That Science Fiction Thread.

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Tonks_kittygoth
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Post by Tonks_kittygoth »

Some of my favs are

Larry Nivin's Ringworld books
...The first 2 I havent read the rest yet. Yey Kzin!

Barry Longyear's Circus World and Enemy Mine

Alan Dean Foster's Flinx series

Ann Macfrey's dragon stuff~ (yeh, it actually is sci fi, the whole thing starts w/ a mission to another planet and bio enginering the local lifeforms, but it can go in fantasy too)

Bradbury~I actually took a big ass nail and Nailed Fairenheight 451 to my wall when I was done reading it, I liked it so much.

Richard Matheson's I am Legand is friggen A Mazing (Again sci f the vamps are biohazzard not mystical)

Brian Aldiss ~A long afternoon on Earth

Ursela Leguin~short stories are all Ive read besides her Earthsea stuff.

And of Course!Addams ~The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galexy five book trilogy! (look it is his idea to make a 5 book trilogy, not mine) :D
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Jeni Nielsen
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Post by Jeni Nielsen »

base of the pillar wrote:Dune was one of the greatest books I've read. I can honestly say that it had a massive impact on my life and how I view the world. I would recommend that anyone who likes to think when they read a book check this one out.
I feel like I should read Dune again now that I've taken a class in Koranic studies. I have a feeling that Frank Herbert was going for some middle eastern jihadi themes. I loved Dune too. I'm even guilty for liking the original movie.
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AlphonseVanWorden
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Post by AlphonseVanWorden »

Jeni Nielsen wrote:
base of the pillar wrote:Dune was one of the greatest books I've read. I can honestly say that it had a massive impact on my life and how I view the world. I would recommend that anyone who likes to think when they read a book check this one out.
I feel like I should read Dune again now that I've taken a class in Koranic studies. I have a feeling that Frank Herbert was going for some middle eastern jihadi themes. I loved Dune too. I'm even guilty for liking the original movie.
You might want to consider the parallels between the Islamic concept of Mahdi and the Fremen name "Muad'Dib"... :wink:
Such is the soul in the body: this world is like her little turf of grass, and the heaven o'er our heads, like her looking-glass, only gives us a miserable knowledge of the small compass of our prison. - Bosola, in John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi
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Lightice
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Post by Lightice »

AlphonseVanWorden wrote: You might want to consider the parallels between the Islamic concept of Mahdi and the Fremen name "Muad'Dib"... :wink:


They used the term Mahdi, itself in Dune, as well, didn't they? It was one of the titles used of Paul Atreides. Muad'Dib, his Fremen-name was a dune rat that could live without water.
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AlphonseVanWorden
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Post by AlphonseVanWorden »

Lightice wrote:
AlphonseVanWorden wrote: You might want to consider the parallels between the Islamic concept of Mahdi and the Fremen name "Muad'Dib"... :wink:


They used the term Mahdi, itself in Dune, as well, didn't they? It was one of the titles used of Paul Atreides. Muad'Dib, his Fremen-name was a dune rat that could live without water.
But I believe Stilgar mentions that the Fremen call the same rodent "the instructor of boys" because of its abilities. It's associated with survival in the desert-- and with fecundity (being fruitful and multiplying)...

Hence my mentioning parallels between the two terms.

Given the role of water in the books and the fact that "Muad'Dib creates his own water" (again, Stilgar's words), the associations between the words Mahdi (a term which, as you've mentioned, is also used in the books) and Muad'Dib seem pretty obvious-- and more than a little ironic, given what happens in the sequels. "One Who is Guided" (Mahdi's Arabic meaning) and "the instructor of boys" (which is what Fremen call the mouse)...

The Fremen idea of Paul Muad'Dib-- the way they think about him-- seems to function in a way similar to the various Shi'ite Islamic notions about Mohammed al-Mahdi. And there are some aspects of how the Imperium operates during and after Muad'Dib's reign which call to mind the promised return of the Caliphate... and what such a thing might actually be like, were it to happen.

I think this is all due to Herbert's scepticism about messianic movements and cultures predicated on millenarian beliefs.
Last edited by AlphonseVanWorden on Fri Apr 07, 2006 12:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Such is the soul in the body: this world is like her little turf of grass, and the heaven o'er our heads, like her looking-glass, only gives us a miserable knowledge of the small compass of our prison. - Bosola, in John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi
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Purifying Flame of Justic
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Post by Purifying Flame of Justic »

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is all I can remember.

Never really get around to read sci-fi, plans to read the Dune series sometime soon though.

