tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post5803017161245850553..comments2024-03-28T00:43:37.279-05:00Comments on Future War Stories: FWS Topics: 12 Greatest Sci-Fi War StoriesWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17218428427067689631noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-22726467899143247532023-03-24T15:54:57.410-05:002023-03-24T15:54:57.410-05:00A good series of books are David Weber & Steve...A good series of books are David Weber & Steve White's "In Death Ground" and its sequel "Shiva Option". There are other books int he series but these are the best. You want big, fleet action battles? You got them! brightdarknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-74902117731968474682022-10-10T03:42:13.457-05:002022-10-10T03:42:13.457-05:00If you are going to consider anime for military sc...If you are going to consider anime for military science fiction, then you should take a look at Armored Trooper Votoms / Armor Hunter Mellowlink (a infantry spin-off of Votoms), 86, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse, Muv-Luv Alternative, Aldnoah.Zero, Darling in the Franxx, Knights of Sidonia, Orguss, and Geneshaft. I also recommend the original Macross and Genesis Climber Mospeada, which were imperfectly combined together into the first and last parts of Robotech, as well as the Macross: Do You Remember Love? movie, a terse condensation of the Macross story with amazing hand-drawn animation. For live action, Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow, Soldier, Pacific Rim, and Screamers are worth a look. Wing Commander was interesting military science fiction, but I'm not sure I'd put it on a top list.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-77875515714149162732021-07-16T13:04:58.215-05:002021-07-16T13:04:58.215-05:00I am really happy with your blog because your arti...I am really happy with your blog because your article is very unique and powerful for new.<br /><a href="https://sixdengineering.com/scan-to-bim-services/houston-bim-services.php" rel="nofollow">Scan to BIM in Houston</a><br /><a href="https://sixdengineering.com/scan-to-bim-services/minnesota-bim-services.php" rel="nofollow">Scan to BIM in Minnesota</a>sixdengineeringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12055878536792774792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-26052550402601052192015-11-30T03:43:48.330-06:002015-11-30T03:43:48.330-06:00Have you ever watched Legend of the Galactic Heroe...Have you ever watched Legend of the Galactic Heroes? I would put it in my top ten list every time.MDWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15266719318707881956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-55300052780817681562015-02-19T05:26:36.520-06:002015-02-19T05:26:36.520-06:00Hey, good list,
FWS has given me new titles of bo...Hey, good list,<br /><br />FWS has given me new titles of books to read and films to watch as well as thematicmaterial for my own sci-fi project. Oh yeah, good choice on reading Orson Scott Card's 'Ender's Game' I finished the book a few months ago and loved it; read it in a space of three days! It really gets into your head though as well so keep going, you're going to love the book and the ending is great,tying in with what i just said about the author getting into your head. Saw the movie on TV recently and was moderately impressed.<br /><br />Keep the good stuff coming!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-37523505307715048162012-10-23T19:36:23.227-05:002012-10-23T19:36:23.227-05:00Hi, William!! Sure, you can use some of what I sa...Hi, William!! Sure, you can use some of what I said for your definition of MSF. Thinking further on the topic of what constitutes "military" SF, I've noticed that good space war stories serve to explore the human experience in conditions of war- and the characters can be anywhere, from the starry battlefields of space to the home front. <br /><br />That's why I would put Ender's Game onto a list of great SF space war novels- it cuts deeper to the bone telling the story of a little kid's experience being groomed to become humankind's master general than most authors do recounting any number of violent battles. Instead of remaining tied up in the trappings of war (laser guns, bombs etc.) Orson Scott Card explores what preparing for and fearing war does to human minds and hearts. In his book, children start out playing "Buggers and Astronauts" with toy laser guns and a select few end up playing sophisticated training exercises in an orbiting battle school- and all along ordinary human contact and emotions are trampled in order to create the most malleable, efficient killers possible. In Ender's case the officers deliberately isolate him by surrounding him with enemies and rivals. <br /><br />I think Ender's Game explores a very important aspects of war that is frequently ignored- how war permeates everything, until you see children dressing up as buggers and astronauts in mock wars, and the emotional damage that is done when "perfect soldiers" are created. Ender Wiggins' life is tortured because he is the prospective tool of the I.F., and the whole novel revolves around war and the threat of war even though Ender is way behind the front. As for liking or not liking the book- the depressing themes, Peter's violent and manipulative acts, and Valentine's somewhat creepy relationship with Ender make this book a rather heavy read. Let's put it this way- I wouldn't bring a girl to see the film on a date!! I think Orson Scott Card is probably making an antiwar statement with Ender's Game, but I'm gonna have to finish the novel to see how Ender ends up, and whether the officer's somewhat immoral actions are justified in the end.