STAR HERO Reading List

[Susano]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

No need to fret yourself' date=' because unless someone at some point hires me to write a book analyzing "powered armor science fiction," there's no way in Hell I'm subjecting myself to this depressing post-Vietnam leftist nonsense again. I'll stick to the far more enjoyable [i']Starship Troopers[/i] for my armor quotes, I do believe.

 

I do think I could write an interesting essay about how the authors' life experiences and the tenor of the times has influenced the major SF powered armor novels (e.g., Starship Troopers, The Forever War, Armor). But someone's gotta pay me to write it first.

 

Well, I'm not going to argue with you over the merits of The Forever War versus Starship Troopers, (I like both novels) but some of the early quotes about the dangers of goofing off in powered armor might be useful.

 

I also find it interesting that Heinlein, who never saw combat (or actually served in the military IIRC), wrote a pretty "rah-rah" book, while David Drake and Joe Haldeman wrote some far more brutal depictions of combat in their books.

 

PS: and if you didn't like The Forever War, stay as far away as you can from Forever Free and Forever Peace. As I said, I like the former and found both of these to be pretty rancid.

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

Well, I'm not going to argue with you over the merits of The Forever War versus Starship Troopers, (I like both novels) but some of the early quotes about the dangers of goofing off in powered armor might be useful.

 

I also find it interesting that Heinlein, who never saw combat (or actually served in the military IIRC), wrote a pretty "rah-rah" book, while David Drake and Joe Haldeman wrote some far more brutal depictions of combat in their books.

 

PS: and if you didn't like The Forever War, stay as far away as you can from Forever Free and Forever Peace. As I said, I like the former and found both of these to be pretty rancid.

 

Don't know if RAH ever saw combat, but he was an officer in the US navy.

[Susano]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

Don't know if RAH ever saw combat' date=' but he was an officer in the US navy.[/quote']

 

Ahhhh... okay. I thought I'd read that illness forced him to drop out of Annapolis or some such.

 

In 1934, Heinlein was discharged from the Navy due to pulmonary tuberculosis. During a lengthy hospitalization, he developed the concept of the waterbed, and his detailed descriptions of it in three of his books constituted sufficient prior art to prevent a U.S. patent on water beds when they became common in the 1960s.[10]

 

Aha! I see I had the right knowledge, but the wrong time period. So illness forced him out, but after he'd graduated and served for a number of years.

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

Youi're welcome, SL.

 

A few more:

 

'Antares Dawn' and 'Antares Passage' by Michael McCollum. The star Antares goes nova, disrupting warppoints and isolating the human-settled system of Altair for a century. Then, a derelict battleship enters the system via a previously unknown warppoint. That ship is a total write-off with its entire human crew dead - especially worrying because it outgunned the entire Altair system. The Altairians decide to investigate ...

 

'Abandon In Place' by Jerry Oltion. Interesting ideas and a good read. Plus, it is impossible to think ill of a book where one character (a scientist) has established an organization called INSANE (International Network of Scientists Against Nuclear Extermination) .

 

'The Getaway Special' by Jerry Oltion. Set around "now" - a scientist develops a jump drive that is both easy to build and to use.

 

'Ancient Shores' by Jack McDevitt. A US farmer starts finding some VERY strange things on his land.

 

It should be noted that my tastes run very strongly towards the upbeat and optimistic, for which I make no apologies.

[Folded]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

If there's to be any discussion of psi in Star Hero, I must recommend The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester. Perhaps the best book on telepathy and society ever written.

 

Folded

[BobGreenwade]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

Technically this isn't "reading," but I got a big kick out of the short-lived animated series Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys. It's a spoof with lots of high comedy (and a little low comedy), but besides the laughs it also has some interesting sci-fi ideas both reasonable and rubbery.

 

And what the heck -- at the very worst, you'd be out $16.50 and four hours of your time.

[Scott Baker]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

Timothy Zahn - non-Star Wars; I've been partial to Cobra and Cobra Strike but enjoyed many of his other novels as well.

 

Robert L Forward - anything. I cut my teeth on Dragon's Egg and moved on from there.

[Sundog]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

If there's to be any discussion of psi in Star Hero' date=' I must recommend [i']The Demolished Man[/i], by Alfred Bester. Perhaps the best book on telepathy and society ever written.

