3 ms·

I read through your posts because I was wondering who you are, just heads up. Anyway, I actually don't know of too many books that deal with that scale, maybe A

I read through your posts because I was wondering who you are, just heads up. Anyway, I actually don't know of too many books that deal with that scale, maybe Asimov's Foundation series, but I am guessing you read that already. I find it hard to compare the TBD problem to anything because I just thought it was utter tripe, on the level of Brandon Sanderson's / Roger Zelazny's books - a lot of content, very little substance (with the exception of "This Immortal" by Zelazny, which is supposedly the inspiration for Planescape: Torment, which I can wholeheartedly recommend to any teenager). Of course, you might also enjoy Piknik na Obochine, Trudno Bit Bogom, and Neukratimaya Planeta, as people of your particular background tend to do ;^) Though that last one didn't really age well as I grew up. Oh, and Chekov is amazing when compared to the other famous Russian authors imo. Your turn for some recommendations, i.e. your top 3, since I am looking for stuff to read. Not necessarily in this genre.

gdy 7y ago
I've read a lot of Azimov, including the Foundation series, and nearly all books by the Strugatsky brothers. And I too loved Harry Harrisons's Deathworld when I was a schoolboy :) Reading Chekhov makes me genuinely sad, maybe I take the lives of his heroes too close to heart. I am not sure about top 3, but if I had to reread something I've read before, I'd start with Dostoevsky's 'Idiot', continue with "За миллиард лет до конца света" by Strugatsky brothers, and maybe I'll reread the Permutation City by Greg Egan. As for the Three Body Problem, I find it unique in that it realisticly represents the humanity's place in the galaxy (a fly on the wind shield). Lui Cixin's cosmic sociology [0] rings true to me too. The idea of laws of physics being the result of the activity of advanced civilizations, while not original (see Lem's “The New Cosmogony”), is fascinating nonetheless. The story of how 'right' moral choices in the context of that world lead to the end of humanity is another original bit. [0] https://whatever.scalzi.com/2014/11/11/the-big-idea-liu-cixin/ https://whatever.scalzi.com/2014/11/11/the-big-idea-liu-cixi...
- ohaideredevs 7y ago
  Slow reply because I was looking for an author I found out a few years ago through a friend, read one book by, thought it was great, and then completely forgot his name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Pelevin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Pelevin I might have one more author, if it turns out the book wasn't by the guy above. Unfortunately, I don't even remember the name, and I don't see it in his bibliography.
  - gdy 7y ago
    No problem. Which book was that? Pelevin used to be good, but I haven't liked a couple of his more recent books, in fact, couldn't even finish reading.

gdy 7y ago

I've read a lot of Azimov, including the Foundation series, and nearly all books by the Strugatsky brothers. And I too loved Harry Harrisons's Deathworld when I was a schoolboy :) Reading Chekhov makes me genuinely sad, maybe I take the lives of his heroes too close to heart. I am not sure about top 3, but if I had to reread something I've read before, I'd start with Dostoevsky's 'Idiot', continue with "За миллиард лет до конца света" by Strugatsky brothers, and maybe I'll reread the Permutation City by Greg Egan. As for the Three Body Problem, I find it unique in that it realisticly represents the humanity's place in the galaxy (a fly on the wind shield). Lui Cixin's cosmic sociology [0] rings true to me too. The idea of laws of physics being the result of the activity of advanced civilizations, while not original (see Lem's “The New Cosmogony”), is fascinating nonetheless. The story of how 'right' moral choices in the context of that world lead to the end of humanity is another original bit. [0] https://whatever.scalzi.com/2014/11/11/the-big-idea-liu-cixin/ https://whatever.scalzi.com/2014/11/11/the-big-idea-liu-cixi...

ohaideredevs 7y ago
Slow reply because I was looking for an author I found out a few years ago through a friend, read one book by, thought it was great, and then completely forgot his name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Pelevin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Pelevin I might have one more author, if it turns out the book wasn't by the guy above. Unfortunately, I don't even remember the name, and I don't see it in his bibliography.
- gdy 7y ago
  No problem. Which book was that? Pelevin used to be good, but I haven't liked a couple of his more recent books, in fact, couldn't even finish reading.