<br /><br />The working definition of MSF does not seem to be the same as mine, though. The term MSF seems to apply mainly to those stories that focus on the members of a future militaries during a war, and traditional military values like bravery, sacrifice, sense of duty, and camaraderie are stressed. Wikipedia even says that in MSF, wars are not won by R&D of new weapons or even logistics, but by willpower, bravery, tactical foresight, and other military virtues. You then have to ask, does having a WAR make a story MSF, or are the themes of classic MSF- like bravery and military virtues overcoming the bug aliens- what makes something MSF? It seems that MSF concerns itself with an infantryman's view of future war, not a space admiral's or Galactic Emperor's view. This definition makes many space opera stories NOT military SF. Perhaps even discussing the whole war from a strategic and logistical perspective takes the focus too far off from the infantryman for a story to be MSF.<br /><br />Did you ever see the original Buck Rogers story? Originally, he was Anthony Rogers in Philip Francis Nowlan's novella "Armageddon 2419 A.D."- you can find it on Project Gutenburg. <br /><br />Christopher PhoenixAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-18285053461693772852012-10-21T19:11:19.761-05:002012-10-21T19:11:19.761-05:00While I'm not much on Stargate SG-1, I did enj...While I'm not much on Stargate SG-1, I did enjoy Atlantis for some reason. Watched most of them, and I almost put it on the list. "V" is a good choice, one of the better miniseries done for TV in the 1980's. I've been interested in writing a piece on "V" for the blog...guess I need to get digging.<br />Buck Rogers was something I watched on TV while is still running, and holds a special place in my heart along with Wilma Deering. Who was ungodly hot back in the day! Man, did that show suck in the second season...<br />I've never seen Farscape, I did not have cable, and it was never really aired on regular TV, but a great deal of people love that show. Need to check it out. <br />I read Ender's Game about a year ago, and while I deeply impressed with Card's writing and overall plot, I took issue with Ender relationship with his sister, which was creepy, and that very odd video game he plays. While it is military sci-fi, and a better good book, I didn't really enjoy it. I will see the movie though. <br />I've thought about your comment, Mr.Phoenix, and for the last two years, the working definition for MSF, and yours comes very close to something I've struggling with. There is a difference between MSF works, much like any genre in literature, some focus on soldier in bloody, messy combat (my favorite), others deal with the past experiences of solders now in civilian life, and others deal with the drama of a soldier's life. <br />Most of my stories try to speak to the reality of war and the soldier's lives while in the service. I try to strike a balance between action, war, violent, hard emotions, and if war is justified. I try to stay away from the politics here on the blog and in my writing, but not in my life, which I'm actually very political. <br />One of these days, I'm going to write a blogpost on Time Dilation.<br />Can I use some of what you said Mr.Phoenix, for my definition of MSF? <br />Thanks for reading and commenting!<br />Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17218428427067689631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-74144579696351487372012-10-20T19:10:26.151-05:002012-10-20T19:10:26.151-05:00You know, I am reading "Ender's Game"...You know, I am reading "Ender's Game" right now. So far, having read the first few chapters, I have a sense that Orson Scott Card's book is pretty damn good. I'd guessed you had not mentioned it on FWS because the story focuses on Ender's experiences at a space military academy, not soldiers on the front lines- in that way, it doesn't really fit with FWS's main focus although it is a story about a future space war. <br /><br />Going by the definition of war in the introduction to my copy of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War", I argue that for a SF novel to be about war, it must have more than just violence. Killing and destruction of property without an overarching purpose are criminal acts, not military acts. Wars