Yes, I really appreciate good writing (like so many of us, I have 200 pages of
a novel I'll probably never finish writing shoved in a closet). So I'll check
out Lord of Light. If it's not already in the pile of sci-fi books I got from
the library. Thanks.
--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin Baxter <martinbaxt...@...> wrote:
>
> (seconding the Wise Man's words)
>
> On Wed, Aug 11, 2010 at 3:48 PM, Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@...>wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > I think a lot of Niven's stuff is like that. He is still primarily a hard
> > scifi guy, and sometimes characterizations aren't as strong as you may like.
> > at least, that's my memory of him. I haven't read one of his books in at
> > least a decade.
> > Now if you want good characters and prose that flows like poetry, full of
> > sardonic wit and cleverness, try Roger Zelazny's stuff. His Amber
> > chronicles--a kind of scifi/fantasy mix--are great. His book "Lord of Light"
> > is one of the best reads of my life. It deals with a planet settled by
> > humans in which an elite class has given themselves super powers, and rules
> > the populace posing as the Hindi gods. This thing has demons, zombies,
> > existential questions, and action. It is really, really good.
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "angelababycat" <asrobin...@...>
> > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
> > Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 3:21:21 PM
> > Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: From Ringword to A Pebble in the Sky
> >
> >
> >
> > Not too scifi heavy, but just didn't flow. I also didn't connect with the
> > main characters so I didn't care who decided to get on the space ship or
> > not. By the time they were in the ship and approached by those 5 lights or
> > whatever (around page 60), I was a little confused and disinterested. In
> > contrast, I'm already half way through Pebbles.
> >
> > Did I give up too soon on Ringworld?
> >
> > Angela
> >
> > --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com <scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com>, Keith
> > Johnson <KeithBJohnson@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Was Ringworld too scifi heavy for you? What didn't you like about it?
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "angelababycat" <asrobinson@>
> > > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com <scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > Sent: Sunday, August 8, 2010 10:17:28 PM
> > > Subject: [scifinoir2] From Ringword to A Pebble in the Sky
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > So Niven's Ringworld really wasn't doing it for me. Moved on to a basic
> > classic: Asimov's first book, "A Pebble in the Sky." I read like the first
> > 60 pages just yesterday. How do folks think it will compare to his late
> > works like Foundation, etc.?
> > >
> > > Angela
> > >
> > > --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com <scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com> ,
> > "angelababycat" <asrobinson@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Just finished reading Le Guin's "The Left Hand of Darkness" -- the
> > first sci-fi novel I've made time to sit down and enjoy in a long time. Felt
> > good. I forgot how much I liked Le Guin's writing too. A great place to
> > start.
> > > >
> > > > Next in the pile is "Ringworld" by Larry Niven. I have the list of
> > suggested reading from the group, but I was at the book store and just
> > pulled a few titles from what was in stock. And a librarian handed me
> > Octavia Butler's "Parable of the Sower" last weekend, but I still haven't
> > recovered from seeing "The Road" on PPV so I don't know about that one...
> > > >
> > > > Anyone read any of these?
> > > >
> > > > Angela
> > > >
> > > > P.S. -- Here's Wikipedia's summary of Left Hand if anyone's curious:
> > > >
> > > > The basic principle of The Left Hand of Darkness is one that started in
> > Ursula K. Le Guin's first novel in 1966 and runs through several of her
> > early works: that of the interplanetary expansion started by the first race
> > of humanity on the planet Hain and expanded across the universe, forming the
> > League of All Worlds, eventually expanding to the eighty-three world
> > collective called the Ekumen. This novel takes place in the year 4870 and
> > concerns an envoy, Genly Ai, who is on a planet called Winter ("Gethen" in
> > the language of its own people) to convince the citizens to join the Ekumen.
> > Winter is, as its name indicates, a planet that is always cold, and its
> > citizens are neither female nor male: they only have gender identities or
> > sexual urges once a month. These conditions have affected the ways that
> > civilizations on Winter have developed, with the most notable effect being
> > that there has never been a war on the planet. There are, however, arcane
> > rules of politics and diplomacy that the envoy must learn in order to
> > survive. His fortune changes quickly, according to what political faction is
> > in power at the time in the country he is residing in: in one country, for
> > instance, the Prime Minister arranges an audience with the king for him, but
> > the next day the Prime Minister is exiled for treason; in another he has
> > trouble determining which factions among the thirty-three Heads of Districts
> > support him and which want to use him to gain political power. The struggle
> > of Genly Ai as he tries to understand the ways of these people and survive
> > on this hostile planet gives Le Guin the chance to explore what life would
> > be like without the dualities, such as summer and winter or male and female,
> > that form our way of thinking: the book's title comes from a Gethen poem,
> > which begins, "Light is The Left Hand of Darkness ⦠"
> > > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell
> wrote the script?" -- Charles E Grant
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
>
