Good Books (Scifi)

[tereszcz]

I really do like the gutenburg.org site. I do wonder am I the only one ticked off at US copyright law? How is that leaches that never wrote anything creative in their lives one copyrights to the works of authors that have been dead for decades.

[boballab]

I really do like the gutenburg.org site. I do wonder am I the only one ticked off at US copyright law? How is that leaches that never wrote anything creative in their lives one copyrights to the works of authors that have been dead for decades.

US copyright law used to be reasonable, but the "mouse" company got it changed to what it is now.

Eric Flint wrote some good pieces on Copyright and DRM that you can find on the Baen Free library here:
http://www.baen.com/library/prime_palaver.asp

And also in his Salvo's Against Big Brother series in the now defunct Jim Baen's Universe online magazine. You can find them all on his own website here:
http://www.ericflint.net/index.php/2011 ... g-brother/

[dawich]

"Little fuzzy" by H. Beam Piper.
first contact, but just so awesome it can't really be summed up easily. also "The Other Human Race" the sequel, I first read them as a single volume, but they are two separate books. looking at fantasticfiction.co.uk there's several other stories in the "Fuzzies" series... including a new one by John Scalzi... I liked his Old Man's War, but I'm not sure about what seems like a re-write of the first story...
Also anything else of his you can swipe, like the paratime novels, I haven't read them, but the guy wrote gold... too bad he took his life before he realized it...

Try; http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/p - just drop about 3/4 of the way down the page and pick your poison.
There must be at least 25 or 30 of H. Beam Piper's books available there and like all the books on Gutenberg, they're FREE!

KP

Is Lord Kalvan on Gutenberg yet? Last I checked, that one was still locked up.

[boballab]

"Little fuzzy" by H. Beam Piper.
first contact, but just so awesome it can't really be summed up easily. also "The Other Human Race" the sequel, I first read them as a single volume, but they are two separate books. looking at fantasticfiction.co.uk there's several other stories in the "Fuzzies" series... including a new one by John Scalzi... I liked his Old Man's War, but I'm not sure about what seems like a re-write of the first story...
Also anything else of his you can swipe, like the paratime novels, I haven't read them, but the guy wrote gold... too bad he took his life before he realized it...

Try; http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/p - just drop about 3/4 of the way down the page and pick your poison.
There must be at least 25 or 30 of H. Beam Piper's books available there and like all the books on Gutenberg, they're FREE!

KP

Is Lord Kalvan on Gutenberg yet? Last I checked, that one was still locked up.

Still locked up and will be for a very long time since the copyright wasn't allowed to lapse on the Paratime stories and was bought up by John F Carr. Back in 1984 they did a reprint on them and then Carr started writing overpriced new stories in the series (unless you by the E Book version).

[GBLW]

Still locked up and will be for a very long time since the copyright wasn't allowed to lapse on the Paratime stories and was bought up by John F Carr. Back in 1984 they did a reprint on them and then Carr started writing overpriced new stories in the series (unless you by the E Book version).

As a long time fan of H. Beam Piper, I can't help but think that Carr did the greatest damage of anyone to Piper's memory by doing what he has done. In the talent pool of life, I would compare H. Beam Piper to one of the Great Lakes, whereas Carr might be rated equal to a child's blow-up wading pool.

[crxbnt]

I must concur with GBLW that Carr has done more to hurt Piper's legacy and the Paratime stories than anyone else ever has or could. Frankly, his Paratime novels make his earliest space operas look polished! There are some other Paratime novels out there that are well worth reading. Gina Marie Wylie had two excellent novels that actualy fit well and were well done. Trouble is Carr spent a lot of time threatening / suing anyone who wrote in that universe.

If you can find them, they are worth reading.

[dawich]

I must concur with GBLW that Carr has done more to hurt Piper's legacy and the Paratime stories than anyone else ever has or could. Frankly, his Paratime novels make his earliest space operas look polished! There are some other Paratime novels out there that are well worth reading. Gina Marie Wylie had two excellent novels that actualy fit well and were well done. Trouble is Carr spent a lot of time threatening / suing anyone who wrote in that universe.

If you can find them, they are worth reading.

Tangent, by Gina Marie: http://www.beyondthefarhorizon.com/phpB ... st.php?s=1



Cost of Time (sequel to Tangent): http://www.beyondthefarhorizon.com/phpB ... t.php?s=51

Definitely worth reading, as is a lot of stuff on BTFH.

[zedd]

Hi,
Valerie Gaumont published her fourth book in the channel rider serie at Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/175714

I really like this serie.
Zedd

[the_scot]

I must concur with GBLW that Carr has done more to hurt Piper's legacy and the Paratime stories than anyone else ever has or could. Frankly, his Paratime novels make his earliest space operas look polished! There are some other Paratime novels out there that are well worth reading. Gina Marie Wylie had two excellent novels that actualy fit well and were well done. Trouble is Carr spent a lot of time threatening / suing anyone who wrote in that universe.

If you can find them, they are worth reading.

Tangent, by Gina Marie: http://www.beyondthefarhorizon.com/phpB ... st.php?s=1



Cost of Time (sequel to Tangent): http://www.beyondthefarhorizon.com/phpB ... t.php?s=51

Definitely worth reading, as is a lot of stuff on BTFH.

NOTE: URL is now 'net' not 'com'.

[samuelmichaels]

I can recommend Captain Vorpartil's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold. It's scheduled to be out in November 2012,
but electronic advanced reader copy (eARC) can be purchased from Baen now.

It stands alone, but reading previous books in the Vorkosigan universe would help with the context.

[grimlock157]

I've started reding this and think it's going to be a good addition to the universe

[boballab]

It stands alone, but reading previous books in the Vorkosigan universe would help with the context.

Now there is an understatement. Alot of humor in the story is based on knowledge of what has happened in the past books. However with that said it is a very good book.

For those that are fans of the universe but haven't bought the eARC here is a tidbit and something you would never expect to see from Ivan:

Shrugging off the sarcasms, and dear God hadn’t he had enough practice at that in his life, Ivan drew a long breath. “Tej. Will you marry me?”

http://www.baenebooks.com/chapters/A978 ... .htm?blurb

[samuelmichaels]

It stands alone, but reading previous books in the Vorkosigan universe would help with the context.

Now there is an understatement.

http://www.baenebooks.com/chapters/A978 ... .htm?blurb[/quote]
A charming understatement, I hope? (Yes, that was an in-joke).

[Spec8472]

The Apocalypse Codex, by Charles Stross (from his The Laundry series - all of which are also good) - currently reading this, but it's very good.

Redshirts, by John Scalzi (fantastic take on sci-fi, and references a lot of Star Trek)

Robopocalypse, by Daniel H Wilson

Amped: A Novel, by Daniel H Wilson

Older ones I've forgotten to post:

Altered Carbon, by Richard K Morgan (and the rest of the Takeshi Kovacs novels)

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks (Yes, they're making a movie out of this -- but from the sounds of it, it's being completely ruined)

Old Man's War, plus Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi

[heustess]

I just finished Terry Pratchett's latest non-Discworld book, The Long Earth. It is a collaboration with Stephen Baxter and the start of a new series. It was exceptionally good. It deals with travel to alternate Earths but the mode of travel is available to all people. It makes me want to check out Stephan Baxter's other work.