----------------------------------- Reality Check Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:12 am Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- For the most part I love reading these types of books and have read my fair share. My favourite is probably the Ender series. Definitely a great first two books and the next two were pretty good too. I'd recommend this series if anyone is into these types of books. ----------------------------------- Aziz Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:18 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Wheel of Time is by far my favourite book series. I'm currently reading the Sword of Truth series and it's really good as well. The star wars books. I'd recommend both movie trilogy books (there's a lot more depth), and I, Jedi, and the Dark Nest trilogy. That's mostly all the star wars I've read. Other books I've read & enjoyed: Magic of Recluce (and the series) Dragon's Ascension A Man Rides Through (2nd book of 2, I haven't read the first) Harry Potter (of course) Everworld & Remnant (itehyre a scholastic book series and pretty light, but interesting, nonetheless) Dragons of a Vanished moon (there's a whole series of these in the dragon lance world) I've also read some liaden universe books, but they're a bit confusing, though still decent. ----------------------------------- Reality Check Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:28 pm Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- I read the Harry Potter series and really I didn't think they were that great. The story was nice but I never really felt 'attached'. For the most part the characters were bland and it wasn't as well written as many other series of the genre. The best character was definitely snape simply because she developed him so well. The others, with the possible exception of dumbledore, were bad. I also never really got into the LotR series. A Song of Ice and Fire was really great too. But as stated, Ender's game series was amazing. ----------------------------------- Vermette Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:42 pm Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- My gf is a voracious reader, and has probably read more entire series than I have total books. I'm at work right now so I cannot give a proper list, but here's some I can recall that we've both enjoyed. The Ender Series, which you obviously know. Check out the companion Shadow books as well. George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series is in progress, an incredible read. I believe the 5th book A Dance of Dragons is supposed to be released this fall. The Early Wheel of Time books are good, but it just got way to tedious for me past book 5 or so and I lost interest. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, obviously. From Star Wars cannon, I've enjoyed the Han Solo trilogy of A.C. Crispin, Timothy Zhan's Heir to the Empire trilogy, and the Ambush at Corellia trilogy from Roger Allen. I recently finished Robin Hobb's Assassin trilogy, and am finishing the Fool's trilogy sometime this week. Frank Herbert's Dune books. Ignore the stuff put out by his son and others. Everybody knows about Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-four. Few know that one of his sources of inspiration was what can be considered the birth of dystopian science-fiction, Yevgeny Zamyatin's We. Worth a read. Anything written by Kurt Vonnegut. Harrison Bergeron is probably my favourite short story. If I was in front of my bookshelf I could easily add another 20-30 entries to this list. ----------------------------------- [Gandalf] Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:48 pm Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- You blaspheme, Reality Check! Enders Game - really liked it too, though the first book was the best Lord of the Rings - what can I say :) Wheel of Time - really well written, only criticism is some of the obvious influences from other sources, but that's understandable and it has its own merits Harry Potter - great series, despite the hype Babylon 5 - the TV series blows everything out of the water, and the books are good too I think that just about covers the great five series for me... They're in no particular order. Dune is really good too, but I couldn't get too far into it. I'll agree that the Shadow books (for Ender's Game) were good too, though they sort of take the light from Ender and make it shine on Bean, which wasn't fair to the original books. ----------------------------------- Aziz Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:50 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- I've got a lot of RA Salvatore books I haven't read. And Vermette, don't give up on WoT! It doe get slower and more political, but book 10 picks up and book 11 (about a year or two old now) is really good. Robert Jordan passed away a few months ago, but left extensive notes and Brandon Sanderson is going to finish the 12th and final book. I've got about 8 dune books (some duplicates) I'm going to read eventually. I've heard discworld is really good, and I want to read ender series, too. "A Man Rides Through" is written by George RR Martin IIRC, in the series "Mirror of her Dreams" I think. ----------------------------------- apomb Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:52 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Harry potter, HHGTTG ----------------------------------- Aziz Fri Jul 11, 2008 1:19 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- ? ----------------------------------- Vermette Fri Jul 11, 2008 1:24 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- HHGTTG = Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ----------------------------------- Aziz Fri Jul 11, 2008 2:43 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Oh yes. Haven't read it. Should probably add it to the to-do list though. ----------------------------------- Reality Check Fri Jul 11, 2008 3:13 pm Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Yea Vermette I want to start the Shadow series soon but I might finish the books that come after The song of Ice and Fire before that. Overall, I love fantasy books and I find them more enjoyable (overall) then other genres. ----------------------------------- changturkey Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:07 pm Re: RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- HHGTTG = Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Good series, but I didn't like books 3 and 4 very much. Has anyone here read the Dark Tower series? ----------------------------------- OneOffDriveByPoster Fri Jul 11, 2008 6:20 pm Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Fantasy: Harry Potter, Stranger with My Face by Lois Duncan, The Phantom Tollbooth, Chronicles of Narnia Sci-Fi: The Tomorrow City and The Isis Trilogy by Monica Hughes, Ender series and the Shadow series Flash Forward, Factoring Humanity and Neanderthal Parallax series by Robert J. Sawyer TODO: HHGTTG, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Harrison Bergeron, Foundation Series, 2001, A Clockwork Orange ----------------------------------- Reality Check Fri Jul 11, 2008 9:15 pm Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Whoa, forgot about Narnia. I don't know what it was (maybe I was younger) but I absolutely loved the whole Narnia series. ----------------------------------- Aziz Fri Jul 11, 2008 9:39 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Ive only read the Horse and his Boy. Oh and a Man Rides Through is written by Stephen R Donaldson. My bad. I have some George RR martin books but I don't think I've read any of them yet. ----------------------------------- btiffin Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:15 pm Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- In no particular order Anything Asimov, Clarke, Niven, Heinlein; Foundation, Odyssey, Ringworld, Troopers Philip K; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Bladerunner Donaldson; White Gold Wielder Adams; Hitchhikers Guide Anything Star Trek Anthony; Xanth Nolan; Logan's Run Anything Warhammer Anything Dungeons and Dragons (by the way, does anyone here care about 4th ed?) Tolkein; and the Silmarillion (just kidding ... I had to grind through that one). Rowling; and the Potters Lovecraft and Call of Cthulhu and Miskatonic U Boulle and Planet of the Apes Missing many... Oh, my own works; Cindy, Crispin and the Magic Christmas Trees. And Regenesis (short stories about a far future community raised by computer from DNA stashed by a long dead human race that knew it was doomed). And Stephan the socially inept Swedish physicist that stumbles on a method of traveling quantum holograms, but can't get a date (as he is clueless to the desires on him by the women around him), here, there or anywhen. But now I find I read nothing but technical books, mathematics texts and Quantum Physics papers ... sad, growing old. :) Cheers ----------------------------------- md Sat Jul 12, 2008 3:35 pm Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- In no particular order Anything Asimov, Clarke, Niven, Heinlein; Foundation, Odyssey, Ringworld, Troopers Philip K; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Bladerunner Donaldson; White Gold Wielder Adams; Hitchhikers Guide Anything Star Trek Anthony; Xanth Nolan; Logan's Run ... Tolkein; and the Silmarillion (just kidding ... I had to grind through that one). Rowling; and the Potters These. And Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash Neal Stephenson, The Diamond Age Neal Stephenson, Cryptonomicon Neal Stephenson, Quicksilver Neal Stephenson, The Confusion Neal Stephenson, The System of the World And others. ----------------------------------- nike52 Sat Jul 12, 2008 8:12 pm Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- foundation series dune star wars star trek lotr harry potter crystalids When I had dear(drop everything and read) at school, I remember barely seeing anybody reading anything fantasy or sci-fi related like I was. Now in this thread, I think this is the first time I've seen so many others reading the same books I have, and that's pretty awesome. ----------------------------------- gitoxa Sat Jul 12, 2008 9:30 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- I remember doing that once or twice. People usually just grabbed the closest book to them and pretended to read it, as I recall. Except most of the girls, who read romance stories -- of the little 'r' variety. Ugh. As for me, I think my favourite series I've read has been the many books featuring Drizzt; by R.A. Salvatore. ----------------------------------- Reality Check Sun Jul 13, 2008 9:18 am Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- I also remember when I was younger I absolutely loved The BFG by