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Rhondak101

Posted 2015-01-04 4:03 PM (#9143)
Subject: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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Welcome to the 4 participants who’ve already joined, Arrenby, daxxh, Emil, and thereddeath!

The title and banner for this challenge comes from an anthology edited by Asimov, Greenberg, and Waugh. This challenge asks you to read 12 books (review 6) that are set in our solar system. My original idea was to read at least one book set on each planet (except Earth). However, my research shows that the choices are slim for the outer planets. Therefore, you may target specific planets, or moons, or read works that are set on multiple locations throughout our solar system. Obviously, you may choose any sub-genres that you like. For example, Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars series and Edgar Rice Burrough’s Barsoom series are both set on Mars, but the versions of the planet are totally different. Choose the presentations that you like, that’s the science fictional part—pulps, space opera, planetary romance, hard sf, soft sf, or the juveniles of Asimov, Heinlein or the Winston series—mix and match, and just have fun. Books written by the same author are allowed. In fact, a series like Ben Bova's The Grand Tour could be fun way to take on this challenge.

The challenge page has a link to list of books I’ve compiled that fit the challenge, but, of course, those are only suggestions. Go and take a look.

I am still trying to touch on as many planets and satellites as I can in my reading. Here’s my tentative list for the year:

David Brin, Sundiver—Mercury

Pamela Sargent, Venus of Dreams—Venus

Andy Weir, The Martian—Mars

Kim Stanley Robinson—Galileo’s Dream—Jupiter

Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, Destination Amalthea—Jupiter’s moon

Michael McCollum, The Clouds of Saturn—Saturn

Kurt Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan—Saturn’s moon

Ben Bova, As on a Darkling Plain—Titan, again

Samuel Delany, Triton—Neptune’s moon

Cecilia Holland, The Floating Worlds—Uranus and Saturn

Kim Stanley Robinson, Icehenge—Pluto

Algis Budrys, Rogue Moon—Earth’s moon

Arrenby

Posted 2015-01-04 7:19 PM (#9148 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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Thank you for creating the challenge, and for the list! There are a few books on there that I'd be wanting to read, but I hadn't really realized that they were set within the Solar System

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Posted 2015-01-08 8:05 PM (#9225 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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The Lucky Starr series from Asimov are great fun and seem made for this challenge. Each of the 6 books take place on a different planet, if you can count the asteroid belt, and they're quite short fast reads. More novellas by today's standards I suppose. Great idea for a challenge, Rhonda!

illegible_scribble

Posted 2015-01-09 12:57 AM (#9228 - in reply to #9225)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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Three books which would fit this challenge are Leviathan Wakes, Caliban's War, and Abaddon's Gate, from The Expanse series by James S A Corey , which have scenes set on The Moon, Mars, Venus, Ceres, Ganymede, and the Asteroid Belt.

illegible_scribble

Posted 2015-01-09 1:00 AM (#9229 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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Also, I'm just finishing Gregory Benford's Against Infinity , most of which takes place on Ganymede. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I'm finding it contains some quite interesting concepts.

illegible_scribble

Posted 2015-01-09 4:41 AM (#9230 - in reply to #9225)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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There doesn't seem to be a shortage of possibilities for this challenge. In addition to those listed above, there are many others.
And Ganymede seems to be a wildly popular setting for SF authors.

Lester del Rey's Outpost of Jupiter takes place on Ganymede

Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede by Bradley Denton is in development as a movie starring Jon Heder

Mike Resnick has a Ganymede series

Charles A Sheffield's Cold As Ice series takes place on Ganymede, Europa, and Pandora

Ian Douglas' Heritage Trilogy takes place on the Moon, Mars, and Europa

Frederik Pohl's Man Plus series takes place on Mars

James P Hogan's Minervan Experiment series takes place on the Moon and the Solar System's now-destroyed planet Minerva

Stephen Baxter's NASA Trilogy takes place on Mars, Titan, and Venus

Grant Callin's Saturnalia series voyages to Saturn and beyond

Charles Stross' Saturn's Children series spends time in our solar system before venturing farther afield

Jeffrey A Carver's Chaos Chronicles takes place on Triton and in the Solar System

But wait, there's more! With this challenge, you not only get a set of Ginsu knives, you also get:

Gregory Benford's Jupiter Project

Greg Bear's Moving Mars

Arthur C Clarke's The Sands of Mars

Geoffrey A Landis' Mars Crossing

Kage Baker's The Empress of Mars

Joe Haldeman's Marsbound Trilogy

Robert A Heinlein's Podkayne of Mars

William K Hartmann's Mars Underground

John Brunner's Born Under Mars

Philip Jose Farmer's Jesus on Mars

Philip K Dick's The Game-Players of Titan

Poul Anderson's The Saturn Game

Robert L Forward's Saturn Rukh

Robert A Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Arthur C Clarke's A Fall of Moondust

Jack McDevitt's Moonfall

Jack Williamson's The Moon Children

Johan Harstad's 172 Hours on the Moon

H G Wells' The First Men in the Moon

And the Winston Science Fiction classic SF series goes all over the solar system.

