6 replies to this topic

[Chukkzy]

What kind of scifi do you like? The hardcore military scifi? Vast armies colliding with each other... or rather the utopia sort of scifi, all is well and we can explore the boundaries of the universe? Maybe you like something else, dystopian scifi, watch the world as we know it lay in ruins and see the survivors deal with it? Or something totally else... discuss. (Please. I always find the "discuss!" part of these threads so harsh... so pretty please. )

[SpleenBeGone]

I'm a fan of a few different types. War scifis are always great, especially with massive alien forces and stuff. I like the exploration too, I think that's why I liked Stargate so much, because it was a good mix of both.

I also really like the false utopian stuff, like the game Mirrors Edge, where the government is so controlling and there's people fighting against it. There's a few movies that are like this too, but the names escape me at the moment.

[stackcollision]

I prefer the well-rounded universe.

I feel like 99% of hardcore military universes are made by teenage boys who are too uncreative to flesh out the part of the world which doesn't involve explosions. And even if they do get that far, it's usually just thrown in as an afterthought.

As a counter-example, The Forever War by Haldeman is the epitome of the hardcore military-driven society. However, Haldeman spends a lot of time detailing the other facets of the universe. Even if most of the story's action takes place on a battlefield, the entire world was still complete. The same goes for Starship Troopers by Heinlein.

[Chukkzy]

Starship Troopers is a great book, opposed to the pretty crappy movie. I generally dislike when there is too much of military romantic in a story (complete with Kipling poems and stuff, unless its done for satirical purposes), there has to be a purpose, otherwise its just fapping off to a military fetish.
Some examples of good military SF I read are the Barrayar series by McMaster Bujold or even the old Battletech books (my brother collected them, praise him for that lol). Timothy Zahn also did a great job with his Blackcollars, though I guess this falls into a mixture of genres again (Alien Invasion, rebellion, even political struggles).

[Calvary]

Gotta love aliens, aliens and brutal oppressive dystopian regimes crushing the spirits of their citizens. Ehem.

[Grolli]

Always liked the Battletech universe (go figure eh?). I stuck with Stargate for about 7 seasons. Got a little wierd after that. For me, exploring... Star Trek-ish i guess. Not too much into the blood and gore, but the unknown or 500 year plus future type war stuff.. I am all in.

[Calvary]

Warhammer 40k is in my opinion the best sci-fi franchise just because of how in depth every minuscule detail is. Oh and for fantasy, Tolkein or Pratchett!