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

Deltron 3030, a science-fiction hip-hop concept album produced by Dan the Automator, has some intelligent things to say about contemporary society.

Also The Matrix has some important things to say about government and corporate control in our world.

this is the end.

I thought `The Forever War` by Joe Haldeman had something interesting to say about war. His 3rd. novel `All my sins remembered` was a cutting indictment of Government.

, no not Alex Cox.
Andrei Tarkovsky, about as far from Alex Cox as you can get.
1979, Russian, subtitled, 161 minutes.
Only available in America on video, it would appear.
He also directed an adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's 'Solaris' in 1969<?>.
Both featured haunting and beautiful music by Edward Artenyev, which i amn lucky enough to have on CD...

I found myself realising I had mixed it up with "Walker" the other day. Sorry

Has anyone mentioned Alistair Reynolds yet ? He's a new English kid on the block. He has written two books so far(I my mind serves me they are called "Revelation Space" and "Chasm City". Very worthwhile in my opinion.

As for the older stuff : "Last and First Men" by Olaf Stapledon comes to mind as an exceptional work.

I think I am allowed to post a URL nowadays so let me give you this one : www.gutenberg.net .
It is a site that works on a project to publish as many classics as possible of which the copyright have expired. From Shakespeare to Ayn Rand to Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is supposed to become a shrine full of classics. In it you can also find virtually all the "Barzoom-stories" by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Classic although not always of high quality. And they are free to download so...

TM.

Just reread the entire Chanurs Saga followed by Chanurs Homecoming by C.J.Cherryh.I enjoyed it immensely as I had forgotten a fair bit of the story due to failing memory.

Now what else did I want to say?

OH yes!Just bought The Dreamthief's Daughter by Michael Moorcock.I gather it's about our albino friend Elric again in one of his various guises.Should be a good read I hope.

Incog.

Isn't the Chanur's Saga the one with the immortal elf/wolf/lady with a sword and her faithful companion, traveling through time to the end of the universe... or something like that? I know exactly what you mean about forgetting the story - C.J.Cherryh is like that.

I'm talking Cherryh SF here.Mind I understand what you are saying.She does write epics that take some reading.In fact one of her 'short' stories would equal another authors trilogy.

Incog.
I'm trying to order something online and I've got caught in one of those you haven't done so and so loops.The internet is so tedious at times.

Just read Precurser by Cherryh the 4th in the Foriegner series.Slightly disapointed though I couldn't put it down and just had to read it straight through.I think it was because it never dealt with why and was more of a scene setter.I think Cherryh is at her best when she writes stand alones.

Incog.who's going through a Cherryh phase.

"... the one with the immortal elf/wolf/lady with a sword and her faithful companion, traveling through time to the end of the universe..."

I think you're thinking of the Morgaine Saga.

This thread's already quite long, so sorry if any of these have been mentioned before:

Greg Bear - 'Hardfought' and 'Queen of Angels'
(Very intelligent, thoughtful and plausible 'hard' S.F.)

Ray Bradbury - 'Fahrenheit 451' and 'A Graveyard for Lunatics'
(Uniquely poetic and haunting - very much about the inner life)

William Gibson - 'Virtual Light' and 'Idoru'
(Two linked novels, dealing with the computerised high-tech society of the very near future)

Brian Aldiss - 'Helliconia' trilogy
(Complex and rich saga of alien world, covering several centuries of its history, reflected in the lives of individuals)

Iain M. Banks - 'Look to Windward' and 'Feersum Endjinn'
(Sharp and witty, full of new and original ideas)

J.G. Ballard - 'War Fever' and 'Low Flying Aircraft'
(Again, a writer who puts completely new ideas and perspectives in your head. Finds an eerie poetry in the technological society).

All these writers have done lots more good and intelligent work, but the above books are just some which I have especially liked.

And some not-strictly S.F. stuff which S.F. readers might enjoy:

Virginia Woolf - 'Orlando'
(Man lives 400 years, turning into a woman half way through - funny, poetic and intriguing)

Neil Gaiman - 'Stardust'
(Fairy tale for grown-ups - funny, poignant and poetic)

Peter Høeg - 'Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow'
(Philosphical thriller, set in Scandinavia and the Arctic)

Happy reading!

Stretchy.

The longer the better I say.

Incog.

CJ Cherryh is one of my favorite authors.

I liked her Merchanters luck story and I liked the Cyteen trilogy. She is good at people in desperate situations. I also like the fact that she tends to have dark haired women with their own Toy Boys. HEHEHE!

I really recommend Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead.
They have a lot to say about the justification of conditioning children, as well as guilt and understanding.

For movies, if you can get past the horror violence, Blade Runner was one of the true classics of sci fi movie making. It was based on the short story "Do androids dream of electric sheep?" which was set in a world that was so polluted that almost all animals had died, and humans kept all types of animals as pets. It was so prestigious that people bought artificial animals to "keep up with the Joneses". It also talked about how if there were androids, they would lack empathy.

I also quite liked the Matrix, although the story was a bit cliched.

And don't forget the historical work Apollo 13. That movie was very fine.

So what is Miss Smilla doing under Intelligent SF?

I'm goinbg to go out and buy a new book today, any suggestions? I was thinking of that Timeline one by Chrichton.

What did you buy?

Incog being nosy.

The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F Hamilton. Was it a good choice? I had read some of the beginning before and I remember he was describing how somebody was being crushed by g-forces. I just thought with that level of detail it probably wasn't going to be some space opera.

Reality Dysfunction - well I started reading it 3 or 4 times, each time getting to Lalonde and then struggling and giving up, but perservere 'cause it is a suberb read, and once past the first Lalonde bit it is a real page turner. Well, my 2p Until later....
BCNU - Crescent

And I'd say that 'The Reality Dysfunction' is quite definitely Space Opera. Not that it's bad - I really enjoyed the series. Plotting is good, and like Crescent says, it's a real page turner. But it's not as hard as it could be, for reasons that will become clearer as the series goes on.

You chose very well indeed.Hamilton is one of the best.

Incog.

OK - Whilst filed as SF by WHSmiths and our library maybe not, but Gene Brewer's K-PAX and K-PAX II (K -PAX III to follow) are excellent. Written from the point of view of a pysciatrist with a patient who believes he is an Alien - and details his "treatment", brilliant thought provoking stuff.

Hamilton's Trilogy was the best thing I read last year, and think I'll buy and re-read them.

C Hawke