Science Fiction Nano-aliens

Posted by: Dungassin on 08 June 2011

Since getting my Kindle I'm slowly populating it with favourite old books no longer in my paperback collection.  I remember a Science Fiction novel (or possibly it was a series of 2), which I must have read 10-25 years ago.  It involved microscopic intelligent aliens living on the surface of a sun, who are discovered by a spaceship orbiting the star.  The aliens rapidly evolve/progress over days/weeks to a civilisation far above ours.

 

I've been racking my brains for the title/author, but can't come up with it.  The nearest I can get is the Stephen Baxter Xeelee Series (also very good).   Anyone know the answer, please?

Posted on: 08 June 2011 by JamieWednesday

Dragon's Egg and Starquake?

Posted on: 08 June 2011 by Dungassin

That's the ones!  Thanks. 

 

Now if only Larry Niven's Known Universe stores and the whole of the E.E.Doc Smith Lensman series were in ebook ...

Posted on: 08 June 2011 by Hook

As a teen, and into my college years, my favorite was Fred Pohl's "Heechee" series...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heechee

 

So many wondrous inventions!

 

Hook

Posted on: 09 June 2011 by Timbo

The Lensmen series, it's a long time since I've heard mention of those..

Posted on: 09 June 2011 by Dungassin

Ah well.  I always liked the Lensman series.  Good pulp SF.  Some of the early Heinlein ain't bad either, and even the dreaded Ron Hubbard wrote some very entertaining pulp. 

Posted on: 10 June 2011 by JamieL_v2

Not sure if the Guttenberg Project helps, it has books on-line that have gone out of copyright, have a look at:

 

http://www.gutenberg.org/files.../32706-h/32706-h.htm

 

Title: Triplanetary
Author: Edward Elmer Smith

 

The Lensman series

TRIPLANETARY
FIRST LENSMAN
GALACTIC PATROL
GRAY LENSMAN
SECOND STAGE LENSMAN
CHILDREN OF THE LENS
MASTERS OF THE VORTEX

The Skylark series

THE SKYLARK OF SPACE
SKYLARK THREE
SKYLARK OF VALERON
SKYLARK DU QUESNE

 

I had a quick look on there and found a Victorian sci-fi book I read as a teenager, which my mother recommended to me, 'After Lodon' by Richard Jefferies.

Posted on: 10 June 2011 by JamieL_v2

I had a look for some of the more recent titles mentioned above, and the Guttenberg Project only has books that have gone out of copyright, so things like 'Dragon's Egg' whihc was published in 1980 (according to Wikipedia) are not available through it.

 

Still for 40's and probably some 50's, and even earlier sci-fi it is a good resource, as well as for other genres.

Posted on: 10 June 2011 by Dungassin
Originally Posted by JamieL_v2:

Not sure if the Guttenberg Project helps, it has books on-line that have gone out of copyright, have a look at:

 

http://www.gutenberg.org/files.../32706-h/32706-h.htm

 

Title: Triplanetary
Author: Edward Elmer Smith

Alas, the only one of the Lensman series on that site is Triplanetary.  I had already looked there, but thanks anyway. 

Posted on: 13 June 2011 by JamieL_v2

Thanks to this thread I made a search for the edition of 'After London' I read, the 1940's Everyman Library hardback my mother had, and found it on Amazon.

 

I must admit that I do like owning the editions of books as I first read them. Many of the Asimov novels have had covers that are very specific to the decade that the edition was printed in, and I  have gradually bought the ones I remember from second hand shops and Ebay.

 

I can see the convenience of Ibooks, but since I work as a computer screen, reading for relaxation is something done on paper pages for me.

Posted on: 13 June 2011 by Dungassin

I, on the other hand, am making a conscious decision to reduce drastically the number of "hard copy" books I keep on my shelves.  Indeed I have been guilty in the past of jettisoning paperbacks after reading, only to rebuy them years later to re-read.  Ebooks just seem more logical, and I find them easier to work with, especially if reading while eating!  SWMBO is pleased, because it's slowly freeing up a lot of shelf space.