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

HAVE I read, mate, HAVE I read. I don't read Scifi any more really, just the occasional re-read of JM. But let's seee...

-Tanith Lee
-Stephen Donaldson (indeed just Covenant, was at the end of my scifi days so i never got round to the others)
-Orson Scott Card (Ender and Friends)
-David Eddings (Really imaginative and intricate)
-Jack Vance (weird, but nice twists)
-Herbert (The Dune 6)
-Terry Pratchett
-DNA (duh!)

Those are some of the ones I really kept track of for a while.
I sort of betrayed the guild of scifi readers when I started my studies, I think. Though having visciously defended the merits of the genre against the cynical assaults by my father ("you have science and fiction. One is real; the other if not. how can the two be joined? I rest my case.") I too eventually found the writings concerned with this world more fantastic than fantasy.

My my, what words! I must really be getting pished here...

Thanks for the , no hard feelings

Sorry to hear that you don't read SF anymore, though. The Gap is worth it. I wouldn't put it in there with all other SF books anyway, it's just a brilliant novel that happens to be set sometime in the future. BTW Bluebottle, finished yet? I'd love to hear what you thought of the ending.

Have a truckload of then!

Overkill! Overkill! Too much coffee!
Whoo, boy.

So who wrote the Gap then? I may just make an exception (if it meets the backed scifi criterium i decribed earlier ) to the abandonment.

*struggling to get head above surface of the giant pile of *

*Gasp*

Gee, that's a lot of

Stephen Donaldson wrote it. Try the first book, it's shorter than the rest and called "The Real Story - The Gap into Conflict". If you don't like it then just...don't read any of the others.

With Xmas break coming on, I might just take that advice of yours...
and I'll let you know my findings, OK?

Excellent

Very wise - and yep, I finished Gap on Saturday morning. In fact, I started reading "This Day All Gods Die" at 10pm on Friday, and finished at 7:30am on Saturday morming - having read it all nigh. If that doesn't say the book was gripping, nothing will.
I spent all of Saturday in bed, though, afterwards!

Nice to see you back from Gap-land

BTW why is there a cross after your name nowadays? If you don't mind me asking.

Oh yeah - the cross thing.. I just tried it out as a lot of the other Christians on H2G2 have crosses after their names - but I think that it looks daft, so I may well get rid of it soon enough.

OK, now that you told me I guess it was pretty obvious.
So how did you like the ending?

Real!

So your name now basically says "Bluebottle the Christian"?
Are you a Christian?

I did not know this reason behind the cross thing. Why do christians do it here? Does the fact that you are a christian need to be understood as soon as one lays eyes on your writings here?
I am intrigued in a Data-ish way.

I really enjoyed the ending of "Gap" - I thought it was quite appopriate. I knew that Warden would die - that was obvious all the way through - but I'm glad he did it with dignity. The best part was Angus leaving - I wondered how SD would tie him up as he couldn't well leave him stranded or arrest him, so I was pleased by that. So yes, I enjoyed the ending.

As for the Christian bit - yep, I am a Christian, but I'm not a "shove-it-in-your-face-and-force-you-to-convert" stereotype or anything. I've only got the cross here temporarily, as a lot of the other Christians on H2G2 have crosses, and I wondered what it would look like. I think it looks rediculous, so I'm gonna change it back soon.
But do you need to understand I am a Christian as soon as one lays eyes on my writing? Not really - only as much as you need to know I'm a Beatles fan, or a sci-fi reader, or a Kubrick film watcher, or any of a number of likes/dislikes/beliefs that make up who I am.

Gotcha. Now we cool once more.

Why do you say that? Do you have a thing against Christianity?

Appropriate is a good word for the ending. And...satisfactory? I thought it ended in just the right way.

BTW I looked at my book with the "Young Zaphod" story in it, the exact title is "The More Than Complete Hitch-Hiker's Guide" with ISBN 0-517-69311-9. I hope I can help you in this way since I've decided I won't type it all out for you..

Yes, thanks for all the help - I quite understand your reluctance to type it all out - in your position I'd do the same. But the help you've given me so far is Very much appreciated, my friend!
So, what are the other stories in the comic relief book like?

Good question. One I haven't answered to the full yet myself.
But I think that, with all respect, I have something against religion in general in that I think it to be dangerous. Not directly dangerous to the believer, but dangerous to his sense of self-determination, which I personally value very highly. religion gives you answers to questions without giving you the opportunity to find others for yourself, because that is an act of disbelief. The whole concept of 'having faith because you have faith that you have faith' is, for me, quite threatening. Claustrophobic.

And the 'now we're cool' was just to indicate that though initially you having a cross beside your name to point out your Christianity seemed to indicate a zeal I shrank back from, your "I'm a Christion but not the in-your-face" kind reassured me.

One question though, combining sci-fi with religion:
Do you believe that God created man in his image? Can you take that literally? If God created everything, did He also create all the aliens and intelligent beings you read about in sci-fi, and that probably exist outside our earth for real (granted that sci-fi has a real equivalent)? And finally, if God created everything, but only man was created in Gods image... does that mean that man is closer to God in some way than all the other intelligent life-forms?

Glad to know we're on speaking terms still! And don't worry, I'm not the type of person who refuses to listen to arguments and thinks "I'm right" no matter what's said, and ignore all that's been said - it's just that nothing has been said to convince me about scientific theories of creation etc. And believe me, I've read about it - I didn't just decide "Today I'll be a Christian for no particular reason". It's just that things that science takes for granted, like evolution, simply doesn't work. Even most scientists nowadays criticise Darwin's idea as being too simplistic, and Chaos theory doesn't exactly sound likely. But I won't force you to think how I do - I just think everyone should be prepared to hear all sides of the story and make up their own minds, and respect all those who have done the same.

>If God created everything, did He also create all the aliens and intelligent beings you read about in sci-fi, and that probably exist outside our earth for real?

Do I believe in aliens? I don't know. If they exist, then yes, I believe that God created them - but I'll be the first to say what I do know and don't, and you're opinion on aliens is as likely to be true as mine! If there were other intelligent aliens, it would be interesting to see what beliefs they have, and if they reflect Christianity at all. But that's an area that I have no authority about whatsoever! But there is nothing to stop aliens from having faith in God, too. But on Earth, at least, I believe that the human race is nearer to God than other life-forms - so God probably is a hard-working builder who explores everywhere, and not someone who mucks about in the water having fun, like dolphins

hello

Hello Jenny my friend - how are you and your cheese getting on?