Others: Mixed A dystopian novel where invulnerable monster from somewhere mysterious threatens the gleaming perfect city. Under pressure, Olympus City reveals its flaws; because of the Fluger and its enigmatic opponent, Kam Shar, perhaps humanity is forced to become a little more aware of itself and the squalid world outside the floating cities.
Genres: science fiction
Lists: …
James Gunn
1955 · 197 pages · 1 review
Others: MixedWilliam Dane is a man with a nasty, but valuable secret, one that all the cutthroats in the galaxy are itching to get their hands on. Dane must perfect the art of concealing himself from the crazed factions yearning for the power that this secret can give them or die at the hands of the most brutal men alive. He's a man on the run from the entire galaxy, but one day that won't be the case. One day in the deadly game of cat and mouse, he will become the deadlier, feline opponent. But until then, he must keep a close guard or the key to ruling the universe could fall into the wrong hands. This classic science fiction masterpiece satisfies readers every desire for adventure and intrigue.
What made the match, strongest first
M. John Harrison
1972 · 157 pages · 4 reviews
Others: Leaning positiveVia The first book The Pastel City, presents a civilization in decline where medieval social patterns clash with the advanced technology and superscience energy weapons that the citizens of the city know how to use but have forgotten how to engineer. Harrison's leading character, Lord tegeus-Cromis, fancies himself a better poet than swordsman; yet he leads the battle to save Viriconium, the Pastel City, from the brain-stealing automatons known as the geteit chemosit from Earth's past.
What made the match, strongest first
Isaac Asimov
1955 · 192 pages · 2 reviews
Others: MixedThe story of temporal engineers who meta-regulate the history of humanity through the centuries, eliminating risk, adventure, and space travel in the process. One man rebels in order to save the existence of someone he loves, and in the end the time bureaucracy is destroyed for the sake of individuality and human achievement. The theme is the opposite of the Foundation stories, where the central planners and manipulators of humanity always dominate.
What made the match, strongest first
Larry Niven
1974 · 560 pages · 6 reviews
Others: Leaning positiveScience fiction classic about the rise, fall and subsequent rise of a civilization where the peak catastrophe is known as the "crazy eddy point". Introduces the concept of frictionless toilets that don't have any water in them but I suspect the authors didn't think it all the way through - I don't recall a negative air pressure that would keep odours in their rightfull place. Nevertheless a fascinating read. I haven't read this for donkeys years which is why I'm searching for an e-copy.
What made the match, strongest first
Clifford D. Simak
1986 · 289 pages · 3 reviews
Others: NeutralA client had vanished, and Jay Corcoran went to investigate the man's empty hotel suite....his trick vision spotted the room-sized box stuck to the outside wall of the suite. Stumped, he cabled his long-time pal Tom Boone, who could 'step around a corner' into some otherwhere. Boone stepped into the box, taking Corcoran with him....to 1745 England. There they found a family of refugees from a million years in a future....where alien Infinites were converting humanity to incorporeal form....
What made the match, strongest first
John Brunner
1968 · 576 pages · 6 reviews
Others: Leaning positive"Originally published in 1968, Stand on Zanzibar was a breakthrough in science fiction storytelling technique, and a prophetic look at a dystopian 2010 that remains compelling today. Corporations have usurped democracy, ubiquitous information technology mediates human relationships, mass-marketed psychosomatic drugs keep billions docile, and genetic engineering is routine. Universal in reach, the world-system is out of control, and we are all its victims...and its creator"--Cover p. [4].
What made the match, strongest first
MixedI read this and reviewed this recently on the Patreon and I had mixed opinions of it, but it kind of cemented Piserchia in my mind as someone who is especially strange even among strange pulp science fiction writers. I don't regret picking it up. I don't regret reading it.
