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They’re everywhere and no one notices. Pak Ma Rah Rangers were used as spies and observers for that very reason. That was Sheridan’s solution what to do with Pak Ma Rah Rangers. They are, apparently, ubiquitous!
My all-time favorite TV SF. Just like with Futurama (way up on my all-time list, itself), I’ve been waiting for new material. I’ll buy it, watch it and get back to you. 😀
I mentioned this in another thread but had to post it here, also. The movie is “Charly” starring Cliff Robertson in an Oscar winning performance as the title character. Based on the novel by Daniel Keyes, it is the story of a 30 year old mentally retarded man who submits to experimental surgery designed to increase his intelligence. Funny, sad, inspiring and very entertaining, this is a one of a kind movie and is well worth a view or two. Amazon.com has copies of the DVD and VHS.
I ran across an old, old copy of a book called Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes that I should have mentioned. Actually, I should never forgotten this one. It is a rarity in that it won Hugo’s as a short story, novella and novel and an Oscar for Cliff Robertson in “Charly” the movie adaptation of the novel. All this in the 1960’s.
Briefly it is about a 30 year old mentally retarded man, Charly, who undergoes an experimental surgical procedure to increase his intelligence. He becomes a genius. Written in the form of a journal by Charly it is a truly unique work. To say more is to give too much away. Each incarnation stands alone and is excellent in it’s own right as the awards attest. The short story and novella have been anthologized, although probably out of print, should be read if you can find them. The novel is available at Amazon.com as is the DVD which is also available at Netflix here in the US.
A funny, sad page turner. A must read.
This is the best news I’ve read today! Slow day, I guess. But, really, it won’t be long now. Netflix is getting tired of me ordering the existing DVD’s over and over and over again. Here’s hoping the four new DVD’s are the start of a long run of *new* Futurama material—and that we don’t have to wait so long for it.
😀
Those are all good choices, I forgot about some of them. I saw “A Boy And His Dog” (it was Don Johnson’s first movie by the way) with Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse Five” in an art house. “Slaughterhouse Five” is a weird, cult SF classic in its own right.
gw2001h, you’re right. Many of the titles I posted are actually first books in what turned out to be series. IMHO, they do, however, stand on there own, unlike so many current series, they are not open-ended in the sense that you have to buy the next one if you want to find out what is going on. If a volume is complete on its own, I tend to count it even if sequels follow.
That said, I do agree with you that writers tend to like a built-in audience and I am as “catchable” as most, if the writer is honest and the story is worth my time. I know that is vague, but personal taste is everything, ultimately. 😉
You’re right about movies. Not many “Children Of Men” get made. Most of the good SF in film tends more toward fantasy and uneven sequels. The best stuff seems to lend itself more towards TV and mini-series and the (very) occasional series. B-5, Battlestar Galactica, the Dune mini-series, etc.
I just read the new posts here and to my dismay, I noticed that I may have implied that Heinlein’s excellent The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress is a short story! Uh-uh, no-no, it’s a novel. What I meant was: Read any of his short story collections.
On the subject of Robert Anson Heinlein, he wrote a long series of short stories, novellas and one novel in a series that became known as his “Future History”. I believe he may have pioneered the concept; he certainly carried farther and in more depth and detail than others. They were all collected in a big anthology called (I hope I get this right) The Past Through Tomorrow. It contains the stand-alone novel Methuselah’s Children which turned out to be a prequel to the great Time Enough For Love. It introduces Lazarus Long, who I consider to be RAH’s best character. It comes complete with a time line of his “history” and cover some 40 years of his writing including what, I believe, is his first published story. It is amazing how much of his “future history” parallels much of our own. ❗ BTW, We have been living in the “Crazy Years” for the last 30 (see; Malthusian Pills in his hilarious send ups of newscasts and advertising) , or so, years which kind of scares me given what he (and I, possibly)see coming next.
Hell, I talk too much. But my original premise stands, there is just so much really great stand-alone SF out there! Any local library probably has a bunch of moldy old SF sitting on it’s shelves that goes unnoticed and unread 😥 that would probably be a good place to mine forgotten and out-of-print gems. Good luck!
You know, you’re right! I’ve almost given up reading SF because you just can’t find a decent stand-alone novel anymore. Right now I’d better add a disclaimer. My alias isn’t a joke. I’m 61 years old and I read my first two SF (not SciFi or Sci Fi) novels at 10. They were Andre Norton’s Starman’s Son and Heinlein’s Starbeast (Lummox still rocks!). While Heinlein’s and Asimov’s juveniles are good reads, if outdated, Norton’s early stuff just never seems to grow old.
Look to pre-80’s stuff. Even the best writers began whoring themselves out by the late 80’s when they realized that the money was in serialized novels. Herbert wrote Dune and could’ve stopped there, but it turned out he had more to write—and it was good—but you only need to read Dune. It stands on it’s own. Too much of this modern crap is written to force you to buy the next volume in the “quadra-tetralogy”. These suckers need 9000 pages to tell a story and, then, they still can’t tie up all the loose ends.
Here’s a short list. Actually two.
Authors first: Alfred Bester; Robert A. Heinlein; Isaac Asimov; Frank Herbert; Theodore Sturgeon; ANDRE NORTON, ANDRE NORTON & ANDRE NORTON; Robert Sheckley, Silverberg, Pournelle, Gregory Benford, Ursula K. Le Guin .
OKay, I’m someoldguy, there’s newer authors who also fill the bill (that guy who wrote Mona Lisa Overdrive for instance) , but these come to mind easily.
Try reading some of these: Time Enough For Love; The Stars, My Destination; The Door Into Summer; Dune; Starman’s Son; Witchworld; Beastmaster (not to be confused with the crappy movie or TV show); The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress; The Foundation TRILOGY (if you like series, this is a good one, forget the rest, they were just money makers); The Man Who Sold The Moon (one of Heinlein’s short stories); Majipoor.
I could go on. Maybe fluffybunny will, if he or she is still around. fb has really GREAT taste for SF.
Hope this helps. Hope it makes sense, Hope all’s well. Hope Pope Al cuts back on his three grand a month electric bill. 🙄