Edited by illegible_scribble 2015-01-09 4:45 AM

Rhondak101

Posted 2015-01-09 9:16 AM (#9231 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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Illegible scribble, Thanks for your enthusiastic post. I was too lazy to post so many links. I added several books and series these recently so that they would be available for the challenge. The headnote of the challenge offers a reading list as well. Here is the link. https://drive.google.com/a/coker.edu/file/d/0B693TEIVE6zlU0RWRGowa05...

Rhondak101

Posted 2015-01-09 9:24 AM (#9233 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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Welcome chuhl and dusty!
I have completed my first book for the challenge--Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys. There are scenes on the moon, but the moon in this book is less a physical space than a conceptual one. The moon provides a place where the characters can think about humanity and mortality. My whole review is here. https://www.worldswithoutend.com/novel.asp?id=305#reviews

spoltz

Posted 2015-01-09 10:35 AM (#9235 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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Hi Rhonda,
I haven't joined the challenge (yet), but Wikipedia has a fair amount of books and stories with references to Uranus and it moons. One probably needs to vet them to see which actually take place in the Uranus system. But you can find it by searching "books about uranus". Hope that helps!

spoltz

Posted 2015-01-09 10:36 AM (#9236 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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Actually, probably better to search "uranus in fiction"

Rhondak101

Posted 2015-01-09 12:22 PM (#9239 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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Hey Steve, Thanks for the suggestion. I did look at SFE and those Wiki sections for each planet and several moons, when putting together the list mentioned above. If I remember correctly, many are short stories. Some of the Uranus novels are in the multiple locations section on the list because the stay on Uranus was just one of several. I hope you do join.
Rhonda

Rhondak101

Posted 2015-01-30 9:24 AM (#9402 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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This book was just added to WWE. A great one for the challenge.
https://www.worldswithoutend.com/novel.asp?id=11023
Thanks Valashain.

dustydigger

Posted 2015-01-30 4:03 PM (#9409 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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Hi Rhonda,good challenge. I have already finished Martian Chronicles,and also Fred Pohl's Beyond the Blue Event Horizon,which is set in the Oort Cloud. I am now reading Robert Heinlein's Between Two Planets,about a young man caught up in a war between Earth,Venus and Mars. Purely by chance I am covering the challenge so quickly! lol

Rhondak101

Posted 2015-02-01 12:24 PM (#9447 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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I have changed the reading levels on the challenge four levels based on named space missions
Mercury--Read 3 books and write 1 review
Gemini--Read 6 books and write 3 reviews
Apollo--Read 9 books and write 4 reviews
Mariner--Read 12 books and write 6 reviews

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Posted 2015-02-01 12:27 PM (#9450 - in reply to #9447)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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Rhondak101 - 2015-02-01 12:24 PM I have changed the reading levels on the challenge four levels based on named space missions Mercury--Read 3 books and write 1 review Gemini--Read 6 books and write 3 reviews Apollo--Read 9 books and write 4 reviews Mariner--Read 12 books and write 6 reviews

Nice!

spoltz

Posted 2015-02-04 5:16 PM (#9516 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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Well, I joined at the Mercury level. My first book is Four for Tomorrow by Roger Zelazny. It has 4 novellas: one takes place on Venus, one on Mars. I don't have a clue about the what I'll choose for the other two yet. But I have time ;-)

Rhondak101

Posted 2015-02-04 7:50 PM (#9517 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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Welcome, Steve!

Rhondak101

Posted 2015-03-05 9:59 AM (#9825 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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End of February Update
There are 13 participants and 6 of us seem to be "on schedule" or ahead for our chosen reading levels. The Martian is showing up on several reading lists.
Keep on Reading!

Rhondak101

Posted 2015-04-02 7:39 PM (#10018 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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There are 14 participants, with 26 books read (17 reviewed). 7 participants are on pace (or better) for their chosen reading level.

dustydigger

Posted 2015-04-03 4:01 AM (#10023 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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I just upped my level to Mariner,as I found Andy Weir's The Martian on the library shelf and didnt want to drop any of the others off my Apollo level,so what else to do?Add 3 more to the challenge! I seem to have a preponderance of Mars books on my list. I never used to bother with Ben Bova,and I would see a collection of solar planet titles there. Now that I want them for a challenge they have all disappeared,and I would have to reserve them for a fee.,so I am stuck with mainly Mars for now! lol.

Rhondak101

Posted 2015-04-03 9:02 AM (#10028 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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Dusty, I know what you mean about Mars. When I put my list together, I wanted to focus on different planets and satellites. Most of the books I had to leave off were set on Mars. I wanted to read The Martian, so everything else went in to next year's plans. I love the fact that the book that made you move to Mariner level is about Mars exploration.

dustydigger

Posted 2015-04-04 1:54 AM (#10038 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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I always enjoy stuff about terraforming or exploration. That was why I was so disappointed in Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars. I was expecting so much about actual terraforming,and all we got was politics and conspiracies.! The bits I liked best is when they were travelling across Mars the descriptions of the wild landscape.

Rhondak101

Posted 2015-05-01 7:20 PM (#10403 - in reply to #9143)
Subject: Re: The Science Fictional Solar System Reading Challenge

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