Books Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Only Thread - Page 49

**Buck** · 12:56 PM

There is a great thread in the lounge about Books in general, but to be honest, all I really want to read is Sci-Fi (including post-apocalyptic), and Fantasy.

In this OP I will compile every poster's top 3 Fantasy/SciFi suggestions if they give me them. I will try to keep the posters in alphabetical order in case you want to find someone's suggestions easier.

CP POSTER SUGGESTIONS

Baby Lee
1. Fritz Lieber's Swords Against series.
2. George R.R. Martin's SoIaF series [no brainer that will probably make tons of other lists]
3. Umberto Eco, Foucalt's Pendulum [a little more obscure/forgotten to make up for GRRM]

Frosty
1.Raymond Feist - Riftwar Saga
2.Terry Brooks - Shannara series (starting with the Knight of the Word books)
3.Tad Williams - Memory, Sorrow and Thorn

Huffmeister
(1) Dune - Frank Herbert
(2) The Stand - Stephen King (1000+ page unabridged)
(3) Starship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein (checkout the song by Yes, too. lots of great bass)

Jawshco
1. "Book of the Long Sun" by Gene Wolfe
2. "Paradise War" by Stephen R Lawhead
3. "The Dragonbone Chair" by Tad Williams

listopencil
1. Edgar Rice Burroughs, any series
2. Robert Heinlein, everything he has written in chronological order (but read Starship Troopers first)
3. Doc Smith's Lensman series

vailpass
1. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume 1, 2A & 2B books are a gold mine for sampling the evolution of sci-fi. (below)
2.The Nebula Awards and Hugo Awards (selected yearly, pick a year)
3. Years Best SF Annual publication, pick any volume from 1 to the current volume 17
See Post 142

Frosty · 11-20-2019, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mennonite

I don't have to have a lamp on to read at night, I can adjust the print size as needed,

Have you tried changing the display to show white text on black? Life-changing. Especially when reading at night.

Mennonite · 11-20-2019, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frosty

Have you tried changing the display to show white text on black? Life-changing. Especially when reading at night.

Yeah, I prefer the black background too. Occasionally I'll use the sepia tone display though.

Frosty · 11-20-2019, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mennonite

Yeah, I prefer the black background too. Occasionally I'll use the sepia tone display though.

My biggest problem re eyesight is contrast so the sepia one is no bueno for me. It's also why I struggle with trade paperbacks. The pages tend to be more gray than white so there isn't as much contrast between the print and page.

vailpass · 11-20-2019, 09:01 PM

You guys use the kindle paperwhite? I started looking at them in case they have a good sale.

Frosty · 11-20-2019, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vailpass

You guys use the kindle paperwhite? I started looking at them in case they have a good sale.

I just use the Fire 8". Got it for $50 a couple of years ago.

Mennonite · 11-21-2019, 08:58 AM

I own the 8 inch Kindle too. Big enough to read easily but small enough to carry around. I bought it a couple of years ago and it has been in constant use every day since then. For what I paid for it I figured it would crap out within six months, but it's still going strong. It's pretty damn durable too because I have managed to drop this ****er a million times over the years. A protective screen is advisable even if you don't have butter fingers like me. My chief complaints with the old model: keyboard can be a little glitchy if you're using it as a browser. And I think it could use more memory.

I've actually received two more of them as gifts since then. One is a much larger model and I never use it. It's just unwieldy compared to the smaller version. It's ok for watching movies or listening to audio books on though.

The third one is another 8 inch model. It being the newest it has three times as much memory and a better speaker. There is one major drawback if you use pirated books in that it won't play them. Easily fixed with a bit of modding. I think I had to download 4 files and it took all of 10 minutes. You will want to mod it a little no matter what so that you can access Google Play for more aps.

Edit:

I read a pretty good sci-fi short story recently called "The Lone and Level Sands" by Marco Panessa

vailpass · 11-21-2019, 10:50 AM

Hmmm...Kindle vs. Paperwhite. Tom's review makes me think I'll look at the Paperwhite as it looks like it will be at a good price for BF. That Oasis looks nice too if it goes on a really good sale.

