SciFi: the Bucket List

The Sigma Psi Bucket List

Sci-fi is not a closed ended discipline. Things change and new ideas flow. There are fashions in science which are reflected in the stories we read. Sometimes there are radical new ideas, which give us some insight into how our world works. The “sci-fi galactic” and “sci-fi true pages” give us a chance to mention those sci-fi novels or other sci-fi media that deserve an honourable mention. Perhaps new ways of looking at old treasured books. But hopefully some new books as well. Hopefully more to come in Annex to site upgrade. . Remember we need your support and contributions because – corny as this may sound – we can’t survive without our audience and your financial support.

With Sigma Psi communications, you can be anybody at any time of life anywhere and any when. You can have a Wish List for the dream experiences of a lifetime, not the experiences before you end it.

Reference Jack Vance: the Demon Princes series
Smade’s Tavern.
I want to go in my Locator 9B to Smade’s world at the edge of Beyond. To be served food by young Araminta Smade. To experience an alien ecology with humanity just on the doorstep of a new world. ****
Smade's Tavern

Reference Jack Vance: the Demon Princes series
Self Defence lessons as a young teenager, taught by none other than Rolf Marr Gerson. ***
Smade's Tavern

Reference Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep
Chewing the fat with a Skroderider, all at the edge of High Beyond, talking about the Old Ones and the Powers and how they achieve sentience and then seek to dominate. ***

Comment

Reference David Brin: Kiln People
Having a week off to organise a working bee of dittos. ** Finally a worker I can really depend on.
Albert Morris Ditto

David Brin: Star Tide series: The Library.
To do some research in a visit to the galactic library. **
Hikahi 2IC Streaker

Reference Stargate: movie series
Simply travelling through the Stargate to a research station to do astronomical observations. To recreate the feeling that Capt. Cook must have had when he observed the transit of Venus across the sun over 250 years ago. Perhaps we could observe the occult of a sun by a black hole. ***
Goa'uld Underlord Goa'uldUnderlord

Reference Alan Dean Foster: Mid World
Being part of a funeral procession to the “They Who Keep” to inter a fallen comrade and his Furcot. A procession through a hostile night guarded by the people and their furry warrior companions. ****
They Who Keep Intelligent Tree They Who Keep

Reference Iain Banks: Culture series.
Travelling in A Culture ship – the ultimate party experience where imagination is almost the only limit to what is possible. *

Brain Computer Culture Brain

Reference Robert Adams: Horse Clans series.
Spending time in a camp of the clans, talking to the horses and the great cats. Mind speaking to horse clans men and women warriors. And perhaps even finding a young horse clans maiden to spend time with. (I’m sure a young Horseclans man would spend time with a woman as well”. ** ( and etc.).

God Milo Undying Lord

Reference H. Beam Piper: Space Vikings.
Sitting on the bridge with Capt. Boake Valkanhyn during the raid on Beowulf. Missiles being launched against our ship from down planet. Seeing the captain keeping his cool and just fighting on. ****
Otto

Reference Thomas Harlan: Wasteland Of Flint.
Being in the cave with green Hummingbird and Gretchen Anderson when confronted with the reality of the nature of the world – threatening to be subsumed by –? What. A fate which had already overtaken one of the exploring colonists with their sole flyer. *** To realise the danger in which you have found yourself.
Chu-sa-Hadeishi

Reference David Brin: Star Tide rising.
Having your picture taken with captain Helen Alvarez and Credeiki. And talking to them, knowing what was to come. **
Hikahi 2IC Streaker

Reference Isaac Asimov: The Naked Sun.
Working on a ranch with robots in the distant planet, with one is only human companions accessible only through electronic communications. *
Robot Advisor Robot ( Lost In Space series: though)

Reference Allan Dean Foster: Dirge.
Being present at the meeting of the Thranx Di-Eint Haajujurprox with Field Marshal MacCunn and Admiral Yirghiz. To hear the legendary Thranx – “from the Great Hive, I bring you greetings and a taste of friendship”. To hear the Di-Eint affirm that this was not their token fleet presence. “My dear field Marshal MacCunn, cl!rrik, that is no task force. That is our scouting force. Subsequent to the final approval by government of the terms of our mutual arrangement, a substantial portion of the hive fleet will arrive here within days. It is recognised if the defence of Pitar is to be broken, any adjustment in the balance of forces must be significant. Otherwise the effort will be wasted”. ***
Thranx Thranx

Reference Allan Dean Foster: Flinx series.
Walking and shopping at the market on Moth. Trying to strike a deal with Mother Mastiff. ***

Reference Allan Dean Foster: Dirge.
Visiting TreeTrunk before the onset of hostilities with the Pitar. Visiting the quiet areas of the planet and speaking with a Pitar advisor. **

Reference Allan Dean Foster: Commonwealth series.
Visiting one of the main Thranx planets – Hivehom or Willow-Wane. Walking on the surface of the world city more densely populated than any part of our own planet Earth, but seemingly surrounded by virgin wilderness and nature. **

