Welcome to bookchat where you can talk about anything...books, plays, essays, and books on tape. You don’t have to be reading a book to come in, sit down, and chat with us.
What often grabs us in reading science fiction and fantasy is the creation of a completely different world. Some worlds are set on a spaceship as with the Rama series by Arthur C. Clarke that begins with Rendezvous with Rama. Some are set in deserts such as Dune by Frank Herbert. Some worlds are set in Empires beyond the stars as with Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series. One interesting world takes us from Ireland to the stars in Tales of Aeron by Patricia Kenneally-Morrison.
These tales are based on the Arthur legend carried into space.
The Copper Crown (1984)
The Throne of Scone (1986)
The Silver Branch (1988)
Another important fantasy world is Pern by Anne McCaffrey. The world of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien is a favorite and Harry Potter’s world by Rowling is another beloved place that many of us feel we have actually visited. Many of us have followed the saga of Redwall in the series that begins with Redwall Abbey by Brian Jacques and others of us grew up with Baum's Oz and Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain.
Serendipity happens as Rimjob writes a diary that fits our theme:
Defining Humanity
by Rimjob
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Can you name this world? (Answers below)
- The inn where the story begins, the Inn of the Last Home, is in a living tree and a half elf, a kinder and a gully dwarf along with twins are important characters.
- The School of Magic is on Roke Island and there is a doorkeeper. Names are important.
- The hero wins a crown from a ghost in a tower and has many questions about the stars on his face. There are similar stars on a harp and a sword.
- The giant hospital is in space and it cares for all kinds of creatures and sends small rescue ships out to save some peculiar and dangerous species.
- Spaceship survivors live on an island and a translator is allowed to visit the aliens on the mainland...he is the human paidhi, a translator-diplomat to the court of the ruling Aiji of the atevi aishidi'tat. The atevi use numbers for everything and they have Man’chi or duty to associations to others, not friendship.
- "It is the story of five University of Toronto students, who are drawn into the 'first world of the Tapestry' by the mage Loren Silvercloak. Once there, each discovers his or her own role and destiny in the framework of an epic conflict." (from wiki *)
- There is a bar where the barkeeper and the regulars help each other. Some of those helped are not from this world.
- "He is a failed student at the Unseen University for wizards in Ankh-Morpork, often described by scholars as "the magical equivalent to the number zero", and spends just about all of his time running away from various bands of people who want to kill him for various reasons. The fact that he's still alive and running is explained in that although he was born with a wizard's spirit, he has the body of a long-distance sprinter. He is also reputed for being able to solve minor problems by turning them into major disasters. His unique "skill" is implied to be due to being the chosen one of "The Lady", the anthropomorphic personification of luck." (from wiki *)
- The powerful ladies live on a magic isle that is not easily reached. A boat may be called or a lost wanderer may stumble on this island outside of time.
- "In the year 2489 C.E., Terran spaceship Streaker — crewed by 150 uplifted dolphins, seven humans, and one uplifted chimpanzee — discovers a derelict fleet of 50,000 spaceships the size of small moons in a shallow cluster. They appear to belong to the Progenitors, the legendary "first race" which uplifted the other species." (from wiki *)
- Going home from the war, the ship’s master and the crew are assailed by many woes and troubles including poppies, a giant, bags of wind, a sorceress, forbidden cattle and sirens. The master finally makes it home to find troubles at home as well.
I can’t repeat my whole list of dragon stories because it was a long one, so if you missed it, you can check it out here:
Dragons of Story and Metaphor
http://www.dailykos.com/...
plf515 is doing aliens on Friday morning so pull out your favorites to share with him.
Answers
- The world is Krynn and the first series is The DragonLance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
The Chronicles Trilogy plus a new one to me
Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Dragons of Winter Night
Dragons of Spring Dawning
Dragons of Summer Flame
- The Earthsea series by Ursula Le Guin with Ged as the hero.
A Wizard of Earthsea (1968)
The Tombs of Atuan (1971)
The Farthest Shore (1972)
Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea (1990)
The Other Wind (2001)
- Patricia McKillip’s series, The Riddle-Master of Hed trilogy
The Riddle-Master of Hed 1976
Heir of Sea and Fire 1977
Harpist in the Wind 1979
- Tales of Sector General series by James White
(not in order...first in list are later in series, but are very good and can stand alone)
Galactic Gourmet
Final Diagnosis
Mind Changer
Genocidal Healer
Silent Stars Go By
Double Contact
Hospital Station
Star Surgeon
Major Operation
Ambulance Ship
Sector General
Star Healer
Code Blue
General Practice
Alien Emergencies
- The Foreigner series by C. J. Cherryh
Foreigner (1994)
Invader (1995)
Inheritor (1996)
Precursor (1999)
Defender (2001)
Explorer (2003)
Destroyer (2005)
Pretender (2006)
Deliverer (2007)
Conspirator (2009)
- The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Summer Tree
The Wandering Fire
The Darkest Road
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
- Callahan's Crosstime Saloon by Spider Robinson
- Rincewind the Wizzard (sic) of Discworld by Terry Pratchett
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
wiki says Rincewind is not Pratchett’s favorite character, but he is mine. (Many here do not agree with me, but I claim diarists’s privilege and all that).
- The Mists of Avalon by Marian Zimmer Bradley
- The Uplift Universe by David Brin.
(wiki * http://en.wikipedia.org/...
The Uplift series
Sundiver (1980)
Startide Rising (1983)
The Uplift War (1987)
Uplift Storm trilogy
Brightness Reef (1995)
Infinity's Shore (1996)
Heaven's Reach (1998)
- The Odyssey by Homer
List of science fiction and fantasy authors
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Now, it is your turn to share favorite worlds and characters.
Diaries of the Week
Write On! But whatever you do, don't...
by SensibleShoes
http://www.dailykos.com/...
The Brushing Of Dark Wings
by Dean Nut
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Spectacular pictures and a wonderful diary!
-------- Laos -------- : Communist Buddhists; DKos Travel Board #15
by LaughingPlanet
http://www.dailykos.com/...
from jlms qkw at OND
East Germany, Up Close and Personal
By Karlheinz Jardner
http://www.spiegel.de/...
When a West German photographer set off on a trip to the East German island of Rügen just after the Wall fell in the spring of 1990, he captured a world that would soon disappear forever. Twenty years after the epochal event, he looks back on his journey in a first-person account.
Godel, Escher, Bach series: Brains and thoughts
by plf515
http://www.dailykos.com/...
plf515 has a wonderful book diary on Fridays early and all day.
sarahnity’s list of DKos authors has grown so much that she has her own diary.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
sarahnity says:
It turns out that we have quite a few authors hanging out here who have published books in the real world. A while ago, I started keeping a list of books by Kossacks, former Kossacks and Kossacks-once-removed. I was posting it each week to the diary series What Are You Reading and Bookflurries, but the list has grown long enough, that I've decided to turn it into a diary and post it as a weekly series on Tuesday evenings.
Not all Kossack authors may wish to lose their anonymity, so I am only including the author's UID if he has outed herself here (gender confusion intended). If you'd like to be included on the list, or if you know of an author who is left off, please leave a comment or email me.
(sarahnity@gmail.com)
Algebrateacher and plf have created The Tutoring Room. Algebrateacher says:
The Tutoring Room will always be open and updated weekly.