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04-05-2015, 05:23 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Chicagoland
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The best Transhuman sci-fi novels?
I missed out on the transhumanism trend in sci-fi, but the GURPS setting interests me so I bought it. I'd like to understand the genre better, though. Which are the best transhumanist sci-fi novels?
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GMing Since 1982. Last edited by GM Joe; 04-05-2015 at 02:43 PM. |
04-05-2015, 12:24 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Scotland
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Re: The best Transhuman scii-fi novels?
These six are my 6 favorite writers
Neal Asher Stephen Baxter David Brin Peter F Hamilton Alastair Reynolds Dan Simmons |
11-30-2015, 08:45 PM | #3 | |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: New England
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Re: The best Transhuman scii-fi novels?
Quote:
Somewhat nearer-future, but definitely in the crunchy hard SF spirit of Transhuman Space, is Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, which details colonizing Mars. If you've not read Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, do so, even if it is Earthbound, and then give Blade Runner another watch. Not a book, but the film Moon is worth watching, especially for the psychological aspects. |
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12-01-2015, 01:11 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
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Re: The best Transhuman scii-fi novels?
Donald Kingsbury's Psychohistorical Crisis has notable transhumanist aspects. It's primarily a deconstruction of the Foundation series; but its setting is a future Galactic Empire where the human race has radically diversified, and virtually all the new races have improved cognitive abilities. There's a sequence where the hero visits Earth and is amazed at the unimproved brains of the locals. And the opening scene has the hero being sentenced to death—which means that they leave his organic body untouched, but take away his cybernetic attachment and vaporize it, leaving him bereft of most of his cognitive abilities and a substantial part of his memories, and thus unable to function normally in his society.
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Bill Stoddard I don't think we're in Oz any more. |
12-02-2015, 08:45 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Re: The best Transhuman scii-fi novels?
It's not a novel, but if you like GURPS Transhuman Space you will love the Orions's Arm Universe Project:
http://www.orionsarm.com/ |
12-05-2015, 11:25 AM | #6 |
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
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Re: The best Transhuman scii-fi novels?
When you think of it, many early pieces of Sci-Fi were Transhumanist.
Rappaccini's Daughter involves a profound biological transformation of two young people. Coppelia has a lifelike android. The Invisible Man, The Island of Doctor Moreau, and The Time Machine are just three of Wells works with heavy transhumanist themes. I'd say that most science fiction from before 1930 that still gets read tends toward strongly Transhumanist themes in some basic way.
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Per Ardua Per Astra! Ancora Imparo |
04-05-2015, 12:25 PM | #7 | |
Computer Scientist
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Dallas, Texas
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Re: The best Transhuman scii-fi novels?
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Greg Bear's EON series is good, as are his other works like BLOOD MUSIC and STRENGTH OF STONES, though again the transhumanist message is not always supportive, if that's what you are asking. |
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04-05-2015, 07:05 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: traveller
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Re: The best Transhuman scii-fi novels?
Charles Stross' Children of Saturn and Neptune's Brood are the safetech version: technically transhumanist, but not alienating.
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04-10-2015, 04:15 AM | #9 |
Banned
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Bristol
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Re: The best Transhuman scii-fi novels?
Bladerunner
Dark Angel tv series Universal Solider (ok not that good) I, Robot Splice Ex Machina |
04-12-2015, 01:48 PM | #10 | |
Join Date: Mar 2008
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Re: The best Transhuman scii-fi novels?
Quote:
Ken MacLeod's Star Fraction and the other three, Newton's Wake, and Learning the World. Cosmonaut Keep, less so, I think. I think Varley's Eight Worlds stories can be called transhumanist, though with older and maybe different roots. _Silicon Man_, Charles Platt. Greg Egan's _Diaspora_ is waaay posthuman. So is Schild's Ladder, and maybe later. _Permutation City_. A lot of his short stories sort of feature biotech or neurotech transhumanism or related issues. I feel bad about the plethora of male authors but Leckie has already been mentioned and I can't think of others. Cherryh sort of touches on things: _Voyager in Night_ has uploads (by aliens), _Cyteen_ has people playing with people (azi tape-raised clones, attempts to recreate geniuses) and _Serpent's Reach_ has some wonky background stuff, but none stand out as Transhuman Novels. Bujold has some: social effects of uterine replicators, and full blown sex change in a sexist society; also the transhuman haut, but they're usually not a focus. |
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