Military Science Fiction

[Pyan]

I have been trying to recall any story that involved destroying a galaxy. Nothing comes up.

The Arisians and the Lensmen combined to do it in either Second Stage Lensmen or Children of the Lens, by EE ‘Doc’ Smith.

 

[Swank]

The Arisians and the Lensmen combined to do it in either Second Stage Lensmen or Children of the Lens, by EE ‘Doc’ Smith.

An SF story that actually destroys a galaxy is about as useful as a Western where all the horses are killed. That scale of event does not really work with the individual human scale of our storytelling.

 

[Pyan]

An SF story that actually destroys a galaxy is about as useful as a Western where all the horses are killed. That scale of event does not really work with the individual human scale of our storytelling.

Sorry? This is science fiction we're talking about. If the 'individual human scale of storytelling' can't cope with the destruction of a galaxy, perhaps the scale is too limited.

 

[psikeyhackr]

Sorry? This is science fiction we're talking about. If the 'individual human scale of storytelling' can't cope with the destruction of a galaxy, perhaps the scale is too limited.

This needs the last generation of Multivac.

 

[Swank]

Sorry? This is science fiction we're talking about. If the 'individual human scale of storytelling' can't cope with the destruction of a galaxy, perhaps the scale is too limited.

I'm speaking from a practical view: SF books are largely about how individual people deal with large or small scale problems. Since galaxies are individually so vast as to contain seemingly every possible kind of alien environment, and are spaced so far apart, it would be hard to present a story where people are bothering to travel between them or can make a significant contribution to changing something about the outcome of such an event. An author posing a disaster on an enormous scale can be effective just staying within the bounds of a local star cluster.

SF occupies a middle ground between problems that are too large or too small to be bothered with, and this one strikes me as too large.

 

[psikeyhackr]

Military SF discussion can't be competently done for long without mentioning:

Hammer's Slammers by David Drake

That may have been the first of his books I read. I had not reached the decrepit age of 30 and that book kind of shocked me.

Hammer's Slammers - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

I think this qualifies as Must Read MilSF!

I am pretty sure that the cover affected my purchase decision. The blurb didn't hurt.

In fact I think it is time for a reread. Now I have to get an electronic version.
The only way to live the sci-fi life.

 

[psikeyhackr]

Sorry? This is science fiction we're talking about. If the 'individual human scale of storytelling' can't cope with the destruction of a galaxy, perhaps the scale is too limited.

Sorry, I have a plausibility limiter on my brain.
Probably a birth defect.

 

[Pyan]

Since galaxies are individually so vast as to contain seemingly every possible kind of alien environment, and are spaced so far apart, it would be hard to present a story where people are bothering to travel between them or can make a significant contribution to changing something about the outcome of such an event

Which argument practically wipes out the entire Culture series by Iain M Banks. Try them - you may be pleasantly surprised.
Culture series - Wikipedia

Sorry, I have a plausibility limiter on my brain.

Most of the books center on Avalon but the series has space pirates, renegade Empire officers revolting to start their own interstellar satrapies to attack Avalon, etc. Everything we need to know to prepare for the global collapse of civilization.
I think The Outcast #5 is my favorite in the series so far. A girl escapes from an Islamic planet to eventually start a interstellar cartel. Lots of economics. (Post #14 in this thread)

Plausible? Really?

 

[Swank]

Which argument practically wipes out the entire Culture series by Iain M Banks. Try them - you may be pleasantly surprised.
Culture series - Wikipedia

Read every Culture book - they take place in this galaxy only, with the exception of one GSV mentioned that is slowly making its way to Andromeda.

 

[Pyan]

True - I am in error there. But I still hold out for inter-galaxy action in the Lensman series.

 

[Swank]

True - I am in error there. But I still hold out for inter-galaxy action in the Lensman series.

Do you think the author really had an idea about the size and location of galaxies? I never read any Smith, but a lot of pulp SF seems to play fast and loose with galaxies, universes, constellations, etc.

 

[Pyan]

Yup - Galaxy 666 - Pel Torro

 

[psikeyhackr]

Which argument practically wipes out the entire Culture series by Iain M Banks. Try them - you may be pleasantly surprised.
Culture series - Wikipedia

Plausible? Really?

Does the culture series extend to other galaxies?
I tried 4 books, finished 2, and quit.

Once you tolerate the plausibility of FTL travel, then YES. It used to take weeks to cross the Atlantic. Now it takes 4 days to get to the Moon, it is just still too expensive.

I soldered together my first computer in 1978. The smartphone that I am typing on right now is still somewhat implausible to me. LOL

If we had 100 times light speed technology then getting to the center of the galaxy would take 300 years. Getting to Andromeda, the closest galaxy, would take 25,000 years. But getting to Alpha Centauri, the closest star, would take 2 weeks. Like crossing oceans in sailing ships.

 

[psikeyhackr]

True - I am in error there. But I still hold out for inter-galaxy action in the Lensman series.

I know I read Triplanetary but I do not think I completed the Lensman Series.

 

[Parson]

(Hammer's Slammers) I think this qualifies as Must Read MilSF!

I would agree. Hammer's Slammers is a foundational series. But, I didn't find myself really loving them. It's too much space marines and too little space navy.

 

[psikeyhackr]

I would agree. Hammer's Slammers is a foundational series. But, I didn't find myself really loving them. It's too much space marines and too little space navy.

Yeah, but it is significant more for the politics, attitude and psychology than the actual fighting.
Drake was in the Blackhorse in Vietnam and had a completely negative attitude about the war. As one of the draft lottery losers this raises the issue of taking orders from a government of idiots.

I am not sure how much we can discuss it here since this site frowns on politics. Did you ever watch Robert McNamara's autobiographical documentary Fog of War?

 

[Parson]

I would guess that we could discuss the Viet Nam war pretty much all we wanted. At this point it seems a lot more like history that politics. I did not watch "Fog of War."

As I think about Hammer's Slammers, I would say that anti-government attitude was clearly seen in the books that I read. As I recall the mercs were almost always as worried about their employers than their "enemies."

 

[Rodders]

Kind of linked, but not. I keep seeing the WH40k PC games in my Steam feed. Are they any good? They look like RTS Army Games

 

[Foxbat]

Kind of linked, but not. I keep seeing the WH40k PC games in my Steam feed. Are they any good? They look like RTS Army Games

Slitherine do Warhammer games based on the Panzer Corps engine (a more modern version of Panzer General). If it’s those you’re seeing, I’m pretty sure they’re turn based rather than RTS. Plenty of DLC too.

They seem popular but not my cup of tea but here’s a link to the Matrix Games page (also available on Steam)

Matrix Games

www.matrixgames.com

 

[Ursa major]

they take place in this galaxy only

A pedant writes: The Player of Games is partly set in the Small Magellanic Cloud.