Books and movies for 2300/2320
- Thread starter Colin
- Start date
Gallowglass
SOC-12
Originally posted by Colin:
Lets be honest, the whole series (Revelation Space, Chasm City, Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap plus the novellas in Turquiose Days, Diamond Dogs) are great SF material for influencing a 2300AD campaign, albeit by the end of the Inhibitor War the tech has gone way beyond 2320's frame of reference...
But I still think the AGRA Intelligence is an Inhibitor trap...
Cheers
Nick Middleton
I agree that his stuff is great for 2320. My wife bought me chasm city, and I can't wait to read more. First stroy of his I came across (can't remeber the title) was set on Europa, with some geneered fish-people. Then another (again, me no remember title) With the starship full of Clavers who arrive on the abandoned and frozen colony world.
Good stuff, but I have a bad memory.
I even stole the term Demarchist from him, though it's OK 'cuz he stole it from someone else.
Colin
2320AD writer
Good stuff, but I have a bad memory.
I even stole the term Demarchist from him, though it's OK 'cuz he stole it from someone else.
Colin
2320AD writer
M
Malenfant
Guest
Somewhat OT, but I never did figure out what the Demarchists' shtick was in the Reveleation Space books. Conjoiners had the computer-linked hivemind, Ultras were just highly transhuman... what made the Demarchists special? IIRC they were referred to as "Zombies" by Antoinette Dax in one of the books, but I didn't know if that meant they were just really dull or if they were against change or what.
Colin - get Revelation Space, then Redemption Ark, then Absolution Gap. I skipped Chasm City (I hate reading books written in the first person) and whatever happens in that is explained later on anyway. But those other books are awesome. Turquoise Days, Diamond Dogs is also excellent. I don't think any of them are particularly reminiscent of 2320 though - it's too far future and transhumanist.
What might be a closer fit influence are Ken MacLeod's books - The Star Fraction, The Stone Canal, (another one I can't remember) and The Cassini Division. It gets a bit Transhumanist at the last book, but the first books are good.
Colin - get Revelation Space, then Redemption Ark, then Absolution Gap. I skipped Chasm City (I hate reading books written in the first person) and whatever happens in that is explained later on anyway. But those other books are awesome. Turquoise Days, Diamond Dogs is also excellent. I don't think any of them are particularly reminiscent of 2320 though - it's too far future and transhumanist.
What might be a closer fit influence are Ken MacLeod's books - The Star Fraction, The Stone Canal, (another one I can't remember) and The Cassini Division. It gets a bit Transhumanist at the last book, but the first books are good.
Voltaire53
SOC-3
John Barnes (assuming it's the same one) also wrote a book called Mother of Storms which has some interesting stuff in potentiall usable in 2300.
The society, politics and even religion to a certain extent are given very different slants than the usual future stuff and the big businesses are seen from the inside rather than the outside point of view which is a very different twist too.
Some of the tech is pretty adaptable like the data rodents to find info though you may want to leave out some of the VR (virtual reality) stuff detail (however some of the media/VR star stuff shows where Big Brother may end up rather well ...). And if you ever want an idea for how bad messing up the ecology could get this is the one that can show you!
It does get a bit silly (IMO) with the ending and the AI but you can leave that bit out od 2300 of course!
Be aware that there are some very graphic and nasty scenes in the novel though ... when describing the activities of sick people the author does not hold back (paedophilic muderer for replay on VR ... snuff movies taken to the extreme, is the main example) plus sex is described without a consideraation of the prudish reader. It does work as a very powerful storytelling style IMO but it's not for everyone
Gallowglass
SOC-12
D'Oh, how could I forget the other author whose books got me back reading SF? The "Fall Revolution" books (The Start Fraction, The Stone Canal, The Cassini Division, The Sky Road) are excellent and, at least while still in the sol system and in the early part of the timeline, quite 2300AD. Once the fast folk get loose it all gets a bit weird. Similarly, the Engines of Light books start in the sol system with a nice near future set-up.
Cheers,
Nick Middleton
mbrinkhues
SOC-14 1K
Some more books:
The Flandry novels and maybe the Flashman novells will make nice readings for espionage in space and in the "great game"
The "Falkenberg" novells show quite a few problems that are also present in 2300AD (costly orbit/de-orbit flights, new FTL comm, long travel times)
The two novels by MacBride-Allen (IIRC Keepers of the Flame and it's follow-up) Again more for the low-tech, low-commo and multi-national feeling.
Michael
The Flandry novels and maybe the Flashman novells will make nice readings for espionage in space and in the "great game"
The "Falkenberg" novells show quite a few problems that are also present in 2300AD (costly orbit/de-orbit flights, new FTL comm, long travel times)
The two novels by MacBride-Allen (IIRC Keepers of the Flame and it's follow-up) Again more for the low-tech, low-commo and multi-national feeling.
Michael
1 of 2
Speaking of John Barnes (as it were...)
Another book of his, Kaleidoscope Century, is another near-future example -- perfect for a "dark" Earth that folks might like to avoid. It's actually written from the point of view of an agent of the "Bad Guys," who do things like assassinate biotech scientists just as they create vaccines for plagues. He's not even an anti-hero. He's just plain bad. And as Voltaire53 wrote above, it's shockingly graphic, for violence, sex, etc.
