Latest additions to the #reading stack.
I hadn't recorded it properly, but turns out I already owned the book The Long Earth by #TerryPratchett and #StephenBaxter. đ
Reading the series right now.
Three #ChildrenBooks chosen by my youngest and me. I didn't know #CarlosRuizZafon wrote children's books, too.
Wybuch wulkanu Yellowstone i jego skutki jest opisany w serii #scifi DĆuga Ziemia
#terrypratchet #stephenbaxter
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Wulkan Yellowstone wybuchnie? Konsekwencje dla Polski - Planeta https://www.planeta.pl/nauka/wulkan-yellowstone-wybuchnie-konsekwencje-dla-polski
#thelongutopia #thelongearthseries #terrypratchett #stephenbaxter #newpurchase #midureads #bookstagram
The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter is a true monument to The War of the Worlds, perfectly extending the story into a wider incursion by the Martians. 10/10 from me, it is a book I'm not going to forget.
https://rdmp.org/dale-mellor/bookblog/?review=the-massacre-of-mankind
@bookstodon #reading #waroftheworlds #themassacreofmankind #scifi #ScifiReading #stephenbaxter #books #BooksWorthReading
Der #SFAdventskalender2024
Hinter dem zwölften TĂŒrchen wird es plötzlich dunkel.
>> https://www.sf-lit.de/aktuelle-meldungen/letzte-meldung-2413/
âTimelike Infinityâ Is Sharp And Compelling
Timelike Infinity (1992) by Stephen Baxter raises the bar on hard SF. Baxter grounds his story with real science and maths yet balances it with high stakes action and believable characters. Baxter takes enormous ideas and makes them relatable and urgent without sacrificing authenticity. This makes Timelike Infinity an engaging story on multiple levels.
The Qax have subjugated Earth and all its colonies. Humanity serves the needs of the Qax with little hope of escape. However, the Cauchy, a ship ferrying a wormhole gate returns after 1,500 years of travel and rebels shock the Qax by flying a ship into the open wormhole to travel into the past before the arrival of the Qax.
The Qax worry what effect these rebels will have on the timeline and so revive Earth technologies to create a new wormhole gate. When the gate is complete a ship emerges. A Xeelee ship commanded by a future Qax. This Qax has come to stop the rebels at all costs.
When the future Qax arrive 1,500 years in the past only Michael Poole, the scientist who created the wormholes, has a plan to stop this Qax. A foolhardy and reckless plan but itâs the only plan he has. Michael must make the plan work or accept the utter destruction of humankind.
Stephen Baxterâs Xeelee Sequence is one of those series I didnât read when they were first published. I was at uni in the early 90s and had neither time nor money to spend on books. Itâs a good thing too since this is the kind of story that easily distracts me from other activities, like studying.
After reading Baxterâs first novel, Raft (1991), I had no clear sense of what the Xeelee are. Timelike Infinity , however, is much more direct about the Xeelee and their supreme god-like abilities. They are, for all intents and purposes, the âowners of the universeâ. Which is to say donât mess with the Xeelee if you donât want your whole species eliminated.
The Xeelee aside, Baxter uses science to create problems and solutions. He twists and turns physics and maths into metaphysical pretzels. This, in turns, allows characters to justify actions or refute those same actions. The arguments are all correct, from a point of view. And thatâs the whole point. Baxter uses Schrödinger and Wigner to set up a solution that only works if there is an observer. But who is that observer? God or something else?
Timelike Infinity is not just a philosophical treatise. For all the grand scientific ideas Baxter bandies about he also creates high action. The stakes are big and the weapons are bigger. Yet, there is room for subtlety and surprise. Given the superiority of Xeelee technology the humans face incredible odds. But Baxter allows for the creativity of his characters thinking to make the battle more equal.
The characters of Timelike Infinity are interesting and well developed, yet there is something a little uniform in their make up. I think itâs because they all seem to be geniuses at one thing or another. This doesnât harm the story in any way but it is something to be aware of while reading it.
Stephen BaxterOne thing that strikes me is that Timelike Infinity harkens back to SF space operas of the Golden Age of SF. The ideas and action are huge and on the grandest of scales. I have no doubt that given the chance John W. Campbell, Jr. or any of the other editors of that era would have jumped at the chance to publish Timelike Infinity.
Timelike Infinity is big, bold SF in the grandest tradition. If you like your SF hard, your technologies incredible, and your action vast then Timelike Infinity is perfect for you. And you donât need to have read the previous novel, Raft. Timelike Infinity stands on its own within the Xeelee Sequence and alongside any SF you choose to mention. I will be returning to the Xeelee universe in the near future.
