope you both like it

That's what I tend to do these days, too, cos I don't like being squashed, and I'm short. I make an exception for Rush, but that's all. When I saw them in Amsterdam a couple of years ago I was on the barrier in front of Alex and when Geddy came and stood in front of us the person behind me nearly knocked my head off Oh, tell a lie, I was at the front for Threshold, too, but that was a small gig and generally an older audience, so it was fine Did you go and see Quo with the original line-up last year? That was fun! 120 times?? Mind you, they tour every year at least twice, don't they Yeah, it looks like Rush are calling it a day. They're getting on a bit now - Neil suffers with tendonitis and Alex has arthritis in his fingers (not good for a guitarist!), so playing a three hour show every other night starts to be a bit impractical

It's a thriller with an SF idea at its core, no monsters. Basically, it's about an artefact that's come through a doorway to another dimension that a bunch of scientists have opened in an Area 51-type facility deep beneath some place in Wyoming. It's completely bonkers but so much fun (well, I thought it was anyway! ). It's the first in a trilogy, if that makes any difference. Runner is the first in a series but it can be read on its own. No monsters in that one, either (just the human kind).

Do you have a funzee onesie to complete the image?

You do realise I was joking in my post up-thread, don't you? I thought I put enough smileys to make it clear . . . It's full of surprises, too Hee, I just recommended Patrick Lee to someone on another forum - I'm going to get someone else to read his books if it's the last thing I do

Ooh, that's interesting - I've done it the opposite way around - I'm watching the tv show and considering reading the books Yeah, I did find the humour a bit forced in that one, and I was starting to find the constant putting-down of March a bit irritating. I did think it improved quite a bit in the final stages, though

No probs In all cases I'd highly recommend trying the samples on Amazon first. I think/hope you might like Barrayar and/or Replay, though

^^ I wasn't so keen on the trilogy, but I loved the stand-alone novels set in the same world (Best Served Cold, The Heroes, Red Country) and his in-progress 'Shattered Sea' trilogy is fab, so I must re-read those first three at some point and see how/if my opinion of them has changed I'm currently 100 pages into The Hunt by Tim Lebbon

Hi Noll, re your request for SF suggestions, I'm a bit worried about giving any after Heorot These are a little off the beaten path and I've no idea if they would change anyone's mind about the genre, but they are some of my most cherished reads - so you're not allowed to say if you don't like them A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge - Review here. A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge - Review here. ^^ Both of these books are 700 - 800 pages long, so tough to recommend if you're uncertain, but they are my all-time faves, so . . . There's an omnibus edition on Kindle if ever you're interested. Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold - review here. It's a sequel so you might want to take a look at the previous book, Shards of Honor, it's just nowhere near as good. These both lead in to the 'Vorkosigan Saga'. The Breach or Runner by Patrick Lee Reviews here and here. Replay by Ken Grimwood. Review here. There's also I Am Legend by Richard Matheson and The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, which I read before joining here so have not reviews, but they are both fabulous. Hope this helps. If not, I'll . . . I'll . . . hide

I started reading The Hunt this morning

Kay strikes again! Not bothered about Kvitova getting knocked out, but you put the kiss of death on Sabine as well Can you support Williams and Djokovic from now on please? And Federer as well, if it keeps you happy

Congrats USA! I couldn't stay up to watch it unfortunately, but I saw it was 2-0 after about five minutes, and I saw the goal from the halfway line on the news this morning

Hee, knew they'd finish with those - it's tradition! Did you manage to get anywhere near the stage, or were you at the side? I really, really hope so, cos it's looking increasingly likely that these two shows will be the final time I get to see them - the show in LA on 1st August looks like being their last So I'll never make it to seeing them 30 times, I'll be stuck on 28 forever

Apart from when he was Vince in Mongrels . . .

Ha, that's what I was thinking! I'll have a think and post a couple over in your thread, Noll

Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds 2015 - Tachyon Publishing paperback - 192 pages From the author of the Revelation Space series comes an interstellar adventure of war, identity, betrayal, and the preservation of civilization itself. A vast conflict, one that has encompassed hundreds of worlds and solar systems, appears to be finally at an end. A conscripted soldier is beginning to consider her life after the war and the family she has left behind. But for Scur—and for humanity—peace is not to be. On the brink of the ceasefire, Scur is captured by a renegade war criminal, and left for dead in the ruins of a bunker. She revives aboard a prisoner transport vessel. Something has gone terribly wrong with the ship. Passengers—combatants from both sides of the war—are waking up from hibernation far too soon. Their memories, embedded in bullets, are the only links to a world which is no longer recognizable. And Scur will be reacquainted with her old enemy, but with much higher stakes than just her own life. Alastair Reynolds' latest novella is a briskly paced tale of betrayal and revenge, full of the twists and shocks for which he is renowned. Surprisingly, though, it's not as full of his big ideas as usual. The slow bullets of the title are data capsules stored within soldiers' bodies, detailing their military record and personal details. These play several different roles within the story, from being a method of torture and death, to a person's only link to their past when the systems around them start to fail, to their last great hope of somehow saving some of the data from those failing systems. To Scur, the first-person narrator of the story, they are all of these things. When the story begins she is captured by an enemy and shot with a second slow bullet programmed to give her a lingering, painful death. The arrival of the Peacekeepers make the enemy flee but, as Scur tries to cut the bullet out of herself, she loses consciousness. When she wakes up she is on a strange ship in a strange system with hundreds of other people who find themselves in the same predicament. Unravelling the mystery of how and why she has come to be there, and how she and her shipmates are to survive, is what makes up the bulk of the story. It's an enjoyable read but not Reynolds at his best. For all the complexities of the science and the plotlines, I always find Reynolds's style very engaging and easy to read, and that's still the case here. The characters here are okay without being particularly outstanding. Perhaps the only real disappointment for me was the mention of an alien race - the Sickening - who have caused various spoilery things to happen and then disappeared. They are never really revealed or explored in any depth, merely a plot device to move the story in a certain direction. I wanted to know more about them but sadly that was not to be. However, the ending was a pleasing surprise, and Scur's final words were, I felt, poetic and memorable.

Crikey, I didn't even know they were playing Good to hear you had a great time, Janet, especially after waiting so long for the chance I saw them there a few years ago and they were great! Did they finish with Whole Lotta Rosie, Let There Be Rock, Highway to Hell and For Those About to Rock? My countdown is well and truly on, now. Only ten days till Rush in Calgary . . .

I didn't think you'd enjoy it much, Noll As far as SF is concerned, I wouldn't have pointed to it as a book to change somebody's mind about the genre

Yay! Come on England!!

I guess it depends on whether or not you're sensitive to the kind of things Ponts is. Have you seen movies like Aliens or The Thing? If so, did you like them? If you did, then it's a fair bet you'd like the book. If not . . .