Good Modern Science Fiction

[telemark]

ABSOLUTELY second the recommendation for William Gibson's trilogy of Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Mona Lisa Overdrive! They are fantastic.

FWIW, the SFWA just named William Gibson their 35th Damon Knight Grand Master:

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.) is pleased to announce that William Gibson has been named the 35th Damon Knight Grand Master for his contributions to the literature of Science Fiction and Fantasy. []

I remember when he was one of the new kids, now he's a Grand Master. Geez, I must be old. Anyway, congratulations.

[Earl Lemongrab]

Just read Tales From the Mos Eisley Cantina. Obviously a Star Wars work, it features short stories of which the lead character in each is someone who appeared in the "cantina scene" of the first movie.

[Sandi_k]

Just read Tales From the Mos Eisley Cantina. Obviously a Star Wars work, it features short stories of which the lead character in each is someone who appeared in the "cantina scene" of the first movie.

Daniel Keys Moran wrote for that collection, IIRC. His works are FINALLY becoming more available, and he's got e-books now on Amazon. Highly recommended.

[protagonist]

ps....I made up androcentric....don't know if it is a word.....

Apparently, it is. See: androcentric

Thanks for doing the legwork, LG.

By the way, I finished Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy as books on tape on a drive from MA to FL.
My final conclusion- I still really enjoyed Oryx and Crake- I thought it was excellent- though I thought the other two books were not of the same caliber. Engaging enough to finish (at least as a captive audience on a long drive), and with some great moments, but really just OK. I don't know if I would have finished them if I had to actually read them.

[Earl Lemongrab]

Finishing up Elysium Fire, by Alastair Reynolds. This is a direct sequel to The Prefect. This is a police procedural/thriller set in his Revelation Space universe.

This is during the Golden Age of human settlement in the galaxy. The planet Yellowstone has just one habitable location, Chasm City, but there are a thousand orbiting habitats. The people live in unprecedented luxury and security. They are Demarchists, meaning that there is little central government and most things are dealt with through direct democracy, people voting via brain implants.

Maintaining the integrity of voting is Panopoly and its police force, the Prefects. Reeling from the events of the previous book, which resulted in the loss of some habitats with their population, mistrust of the Prefects and Panopoly is at an all-time high. Some habitats are seceding. A rabble-rousing agitator, Julian Garlin, is promoting this idea. Then people start to die, their brains cooked from within by their implants.

The Prefects race to find out the cause of the Wildfire malfunction, and what if anything Julian Garlin has to do with it.

[forgeblast]

Just started reading David Macks https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Front-D ... +dark+arts
first book midnight front.
Its really well written. set in ww2 its magic users fighting each other on various sides. I am 4 chapters in but was hook after the first few pages.

[Earl Lemongrab]

Finished Shadow Captain, by Alastair Reynolds. This is a sequel to Revenger. This post will have spoilers for the first book, so bear that in mind. You can see the previous message for some information about the general background:

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=146455&p=3327342#p3327342

After the events of the previous book, Arafura Ness has rescued her sister Adrana. The dread pirate Bosa Sennon and her crew are dead. Adrana had been slated to become the next in a line of Bosas, with the process of transformation already underway. Has it been stopped in time?

Before Bosa's end, she had revealed some of the motivations behind the pirate's actions. The "quoins" used all over the Congregation, and the involvement of the alien Crawlies are the key.

They have been left with the most infamous pirate ship in the Congregation, and a skeleton crew. Arafura has been immersing herself in Bosa's papers, and it's clear that the young "bonereader" is not only hardened by her experiences of the past book, but now has motivations that she is unwilling to share even with her sister.

Their immediate problems are what to do. The ship needs supplies, and it becomes evident that they're being stalked. They disguise the ship as best they can and head for an outer reaches habitat called Wheel Strizzardy. Although nominally the choice of the crew, Adrana is sure that Fura manipulated the selection for her own purposes.

Wheel Strizzardy is a rundown habitat under the heel of a criminal organization. On the way, they must fight off the stalkers. They find out that the business interests of the Congregation have decided to end the Bosa situation for good, starting with bounties. It's clear that turning themselves in and declaring Bosa dead won't work. So they have to get free of Strizzardy and "Mr. Glimmery".

A succession of adventures follows, a few more bits of information about the secrets of the Congregation, the Crawlies, and the quoins are revealed.

[LadyGeek]

Neuromancer, by William Gibson. I've read this book several years ago in paperback.

Several years ago, my husband and I gave our ~1,000 book sci-fi paperback collection to a good friend's son. I'm now "recollecting" those books on my Kindle.

[forgeblast]

Neuromancer, by William Gibson. I've read this book several years ago in paperback.

Several years ago, my husband and I gave our ~1,000 book sci-fi paperback collection to a good friend's son. I'm now "recollecting" those books on my Kindle.

That is a great one! I really love his world that he creates. I had a bunch of the Shadowrun books books set in the cyberpunk arena.