[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

My dad was describing a book he read years ago to me which sounds interesting, but he doesn't remember the name or author. I never read it so won't be able to answer any questions about it. It was a scifi.

There were aliens of some sort that had a sort of Prime Directive type of rule, where if they wanted to conquer a world or exploit its resources they were not allowed to use their advanced technology to do so. They were required to use forces that utilized the same level of technological sophistication as the world they were invaded. So, if the world was for example at a Bronze Age type of civilization, they had to stick to Bronze Age weapons and troops. Anyways, they kidnapped a Roman legion to use in their conquests, and had the power to revive them after death, but they would remember each wound and death. It got philosophical about if it would be worth it to have this sort of immortality, fighting some other species' wars, always knowing that you might get killed, only to be revived to do it all over again on another world.

Anyone know anything about this book? It sounds pretty interesting and I'd like to read it. Rep for anyone who can identify it for me without a doubt. Unfortunately, if you're not sure, I won't even be able to confirm or deny as I haven't read the book myself.

[Salt-Man Z]

Dang. That does sound interesting.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Yeah, I was hoping to figure it out through this thread, but it looks like no one has heard of it.

[Imperial Historian]

RLY - thats David Drake's Ranks of Bronze series, i've not read it but have picked up the book several times, read the back of it thought damn that looks interesting but eventually picked up something else instead.

David Weber wrote something simmilar, the excalibur alternative, but with english longbowmen instead of romans, which i have read and was quite entertaining

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Imperial Historian=pure WIN. Thanks. So it's a series, not just a stand alone book?

[Imperial Historian]

I think so... but I could be wrong, I know the excalibur alternative leads on from david drake's books, but looking on wikipedia he only did one so it looks like I'm wrong.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Ok, here's another one i read a loooong time ago, hence the fuzzy details. It's a fantasy/scifi mix, possible it was earth many years after a nuclear war, or a different planet after some sort of apocalypse.

The main character is a girl, who for some reason ends up pretending to be a guy, maybe to get into the army or something? There are humanoid dog people involved, I think she becomes good friends with one after moving to the city from her parents farm or something. I remember something about her having to go into some sort of post-apocalyptic area, possible it's been nuked or something? Vague memories of some sort of radioactive rock she has to carry around afterwards that is making her sick. I wish I could remember more.

[Fist Gamet]

RLY - Did you just make that up?

Actually, I wonder if anyone recalls a book written by a Portugese writer (I think) that is fantasy fiction but is supposed to have the most ridiculous amount of detail in the creation of the world. I heard it was not so great but that the depth of research and backstory was staggering. Someone mentioned it before, years ago (I know, I know) but it has been bugging me. The story has something like a city on a plateau in some wilderness....

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Fist Gamet;363716 said:

RLY - Did you just make that up?

Actually, I wonder if anyone recalls a book written by a Portugese writer (I think) that is fantasy fiction but is supposed to have the most ridiculous amount of detail in the creation of the world. I heard it was not so great but that the depth of research and backstory was staggering. Someone mentioned it before, years ago (I know, I know) but it has been bugging me. The story has something like a city on a plateau in some wilderness....

I did not make it up, I just have very hazy and possibly inaccurate memories. Now your story, about a city on a plateau, sounds completely implausible.

[Cerberus Maw]

Has anyone read the series Sea Beggars by Paul Kearney? I read The Mark of Ran a while back and remember being slightly underwhelmed.

Was in the store yesterday and saw This Forsaken Earth (Book 2). Anybody care to shed some light?

[murphy72]

Fist Gamet;363716 said:

RLY - Did you just make that up?

Actually, I wonder if anyone recalls a book written by a Portugese writer (I think) that is fantasy fiction but is supposed to have the most ridiculous amount of detail in the creation of the world. I heard it was not so great but that the depth of research and backstory was staggering. Someone mentioned it before, years ago (I know, I know) but it has been bugging me. The story has something like a city on a plateau in some wilderness....

Late again, but was it The Chosen by Ricardo Pinto?


Does this look familiar? http://www.fantastic...into/chosen.htm

[Fist Gamet]

Well done, Murphy, that's the one. Cheers.

[Tremolo]

Lots of gay loving in that one...

[murphy72]

I've been having trouble getting into it. I'll have to try again after my reread of Erikson.

[Chance]

From one who read that pile of crap a while ago...damn my inability to stop reading a book halfways...

Thought if I remember right the world was kinda interesting and well written...

[Fist Gamet]

Yeah, Trem's homophobia aside I had heard that, rather sadly, it was not very good although the sheer detail (I think he made up at least one entire language for it!) was impressive. I am not sure if I will give it a go...

This post has been edited by Cougar: 23 October 2008 - 03:23 PM

[lord of tragedy]

been racking my brains to reply to the apocalypse now thread. the book was kind of like planet of the apes but set in the future. plot revolved around man being betrayed by his space empire and ending up on a strange planet run by mutant humans with taloned hands. he then works as there military advisor as they conquer planet and at the end they realise oh no it was earth all along! it was a trilogy and was actually quite enjoyable. someone put me out of my misery.

[Werthead]

Cerberus Maw, on Aug 20 2008, 08:33 AM, said:

Has anyone read the series Sea Beggars by Paul Kearney? I read The Mark of Ran a while back and remember being slightly underwhelmed.

Was in the store yesterday and saw This Forsaken Earth (Book 2). Anybody care to shed some light?

A bit of an old question, but what the heck:

I thought it was better than The Mark of Ran and a lot more focused. That said, the style of writing was pretty similar to Book 1, so if you really disliked Book 1 you might not get on with the sequel either. It's also worth mentioning that the publishers screwed Kearney over and it's going to be some time before the final book in the trilogy is released.

[TOGGS]

Anyone here good on SF?

Trying to rack my bains for a series of novellas I read in the last millenium. Real old stuff truthfully. Its about a human, who ends up on all sorts of adventures, but basically discovers "homo-sapien" type aliens are good, lizards types always bad.
Ends up heading back to earth on some super-powerful spherical spaceship
Thats all I've got

Cheers

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Anybody remember a book about a group of kids that get kidnapped for some kind of experiment? They get put in some giant area that nothing but random flights of stairs going on for as far as you can see, like some kind of MC Escher painting. They're all tuck on this one landing, because that's where they find the only food machine, but the food only comes out if they do this crazy group dance they accidentally discovered. I think it might have been YA.
Wow. That sounds like a really odd book now that I think about it.