I like the idea of being able to check out library books, didn't know that was possible. It looks like the Kobo e-reader might be a little better suited for that task since they own the interface software.

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-e-...view-2766.html

Frosty · 11-21-2019, 11:11 AM

By the way, if you have a different tablet that you like, the Kindle app is free and works well. I use it on my iPhone and have had zero issues.

duncan_idaho · 11-22-2019, 08:06 AM

I love the Kindle app. I don’t read on my phone at home - use the iPad for that - but I love always having what I’m reading at my fingertips. Makes trips to the doctor, DMV, or even solo lunch breaks pretty easy to handle.

Re: new authors to check out, Ill recommend Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy (and the ensuing one shots and trilogy series).

It’s grim dark low magic fantasy. Multiple view points, very gritty, really interesting world.

vailpass · 11-22-2019, 09:04 PM

You guys make some good points. Amazon had the new Kindle Paperwhite marked down from $130 to $85 today so I ordered one. I think it'll be good on airplanes and I'll likely save enough on books to pay for it if I end up liking to read on it. Or I may hate it and it will go into the drawer of abandoned gadgets.

Mennonite · 11-22-2019, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vailpass

You guys make some good points. Amazon had the new Kindle Paperwhite marked down from $130 to $85 today so I ordered one. I think it'll be good on airplanes and I'll likely save enough on books to pay for it if I end up liking to read on it. Or I may hate it and it will go into the drawer of abandoned gadgets.

These links may be of some use to you soon:

https://www.howtogeek.com/232726/how...n-fire-tablet/

https://b-ok.cc

vailpass · 11-22-2019, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mennonite

These links may be of some use to you soon:

https://www.howtogeek.com/232726/how...n-fire-tablet/

https://b-ok.cc

Holy crap that library link looks good. Thanks man. It works with Kindles?

Mennonite · 11-23-2019, 06:53 AM

Yep. If you need to convert a file to mobi you can use this program:

https://calibre-ebook.com

Alternatively you can use the first link I provided to gain access to Google Play where you can download other ebook aps that can play multiple formats without having to convert them.

I finished up vol. 9 of the Theodore Sturgeon short story collection last night.

Favorite story: "The Girl Had Guts "

Other stories of note:

"And Now the News "

This is one of several story ideas given to TS by Robert Heinlein during one of Sturgeon's frequent bouts with writer's block. It's memorable but I kind of wish Heinlein had kept this one for himself. My two biggest gripes with TS is that many of his stories run too long and his fascination with psychiatric therapy. This story features both. Someone who hasn't read 7 volumes of his short stories in a short period of time probably wouldn't be as annoyed by these things as I was. Worth reading.

TS collaborated with Don Ward to create two more of the stories in this volume. One is a grim little western called "The Waiting Thing Inside" and the other is a drama called "The Deadly Innocent." Both are flawed ("Waiting" needed to develop the female character more to be effective and "Innocent" didn't have a fully satisfying ending, but both stories have more " punch" than most of the other tales found here.

I'm also reading some stories by Leigh Brackett. They're ok. Imaginative and generally entertaining. So far I've read:

The Veil of Astellar
The Moon That Vanished
The Stellar Legion
Shannach—the Last
Martian Quest

vailpass · 11-23-2019, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mennonite

Yep. If you need to convert a file to mobi you can use this program:

https://calibre-ebook.com

Alternatively you can use the first link I provided to gain access to Google Play where you can download other ebook aps that can play multiple formats without having to convert them.

I finished up vol. 9 of the Theodore Sturgeon short story collection last night.

Favorite story: "The Girl Had Guts "

Other stories of note:

"And Now the News "

This is one of several story ideas given to TS by Robert Heinlein during one of Sturgeon's frequent bouts with writer's block. It's memorable but I kind of wish Heinlein had kept this one for himself. My two biggest gripes with TS is that many of his stories run too long and his fascination with psychiatric therapy. This story features both. Someone who hasn't read 7 volumes of his short stories in a short period of time probably wouldn't be as annoyed by these things as I was. Worth reading.

