Planets of SF Author Hats

[sinanju]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Morgan I - Human colonies amidst alien relics that have so far failed to yield their secrets. Advanced computer / gene tech but limited spaceflight capabilities. Distinguishing features of this system include inter-world transfer of personality via electromagnetic transmission and the reduction of the physical body to the status of clothing.

 

To be a bit more explicit. They have FTL communication but not travel. Colonies were established by STL colony ships. They have the technology to implant a tiny device into the base of the skull which stores the entire consciousness on disk. If killed, your identity can be transferred into a new body. Or if you need or want a new body and can afford it, you can be transferred as well. If you are convicted of a serious crime, you're put into storage for a period of years; your body can be rented or sold unless you can pay to keep it on ice. When your sentence is up, if your own body isn't available, they download you into another--probably the body of someone else who is currently in storage.

 

People travel to and from the colonies in this fashion, downloading into new bodies at their destination.

 

The TRULY rich not only have a "cortical stack" in their bodies, but have their identities backed up regularly to offsite storage. The stacks _can_ be destroyed (accidentally or on purpose to commit "real murder"), after all.

 

I love these novels.

[Clonus]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

LeGuin: LeGuin is a world that has been colonised by a rapacious corporation over the objections of the peaceful egalitarian but less advanced natives.

[Wormhole]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Crichton Prime: Superficially resembles present day Earth, except there's some kind of strange alien sphere on the ocean floor, an amusement park full of genetically-reengineered dinosaurs, and swarms of nanobots that eat electronics for breakfast and can strip the flesh right off your bones.

[Clonus]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Crichton Prime: Superficially resembles present day Earth' date=' except there's some kind of strange alien sphere on the ocean floor, an amusement park full of genetically-reengineered dinosaurs, and swarms of nanobots that eat electronics for breakfast and can strip the flesh right off your bones. [/quote']

 

Those are indeed three books that Crichton wrote, but for this game, the thing to look for the themes the author uses repeatedly.

 

Thus Crichton Prime would be a world famous for it's under-regulated research and development labs whose reach oft exceeds their grasp, and their safety precautions.

[Wormhole]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Crichton Prime: Superficially resembles present day Earth, this world is famous for it's under-regulated and over-ambitous R&D labs that always seem to produce something that gets away from them. Stear clear of the amusement park full of genetically-reengineered dinosaurs, ending up Purena Raptor Chow is no way to go. Watch out for those swarms of nanobots, not only will they eat your iPod for breakfast, but they may strip the flesh right off your bones! Try to avoid the corporate culture on this planet as much as possible, and what ever you do, try not to get sued for sexual harressment here. A silver sphere from another universe, containing a strange entity named "Jerry", is rumored to be somewhere on their ocean floor...best to leave that well enough alone also.

[Clonus]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Martin's World: Martin's World is home to people with remarkable physical and mental powers, who have by and large made the world a much worse place. With the collapse of the original government, the colonists have fractured into warring factions and with untold deaths, civilisation there is declining into a hopeless barbarism where all that matters is power and survival.

[Ranxerox]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Butler's World: Formerly a patriarchy, but since disastrous decisions by the ruling males came close to eradicating life on the planet, it has become a matriarchy. Faced with grim prospects for survival, the citizens of Butler have come to view anger, pride and even cultural identity as overly expensive luxuries; the virtues of the day are perseverance, adaption and forgiveness.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Gibson I - Isolated but moderately technologically advanced world' date=' socially and morally fractured. Corporate entities effectively rule the planet from high orbit. Seething masses huddle in poverty watching endless reality TV. AI and genetic engineering normal for the wealthy, sought after by the poor masses. No trans-system spaceflight. Societal malaise has led to excessive navel-gazing in virtual reality.[/quote']

 

Dangit! You beat me to it!

 

Anthony Prime: On the surface, a world of moderate techological achievement. Their main form of entertainment and business are a series of games, where those individuals classed as "Serfs" can attain citizenship through winning a series of gaming events. Any game is playable, from physical sports to mental puzzles and everything in between. Android and robot technology is suitably advanced. [Unknown to the Empire at large, this is a gate-world upon which there exists another mirror-image of the planet upon which a mysterious energy exists which seems to obey humans of sufficient will-power, not unlike that which exists on Lucasworld. Many varieties of strange creatures exists on this alternate reality matrix. Technologically primitive, but the manipulation of said energy seems to have replaced standard usage of technology as we have come to rely upon]

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

 

Herbert is a barely habitable wasteland where the inhabitants have become a race of supermen to survive. They're almost as tough as the Smiths, except that they don't have the weapons that can blow up planets.

 

 

Dude, I just got an image of Morrisey kicking everybody's buttocks in my head!

[Clonus]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Dangit! You beat me to it!

