Kevin's Watch

Yup, it's the best sci-fi I've ever read. Totally.

Definitely up there amongst the best. Certainly wouldn't call much if anything better.

--A

Definitely the most engrossing sci-fi series I have read.

Also highly recommend the Otherland series by Tad Williams - virtual reality sci-fi - it's 4 books long and perhaps would have been better as a trilogy, but like his Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series once it gets going it's hard to put down.

Welcome to the Watch FutureProof.

--A

Oh, the GAP into conflict. That is, picking the best SF series.

I can't. I just can't rank what I like. But I like a lot of SF.

Dune -- 'nuff said

Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan books -- they're all stand alones, and they aren't heavy SF, but they are fun.

Riverworld -- excluding Gods of Riverworld, which seemed an indulgence for Farmer's publisher.

CJ Cherryh -- she tends to write in 3s, and 2 of hers standout: The Faded Sun trilogy and the Chanur series.

Of course, The GAP into . . . rapture. I re-read it last summer, and found it even better the second time--even TRS was better, though that could have been the anticipation for C&O. It's still a tough read, but putting it down from Dark and Hung was harder. I kept getting back late from lunch.

Speaking of which, I can't remember now if it was in there or my warped brain put it there. Did Hashi ever deny that there was such a thing as a Free Lunch?

ItisWritten wrote:Oh, the GAP into conflict. That is, picking the best SF series.

I can't. I just can't rank what I like. But I like a lot of SF.

Dune -- 'nuff said

Join us for the Dune dissection at the Watch's sister site, Ahira's Hangar:

PlanetFall Arrakis at the Hangar.



As for the free lunch, sounds like The Moon is a Harsh Mistress to me.

--A

I believe the quote was

"Free Lunch? It is commonly held knowledge that there is no such thing."

Will have to wait for my re-read.

--A

The Gap Cycle is one of my favourite sci-fi reads. I first read it about 7 years ago. I have reread it several times.

I remember when I first read it I found the politics sections hard going / boring but during my most recent read of the series I found this to be as gripping / interesting as the rest of the action.

However, my favourite sci-fi has to be Dune. I found the original three books at a car boot sale for £1 in about 1991. I found the first book easy to read having seen the original film a few times but I really struggled with the rest of the original 5 books (it took me years to manage to get through the 6 books having restarted several times). I now enjoy the last 3 of the original books (God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse Dune) more than the original 3. I have also read the 6 prequels and I thought they were OK but the last 2 books (after Chapterhouse) were perhaps not so good.

I am currently reading the Nights Dawn Trilogy – Peter F Hamilton. I am halfway through the second book and am enjoying the story.

Welcome to the Watch sandriderman.

I will hereby take the oportunity to chime in that I ALSO think that the Gap is the best SciFi I've ever read.

Certainly one of the two best, with Dune. Gap appeals more to the emotional side of me and Dune to the intellectual. But both are simply fantastic.

I have tried to like this series but have been struggling to maintain interest.
For me Donaldson is just way out of his depth on sci-fi concepts. With writers like Banks, Simmons, Reynolds it just seems more convincing and the gadgets and big guns are cooler .

Also Donaldson's writing style is excruciatingly painful in the GAP books.

Malfeasance, chagrin... please stop, just stop.

I doubt I will finish the last book. I might skim read it perhaps.

These books have their moments but while I have re-read the chronicles several times I will not be revisiting the GAP.

For those Donaldson readers that have only read the GAP as sc-fi there is much better fare to be found amongst the above writers.

Well, it should be pretty obvious that I vehemently disagree with Roynish

'Chagrin' is a problem? It's not an uncommon word. I say it quite a lot, aloud, in coversation.

Well, we all have different tastes. Perhaps I liked the Gap so much because it's people-driven. Some like a lot of science in their science fiction; I prefer people. And that's what Donaldson provided - he told a story about people in a science fiction setting.

I'm not sure I get that complaint either. Donaldson's vocabulary and writing is far less accessible in the Chrons than it is in the Gap series--I'd say the Gap has some of Donaldson's best writing in it.

Murrin wrote:I'm not sure I get that complaint either. Donaldson's vocabulary and writing is far less accessible in the Chrons than it is in the Gap series--I'd say the Gap has some of Donaldson's best writing in it.

Indeed. Nothing in the Gap is unambergrised, nor even engaged in formication.

I totally agree with Cj here - I had to reach for the dictionary far less whilst reading The Gap than when reading any of Donaldson Covenant works.

As for big guns being cooler, that's definitely a personal judgement, and one that I don't agree with. I find authors who throw lots of big guns into their works are trying to keep readers from realising that their work is a load of crap.

dont get me wrong .. I liked the Gap series .. but its not way up there in imo the sci fi stakes.

I liked Dan Simmons Hyperion / Endymion series better .. and I am pretty sure there are other books I enjoyed more ...

the Gap series is good but not my fav sci fi ever ..

The thing for me is, I've read very little science fiction, so the Gap easily makes it to the top - though possibly second to Hyperion/Fall of Hyperion. I tried Dune, but it bored me to tears. I'm currently in the middle of a Philip K Dick short story collection, and I plan to start Banks' The Algebraist soon. Or possibly *gasp, accompanied by thoughts of Danlo* Neverness.

Neverness is a good read

.. nice sci fi ..

.. I am totally sold on Zindell for fantasy .. EA cycle is awesome!