Roald Dahl. I was much younger so I may not like it now but I remember I loved it as a kid. ----------------------------------- btiffin Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:49 am Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- I totally forgot the works that I cut my young teeth on. Ray Bradbury - Martian Chronicles Nowlan and Buck Rogers Ian Flemming and James Bond Edgar Burroughs - Tarzan, John Carter of Mars (the "of Mars" books rock - go find some) And the father of Sword and Sorcery, Robert Howard - Conan the Cimmerian Cheers ----------------------------------- Insectoid Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:02 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Definitely Wheel of Time. Too bad the author died and didn't finish it. Insanely good. -His Dark Materials. The movie sucks compared to the book, and the ending is a smidgeon depressing, but very good overall. -Inheritance. I know some people dislike this series, and the movie was one of the worst I've ever seen. Not bad, good adventure, written by a fifteen-year-old (Was fifteen when he started it). -Harry Potter. Just goin' with the crowd on this one. -Used to love the Redwall books. EDIT: Do'h! Forgot Tolkien! The Fantasy to end all fantasies, the adventure to end all adventures. I've read many of his middle-earth stories and even his biography. ----------------------------------- Aziz Sun Jul 13, 2008 3:55 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Oh, yes, redwall books & tv shows were awesome. Oh, and insectoid, Brandon Sanderson is finishing A Memory of Light. Robert Jordan left extensive notes and Sanderson is working with Harriet (RJ's wife and editor) to finish the book and series. Check it out http://dragonmount.com/ Also, for anyone who liked wheel of time, Robert Jordan wrote some other books. Conan the Barbarian was a popular one, and The Fallon Blood (and it's sequels) were good too. I have only read the 1st Fallon book, and not Conan, though I eventually plan on it. ----------------------------------- [Gandalf] Sun Jul 13, 2008 4:31 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- I'm going to have to catch up on the last few books in WoT before the last one is released. I've forgotten a lot of what was happening and all the mysteries occurring in the plot. Now that I recall, what threw me off at the start was the whole Perrin and Matt vs Perregrin and Merry thing. Dang, now that I've googled it, I've even forgotten a lot of the characters names. :o ----------------------------------- Reality Check Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:23 am Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- I didn't really like His Dark Materials. The Golden Compass was okay but it got bad after that. Pretty controversial too...not that I care. ----------------------------------- Aziz Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:24 am RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Perrin and Matt vs Perregrin and Merry? =D that's silly. ----------------------------------- Insectoid Mon Jul 14, 2008 11:03 am Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Oh yes, The theme of His Dark Materials is quite...dark, really... The whole 'Killing God' thing was a bit shocking...and the 'God is evil' thing as well....It seemed a bit...anti-christian... Finishing Wheel of Time? Halleluia! Any release dates announced? (Haven't looked at the link yet) Time to start half a year of WoT (That's how long it took last time..not sure how much faster I am now, or how much time I'll spend reading it) ----------------------------------- [Gandalf] Mon Jul 14, 2008 12:53 pm Re: RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Perrin and Matt vs Perregrin and Merry? =D that's silly. Come on, they both accompany the hero on his epic journey, eventually finding their own adventures, and look at the similarity in the names. ;) There's probably more similarities that I've forgotten... but maybe that's just me heh. ----------------------------------- Aziz Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:03 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- I think they're different character types though. Perregrin and Merry are more comedic than Perrin and Matt, and I did notice the name resemblence, I think that even if that was the reason for choosing the names, the similarity ends there. While they did start out as side-kicks, as the books progressed they turned into main characters. While Rand is still the "main" character, Matt and Perrin are just a sliver underneath that, and Egwene, Elayne, etc not to far below them. There's a lot of main characters, and while one of the more often spoken complaints of the series is the vast character cast and plot lines, I think it adds richness and it's what makes the story great. Oh, and I think AMoL is supposed to be published in Fall 09 (a little of a year from now). ----------------------------------- cavetroll Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:01 am Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Personally I absolutely loved the His Dark Materials series. Partly do to it's controversial nature, also I thought it was incredibly written. In response to insectoid Many, many spoilers: The books are not about killing god. The books are about killing an angel which is impersonating god. Also, the god in the book is explicitly referred to as the god