 

Anthony Prime: On the surface, a world of moderate techological achievement. Their main form of entertainment and business are a series of games,

 

That world already has a name. What I'm looking for are themes and gimmicks the author uses repeatedly, not just a particular world they invented. For example you may have thought I was talking about Dune's Fremen in Herbert but I was also talking about the Sardaukar and the Dosadi.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

That world already has a name. What I'm looking for are themes and gimmicks the author uses repeatedly' date=' not just a particular world they invented. For example you may have thought I was talking about Dune's Fremen in Herbert but I was also talking about the Sardaukar and the Dosadi.[/quote']

 

 

While I get what you are saying, basing Anthony Prime on the predilictions of the Author's general tendencies would create a planet so chaotic that it would be impossible to live upon!

 

My comment about Fremen and Sardaukar was actually a referrence to the 80's band, The Smith's, of which your post reminded me.

[Clonus]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

While I get what you are saying, basing Anthony Prime on the predilictions of the Author's general tendencies would create a planet so chaotic that it would be impossible to live upon!

 

Not really.

 

Anthony: Anthony is a unegalitarian world where admission into the ruling class is dependent on the possession of the highest degree of paranormal power, with dominance among the rulers being determined through personal challenges. People who lack paranormal power and can't find another way to make themselves useful are ruthlessly exiled. The quasi-feudal nature of the culture leads them to take oaths and promises very seriously and this extends to wagers on the outcome of games. Even oaths exacted through fraud and coercion are considered binding by the planetary culture.

[OddHat]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

If you're doing Anthony, rather than Xanth I'd go with the Marcroscope-Tarot-Kirlian series. That way you have his actual SciFi rather than adapting his Fantasy work.

 

Anthony - A world where technology accessed from an intergalactic Internet has led to a culture where body swapping is common, and where halucinagenic "Tarot" spores are considered teaching tool, entertainment, and a vehicle for self exploration. Travel via body swapping is by far the prefered means of exploration, and social class is largely determined by your inate "Aura", which governs both your ability to make use of body swap technology and your ability to manipulate the all important Tarot spores.

[OddHat]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Roddenberry - Amazingly high technology that is never used in ways it reasonably could be to solve problems; incredibly wishy washy, almost masochistic politics; pathetic military strategy that often succeeds due to the astonishing stupidity of Roddenberry's enemies; huge numbers of inhabitants claim to be Aliens, despite being freely able to interbreed with the rest of the populace and being differentiated from that populace only by the most trivial changes to facial features or hair styles. Roddenberry has access to technologies including matter transmission, duplication and transformation; time travel; AI of almost limitless intellect; FTL travel; weapons able to destroy or even transform worlds. Despite all of this, they are constantly just on the edge of being destroyed by Alien attackers, who always mysteriously back off at the last minute.

 

The rumor that Roddenberry is actually run by a deranged AI dedicated to stimulating the interest of its otherwise apathetic and dissolute populace cannot be entirely dismissed.

[Clonus]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

If you're doing Anthony' date=' rather than Xanth I'd go with the Marcroscope-Tarot-Kirlian series. .[/quote']

 

Oh I wasn't just talking about Xanth. Phaze had the same meritocratic oligarchy (where merit=personal capability), and the same "exile for useless people". Triple Detente was an Anthony novel where the military oligarchs actually killed useless people. The Kirlian series once again had rule by the most paranormally powerful. Mute had superpowered mutants take over the government. And Anthony always has his characters take promises insanely seriously.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Not really.

 

Anthony: Anthony is a unegalitarian world where admission into the ruling class is dependent on the possession of the highest degree of paranormal power, with dominance among the rulers being determined through personal challenges. People who lack paranormal power and can't find another way to make themselves useful are ruthlessly exiled. The quasi-feudal nature of the culture leads them to take oaths and promises very seriously and this extends to wagers on the outcome of games. Even oaths exacted through fraud and coercion are considered binding by the planetary culture.

 

Ah yes, well then discounting Xanth and the Incarnations of Immortality, its possible!

[Clonus]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Ah yes' date=' well then discounting Xanth and the Incarnations of Immortality, its possible![/quote']

 

I'm not discounting Xanth. Xanth is a culture ruled by an aristocracy of exceptionally paranormally empowered people that exiled the protagonist for being powerless at the start of the first book. Although I might put in something about the existence of a whole bunch of other intelligent species on the planet. That also seems to be a recurring Anthony thing.

 

Meanwhile:

 

Stirlings Planet: Is a world ruled by a European-descended military aristocracy. Although a small minority, their superior fighting skills let them dominate the natives without much difficulty.

