Sci-fi you couldn’t get into?

chgowiz, 9 months ago

Firefly (and it's movie, Serenity). I just didn't enjoy them, just didn't click with me.

theinspectorst, 9 months ago

Not sure whether to upvote because you're faithfully answering the question or downvote in furious rage at your answer.

chgowiz, 9 months ago

whynotboth.gif trolololol.gif ;)

Aesculapius, 9 months ago

Futurama never worked for me. I don't like the Simpsons either, so maybe that's why.

Xeelee, 9 months ago

Anything by Matt Groening is always the same. He's always trying to make fun of TV tropes and subvert them but at the same time he's stuck with the restrictions of commercial, ad-compatible mainstream TV.

mPony, 9 months ago

I've read Neuromancer about 2/3 the way through a couple of times. I just can't finish it.

oo1, 9 months ago

yeah tried that several times, just gave up.

Nacktmull, 9 months ago

Not surprising to me since I found the first half of the book to be much stronger than the second, finished it anyway.

NotTheOnlyGamer, 9 months ago

Have you read the Burning Chrome collection and Johnny Mnemonic?

dbaner, 9 months ago

The three body problem had a very slow start. It took me several attempts to get past the first section. But it’s definitely worth persevering with. It’s one of my favorite series now.

stopthatgirl7, 9 months ago

I’m going to try either the Chinese drama that came out earlier this year, or wait for the Netflix series. I just couldn’t get into the book, and I tried in both English and Japanese. I’d try in Chinese, but my Chinese is nowhere near good enough for that, alas.

Konlanx, 9 months ago

Huh, I finished the first book right before checking Lemmy and writing this comment. I read it in German and I have to say that it’s extremely good, but some parts are… weird. The jumping between time is hard. Sentences like “They ate breakfast and 30 million years later they built a space cannon” (not an actual sentence in the book) are just weird :D

I will read the other books as well, though. The story is way too good.

Nacktmull, 9 months ago

I´m at the end of book two, about to start three. Actually the beginning is the best part because Ye Wenjie is the only character in the whole story that actually has a character, after that even the main characters are just cardboard cutouts and the story just ripples along. I keep reading anyway because every now and then Liu sprinkles in ideas that I have never heard of before in any science fiction universe.

dbaner, 9 months ago

TBH I don’t tend to read SF for the characters. I was hooked when I got to the section with the camera/numbers. But then the detective guy basically says, we have no way of knowing what that is so just ignore it and get drunk. And it’s not explained or really mentioned again until the very end.

Wookie_the_Ewok, 9 months ago

Did you know how to speak the other language that you tried to read Three Body Problem in? Maybe that was the problem.

readbeanicecream, 9 months ago

@stopthatgirl7 I agree with Three Body Problem. For me, it was an absolute slog to get through. I thought maybe The Dark Forest would be better, but I fell off of it immediately. As far as movies go ... It was The Matrix for me. It was fine, but just fine. So much so that I did not even bother with the last two.

UKFilmNerd, 9 months ago

My wife is a huge fan of both Babylon 5 and Stargate. She tried to get me into it as well but I didn’t like either. I love the Stargate film but the series was a tough watch. She kept telling me it gets better once you get to season 2 but I didn’t get that far.

Che_Donkey, 9 months ago

Ancillary trilogy, by Ann Leckie

Got the trilogy because i hate getting one at a time and not being able to find/get the same artwork on the others.

It was not engaging at all for me. I powered through but man…no.

The only recollection I have is the stinky planet in the forst book, nothing else left a lasting impression.

MrZigZag, 9 months ago

Dhalgen. I know some people absolutely love this book but to me it was just a directionless ramble from one random sci-fi plot to the next with little-to-no resolution to any of them.

And come on one-shoe-guy: When somebody offers you a new pair of shoes, put the damn things on instead of saying you're good and continuing to hobble around half shod / half barefoot.

blivet, 9 months ago

Same here. I feel the same way about a lot of New Wave SF from that era. I like J.G. Ballard because he’s such a strong writer that he can pull off that sort of plotless “experimental” stuff, but the rest of them don’t do it for me. Why would I want to read an SF writer trying to write like William S. Burroughs when I can just read William S. Burroughs?

GrimChaos, 9 months ago

The popular ones that come to mind (unpopular opinions):

-Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Tried twice and couldn’t even finish it.

-Pandora’s Star by Peter F. Hamilton. Tried reading it twice and audiobook twice, give up each time.

-The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. Finished it but it didn’t really like it.

-Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin. Finished it but didn’t really care about anything going on in the book.

stopthatgirl7, 9 months ago

I tried to read Fifth Season because I followed Jemisin on Twitter back when I still used Twitter and really liked her. But the book just did nothing for me and I stopped after a chapter. I feel like I should give it another shot, but eh.

Lenguador, 9 months ago

I almost put The Fifth Season down after the first chapter, I remember thinking: "This author has a chip on their shoulder". I'm glad I persevered though, and I definitely recommend the series to people as it is quite different. I'd suggest giving it another shot.

stopthatgirl7, 9 months ago

My issue was the writing style, oddly enough. I liked her tweets, so I was really surprised that I didn’t like her actual writing.