TS collaborated with Don Ward to create two more of the stories in this volume. One is a grim little western called "The Waiting Thing Inside" and the other is a drama called "The Deadly Innocent." Both are flawed ("Waiting" needed to develop the female character more to be effective and "Innocent" didn't have a fully satisfying ending, but both stories have more " punch" than most of the other tales found here.

I'm also reading some stories by Leigh Brackett. They're ok. Imaginative and generally entertaining. So far I've read:

The Veil of Astellar
The Moon That Vanished
The Stellar Legion
Shannach—the Last
Martian Quest

Good stuff, thanks man.

Frosty · 11-24-2019, 02:56 PM

Amazon is having a sale today only (11/24) on the Kindle version of all books in The Expanse series. I still needed book 7, so it's nice to be able to fill that in on the cheap.

03-20-2012, 07:05 PM
Buck Take a Chill Pill Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Carolina Casino cash: $7589900	Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Only Thread There is a great thread in the lounge about Books in general, but to be honest, all I really want to read is Sci-Fi (including post-apocalyptic), and Fantasy. In this OP I will compile every poster's top 3 Fantasy/SciFi suggestions if they give me them. I will try to keep the posters in alphabetical order in case you want to find someone's suggestions easier. CP POSTER SUGGESTIONS Baby Lee 1. Fritz Lieber's Swords Against series. 2. George R.R. Martin's SoIaF series [no brainer that will probably make tons of other lists] 3. Umberto Eco, Foucalt's Pendulum [a little more obscure/forgotten to make up for GRRM] Frosty 1.Raymond Feist - Riftwar Saga 2.Terry Brooks - Shannara series (starting with the Knight of the Word books) 3.Tad Williams - Memory, Sorrow and Thorn Huffmeister (1) Dune - Frank Herbert (2) The Stand - Stephen King (1000+ page unabridged) (3) Starship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein (checkout the song by Yes, too. lots of great bass) Jawshco 1. "Book of the Long Sun" by Gene Wolfe 2. "Paradise War" by Stephen R Lawhead 3. "The Dragonbone Chair" by Tad Williams listopencil 1. Edgar Rice Burroughs, any series 2. Robert Heinlein, everything he has written in chronological order (but read Starship Troopers first) 3. Doc Smith's Lensman series vailpass 1. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume 1, 2A & 2B books are a gold mine for sampling the evolution of sci-fi. (below) 2.The Nebula Awards and Hugo Awards (selected yearly, pick a year) 3. Years Best SF Annual publication, pick any volume from 1 to the current volume 17 See Post 142 Last edited by Buck; 03-25-2012 at 12:56 PM..
Posts: 44,566

11-20-2019, 09:01 PM	#724
vailpass Psycho Bag Of Squanch Join Date: Sep 2001 Casino cash: $9594244	You guys use the kindle paperwhite? I started looking at them in case they have a good sale. __________________ “Education is a weapon whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.” Joseph Stalin
Posts: 69,591

11-21-2019, 08:58 AM	#726
Mennonite Veteran Join Date: Jun 2014 Casino cash: $10258572	I own the 8 inch Kindle too. Big enough to read easily but small enough to carry around. I bought it a couple of years ago and it has been in constant use every day since then. For what I paid for it I figured it would crap out within six months, but it's still going strong. It's pretty damn durable too because I have managed to drop this ***er a million times over the years. A protective screen is advisable even if you don't have butter fingers like me. My chief complaints with the old model: keyboard can be a little glitchy if you're using it as a browser. And I think it could use more memory. I've actually received two more of them as gifts since then. One is a much larger model and I never use it. It's just unwieldy compared to the smaller version. It's ok for watching movies or listening to audio books on though. The third one is another 8 inch model. It being the newest it has three times as much memory and a better speaker. There is one major drawback if you use pirated books in that it won't play them. Easily fixed with a bit of modding. I think I had to download 4 files and it took all of 10 minutes. You will want to mod it a little no matter what so that you can access Google Play for more aps. Edit: I read a pretty good sci-fi short story recently called "The Lone and Level Sands" by Marco Panessa Last edited by Mennonite; 11-21-2019 at 09:09 AM..*
Posts: 3,378