of many religions. In fact, any monotheist religion. Also, almost all of the characters in the book believe in God, they just believe that the one they wage war against isn't actually a god. Also, they don't kill god, god is incredibly weak so he dissipates upon touching the air. Finally, the books aren't anti-religious just anti-dogmatic. The only reason the christian church is used in the book is because that is the religion Pullman grew up with and that is the religion dominant in Britain. Sorry for the long-winded response, I really love the books. (I've read them through at least 8 times. I have a database full of quotes.) :oops: Also, I like LoTR and the Sword of Shannara series ----------------------------------- Reality Check Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:21 am Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- I read His Dark Materials as well and I disagree with you. He is in fact talking about "god" and not simply an impersonation. He portrays this god as old, witless, and frankly stupid being that is no more immortal than we. The author was a strong atheist after all. This is one reason why I believe the book got worse and worse as it went. The first was good, he focused more on the story, characterization, and themes of the book rather than his motive. After this though, his writing got bland and it was clear he was writing to satisfy his motive as opposed to how he wrote the first book. ----------------------------------- Zeroth Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:37 am Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- I have a question: why does it matter? Its a viewpoint he is legitemately allowed to hold and preach, just as (spoiler: Christian preachers will push their beliefs down our throats. I think that atheists should be allowed to express their opinions, and get the exact same amount of screen time, respect, and consideration that christian evangelists get. Its called Balance. Its called doing the right damn thing. Note I have not come out in favour of or against religion or christianity. That is not a matter I want to discuss. However, I do believe everyone has the right to speak their mind, be it via books, talk shows, and not be condemned for a well-written piece. To me, I looked past all the silly God stuff, and was touched by the tragedy of the books. These two, that love each other, across worlds and through death, can never be together, because of the way the universe is built. They cannot do it, for one would die quickly, and also hasten the death of the multi-verse. It was an extremely heart-felt tragedy, where an immutable and uncaring multi-verse stood in their way, far more implacable than a blood feud in Verona. Thats the tragedy... and if there were a Real God, that tragedy is lessened, since there is a "Heaven" and may see each other again. Which I might add, is the exact sentiment that Romeo and Juliet expressed at their deaths. Instead, this tragedy is deep, and wrenching, most particularly for them, precisely because their is no relief in death. I think thats what should be focused on... the very human tragedy the books encompass and wrap in a death of god. I've said my piece, don't bother trying to flame me. Thats just a stupid thing to do, since all I'm espousing is equal opportunity. ----------------------------------- Aziz Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:14 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- You probably wouldn't taste good char broiled anyways, Zeroth. I should pick up this His Dark Materials series some time and give it a go, sounds interesting! ----------------------------------- cavetroll Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:15 pm Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Sorry RealityCheck, I got you beat. I as I said, I have my database full of interesting quotes, and here is one. This is a quote from Balthamos, an angel in the book. "Balthamos said quietly, 'The Authority, God, ...., the Almighty - those were all names he gave himself. He never was the creator. He was an angel like ourselves - the first angle, true, the most powerful, but he was formed of Dust as we are, and Dust is only a name for what happens when matter begins to understand itself. Matter loves matter. I seeks to know more about itself, and Dust is formed. The first angels condensed out of Dust, and the Authority was the first of all, He told those who came after him that he had created them, but it was a lie. One of those who came later was wiser than he was, and she found out the truth, so he banished her. We serve her still. And the Authority still reigns in the Kingdom, and Metatron is his Regent.'" (The Amber Spyglass, Phillip Pullman, page 22) Although you are right about Phillip Pullman's atheism, you are wrong about the Authority being the true god. And yes Zeroth, you are right. I started the books because they were controversial, but the reasons you stated made me continue reading, and read it over and over again. ----------------------------------- Reality Check Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:16 pm Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Oh don't get me wrong. I'm not knocking the book at all for it's anti-Christian views. It's quite refreshing actually. I just didn't like the book too much. As someone said, to really enjoy the story you need to look way past his interior