#BookReview #StephenBaxter #TimelikeInfinity #XeeleeSequence
Journalling some stuff I read / visited / painting / wrote in a #blogpost
#StephenBaxter #HGWells #WarOfTheWorlds #bookreview #scifi #DylanDog #comic #Forensics #Warhammer #WarhammerCommunity #art #writing #blog
https://neurontosomething.wordpress.com/2024/10/26/my-brain-comfort-foodfor-thought/
#reading âUltimaâ by #Stephen_Baxter, the thrilling sequel to âProximaâ! Ancient alien artifacts, multiverse adventures, and grand scientific ideas make this a must-read for sci-fi fans. #SciFi #BookRecommendations #StephenBaxter
20 books that have had an impact on who you are. One book a day for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just book covers (don't forget the alt text).
11/20
The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter
"The only way to reach God, or anyhow the space beyond us where God ought to be, is by working hard, by helping other people â and by pushing your mind to the limit of its capability, and then going a little beyond, and just listening." - Edith, in Stephen Baxter's story "The Invasion of Venus".
#god #StephenBaxter
JOIN USâŠfor a last hurrah in the #LongEarth!
Guests Joel Martin and Deanne Sheldon-Collins return for #TerryPratchett and #StephenBaxterâs final #TheLongEarth novel.
Catch up with a recap of the first four books in #PratchatPreviously2: https://pratchatpodcast.com/2024/07/08/pratchatpreviously2-the-longer-footnote/
Then listen to our discussion of THE LONG COSMOS in #Pratchat78: https://pratchatpodcast.com/2024/07/08/pratchat78-one-step-beyond/
"Listen
Do you want to know a secret?
Do you promise not to tell, whoa oh oh..."
___
Lennon & McCartney
I wandered into Ambleside Library and they let me have a book. Free of charge; gratis; for nothing.
I've used our libraries for about 50 years, and I still sometimes marvel at the simplicity of it, and the fun :-)
#pterry #terrypratchett #stephenbaxter
In our next episode, #Pratchat78, Joel Martin and Deanne Sheldon-Collins join us for the end of the journey in The Long Cosmos!
Get your questions in this week - we record next Saturday.
"... the Undying were weighed down by the huge burden of the past, each locked into a separate world.
... The present is just a surface bubble of sensation surrounding a great bubble of memory. You forget how to see, to hear; you forget how to talk to people. You forget other people even *exist*. You sink inwards into yourself, thinking about the past. Living on and on without end."
#StephenBaxter, Transcendent, 2005
(Flere) bĂžger vi elsker
Simon har lĂžftet slĂžret for hemmeligheden: selv om vi er bibliotekarer og burde elske alle bĂžger ligeligt, sĂ„ er der altsĂ„ bĂžger, vi elsker mere end andre. Og nĂ„r han nu har smidt nogle rigtig gode titler pĂ„ bordet, vil jeg ogsĂ„ vĂŠre med â og begrĂŠnser mig selv lidt ved at sige, at det ikke mĂ„ vĂŠre de samme som Simon (for han har hugget nogle rigtige gode eksempler). Desuden har jeg sat en arbitrĂŠr begrĂŠnsning pĂ„ 10 bĂžger â sĂ„ er der ogsĂ„ mulighed for at vende tilbage med en ny liste senere.
âElskeâ er naturligvis et svĂŠrt kriterium â folk bliver sure, hvis man forsĂžger at sĂŠtte ens kĂŠrlighed pĂ„ tal, og overgangen fra âelskerâ til âelsker mereâ er flydende, ogsĂ„ fra dag til dag. SĂ„ jeg har tĂŠnkt: bĂžger, der hos mig rammer den der flygtige genlĂŠsningskvalitet, der gĂžr, at jeg vender tilbage til dem â eller har lyst til at vende tilbage til dem â for at opdage endnu mere i dem.
Jeg er netop nu i gang med slutningen af Nick Harkaways debutroman og kan mĂŠrke de indledende Ăžvelser til den postliterale depression, der kan ramme Ă©n efter en rigtig god bog. Det er en svĂŠr bog at beskrive, fordi jeg fĂžler, at enhver omtale af indholdselementer bĂžr efterfĂžlges af â⊠men ikke fjollet!â Den er bĂ„de dramatisk, goshwowâet, overraskende, romantisk og meget mere â og til tider en smule fjollet. Jeg har tidligere forsĂžgt at skrive om den her. Og her. Og nu altsĂ„ ogsĂ„ her. SĂ„ om ikke andet, bĂžr du lade dig overbevise af min vedholdenhed.
Det er svÊrt at vÊlge en China Mieville-roman frem for de andre, for de er alle fede. Men Perdido Street Station var den fÞrste, jeg lÊste, sÄ den har en sÊrlig plads.
Husker du den scene i LoTR, hvor Saruman rĂ„ber til sine orker: âThe old world will burn in the fires of industry!â Hvis nu en af de orker havde overlevet og siden slĂ„et sig ned et fjern sted for at opfinde sin verdens ĂŠkvivalent til science fiction, ville have sikkert have skrevet PSS. Fantasy, monstre, kapitalismekritik og en forfatter, der elsker sit sprog sĂ„ tykt, som danskerne elsker den brune sovs.
