Science Fiction

[SkepticJ]

Anyone have some suggestions for sci-fi books to buy and read?

I'm about half way through The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and have already bought three of the four sequels; and have Rendezvous with Rama, 2010, 2063, 3001 and Starship Troopers. Snow Crash and others are coming in in a few weeks. Ender's Game and The Diamond Age are on the "to order list" when I'm at the book store again.


as an aside note: eburacum45, if you read this please check your PMs.

[Stregone]

The Foundation series by Issac Asimov is one of my favorites. All of his books and stories are good really.

[Paul Beardsley]

If you enjoy Rama, you might well like Larry Niven's Ringworld or John Varley's Titan. Bob Shaw's Orbitsville also springs to mind, but I never read it beyond the first part when it was serialised in Galaxy magazine.

If you enjoy the other Clarkes, Stephen Baxter is one to consider.

A lot of people recommend Joe Haldeman's The Forever War to readers of Starship Troopers. I haven't read ST but I enjoyed FW. I also recommend Haldeman's Mindbridge - if you are a slow reader it should take you all evening to read it.

If you let us know which aspects of SF books you like/dislike, I'll probably be able to make more suggestions.

[Musashi]

L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

Jerry Pournelle and S.M.Stirling's series"Falkenberg's Legion"

Dune

I am sure others will come to me.

[Kullat Nunu]

The Foundation series by Issac Asimov is one of my favorites. All of his books and stories are good really.

The original three Foundation books are excellent space opera. The quality goes down in the later books, unfortunately. Not that they are really bad, though.

I'm somewhat sad because I haven't got a chance to read his real science books except for The measure of the universe which I read when I was a kid. It was funny in the school when we learned the everyday prefixes like cents and millis, I was already familiar with attos, femtos, exas and such.

I strongly recommend Dan Simmons' Hyperion. There are three more books in the Hyperion Cantos, worth read, but the first one is way better than the others. Simmons has created a very interesting universe. Same goes with Frank Herbert's Dune.

My personal favorites are probably the Culture books by Iain M. Banks. He too writes space opera, but wildly different compared to those already mentioned.

[Gullible Jones]

Greg Bear's Eon series and David Brin's The Postman. Also, any of Ursula LeGuin's Ekumen stories.

(I might also reccomend Brin's Uplift series, but I'm only getting started on the first book of the second trilogy... ;) )

[Lurker]

This may be more fantasy than Science Fiction, but I have always liked the The Southern Vampire Series (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/series/-/785/ref=pd_sr_ec_ser_b/103-8007871-7179856) by Charlaine Harris.

[Zachary]

Anything by Alastair Reynolds is brilliant - start with Chasm City.

[jaeger]

For a nice blend of fantasy and science fiction, you might consider Robert Silverberg's Majipoor series. (Lord Valentine's Castle, Majipoor Chronicles, Valentine Pontifex, The Mountains of Majipoor, Sorcerers of Majipoor, Lord Prestmion, and King of Dreams.)

[Van Rijn]

SkepticJ, what books do you especially like? Tastes differ a great deal, that would help nail down what authors and which titles you would enjoy. And are you looking for mostly hard science fiction, various flavors of science fiction or are you interested in fantasy as well? My SHORT list (the ones I can think of off the top of my head) of favorite "hard" Science Fiction authors include Anderson, Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Niven, Pournelle, Sheffield, and Vernor Vinge. There's a lot of ground to cover ...

[Russ]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Robert Heinlein's books. I particularly liked "Time Enough For Love" and "Stranger In a Strange Land" SIASL is an interesting commentary on social norms and customs. TEFL is too but adds a sense of adventure. "The Number of the Beast" another adventure. "Job: A Comedy of Errors" is just plain strange IMHO.

All of Art Clarke's books are all good, I'd add "Childhoods' End" to the "don't miss" list.

I differ with Kullat Nunu. All of the "Foundation" series by Azimov is good. Psychohistory, just like life, has times that are more interesting than others. :wink:

[Tobin Dax]

I'll mention Stephen Baxter again. (IMO, he should be on Van Rijn's list of hard SF writers.) I really enjoyed his Xeelee sequence. If you want to test the water with that one, I recommend Vacuum Diagrams, which is a collection of short stories throughout the timeline. I think it would function well as an overview to that universe.

[Gullible Jones]

Wait... Silverberg did a whole Majipoor series? All I've read is Lord Valentine's Castle and The Majipoor Chronicles... I'll have to find those other books.

Haldeman's Forever Free was amazing... Except that the ending was, IMO, a letdown of incredible magnitude. I'll bet Haldeman's other stuff is good though.

Ray Bradbury's collections of short stories are good. Not hard scifi by any means, but excellent storytelling.

It's probably better to check books out at a library first though... They just might turn out to be disappointing...

[The Supreme Canuck]

Anything by Alastair Reynolds is brilliant - start with Chasm City.

I'll second this. Incredible!

[TinFoilHat]

I heartily recommend Lois McMaster Bujold's books, starting with Cordelia's Honor and continuing through the rest of that series.

These aren't hard science by any means - the tech is space opera and barely explained, but the writing is really good and the stories interesting.

[Van Rijn]

I'll mention Stephen Baxter again. (IMO, he should be on Van Rijn's list of hard SF writers.) I really enjoyed his Xeelee sequence. If you want to test the water with that one, I recommend Vacuum Diagrams, which is a collection of short stories throughout the timeline. I think it would function well as an overview to that universe.

I wouldn't be adverse to adding him to the list - that was just what immediately came to mind. It should be kept in mind that Baxter's stories tend to be rather dark, sometimes VERY dark, with adult themes, but he presents some wonderful ideas. I agree "Vacuum Diagrams" would be a good place to start.

[peter eldergill]

Guy Gavrial Kay has a wonderful trilogy called the Fionavar Tapestry (longest road, summer tree and one title I can't recall right now)

It's more fantasy that sci-fi, hey, I like it a lot.

I read Snow Crash. I wasn't really impressed althought the author had some really interesting commentary on franchising in the USA. A friend of mine also recommended "Cryptonomicron" (sp?) by the same author as Snow Crash, but I haven't read it

City and the Stars by Clarke is good, my favourite so far by Clarke

L8R

Pete

[Musashi]

Neal Stephenson (Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon).... I guess he is SciFi, he almost deserves his own category. I read those two along with Zodiac and the 1st of the Baroque Cycle. Interesting.

I've read a few Iain M Banks novels. They were quite good... :D :D

[Ari Jokimaki]

I recommend these:

Bernard Werber - Empire of the Ants
James Blish - The Seedling Stars
Robert L. Forward - Dragon's Egg

Edited: Weber -> Werber

[Disinfo Agent]

I'm about half way through The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and have already bought three of the four sequels; and have Rendezvous with Rama, 2010, 2063, 3001 and Starship Troopers.
2001 is worth reading, too.

[Nergal]

Everything by Larry Niven.

[A Thousand Pardons]

Canticle for Liebowitz (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0553379267/)

[Kullat Nunu]

Everything by Larry Niven.

I tried to read Ringworld, but couldn't finish it. :roll:

Canticle for Liebowitz

Definitely worth reading!

[jaeger]

Wait... Silverberg did a whole Majipoor series? All I've read is Lord Valentine's Castle and The Majipoor Chronicles... I'll have to find those other books.

Valentine Pontifex picks up the story of Lord Valentine. I've always considered Majipoor Chronicles more to be a collection of short stories. The last three books chronologically occur several thousand years before the Valentine trilogy. Those three books are well done with an interesting plot line, but doesn't quite capture the magic of Lord Valentine's Castle. The Mountains of Majipoor occurs 500 years after the Valentine trilogy.

[A'a]

Other people have brought up fantasy, so I assume its fair game. I would check out George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. They are long, but worth it.

[SkepticJ]

2001 is worth reading, too.


I've read it twice; Last Spring and years ago.

[Disinfo Agent]

O.K., here's a different suggestion: Frederik Pohl's Gateway.

[SkepticJ]

I tried to read Ringworld, but couldn't finish it. :roll:



Huh, strange; I really liked it. Breeding for luck is undoubtably very soft sci-fi, but a neat "what if?".

[SkepticJ]

Dragon's Egg, the Pern books and if I can find it Mission of Gravity are on the list to.

[SkepticJ]

Other people have brought up fantasy, so I assume its fair game. I would check out George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. They are long, but worth it.

I'd prefer SF. It can be soft sci-fi. Note what kind your suggestion(s) are.

[10stone5]

The Mote in God's Eye has less 'mysticism' than Niven's Ringworld - so that's what I'd suggest if you're after a hard science novel.

I'm probably going to do Heinlien's Starship Troopers next.

[Kullat Nunu]

O.K., here's a different suggestion: Frederik Pohl's Gateway.

Not bad at all.

I like Ursula K. LeGuin's scifi and fantasy books alike.

BTW, George R.R. Martin has written many science fiction short stories too.