[Clonus]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Kaydick: A grim world ruled by a fascistic government. The public try escape the poverty, ugliness, and repression through hallucinogens. The collective force of the hallucinations and human misery is straining reality itself, producing "glitches". Memory is unreliable, things leak into and out of parallel universes, and it doesn't help that the government produces android spies that don't even know they aren't human.

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Mathesonworld - seemingly like earth, but people struggle against great odds, unusual situations and quite often lose. However the deaths are remembered as legends, or as bravery fighting that which is greater than you. People may die in these struggles but it is a "good death".

 

 

Wilsonworld - a libertarians dream. Anyone can do what they want, with minimal laws and taxation, but the people don't turn towards chaos. Men of action fight things beyond nature, and there are a number of groups of people that are amazingly talented with ancient weapons. There is a legend of a strange figure that appears when needed to heal and help those in need, and disappears again for centuries.

 

Given I reference a few specifics, but the themes are all over each writer's work.

[Clonus]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Think about it. Matheson wrote:

 

I am Legend: About a man who fights alone in a world where humanity no longer exists

 

What Dreams May Come: About a man who rescues his wife (who doesn't believe in the afterlife and committed suicide from loneliness after his death) from hell. And what is Hell for her? Her own neighbourhood turned gloomy and devoid of people.

 

Born of Man and Woman: A mutant is kept confined in the basement by his parents but sometimes breaks free of it's chain and sneaks out to spy on humanity

 

The Shrinking Man: A man is gradually divorced from humanity as he shrinks into total isolation.

 

Hunger and Thirst: Crippled by a gunshot, a man lies alone in his apartment reviewing his life as he slowly dies.

 

Hunted Past Reason: Two men go camping, and then one of them reveals that he's a big fan of The Most Dangerous Game.

 

Blood Son: Boy becomes obsessed with vampirism and is ostracized by the community because they think he's nuts.

 

And so on.

 

What's the theme he keeps going back to, again and again?

 

Matheson's Planet is one in which the cities are empty and the farms are returning to wilderness. The galactic authorities have placed it under interdict for fear of whatever caused it spreading. There are only two survivors of the catastrophe, a man and a woman. Maybe one day they'll learn of each other's existence.

[Clonus]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Bova:

 

A world ruled by ruthless industrialists who have polluted it in their rapacious mining and development, and are opposed ineffectively by environmental activists and effectively by the stalwart small entrepreneurs of the asteroids and moons of the outer system.

[Clonus]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Stephenson:

 

Stephenson is a world where the development and application of technology has been slowed to a crawl by a much greater separation and lack of communication between those who are inclined toward theoretical science, those who are technically adept, and non-geeks. The inhabitants of Stephenson are infamous among other those of other worlds for being digressive and long-winded. Most avoid conversing with them for fear of being subjected to endless one-sided discourses about toilet paper, platonic idealism, recipes, logical paradoxes and plumbing.

[amanojaku]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Sounds like s fun topic, mind if I join?

 

Modesitt II: A world populated by retired military/elite agents with genetic /cybernetic enhancements fighting private wars for a better world.

 

Reynolds: Incredibly high tech cybernetic transhumans living in a state of democratic anarchy where the only law is that democracy must be respected and some of the police are really pigs. (As in genetically uplifted pigs.)

 

Weber: A world of extremely capable female agents and military personnel, where all liberals are stupid, selfish or completely evil.

[Emerald Mask]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

Zelazny's System - has two inhabitable planets . Planet on has no rotation- sun side has super science , dark side has magical creatures and physics. Second planet Zelazny Prime has ruling class of immortals who use various methods to achieve long life. Primitive weapons are favored and a diverse religions and cursing are studied.

[AlHazred]

Re: Planets of SF Author Hats

 

What I'm looking for are themes and gimmicks the author uses repeatedly' date=' not just a particular world they invented. For example you may have thought I was talking about Dune's Fremen in Herbert but I was also talking about the Sardaukar and the Dosadi.[/quote']I see what you're doing there. In that case:

 

Vanceworld: An enormous planet at the edge of human-occupied space, with a fantastically diverse ecosphere. It has been conquered by successive waves of invaders who rule for a time and then gradually retreat into small pockets of fiercely xenophobic, protective (and homicidal) "natives." Currently tended by the most recent group of settlers, who have a culture of strong independence and occasionally produces remarkable individuals of cunning, good heart, and a strong drive towards justice; this despite the fact that the universe frequently moves to bring their karmic circumstances to an equilibrium.

 

(I'm thinking Big Planet/Showboat World, the Alastor series, the Tschai, Planet of Adventure series, the Cadwal Chronicles, the Grey Prince (kind of like a counterpoint to the former), Night Lamp, Ports of Call/Lurulu, and probably a few of his earlier stories as well.

 

Now I have to go back and reread some of them. Thanks a lot!)