Action/Adventure Aficionados discussion

Science Fiction novels might be chock full of A/A elements. This is a place to discuss some of those books.

Anyone reading "The Lost Fleet?" Jack Campbell? Dauntless Dauntless is the first of the series. I'm on the third book. Jack Campbell is a graduate of the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD. you can tell he was a war fighter on a ship from his discription of battles. Very well done, fast paced and interesting characters.

It's reminiscent of the Battlestar Galactica 2005 Television series.

I've been trying to decide if I should read it, Hugh. It sounds good.

I can vouch only for the first two books. I read a review on the third that thought it dropped a bit, but they claimed it picked back up by the forth. The first two are good.

If you want a similar read, but a hot fiesty female lead, try by Brian Diprima (Sp). The first one is good action, and at parts it turns sort of "Space Opera" but something about it appealed to me and I've read all 8 in kindle ebooks and waiting for the 9th. It reads almost like it's a classic, though it was written in the modern era.

Sounds great! I'll look for A Galaxy Unknown on Kindle.

I'm going to be reading On Basilisk Station, the first in David Weber's Honor Harrington series, very soon. I'll be listening to it at work. I've read mixed reviews about these books, but most of them were good. They look like a lot of fun to me. Lots of space war!

Hugh, The Lost Fleet series looks interesting, too!

Jason, I voted for it for the Sci-Fi group read in October. I hope it wins.

I read the first 5 or 6 Honor Harrington books but was burning out a book or 2 before I stopped. I'm 4 books into the Lost Fleet and so far still like them a lot. Haven't run across the A Galaxy Unknown... Thanks Hugh.

Lady D, when Mark created that poll, he accidentally put Basilisk on twice. I went to fix it for him and accidentally erased your vote. LOL Sorry about that, Lady D! :S

I hope it wins, too. If it doesn't, there is a discussion going on about it over at Beyond Reality. I'm going to read it no matter what happens as SFA. I might go over to Beyond to discuss it, but they seem pretty intent on reading the whole series and I'm not sure I want to do that.

NO problem. Is it okay to vote for it again?

I don't read a lot of Sci-Fi, but & had some good action.

I let my buddy at work (we swap books) read this He said it was a good military action sci-fi. First in a series http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/d... I haven't read it yet.

Mike. THe Galaxy Unknown books seem like they take place in the same Universe as the Lost fleet if not during the same era. Like Babylon Five and two or three spin offs. or BSG 2005 and Razor.

I love Jack Campbell's battle scenes. I am a retired Operations Specialist and we did a lot of formation steaming along with war fighting. I used to run training scenarios for the Ships combat team using the AEGIS System. The book really reminded meof those days... and sitting on the Battle Ship Wisconsin, shelling targets up to 21 miles inside Kuwait. (The first war, the big one, WWPG) Jack's an Academy Grad. (Jack Campbell) I can tell he's been on real war ships.

Janetta Carver is cool. Other than some elements of the first book, it's appropriate for anyone. Also along these lines but not a military story, and not really action, or rather action of a differetn kind (the proverbial light read of space opera) is The Tales of the Solar Trader. written by another Navy Veteran. Quarter Share is the first one.

Hummm...I was grunt. Got out in 1975, I sense our military experience is somewhat different...you a an AEGIS Cruiser, me an M161A. LOL

I like the Campbell books. I keep looking for a good series about ground combat (right now I'm planning on starting the second HALO book...based on a video game. I have several WOW 40K books waiting...based on a table top game. See the pattern? I do have a few others waiting, some of William C. Dietz books are good (of course he wrote one of the HALO books...oh well). I Have Hammer's Slammers waiting, it gets middle of the road reviews.. I live in hope.

I liked Hammers Slammers and wasn't it you who mentioned the "Starfist" books?

And The USS Ramage, my AEGIS destroyer was way different from the Battleship Wisconsin BB64 (now a meuseum in Norfolk Va...ouch) I was part of the commisioning crew for both of them. (well for Wisconsin that's a recommissioning crew).

Wisconsin had little more than the same technology as they had when you were in the service. We did get a good "Call for Fire" from First Anglico when the Saudi's and others started to go back up the coast to to take it back. The Saudi's had never seen anything like it. One ship, firing 2000 pounders 21 miles or more into the desert from farther out off the coast than any gun they had.