Reference Frank Herbert: Dune.
Walking the streets of the city, Arrakeen, first settlement on Arrakis. And long-time seat of planetary government. Realising that the sun is none other than the giant super sun Canopus – Alpha Carinae. A sun, over 300 light years away that outshines all but one of our closest neighbours serious.
To taste the spice melange upon the air. To see the people and the water sellers. **** Arrakis-Nobles

Most relevant character: Liet Kynes: Imperial planetologist,,, Meeting of the Guild Navigator with the Emperor: the Italian movie version). ****
Guild Navigatot 3rd Stage

Reference Lloyd Biggle Jr: Monument.
To spend a short holiday on the renowned beaches- Good, but you can’t go past Coolangatta.
To walk along the paths to the native villages. ***
To stand before the wrecked spaceship of the Langri.**
Scene playing out in final court **
Fornri Leader Langri

Reference Brian Stableford: Hooded Swan series.
To spend time talking to the Wind and walking with the Wind my constant companion. ****
Grainger Pilot Hooded Swan Grainger the Pilot Hooded Swan and The Wind

Warrior Kinkajou ..... Galactic Travelogue

Reference Jerry Pournelle: Janissaries series.
Studying a semester of Galactic Alien Relations And Speciology at the University of Tran, (as one day it will be). **
Gwen Tremain

Reference Isaac Asimov: Foundation series.
Buying a personal shield from Hober Mallow and talking to Onum Barr on Sienna. **
Hober Mallow Trader

Reference Ian Douglas: Luna Marine.
Being in the chamber on Mars watching the live “quantum” data video feeds from other worlds. ***
Jack (John Charles Ramsey)

Emperor Alastor Cluster Numenes The Connatic, who rules the Alastor cluster from his palace on Lusz in the world of Numenes.

Reference Jack Vance: Wyst Alastor.
Diving for percebs on the beach with Glisten and spending a carefree day – eating and just living. ***

Reference Jack Vance: Trullion Alastor.
Spending an evening on a terrace on one of the islands overlooking bays and inlets. Eating and drinking and just remonstrancing of days gone by. ***

Reference Anne McCaffrey: the White Dragon.
Being on a mission with Ruth the White Dragon, going between, visiting the holds and the crafts. Investigating “Landing”. **
Ruth the White Dragon

Reference Paul O Williams: The Breaking Of Northwall.
Visiting Northwall after the battle, walking the battlements, travelling on the captured Tantal boats up and down the river, running with the Sentani on a hunt (and being fit enough to do so). **
Jestak the Pelbar Jestak he Pelbar

Reference James Blish: Earth Man Come Home.
Working in the City Hall Tower, watching the passage of New York through space, working with the City Manager and with the Lord Mayor John Amalfi. ***
City Fathers Computers City Fathers

Reference Kim Stanley Robinson: Red Mars.
Riding the beanstalk to work, working on the beanstalk, visiting the planet during time off and driving across the landscape as the early explorers must have. ***

Reference Jack Vance: the Demon Princes series. ****
1. visiting the Star Kings planet and then visiting Lugo Tehold’s.
2. visiting Hildemar Dasche’s retreat on the dead Star.
3. visiting Sailmaker beach, the Sarkovy Steppes.
4. visiting Tintle’s shade on the Darsh world
5.seeing the ugly Darsh face appearing on the moon perched above my back fence.

Reference Jack Vance: the Demon Princes series.
Just generally travelling around the galaxy on my “Locator 9B” spacecraft. ****

Reference Isaac Asimov: Foundation series.
Visiting the University of Trantor and spending some time doing research and reading. ***

Reference The Matrix (movie series).
A journey on the ship to see the giant human harvesting stations. ***
Being inserted into the Matrix, and perhaps even meeting the girl in the red dress. **

Matrix (the Movie): the red pill or the blue pill ***

Reference EE Doc Smith: Skylark series.
Working on Nemourlon doing new ship design. Doing research. **

Reference AE Van Vogt: Weapons Shops/Weapon Makers. **
Visiting a weapon shop and buying a weapon, using the weapon in target practice.
Spending time in a house of illusion.
Meeting the Gnoman to learn about the history of the Weapon Shops and the House Of Isher.

