The Apolyton Science Fiction Discussion Group: June Nominations

[JohnT]

I also PM'ed Slowwhand in regards to the "Dreamcatcher" book.

[SlowwHand]

Originally posted by JohnT


Slowwhand, is that a nomination for Dreamcatcher, or just a recommendation?

It's a recommendation, that could be taken as a nomination.
It was a good read.

[JohnT]

Nomination it is!

[SlowwHand]

Has several humorous parts, and was written after Stephen King was run down while out for a walk.
Little FYI.

On the inside jacket back, it talks about King, and how he refuses to go in his own basement, for fear a velociraptor is behind the stairs by the fusebox.

[Static Universe]

Is this Stephen King's Dreamcatcher you're talking about? I'm not sure I'd call that "cyberpunk."

Synopsis:
Once upon a time, in the haunted city of Derry (site of the classics It and Insomnia), four boys stood together and did a brave thing. Certainly a good thing; perhaps even a great thing. Something that changed them in ways they could never begin to understand.

Twenty-five years later, the boys are now men with separate lives and separate troubles. But the ties endure. Each hunting season the foursome reunites in the woods of Maine.

This year, a stranger stumbles into their camp, disoriented, mumbling something about lights in the sky. His incoherent ravings prove to be disturbingly prescient. Before long, these men will be plunged into a horrifying struggle with a creature form another world. Their only chance of survival is locked in their shared past — and in the Dreamcatcher.

[JohnT]

Duh. You know, I read Dreamcatcher and didn't even remember it. But you are right - it isn't cyberpunk any more than Dune is.

[Drake Tungsten]

But you are right - it isn't cyberpunk any more than Dune is.

How about we nominate both of them anyway?

[JohnT]

[SlowwHand]

I don't don't read enough Sci-Fi to know Cyberwhatever, but I read enough to know Dreamcatcher is good, how ever The Club classifies it.

I'll say one thing, I'll never think the same about constipation.

[LDiCesare]

Not that I troll a lot around OT, but Stephenson's Snow Crash is indeed great. Particularly if you like computers. Stephenson is a great writer.

[CyberGnu]

Out of curiosity, what genre would people put the Warhammer 40k books in? It's bordering on cyberpunk and science fantasy, methinks... thoughts?

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by LDiCesare
Not that I troll a lot around OT, but Stephenson's Snow Crash is indeed great. Particularly if you like computers. Stephenson is a great writer.

he has grat stories

and I like his imagary

but hir story coherancy sucks

of course, so do many other fine writers, like Zelanzy

Jon Miller

[raghar]

I didn't think that small book that I seen was done from movie. So lets nominate Count Zero. It was somewhat better that its prequel. Nice story somewhat more as story than just plaing with mood of the story.

Personally, I think Johnny Mnemonic the movie was crap.

[CyberGnu]

Personally, I think Johnny Mnemonic the movie was crap.

What, with great lines such as "He's going out on the internet! Lower the bandwidth!"

[molly bloom]

I'd like to nominate Richard Kadrey's 'Metrophage'- although all the Stephenson and Gibson and Sterling choices are equally appealing.

"Richard Kadrey's Metrophage (Gollancz £10.95, Ace $3.50) is probably best described as second generation cyberpunk. While we don't get any ice jockeys plugging into the nearest Ono-Sendai, we get all the the depraved, decaying drug culture that is the Los Angeles of the future and plenty of low key hi-tech. The scene is superbly detailed, full of sharp observations and vivid descriptions. The story concerns a down on his luck drug dealer, who happens to be a former pawn of the ruling 'committee'. He is streetwise beyond belief and linked to all sorts of nasty people. The setting is perfectly downbeat and forms a perfect background to the rather breakneck adventures that follow. I get the impression that while the novel stands perfectly as is, Kadrey may just be having a little dig at the whole punk literature genre. Nevertheless, the lead character is likeable and believable, the one liners are sharp and occasionally verge on brilliance and the whole thing just avoids going over the top. Excellent, but grab it while it's fresh. "