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ToxicFrog
Apr 26, 2008


Safety Biscuits posted:

Fair points. I wasn't sure if iospace meant "books with queer themes or characters" or "by queer writers" and went for the latter, because a) it's less ambiguous and b) I'd assume that this would imply the former, anyway. Apologies if you felt misled, iospace.

I assumed the former; if she means the latter CJC is a very easy recommendation. Really, she's an easy recommendation in general. :)

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Spite
Jul 27, 2001

Small chance of that...

wizzardstaff posted:

Yeah, it’s a shame how political and preachy the new Star Trek shows have been, compared to the early stuff like TNG and DS9.

Hopefully this is :thejoke:

quantumfoam
Dec 25, 2003

eke out posted:

lol yeah, Reynolds is exactly who I always think of about how useless the hard/soft distinction is, because that series in particular is full of pseudo-"hard" stuff that's really just space magic

(to be clear: i love space magic)

Right, the Relevation Space series stopped being hard-scifi around the last 10% of the 1st book. The points in Revelation Space where Reynolds made his own cosmological spin on neutron stars and when the Nostalgia For Infinity as a plot point being so visibly hosed up from the Melding Plague, it retroactively stopped ice-shields from existing on every other light-hugger spaceship in the universe.

Although to be fair, ice-shields stopped existing earlier in Revelation Space when Volyova had to recreate every hull imperfection/mis-repair when fake-booking away the existence & destruction of one of the Cache weapons the N4I was toting around.


Hard Scifi in older science-fiction pretty much meant you had to mention gravity or physics effects once early on in your story, then use those gravity/physics effects as an obstacle to be overcome/solution to whatever was happening in the climax of the story.

Larry Niven lived in the bleeding edge of hard scifi during his early writing career, and issued actual corrections to his earlier published hard-scifi stories when the science/science facts used in them turned out to be invalidated. Then Niven got creepy with clones and eugenics, and even creepier with the Ringworld series and rishathra :shudder:

quantumfoam fucked around with this message at 02:32 on May 25, 2020

Poldarn
Feb 18, 2011

quantumfoam posted:

Then Niven got creepy with clones and eugenics, and even creepier with the Ringworld series and rishathra :shudder:

I've always described the Ringworld Series as having the subtitle "or, The Erotic Adventures of Louis Wu".

pseudanonymous
Aug 30, 2008

When you make the second entry and the debits and credits balance, and you blow them to hell.

quantumfoam posted:

And now it's really impossible to tell pseudorandom name & pseudanonymous apart when reading this thread.

It's both terrible, and completely apropos.

Cardiac
Aug 28, 2012

iospace posted:

Ok, so I'm looking for, admittedly, a pretty niche request here: looking for some queer, preferably lesbian, science fiction, the harder the better, but I'm fine with semi hard. Any recs?

Sounds like you should read Chuck Tingle.

withak
Jan 15, 2003


Fun Shoe
Chuck Tingle is not semi hard.

NikkolasKing
Apr 3, 2010



Is "pulp" a derogatory term? I always thought it was as I recall first hearing it to describe pretty cheap, sort of superficial stories. Fantasy and scifi have their greatest strengths when they use fantasy and scifi stuff to address real things. The One Ring isn't just a dumb magic ring, it represents Sin and its temptations. That sorta thing. I thought pulp was just a way to describe vacuous genre fiction.

But so many figures who are described as pulp fantasy/sci-fi or writing for pulp magazines are now considered classics these days. Lovecraft, Vance, probably others that the actual historians of pulp can tell me about. This came to mind when I was thinking of reading Vance's Dying Earth series and saw folks like Neil Gaiman have praised Vance as a writer. And of course Lovecraft's influence is everywhere. Also that guy who wrote the Lensman series which seems decently important, too.

anilEhilated
Feb 17, 2014

But I say fuck the rain.

Grimey Drawer
Well, do they tell you anything about the human condition? Lovecraft doesn't exactly invite you to share his paranoia, Vance's Dying Earth hardly has a message past "people are assholes" and so on. They're just for fun.

quantumfoam
Dec 25, 2003

NikkolasKing posted:

Is "pulp" a derogatory term? I always thought it was as I recall first hearing it to describe pretty cheap, sort of superficial stories. Fantasy and scifi have their greatest strengths when they use fantasy and scifi stuff to address real things. The One Ring isn't just a dumb magic ring, it represents Sin and its temptations. That sorta thing. I thought pulp was just a way to describe vacuous genre fiction.

