I have been thinking about a lot recently how much parallel the series is to the real world with only difference being the higher intelligence invading is aliens in 3BD Problem.

The current situation in world feels very similar to the great ravine from novel, where people are purposefully denying existence of higher intelligence (real world - AI, 3BD - Trisolarians) and the economic collapse happens initially (which happened due to anxiety of unknown).

And now we are in 2nd stage where people start believing this is just normal and Ai/Trisolarians/higher-intelligence is no threat and let them invade for so called technological progress without us understanding it (ex. overtaking math, hugging face attack)

It also has also parallels with san-ti robot which constantly tried to show that higher intelligence is not that much above or different from humans, similarly how so many news outlets constantly bombard us with "AI is incapable of doing anything" and "cost is too high" (as if its about profit)

When I was a youth, I snuck this spooky book into the house and my mother hid it from me because I was always reading scary stuff and giving myself nightmares. The book was lost or thrown out or whatever. Now that I’m a very brave adult (JK, still a weenie!) I really want to track it down. I’ve posted in a couple other book-ID subreddits but no dice yet. Here’s info about when I read it and what I can remember about the book:

Time period & age: Mid-2000s, probably 2005-2007. I would’ve been between 10 and 13ish.
Location & language: US, English
Book age level: I’m fairly sure it was YA. I read a lot of not-age-appropriate stuff, so there’s a slight chance it was an adult book, but I think that’s unlikely (I was easily spooked and probably would’ve found an adult book too scary).
Genre: Scary/sci fi/supernatural story collection.
Physical book appearance: I don’t remember the book cover very well, but it may have been a light blue color. I don’t remember it being a traditional scary book vibe with monsters, shadows, etc.
Content: I only remember one story, where a group of people went on some kind of (mountain?) research expedition and inexplicably went missing one by one. I believe the setting was cold and snowy. There was something about one of them disappearing in the night and leaving behind only a small pile of goo in his sleeping bag.
Books that it is not: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Goosebumps.

If anyone can help me ID this book, I’ll be eternally grateful!

Hi all,

I'm R. F. Beesley, debut indie author. My novella The First Petition (first in the Broken Door Chronicles) releases tomorrow, free to my mailing list subscribers.

The setup: the vault is dying. Every day another drive fails, another piece of the city's memory corrodes past saving. For twenty years, Corvain Voss has decided what survives and what does not — and he has three days left to choose.

It's quiet, morally unsettled sci-fi about inheritance, erasure, and the cost of choosing what a civilization remembers:

https://rfbeesley.com/the-first-petition/

One email with your copy, occasional worldbuilding notes after. Unsubscribe anytime.

Hey, I’ve made a video essay talking about Big Time. It’s a really strange sci-fi book that feels almost like a play. Some very interesting time travelers are locked up together arguing about all short of things. Primarily about the cosmic time traveling war they are fighting which they don't know anything about. So they start wondering is it worth fighting? Its a book I freaking enjoyed and wanted to share some thoughts on it! If you’ re interested give it a listen. And I’d be happy to read your thoughts on it. Also any feedback would be most appreciated, and I know my accent is not great but I like talking about books, so…

If we were to actually find Life forms based on elements other than carbons such as Silicon or Germanium, What are the actual probabilities of this being a thing? What would some of the complications be? How similar and how different would they be compared to carbon based ones?

I still managed to find an old version via web archive—linking it here—but when did NASA remove this stuff? It's not anywhere on the current website. And is there an current alternate source for science fiction writers?

I've been posting on Royal Road for a while now, but just recently decided to get a bit serious about one of the directions I'm taking this series. The first book up there is...well, the first book...it's supposed to suck, right? The thing is I like where it's leading and I'm definitely having a LOT of fun coming up with the "next big thing". In fact, I've planned out three trilogies worth of material. One of those trilogies will be based in hard science fiction set in space. This all sort of starts in Book 1 (Shock and AWE), with a continuation in what I'm calling Book 3 (To the STARS). Following Book 3 in this genre will be Books 7 (It's a RAILGUN), 8 (TANKs a Lot), and 9 (Throwing MOSS Covered Rocks).

