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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   3046 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for March 24, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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I'm a big fan of Jules Verne-style scientific adventure novels. The whole 19th-century spirit of adventure is great fun to read. Are there any modern books, fiction or nonfiction, which have the same vibe?

Diaspora by Greg Egan.

And Schild's Ladder, to a lesser extent.

Adventure novels are a bit like Sci fi stories about space sadly - the more knowledgeable we get about the natural universe, the more mundane reality becomes, shrinking the possibility space in return. We can't have stories about guys becoming giants when exposed to space or stories about finding a secret civilisation inside the earth any more.

The River of Doubt, Endurance: Shackletons Incredible Voyage, Into Thin Air, and Over the Edge of the World are all terrific adventure non-fiction books. They might scratch your itch.

Gerald Durrell's expedition books are not exactly modern modern (he started them in the 50s), but the spirit of adventure is great.

The Overloaded Ark, Three Singles to Adventure, The Bafut Beagles and so on.

The Long Way Round with Ewan McGregor was great as well, but it's not a book. I haven't watched the sequels, so I can't say anything about them.

Not a book, but I always thought the film Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou captures early 20th century exploration and scientific discovery well.

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