I digress though, you probabl saw a lot more stuff than I did and were in the thick of it. You get my salute buddy.

Not so much, I was in at the end of Nam. I was Stateside going from post to post mostly. Not a good time for some of us. I got cursed at a car wash because I was military, love those diverse liberals. Even in their youth.

But I was also a young troublemaker. :) I'm disabled with joint damage and one that gives me the most trouble is my left knee. the first time it was actually hurt noticeably was in a fight with a Marine, an American Marine. We ended up being pretty good friends. LOL

I read the first Starfist book. Not bad, but not great, it sort of could have been set anywhere military-wise. It was science fiction, but not noticeably...

I don't know if I my injuries take me to the same level, but I rate the 15% benifit for getting government jobs because of the disability for both knees. Add in the other things and I stack up as 40% disabled. Though, you wouldn't know it to look at me. I can still run on my knees, as long as I'm not trying to play Rugby anymore (last played at age 39, two weeks of practice with the new team and it was knee surgery time.

I managed some 5k's but I pace my wife. In my youth I managed an 18:20 which isn't to bad, and at 35 I went back out on the exercise track and managed a 21:00

My wife and I did a Warrior Run last year. Fun, but it darn near put me in a wheel chair.

Now, there are days I look at the stairs and realize it's going to be a difficult day. Not all are bad days though.

And don't worry, you served stateside, in Europe, or in theater. It's one big team. Nobody could be doing their job if you weren't doing yours.

I walk on a cane if I'm away from home. Around the house I'm always close to a chair...or at least a door facing LOL. I go to Y 4 or 5 days a week (most weeks). When my insurance stopped paying for physical therapy my doctor said go to the Y get in the pool, so I do.

Now..back to books :).Have you tried the Death's Head books? I keep considering them. I'm usually on the lookout for good military science fiction.

I haven't tried them yet their going on the TBR-list.

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "NO problem. Is it okay to vote for it again?"

You can indeed vote for it again!

Have you read the "Coyote" books by Allen Steele? I should write a review on those. I really enjoyed them. They're told from different points of view and originally started as a collection of short stories published in "White Dwarf" or something like that.

I listened on audio books and it felt a lot like reading stories of the frontiersman like Davy Crocket and Daniel Boone. (and some Texas stories, cause my mother tells some of them in the verbal traditon, as family stories. (Not related to Daniel Boone or Davy Crocket but some frontiersmen yes.

Thouse would be. Coyote The first one. They cover a lot of different, fun, events. Escape, from earth, war, exploring an uncharted, unknown world. Betting the farm on a little point of light.

THey are really strong on character relationships . I loved them. Pure Sci-fi though. Nobody's going to call them fantasy (and be taken seriously)

No I haven't read them...just what I need, more TBRs LOL...

(I grew up in Crocket's neck of the woods and I think I had an ancestor in Boonesboro (and one on the Lewis and Clark expedition for that matter0. The name's right, but I don't know if there's any direct line.)

I'll put the Coyote books on my list.

My Great x5 Grandfather was Henry Laurens, president of the first continental congress (that set up the Articles of Confederation) and an ambassodor to France during the Revolutionary War.

I put up a review on it. These are the books starting with Coyote as the first one.

Coyote Coyote Rising Coyote Rising Coyote Frontier Spindrift Coyote Horizon

Spin Drift and Driftwood are related stories, but not actually in the same series. They were written in the same universe with the same characters in the background etc.

Sorry about the TBR mike, but you've padded mine enough already.. (well, not that sorry about it. I liked the books a lot.) I hope you enjoy them.

I know. I talk about asking God to allow me to live till I read all the books I've planned to, only I keep adding more books, so I don't think He'll go along with that. But, as long as He gives me I guess I work on the list. LOL

My family, my grandfather's generation mostly, all finished their long, full lives in the middle of piles of books. That's how I'm going to go, if I have any say in it.

Plus you probably started with all those books they handed down. A sort of ready made To Be Read list. :)

my mother is still handing me books. I get everyone she's read. It helps that she likes the same stories that I do.

I have several people waiting for mine....

Yeah, I'm hoping I put a dent in my unread book collection before I go too, Mike!