are an engagement or series of engagements between well-organized forces under a single overarching will, directed against an objective- another country or alliance of countries. Wars are political- they arise from a conflict of wills between one people and another, often over control of land and resources or ideological reasons. <br /><br />For a novel, movie, or TV show to be "military" SF, it must fully develop the various peoples (and aliens) who are in conflict and why they are in conflict. There must be a reason for the war, and the various forces must have definite objectives and definite enemies. The author must not forget that space war isn't just about blowing up spaceships, or rather, that blowing up that spaceship must serve some purpose in reaching an overarching objective. Of course, the characters in the story need not be so clever- think of how many nations and peoples have bankrupted themselves in useless wars, or fought numerous battles without ever getting themselves any closer to achieving their objective!! This gives you an idea of what sort of person/alien might become ruler over a cosmic empire, and what their bedside reading material might be... <br /><br />I must mention, in relation to "The Forever War", there is really NO gritty hard reality of traveling at superluminal velocities. Simply accelerating past the speed of light has been ruled out both theoretically and experimentally, so if we were ever to find a way around the light-speed barrier, we will have to dodge around the problem by finding a shortcut (space warps, wormholes, etc.), or discover propulsion systems that are anti-mass and anti-inertia (anti-accelerators from "Voyage of the Space Beagle", Bergenholm from "Lensman", spin-dizzy from "Cities in Flight", etc.).. If FTL flight ever takes place, it will be fundamentally different from sub-luminal travel, and there is little reason to expect large amounts of time dilation unless you spend excessive amounts of time traveling at relativistic speeds from one "jump point" to another, as they do in "The Forever War".<br /><br />By the way- you listed the Buck Rogers Earth Directorate Starfighter as one of your favorites in your list of favorite starfighters a while ago. After getting a look at it in action in a short clip on youtube, I have to agree it is a very beautiful starfighter. It is a pity that it banks in the vacuum so much- if those foolish human starfighter pilots had known any basic physics, they could have just spun in place and blasted the pirates with laser fire. Their deaths were a tragedy of misunderstood physics!! The comments below the clip indicate that the Earth Starfighter was originally a fighter design for the original BSG, but was never used and eventually ended up in Buck Rogers!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoF0a32DhLw<br /><br />Christopher PhoenixAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-63825715807744858962012-10-20T01:42:04.855-05:002012-10-20T01:42:04.855-05:00Just for the heck of it (and because they mentione...Just for the heck of it (and because they mentioned Firefly and came away with it :), here some "honorable mentions" of FWS which didn't make any list - and are doubtfull making it ever, but should've mentioned regardless.<br /><br />Farscape - touch of FWS, SciFi and Fantasy. Some eps made this grown man cry. 1x19 "Nerve" and 1x20 "Hidden Memory" are a must see. Trust me.<br /><br />Buck Rogers - yes, campy '80s Buck Rogers had a war, an aftermath and well, Wilma Deering and Ardala. A classic view of SciFi post-StarWars with a generous splotch of camp and spandex that failed, but yet always lingers.<br /><br />V - the original series. Again post Star Wars/Galactica but with a daring darker twist produced for prime time. A daring move for a US network at the time imho, as it wasn't a Wild West in Space with Cute Kids.<br /><br />Stargate Atlantis - I liked the original Stargate series, but really loved Atlantis. A must-be-mentioned semi-award as it had a war, guns and space-battles.<br /><br />Alien & Predator - a shared mention because they scared/freaked out/thrilled audiences, and especially Alien spawned a new FWS book/comics/games universe. <br />Again not "true" FWS, but Alien2 still kicks posteriors! (still haven't seen Prometheus)<br /><br />2300AD (Twilight: 2000) - no movies, some books, lots of table-top fun in a warped universe where alien monsters (and ghosts) battle Earth's conventional militaries (Twilight) or future semi-hard scifi space forces (2300AD). Fan-made spaceship art is awesome.<br />For a selected few.<br /><br />Homeworld - another game which used established ingredients from Dune, Galactica and Star Wars - but used it to great effect. It was a game-changer of a game - and again no true FWS, just cool scifi with a cool story.<br /><br />Just a few additional mentions that pop-up before my morning coffee.<br /><br />Great post and mentions, and I'm also baffled that HALO wasn't mentioned on io9. <br /><br />CheersMarcasenoreply@blogger.com