idquest Posted April 22, 2009 Did you try Anathem by N. Stephenson? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mal Posted April 26, 2009 Ha ha yes I've been checking out Orion's Arm, stumbled onto it doing research  Ended up reading Feersum Endjinn, it will keep me amused for a while. Although it's invented language is NOT amusing It's not so bad, sort of clever really, But I have to sort of sound it out which makes it so slow to read.... which is the point I guess but still, I like to read fast. Been skipping them and trudging through them later..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jaloo Posted April 28, 2009 (edited) Richard Morgan's books have some interesting concepts in them. Altered Carbon was the first one I read and it was a good story. His books tend to be a bit gritty but the concept of Self is explored quite a bit. Edited April 28, 2009 by jaloo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
idquest Posted April 29, 2009 (edited) you might also like Peter Gamilton. His latest trilogy has a promising name of VOID. I enjoyed the DREAMING VOID, the first installment, and now is the second one, The Temporal Void. This is actually a loose sequel to his previous dilogy of Pandora Star. Â Another interesting staff is from Charles Stross. His ACCELERANDO (you can find it legally free online) is a strong review of what and how the singularity can do with the Humankind. Highly recommended. Â The Singularity is an interesting topic by itself. The idea of it could be close to the idea of enlightenment. This is actually how Vernon Vinge lay it out back then in The Fire Upon the Deep (highly-highly recommended if not read). Edited April 29, 2009 by idquest Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted April 29, 2009 IMO the original and the best is Solaris by Stanislaw Lem (neither the AWFUL movie of a few years ago based on it, nor the '70s Tarkovsky version do it any justice). This one hardly has any "action," it's subtle, philosophical, slowly unfolding, slowly dawning on you, and translated from Polish. Â Problem of "self" is urgent and material for its protagonists, because they're interacting with a planet, Solaris, whose evolution, whatever it was, has resulted in the whole planet becoming one single intelligent being. A superintelligent superbeing, to be precise. People trying to establish contact with this being wind up blasting it with harsh radiation in order to elicit a reaction, because Solaris is unresponsive to their efforts until they do, even though it seems to be studying them, with detached interest of a brilliant but autisitic scientist catalogizing a new species of gnats. Once the gnats bite it though... Solaris takes a closer look, and reacts by showing people what it had found within their psyche that they really need to establish a contact with. It makes visible and material (to all!) the very parts of their "self" they'd been hiding from, running from, trying to disown, trying to kill... So every protagonist is horrified or embarrassed or otherwise devastated because the hidden, secret parts of their "self" are now sitting next to them, lying in bed with them, making friends and enemies in the outside world, and revealing -- revealing -- everything people would rather die than reveal. So people wind up killing these manifestations of their deepest darkest "self" again and again, and Solaris just makes them from scratch again and again... a "face it till you get it" kind of contact is finally established, to every protagonist's horror... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Todd Posted April 29, 2009 a "face it till you get it" kind of contact is finally established, to every protagonist's horror... Â Sounds pretty spot on.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brother K Posted May 27, 2009 You should read everything by Phillip K Dick he wrote almost exclusively on this topic. especially his last three novels which are said to be the Valis trilogy, these include Valis, The Divine Invasion, and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer. Â Also I think the proper order of Iain M. Banks Culture novels is: Consider Phlebas, Player of Games, Matter, and a new one called Use of Weapons. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mal Posted July 3, 2009 Turned out to be in German (I'm only good with languages with the help of babble fish ) So I have given it to my German friend to read and I'm yet to chase up an English version........ will get there one day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jetsun Posted March 16, 2011 I was just reading what Bruce Frantzis says about how Dune has parallels to Taoism http://www.taichimaster.com/bruces-picks/the-dune-litany-fear-is-the-mind-killer/#more-478 Perhaps that's worth a read Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Birch Posted March 19, 2011 Man, one of my favourite movies! Makes me cry, every time:-) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc benway Posted April 16, 2011 Just finished reading Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. It explores themes along the lines of reincarnation and the soul. Just brilliant, IMO. It was inspired by Italo Calvino's If on a Winter's Night a Traveller... but whereas Calvino left each vignette unfinished, Mitchell creates a mirror effect and resolves each story. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mal Posted May 7, 2011 Cloud Atlas sound excellent, I've ordered a copy. Interestingly it was Sales rank: 427 Â p.s. and thanks Mark Saltveti I do want to read Ursula's works espicially Left Hand of Darkness Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mal Posted May 7, 2011 I should also plug How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe: A Novel by Charles Yu  it's basically a father-son relationship story, but from the perspective of time travel machine repair technician, also named Charles Yu  "The thing about time travel in "How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe" is that it's not all wormholes and apocalypses and "look out that's a temporal anomaly off the starboard nacelle, Captain!" Human beings mostly use time machines to go back and eavesdrop on their own screwed-up lives, reliving key moments, bad decisions and missed opportunities, in the mistaken belief that they can change them. They can't. "I have job security," Yu explains, "because what the customer wants, when you get right down to it, is to relive his very worst moment, over and over again."  I REALLY enjoyed it. I'm quite the fan of Charles Yu, his short story collection "Third class super hero" contains some excellent stories. Along with some that did come together quite as well, but you can see him establishing his (unconventional) writing style. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc benway Posted May 20, 2011 Cloud Atlas sound excellent, I've ordered a copy. Interestingly it was Sales rank: 427 Â p.s. and thanks Mark Saltveti I do want to read Ursula's works espicially Left Hand of Darkness Please let me know what you think of Cloud Atlas when you finish it. I'm currently reading The Voice of the Fire by Alan Moore. He's famous for graphic novels (Lost Girls, V for Vendetta, From Hell,...). This is a very cool book (though not sci fi) that starts ~ 6000 BC and marches forward in successive chapters to the present. All stories being set in the region of Northampton, UK. Very good so far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc benway Posted May 20, 2011 I was just reading what Bruce Frantzis says about how Dune has parallels to Taoism http://www.taichimaster.com/bruces-picks/the-dune-litany-fear-is-the-mind-killer/#more-478 Perhaps that's worth a read BTW, Dune is a magnificent book. Probably the single best sci fi book I've read. The movie was good but doesn't come close to doing it justice. Originally, Alejandro Jodorowsky was going to direct the film but it was canned due to his eccentric approach and the cowardice of his producers. Check out this link for an interesting read - http://www.duneinfo.com/unseen/jodorowsky.asp Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GreytoWhite Posted May 20, 2011 I would highly recommend David Brin's Kiln People. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
