Jazz Posted December 9, 2003 Report Posted December 9, 2003 The poster of the same moniker got me thinking on some science fiction. (Has anyone read the foundation series? The second and third books of that series features "The Mule" was the center character). Anyways, who here, if anyone, is into science fiction, either films, literature, or even a tv series? Does anyone have some favorite authors or films? Or am I just a huge nerd? Quote
Chrome Posted December 9, 2003 Report Posted December 9, 2003 Add me to the "huge nerd" team, because I think about the same thing every time I see "The Mule" here. I loved Asimov when I was younger, and I even read some of the later Foundation books done by other authors (not too bad, really). Maybe I'm just stretched too thin now attention-wise, but there aren't a lot of current sci fi writers that pique my interest. A couple of semi-recent books I recommend are "Happy Policeman" and "Brother Termite" by Patricia Anthony. Also, although I might be the only person to consider this science fiction, John Barth's "Giles Goat-boy" is an incredible read. Hey, and anyone ever notice how many jazz lovers, myself included, are (Philip K.) Dick-heads? Quote
Chrome Posted December 9, 2003 Report Posted December 9, 2003 (edited) ... and for those not in the huge nerd club: The second half of the book [Foundation by Isaac Asimov], titled The Mule, is all about the rise of a myserious man called the Mule. He is a man who has the ability to sense and manipulate the emotions of others. He uses this ability take over one of the sovereignties bordering the Foundation, and has them wage a war against the Foundation. While his sovereignty is waging the war, he then travels under the guise as refugee clown with Toran and Bayta Darrell to different worlds of the Foundation, using his abilities to undermine the Foundations' war effort by destroying morale. In the end, the Foundation falls without much of a fight. While still under the guise of refugee clown, he travels with Bayta and Toran, along with psychologist Ebling Mis to Great Library of Trantor. They seek to contact the Second Foundation to help get rid of the Mule. The Mule, on the other hand, wishes to know the location of the Second foundation so he can use the First foundation to destroy it. The Mule surreptitiously stimulates Ebling's mind, allowing him to make powerful insights while using the library as a resource. As Ebling lies dying, the insights having come at the cost of his health, he is just as he is about to reveal the location of the Second foundation when Bayta shoots him. She had shortly before realized the Mule had been traveling with them. She kills Ebling to prevent him from revealing the location. The Mule, defeated, leaves them to go reign over the Foundation. NOTE: I "liberated" this info from a science site somewhere. Edited December 9, 2003 by Chrome Quote
chris olivarez Posted December 9, 2003 Report Posted December 9, 2003 When in doubt ask the mule. Quote
jazzbo Posted December 9, 2003 Report Posted December 9, 2003 (edited) Hey I've known The Mule five or six years I think via email and I never made that connection between the Asimov character and the flesh and blood character! I used to be a big Science Fiction person in my youth (gad I really do feel as if my youth is gone, scary.) Some favorites were Pohl and Kornbluth, Anderson, Farmer, Niven, Delaney, Zelazny. . . .Though the deeper and deeper I got into Philip K. Dick (he was one of the first since I read the Zap Gun at age 12 in 1967) I moved out of the genre more into hard-boiled psychodrama and mysteries, deep into the generation of writers that Hammett and Chandler spawned, and true originals like Jim Thompon and David Goodis and Horace McCoy. . . and totally genrebusting people like Henry Miller and Thomas Mann. Then I embarked on a study of gnosticism and early Christianity that was partially fueled by PKD, and into a long period of mainly reading nonfiction and I'm mostly still in that phase. . . . Edited December 9, 2003 by jazzbo Quote
The Mule Posted December 9, 2003 Report Posted December 9, 2003 The Mule, is all about the rise of a myserious man called the Mule. He is a man who has the ability to sense and manipulate the emotions of others. He uses this ability take over one of the sovereignties bordering the Foundation, and has them wage a war against the Foundation. Muh-wah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!!!! Quote
Jazzmoose Posted December 10, 2003 Report Posted December 10, 2003 I thought of the Asimov books right away when I saw the Mule posting as well. Didn't have the heart to ask him if there was any connection. Or maybe I did and just....forgot about it... Quote
The Mule Posted December 10, 2003 Report Posted December 10, 2003 Well, as much as I'd like to say my on-line moniker is taken from Asimov, it's not. It's actually a nickname I've had for ages derived from my family name... Quote
BruceH Posted December 10, 2003 Report Posted December 10, 2003 The Asimov/Foundation connection is the first thing I thought of when I first saw The Mule's handle as well. Nice to see that I'm not the only one. Growing up I was very much on the same reading track as jazzbo, particularly with respect to Pohl & Kornbluth, Niven, and Zelazny. Also Heinlein, Damon Knight, Kuttner & Moore, Sturgeon, Stapledon, Simak, Disch, Silverberg, Robert Sheckley, Gardner Dozois, Philip K. Dick, Leiber, Piper, and some guy named Sterling. I also branched out and kind of left sf behind, but now I read some occasionally. I must admit I felt a surprising twinge of grief when I heard the news of Damon Knight passing away recently. He was about the last of the old guard, other than Arthur C. Clark. Perhaps it was an uncomfortable reminder of the passage of time. Quote