motive and that was hard to do. It was much easier in the first book but after that it wasn't. I'm not one to enjoy a book for controversy or just to give Christians their own medicine. I think it's as low as the Christians that do try and force it down our throats. I live with my beliefs (or lack thereof) and I'm not going to try and turn anyone. That being said, I have been in some really heated debates in school. The things some people were saying were just...too wrong, too ignorant. Question though, just out of curiosity, how many of you are atheist? I find that the more intelligent someone is, the more likely he/she is to have a lack of belief in religion. That's just my general consensus. Take that as you will... ----------------------------------- cavetroll Wed Jul 16, 2008 1:17 am Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Personally, I am an atheist and I have had my share of arguments at school too. In fact, I sat next to a devout christian in math class, that was a lot of fun. The teacher kept telling us to shut up because we would argue endlessly. :D But yes, you are right, there is a positive correlation between atheism and higher IQ. [url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=402381]Here is an article about a study done on the topic. On the other hand, some of the smartest people I know are religious. The person mentioned above gets way better grades than me. So I suppose on a larger level, there is a higher IQ in atheism, but the concept cannot be applied as a rule. And yes, I know what you mean about reading a book where the authors beliefs show through to blatantly. There have been a few books I couldn't read because the author lacked subtlety. And if HDM wasn't so well written I probably wouldn't have liked it. It's theme isn't the only reason. ----------------------------------- [Gandalf] Wed Jul 16, 2008 2:04 am RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Well, IQ is, AFAIK (and really, that's not much, I don't really care enough to learn more) more or less constant from birth, while religious affiliation isn't. I think if there is any correlation between atheism and IQ it's because of the effects a higher IQ has on what you spend time on, who you're around, etc. Basically, it's more about environment than a direct result of so-called 'intelligence'. Anyway, let's get this away from the whole pointless evolution/creation atheism/religion debate please. Unless we're looking for another 80 page topic... Which, I guess, is a good possibility... Sigh, it seems a forum can only go so long without a pointless and contentious topic. ----------------------------------- Aziz Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:03 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- This forum can't last more than a day. I do want to put in my own views though. I am not aethiest. I was baptised Roman Catholic and I still am technically Roman Catholic, but I'm not a strict church goer or witch hunter. And I'm not a "religion is gay" type either. I have a strong faith - so strong, IMO, that I don't worry about trivial issues like what church I go to. I've been to several churches over my life, between school, my grand parents, and my girlfriend. I've only attended United Christian and Catholic Church, but I've learned a lot in World Religions class in Grade 11 (and we did go to a mosque and a couple of Buddhist temples!). Researching several different religious made me realise that it's all pretty much the same - it's all about doing good and doing what's right. It's the rules and "laws" and certain specifics of the religions that set them apart. I don't follow them, really. I kind of make my own rules, based off what I believe is right, and I'm open minded and always learning about it. And I do pray. Nearly everynight before I doze off to sleep I pray. I just think about it in my head - no kneeling, bowing, rosary, etc. I usually just say some thanks for keeping me and my love safe, and pray for continous safety, etc. If there's anything specific that day I pray about that, too, whether it be thanking for my girlfriend being understanding, or praying to give her strength to get through a tough time, whatever. I also try to find something completely unrelated to me - someone I know or someone I don't, for example the girl who rammed me with her car last week and spun me out into the ditch. It was clearly her fault, and was driving her cousin's new car. She's 18 with a G2 licence, and she's quite fucked now. I don't hold any ideas of a concrete God entity or anything. I simply refer to him/her/it/whatever as God/Lord because that's what I was raised on. It really doesn't matter, though. I believe in something that's ethereal and watching over me, etc etc. I know as a scientist I should know better, know that it's not scientifically possible. But because I'm a scientist, I know we can't know if it's possible or not - there's so many unknowns to us, how can I come to the conclusion that something doesn't exist? I've also had my own proof. It's not solid, and it's not concrete, but there's been times when I know I've been protected, or kept safe. I've ran a stopsign at a highway at full speed, and there wasn't a car around (usually a well-used road), among other things. It doesn't matter to me that it doesn't hold argument with others. I have my belief and I'm comfortable with that - I know, to me, it's right. But