Sci Fi Books

[Whiterook]

Eureka is a fantastic show! Love the humor, but it also has a nice serious slant to it. The characters are fantastic, and a very interesting concept.

Haven't watched much of this one, but the Dr. Who series loks rather good. My problem with the SciFi Channel is, they start something, and then move on...and the stuff you got hooked on is now all over the place programming time-wise. It really frosts' my cupcakes, you know? I've goten to the point where I don't want to get into anything new there, 'cause they'll screw it up!

[Geek44]

I remember being terrified by Dr. Who on the TV in the old black and white days...but still loving it. It was far better than 'Lost In Space' which was on a different channel at the same time in those days. John Pertwee was the first Doc I remember...then Tom Baker...then some forgettable pretender.
Yup, Star Wars was a real leap forward. The spaceships and costumes looked filthy, burnt and well...used. The story itself was/is a bit corn flavoured but it never claimed to be 'high' sci-fi so I don't hold it accountable. The later (earlier) episodes have been a visual feast. You guys have really jogged my memory here. Kentek mentioned Harry Harrison. I've only read one of his but it was brilliant.'Captive Universe' is about an Aztek kid who commits a crime and has to run away if he wants to live. He ends up finding his entire valley is inside a spaceship crewed by advanced (and religiously repressed) humans. A pretty interesting read.
I haven't read any Arthur C. but a friend of mine swears by him. I loved 2001.
Ahh 'Get your stinkin' paws off me you damned, dirty ape'. What a line and what a movie? The first time I ever saw it was on TV and I was watching with my mother. I must have been ten years old. When he rounded that corner and the statue came into view, the hairs on my neck all stood on end. I turned to my mother and she was smirking at me in a knowing way...she knew that I finally understood several things and she knew I was hooked on movies but not only for their entertainment value. I wasn't a passive viewer anymore but an active consumer.
Have read some Stephen King. I liked the Langoliers but I preferred 'The Long Walk' he wrote as Richard Bachmann. He's amazing in his way of getting into the heads of his characters. He can be genuinely frightening and I just couldn't put down 'Tommyknockers'. I think I read it in two sittings.
The oldies such as Asimov and Heinlein are excellent but I find their style and prose quite old fashioned. Asimov's 'Space Ranger' series for example has pretty pulp-esque heros and villians. The side-kick is short but his name is 'Bigman' () and the hero is 'Lucky Starr'. A bit hokey.