Lenguador, 9 months ago

Oh certainly, that series took quite a risk on writing style and it's quite divisive.
If you enjoy fantasy, you could try her other series as an alternative. The Inheritance Trilogy is a more standard writing style.

wjrii, 9 months ago

Something about the Stargate franchise has simply never appealed to me. I saw the original movie as a kid and enjoyed it, with a distinct memory of the "Rainbow Road" travel effect feeling pretty intense because I was sitting closer to the screen than usual. It was fun, if a bit slight.

I've seen a bits and pieces of the shows here and there, and nothing about them is drawing me in. I might like them, but I just have zero desire to dive in. Seems like low-budget camp with a learning curve.

Honorable mention to The Orville, which I do like quite a bit, but I find the unadulterated love for it baffling; it's a deeply flawed show that makes up for a lot with sheer heart and some decent scripts from the Star Trek slush pile.

deadcream, 9 months ago

The Orville is just Star Trek fan show with sex and poop jokes (and one that doesn't take itself serioisly, sometimes to a fault). It's enjoyable but it just doesn't try to be anything more than "funny Trek". Fun, but too derivative.

MayonnaiseArch, 9 months ago

I agree about the Three Body Problem, I read it but I don’t know what I read. Could be the translation but man it really bounced off.

But I couldn’t read VanderMeer, that thing that was really popular, like his version of the Zone from Stalker. Couldn’t believe all the hype, felt like gaslighting. Maybe I’ll try it again, who knows

Remillard, 9 months ago

I don't think you're alone on the Southern Reach books by Vandermeer. I did read them, but holy moly it was a slog towards the end. It's a trippy slow psychological descent. Without any concrete aspects for the reader to hang their hat on, it's exceedingly difficult (for me at least) to get a picture of what's going on, what's really happening. I think they're well written, but they are not really my thing.

MayonnaiseArch, 9 months ago

Yeah, I don’t mind the lack of concreteness, but the writing felt poor considering the insane praise it got. Still, it’s been a while so I have to give them another shot. Maybe I changed in the meantime

Madison_rogue, 9 months ago

The Expanse. I just can't engage with the series. I understand it's great, but I just can't seem to gain any emotional attachment to the characters.

djc0, 9 months ago

This was my first thought. The TV adaptation at least. I’ve watch the first few episodes a few times and never feel the draw to keep going. Just kind of forget I started.

theinspectorst, 9 months ago

I agree with this one too. I watched the first episode years ago and simply never carried on to the second. Then a year or so later people told me it was amazing so I persevered to the end of the first season, then drifted off again. Then I later picked it up again, then dropped it, then picked it up again - and think I'm now early in the third season, but again haven't actually watched an episode in about a year.

I keep trying because people who have similar taste to me tell me I will like it, but I just keep finding it a bit lukewarm - I'll finish watching an episode once I've started, but I almost always have to force myself to carry on to the next episode. It seems to have all the components of a good sci-fi political thriller / space opera, but those components feel like they're assembled so coldly that some magic is missing.

I haven't tried the books so maybe they succeed where the show hasn't yet for me.

TeaHands, 9 months ago

Came here to say this and I’m so relieved there’s someone else!

I read the first couple of books long before the series was a thing, they were ok but didn’t grab me enough to keep going. And then a few episodes into the TV version I gave up on that too. There’s nothing in particular I could point to that’s “bad” exactly, it’s just not for me.

The way people talk about it makes me think of revisiting it sometime but honestly, life’s too short to keep trying when something doesn’t appeal.

smallaubergine, 9 months ago

For me the Expanse really started to shine towards the end of season 1. Then when they hit seasons 2 and 3 I fell in love. But I totally get not being able to get into it, especially because the first season takes a long time to get rolling

Che_Donkey, 9 months ago

Yeah it took me about awhile (i think they were up to season 6?) before i could get past the first couple of episodes.

Streetsmart Detecive in Space with Fedora? naaaaah

However, by the time his story arc was complete I really liked the actor and his character.

There are a few things that still bother me, including very little explanation of what exactly is going on byond the gates…that part of the storyline is (IMO) very weak, and the plot kind of gets lost in the wash.

RheingoldRiver, 9 months ago

Foundation. I read I, Robot and loved it, but I couldn't get into Foundation.

oo1, 9 months ago

never really liked any Asimov - bu i did quit quite early on foundation.
i guess im more of a Dick.

RheingoldRiver, 9 months ago

If you want to try Asimov again & haven't tried I, Robot yet, I do recommend that. It's quite accessible (imo) and a lot of fun.

mack123, 9 months ago

The original Foundation is a product of its time. It is amazing when read in the context of the 1950s, but tricky today. Try Caves of Steel to further the I Robot read. Asimov built an entire future history spanning 10s of thousands of years.

RheingoldRiver, 9 months ago

Thanks! I might actually own a copy of this, although I don't think I ever started it. I've added it to my TBR on goodreads in any case, next time I want to read some scifi I'll check it out!

sethw, 9 months ago

Foundation is probably the best harder scifi going right now, just the idea of the clone kings dawn dusk and day is worth it let alone the prime radiant and foundation itself.