11-21-2019, 10:50 AM	#727
vailpass Psycho Bag Of Squanch Join Date: Sep 2001 Casino cash: $9594244	Hmmm...Kindle vs. Paperwhite. Tom's review makes me think I'll look at the Paperwhite as it looks like it will be at a good price for BF. That Oasis looks nice too if it goes on a really good sale. I like the idea of being able to check out library books, didn't know that was possible. It looks like the Kobo e-reader might be a little better suited for that task since they own the interface software. https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-e-...view-2766.html __________________ “Education is a weapon whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.” Joseph Stalin
Posts: 69,591

11-21-2019, 11:11 AM	#728
Frosty Go Beavers! Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Washington Casino cash: $4648243	By the way, if you have a different tablet that you like, the Kindle app is free and works well. I use it on my iPhone and have had zero issues.
Posts: 14,514

11-22-2019, 08:06 AM	#729
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $-179692	I love the Kindle app. I don’t read on my phone at home - use the iPad for that - but I love always having what I’m reading at my fingertips. Makes trips to the doctor, DMV, or even solo lunch breaks pretty easy to handle. Re: new authors to check out, Ill recommend Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy (and the ensuing one shots and trilogy series). It’s grim dark low magic fantasy. Multiple view points, very gritty, really interesting world. __________________ "You gotta love livin', cause dying is a pain in the ass." ---- Sinatra
Posts: 21,514

11-22-2019, 09:04 PM	#730
vailpass Psycho Bag Of Squanch Join Date: Sep 2001 Casino cash: $9594244	You guys make some good points. Amazon had the new Kindle Paperwhite marked down from $130 to $85 today so I ordered one. I think it'll be good on airplanes and I'll likely save enough on books to pay for it if I end up liking to read on it. Or I may hate it and it will go into the drawer of abandoned gadgets. __________________ “Education is a weapon whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.” Joseph Stalin
Posts: 69,591

11-23-2019, 06:53 AM	#733
Mennonite Veteran Join Date: Jun 2014 Casino cash: $10258572	Yep. If you need to convert a file to mobi you can use this program: https://calibre-ebook.com Alternatively you can use the first link I provided to gain access to Google Play where you can download other ebook aps that can play multiple formats without having to convert them. I finished up vol. 9 of the Theodore Sturgeon short story collection last night. Favorite story: "The Girl Had Guts " Other stories of note: "And Now the News " This is one of several story ideas given to TS by Robert Heinlein during one of Sturgeon's frequent bouts with writer's block. It's memorable but I kind of wish Heinlein had kept this one for himself. My two biggest gripes with TS is that many of his stories run too long and his fascination with psychiatric therapy. This story features both. Someone who hasn't read 7 volumes of his short stories in a short period of time probably wouldn't be as annoyed by these things as I was. Worth reading. TS collaborated with Don Ward to create two more of the stories in this volume. One is a grim little western called "The Waiting Thing Inside" and the other is a drama called "The Deadly Innocent." Both are flawed ("Waiting" needed to develop the female character more to be effective and "Innocent" didn't have a fully satisfying ending, but both stories have more " punch" than most of the other tales found here. I'm also reading some stories by Leigh Brackett. They're ok. Imaginative and generally entertaining. So far I've read: The Veil of Astellar The Moon That Vanished The Stellar Legion Shannach—the Last Martian Quest Last edited by Mennonite; 11-23-2019 at 03:09 PM..
Posts: 3,378

11-24-2019, 02:56 PM	#735
Frosty Go Beavers! Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Washington Casino cash: $4648243	Amazon is having a sale today only (11/24) on the Kindle version of all books in The Expanse series. I still needed book 7, so it's nice to be able to fill that in on the cheap.
Posts: 14,514