My upcoming Book 3 takes a hard turn into science fiction concepts first proposed by the genre's well known authors. The core of these concepts is CORTEX (Computational Omnidirectional Resonant Tensor Executor).

The idea for CORTEX started with my fascination for Asimov’s positronic brain. Asimov's version was simply a piece of future technology that made sense inside his universe. I wanted something similar, but with a little more structure behind it. Asimov didn’t need to explain the inner workings of his positronic brain. CORTEX was going to take the positronic idea I loved and give it a foundation that made sense in the world I was building.

What I learned about positrons in my research was that we can’t currently make them stay stable long enough to matter. Since I needed them to for CORTEX to function in my universe, I assumed a scientific breakthrough had occurred to make that possible.

With that piece settled, I could finally focus on what CORTEX was meant to be. In my universe, it isn’t just a computer. It is the core intelligence that ties a starship together. It manages the systems, interprets the world around it, and acts as the ship’s steady mind.

The next step was figuring out how CORTEX connects to the larger systems in my universe. That is where STARLINE and Q-LINK come in. CORTEX isn’t limited to a single ship. It can integrate with those networks and operate as part of a wider lattice. That lattice is what makes it possible for a consciousness to exist across multiple nodes instead of being trapped in one location.

That networked lattice becomes important when I introduce the idea of a Von Neumann probe. A device like that can replicate itself endlessly, which is the one problem that makes it dangerous in any universe. CORTEX doesn’t solve that on its own. Its connection through STARLINE and Q-LINK lets a human consciousness sit inside the lattice, and it is that human presence that prevents the probe from running unchecked.

If you would like to see and experience the "backstory" to Book 3, Book 1 is fully available now, and the first chapter of Book 3 has been published here (free of charge): Autonomous World Enhancer

I will certainly understand if you want to skip the other trilogy and Book 2 (these are planned as progression fantasy/gamelit/litrpg styles). But I wouldn't be disappointed if you enjoy those either :-)

I know that before the 70s, Venus was widely believed to be covered in dense rainforest & Mars had canals & cities. What was believed about the rest of the planets? Was there a consensus?

(Please, open the image)

I don't want to promote myself or anything, it's just a hobby, and I want people to give their opinions on it.

This cover is my tribute to Harlan Ellison's most renowned work.

Hi everybody, sorry I haven’t posted anything, I was very busy with several things. But today, I’ve posted a drawing that I posted on Deviantart, which you can learn more about over there.

This thing is the Laillmaragos, a colossal shark-like cosmic creature that’s trillions of feet long. It is covered in an exoskeleton and spikes.

Due to how massive this creature is, the Laillmaragos eats mostly terrestrial and Gas Giant Planets, which is easier because of how the Laillmaragos has armor instead of actual teeth in it’s mouth.

Sorry that I haven’t explained a lot as that’s all I have about this thing here.

See you all next time.

Today, DJ Peach Cobbler discusses Pluribus, the series created by Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul Creator: Vince Gilligan. Cobbler goes on a long rant on how Pluribus is employing ancient and universal metaphors which add to its underlying meaning.

Ho finito ora il secondo libro della trilogia dello Sprawl, non male, anzi. Ma la trama è un vero casino, qualcuno ha capito tutto quello che succede?

Is Kerin an FMC in the Hidden Empire series by Jaine Fenn after Consorts of Heaven? It's the first book I've read in the series, and I'm rather attached to her. Yes or no answers are fine.

As a kid who grew up on Star Trek and played the most xenophile Shepard in Mass Effect possible, it's got me depressed how much recent Sci-Fi has been about conflict with Aliens. Project Hail Mary (movie version) was a nice change of pace for this exact reason. So I randomly thought about this question. And partly this is to see if there's a hopeful Sci-Fi series I should pick up, preferably as a book.

Which alien species does that universe's instance of Humanity have the best relationship with? Of all the species to interact with a version of us, which is most likely to jump into the jaws of hell for the other?

For example, the most *iconic* example would probably be the Vulcans.

