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

just finished wacthing x-men ,it was better done then i was expecting,might not be everyones cup of tea,but it did have some good visual effects and one well timed funny dialogue.i dont mind violence when its this abstract.that morphing reptile girl sure has some wicked moves...

I think Heinlien is more of a libertarian rahter than a fascist. His book The Moon is a Harsh Mistress really shows that side of him. It's also pretty funny.

I'm not sure having a stong military is the same as being a fascist.

Greg Egan - [URL removed by moderator]

A lot of his stuff is online. He does mostly hard science, but in extremely original ways. A bit like the 'wow' factor when I first read about (for example) space elevators (Clarke), except Egan uses more recent science - quantum physics, neuroscience. Lots of philosophical stuff about identity, free will etc. He's written a couple of books of short stories, "Axiomatic" and "Luminous", both excellent introductions to his work, Axiomatic is probably more accessible.

SF!!?? Is that Single Females or Sexy Females!?? Or... Science Fiction!??

Or... Sugar Free!??

science fantasy?this is a term ive just started hearing in the past couple years,not sure where you draw the line between science fictin and science fantasy.might have something to do with the sweetener content.plan to refer back to this conversation when im needing something new to read so thanks to all who have brought works to my attention.

I think that Anne McCaffrey´s books about Pern is what you would call science fantasy.

You don´t have to be facsist just because you believe in s strong military, that´s true. But fi you believe that the military way should be used in society then you´re a fascist. But I don´t know anything about Heinlein, so don´t ask me.

Space elevators, they don´t seem to me as anything amazing. It´s a nice idea but is there any material you can build a 20.000 km tall column of without it breaking? I like Clarke´s other ideas, but that one seems rather stupid to me.

IIRC buckytubes are the only known material that has a good enough strength to weight ratio for a space elevator.

I think we have space elevators in this mall in Denver... they are glass, and I like to stick my butt out so everyone sees it!!! HAHAHAHAAHAHAH!!!

And I'm really not fond of Anne McCaffrey, but Douglas Adams is quite different...

Don't you mean 'abdomen', my dear Dragonfly?

Oh, and for those that have access to it, the Christmas issue of Private Eye (I assume this is UK only - sorry folks) has an amusing picture of DNA being pictured in a TV listings magazine, resting his finger on his upper lip in a pensive gesture. The caption? 'Pick of the Week'.

Well, the picture's funny, anyway.

And 2000AD has recently emerged from a 5-year low to start cranking out some decent stories again. Result!

I think what they mean by space fantasy or science fantasy is that it's a fantasy set in space, like Star Wars. They're all about the story.

Whereas scince fiction is more about what might actually happen and have technology that is reasonable. I think there's an article on it around here somewhere (http://www.h2g2.com/A379569).

I don't see how one's veiws on how you use the military make you a fascist. Were we behaving in a fascist manner when we used the military to solve the porblem of Nazis spreading through Europe?

The society Heinliein envisoned in Starship Troopers was a republic or a democracy where the right to vote was restricted to veterans. It was just a way to select who has the franchise.

Thinking back on some of his other stuff, I do recall that Secundus and Tertius in Time Enough for Love were autocracies. His writing dealt with a variety of different political and economic systems.

Just because a person writes about different types of government doesn't necesarily mean that they support that form of goivernment. That would mean that Asimov promoted having an empire, and every fantasy author on Earth promotes feudalism.

Two Bit Trigger Pumping Emperor

I agree... Just because you had to write papers on subjects in school for a grade, doesn't mean you BELIEVE in it!!!

And, no, Nex!!! I did mean my BUTT!!!

Now, I like Star Wars, and my brother far prefers Star Trek, although I have NO patience for it...

What about phenomena-related genres!?? I saw X-men mentioned here earlier( I HAVE to see the movie!!! )-- what about the X-Files!?!??!?!?!?!?!??!!

I recently got lectured (at another site not here) that SF stood for speculative fiction and covered both science fiction and fantasy.I said I thought that was too confusing for all of us who were raised on SF as science fiction.What I resent is how SF and Fantasy end up sharing the same shelves.True there are more shelves devoted to both genres but most of it is syndicated stuff like ST,SW,B5,Buffy and so on.Dear old Terry Pratchett also got 7 shelves in one shop I went to recently.Lucky if Asimov's books get half a shelf.

I recently got lectured (at another site not here) that SF stood for speculative fiction and covered both science fiction and fantasy.I said I thought that was too confusing for all of us who were raised on SF as science fiction.What I resent is how SF and Fantasy end up sharing the same shelves.True there are more shelves devoted to both genres but most of it is syndicated stuff like ST,SW,B5,Buffy and so on.Dear old Terry Pratchett also got 7 shelves in one shop I went to recently.Lucky if Asimov's books get half a shelf.

Oh I must really stop this premature clicking-anyone got a cure?

Thumb-twiddling!??

I do tink that SF is sci-fi and not speculative fiction. It is probably a term invented later to try and give it a bit of a better reputation.

I think the definition of sci-fi is a story where technology plays a key-part. If you put Romeo and Juliet 200 years in the future it wouldn´t strictly speaking be sci-fi, because the technology wouldn´t matter. It should be something like Asimov´s robot stuff. A story about human-robot interaction can´t really be done without having robots in the story. Juliet´s maid might be a robot, but that is irrelevant in that context.

I personally think that the very best and intelligent SF must explore the human condition.The very best will also explore how the technology will impinge on the human psyche.In other words the science is important but it is how humans use it and regard it that should make the story.

Nivel, Pohl, the anthologies of short stories edited by John Carnell (IMO good short stories are the mark of the great SF writer - Asimov was very good at short stories, and it saves you wading through the usual massive Asimov outpourings).

Avoid: EE 'Doc' Smith (with one bound he was free).

And please do read Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison. And all the Stainless Steel Rat books and Bill The Galactic Hero, because after all a body can only take so much seriousness.

Bugger, the curse of the burnt finger again. That's NIVEN. Larry Niven.

just wondering what would have happened if jung had tried his hand at sf