But so many figures who are described as pulp fantasy/sci-fi or writing for pulp magazines are now considered classics these days. Lovecraft, Vance, probably others that the actual historians of pulp can tell me about. This came to mind when I was thinking of reading Vance's Dying Earth series and saw folks like Neil Gaiman have praised Vance as a writer. And of course Lovecraft's influence is everywhere. Also that guy who wrote the Lensman series which seems decently important, too.

Pulp became a derogatory phrase in the late 1960s- 1970's when New Wave scifi/fantasy authors like Ellison & Aldiss & Delany started used it as a empty marketing term to differentiate themselves from the rest of the existing scifi/fantasy genre authors.

Then it got taken seriously when one of the self proclaimed New Wave authors became a New Wave editor-author (Brian Aldiss) who started to use the term "pulp author" to describe authors who merely wrote (alot) to pay the bills, instead of being inspired word artists (who uhm also wrote (alot) to pay the bills). As usual, new readers to the scifi & fantasy genres went with it because how else were they going to read stories, over the radio or the tv or the internet that wouldn't exist for another 30-40 years?

The term "Pulp" originally stood for:
-the ultra-cheap paper quality of the magazines the stories got published in (think barely processed wood pulp paper because it usually was)
-the cheap prices of the magazines the stories got published in (because they came out in the great depression of the 1930s)
-the cheap pay the magazines paid out to authors which meant authors usually who wrote for them never stopped writing & reused story elements over and over (which today would be seen as creating a shared universe for their stories)

quantumfoam fucked around with this message at 15:01 on May 25, 2020

withak
Jan 15, 2003


Fun Shoe
It’s derogatory in the same way that “dive bar” is.

pradmer
Mar 31, 2009

Follow me for more books on special!
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin - $2.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YBA7PGW/

Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E Butler - $1.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008HALO0U/

MockingQuantum
Jan 20, 2012



Any opinions on To Be Taught, If Fortunate? I really liked Chambers's Wayfarers books, and enjoyed the sort of sci-fi slice of life feel, but with this one I'm honestly pretty bored. I think maybe it's because the subject matter is just less appealing to me, but I feel like absolutely nothing engaging is happening. I'm admittedly only about a third of the way through, but none of the interactions are really grabbing me, but I'm curious to hear what others think of the book.

Some Pinko Commie
Jun 9, 2009

CNC! Easy as 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣!

MockingQuantum posted:

Any opinions on To Be Taught, If Fortunate? I really liked Chambers's Wayfarers books, and enjoyed the sort of sci-fi slice of life feel, but with this one I'm honestly pretty bored. I think maybe it's because the subject matter is just less appealing to me, but I feel like absolutely nothing engaging is happening. I'm admittedly only about a third of the way through, but none of the interactions are really grabbing me, but I'm curious to hear what others think of the book.

I enjoyed it, but the ending was a little depressing.

Its a nice "oh poo poo, scientific exploration!" story, but it is a little hard to explain why I liked it.

It was just different from the usual modern scifi where there must be some life or death conflict, and it vaguely reminds me of some classic space exploration scifi I read as a kid, but I can't quite put my finger on a specific classic scifi author the story reminds me of.

StrixNebulosa
Feb 14, 2012

You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
But most of all, you cheated BABA

Five Twelfths of Heaven by Melissa Scott, an important warning for anyone who wants to read it:

Mental violation. The three protagonists are captured and have a mental geas put on them that shocks them whenever they think of rebellion, and now they're in slavery. Nothing more overt has happened yet but I feel sick to my stomach. Read with caution if you're sensitive to such things.

mllaneza
Apr 28, 2007

Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1993-1952




biracial bear for uncut posted:

I enjoyed it, but the ending was a little depressing.

Its a nice "oh poo poo, scientific exploration!" story, but it is a little hard to explain why I liked it.

I really liked the ending, I didn't find it depressing I found it hopeful. I guess for me it was a "Scientific exploration, hell yeah !" book. I'm really glad she wrote it.

ClydeFrog
Apr 13, 2007
Empathize with stupidity and you’re halfway to thinking like an idiot
Kameron Hurley - The Stars Are Legion. Good scifi with lesbians.

Silver2195
Apr 4, 2012

anilEhilated posted:

Well, do they tell you anything about the human condition? Lovecraft doesn't exactly invite you to share his paranoia, Vance's Dying Earth hardly has a message past "people are assholes" and so on. They're just for fun.

I'm pretty sure Lovecraft actually was inviting readers to share his paranoia on some level.

branedotorg
Jun 19, 2009

ClydeFrog posted:

Kameron Hurley - The Stars Are Legion. Good scifi with lesbians.