Raised by wolves is a good one in a similar style, but it got cancelled before it was able to answer the bigger questions of the world building which is frustrating

RheingoldRiver, 9 months ago

Wow I had no idea there was a tv adaptation of it! I was talking about the books haha

sethw, 9 months ago

ha funny, I'm not a reader so it never even crossed my mind that you weren't talking about the show. well still, I highly recommend the show!

RheingoldRiver, 9 months ago

Glad you mentioned it though, because indeed I might be interested in a tv version that's easier to get into than the books.

RheingoldRiver, 9 months ago

hey I watched the tv show last night thanks to your accidental recommendation and it's great!! I was under the mistaken impression that s1 and 2 were all out and s3 was being released so now i'm devastated but I'll binge s2 as soon as this season is finished and then wait for more haha

sethw, 9 months ago

Funny people are saying the book is so hard to like, I have to assume the show is only as good as it is because it has the depth of the source material to draw from! Also when you're done with foundation do Raised by Wolves for a similar vibe, and for a very different vibe the best new series of 2017: Blood Drive. It's not directly comparable to foundation, but I tell everyone to watch it anyway. give it at least until the Suck Bus episode!

effingjoe, 9 months ago

Raised by Wolves was pretty bizarre. I loved the first season, up until the weird flying worm thing, and second season just seemed off-the-rails batshit insane. haha

I was definitely intending to watch season 3, though I didn't really understand what was going on. I'm not completely surprised it was canceled.

PineapplePartisan, 9 months ago

Harder sci-fi? It leans hard on religion and philosophy and royal court intrigue.

I was coming to post Foundation for all those reasons. I wish there were more choices for people who want “hard” sci-fi.

The last decent one I came across was “Braking Day” by Adam Oyebanji.

Does anyone have recs for hard sci-fi that doesn’t lean on “magic”?

oo1, 9 months ago (edited 9 months ago)

there was a conversation on here about Greg Egan the other day.
thats what i call hard scifi.
i used to read that at lot and was glad to be reminded to look it up again.
http://www.gregegan.net/
permutation city, all the short stories, diaspora, i started on quarantine, still think that's a cool idea, even if it is improbable (thats a joke, it's not a spoiler until you observe the story).

i think i gave up around teranesia which might've started to go over my head.
but reading this group has inspred me to go back and revisit.

damn ive got to start buying Interzone again.

edit >>>> link to actual thread: https://lemmy.world/post/1892921
maybe it was a different group . . .

PineapplePartisan, 9 months ago

Good rec. I’ve already read a bunch of Egan. I especially enjoyed “Diaspora”. Most recently I am revisiting some of the Iain M. Banks “Culture” books. It is refreshing to read about space battles that occur at distance and as fast as the AIs can fight. None of the b.s. of space ships being 200m apart and fighting with WWII era plane tactics. No stupid sword fights. No “going manual” to accomplish the mission. Basically it’s the anti-trope masterpiece and it’s so readable as well.

TeaHands, 9 months ago

By comparison the original Foundation is my favourite scifi book of all time. No shade though, different strokes and all that!

bradboimler, 9 months ago

This is me. And speaking as someone who tends to love his writing otherwise. It took me several tries to get through Foundation and once I finally finished it I was left with zero desire to read any other books in that series.

exscape, 9 months ago

I'm not sure if I've given it enough of a try, but I wanted to get into the Culture series and started with Consider Phlebas. After three (four?) chapters I changed it out for a different book; I considered "The Player of Games" instead, but the plot didn't sound exciting.

Not sure if I should give it a second chance or not. After those chapters I just didn't really care what happened next, nor did I care much for the main character.
I switched to Project Hail Mary and love it.

MayonnaiseArch, 9 months ago

I think Player of Games is not a good starter book, but I can’t understand what I ever saw in Banks. The Culture is cool, but it’s all a bit underwhelming on a second read

mack123, 9 months ago

Banks is my favourite sci fi author, but I to struggled with Consider Phlebas. Consider reading Player of Games. The culture books can be read as stand alone books without missing to much. I think Banks found his stride with Player of Games.

ystael, 9 months ago

Some years ago I finished Consider Phlebas and was left so depressed by the entire thing that I never picked up another Culture book. Same experience with Alastair Reynolds’s Revelation Space. Maybe there is just a subgenre of SF that I shouldn’t read.

theinspectorst, 9 months ago

The Player of Games is a far easier book to start with - partly because so much of it takes place away from the Culture. I originally did the same as you and started with Consider Phlebas, failed, switched to Player of Games and loved it, then went back and read Consider Phlebas and enjoyed it too. Then I read Use of Weapons which is phenomenal.

Xeelee, 9 months ago

I think Use of Weapons is the best Culture novel so I'd recommend giving it a shot. Having said that, i just loved Consider Phlebas pretty much from page one. Banks always had trouble writing compelling plots. The main attraction to me is the imaginative scope of the worlds he created.