Asimov's "Foundation Trilogy" on Apple TV

[RogerS]

In a word ...."Cor!"...

[youtubessl]X4QYV5GTz7c[/youtubessl]

 

[sunnybob]

I read those books back in the 60's and 70's. Wildly ahead of his time.
What is "apple tv"? Does that mean no one else can see them?

 

[novocaine]

yes Bob, the likes of you and me don't get to see it.

 

[sunnybob]

Someone will pirate it next year, I can wait, rather than pay apple prices

 

[Dr.Al]

Someone will pirate it next year, I can wait, rather than pay apple prices

I don't mind paying apple prices, but I'll only pay for a very short amount of time. Assuming it's available on the Roku I'll wait until there's enough on Apple TV to make it worth it, then I'll sign up. I probably won't manage to watch everything in the free trial week (I think there's two series on my list at the moment: Long Way Up and Foundation), so I'll pay £5 for a month, watch everything that's interesting and then cancel. £5 for a couple of TV series doesn't seem excessive to me.

I did that a while ago with Now TV: we usually watch one episode of something or other with dinner (that's the only time I watch TV), so in a month we can get through 3-4 series (depending on the length of the series). In my experience, a lot of the newer channels only have 2-3 series that I'm interested in watching so a month's subscription is plenty!

 

[sunnybob]

Everybody here has a questionably legal box that gives us literally hundreds of internet channels including sky and most european and american channels. Everything comes to he who waits.

 

[Gill]

It's a very long time since I read the Foundation Trilogy but I found it to be very wordy with more analysis of actions than actions themselves. I wonder how successful the television adaptation will be. Similar tomes (I'm thinking primarily of Frank Herbert's 'Dune') have come a cropper (although the latest Dune film has got good reviews).

 

[sunnybob]

Up till I dragged my way through all of the game of thrones books, Dune was the most boring book in the history of boring books. I expect the original film was true to the book (which is always a disaster in the making), that thankfully Game of Thrones film makers avoided admirably. :eusa-clap:

 

[novocaine]

Up till I dragged my way through all of the game of thrones books, Dune was the most boring book in the history of boring books. I expect the original film was true to the book (which is always a disaster in the making), that thankfully Game of Thrones film makers avoided admirably. :eusa-clap:

I'm trying the GoT books again. I'm at page 40 this time (last time I made page 4), unfortunately I've been at page 40 for the past month and I can't muster the desire to go any further.

 

[sunnybob]

Why on earth are you trying again? :?:

During the last year of my employment, there were a lot of slack days (emergency response engineer, I had fixed everything :lol: ) so I had to stay out of the bosses way.
I found an empty warehouse on the base and sat reading my way through the base's lending library, so I was literally paid to read those books :eusa-clap: :eusa-dance: No way would I have ever persevered in my own time :eusa-naughty:
Bear in mind I had volountarily read Asimovs foundation . Herberts Dune, and even Tolkein's Lord of the rings in my early youth.

All credit to the man who had the vision to turn GOT into a thoroughly enjoyable action packed CGI loaded serial. :eusa-clap: :eusa-clap: :eusa-clap:

 

[novocaine]

Why on earth are you trying again? :?:

A dislike for my own sanity and an attempt to plunge the absolute depths of quite frankly garbage prose in search of a glimmer that humanity isn't a complete waste of space.

 

[Gill]

I once had a copy of Walter Scott's 'Waverley' and tried to read it several times. I seemed to make it as far as page 65 each time before giving up. After a few years I tried again and finally made it to page 66. Whoopee! Then page 70. Then I didn't put it down until I'd finished it. It was a masterpiece! ...after page 65.

 

[Dr.Al]

I once had a copy of Walter Scott's 'Waverley' and tried to read it several times. I seemed to make it as far as page 65 each time before giving up. After a few years I tried again and finally made it to page 66. Whoopee! Then page 70. Then I didn't put it down until I'd finished it. It was a masterpiece! ...after page 65.

I was a bit like that with War and Peace. I tried a couple of times reading it in fits and starts and could never figure out what on earth was going on (there are just far too many characters introduced in quick succession and lots of them get referred to by several different methods - name, patronymic, nickname etc).

Then I had to go to a conference in Brazil and, since I never sleep on planes, I took a two-volume copy of War and Peace with me. Read volume 1 on the way out and volume 2 on the way back and absolutely loved it. I think it helped that I was reading it in long sessions rather than reading 10 pages then trying to remember who everyone was when I read the next 10 pages.

I seem to go through phases of reading nothing at all for months and then reading lots and lots for a few months. I also have a habit of having occasional binges: I read Asimov's Nemesis cover to cover in one night once (when I couldn't sleep) and I think one of the (many) times I've read Dune was similar.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I read F.T. 40+ years ago. I loved Asimov - I had two volumes of short stories, one written pre WW2 and one post - there were epilogues by the author telling how right or wrong he'd been proved since, and often it was only time or size scales that were adrift.
I read then what I thought the best book ever - Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land .................... I read it again 30 years later and wondered why I read it in the first place. My concentration (and imagination) was probably better then - I even read Gulag Archipelago :shock: .
I think my record was four attempts at reading one book - A Hundred Years of Solitude. I read so often how absolutely brilliant it is, but to me wading through a mile of treacle would have been more enjoyable.
I read James Clavell's Taipan in one sitting - 1171 pages. We were on holiday and I don't think my girlfriend at the time was amused. I can't read like that any more, I tend to read reference books for fun.