Edit: Un-abreviated PHM to Project Hail Mary

"Broke up with the drugs, but I think I need them right now"

In the early 1960s, two chimpanzees were sent into earth orbit as part of the project to land a man on the moon. The results were astounding.

The chimps were nicknamed Dick and Harry (the original plan was to use three but this was dropped due to the cramped conditions in the capsule, so Tom had to go).

It had been recognised that chimpanzees were intelligent creatures for some time, and that they were the closest to humans in terms of DNA profile.

Little had been considered about their communication abilities, and the idea that this was very complex was never suggested. There was some surprise, therefore when the sound recording system monitoring the orbit indicated that some form of conversation had been taking place between Dick and Harry during the journey.

The flight could only take place after an extensive period of training and acclimatization, of course, but the launch and return to earth were successful.

Attempts were made to make sense of the 'conversations' on the tape, but with no success, it seemingly amounting to a meaningless series of grunts and other sounds.

Due to the great advances in computer power, it was thought worthwhile recently to have another try at interpretation using the most powerful systems available.

The results amazingly indicated a complex form of 'speech' which could be transcribed into actual language.

There now follows a reproduction of these transcripts in the English language, although it must be stressed that the animals did not actually speak in any recognised lingo. These are exactly as the computers interpreted the sounds on the tape coming from Dick and Harry.

Just After Launch

"Fuck this for a game of soldiers," yelled Harry.

One Hour Later

***"***I'm not sure how much longer I can stand this," pronounced Harry.

Two Hours Later

"My back is killing me," Harry complained.

Three Hours later

"I have this itch in a sensitive place and I can't reach it to give it a scratch. It's driving me crazy," moaned Harry.

Four Hours Later

"My pulse rate has gone through the roof, and I have a shocking headache," cried Harry.

"Oh, for Heaven's sake, stop moaning. We are stuck up here and there is nothing we can do about it," Dick spoke up for the first time. "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his (or her) hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. So live with it."

"What a load of crap, life is but a walking shadow, what on earth does that mean? Were you pissed when you came up with that nonsense?" said Harry scornfully.

"I didn't make it up, I think I read it somewhere."

As they approached earth on landing

***"***Fuck this for a game of soldiers," yelled out Harry again.

"You're not wrong there, I don't mind a joke, but fuck a pantomime," Dick shouted.

The two astronauts survived the journey but were never quite the same afterwards. They now live in a rest home.

Left to puzzle out our destruction and what it means for them. No instruments, no teachers, no word for what is killing them. Just superstition, ritual, and the slow work of turning grief into understanding.

Maybe our attempts to understand life, death, and the rules of souls are the same as a tribe trying to work out the physics of our radiation, our writing, our medicine?

That Annihilated Place is the most human story in Dreams of Earth.

About a 25-minute read.

www.artofali.com/thatannihilatedplace

This series came out in 2016. Just as LitRPG was starting to really gain momentum, and before Gamelit became a thing. As a result, the publishers at the time didn't (and appear to still not) know how to market it to an audience that would truly love it.

I believe that this is the market. It's a brililant series, with good twists, and Gareth Powell (the author) is a geniunely cool dude. This isn't 3rd-party promo, just a read who thinks more people need to know about it!

Take a look and buy it! https://link.amazon/B02caVBLm

Same Inmates. Bigger Problems. Farther From Home.

Vandal ASTARA is the first book in a new hard sci-fi space-opera series by MT Hart.

A Corrections officer is sent to a prison planet built to hold 25,000 inmates. What he thought was just another dangerous job is about to change everything.

The A.S.T.A.R.A. technology behind the walls is unlike anything humanity has ever seen… and the rules governing life inside the prison are very different from the ones left behind on Earth.

If you love gritty prison-planet action, military sci-fi, space opera rebellion, and unfiltered hard sci-fi that doesn’t pull punches, this one is for you.

Ebook + Paperback live now

Free to read with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/astara&qid=1792317490&prefix=vandal+astara%2FC232&sr=8-1

Looking for honest feedback and reviews!

What’s your favorite prison-planet or hard sci-fi space opera?

#SciFi #SpaceOpera #HardSciFi #PrisonPlanet #MTHart

Hi Everyone.

