FUCK... Ok the "real" Sci-Fi books thread... This is my question for you... - GoFuckYourself.com

TheFLY · 09-08-2003, 08:39 PM

I'm thinking of writing one -- I'm wondering what you look for when you read these books -- and what's your biggest complaint...?

I think most of these books have crappy writing -- in terms of the flow, sentence structure, etc... and like Asimov or some of these guys just get bogged down in the science or politics and it gets real boring... Anyway just looking for general opinions... Thanks.

MattO · 09-08-2003, 08:40 PM

Read some Philip Jose Farmer, he's got crazy ideas and never gets too technical...

boneprone · 09-08-2003, 08:42 PM

people dont read books anymore.

KRL · 09-08-2003, 08:46 PM

Who has time to read books? I read newspapers, magazines and some marketing and business books and that's about it.

That's a tough category to make money with unless you're just doing it for the fun of it.

TheFLY · 09-08-2003, 08:49 PM

Lots of people read... I go to the library almost every day to read...

Look at Philip Dick -- how many movies were made from his books -- Total Recall, Blade Runner, Minority Report just to name a few...

I got big plans -- I'm going to have theme parks surrounding the books -- the works... Sci-fi is mainstream now...

corvette · 09-08-2003, 08:53 PM

The Martian Chronicles is the last scifi i had read, years ago

TheFLY · 09-08-2003, 08:55 PM

Cyberspace is moving to a whole new level... it's happening already -- collective consciousness is already in progress. The Borg is no longer a StarTrek fantasy... Well that's just one aspect of cyberspace... I think William Gibson did a good job -- and the Matrix movies are giving people a surface taste of what is to come... but I think there's a lot of room for exploration here -- considering the internet is the biggest thing to happen since the industrial revolution...

I'm going to give cyberspace a makeover.

TheFLY · 09-08-2003, 09:09 PM

anyway sorry about the triple-post -- GFY kept giving me error messages -- I guess all 3 got hijacked... that was odd... must be a bug in VBulletin.

Manga1 · 09-08-2003, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TheFLY
Look at Philip Dick -- how many movies were made from his books -- Total Recall, Blade Runner, Minority Report just to name a few...

Took the words out of my mouth. Philip K. Dick is a great writer. William Gibson writes some cool stuff too.

Jamdin · 09-08-2003, 09:54 PM

I happen to like old school science fiction such as Robert Heinlein, Philip K. Dick and Isaac Asimov. I like the fantastic and not the hardcore science fiction. I loved the first three Foundation books but after that I just asked why? SF writers has the same problem as fantasy writers: they keep revisting the same world over and over. I don't want to read the tenth book in the Dune series any more than I want to read the twenty-fifth book in the Wheel of Time series.

I like shorter works instead of the five hundred page books. I also like stand alone books more than a series of books (unless the characters and writing style are very good).

The last book I read was The Stainless Steel Rat Is Born by Harry Harrison. Yes, there is more than one book but at least it has humor and does not bog the reader down with explaining how every little gadget works. Philip Jose Farmer's books are very different, some good and some just bad.

My biggest complaint is that none of the stores in this damn town stock any science fiction books.

BV · 09-08-2003, 10:04 PM

The only fiction I read is GFY...............

Honeyslut · 09-08-2003, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TheFLY
Lots of people read... I go to the library almost every day to read...

Look at Philip Dick -- how many movies were made from his books -- Total Recall, Blade Runner, Minority Report just to name a few...

I got big plans -- I'm going to have theme parks surrounding the books -- the works... Sci-fi is mainstream now...

Are you looking for any old Sci books ?

I have a bunch from when I had an used book store..

Anyway, I love sci fi movies especially Dick's but I read mystery..

digifan · 09-08-2003, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BV
The only fiction I read is GFY...............

Honeyslut · 09-08-2003, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BV
The only fiction I read is GFY...............

hahahaha

So true....

Unfortunately, I tell the truth.....

Carrie · 09-08-2003, 10:13 PM

My biggest complaint is when other authors take over a story with an established character. They *never* portray the character the same way.
Collaborated works are okay; except for the blaring changes in writing style as the story switches from one author to another.

With Sci-Fi I think the fault is trying to describe every little detail of something rather than just the concept. A reader can construct your vision in his mind with just a few details; he really doesn't need to know that tab A fits into slot B (or in this case, that the curve of the aperture was offset only by the oddly mechanical tubing connected to the posterior housing unit...).