Reference Star Trek: (movie series).
Spending a week working with Scotty in engineering. **

Reference Peter F Hamilton: (train linked universe series).
Riding a train from one planet to arrive at another. **
Meeting and working with Serjeants on a military policing mission. *
Setting forth on migration with elves, transiting unbeknownst on a new world and then becoming marooned on a freezing planet for a season before escaping. ****

Reference Mech Warrior series (books and computer games).
Riding a Nova/Nova Cat into battle. (Multiple medium-range Lasers with short-range heat missiles and double heat sinks configuration). ***

Reference Allan Dean Foster: Commonwealth (General) series.
Travelling with Truzenzuzex and Tse Mallory on a mission for the Church. **

Reference Michael Swanwick: Vacuum Flowers.
Visiting a tree ship, seeing a tree ship coming in on a cometary trajectory and just revelling in the gene engineering technology. **

Reference Star Wars (movie series and book series).
Working on the farm on Tatooine. **
Lessons with Yoda. ***

Reference Gordon R Dixon: The Outposter.
Running diagnostics and electronic systems during the Meda V’Dan attack on the outpost. ***

Reference Frank Herbert: The Dosadi Experiment.
Working with Jedrik, someone to help me in my plans and endeavours against the world. **

Reference Chris Rowley: The Black Ship.
Communing with a hive. **

Reference Charles Stross: Saturn’s Children.
An evening with Freya – a programmed courtesan – dedicated to humans. **

Reference AE Van Vogt: The War Against The Rull.
On a training mission with Trevor Jamieson. ***

Reference Terminator series (movie series).
Blowing up a Terminator in an assault. ***

Reference Ben Bova: Star Watchman.
Leading a Terran battle cruiser up the flanks of the graded path on the mountain to escape from the Komani encirclement. ****

Reference John Wyndham: Triffids.
Skipping my sighted way around London after the evil fireworks. ***

John Wyndham: Triffids
Meeting the girl and talking to her. (She asks us to save them all- not just selfishly for herself- Help us:) ****

ACCESSORY Sigma Psi Bucket List

Paolo Bacigalupi: Windup Girl.
To meet the windup girl. To hold a Cheshire cat. To feel the threat of disease and death in a world of agricultural patents gone mad. ***

Michael Swanwick: Vacuum Flowers.
To ride in a tree ship – Yggdrasil. To ride in a comet – and ecology dedicated to the commercial growth of trees as it travels around the sun in our solar system. **

Robert Heinlein: Time Enough for Love (Minerva).
Meeting Minerva, and having a relationship with her. **

Neal Asher: The Spinner: Spatterjay.
Visiting the planet To spend some time considering the different ways in which long life and even a form of immortality can be obtained. **

Robert Adams: Horse Clans series: Milo Morai.
Riding on a short campaign with a sub clan of Horseclans men and women . Living the life and enjoying the girls. **

Zombies.
To be in a safe house surrounded by zombies and considering one’s survival. **

Vampires.
To spend an age travelling the world as a vampire, evading detection and working to survive. *

Species: the movie series.
To work on the team unravelling the genetic code. *

Dr Who TV and Book Series,
To experience a conflict against the Daleks and to come up trumps. **

Phillip Mann: The Disestablishment Of Paradise (Michelangelo Reaper).
To feel the mind of a true alien – one which has defeated humanity. *
Riding a fractal platform ****

Poul Anderson: New America.
To experience the dreams of the kidnapped humans – as created by the alien’s mind powers. **

Jack Vance: Maeske Thaery: Jubal Droad: “two hands reach for every plum “.
To go forth in Yallow – to spend time travelling the world and experiencing many jobs before settling down. The ultimate gap year but one in which the experience is something that we all harken back to. ****

James Blish: Surface Tension (Diatom Spaceship)
To travel on the diatom spaceship on its first journey. ****

Donald Kingsbury: Geta (the Crèche: survivors).
Visiting the Crèche. **

Alan dean Foster: The Mocking Program
Running the mocking Program my daily life. ****

Vernor Vinge: A Lightness upon the Deep .
Working with a bioengineer designing a bactry. *
Working with MRI brain programming. *

Jack Vance: Big Planet.
Travelling across the surface of the world. *

Jack Vance: Brave Free Men.
Facing and communicating with an Asutra or someone possessed and controlled by the creature. *

Donald Kingsbury: Psychohistorical Crisis.
Working with my Fam in my daily life. ***

Charles Stross: Saturn’s Children (and series), Singularly Sky – cornucopia machine.
To own your own cornucopia machine, making what you need when you need it just by asking. ***

Neil Asher: Grid Linked.
To spend time dealing with the outside world plugged into the information highway – Grid linked. **

Joan Slonczewski: Brain Plague (The Eleutherians).
To talk to a civilisation in my own head. *

To experience Download Immortality: **

Neil Asher: Zero Point
To visit a city and to see the lives of the ZAs , but from a distance. *

Isaac Asimov: Foundation Series (Psychohistory).
To attend a lecture learning about psychohistory with a great Hari Seldon. *

Bob Mayer: World War Z.
To be in a clean-up squad, knocking back zombies. *

Orson Scott Card: Enders Game .
To Control a battle fleet attacking a Bugger’s planet, knowing how desperate the situation could be. Working with the command crew in the attack. **

Robert Aspirin: The Bug Wars.
To be in a Tzen attack team, in an assault on an insect world. ***

Robert Heinlein: Starship Troopers, esp. inc. Starship Troopers movie and cartoon series.
Operating a battle suit in combat. **

Kinkajou Interviews Famous People For Their Unique Points Of View.

Kinkajou tells his Sigma Psi Bucket List

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