Bel Dame Apocrypha (also Kameron hurley) series, the main character isn't but it's a matriarchal society where men are close to property.

bounty hunter on a quarantined planet where insects are the primary domestic animal.

It's pretty good but there's a lot of body horror and violence if that's not your thing.

StrixNebulosa
Feb 14, 2012

You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
But most of all, you cheated BABA

StrixNebulosa posted:

Five Twelfths of Heaven by Melissa Scott, an important warning for anyone who wants to read it:

Mental violation. The three protagonists are captured and have a mental geas put on them that shocks them whenever they think of rebellion, and now they're in slavery. Nothing more overt has happened yet but I feel sick to my stomach. Read with caution if you're sensitive to such things.

And not long after, she's freed herself from the geas and then frees her husbands and sails away from danger with both middle-fingers up and I love Silence more than words can express

Author, thank you, thank you. That's twice now you've pulled a feint on me and then written something lighter than I expected.

tildes
Nov 16, 2018

MockingQuantum posted:

Any opinions on To Be Taught, If Fortunate? I really liked Chambers's Wayfarers books, and enjoyed the sort of sci-fi slice of life feel, but with this one I'm honestly pretty bored. I think maybe it's because the subject matter is just less appealing to me, but I feel like absolutely nothing engaging is happening. I'm admittedly only about a third of the way through, but none of the interactions are really grabbing me, but I'm curious to hear what others think of the book.

Yeah I’ve been about a third of the way through for a really long time now and totally stalled out for similar reasons. I liked the wayfarer books but this one really hasn’t done it for me.

ToxicFrog
Apr 26, 2008


I'm two books into Tim Pratt's Axiom trilogy and enjoying the hell out of it. Space squid, mysterious alien megastructures, a ragtag crew embroiled in events of galactic consequence, lesbians. This probably fit's iospace's request for recommendations earlier in the "semi-hard" vein.

StrixNebulosa posted:

And not long after, she's freed herself from the geas and then frees her husbands and sails away from danger with both middle-fingers up and I love Silence more than words can express

Author, thank you, thank you. That's twice now you've pulled a feint on me and then written something lighter than I expected.

One of the things I like about Melissa Scott is that I don't think she ever goes full grimdark even when it looks like she's about to.

Some Pinko Commie
Jun 9, 2009

CNC! Easy as 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣!

tildes posted:

Yeah I’ve been about a third of the way through for a really long time now and totally stalled out for similar reasons. I liked the wayfarer books but this one really hasn’t done it for me.

Have you got to the part where a random life form manages to get through the airlock?

I kept expecting things to go body-horror there but they didn't quite get there.

StrixNebulosa
Feb 14, 2012

You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
But most of all, you cheated BABA

ToxicFrog posted:

I'm two books into Tim Pratt's Axiom trilogy and enjoying the hell out of it. Space squid, mysterious alien megastructures, a ragtag crew embroiled in events of galactic consequence, lesbians. This probably fit's iospace's request for recommendations earlier in the "semi-hard" vein.


One of the things I like about Melissa Scott is that I don't think she ever goes full grimdark even when it looks like she's about to.

Putting Tim Pratt on the tbr, thanks!

And also yeah. I just wish Scott wouldn't go there so realistically I was sick to my stomach reading it and so worried I was about to sit through a Kate Elliott torture sequence.

fritz
Jul 26, 2003

ToxicFrog posted:

I'm two books into Tim Pratt's Axiom trilogy and enjoying the hell out of it. Space squid, mysterious alien megastructures, a ragtag crew embroiled in events of galactic consequence, lesbians. This probably fit's iospace's request for recommendations earlier in the "semi-hard" vein.

I read the first one and decided not to read any more, didn't care for most of the characters and the setting wasn't compelling for me to want to continue.

Hand Row
May 28, 2001
Oh sweet the third book of Mark Alders fantasy historical series came out in April and I did not realize it. Thanks for whomever recommended it here because it seems like you are the only person who read it, besides me now. If you like demon bargaining as well as medieval history it is a must read. It’s oddly fun looking up some of the crazy minor characters in the book and reading their real history.

StrixNebulosa
Feb 14, 2012

You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
But most of all, you cheated BABA

Hand Row posted:

Oh sweet the third book of Mark Alders fantasy historical series came out in April and I did not realize it. Thanks for whomever recommended it here because it seems like you are the only person who read it, besides me now. If you like demon bargaining as well as medieval history it is a must read. It’s oddly fun looking up some of the crazy minor characters in the book and reading their real history.

wait WHAT

As far as I can tell only Son of the Morning+Night are out, what book are you talking about????

anilEhilated
Feb 17, 2014

But I say fuck the rain.