the most important part, more important than a god-being, is that I do what's right. I don't base my actions on church doctrine or the commandments, I do what's right because I believe it's right. And that's what matters to me. I'm doing what's right, and I'm doing my best to help everything else and do something good for others. When it comes down to it, that's what matters at all in the world. Any person from any religion is doing right if they're helping others, working for something, something, I don't know, for the good of all? That kind of stuff. Also, on that note, I don't really care too much about heaven/hell. Like it said, it really only matters to me what I do in this world. I want to do good things for good people and make life the best for everyone. I also have my faith, which some might say I need so that I feel comfortable and protected and to shelter me from real life. But I have it anyways, and I believe in it because I do. So who thought I was an atheist? I think most scholars (especially information science) are atheist because it takes a certain amount of open-mindedness to excel, and for CS, to learn the different way of thinking. You challenge what's already been done, and especially if your a geek, you usually don't do the mainstream thing. I don't really care much what other's religions are, though I'll express my own opinions from time to time (like now). Like I said, it's more important what kind of person you are and what you do. What I don't like though, is the "cool" trend of hating God, or being atheist. I find a lot of people, especially highschoolers and folk, just don't believe in religion or whatnot, just because they don't like the rules or they think it's cool, and use arguments that they hear elsewhere, without actually thinking of it for themselves. And this from the guy who used to believe in dragons and still believes in the Force. ;0 ----------------------------------- Aziz Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:03 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Holy shit, longest post EVAR. ----------------------------------- Insectoid Wed Jul 16, 2008 3:31 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Obviously, you never have looked at the immense posts over on advancedtautactica.com. Another religiony-off-topic post, I was raised a christian, but after thinking about much of the stuff in the bible, I found quite a few flaws that can be taken as god being a dick (no offence, Aziz). A famous line: "The lord giveth, the lord taketh away". Think about it. It's like giving someone a lollipop, then taking it away from them. Don't get me wrong, I think a lot of good things are in that book. Most christians are good people, the only thing I don't like is how no matter how much I do right/wrong, nothing extra good/bad happens to me. I must say, If I openly professed all my thoughts on this to the world, nothing dab at all would happen to me (Except maybe getting killed by angry priests). ----------------------------------- Zeroth Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:03 pm Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- I feel I must post a comic arc starting with this: http://w00tness.bungie.org/20070316.html Just read it, you'll see when it ends. But it ends with a great discussion between a character and the "Author" which is that universe's God. The character asks those questions we all want to ask, why we must suffer, and the answers are... interesting. Just read it. And note, I've still not said anything about my views, and no one will ever know. ;) ----------------------------------- Aziz Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:31 am RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- What a good read, thanks for that Zeroth! ----------------------------------- Unforgiven Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:39 am Re: Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- I'm not big into fantasy, but my favorite science fiction to date is probably still 2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke. I've been busy and let my subscription run out, but I've also found the stories in Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine to be quite good. Well worth the subscription price - if anyone's considered it but not been sure, I highly recommend it. ----------------------------------- Zeroth Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:29 pm Re: RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- What a good read, thanks for that Zeroth! I know, it was fantastic, and probably the best piece I've read that illuminates what motivations a god may have for creating our universe. If anyone believes, and doubts, they can look at that, and understand. Its a lot better than platitudes like, "God has a plan. God has a reason." because it makes god sound uncaring and heartless. If one did exist, if I did believe, then perhaps he feels the way the Author does in that arc. ----------------------------------- Aziz Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:43 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Perhaps. If you sit back and think "wtf is going on here, why do I exist?". Why do we think, have free will? Maybe "God" can't affect everything, or rather, doesn't want to. In a weird analogy, it's like doing a child's homework for them. There's no point, you might as well be doing it without