 

[Tiresias]

We all have our blind spots in literature. I can’t abide Recherche. Dickens I cannot bear at any price. Hardy actively makes me wish to end my existence. Ditto Trollope. But I will happily lap up Powell, Waugh or Greene.

And strangely, although I love the concept, Paradise Lost bores me.

However I think Gill has a fair point: Foundation and Dune are too 'idea' laden to make good films, unless you remove the ‘thinky’ bits and just concentrate on the action. I suspect it isn’t a coincidence that the more successful speculative fiction films are based on short stories (in some cases quite some distance from the original – I would suggest PKD as evidence). Or purposely written, magpie picking from multiple sources.

For context, Foundation (the original trilogy) and Dune were written before I was born. From my own time I would dearly love to see a good version of Gibson (Jonny Mnemonic doesn’t count: short story) Or Banks. Or, and this might be my favourite, a filmed version of The Scar (Miéville). Grimwood might be worth a shot, too.

Oh, and I have never read or seen Game of Thrones. Just missed it I guess. Was it a thing?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I lent a book to a friend thirty years ago and didn't get it back. It came in this morning's post from Abe, so I shall enjoy reading it again. The Wheelwright's Shop by George Sturt.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

We all have our blind spots in literature ...

Shakespeare is mine.

 

[Tiresias]

Shakespeare is mine.

Plays. Not really meant to be read. But I can see where you are coming from. Unless of course you were referring to the sonnets and poems. I'll take your Shakespeare and advance you Donne. Some good lines, but a load of drivel in between.

Bizarrely I'm word perfect on bits of Twelfth NIght. School play. And, of course, being a single sex school, the gender imposture went into over drive.

The only plays that that I have come across that can be read as books are those of Noel Coward. But that is like reading a series of set ups and one liners.

 

[Dr.Al]

.
I think my record was four attempts at reading one book - A Hundred Years of Solitude. I read so often how absolutely brilliant it is, but to me wading through a mile of treacle would have been more enjoyable.
I read James Clavell's Taipan in one sitting - 1171 pages. We were on holiday and I don't think my girlfriend at the time was amused. I can't read like that any more, I tend to read reference books for fun.

Clavell's Shogun was another one I read very quickly, although probably over a weekend rather that one sitting. I'm completely with you on 100 years: I read it all the way through, but wondered why I'd bothered at the end. I found it thoroughly dull (and not helped by half the characters having virtually the same name!)

 

[Dr.Al]

Or Banks.

Ooh yes. They've been threatening "Player of Games" for years, but I'd be surprised if it ever shows up. As film adaptations go, I was quite impressed with Complicity, but I'd guess the non-sci-fi ones are a little easier.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I read most of James Michener's - some of them take about 150 pages to really get into. I don't think I could do it now.

 

[Dr.Al]

We all have our blind spots in literature ...

Shakespeare is mine.

I'd never bother reading them, but I do like the plays (I've seen all of them except Henry VI, Henry VIII (aka All Is True) and Pericles. The comedies get very same-y very quickly (with a couple of notable exceptions like Taming of the Shrew), so I'm not so interested in them. A decent (for which read: not amateur & definitely not open air so the cast have to shout all the lines) production of the tragedies is amazing though, especially Hamlet or Antony & Cleopatra

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Henry IV part two for O level. Put me off for life. :lol:

 

[Artiglio]

Or Banks.

Ooh yes. They've been threatening "Player of Games" for years, but I'd be surprised if it ever shows up. As film adaptations go, I was quite impressed with Complicity, but I'd guess the non-sci-fi ones are a little easier.

Banks was most certainly a man taken well before his time, not sure that many of his works could be bought to the big/small screen , they all leave so much to the reader’s imagination and any adaptation would be lacking as a result. I’ve read Excession 9 times, the second time i’d barely put the book down from the first.

 

[RogerS]

Why on earth are you trying again? :?:

A dislike for my own sanity and an attempt to plunge the absolute depths of quite frankly garbage prose in search of a glimmer that humanity isn't a complete waste of space.

You've not watched Idiocracy then ?

 

[RogerS]

....Or Banks. ....

I've now reached the stage where I can actually get to my library of his books...both genre. Looking forward to re-reading them.

I saw the stage play of the Wasp Factory which was excellent.


But....my apologies to one and all...that Apple Foundation is Pants. Utter garbage.

 

[droogs]

the ones with an M on the cover are good the others not, for me they are the most boring genre to read ever

 

[RogerS]

the ones with an M on the cover are good the others not, for me they are the most boring genre to read ever

Philistine !