We live in hope Lady D. My son, one of his best friends who practically grew up in our house...my minister...and to a lesser extent my daughter all all waiting to divy my books up when I go I think.

I will definitely have to put my book collection in my will....

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "We live in hope Lady D. My son, one of his best friends who practically grew up in our house...my minister...and to a lesser extent my daughter all all waiting to divy my books up when I go I think."

Odd but nice ;) I feel bad when I see what are obvious collections at a used bookstore and know that someone sold something that probably had meaning for the original owner.
Also nice that you have family with similiar tastes. Mine are readers but not the books I read.

Btw I want to read something light and fun next. Would Old Man's War be a good or bad choice?

Light and fun... maybe The Adventures of the Stainless Steel Ratby Harry Harrison, or Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of the Robot Slaves light fun and sci-fi.

I'm looking at books I already own ;)

there's always "bubba and the dead woman" (free down load for your computer). No kindle or Nook needed.

Hugh (The other Hugh) wrote: "there's always "bubba and the dead woman" (free down load for your computer). No kindle or Nook needed."

Maybe a little too "light and fun". Lol.
I downloaded it on my nook, probably won't read it next though.

I've got one for you guys! It's my sci-fi "choose your own adventure" book: Heavy Metal Thunder.

It takes place in an era when humans have pretty much given up on finding any meaning in life. When an imperialistic alien species attacks, humanity barely puts up any fight at all. The main character, however, is a "human fanatic" fighting in a last-ditch guerilla war against the invaders. He's not a superheroic badass, but he is determined and driven and more than a little unbalanced.

Be warned: There are a few graphic action sequences!

If anyone is interested, you can check out the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Metal-Thu...

And you can check out the blog here:
http://heavymetalthunderseries.wordpr...

Also, I'll give out a Smashwords coupon to anyone who promises to write an Amazon review for Heavy Metal Thunder. Glowing review, hateful review, doesn't matter... honesty is fine, I can take it!

I had a lot of fun reading Old Man's War, Traci. You should give it a try if it's tugging at you! :)

It's whispering in my ear "read me, read me, read me,..."

You better read it then, Traci! Otherwise it'll keep whispering...lol

Several of the sci-fi books/series I have on my bookshelf fit into the A/A category. First three that come to mind are the Honor Harrington series by David Weber, the Vorkosigan series by Lois Bujold and the General series by Stirling and Drake.

I would even put The Blue Sword and the Hero and the Crown, the two fantasy books by Robin McKinley, in that category. I don't think you can get much more "action-y" than a young woman on a war horse swinging a sword to save her people. (Well, in one case, she just brought down a mountain on the bad guy and his army, but whatever works!)

Thanks Sharon, your right. I think Hammers Slammers could fit over here (David Drake) ahd "The Coqueror's Pride" by Timothy (?) Zahn. More action, and war, though they manage a good romance and some intrigue in there too. That was a fun read.

How about the Repairman Jack series by F Paul Wilson? The series starts out pretty much action with a hint of something else (if you're paying attention) but the later books really layer on the oddities/paranormal/weird/horror elements.

Traci, my kids read SOME of the same things I do. My son reads some fantasy and techno-thrillers, so does the friend of his I mentioned. He (the friend) is more likely to be interested in the fantasy and also my theology titles. Those (the theology titles) will interest my minister, and he also likes science fiction, and some fantasy. Then there's my daughter. I think she likes a lot more of the things I do than she admits. There's at least on series I've recommended to everybody that she hasn't read, and I think the only reason she hasn't read it is that I recommended it! LOL

@Mike that's still cool. No one in my family reads fantasy or science fiction. I'm trying to work on my eight year old cousin. But he's afraid of dinosaurs so I'm not sure. He does love Star Wars though so I figure I have a chance.

I finished Old Man's War. It reminded me of an old fashioned space opera. I really liked it. It was fun but also sadder than I expected (and funnier). The relationships between "The Old Farts" (their name for themselves not mine) and John and is wife were surprisingly touching.

I'm glad you liked it, Traci!

Recently read Saucer by Coonts, I enjoyed it. Wasn't completely action adventure, but close enough.

I'm still likin the Coyote books by Allen Steele here.

The Deathstalker series by Simon R. Green is very good. Over the top space opera with extremely bloody battles and very powerful characters and monsters.

On my list...