 

Folded

 

Definitely agreed, but if you mention Bester, you must include The Stars my Destination (aka Tyger! Tyger!)

[Steve Long]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

if you mention Bester, you must include The Stars my Destination (aka Tyger! Tyger!)

 

At the risk of coming across more snarkily than I intend to -- you mean, as in, the way I mentioned that book in the post which started this whole thread? There's really no need to recommend to me books I've already indicated that I plan to read.

[CSgeekHero]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

I'd like to give a shout out to Fred Saberhagen's Berserker series. It's all about life in the galaxy attempting to defend itself against rogue, planet-sized, AI, killing machines that were activated many millenia ago to destroy all life of an ancient culture's opposition and now just try to destroy all life.

[Scott Baker]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

I have to throw one more in the mix. I don't know how I could have forgotten Eric Frank Russell's Men, Martians And Machines.

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

Good one. Read it so long ago I'd almost forgotten, but it's all coming back now. Jay Score, and the Martian crewmembers totally obsessed with chess.

[Steve Long]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

I don't know how I could have forgotten Eric Frank Russell's Men, Martians And Machines

 

EFR's Wasp is one of my favorite SF novels ever (and will undoubtedly be quoted at least once, if not several times, in SH); I also have a large collection of his short stories. I may have to see about tracking this one down.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

My wife just found a TV series that I've been trying to recall for years -- Exosquad (all 52 episodes are on Fancast if you'd rather watch it online than rent it). It was one of the first "animated series" (as opposed to cartoons) in that it had ongoing serial storylines, sophisticated characterization, and other things that we now take for granted in such productions. (The ideas were imported from Japanese anime; this was the first American animated series to fully adopt those ideas.) The program also had some interesting ideas regarding society of the future (early 22nd century), mecha, artificial life-forms, and other bits and pieces pursuant to a "Solar Hero" setting.

[KawangaKid]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

My wife just found a TV series that I've been trying to recall for years -- Exosquad (all 52 episodes are on Fancast if you'd rather watch it online than rent it). It was one of the first "animated series" (as opposed to cartoons) in that it had ongoing serial storylines' date=' sophisticated characterization, and other things that we now take for granted in such productions. (The ideas were imported from Japanese anime; this was the first American animated series to fully adopt those ideas.) The program also had some interesting ideas regarding society of the future (early 22nd century), mecha, artificial life-forms, and other bits and pieces pursuant to a "Solar Hero" setting.[/quote']

 

Watched Exosquad every morning during my last years in the U.S. Awesome series. There were sympathetic and antagonistic characters on either side of the "human" fence, and the last episode was an incredibly fun and jaw-dropping one -- the surprising way that the conclusion was reached made me sit up want to rewind the damn episode over! Now I can!

[KawangaKid]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

I've backread a bit quickly, but I'd like to suggest:

 

Richard K. Morgan -- Altered Carbon, an interesting novel that's essentially a hard-boiled detective novel set in a transhumanist setting. The main character is an envoy who is sleeved (mind is transmitted into the body) into a dead police officer and is asked by a very rich and very old man to find out why he attempted to commit suicide knowing that there are backups of him with all his memories intact (the dude owns the company too, if I recall).

 

Dan Simmons -- Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion for an interesting take on how different genres of SF can co-exist in the same universe. Interesting takes on religion in SF as well. On top of that, the first novel is inspired by the narrative convention of Canterbury Tales (allowing each character to tell a story focusing on a certain genre of SF). Endymion and Rise of Endymion are optional.

 

Also, since no specific "Culture" novel by Iain Banks was mentioned, I'll recommend that you try Player of Games or Consider Phlebas. A non-Culture SF novel of his -- Against a Dark Background -- is also pretty good but the title doesn't lie; it's pretty dark.

 

For the "Honor Harrington" novel(s), I recommend the first two for some good ship combat and naval / star nation politics.

 

Good reading!

[Roy_The_Ruthles]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

After reading the thread (great souce of stuff for me to read too), I only have one suggestion that hasn't been made already:

 

Vacuum Diagrams by Steven Baxter. It is a collection of short stories set in the Xelee Sequence, which goes from late 2000s to the year 4million AD. It is a very good work, showing humanity in several different ages of technological advancement plus lots of aliens. If you like that, then I can suggest more to you but I suspect you will be quite busy.

