Zornhau wrote:I'm still trying to work out whether Baen books are largely read by people who wouldn't read mainstream SF.
Define "mainstream SF".
How about "SF that is not an [x era] story set in outer space"?
Examples:
Honorverse is a Napoleonic era story set in outer space
Wing Commander is a World War II story set in outer space
Oddly, by this standard, Star Wars would be considered "mainstream SF," because it doesn't have a particular era that it can be easily set into: the technology and the filmmaking conventions are pure pulp, but the characters are drawn from deeper, more mythic roots that aren't as time-bound (at least in the original trilogy, I have my worries about the prequel trilogy).
"Carriers dispense fighters, which dispense assbeatings." - White Haven
| Hyperactive Gundam Pilot of MM | GALE | ASVS | Cleaners | Kibologist (beable) | DFB |
If only one rock and roll song echoes into tomorrow
There won't be anything to keep you from the distant morning glow.
I'm not a man. I just portrayed one for 15 years.
Erik von Nein wrote:My tastes run the gamet, really. I'm currently reading a sci-fi muder mystery with an AI program detective. Then there's the Chrome Bourne about a modern day metal head/car lover being a mage with high magic critters running around. About the only thing I won't read are romances and similar grenres.
Tannim is about the only Mercedes Lackey main character I can stomach, largely because he's the only one I can think of who's not a ridiculous poof (Vanyel, for instance, turned me right off because he struck me not as a gay man but as a romance-novel version of a gay man). A mage who fights dirty with a crowbar is pretty damn awesome.
If you can point me at another one, please do. It's not her writing that bothers me, it's her male characterization, the majority of them don't resonate with me as "real".
I do like her Urban Elves stuff (although I'll admit the later ones are better than the earlier). Banyon's not quite as much of a dirty fighter as Tannim, but that's because he's a street busker who develops his skills over time. The "old" elves come off a bit...poofy...early in the series, but the modern elves don't.
Stanley Hauerwas wrote:[W]hy is it that no one is angry at the inequality of income in this country? I mean, the inequality of income is unbelievable. Unbelievable. Why isn’t that ever an issue of politics? Because you don’t live in a democracy. You live in a plutocracy. Money rules.
Ghetto edit: I wanted also to say that right now I'm reading the Succession series (The Risen Empire, The Killing of Worlds) by Scott Westerfeld. A bit too much nanowanking for me to really love it, but they're interesting enough for me to keep reading.
Stanley Hauerwas wrote:[W]hy is it that no one is angry at the inequality of income in this country? I mean, the inequality of income is unbelievable. Unbelievable. Why isn’t that ever an issue of politics? Because you don’t live in a democracy. You live in a plutocracy. Money rules.
Oi, let's see:
Douglas Adams
Allston
Kevin J Anderson(I was young and needed the money!)
Catherine Asaro
Robert Asprin(defunct)
Banks
Bujold
Peter David
Keith Decandido
David Drake
Diane Duane
Eric Flint
Michael Flynn
Dave Freer
David Gerrold
Heinlein
Mercedes Lackey(Serrated edge and related only at this point, have read all of published Valdemar though)
Larry Niven
Terry Pratchett
Nick Polotta
John Ringo
Spider Robinson
E.E. Doc Smith
Michael Stackpole(extremely defunct)
S.M. Stirling
Harry Turtledove(Meh)
David Weber
Steve White(Defunct and double meh)
Timothy Zahn
With a scattering of others, and undoubtedly more than a few that slipped my mind.
