The New Space Opera, originally uploaded by Jonathan Strahan. That cover sets the bar pretty high, eh? I like my SF with BIG EFFIN’ STARSHIPS. So that cover indicates BIG EFFIN’ STARSHIPS. Therefore, bring on the tales about stuff that happens in and around BIG EFFIN’ STARSHIPS! Share This PostDown the rabbit hole….
Back when I was soliciting space opera reading suggestions*, a reader e-mailed me (or maybe he commented, I can’t recall) about a book called Space Viking by H. Beam Piper. I saw a few copies on eBay, but never acquired one. Now, I see that I won’t have to. Viva Project Gutenberg! OK, all you geniuses, what’s a good gizmo on which to read e-books? (via) * Not that I’ve stopped soliciting space opera reading suggestions, folks. Feel free to keep those coming! Share This PostDown the rabbit hole….
I found this nifty quiz over at Jason Bennion’s blog, and given its focus on books and sci-fi, it’s right up my alley. Without further adoo: 1. Science fiction, fantasy, or horror? I enjoy all three. Right now I’m on a bit of a fantasy kick, but I tend to vacillate between F and SF. Horror tends to come and go; I’ll get into a horror mood which will last for a year or more and then I won’t read much horror for quite a while. But I love all three genres. 2. Hardback, trade paperback, or mass-market paperback? ForDown the rabbit hole….
Here’s an update on what I’ve been reading as part of my space opera obsession: :: Galactic Patrol, by E.E. “Doc” Smith. I bought the entire Lensmen sequence five or six years ago when the Science Fiction Book Club had it in a two-volume set. At the time, I read Triplanetary, but never read farther into the series. Triplanetary is billed as the first book in the sequence, but it really isn’t: it may be set prior to the events of Galactic Patrol, and it might have been initially written prior to GP, but it was only reworked by SmithDown the rabbit hole….
I had a couple of book reviews run at GMR a while back: :: Ensign Flandry, a space opera novel by Poul Anderson. Now I need to track down the other titles in the Flandry sequence. This book was quite a bit of fun. (But as an aside, let’s talk about cover art for a moment. Apparently the book has been repackaged as part of a series called Flandry of Terra, and via Amazon, here’s the cover art for that repackaging: That looks pretty dour, serious, and frankly, a little dull. My review copy of the book, though, sported thisDown the rabbit hole….
Here are a couple more answers to Ask Me Anything!. These ones are all related, so I’ll print them all first and then reply: I want a space-opera-reading update: Have you read any yet? Are there any of the suggestions that you received that you refuse to read? In what order are you going to read the space opera books that you do read? Have you read any that you’re sorry you’ve read? Or that you’re really glad you’ve read? For newer readers (hey, I can have newer readers!), this is in reference to the long-term project I announced here.Down the rabbit hole….
My great space opera reading project has at last begun, with the Poul Anderson novel Ensign Flandry. This is actually a book I received for review from GMR, so my thoughts about it will appear in that venue as opposed to here. I am still welcoming additional suggestions as to what to read in this SF subgenre. Feel free to e-mail me or leave comments in the original post (but use the Blogger comments, not the old system, please — even though there are quite a few comments in the old thread). (As I progress into the wonderful world ofDown the rabbit hole….
I’ve updated yesterday’s post about space opera books with some more titles suggested by readers. And I’m still soliciting, folks! Share This PostDown the rabbit hole….
I’ve made the decision, based on lots of soul-searching and careful consideration…ach, who am I kidding? It’s basically a whim. But I want to become the world’s preeminent expert on space opera. Now, I know, this is a goal that will take years to achieve and will neither yield riches nor fame, but it’ll make me Lord Emperor of All Geeks (Space opera Division). And really, who could want more than that? What brought this on, you ask? (Ach, who am I kidding — nobody’s asking that.) But anyway, it’s a pretty obvious interest, since I’m one of the mostDown the rabbit hole….
I started Simon R. Green’s space-opera novel Deathstalker last night, and while I’m only a handful of pages into it, I want to note that I love the first two paragraphs. Really. These two paragraphs are just masterful in the way they set a mood and establish a setting that I hope the rest of the novel lives up to. Don’t believe me? Here are those two paragraphs: It gets dark out on the Rim. Strange planets and stranger people can be found on the edge of Empire, where habitable worlds are few and civilization grows thin. Beyond the RimDown the rabbit hole….