Stephen Baxter anyone?

[AE35Unit]

I have Timelike Infinity and Anti-Ice on the shelf from years ago ... I read them, I can't remember them much and neither inspired me to read more Baxter.

I recently read The H-Bomb Girl and quite enjoyed it ... so I'm wandering if I should take another go at Baxter - and if so what would be a good starting point?

I've not read Anti Ice yet but I don't belive its typical Baxter. Where else to start,well you could try Voyage, Titan or Moonseed, or, if you've read Well's Time Machine you could try Baxter's authrised sequel, The Time Ships. Of course there's his ealier Xeelee books, Raft, Flux etc and his countless Xeelee stories.

 

[Fried Egg]

Alternatively, you could try one of his collections - Vacuum Diagrams, Phase Space or Traces.

I like the idea of trying one of his collections...which do you think is best?

 

[iansales]

Egg, they're all good

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I remember reading a very early story of his, it must have been in an early Interzone...? I think it was a Xeelee story.

 

[iansales]

His really early stuff was published in Dream Magazine. That's where I first came across his fiction.

 

[AE35Unit]

I remember reading a very early story of his, it must have been in an early Interzone...? I think it was a Xeelee story.

Yea I used to have a lot of 90s Interzones with Baxter stories in and featured on the cover. I commented on one with a letter to the magazine,expecting nothing, and I got a signed photo of Baxter for my troubles!

 

[J-Sun]

Got Traces in the mail today all the way from Wallingford (OX=Oxfordshire?) UK, it seems. That means I'm shifting around my to-read order so I'll tackle it and The Time Ships before the Destiny's Children books. But that prompted me to ask - in the first Xeelee sequence, #1 is a pocket universe, #2 begins the core story, #3 goes on a tangent, and #4 concludes the core story, while #5 is the in-around-about bigger story of several short works. In the second Xeelee sequence, #4 is a similar connected collection but could someone tell me in a completely non-spoilery way, how #1-3 are connected (or not)? I gather that the second set of Xeelee novels forms one continuous story but that's what I initially thought about the first set, too. I apologize for probably being able to look it up myself and not doing so but I'm just afraid I'd get something spoiled in the process.

 

[AE35Unit]

What are the Clarke/Baxter collaborations like? I have one, Times Eye on my shelf, first of a trilogy

 

[zaltys13]

Got Traces in the mail today all the way from Wallingford (OX=Oxfordshire?) UK, it seems. That means I'm shifting around my to-read order so I'll tackle it and The Time Ships before the Destiny's Children books. But that prompted me to ask - in the first Xeelee sequence, #1 is a pocket universe, #2 begins the core story, #3 goes on a tangent, and #4 concludes the core story, while #5 is the in-around-about bigger story of several short works. In the second Xeelee sequence, #4 is a similar connected collection but could someone tell me in a completely non-spoilery way, how #1-3 are connected (or not)? I gather that the second set of Xeelee novels forms one continuous story but that's what I initially thought about the first set, too. I apologize for probably being able to look it up myself and not doing so but I'm just afraid I'd get something spoiled in the process.

The stories in chronological order are:

Coalescent (novel)

Transcendent (novel)

Timelike Infinity (novel)

Ring (novel) Before the launch of The great Northern

Starfall (novella)

Riding the Rock (novella)

Reality dust (novella)

Mayflower II (novella)

Raft (novel)

Flux (novel)

Ring (novel) After the Great Northern Returns

I read Raft followed by Flux as these are complete standalones. I then read Timelike Infinity where the story starts proper, I then read the short story collection Vacuum Diagrams to to have a more in depth appreciation of the universe as a whole and finally Ring which is the culmination of everything that has gone before. Vacuum diagrams gives a detailed timeline, but not for the Destiny's Children stories which where written later.

I read these as a Trilogy followed by Resplendent, this also gives a timeline for where they fit into the overall sequence.

I am sure some enterprising soul out there has written one huge timeline for the whole saga, although I havn't seen it.

Hope this answers your question, but reading it again I'm not sure it does

 

[J-Sun]

Hope this answers your question, but reading it again I'm not sure it does

Thanks but, yeah, that wasn't quite what I was going for. I was looking more for the "tightness of the weave" of plot and character in the three DC books. My impression was - to exaggerate a little - that they were closer to being a single novel in three parts vs. the first Xeelee quartet which, as you say, had a couple of basic standalones and then just the two that were more tightly woven to each other. But, for all I know, they just share the common universe and are three mostly-distinct stories.

What are the Clarke/Baxter collaborations like? I have one, Times Eye on my shelf, first of a trilogy

I don't know if you were asking me or just anyone who might reply. I don't know, personally. I gather they're basically Clarke outlines that Baxter wrote and not real collaborations, but I could easily be wrong. As far as content and quality, I also don't know. But hopefully you were asking generally and someone can give you a better reply.

 

[zaltys13]

Thanks but, yeah, that wasn't quite what I was going for. I was looking more for the "tightness of the weave" of plot and character in the three DC books. My impression was - to exaggerate a little - that they were closer to being a single novel in three parts vs. the first Xeelee quartet which, as you say, had a couple of basic standalones and then just the two that were more tightly woven to each other. But, for all I know, they just share the common universe and are three mostly-distinct stories.



I don't know if you were asking me or just anyone who might reply. I don't know, personally. I gather they're basically Clarke outlines that Baxter wrote and not real collaborations, but I could easily be wrong. As far as content and quality, I also don't know. But hopefully you were asking generally and someone can give you a better reply.

Ah, okay I see what you mean, I would compare them to the Manifold series then, Thematically linked with recurring characters but in no way direct sequels to each other. Now are we on the right track?

 

[J-Sun]

Ah, okay I see what you mean, I would compare them to the Manifold series then, Thematically linked with recurring characters but in no way direct sequels to each other. Now are we on the right track?

Yep, that sounds right. So it looks like I was mostly wrong again, but I'd be happy with them either way and may even prefer this - just good to know either way. Thanks.

 

[Grunkins]

I've never read any Baxter, but recently picked up Timelike Infinity and Ring. It sounds like maybe I should hold off on Ring until I've read a few more in the series. My reading list is presently Very Long (a perpetual state) so I'm not sure when I'll get to either of them, but I am looking forward to them.

 

[zaltys13]

I've never read any Baxter, but recently picked up Timelike Infinity and Ring. It sounds like maybe I should hold off on Ring until I've read a few more in the series. My reading list is presently Very Long (a perpetual state) so I'm not sure when I'll get to either of them, but I am looking forward to them.

Timelike Infinity and Ring can be read in that order and you don't have to worry about reading anything else, the will make perfect sense as they are a self contained story.

All the other stuff in the sequence is great but not essential to your understanding of the Xeelee universe.

 

[Grunkins]

I'm about half-way through Timelike Infinity now and really enjoying it. I think I'm going to go on a buying binge of his books.