I guess the only other complaint I'd have about Sci-Fi is that many times the authors get so caught up in the world that they forget the characters. By the end of the story the plot has worked itself out and you still don't know why something happened, simply because the author didn't flush out the key players well enough.

Good luck, Fly! I've written a fantasy novel and it's been sitting and collecting dust for well over 10 years. Never even tried to send it to a publisher, it was enough for me just to finish it.

Swiftone · 09-08-2003, 10:24 PM

I agree that some sci-fi writers are indeed not very good 'writers' at all. For instance, Willian Gibsons Neuromancer. An excellent story but it is one of the worst written books I have ever read.

The thing that I despise most about sci-fi is when you get guys like Gibson who think that showing off your vocabulary of useless words and arcane sentence structure is good writing.

If you want some examples of what I consider good Modern day sci-fi check out Enders Game by Orson Scott Card and Hyperion by Dan Simmons.

jojojo · 09-08-2003, 10:26 PM

Quote:

I don't want to read the tenth book in the Dune series

speak for yourself... the spice is life!

that with a mix of Aldous Huxley ;)

good luck fly ;)

ytcracker · 09-08-2003, 10:26 PM

definately william gibson is the man to be

i also like timothy zahn

Probono · 09-08-2003, 10:34 PM

I have always loved Science ficton, great forum to experiment with social structures.

It took me years after Law School to read recreationally but Science Fiction help bring back the pleasure and the thought provocation.

Nanda · 09-08-2003, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TheFLY
Lots of people read...

I like reading books..I agree, still think a lot of people enjoy reading books.

Bill8 · 09-08-2003, 11:38 PM

Jerry Pournelle had an interview published recently, in which he says it's still a tough road to being a sucessful science fiction author.

http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue333/interview.html

Good luck. It's easier to make money in porn. But writing science fiction is sometimes worth doing wether or not you make money at it.

09-08-2003, 08:39 PM	#1
TheFLY So Fucking Banned Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: http://www.thefly.net/ --- Quit your job and live off steady traffic. Posts: 11,856	FUCK... Ok the "real" Sci-Fi books thread... This is my question for you... I'm thinking of writing one -- I'm wondering what you look for when you read these books -- and what's your biggest complaint...? I think most of these books have crappy writing -- in terms of the flow, sentence structure, etc... and like Asimov or some of these guys just get bogged down in the science or politics and it gets real boring... Anyway just looking for general opinions... Thanks.

09-08-2003, 08:42 PM	#3
boneprone Hall Of Fame Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Portland Oregon USA Posts: 34,415	people dont read books anymore. __________________ Industry Hall Of Fame Legend Mike Jones Bow to the Power - Still BP4L http://gfyawards.com/hall-of-fame Learn about it kids.

09-08-2003, 08:46 PM	#4
KRL Entrepreneur Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: USA Posts: 31,429	Who has time to read books? I read newspapers, magazines and some marketing and business books and that's about it. That's a tough category to make money with unless you're just doing it for the fun of it. __________________ If you would like to develop your domains, you can lease inexpensive foreign labor from the leaders in the field at iWebmasters.com TO LOWER YOUR COSTS AND INCREASE YOUR PRODUCTION! * * * * * * * * * * * * Domains Adult News KRL's Newsletter Biz Tips Just Listed Domains

09-08-2003, 08:53 PM	#6
corvette Confirmed User Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: scottsdale Posts: 7,880	The Martian Chronicles is the last scifi i had read, years ago __________________ If you need a good company for check writing services, then check out checkissuing, and for webhosting, check out Phoenix NAP

09-08-2003, 10:24 PM	#16
Swiftone Confirmed User Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 337	I agree that some sci-fi writers are indeed not very good 'writers' at all. For instance, Willian Gibsons Neuromancer. An excellent story but it is one of the worst written books I have ever read. The thing that I despise most about sci-fi is when you get guys like Gibson who think that showing off your vocabulary of useless words and arcane sentence structure is good writing. If you want some examples of what I consider good Modern day sci-fi check out Enders Game by Orson Scott Card and Hyperion by Dan Simmons. __________________ Yo.