them existing. We're supposed to make our own decisions and shape our world rather than expect some omnipresence to do everything for us. ----------------------------------- Insectoid Thu Jul 17, 2008 4:21 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Thank you Unforgiven for trying to bring us back on topic! Sorry man, but you failed. On the website I mentioned earlier, they have this strictly enforced rule: No political or religious content is allowed in any post or thread. This rule was created to prevent the forum from being torn apart by members arguing about these things, as they can be touchy subjects (WFT is wrong with you? You're voting Clinton over the other guy?). Some rules they let slide sometimes; never this one. Of course, most of the members on this site who care to come back and post again and again are at least semi-mature, unlike many of the kids on Advanced Tau Tactica who think they own the internet. All of this culminates with me saying, can we please stop arguing/discussing this? Or split the thread? ----------------------------------- Unforgiven Thu Jul 17, 2008 4:34 pm Re: RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Thank you Unforgiven for trying to bring us back on topic! Sorry man, but you failed. Actually, I'm just an idiot and didn't see there was a second page before posting, but by all means - believe that I had more noble intentions. Won't bother me a bit ;) It is a great topic though. Just for the heck of it, I'll even ad a bit more to it and mention the last science fiction book I read was Songs of the Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke. Good stuff. ----------------------------------- Insectoid Thu Jul 17, 2008 8:02 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- You mean 3rd page? ----------------------------------- Unforgiven Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:51 am Re: RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- You mean 3rd page? Hey, I said I was an idiot, didn't I? :\ ----------------------------------- [Gandalf] Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:31 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Actually, I think you did mean 2nd page... ----------------------------------- Insectoid Fri Jul 18, 2008 7:44 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Perhaps he did mean second page, but at the time of his posting, there were 3 pages. Whatever. ----------------------------------- [Gandalf] Fri Jul 18, 2008 8:47 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Yes, read it more carefully, there were 3 pages, and he skipped over the 2nd one. At least, that's what makes sense. :) ----------------------------------- Unforgiven Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:26 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- I don't even know what I mean anymore. /me sobs ----------------------------------- isaiahk9 Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:51 am RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- RA Salvatore - The Thousand Orcs, The Lone Drow, The Two Swords, Homeland The new Halo books ("The Fall of Reach", "The Flood") are surprisingly engaging, coming from somebody who has only played Halo for an hour. ----------------------------------- Aziz Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:55 am RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- I have many RA Salvator bookd, all of the mentioned, though I haven't read them. I've also read the Halo books are good. ----------------------------------- DemonWasp Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:38 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- Both the RA Salvatore series and the Halo books are the cotton candy of literature - sweet, but pretty much no substance. The characters tend to be flat (or else their emotions are explained, rather than shown), and their descriptions become repetitive very quickly. Both also have a tendency to break the continuity of their respective material. In the Halo books, Chief has a hard time with a single elite (in the game they're more like a speedbump), yet he can withstand a 2000lb bunker-buster to the face. In the Salvatore books, Kelemvor (or whatever his name was) goes from fighting Gnolls to being a god in the blink of an eye, for no adequately explained reason. Both are fun to read, but they're not what you could call enduring classics. I have a personal preference for the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, but I've never made it all the way through the series. Right now I'm in book 10 or so, but I haven't read it at all in ages. There's just so MUCH in those books. In the vein of cotton-candy literature, they Myth series by Robert Asprin is quite good. ----------------------------------- Aziz Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:56 pm RE:Favourite Fantasy/Sci-Fi book(s)? ----------------------------------- DemonWasp, I'd suggest you'd continue by starting off with book 10 again. You'll pick up on what happened, and though that book may be a bit slow, the last few chapters have some nice twists and OMGWTFBBQ, which you'll then be able to jump ot book 11 and read more about. There's at least one major conflict resolved in Book 11 (won't spoil it though), and much more added to others (and of course, new ones!) But it's all interesting and there's a lot of action and crazy stuff going on. Anywas, /rant