Anybody got any author suggestions? Big fan of Iain M Banks and the Culture series, also the Foundation Trilogy by Asimov. That sort of thing.

I like series me.

true cos I will do the fantastic detailed advice you gave me EXEPT I prefer my gasmask rather than balaclava.

as shown here my friend took a pic of me on his iphone:

Are you my mummy?

Mark

That mask looks ideal brataccas.

GO TO YOUR ROOM!

Now there's a sign that someone's begging for attention.

That's only coz someone was abandoned.

Are you wearing a gas mask as well?

Do pretend you're the first Terminator while you're in there

No. It appears that either my Doctor Who reference went over your head, or I'm incredibly stupid and have missed the point somewhere.

Am I confused or are you confused?

For anyone who didn't watch James Courdon last night, Joachim Loew (Germany manager), picking his nose, passing it between hands and eating it.

clicky

I like series and large novels too. Nothing worse than reading something good and it just finishing.

Peter F Hamilton.

The Night's Dawn Trilogy is a great read. It even comes with its own handbook to help with terminology and timelines. I've read it three times already and already itching to read it again, except my copies are in Oz. There is another book A Second Chance At Eden that is set in the same Confederation universe that may benefit you if you read it first, it is basically a compilation of short stories that lead up to the start of the main trilogy and covers the development of the technology and some character build-up. This trilogy is 2.5x the size of LotR so it should keep you going.

After that come the Commonwealth Saga and Void Trilogy, these 2 compilations are set in the Commonwealth universe and with some of the same characters, but with a 1000 year gap between events. The Saga is very good but I haven't been too impressed with the Void Triology so far, a bit too fantasy in parts, but the final book comes out in August so I'll reserve full judgement until I've finished that one.


Kim Sanley Robinson.

The Mars Trilogy is an outstanding read, and hard science all the way through. Arthur C Clarke said that this should be required reading for any future colonists to Mars.

Thanks Matt. Hamilton isn't the one were it's like the EU have gone to space is it? I started reading one book based on that premise and I just put it down, it really didn't grab me.

I''ll have a check up anyway, thanks for that. Robinson sounds more up my street. I like science in my sci-fi, even if it's "fantasy" science but has intricate foundations.

Have you read anything by Alistair Reynolds? Seems some buyers of Banks head to him for other books as well. I gather he's a nuclear physcist?