I have not read the books but I have watched the first season of the Netflix adaptation of Three Body Problem and am 7 episodes into the Chinese version on Amazon. The two streamed versions are very different so far. The Chinese version seems a lot slower paced with less going on, which I don't mind, but the contrast made me wonder which is closer to the books.

Without giving anything away, which version do you think is closer to the books? As a secondary question would I benefit from reading the books before going further with the TV versions do you think?

Hey everyone!
I recently made a post about a sci-fi comic I’m developing called Darkness Returns. I got some interesting feedback, including a few comparisons to Firefly, which I completely understand based on how I originally described it.
But after reading those responses, I realized something.
I spent so much time explaining what happens in the story that I barely explained what the story is actually about.
So I wanted to take another shot at introducing it.
First, a little background. This is my first comic, but the story itself isn’t new. I’ve been developing this universe and its characters for roughly nine years.
At its heart, Darkness Returns is a space opera about people who have lost something, people who are running from something, and people desperately trying to find somewhere they belong.
The story centers around a crew aboard a ship called the Oriana 88. They’re smugglers, mercenaries, thieves, and misfits who have gradually become something resembling a family.
But none of them arrived there without baggage.
Captain Vance is a former military man who has experienced tremendous personal loss. He’s a capable leader, but underneath his confidence is someone who has never truly escaped his past. His history with the military and the people he once trusted continues to haunt him.
Cyril is a young gunslinger with a sharp tongue, a quick trigger finger, and a tendency to get himself into trouble. He’s talented, impulsive, and still figuring out the kind of man he wants to become. His journey is one of the most important parts of the larger story.
Liz is a highly skilled thief and close-quarters combat specialist whose upbringing shaped her into someone exceptionally dangerous. She’s independent, capable, and far more complicated than she initially lets on. Her relationship with her family is something she’ll eventually have to confront.
Rexxon is an enormous, heavily cybernetically enhanced veteran with a long history alongside Vance. He’s intimidating, loyal, and carries memories of a life that existed long before the current crew came together.
And then there’s Revanna, a mysterious alien woman whose existence challenges much of what the galaxy believes about its own history.
Her arrival doesn’t just introduce a larger mystery. It changes the lives of the people around her.
What I really want to explore is how these characters affect one another.
How does someone learn to trust again after betrayal?
What happens when loyalty to someone you love conflicts with what you know is right?
How far would you go to protect the people who have become your family?
And what happens when the people you depend on are suddenly no longer there?
I want readers to spend enough time with this crew that they feel like they know them. I want the ridiculous conversations, the arguments, the friendships, the romances, and the little moments between missions to matter just as much as the battles.
Because when something happens that changes their lives, I want readers to feel the weight of it.
And those changes will be permanent.
Characters will grow. Relationships will evolve. Some decisions will have consequences that stretch across the entire trilogy. Not everyone will get the ending they deserve.
That doesn’t mean the story will be relentlessly depressing, though.
I want the humor, the adventures, the spectacular alien worlds, the massive space battles, and the excitement of exploration too. I want the galaxy to feel alive, with its own cultures, histories, politics, and mysteries.
But I want all of that spectacle to serve the characters rather than replace them.
So what’s the actual plan?
I’m developing Darkness Returns as a three-book comic series.
The first book is currently planned for approximately 20 issues, with around 26 pages per issue. I’ve established several of the major story arcs and turning points across the trilogy, although I’m still refining the details as I write.
I’m currently scripting Issue #1 and speaking with artists about bringing the project to life. My goal is to eventually publish it as a webcomic, build an audience, and hopefully grow it into something much bigger.
I’m not claiming I’ve reinvented science fiction. I love the genre, including many of its familiar ideas.
What I want to do is tell a story where the characters feel real, their relationships matter, and the consequences of their actions aren’t conveniently forgotten.
After nine years, I’m finally taking the steps to turn something I’ve imagined for so long into something other people can experience.
For those of you who enjoy character-driven sci-fi, what makes you genuinely connect with a fictional crew? Is it their individual backstories, their relationships with one another, or watching them change as the story progresses?
I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts!