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So, Infinity has all this lore, but where is it? I'm not a fan of reading wikis in my spare time and want something done by authors with a cohesive narrative. Even just some half-baked story like a 40k Battle Novel or some collection of short stories. Am I boned on that, with the main company being Spanish and me being a strictly English speaking schmuck? Or am I just dumb and unable to find the things? Preferably something to do with Nomads if anyone knows things off the top of their head. The tiny bits of fluff on the Infinity store site has me interested in the pseudo-SWAT forces and the Pupnik concepts the most.

There isn't any novels or anything of that nature. It's in the books, and that's basically all.

For now at least. The RPG is supposed to bring more--but it won't be narrative like you're wanting, just more generic setting stuff from my understanding.

That's weird. It's a very rich world, but I suppose books requires a pretty large team, all of which require paychecks. Not a crazy thing not to have. Gotta admit, I'm a bit bummed by that though.

Novels need to be written by authors. Good authors. CB are very protective of their IP and the quality of product associated with it (as they rightly should be), so it's likely they haven't an author willing to write in the universe that they want writing for them.

They mentioned a couple of years ago that they would love to have some graphic novels done, but it's a matter of finding the right partner.

Read the books 'Hyperion' and 'Fall of Hyperion' by Dan Simmons.

It's the primary source of inspiration for Infinity. Lots of concepts, from Comlogs, Aleph, PanO and Nomads are from it. And even a sort of Combined Army thing (the Anathematic is in it, for one).

It's also one of the greatest science fiction books ever written, as legitimately good literature. The first book goes out of it's way to establish a very amazing world, and the second brings more out of it.

They're better than any Infinity novel could be, and are basically the setting.

I tried to read Hyperion and could barely get through the first few chapters. It's still sitting on the bookshelf, ignored. I've heard good things about it, but like the Butlerian Jihad Dune Novels, I doubt I'll ever finish it.

(those dune jihad prequel novels rank somewhere lower than CS Goto 40k writings).

I'll definitely give it a shot. Even if it's not Infinity exactly, it's a break from the drivel that 40k releases these days. It seems like that's all I've been reading and I'm getting burnt out on it. Hyperious should be a welcome change.

I actually liked CS Goto as a kid. Back when I was young and stupid and didn't know better. I was much more lenient back then...

Pretty much ALL of 40k has happened since I was an adult.
(I was 19 when RT came out).

Read "Her Brother's Keeper" by Mike Kupri. It's pretty much Infinity. (in terms of tech and action.)

Hyperion is great but definitely heavy going.

Agree that the Infinity universe could probably benefit from some novels, it's probably fleshed out (and popular enough) for it to be viable now.

The issue would also be that it would no doubt come in Spanish first, and then require translation for the English-speaking territories.

 Pacific wrote:
The issue would also be that it would no doubt come in Spanish first, and then require translation for the English-speaking territories.

Pretty sure I read in all the N3 leadup was that the English version was the lead now to avoid the translation issues.

I'd assume they'd do the same for books, or at least the lead would be the language of the author.

In case people haven't noticed (like I hadn't until recently) Gutier pretty much stol... got very much inspired by Dan Simmons' Ilium. Recreations of greek heros fighting for a TV audience, enjoying Aristeia. There is resurrection that won't let you remember your own death (totally Diomedes' background story) etc.
And I'm only at page 180. Loving it though...

 chromedog wrote:
I tried to read Hyperion and could barely get through the first few chapters. It's still sitting on the bookshelf, ignored. I've heard good things about it, but like the Butlerian Jihad Dune Novels, I doubt I'll ever finish it.

Hyperion is a slow burn, but it's worth it. You might have been thrown off by the story structure, but The Fall of Hyperion is a more standard Sci-Fi novel. I think it's clearly one of the best, if not the best Sci-Fi novel ever written.

(those dune jihad prequel novels rank somewhere lower than CS Goto 40k writings).

My faith in your taste in books is restored

Another good book series that is very close to Infinity is Joel Shepherd's Cassandra Kresnov Series.

Hyperion really is a mouthful. I'm starting it but it's no light reading, that's for sure.

Killionaire wrote:Read the books 'Hyperion' and 'Fall of Hyperion' by Dan Simmons.

It's the primary source of inspiration for Infinity. Lots of concepts, from Comlogs, Aleph, PanO and Nomads are from it. And even a sort of Combined Army thing (the Anathematic is in it, for one).

It's also one of the greatest science fiction books ever written, as legitimately good literature. The first book goes out of it's way to establish a very amazing world, and the second brings more out of it.

They're better than any Infinity novel could be, and are basically the setting.

The HYPERION CANTOS series is one of my favorite book series of all time...and I never made the INFINITY connection to it!

(And never mind the not quite as awesome but still great Ilium/Olympos books as clearly being ALEPH all over the place!)

Books one and two are fantastic, but books three and four are the best, and that ending...gets me every time!

DanielBeaver wrote:

 chromedog wrote:
I tried to read Hyperion and could barely get through the first few chapters. It's still sitting on the bookshelf, ignored. I've heard good things about it, but like the Butlerian Jihad Dune Novels, I doubt I'll ever finish it.

Hyperion is a slow burn, but it's worth it. You might have been thrown off by the story structure, but The Fall of Hyperion is a more standard Sci-Fi novel. I think it's clearly one of the best, if not the best Sci-Fi novel ever written.

I couldn't agree more - it is an absolutely fantastic work of art!

That's probably one distinguishing point.
Stuff like the 40k novels are pulp. 'War Porn' as Abnet called it, I believe. It's fun, of variable quality, and generally fan service.

Hyperion's actually real sci-fi 'literature', which is an entirely different sort of thing. Appreciated without you already being bought in on the background.

Try Vernor Vinge's "A Fire Upon The Deep". I suspect that it influenced the idea of the antipodes and their collective intelligence.

I bought the ebooks for Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion some years ago, but never finished the first book. Last thing I remember reading was the Canterbury Tales section whereby the priest was telling about some expedition through a 'tesla forest'.

Of course with the snowmageddon we are getting-- or is it a snowpocalypse?-- maybe I'll read it. Or shovel snow. Lot's of snow.

Way back in the day, the Dungeon Master's Guide ( the real one) had an appendix of inspirational reading. It would be neat if there was such an appendix included in the N3 Human Sphere.

A fire upon the deep I've read.
The same with a lot of the "classic cyberpunk" stuff.

I tried to pick Hyperion up where I left off, but it's the structure that puts me off. The narrative nature of it.

HYPERION and THE FALL OF HYPERION do partially mirror the "Canterbury Tales" and are quite good.

But for me, the series really comes into its own during ENDYMION and THE RISE OF ENDYMION - where they are more like the best of Jack Vance's SF novels, and tell an amazing story set...some time after the first two books.

Really, really fantastic stuff!

 Red Harvest wrote:
Way back in the day, the Dungeon Master's Guide ( the real one) had an appendix of inspirational reading. It would be neat if there was such an appendix included in the N3 Human Sphere.

I'm sure we'll get plenty of inspirational reading in the ~2500 pages of RPG on the way...

 -Loki- wrote:

 Red Harvest wrote:
Way back in the day, the Dungeon Master's Guide ( the real one) had an appendix of inspirational reading. It would be neat if there was such an appendix included in the N3 Human Sphere.

I'm sure we'll get plenty of inspirational reading in the ~2500 pages of RPG on the way...

I have whole shelf ready, they better crack on

I read the Hyperion books, a rather long time ago, but didn't really get them at the time, I think I will give them another go.

A shelf? Ah, I remember bookshelves... For fiction I find I like my humble ereader. However, for reference books-- like rulebooks-- they gotta be printed. I find trying to learn from a digital book to be a chore..

 Alpharius wrote:
HYPERION and THE FALL OF HYPERION do partially mirror the "Canterbury Tales" and are quite good.

But for me, the series really comes into its own during ENDYMION and THE RISE OF ENDYMION - where they are more like the best of Jack Vance's SF novels, and tell an amazing story set...some time after the first two books.