Grimey Drawer

StrixNebulosa posted:

wait WHAT

As far as I can tell only Son of the Morning+Night are out, what book are you talking about????
He's got a new book out - The Devil's Blade - but it doesn't seem to be the end of the trilogy, sadly; according to its blurb it takes place in the 17th century. Not gonna lie, I would be interested in people's impressions if anyone read it.
It's also tagged as LBTQ fantasy at Amazon.

anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 23:02 on May 26, 2020

StrixNebulosa
Feb 14, 2012

You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
But most of all, you cheated BABA

anilEhilated posted:

He's got a new book out - The Devil's Blade - but it doesn't seem to be the end of the trilogy, sadly; according to its blurb it takes place in the 17th century. Not gonna lie, I would be interested in people's impressions if anyone read it.
It's also tagged as LBTQ fantasy at Amazon.

I'll buy it but it'll be a while before I get to it, so someone else please report back on this book, it sounds cool.



Five-Twelfths of Heaven by Melissa Scott: finished! What a cool, novel space opera setting. What a wonderful heroine. I'm glad I read it, and I'm going to read the sequels eventually. I want to read other books by the author first!

mllaneza
Apr 28, 2007

Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1993-1952




New murderbot: read !
New Penric & Des: read !
New Yoon Ha Lee short: next !

BurgerQuest
Mar 17, 2009

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS
Just finished 'The Human' by Neal Asher and despite having somewhat enjoyed everything he's written this might be his laziest/most boring book yet. The entire thing could have been one chapter if you remove the boring descriptions of battles where the outcome is obvious or foreshadowed. Ah well.

Evil Fluffy
Jul 13, 2009

Scholars are some of the most pompous and pedantic people I've ever had the joy of meeting.
Read through Children of Ruin and while the ending was what I expected (and then some) shortly after starting the book, it was good.

Groke
Jul 27, 2007
New Adventures In Mom Strength

Evil Fluffy posted:

Read through Children of Ruin and while the ending was what I expected (and then some) shortly after starting the book, it was good.

We're going on an adventure!

Dilber
Mar 27, 2007

TFLC
(Trophy Feline Lifting Crew)


StrixNebulosa posted:

I'll buy it but it'll be a while before I get to it, so someone else please report back on this book, it sounds cool.



Five-Twelfths of Heaven by Melissa Scott: finished! What a cool, novel space opera setting. What a wonderful heroine. I'm glad I read it, and I'm going to read the sequels eventually. I want to read other books by the author first!

It's not the third book in the trilogy but it's fantastic.

It's based on an actual opera singer and the plot is "revenge story but you made a deal with the devil and the devil is real and also the devil wants your soul and is going to mess with you."

I read it basically straight through.

The protagonist is hella bi, with a much stronger preference for women.

Hand Row
May 28, 2001
Yeah my bad it starts out with devil stuff and has actual people in the story like the trilogy, so I thought it was at least a spin off in the same world. Same quality as the trilogy so far. I am trying real hard to not read about the main characters real life history.

Ccs
Feb 25, 2011


Hand Row posted:

Oh sweet the third book of Mark Alders fantasy historical series came out in April and I did not realize it. Thanks for whomever recommended it here because it seems like you are the only person who read it, besides me now. If you like demon bargaining as well as medieval history it is a must read. It’s oddly fun looking up some of the crazy minor characters in the book and reading their real history.

I searched "Mark Alders" and came across a very different sort of author...
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3050099.Mark_Alders

Hand Row
May 28, 2001
Oh my. No s, no s!


https://www.amazon.com/Son-Morning-Novel-Mark-Alder/dp/1605989509/ref=nodl_

StrixNebulosa
Feb 14, 2012

You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
But most of all, you cheated BABA

Ccs posted:

I searched "Mark Alders" and came across a very different sort of author...
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3050099.Mark_Alders

lmao I might have to read some of those

but you want this guy. Mark Alder. He also goes by Mark Barrowcliffe and MD Lachlan. Lachlan writes immortal werewolf sagas from the vikings to WWII.

FewtureMD
Dec 19, 2010

I am very powerful, of course.


A new Mark Alder book?! I'm so glad I have the next two days off to plow through it.

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pradmer
Mar 31, 2009

Follow me for more books on special!
Blood Rites (Dresden Files #6) by Jim Butcher - $2.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002YKOX3E/

A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay - $2.99
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84K by Claire North - $1.99
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The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson -$1.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PI181JI/

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