Jazzmoose Posted December 10, 2003 Report Posted December 10, 2003 What a great list of memories, Bruce! (But add Frederick Brown, and I'll be happier!) Unfortunately, I've been away from SF for so long, I had no idea that Knight had passed. Sad news. Quote
BruceH Posted December 11, 2003 Report Posted December 11, 2003 Hell, I've been re-reading Brown lately! Getting in touch with my inner nerd, I got Nesfa Press's From These Ashes: The Complete Short Fiction of Fredric Brown, and it's companion Martians and Madness, which collects all his sf novels. As a kid I only read What Mad Universe among his novels. (Wonder if I should check out any of his mysteries.) Some of his short stories are among my all-time favorites, such as "Arena" and "Puppet Show." He was also a master of the short-short. I also forgot to mention William Tenn, Stanley G. Weibaum, James Schmitz, as well as others I'm sure. Like Ursula K. LeGuin, for instance...damn, once I start I can't stop. No more! Quote
chris Posted December 11, 2003 Report Posted December 11, 2003 I still turn to sci-fi now and again. Most recently the Peter F Hamilton Reality Dysfunction/Neutronium Alchemist/Naked God set of books. I love golden age sci-fi and space opera. And the "classics" such as Clarke, Heinlein... Asimov has been a favorite since I was a kid. Not too long ago I read through most of the Prelude and Foundation books again. More recently I like Neal Stephenson, Sean McMullen, Vernor Vinge-- if it isn't old and cheesy I like it grand and sweeping... Quote
Jazzmoose Posted December 11, 2003 Report Posted December 11, 2003 Damn! I knew I wasn't spelling the name right, but every way I tried looked wrong... Quote
BruceH Posted December 11, 2003 Report Posted December 11, 2003 Chris---I tried the Peter Hamilton mega-trilogy you mentioned, but got bogged down. Love the background though. Vinge! I'm a big fan. In a sense he's not a new writer, as he had a short story published in 1969. The important work is from the last 20 years though. I too tend to go for the "new" wide-screen Space Opera among recent stuff. Moose, no need to feel bad. Brown was probably one of the few Freds who spelled it "Fredric." Quote
Chrome Posted December 11, 2003 Report Posted December 11, 2003 BruceH: Safe to assume you've read "Dune"? "A Canticle for Leibowitz"? If not, I bet you would like these. Quote
chris Posted December 11, 2003 Report Posted December 11, 2003 There were points at which I bogged down in the Hamilton books too-- but I REALLY wanted to see what the outcome would be. They were uneven, but definitely interesting. I didn't realize Vinge started that long ago-- loved Fire Upon the Deep and Deepness in the Sky but am anxious for something new! Hey, I just became a groover! Where's the icon for that Quote
chris Posted December 11, 2003 Report Posted December 11, 2003 BruceH: Safe to assume you've read "Dune"? "A Canticle for Leibowitz"? If not, I bet you would like these. Canticle is a classic. One of the best of the titles when I went on a big post-apocalyptic fiction binge some years back.... along with On The Beach, the three J. G. Ballard books/novellas... Quote
BruceH Posted December 11, 2003 Report Posted December 11, 2003 (edited) Hell yeah, I read Dune and Canticle in high school. Never got on board for the rest of the Dune series, though. Chris, have you read Vinge's Peace War and Marooned In Realtime? They're lesser-known novels from the 1980's that deserve to be better known, IMHO. The latter, in particular, is a sort of minor classic. I believe they've recently been re-issued. (Finally.) Then there's the Real Names book, which gives him a claim to having anticipated the whole cyberpunk movement by several years. Edited December 11, 2003 by BruceH Quote
Jazzmoose Posted December 11, 2003 Report Posted December 11, 2003 Ballard was one of the last SF writers I got into before I moved on. In fact, he's probably one of the reasons I moved on; he was more of a "bridge" for me. Looking back, I'm not sure he ever belonged on the SF shelf... Quote
chris Posted December 11, 2003 Report Posted December 11, 2003 The labels break down for many authors-- speculative fiction is more encompassing I guess. Whatever he is, I like a lot of Ballard's work (that I have read, at least). I haven't even mentioned my other deviant reading (and writing) obsession-- poetry Quote
Jazz Posted December 11, 2003 Author Report Posted December 11, 2003 Has anyone read either of the Hyperion books by Dan Simmons? Quote
BruceH Posted December 12, 2003 Report Posted December 12, 2003 (edited) Good question. I have not, so I'm also curious. They've gotten a lot of attention, but I'm still not sure they're worth a go. Edited August 9, 2010 by BruceH Quote
Jazz Posted December 12, 2003 Author Report Posted December 12, 2003 Strangely enough, I read the second one a looong time ago, but not the first one. I would definitely say that it was a good read. I was wondering if anyone had read both because I wanted to know if the first one was worth my time, or comparable to its sequel. Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted August 2, 2010 Report Posted August 2, 2010 Has anyone read either of the Hyperion books by Dan Simmons? Just re-read both books. A great read. On to the second two (Endymion and Rise of Endymion). Quote
ghost of miles Posted August 2, 2010 Report Posted August 2, 2010 I miss The Mule (the poster). Quote
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