Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books

[Mags]

Few mentions of the Dune series above, is the whole series worth a go?  I'm finally reading the first book properly, or rather, listening to the audiobook version. Will definitely try the next two books at least. The audiobook version is good overall but it seems to randomly switch between a single narrator doing all the characters and an actual full cast, which is counteractive to the immersion.

[FlyinBrian]

Checking out Tad Williams' new Osten Ard book The Witchwood Crown... Nice to get back to that world after so many years since the first trilogy.

Any thoughts on The Wheel of Time getting to tv.

[Emphyrio]

Haven't read anything by him since Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, which is probably top 3 fantasy series. Read about half of the first book that was more sci-fi but really didn't take to it. What's his other stuff like?

[leatherface]

Still collecting old 'Fighting Fantasy' books more out of nostalgia than anything else but some of the titles are genuinely entertaining.

[Trev]

Just finished up Darien by Conn Iggulden, pretty decent, reminds me a bit of Feist in places. It's relatively short though so focuses more on the immediate story without getting too much into the background of the world, hoping he'll expand on it more in the sequels

Not a patch on his Khan books though

[Pedrito]

300 pages into Dune...how have I never read this? Wow!

[Emphyrio]

300 pages into Dune...how have I never read this? Wow!

Amazing alright.

Just finished The Magicians trilogy. According to the blurb it's "Harry Potter for grown ups". Apart from a bit of riding and occasional excess drinking, it's not. Borrows more from C.S Lewis. Not as rich by any means. In fact the Harry Potter series has more depth.

Just started Neuromancer. 3 books in the series. Looking forward to a change of pace. Fuck knows when I'll get to the Sebastian Bach biography.

[Pedrito]

Let me know how that Neuromamcer goes because I was thinking of buying it. I'm actually a novice with sci-fi books. Any other decent stuff out there?

Do androids dream of electric sheep and use?

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Never read Dune! It's so good!

[Emphyrio]

I find Philip K Dick to be hit and miss. Defo check out Asimov's Foundation series.  You can't go wrong with Arthur C Clarke. He was an absolute genius. I really enjoyed the Saga of the Seven Suns by Kevin J Anderson. He finished the Dune series with Frank Herbert's son and they co-wrote a load of stuff in the Dune universe too. It's kinda Dune-lite but the prequels are great to give the background to the major Houses.

[Pedrito]

Never read Dune! It's so good!

Ye wha? Are you reading it too?

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

I wish! Haven't read it in 20 years.

[Pedrito]

Ahhh I understand now. It's a perfect companion piece to all the philosophy stuff I've been reading lately. Absolute quality

[Thanatos]

I read Neuromancer again last year.  I wanted to get though Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive, as I'd never read them, but it had been a long time since I'd read Neuromancer, so needed to reacquaint myself with it. Gibson's writing style is pretty dense with details so it almost warrants multiple read throughs anyway.

Dune though is one of the high points of the genre. I even had a read along book and record as a little kid that piqued my interest very early on.  Its crazy in this day and age to think that they attempted a kid friendly line of merchandise and action figures for the 1984 movie. Sought out the movie on VHS a few years later, which inevitably led to the book much later. I got as far as God Emperor of Dune in the sequence and gave up short ways into Heretics for some reason that I can't recall...

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Haha, had no idea about the action figures for 1984.