http://ayende.comAyende @ RahienCopyright (C) Ayende Rahien 2004 - 2021 (c) 202660Yes, but realize that the series is based *3,000* years in the future (Star Trek is only 500). Hopefully technology would be a bit more advanced by then. If you want something closer to plausibility, try John Ringo's - Voyage of the Space Bubble series or the Legacy of Aldenata series. I also like anything by Vernor Vinge and David Brin. I actually find the lack of good ai more annoying here than the physics. Either it's gone out of vogue, or it's just so commonplace that it's not worthy of being discussed. http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment12http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment12Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:06:00 GMTAnother vote for The Culture series by Iain M. Banks - some of the best sci-fi around. And remember what the Fi stands for :-) http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment11http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment11Wed, 28 May 2008 08:43:07 GMTwell, if i remember correctly from star trek series a 'warp core breach' (wow, i cant believe how silly that sounds after so many years...) can damage ships in a few light years radius. but yea, good point about inflation. Its funny how writers want to achieve epical battles with sheer numbers. http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment10http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment10Wed, 28 May 2008 07:51:48 GMTOh yeah, if you haven't read 'em yet you may enjoy Ian M. Banks the Culture book series. They really-really rawks. http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment9http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment9Tue, 27 May 2008 20:58:28 GMTWell, science fiction is not necessary to have 100% same physics as "real world" has. http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment8http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment8Tue, 27 May 2008 20:53:43 GMTI read Prince Roger after seeing your review. Those cost me two weeks of productivity! :-P It also made me a believer in the [Baen business model](http://www.baen.com/library/). I've bought a lot of books from them after getting the first book or two of a series for free... Don't pock with a MacClintock! http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment7http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment7Tue, 27 May 2008 18:44:45 GMTBrent, I listened to those, and they cost me a week of productivity! They are absolutely amazing books. A _really_ good SF writer is David Weber. My favorite books at the moment are Prince Rogers series (March Upcountry, March to the Sea, March to Space, We Few) http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment6http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment6Tue, 27 May 2008 18:33:50 GMTThat would be annoying. The best SciFi series I've read (to date) as far as giving a feel for the vastness of space is [The Lost Fleet](http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/enSearch/searchResults.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&N=0&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial&D=lost+fleet&Dx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial&Ntk=S_Keywords&Ntt=lost+fleet&x=0&y=0) by Jack Campbell (pseudonym for John G. Hemry). The author takes into account the issues of the delay of seeing distant ships due to the time it takes for light to travel, communication delays, and the relative effects of ships moving at a decent percentage of the speed of light. Good stuff. Disclaimer: I read it on the Kindle, so I can't vouch for the narrator on the audio versions... http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment5http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment5Tue, 27 May 2008 18:23:31 GMTLeverett , There is fiction, and there is fiction. Fiction that is not internally consistent should be scorned. http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment4http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment4Tue, 27 May 2008 18:10:56 GMTYou're taking the FI out of SciFi. http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment3http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment3Tue, 27 May 2008 18:04:09 GMTOh, yeah. It does so by creating a background that make it seems very real. http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment2http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment2Tue, 27 May 2008 17:47:24 GMT(nerd alert) I thought this was something that Asimov's Foundation series addressed really well. It deals with huge civilizations that essentially span the entire Milky Way but it does so in a way that actually seems fairly plausible. http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment1http://ayende.com/3338/audio-book-review-starship#comment1Tue, 27 May 2008 17:45:52 GMT