Hi Guys
I am looking for some reading to distract me from my other reading.
Can anyone recommend some reading that might feature small unit action? Tall order I know but I thought I would give it a shot
Cheers
Simon
Not really - Drake's Hammers Slammers, Janisseries by Larry Pounelle, the Crimson World cycle etc.....
IanS
Going back a bit I know but The Forever War by Joe Haldeman has always been one of my favourites.
Embedded by Dan Abnett is action packed.
(http://angryrobotbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/Embedded-front-144dpi.jpg)
To be honest anything by Abnett, even his GW stuff
A lot of Neal Asher's books, particularly the Cormac novels, have passages of small unit combat. I'd recommend his books in any case - especially if you like space-operas.
Sci Fi in Reading. will they get jealous in Newbury?
The Dorsai books by Gordon R Dickson. It's been a few years since I read them, but humanity has become fragmented and the uber-mercenaries are the Dorsai.
Quote from: Matt of Munslow on 20 January 2015, 09:59:19 AM
To be honest anything by Abnett, even his GW stuff
+1
Anything by Abnett is worth your time.
Gaunts Ghosts: First And Only is a good start for small unit action type stuff.
C.R.O.W and Lancejack by Phillip Richards
http://www.amazon.co.uk/C-R-O-W-Union-Book-Phillip-Richards-ebook/dp/B008S1VH5K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421781018&sr=8-1&keywords=sci-fi+crow
Old Man's War series by John Scalzi
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Old-Mans-War-John-Scalzi-ebook/dp/B004M8S6FC/ref=la_B001IGJOCA_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421781117&sr=1-1
Or alternative very very late WW2 - The Red Gambit Series
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=The%20Red%20Gambit%20Series
Alan
Prador Moon by Neal Asher.
Or the Skinner
Not much of a grin with sci fi readers then.
Quote from: Luddite on 20 January 2015, 05:39:49 PM
+1
Anything by Abnett is worth your time.
Gaunts Ghosts: First And Only is a good start for small unit action type stuff.
The problem with Abnett, and makes his combat strangely lop-sided, is that while his troops have interstellar travel they don't seem to have heard of air-support. :o :o :o
In Embedded, they have.
No response then, unless I wave my Ray Gun around - or should that be Ben Gun. Nah - sci fi - massive humour bypass. will sign off this thread.
I would recommend to read "Future war commander"
'Starship Troopers' Robert A. Heinlein. Forget the movie, done from the book but book is nothing like it.
Quote from: SV52 on 24 January 2015, 07:40:07 PM
'Starship Troopers' Robert A. Heinlein. Forget the movie, done from the book but book is nothing like it.
Definitely a good read but then read The Forever War by Joe Haldeman as an antidote for the politics ;)
Quote from: SV52 on 24 January 2015, 07:40:07 PM
'Starship Troopers' Robert A. Heinlein. Forget the movie, done from the book but book is nothing like it.
Agreed. Don't know how easy it would be to game though.
True; Heinlein had some fairly odd notions.
The movie survives for the shower scene alone.
+1 for Starship Troopers, Forever War and the Dorsai series.
I can remember really enjoying 'Inherit the Stars' by James Hogan decades ago.
Last time I checked it was only available for 'silly' prices.
Wasn't a particularly well written story...But I loved the plot.
Wouldn't mind re-reading that, to see if it was as fun as I think it was.
Cheers - Phil
Nostalgia ain't what it used to be, Phil.
£2.87 on Amazon, Techno.
That's a pretty silly price.
I've just read "Inherit the Stars". Not a thick read.
The story concerns a young bronzed god of a man from the fringes of civilisation. He came from a family of play-doh shapers, and details his ascension through the play-doh world. Eventually, he is a master play-doh shaper, and has the full range of play-doh tools. He has the squares, he has the circles and he has the triangles. He learns though, of the mystic fourth shape, and quests through the wilds of his native lands. He learns how to manufacture edible play-doh from a wise old crone who lives in a cave above a disused Tesco's.
He drifts into the big city, and there finds the advanced city dwellers have mechanised play-doh extrusion. This offends his barbarian moral sensitivities, and he falls foul of the city authorities. He is imprisoned for seven years where he meets an improbably large chested girl who falls in love with him, and they escape back to the barbarian lands.
There, they find that the hero's father is also a high-master of play-doh who, on his death bed, bequeaths his tools, and thus, our hero managed to "Inherit the Stars".
Not a lot of gaming potential though.
Quote from: fsn on 26 January 2015, 10:17:31 AM
£2.87 on Amazon, Techno. That's a pretty silly price.
That's silly..... at the opposite end of the price range to what it was before !!
Quote from: fsn on 26 January 2015, 10:56:00 AM
I've just read "Inherit the Stars". Not a thick read.
