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David Zindell's Neverness, A Requiem for Homo Sapiens and all things Science Fiction and Fantasy
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 Post subject: Tony Daniel-Metaplanetary/Superluminal!!
PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2003 6:03 pm 
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I'm about 200 pages into Metaplanetary by Tony Daniel and it's got me by the cojones! Knowing my unrequited love for Neverness and Req. for Homo Sapiens you understand my passion 4 Sci-Fis in the far-far future. So far Metaplanetary has not disappointed. Like Zindell there is alot of mathematical stuff and quantum theory being knocked around here, but also like Zindell Daniel has the ability 2 break it down easily 4 the layman 2 understand. Sometimes Daniel's own personal quantum theories r a little difficult 2 see, but when u do-WOW-it's like entering a neat new little dimension.

Like Zindell's "fenestering" and Walter Jon William's "plasm" (in Metropolitian & City on Fire) Daniel's concept of "grist" may require u 2 suspend ur imagination 4 at least the first 100 pages. However, like Zindell and Williams, grist will grow (inside pun!) on u and later the thesis of Raphael Merced goes on 2 explain how it came about. Grist is basically tiny nanotech combined w/time fluxtuation and gravition encoding--one of the best ways of illustrating it is Star Trek the Next Generation:
remember when Capt. Picard asks 4 his Earl Grey tea from the "convenience" and it simply builds itelf? Well u get the idea....

Actually Daniel is borrowing from alot of great Sci-Fi masters: The "Met" is sort of a combination of Clarke's space ladders and Simmons' WorldWeb. You can also feel touches of Heinlien, Bradbury, Aldiss, Herbert and Brin here and there. In fact he makes fun references 2 some great Sci-Fi writers in interesting places. His originally and intelligence is what establishes him--Daniel is a very young man but he is outrageously intelligent. His characters aren't totally human but they are immediately engaging and in no way does he belittle the reader's intelligence. In fact, like Zindell, he seems so exicted about creating his completely new future that you can't help being caught up in that.

Intense virtual worlds and crossovers too! I'd say more 'bout this but I'd really b spoiling...

I didn't know if I wanted 2 read this book or not, there is so much pap on the new Sci-Fi selves it's almost a crap-shoot nowadays, but after reading glowing recommendations from Gardner Dozois, Greg Bear, Lucious Shepard AND Roger Zelazny (who helped discover Daniel b4 his passing) I just had to. Daniel has also written: Earthling, Warpath and is now working on the sequel 2 Metaplanetary. And now Danlo looked in that direction, too. He remembered that snowy owls mate in the darkest part of deep winter, and so along with this beautiful white bird perched in a tree a hundred feet away, he turned to face the sea as he watched and waited.

Ahira, Ahira, he called out silently to the sky. Ahira, Ahira<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 11/20/06 1:01 pm
</i>


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 Post subject: Re: Tony Daniel-Metaplanetary
PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2003 9:45 pm 
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Here's a wonderful little excerpt from page 178 that I felt (classical) music lovers, like Duchess, Damelon and others, would particularly enjoy:

Quote:To Claude, this all came as a revelation. The beauty of the system was directly tied to its physics and, for Claude, more importantly its algorithmic language. Music happened because the world was arranged in a certain way. It arose out of the world. And then Jensen played Mozart for the class, and Claude realized that, though music arose from the world, it was not necessarily of it. There was something else happening. Something better. Something above. Using the precision and order of nature, beauty could be produced, could come into being. If you began with a set of unifying principles that were all consistent with one another, you could work variations upon them that participated in that consistency and precision, but which were novel.

kinda makes u real hungy 4 more of this, don't it? And now Danlo looked in that direction, too. He remembered that snowy owls mate in the darkest part of deep winter, and so along with this beautiful white bird perched in a tree a hundred feet away, he turned to face the sea as he watched and waited.

Ahira, Ahira, he called out silently to the sky. Ahira, Ahira<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 7/17/03 9:52 pm
</i>


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 Post subject: Re: Tony Daniel-Metaplanetary
PostPosted: Fri Jul 18, 2003 4:54 am 
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yes, it does -- something else for my reading list. Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
****Tavern Wench of DOGMA, the Defenders of George Martin's Art****<i></i>


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 Post subject: Re: Tony Daniel-Metaplanetary
PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2003 8:54 pm 
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I love when sci-fi characters look back at our history...very interesting. Paul Muad'Dib, for instance, once spoke of the Emperor Hitler. Further up, and further in!


"Come to Elfhand," the troll said.
The child thought for a while....
"N-no" said the child
"Why not?" said the troll.
"Mother made a jam roll this morning," said the child.
-the King of Elfhand's Daughter<i></i>


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 Post subject: Re: Tony Daniel-Metaplanetary
PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2003 1:48 am 
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Metaplanetary is proving 2 b very good on the whole--the new concepts can be a bit overwhelming--but the quantum stuff is quite enjoyable and eye opening. There r certian lulls, and sometimes u wonder why this new character has emerged, but then u have 2 remember that he is working on a sequel. In other words he is creating alot of dif POVs but they sorta sneak up on u, contrary 2 Martin where we xpect them all the time...

