io9 
Enter your username and password.
-
more about #ringworld more comments → Wookie1972: If you're going to count comics, you've gotta count him. more » Wookie1972: If we're going old school, what about Lemuel Gulliver or Baron Munchausen? more » Whitworthian: I really have a difficult time thinking of Cugel the Clever as a swashbuckler... he's more a dandy and rogue. There's little that's heroic or courageo... more » PostMarque: i only read one book off the list, and knew of the second. i have failed in my sci-fi fan boy module installation. can i still wear my Captain Plane... more » scroggzilla raids again: Richard Corben's Den, as seen in the magazine and film Heavy Metal more » Fierock: Since we're talking science fiction books, I nominate Jesus (New Testament of Bible) - he was one badass mofo, rebel with a cause. more » ltwass: "I have a variable sword. I urge calm." Speaker to Animals is one of my favorite characters ever. Another good line is: "Louis Wu, I found your chal... more » snarklenyc: Jonny Rico is kind of a pansy at the beginning of Starship Troopers, but I would still give him and the rest of the Roughnecks an honorable mention fo... more » boggledepot: It's too bad that this list is reserved for literary heros, because Capt. Kirk is the archetype of a swashbuckling Sci-fi hero. more » yeahblah: China Mieville has a story "Jack" in his anthology "Looking for Jake" which indirectly sheds light on Jack Half-A-Prayer's fate as well as the power o... more » SJ_Edwards: For any landlubber inspired by this, to consider a late-stage career change to buckling their swash on the briny (whether on Earthball or frozen-toppe... more » Chip Skylark of Space: Dumarest (EC Tubb's endless series of the guy looking for Earth) "Earth? Why you might as well call a planet Dirt!") Dominic Flandry, Agent of the Te... more » MattchasesSuns: I would like to add, Clive Folliot of the Dungeon series under the supervision of Philip Jose Farmer and written by 4 different authors over six books... more » H. Habilis: Gully Foyle from Alfred Bester's "The Stars My Destination." Sure, he's a Count of Monte Cristo knockoff, but what a great one! more » katclay: Does anyone think that Uther Doul from the Scar (China Mieville) is way more swashbuckling than Jack Half-A-Prayer? Here's why: He's got a frikin awe... more » -
#triviagasm
Greatest Swashbuckling Heroes From 100+ Years Of SF Books
They swagger, they fight, they laugh in the face of danger. Science-fiction books have given us some of the greatest swashbuckling heroes, cutting a swathe through space and countless alternate timelines. Here are some of our favorite book heroes.
More »
-
#larryniven
Larry Niven Helped Usher In Our Weird World
Ringworld author Larry Niven didn't just pioneer the "cool massive object in space" genre — he also helped predict today's world, including flashmobs, cochlear implants and planets orbiting Epsilon Eridani. NASA even found a possible ringworld, in 2004. [USA Today] -
#triviagasm
Our Alien Origins: 21 Panspermia Tales
Planet Earth might be home sweet home, but is it really humanity’s birthplace? We explore science fiction stories where humans come from everywhere but Earth, be it by colonization, alien experiments, or good old-fashioned panspermia. More » -
#alienplanets
Top Ten Most Realistic Planets in Science Fiction
One of the worst examples of unrealistic science in movies is the overly simple alien planet. Oftentimes, our heroes will visit the desert planet, or the Irish planet. But the best extraterrestrial worlds in science fiction are the ones with variety and a realistic ecosystem. They have cities as well as countryside, and a range of environments. Here's our guide to the most realistic — and interesting — planets in science fiction. More » -
#powergenerators
Who Has The Biggest Power Generator In Space?
It takes a lot of energy to zip around the stars standing akimbo in your rolled-down boots. So the best battlecruisers and starships have really powerful energy sources. But what's the most powerful spaceship or station, in terms of energy output? This isn't just an idle question, because we'll need to know which fictional technology to aim for, when we finally conquer interstellar space. Click through for our ranking of the least and most powerful spacecraft. (Hint: It's not the Death Star!) More »