The story concerns a young bronzed god of a man from the fringes of civilisation. He came from a family of play-doh shapers, and details his ascension through the play-doh world. Eventually, he is a master play-doh shaper, and has the full range of play-doh tools. He has the squares, he has the circles and he has the triangles. He learns though, of the mystic fourth shape, and quests through the wilds of his native lands. He learns how to manufacture edible play-doh from a wise old crone who lives in a cave above a disused Tesco's.
He drifts into the big city, and there finds the advanced city dwellers have mechanised play-doh extrusion. This offends his barbarian moral sensitivities, and he falls foul of the city authorities. He is imprisoned for seven years where he meets an improbably large chested girl who falls in love with him, and they escape back to the barbarian lands.
There, they find that the hero's father is also a high-master of play-doh who, on his death bed, bequeaths his tools, and thus, our hero managed to "Inherit the Stars".
Gosh....That's not how I remember the story at all......You oik !! ;) ;D
Cheers - Phil
I would recommend Doug Dandridge's Exodus series of books.
W
For those of you who don't follow my blog, and why should you (just saying), I did a short piece of SF and wargaming here:
http://panther6actual.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Military%20Science%20Fiction
Of course the book to read is my first novel (still sitting in the unsold editorial hell that is publishing) called Bad Dog: small unit combat armour troops with support assets and a clever enemy who has prepared well for the conflict ahead. You heard it here first.
Neal Asher has just released 'Dark Intelligence', reviews are good.
Ian M Banks: "Excession" is really good. The intelligent spaceships are superb. He also avoids the Frankenstein syndrome. Really original read.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spacecraft_in_the_Culture_series
Best ship names ever!
Quote from: Paint it Pink on 03 February 2015, 04:45:58 PM
For those of you who don't follow my blog, and why should you (just saying), I did a short piece of SF and wargaming here:
http://panther6actual.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Military%20Science%20Fiction
Of course the book to read is my first novel (still sitting in the unsold editorial hell that is publishing) called Bad Dog: small unit combat armour troops with support assets and a clever enemy who has prepared well for the conflict ahead. You heard it here first.
Welcome back, Paint it Pink. We could ill-afford to lose our other lady member.
I hadn't realized you all missed me so much. Cheers.
Na - hadn't noticed. Welcome back
IanS :) ;)
Gosh - a girl! :-[
Quote from: fsn on 04 February 2015, 07:25:06 PM
Gosh - a girl! :-[
Someone check the bar has fruit based drinks. :D
We have run out of little umbrellas - FSN insists on eating them.
IanS
The little sticks kept getting caught in my teeth! :(
Soaking your teeth overnight in pina colada doesn't remove the stains - and the umbrella isn't a help either.
Quote from: fsn on 05 February 2015, 09:18:33 AM
The little sticks kept getting caught in my teeth! :(
Don't swallow 'em whole; they go down a treat but are a bugger coming out :D
Only if they open, surely. ;)
Cheers - Phil
Quote from: Techno on 05 February 2015, 12:30:10 PM
Only if they open, surely. ;)
Cheers - Phil
Contemplating that
inside Nobby's guts... :-& :-& :-&
Please - it is lunch time.....
IanS
When I burp, it's like a miniature Arnhem!
Yurk!
It's enough to put you off rollmops for life!
Quote from: mad lemmey on 05 February 2015, 05:32:56 PM
Yurk!
It's enough to put you off rollmops for life!
Love rollmops 'cept I'm not allowed wifely contact following consumption :)
Sticking cocktail sticks in food should be banned. They're like culinary caltrops.....
Quote from: Hertsblue on 06 February 2015, 09:38:04 AM
Sticking cocktail sticks in food should be banned. They're like culinary caltrops.....
Come on, what's better than cheese on stick?
Pineapple Chunks - Sausages .......and and and and
IanS
Quote from: ianrs54 on 06 February 2015, 11:53:56 AM
Pineapple Chunks
IanS
:o :o :o
Looks like we have a third lady member :D
Quote from: getagrip on 06 February 2015, 11:38:52 AM
Come on, what's better than cheese on stick?
Quote from: ianrs54 on 06 February 2015, 11:53:56 AM
Pineapple Chunks - Sausages .......and and and and
Plus mussels.
Tricky but do-able. :> :)
Quote from: getagrip on 06 February 2015, 12:16:17 PM
:o :o :o
Looks like we have a third lady member :D
Is that Party Susan? :D
Quote from: Westmarcher on 06 February 2015, 12:28:24 PM
Is that Party Susan? :D
No she doesn't bother logging in or posting. More of a Lazy Susan
Quote from: Fenton on 06 February 2015, 01:11:44 PM
No she doesn't bother logging in or posting. More of a Lazy Susan
Didn't she date that dumb waiter?