It all comes 2gether nicely--but like Neverness (Earthy! ) it's not a zip-though book...u really r forced 2 put it down and let all this new way of thinking seep in2 u...I think Hyperion fans will really like this book!
And now Danlo looked in that direction, too. He remembered that snowy owls mate in the darkest part of deep winter, and so along with this beautiful white bird perched in a tree a hundred feet away, he turned to face the sea as he watched and waited.

Ahira, Ahira, he called out silently to the sky. Ahira, Ahira<i></i>


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 Post subject: Re: Tony Daniel-Metaplanetary
PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2003 5:02 am 
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This sounds like it is something that definately must go on my reading list! Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
****Tavern Wench of DOGMA, the Defenders of George Martin's Art****<i></i>


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 Post subject: Re: Tony Daniel-Metaplanetary
PostPosted: Mon Aug 18, 2003 4:44 am 
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All done! Very cool! Lot's of new and great characters--tons of action at the end. Is a closet Major Theory fan! Can't wait 4 sequel: Superluminal 2 come out! And now Danlo looked in that direction, too. He remembered that snowy owls mate in the darkest part of deep winter, and so along with this beautiful white bird perched in a tree a hundred feet away, he turned to face the sea as he watched and waited.

Ahira, Ahira, he called out silently to the sky. Ahira, Ahira<i></i>


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 Post subject: Superluminal is about to come out!!!!!!!!
PostPosted: Wed Mar 17, 2004 11:06 pm 
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This just in from AllSciFi.com!!!

Quote:Superluminal
Tony Daniel
Eos, May 2004, 480 pp.

Over a millennium into the future, the Met sentient super cables interweave the inner planets while the grist nanotechnology facilitates communication throughout this segment of the solar system. Within the Met, some humans including dictatorial Director Ames have become many Large Array of Personalities better known as LAPs. Freedoms already curtailed are becoming even fewer as Ames increases his tyrannical powers through his Department of Immunity that controls the Met.

The outer planets continue to serve as frontiers where freedom blossoms due to the Free Converts, the Cloudships, and other like souls. Ames wants control of the outer planets and if that is impossible their destruction. He deploys his military.

In the outer planetary orbs, Colonel Roger Sherman leads the defense, but his son Leo joins the invaders. However, the outcome may lie with physicist Li whose research may give Ames the boost he needs as she is closing in on faster-than-light travel. To ensure her loyalty he has absorbed her lover and addicted her to electronic Glory.

SUPERLUMINAL is extremely complex military and social science fiction that extrapolates much of current day physics theories into a future solar system as he has also done in the terrific first book (see METAPLANETARY). However, the story line contains the mid book syndrome as nothing is resolved though new subplots like that of Li's has begun. Still the insightful look at a future in which totalitarianism vs. freedom (place World War II in outer space 1000 years into the future) displays Tony Daniel's clever nightmarish vision of what is to come though this book is filler waiting for the confrontations to occur.

Harriet Klausner *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 3/17/04 8:31 pm
</i>


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 Post subject: Re: Superluminal is about to come out!!!!!!!!
PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 6:11 pm 
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This thread was once twice as long, and it was eaten by the hack. <sighs>

I did read both Metaplanetary and Superluminal and thought that they were simply superb. Some of the best science fiction I have read in the last couple of years, and it's a true shame they are not better known.

The reason I am postingthis today is because I have recently heard a rumor at another board that Daniel is working on a third book, which will take place after Superluminal. I was hoping Danlo might know of the truth of said rumor?

And by the way -- Jeeps rule!!!!! ******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
<i></i>


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 Post subject: Tony Daniel
PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 6:31 pm 
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I googled around and ended up answering my own question.

Here is a link to a Tony Daniel interview/faq page:
tonydaniel.com.mn.sabren.com/ <i></i>


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 Post subject: Re: Tony Daniel
PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 11:46 pm 
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That really sucks, perhaps Tony should remarket his stuff to Harper/Collins Voyager and follow Zindell's route--I'm really starting to get suspicious of American publishers ... *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i></i>


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 Post subject: Re: Tony Daniel
PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 7:04 pm 
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It really does suck. These two books were a great read, and its a shame the third has been dropped by the publisher. It's also a shame they are so little known among science fiction fans. ******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
<i></i>


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 Post subject: Re: Tony Daniel
PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 2:45 am 
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I'd put EOS, Bantam/Spectrum and, possibly Putnam (but I'll give them a chance) on my lists of Publishers who can truly ...m...uck-up a gifted writer's career.:"> *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i></i>


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