h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"I don't consider "1984" or "A Clockwork Orange" as science fiction, but then maybe I've got a jaundiced view of what science fiction encompasses. Anyone care to enlighten me?"

both are set in near future societies and are effectively satires/warnings. That makes them sci-fi.

Sometimes they are not regarded as sci-fi because sci-fi is not considered a "serious genre" and these are highly-regarded novels. This is, in my opinion, just snobbery.

Speaking of snobbishness about SF I think this quote from Terry Pratchett during an interview after winning the Carnegie
Medal was brilliant.

"You still find the unreconstructed literary snob being snotty about science fiction and fantasy. Increasingly such people are standing on little sandcastles which the tide has swept past. Nobody listens to them, so it doesn't matter what they think. Certainly not in terms of sales..."

Good for TP.

Incog.

*Cheers Terry Pratchett*

OK sort of still on-thread. I am trying to remember name/author of a book, maybe a series of Alternative history books.

I read it decades ago and can only remember the vague outline - there were vampires in the world and they held power, people like Alexander the Great was on and still held court somewhere, younger ones I seem to remember thought he had lost his marbles.

And that is it. All I can remember, no luck on Google with what I know. So throw it open to you all.

Cheers

CH

Not sure, but were you thinking of "Anno Dracula" by Kim Newman? (038072345X) He wrote sequels, including "The Bloody Red Baron" (0671854518) and "Dracula, Cha Cha Cha" (0671022091)

(You can search many online retailers for those ISBN numbers)

Don't think so, just read a bit of the snopsis around, the one I am thinking of was much more vamps in general, across time. Plus I am sure it was more than tens years since I read this one - Anno Dracual published 1992.

Thanks anyway - anyone else?

CH

just spent 30 mins again on Google trying to find this one. Still no luck

CH

I've asked at one of my SF groups over at Yahoo groups.If they don't know I'll expand the search to the other SF groups I belong to and I'll also ask my American librarian friend.

Incog.

many thanks - Vlad the impailer was also a vamp and character - although I seem to remember Alex and Vlad were not the main focus of the book(s) but rather more refered to than actually seen.

CH

It wasn't one of those Vampire, the Masquerade things was it?

? no idea - was a proper book(s) from library I am sure.

CH

What about Verner Vinge? I think his book The Peace War is one of the most underrated of all the clasics. He is still writing you know, His most recent book, A Deepness In the Sky is one of the most well developed atempts at understanding the pshycology of an alien race ever written.

If you havent read Vinge, you should.

Sorry but it rings no bells anywhere.Hope someone else can help.


Incog.

There was a contest once for the shortest "true sci-fi" story. I consider the winning story to be intelligent sci-fi...

The story was just six words long, and the content was the same as the title. It was called...

"The Sun rose in the West."

Just bought a wonderful book of SF art.It's called Infinite Worlds by Vincent Di Fate with a wondeful foreword by Ray Bradbury.Lots of delicious old book covers from the 20th century plus some wonderful examples of fine SF art.

Incog.

I'm not sure if I can be bothered to trawl through the back-log so I'll mention it anyway: Arthur C. Clarke's (and someone else, I think) Light From Other Days. The implications still freak me out now.

Other Sci-Fi that I like is anything by Heinlein and Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn Trilogy. Hamilton wrote a couple of short story collections that I didn't get on with very well. I'm working my way through his latest "Fallen Dragon" so I can't comment on it right now.

Liam.

Sigh! Heinlein! I wish I could like his books but I just can't.When ever I read them I just want scream and weep.Not because of his warped political leanings(which seem to change as often as his socks)but because of the terrible dialogue and the way he portrays women.Take that out of the equation and his stories are interesting but I always find myself grinding my teeth when reading Heinlein.So it's better for my teeth that I don't.
However I love Hamilton-I've just got Fallen Dragon from the library.

Incog

Has anyone mentioned "Ender's Game" and the related Orson Scot Card novels? THey're more about moral dilemmas than sci-fi

I've read Ender's Game and was very uncomfortable about it.I've read 2 other Orson Scott Card books.One about a lost colony world computer seeking to find it's way home(which signalled strongly it was the first of a trilogy)which I found boring and another about a young trained boy singer sent to an employer and being turned into an assassin in his employ.I personally found the idea of Ender and the assassin book too disturbing(being a teacher)that I've not bothered to read any more.

Incog.

You managed to make it through the Night's Dawn then? I thought it would take me ages but I couldn't put the books down.

I forgot to mention Ian M. Banks - I am still working my way through his books. I haven't ventured into his other books as Ian Banks yet - does anyone know if they are worth reading?

Liam.