[Susano]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

Also, since no specific "Culture" novel by Iain Banks was mentioned, I'll recommend that you try Player of Games or Consider Phlebas. A non-Culture SF novel of his -- Against a Dark Background -- is also pretty good but the title doesn't lie; it's pretty dark.

 

I prefer Look to Windward myself, and also have to recommend the space opera novel The Algebrast.

[Steve Long]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

Dan Simmons -- Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion for an interesting take on how different genres of SF can co-exist in the same universe. Interesting takes on religion in SF as well. On top of that, the first novel is inspired by the narrative convention of Canterbury Tales (allowing each character to tell a story focusing on a certain genre of SF). Endymion and Rise of Endymion are optional.

 

I've read all of these, and enjoyed them, but I don't intend to read them again at this point; I suspect they'll have relatively little to offer in the way of usable quotes compared to other works I could read in the same amount of time.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

On a side note, I've been reading ERB's "A Princess of Mars," and I came across this quote worthy of inclusion in the book (about a page into Chapter Nine):

 

"In one respect at least the Martians are a happy people; they have no lawyers."

[BlueCloud2k2]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

Has anyone mentioned Jack McDevitt

 

I can't believe I forgot Jack McDevitt... shame on me!

 

My wife just found a TV series that I've been trying to recall for years -- Exosquad (all 52 episodes are on Fancast if you'd rather watch it online than rent it). It was one of the first "animated series" (as opposed to cartoons) in that it had ongoing serial storylines' date=' sophisticated characterization, and other things that we now take for granted in such productions. (The ideas were imported from Japanese anime; this was the first American animated series to fully adopt those ideas.) The program also had some interesting ideas regarding society of the future (early 22nd century), mecha, artificial life-forms, and other bits and pieces pursuant to a "Solar Hero" setting.[/quote']

 

Ah yes, Exo Squad... I beleive it is related to Macross/Robotech (can't remember for sure)

[BobGreenwade]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

Ah yes' date=' Exo Squad... I beleive it is related to Macross/Robotech (can't remember for sure)[/quote']At most, inspired by and affected by that, but not any direct relation.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

I've mentioned this series many times before, but Cleopatra 2525 was a fun sci-fi romp from 2000-2001 that I think had several ideas worth mentioning, or at least addressing indirectly, in the Star Hero book. Though the emphasis is on a post-apocalyptic society, much of the technology would be welcome in a space opera setting, particularly the wrist-worn weapons used by the main heroes.

 

Yes, much of the action, plotting, and dialogue are incredibly cheesy, in a satirical sort of way. (The only episode where this truly falls flat, Noir or Never, is among the unavailable episodes.) Keep in mind that this is as much a parody of sci-fi conventions as it is a serious sci-fi show in its own right -- literally, it's about 50% of each -- and you should be able to at least tolerate it.

 

The link above leads to the show's Fancast page, which has all but the last five or six episodes. Start watching from the pilot episode at the bottom.

[RexMundi]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

For the more Hard Sci Fi folks.....Stephen Baxters "Titan" and "Moonseed" offer much potential.

 

~Rex

[Major Tom 2009]

Re: STAR HERO Reading List

 

At most' date=' inspired by and affected by that, but not any direct relation.[/quote']

 

Affected by it was right, just not in any that was beneficial to the continued run of the

series. Apparently, the company that had the license to produce the ExoSquad toy line

thought that it would be a great idea to combine the Robotech background with that of

ExoSquad, and actually released some of the Destroid figures under the combined label.

 

Unfortunately, in doing so, they made the exact same mistake that FASA and the then

Ral Partha miniatures company made when they put out the minis for the BattleTech

game: they didn't ask for permission to use the mecha and vehicle designs from Crusher

Joe, Dougram and Robotech from their creators over in Japan before using them for

BattleTech (morons...). In ExoSquad's case, this error had the result of killing the

series before what would have been its third season could even begin, leaving the

fans hanging with (to use the term from The 4400) the treebender ending of Season

Two's final episode.

 

 

Major Tom 2009