In general I like speculative fiction, have read mostly fantasy.
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Maltese Kentaiba
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Post by Maltese Kentaiba »

Definantly the hitchhiker's guide, I need to finsih the last book though...
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AlphonseVanWorden
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Post by AlphonseVanWorden »

In general I like speculative fiction, have read mostly fantasy.
That's cool. Feel free to mention any favorites.

(I know this is "That Science Fiction Thread," but I hope we can be flexible... As I've said, the two genres share a common history, and they weren't always regarded as completely separate things. A lot of proto-SF has fantastic elements, and there's always science fantasy... And I've thought about mentioning some of my favorite borderline cases, anyway.)
Such is the soul in the body: this world is like her little turf of grass, and the heaven o'er our heads, like her looking-glass, only gives us a miserable knowledge of the small compass of our prison. - Bosola, in John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi
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Tonks_kittygoth
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Post by Tonks_kittygoth »

I know this is "That Science Fiction Thread," but I hope we can be flexible... As I've said, the two genres share a common history, and they weren't always regarded as completely separate things.
Ohhh in that case.....

Gaiman ~ Everything so far
T.H White ~once and future king (which may be in Arturian lit, but ..)
R.A. Salvator ~Drizzt Series
Lloyd Alexander
Narnia
Tolkien
Black ~Spiderwick
Beagle ~ Last Unicorn et al
LeGuin ~Earthsea
Brooks ~ First couple Shanara Books

Im probably forgeting someone....
"Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man.
Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as
one wants to live and not die, so do other
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Jeni Nielsen
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Post by Jeni Nielsen »

Tonks_kittygoth wrote: Beagle ~ Last Unicorn et al
You know he recently wrote a sequel to the Last Unicorn called Two Lovers. They're selling it for free if you buy the Last Unicorn Audiobook from a certain online vendor. If you PM me I can give you the link.

Have you read A Fine and Private Place? It's my favorite thing he's ever written.
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Jeni Nielsen
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Post by Jeni Nielsen »

Tonks_kittygoth wrote:
I know this is "That Science Fiction Thread," but I hope we can be flexible... As I've said, the two genres share a common history, and they weren't always regarded as completely separate things.
Ohhh in that case.....

Gaiman ~ Everything so far
T.H White ~once and future king (which may be in Arturian lit, but ..)
R.A. Salvator ~Drizzt Series
Lloyd Alexander
Narnia
Tolkien
Black ~Spiderwick
Beagle ~ Last Unicorn et al
LeGuin ~Earthsea
Brooks ~ First couple Shanara Books

Im probably forgeting someone....
I should also add that I've ALWAYS considered Ursula LeGuin to be a Science Fiction author. Unless you consider her translation of the Dao De Jing :)
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GhostLine
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Post by GhostLine »

Tonks_kittygoth wrote:LeGuin ~EarthseaLeGuin
I sooo cannot wait until Ghibli releases their adaptation of this....

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Jeni Nielsen
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Post by Jeni Nielsen »

OH MY GOODNESS. ::goes totally fangirly excited::

though the adaptation of Howl's Moving Castle was a bit too free for my liking... hmm. Well I hope they do a better job of adapting Earthsea than the people who made the miniseries. :p
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Tonks_kittygoth
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Post by Tonks_kittygoth »

I sooo cannot wait until Ghibli releases their adaptation of this....
Yeyyyyyyyy *dances around in joy* I had no idea they were doing that!
Must post on my LiveJournal and tell my compadres!
Well I hope they do a better job of adapting Earthsea than the people who made the miniseries. :p
Those people needed to be beaten w/ sticks! I watched like 2 minutes and was disgusted. Poor Ursula...
Warning...short digression ':?'
What happened to the Sci Fi channnel, they seem to try to make only bad movies now. How many stupidly written monster movies do we need, Its only funny when it isnt on purpose guys.
I've ALWAYS considered Ursula LeGuin to be a Science Fiction author
Thats why I put her in both. Macaffery is the same way, she gets put in fantasy for Pern, but the whole place is a earth colony with geneticaly modified dragons.
Its all so slidy...
Have you read A Fine and Private Place? It's my favorite thing he's ever written.
I did really like that a lot, but I read The last unicorn at a time in my life that it meant alot, so it will always be my favorite. I wish Ghibli would do that one... the old animation was too silly for me. I need my Gravitas :shock:

Do you know the illustrator Tony DeTerlizzi? He is apparently doing some illustration for Mr. Beagle. His stuff is amazing check out his web site.
http://www.diterlizzi.com/


:?
"Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man.
Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as
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Jeni Nielsen
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Post by Jeni Nielsen »

Funny thing you mention Ghibli and last unicorn. The Japanese studio that animated the Last Unicorn was actually recruited by Ghibli to do Nausica. At least I think it was Nausica. So in essence a Ghibli studio branch DID animate the Last Unicorn. :)
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