09-08-2003, 08:40 PM	#2
MattO The O is for Oohhh Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: AUSTIN TEJAS Posts: 10,861	Read some Philip Jose Farmer, he's got crazy ideas and never gets too technical...

09-08-2003, 08:49 PM	#5
TheFLY So Fucking Banned Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: http://www.thefly.net/ --- Quit your job and live off steady traffic. Posts: 11,856	Lots of people read... I go to the library almost every day to read... Look at Philip Dick -- how many movies were made from his books -- Total Recall, Blade Runner, Minority Report just to name a few... I got big plans -- I'm going to have theme parks surrounding the books -- the works... Sci-fi is mainstream now...

09-08-2003, 08:55 PM	#7
TheFLY So Fucking Banned Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: http://www.thefly.net/ --- Quit your job and live off steady traffic. Posts: 11,856	Cyberspace is moving to a whole new level... it's happening already -- collective consciousness is already in progress. The Borg is no longer a StarTrek fantasy... Well that's just one aspect of cyberspace... I think William Gibson did a good job -- and the Matrix movies are giving people a surface taste of what is to come... but I think there's a lot of room for exploration here -- considering the internet is the biggest thing to happen since the industrial revolution... I'm going to give cyberspace a makeover.

09-08-2003, 09:09 PM	#8
TheFLY So Fucking Banned Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: http://www.thefly.net/ --- Quit your job and live off steady traffic. Posts: 11,856	anyway sorry about the triple-post -- GFY kept giving me error messages -- I guess all 3 got hijacked... that was odd... must be a bug in VBulletin.

09-08-2003, 09:54 PM	#10
Jamdin Registered User Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Kansas Posts: 3,560	I happen to like old school science fiction such as Robert Heinlein, Philip K. Dick and Isaac Asimov. I like the fantastic and not the hardcore science fiction. I loved the first three Foundation books but after that I just asked why? SF writers has the same problem as fantasy writers: they keep revisting the same world over and over. I don't want to read the tenth book in the Dune series any more than I want to read the twenty-fifth book in the Wheel of Time series. I like shorter works instead of the five hundred page books. I also like stand alone books more than a series of books (unless the characters and writing style are very good). The last book I read was The Stainless Steel Rat Is Born by Harry Harrison. Yes, there is more than one book but at least it has humor and does not bog the reader down with explaining how every little gadget works. Philip Jose Farmer's books are very different, some good and some just bad. My biggest complaint is that none of the stores in this damn town stock any science fiction books.

09-08-2003, 10:04 PM	#11
BV wtf Industry Role: Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Bikini State, FL USA Posts: 10,914	The only fiction I read is GFY...............

09-08-2003, 10:13 PM	#15
Carrie Confirmed User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Virgin - nee Posts: 3,162	My biggest complaint is when other authors take over a story with an established character. They never portray the character the same way. Collaborated works are okay; except for the blaring changes in writing style as the story switches from one author to another. With Sci-Fi I think the fault is trying to describe every little detail of something rather than just the concept. A reader can construct your vision in his mind with just a few details; he really doesn't need to know that tab A fits into slot B (or in this case, that the curve of the aperture was offset only by the oddly mechanical tubing connected to the posterior housing unit...). I guess the only other complaint I'd have about Sci-Fi is that many times the authors get so caught up in the world that they forget the characters. By the end of the story the plot has worked itself out and you still don't know why something happened, simply because the author didn't flush out the key players well enough. Good luck, Fly! I've written a fantasy novel and it's been sitting and collecting dust for well over 10 years. Never even tried to send it to a publisher, it was enough for me just to finish it.

09-08-2003, 10:26 PM	#18
ytcracker stc is the greatest Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: rip sean murray Posts: 12,403	definately william gibson is the man to be i also like timothy zahn __________________ www.ytcracker.com \| www.digitalgangster.com i love you

09-08-2003, 10:34 PM	#19
Probono Confirmed User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Under the Rainbow Posts: 2,731	I have always loved Science ficton, great forum to experiment with social structures. It took me years after Law School to read recreationally but Science Fiction help bring back the pleasure and the thought provocation.

09-08-2003, 11:38 PM	#21
Bill8 Confirmed User Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 1,901	Jerry Pournelle had an interview published recently, in which he says it's still a tough road to being a sucessful science fiction author. http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue333/interview.html Good luck. It's easier to make money in porn. But writing science fiction is sometimes worth doing wether or not you make money at it.