Iain Banks (bĂ„de med og uden M) er ogsĂ„ en forfatter, hvor det er svĂŠrt at vĂŠlge en enkelt titel â men det mĂ„ alligevel vĂŠre Excession, nĂ„r det nu skal vĂŠre.
Banksâ Culture er det perfekte socialistiske fremtidssamfund, hvor super-AIâer ordner alle de store ting, og kĂždvĂŠsener kan gĂžre med livet, hvad de lyster. Det er space opera med superteknologi og vidunderlig technobabble, men hvad sker der, nĂ„r man pludselig fĂ„r kontakt til en civilisation, der er cirka lige sĂ„ langt fremme i forhold til Culture, som Culture er i forhold til menneskeheden lige nu? Der sker mange ting â blandt andet at fĂžrnĂŠvnte super-AIâer har lange samtaler. Og det er overraskende underholdende.
Vi bliver i science fiction-land med en bog, som det nok er mere end 20 Ă„r siden, jeg lĂŠste â men den har printet sig i mit hoved som en tung klump deprimerende hĂ„rd sf. HĂ„rd sf, der er deprimerende â ikke sf, der er deprimerende hĂ„rd, selv om det er en spĂŠndende tanke.
I et forsĂžg pĂ„ at redde fremtidige budgetter beslutter NASA at sammensĂŠtte en ekspedition til Titan, en af Saturns mĂ„ner â for man kan jo ikke nedlĂŠgge NASA, hvis man har astronauter ude i rummet. Vel? Det viser det sig, at man godt kan â og det er snart ikke astronauternes eneste problem. Faktisk bliver det bare tristere og tristere.
For nu at lette lidt pÄ humÞret mÄ vi have en finne pÄ banen. Den her har jeg skrevet om for nylig.
Metafiktion. Hukommelsestab. Begrebshajer. Den kan du lĂŠse om her.
Endnu en omgang science fiction â men nu ogsĂ„ med lidt lĂŠkker afsmag af horror. Tusindvis af kometagtige genstande styrter ned i Jordens atmosfĂŠre og scanner hele planeten. Et skib, Theseus, bliver sendt af sted for at finde modtagerne af den scanning. Vi fĂžlger mandskabet pĂ„ vej til first contact â og mĂždet med en fremmed intelligens â altimens Peter Watts kaster sig ud i det hav af sĂŠre effekter, som opstĂ„r af og i den klump materie, der bebor vores kranier. Blindsight er tĂŠt, foruroligende og spĂŠndende roman, hvor menneskeligheden bliver skĂ„ret skarpt op i rummets kulde og mĂžrke.
Novellen, der ligger til bund for Blood Music, er en god klassisk omgang ekstrapolerende science fiction â i romanen lader Bear sig selv gĂ„ lidt mere grassat. Det er nanoteknologi, det er frygten for grey goo â men det er ogsĂ„ et overraskende skarpt sving ud i en anden retning.
Clive Barker er igen en forfatter, hvor det er lidt svĂŠrt at vĂŠlge en enkelt titel â men Imajica fĂ„r point, fordi den er stor, monstrĂžs og ikke del af en serie, der aldrig er blevet afsluttet (for helvede, Clive!). Barker er en af de fĂ„ forfattere, der kan fĂ„ lov at blande fantasy og horror, fordi han formĂ„r at skrive magi, sĂ„ det virker unaturligt og overvĂŠldende og (nĂ„ja) magisk. Og sĂ„ er han lige sĂ„ glad for at fylde gode ord ind i sin tekst som f.eks. Mieville, og det har jeg Ă„benbart en forkĂŠrlighed for.
En dansker skal der ogsĂ„ vĂŠre plads til, og hvis der kun skal vĂŠre en, sĂ„ mĂ„ det vĂŠre Grete Roulund â og Setans porte er den bog, som jeg ryster truende ad folk, indtil de lĂŠser den. I en sydĂžstasiatisk Ăžrepublik har franskmĂŠndene lavet lidt for mange atomprĂžvesprĂŠngninger (eller ogsĂ„ er guderne vrede), og nu er bajangerne sluppet lĂžs. Og det er dystert og fascinerende og fantastisk. Jeg har skrevet om den her â og Gyseren har mit portrĂŠt af Grete Roulund liggende.
#bĂžgerViElsker #ChinaMieville #CliveBarker #fantasy #GregBear #GreteRoulund #horror #JuhaniKarila #NickHarkaway #StephenBaxter
"The present is just a surface of sensation surrounding a great bubble of memory. You forget how to see, to hear; you forget how to talk to people. You forget other people even *exist*. You sink inwards into yourself, thinking about the past. Living on and on without end."
#StephenBaxter, Transcendent, 2005