Made for a tremendously compelling read, I must confess. The tech ideas, and society stuff, etc. is really interesting, and every now and then I think about picking it up again to re-read.
But then I remember all the yucky parts...
2 of 2
I suppose the following ought to go to the CT forums, or the general QLI list of books, but the Canadian author "emerita" Phyllis Gotlieb has written a rather large number of novels that most people don't seem to have encountered. They all have a very strong CT flavor. Additionally, she's really very good at making the aliens very alien. In terms of 2300/2320AD, several of her short stories and some of the longer ones involve colony worlds, with various "situations:" machinery and equipment problems. pesky native life, lethal native life, corruption, etc.
Some series and titles...
Dahlgren // can you say Syddites?
1. O Master Caliban! (1976)
2. Heart of Red Iron (1989)
Starcats
1. A Judgment of Dragons (1980)
2. Emperor, Swords, Pentacles (1982)
3. The Kingdom of the Cats (1985)
Flesh and Gold
1. Flesh and Gold (1998)
2. Violent Stars (1999)
3. Mindworlds (2001)
The Starcats series is essentially about some members of the IISS...well, okay, GalFed is not exactly the Imperium.
Collections
Son of the Morning: And Other Stories (1983)
Blue Apes (1995)
The Son of the Morning work earned her a Nebula nomination
I can't recommend Gotlieb enough.
Speaking of John Barnes (as it were...)
Another book of his, Kaleidoscope Century, is another near-future example -- perfect for a "dark" Earth that folks might like to avoid. It's actually written from the point of view of an agent of the "Bad Guys," who do things like assassinate biotech scientists just as they create vaccines for plagues. He's not even an anti-hero. He's just plain bad. And as Voltaire53 wrote above, it's shockingly graphic, for violence, sex, etc.
Made for a tremendously compelling read, I must confess. The tech ideas, and society stuff, etc. is really interesting, and every now and then I think about picking it up again to re-read.
But then I remember all the yucky parts...
2 of 2
I suppose the following ought to go to the CT forums, or the general QLI list of books, but the Canadian author "emerita" Phyllis Gotlieb has written a rather large number of novels that most people don't seem to have encountered. They all have a very strong CT flavor. Additionally, she's really very good at making the aliens very alien. In terms of 2300/2320AD, several of her short stories and some of the longer ones involve colony worlds, with various "situations:" machinery and equipment problems. pesky native life, lethal native life, corruption, etc.
Some series and titles...
Dahlgren // can you say Syddites?
1. O Master Caliban! (1976)
2. Heart of Red Iron (1989)
Starcats
1. A Judgment of Dragons (1980)
2. Emperor, Swords, Pentacles (1982)
3. The Kingdom of the Cats (1985)
Flesh and Gold
1. Flesh and Gold (1998)
2. Violent Stars (1999)
3. Mindworlds (2001)
The Starcats series is essentially about some members of the IISS...well, okay, GalFed is not exactly the Imperium.
Collections
Son of the Morning: And Other Stories (1983)
Blue Apes (1995)
The Son of the Morning work earned her a Nebula nomination
I can't recommend Gotlieb enough.
Ones I've not seen referenced yet:
Little Fuzzy/Fuzzy Sapiens (Doc Smith, IIRC)
Bug Life Cronicles
Someone seems to have mentioned by reference Hammers Slammers. (pournelle)
I also reccomend Man-Kzin Wars... not so much for direct applicability as for good ideas about missions gone wrong.
In the same veign... Enemy Mine gives ideas too.
Little Fuzzy/Fuzzy Sapiens (Doc Smith, IIRC)
Bug Life Cronicles
Someone seems to have mentioned by reference Hammers Slammers. (pournelle)
I also reccomend Man-Kzin Wars... not so much for direct applicability as for good ideas about missions gone wrong.
In the same veign... Enemy Mine gives ideas too.
the hammer's slammers series is by david drake.
http://www.david-drake.com
jerry pournelle is responsible for the excellent 'falkenberg's legion' series though.
http://www.david-drake.com
jerry pournelle is responsible for the excellent 'falkenberg's legion' series though.
Voltaire53
SOC-3
Along with the rather cool "Future History".
mctesla
SOC-10
I like the feel of most "hard" sci-fi as a source for 2300AD-- the Mars Trilogy (Red, Blue, Green) by Kim Stanley Robinson, the Revelation Space Trilogy by Alastair Reynolds, the War against the Chtorr series of novels by David Gerrold, Einstein's Bridge by John Cramer.
For movies, 2001, 2010, Alien, Aliens, Mission to Mars, Red Mars, Blade Runner, Cowboy Bebop...
This is all just off the top of my head, of course, I'm sure I'm missing a lot of inspiration.
Not to push an alternate game, but I use elements of "Transhuman Space" as well.
For movies, 2001, 2010, Alien, Aliens, Mission to Mars, Red Mars, Blade Runner, Cowboy Bebop...
This is all just off the top of my head, of course, I'm sure I'm missing a lot of inspiration.
Not to push an alternate game, but I use elements of "Transhuman Space" as well.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Pandora's Star by Peter Hamilton - made me think of pentapod gods...
Come to think of it, parts of his Fallen Dragon book could lend inspiration too
Come to think of it, parts of his Fallen Dragon book could lend inspiration too
Watching "Imposter" with Gary Sinese on Sci-fi channel; seems to be pretty good inspiration for 2300.