Author Topic: Science Fiction Novel Poll - Group C  (Read 8387 times)

Ocicat

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on: October 21, 2009, 05:48:38 PM
Dune ran away with last week's poll, to no one's surprise.  Stranger in a Strange Land came in second by just one vote over I, RobotThe Forever war was just a vote behind that.

This week we have another Dune book (the second one), and another of Asimov's more famous works.  Also more Niven, Brin, and Le Guin.  Also our first appearances by the original SF Master, Jules Verne, as well as Arthur C. Clarke.  And for once, no Heinlein.  But don't get used to that.
« Last Edit: October 21, 2009, 06:24:25 PM by Ocicat »



Bdoomed

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Reply #1 on: October 21, 2009, 06:41:55 PM
Foundation ftw.

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


jrderego

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Reply #2 on: October 21, 2009, 07:05:19 PM
Had to go with Verne in this group.

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Talia

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Reply #3 on: October 21, 2009, 07:28:07 PM
Titan was one of the first genre books I ever read.



DKT

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Reply #4 on: October 21, 2009, 08:09:37 PM
Aw. For a second I thought that was Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. Haven't read Long Sun yet...

Read a few other books in this poll, but none that have really blown me away.


stePH

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Reply #5 on: October 21, 2009, 09:03:23 PM
Titan, Startide Rising and The Mote in God's Eye

Of the others listed that I have read, I hated Rendezvous with Rama, Foundation was just ... well ... Foundation, you know? ... and while Dune Messiah was not one of the suckier sequels to Dune, it was still a sequel to Dune.

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kibitzer

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Reply #6 on: October 21, 2009, 09:38:31 PM
How awesome to see To Say Nothing of the Dog in there! Time-travel stories in SF are a dime-a-dozen but this one is really fun. Loved it!

Almost voted for Long Sun thinking it was New Sun. But after missing Eon in last week's poll, I checked first :-)

Startide Rising -- didn't vote for it. It's a great book but Sundiver remains more original and accessible. The Uplift War I found rather long and tedious and I didn't continue with the other Uplift novels after that.


Ocicat

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Reply #7 on: October 21, 2009, 09:58:11 PM
I'm pleased to see Flowers for Algernon getting some love.  It's a great book, and one that's impacted me quite a bit over my life.  I've gotten very different things out of it at different times.  It has made me look at the place of intelligence in a happy life and confront fears about getting old.

And it uses the classic SF formula.  Change just one thing, explore the ramifications.  Here it's the ramifications on just one man (and a mouse) rather than the impact on society as a whole, but that only adds to it's effectiveness.  If someone thinks SF is all aliens, robots, and ray guns - point them at this book.



lowky

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Reply #8 on: October 22, 2009, 12:08:29 AM
flowers and journey for me


kibitzer

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Reply #9 on: October 22, 2009, 11:47:47 AM
That's the great thing about polls and stuff like this -- always meant to read "classics" like Flowers and this reminds me to get off my (mental) arse and do so.

Wait a sec...

My mind has an arse?


Sandikal

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Reply #10 on: October 23, 2009, 12:08:45 AM
I must have read Flowers for Algernon when I was a teenager.  However, that was so long ago, I don't remember one thing about it, other than the title.  Maybe it's due for a re-read. 



lowky

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Reply #11 on: October 23, 2009, 02:32:41 AM
I must have read Flowers for Algernon when I was a teenager.  However, that was so long ago, I don't remember one thing about it, other than the title.  Maybe it's due for a re-read. 

Was kind of thinking the same thing.


stePH

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Reply #12 on: October 23, 2009, 04:13:40 AM
I must have read Flowers for Algernon when I was a teenager.  However, that was so long ago, I don't remember one thing about it, other than the title.  Maybe it's due for a re-read. 

I read it in high school, except it appeared to be a short story and not a novel.  Is there a shorter version that they put in high school English books?

And on a related note, can anybody recommend the film adaptation (I think it's called Charly)?

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jrderego

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Reply #13 on: October 23, 2009, 12:43:31 PM
I must have read Flowers for Algernon when I was a teenager.  However, that was so long ago, I don't remember one thing about it, other than the title.  Maybe it's due for a re-read. 

I read it in high school, except it appeared to be a short story and not a novel.  Is there a shorter version that they put in high school English books?

And on a related note, can anybody recommend the film adaptation (I think it's called Charly)?

The film adaptation was very good.

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Ocicat

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Reply #14 on: October 23, 2009, 05:13:18 PM

I read it in high school, except it appeared to be a short story and not a novel.  Is there a shorter version that they put in high school English books?

And on a related note, can anybody recommend the film adaptation (I think it's called Charly)?

Flowers started out as a short short story and was fleshed out into a novel.  I haven't actually read the short myself.

I have seen the movie Charly though, and it's quite good.  Not as in depth as the book of course, but very good nontheless.



Anarkey

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Reply #15 on: October 23, 2009, 06:51:25 PM
Crap!  Missed a week.  :(

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stePH

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Reply #16 on: October 23, 2009, 09:00:54 PM
Flowers [for Algernon] started out as a short short story and was fleshed out into a novel. 

Sounds kind of like Zelazny's "Damnation Alley" and "He Who Shapes" (that latter was expanded into the novel The Dream Master).

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Ocicat

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Reply #17 on: October 25, 2009, 10:01:23 AM
We currently have a pretty clear first place winner, and a four way tie for second...



Ocicat

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Reply #18 on: October 27, 2009, 06:23:08 PM
Someone else voted!  Now we have a five way tie for second place!   :D



kibitzer

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Reply #19 on: November 22, 2009, 11:48:29 AM
Hi folks. I finished reading Flowers For Algernon (novel) this weekend. Wow. What a beautiful, sad, affecting story. Loved it. A true classic.