Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2017 14:31:11 GMT -7
No... not Tolkien... NIVEN!
Ringworld was the first sci-fi book I ever just LOVED. I used to read the book every year, I even bought a few extra copies to loan to friends.
I have read Ringworld, Ringworld Engineers, Ringworld Throne, and Ringworld's Children. I also started on Fleet of Worlds, but it did not hold me. I'll try again this fall. I prefer to read in the winter (probably from my youth in Michigan). I have read some of his other books as well. I even read his Fantasy Book The Magic Goes Away (LOVED IT). But I'm a purist, I guess. When other people write his stuff, it never works for me. It falls flat.
Sadly, while we have a Dyson Sphere, we don't have a Niven Ring in Star Trek. We kind of have Kzinti (depending on who you ask), which is pretty cool and also odd.
Any other Known Spacers out there?
Where in Known Space would you want to live?
Who's yer favorite Character?
|
|
|
|
Post by Gorn on Jul 22, 2017 15:02:33 GMT -7
Apparently a film version is in development hell. James Cameron has the rights from what I understand. Film is probably the only version anyone would be interested in now.
|
|
|
|
Post by JAFisher44 on Jul 22, 2017 15:29:17 GMT -7
I would be very interested in a good film version of Ringworld. I'm still sure the book would be better. It is extremely rare that a book is outshone by its film adaptation.
|
|
|
|
Post by trynda1701 on Jul 23, 2017 12:05:22 GMT -7
Maybe a mini series of Ringworld would work better. A Hollywood blockbuster would not do it any justice, even a three hour movie. Plus, it woluld probably end up with too many 'splosions (even without Micheal Bay)!
|
|
zaarin7
Lieutenant
I'm up for Vassal/Skype gameing.
Posts: 150 
|
Post by zaarin7 on Jul 24, 2017 16:48:02 GMT -7
I'm a known spacer as well. My favorite Ringworld story was the year soon after it came out originally MIT students were chanting at a convention "The Ringworld is unstable!" so the stabilization thrusters were added in the Engineer book. Advise all this is from memory of thing read years ago.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2017 3:25:52 GMT -7
zaarin7 I read the same thing in ... "Tales of Known Space" i think. I really liked "crashlander" Beowulf Shaeffer is da man! not sure its "known space" but "world out of time" was really fun. nice thing about niven books - the hero always gets some slap-and-tickle.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2017 18:03:54 GMT -7
"Crashlander" was good. "A World Out of Time" was just a blast to read. And "Protector" was just darn good.
"Destiny's Road" and the Smoke Ring books were just "okay". Smoke Ring is literally a Niven Ring without the ring. Cool concept, but not the best story.
And... yes... the heroes always get lucky in Niven books.
|
|
|
|
Post by jeffwright on Jul 30, 2017 13:35:50 GMT -7
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2017 14:05:55 GMT -7
Sure... that's cool. But... And this  |
|
zaarin7
Lieutenant
I'm up for Vassal/Skype gameing.
Posts: 150
|
Post by zaarin7 on Jul 31, 2017 10:02:08 GMT -7
I thought the "Smoke Ring" books were very imaginative in the biology and the overall situation.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2017 10:54:52 GMT -7
That part was actually very cool. The whole concept is just fantastic, but the story was not so great. If it had not been "Niven" I would say it was a pretty good book.
|
|
|
|
Post by starcruiser on Jul 31, 2017 17:21:44 GMT -7
Yes, you do tend to develop certain expectations from good writers.
I've read some Niven, along with a lot of Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein and C.S. Forester, Tolkien, Herbert, O'Brian...yikes...
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2017 17:55:23 GMT -7
Read Pournelle. He and Niven did some great work together. "Lucifer's Hammer" is a good one.
I always found Clarke a bit... slow, but not too bad. He wrote a wonderful book about creating the first artificial satellite. Tolkien was also a bit detail oriented, but still crafted a good story. Asimov and Heinlein are just really good, solid writers. Frank Herbert was NUTS - and Dune was great. After Dune Messiah he got a bit too out there for me.
I read mostly non-fiction these days. I will have to make time for Larry again soon. He's a cool cat.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2017 18:25:19 GMT -7
A Gift from Earth. Good Niven read.
anybody read World of Ptavvs?
|
|
|
|
Post by starcruiser on Jul 31, 2017 18:59:41 GMT -7
On Tolkien - I've actually read "The Silmarillion". Not many people have actually done the whole thing  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2017 3:15:50 GMT -7
You Sir, are a rare being. I've heard it is a bit dry...
|
|
|
|
Post by starcruiser on Aug 1, 2017 7:35:59 GMT -7
That's one way to describe it. Remember, there is a LOT of deliberately "old fashioned" language in it (sort of Elizabethan) and a lot of reference material that you don't really need to read so much.
I've read "The Hobbit" multiple times and it's a quick and pleasant read. We all need to remember that The Silmarillion came out after Tolkien was gone, he never actually finished it.
|
|