Really, really fantastic stuff!

Oh, I would not compare Dan Simmons to Jack Vance at any level, apart from the most basic, that they both wrote some Sci Fi. Vance's prose and diction are essentially unequalled in the Sci Fi and Fantasy genres. Vance knew how to use the language like a true Virtuoso. How one tells a story is very important. (see Shelby Foote's narrative history of the ACW, or the short stories of Eudora Welty, or the writing of Sir Terry Pratchett.) Still, I will finish reading the Hyperion etc series, and it sounds like I will like them.

Has anyone read any of Neal Stephenson's works? I've heard mixed things about them, the Sci Fi one's.

Edit for punctuation.

I've read some of his stuff. Years ago when it was a "new" thing.
Zodiac was a good read, though.

No wonder I found hyperion such a hard slog. Canterbury tales was one of those tedious slogs, too (there's a reason we moved away from Inglesh as she is spake to a more readable version that flows more organically. Cultural subjugation ftw!)

Based on the recommendations here, I've started on Hyperion.

I'm liking it, thanks guys!

Don't see what the fuss is about, compared to the Xeelee books, this is easy peasy!

The original Hyperion is just unconventional. It is so that you can learn about six characters and their motivations, who they are, and in turn about their journey that creates a universe about Body Horror, Religion, Military, Space PanO and Space Nomads, Space Aleph, Detectives, gakky Hive worlds, Professors, Judiasm, Trees and Whales, and Space Diplomacy. Also, mysterious Murder-robot-demon-things.

The second builds on that as much more of a traditional story of multiple characters advancing down the path that's set up to a sci-fi climax with multiple characters in different sorts of peril.

I always have to suggest this:

"Embedded" by Dan Abnett is very much a feeling of the Infinity universe.

I read that one, but I don't see the Infinity relation there outside of the corporations angle. Still a good read though. I always liked how Abnett was able to describe things and his censoring is friggin hilarious.

 SharkoutofWata wrote:
I read that one, but I don't see the Infinity relation there outside of the corporations angle. Still a good read though. I always liked how Abnett was able to describe things and his censoring is friggin hilarious.

Really?

Two hyperexpansive governments that are in a cold war with corporate interests being a driving force for that cold war and a setting that has a third-party government with its own military branch conspiring to cover proof nonhuman life doesn't seem too Infinity for you?
Because that's basically what the first Paradiso conflicts were about for YJ and PanO.

Add in what could be considered prototype "Jumper" tech(the whole reason it's called "Embedded") and it definitely strikes a lot of the interesting points from the Infinity background.

 Red Harvest wrote:
A shelf? Ah, I remember bookshelves... For fiction I find I like my humble ereader. However, for reference books-- like rulebooks-- they gotta be printed. I find trying to learn from a digital book to be a chore..

 Alpharius wrote:
HYPERION and THE FALL OF HYPERION do partially mirror the "Canterbury Tales" and are quite good.

But for me, the series really comes into its own during ENDYMION and THE RISE OF ENDYMION - where they are more like the best of Jack Vance's SF novels, and tell an amazing story set...some time after the first two books.

Really, really fantastic stuff!

Oh, I would not compare Dan Simmons to Jack Vance at any level, apart from the most basic, that they both wrote some Sci Fi. Vance's prose and diction are essentially unequalled in the Sci Fi and Fantasy genres. Vance knew how to use the language like a true Virtuoso. How one tells a story is very important. (see Shelby Foote's narrative history of the ACW, or the short stories of Eudora Welty, or the writing of Sir Terry Pratchett.) Still, I will finish reading the Hyperion etc series, and it sounds like I will like them.

I'll have to disagree there.

I'm a huge Vance fan - I make it a point to re-read Cugel's adventures every few years because they are that good!

Vance is the master, to be sure, but Simmons' work here, particularly in the two 'Endymion' books is certainly evocative of Vance, especially his SF work.

And did you notice the dedication in "The Rise of Endymion"?

So, yeah, opinions and all that...