[rleyland]

Adding some more recent authors:

Almost anything by David Brin is worth reading.
Peter F Hamilton also has some good stories too.
China Mieville's stories are entertaining (soft SF)

Older authors:

Fred Pohl's Heechee saga (especially the early ones)
Larry Niven's short stories are very good
The Mote in God's Eye (Niven/Pournelle is IMHO their best collaboration)
CJ Cherryh - her writing style is terse, but the stories are good

Sadly there is a lot less SF being written/published these days. Fantasy competes for shelf space, and outsells SF significantly. I enjoy a good fantasy, but too manty of them are derivative, or end up as un-ending series. Even with that I too, recommend George R.R. Martin's "Song of Fire and Ice" as one of the best.


Robbo

[Nergal]

I tried to read Ringworld, but couldn't finish it. :roll:
I'll admit to the Ringworld series being poor Niven starter book. Better to jump in with one of several collections of his short stories...and get a feel for his universe...before going for the novels. Even then, it's not for everyone #-o

Other people have brought up fantasy, so I assume its fair game. I would check out George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. They are long, but worth it.
Even if you don't particularly care for Fantasy, the Song of Ice and Fire books are worth a read. It's very grounded, not high fantasy (more sword than sorcery)...and Martin has an uncanny knack for Machivellian (sp) politics. There are no clearly defined 'good guys', and so far no characters are 'unkillable' either.

[Gullible Jones]

I'd avoid the Pern series. It's long as all getout, has iffy science, and doesn't get much of anywhere.

Stephen Baxter is definitely good.

Poul Anderson's short stories tend to be very good, but I've found his novels to generally be rather boring.

[sts60]

In no particular order, some (mostly older) books:

Asimov: The Foundation series, Buy Jupiter (short stories), and his non-fiction books on science.

Heinlein: The Door Into Summer, Sixth Column, and a lot of others which I've read but the titles are escaping me.

Clarke: Tales From the White Hart (humor), Rendezvous with Rama, The Wind From the Sun (short stories), A Fall of Moondust, 2001, etc.

Niven (some with Pournelle): Ringword, The Long ARM of Gil Hamilton, Neutron Star (short stories), Footfall,...

Kornbluth and Pohl: The Space Merchants.

Harrison: The Stainless Steel Rat series, and of course Bill the Galactic Hero.

Brin: The Postman novel was almost as good as the movie was unbearably bad. (There was a Simpsons episode where the "director's commentary" on the Postman video release consisted entirely of Kevin Costner apologizing abjectly.)

Haldeman's Forever War is terrific, and I liked Forever Free almost as much. (I didn't have a problem with the ending!)

James Blish: Cities in Flight.

I've enjoyed Gerrold's Chtorr series - nothing like being terraformed to ruin your day! - but man, is he ever gonna finish it?

[Sigma_Orionis]

Samuel R. Delany's The Ballad of Beta-2 or IMHO anything written by Jack Vance

[Sigma_Orionis]

Harrison: The Stainless Steel Rat series, and of course Bill the Galactic Hero.

Let's hear it for James Bolivar DiGriz! The Stainless Steel Rat for President! :D

[mike alexander]

Wow, where does one start?

Try George R.R. Martin's Fevre Dream

Find a copy of Cyril Kornbluth's The Syndic

Ditto Kornbluth and Pohl's Gladiator-at-Law.

Clarke's A Fall of Moondust and The Fountains of Paradise.

See if you can find any collection of R.A. Lafferty's short stories. 900 Grandmothers is a good one.

Any thing by Ray Bradbury, but especially his earlier stories. What the man does with words....

John Varley's short stories; try to find The Persistence of Vision.

Add a few Poul Anderson swashbucklers, like The Man Who Counts, and Tau Zero

And Edgar Pangborn. A Mirror for Observers and Davy. His collection Still I Persist in Wondering.

And toss in a couple of Spider Robinson Callahan's Bar collections jest fer fun. And bad puns.

[Gullible Jones]

Kornbluth and Merrill's Gunner Cade.

Stuff by Harlan Ellison tends to be good, though it can also be rather disturbing.

[NGR]

Peter F Hamilton also has some good stories too.

Yep. Just finished his recent "Pandoras Star". The first book in a new series. Has a huge cast of characters which leads to many interwoven plot threads and proved to be the best read I have had in years. Can't wait for the sequel.

[rleyland]

Peter F Hamilton also has some good stories too.

Yep. Just finished his recent "Pandoras Star". The first book in a new series. Has a huge cast of characters which leads to many interwoven plot threads and proved to be the best read I have had in years. Can't wait for the sequel.


No Spoilers, I'm not quite finished reading it! :-)

[Hutch]

Just one more to add to an already marvelous collection:

James White's Hospital Station series--may be out of print now, and some of the later books were not so great, but the concept of a hospital in space, treating dozens of wildly different species always appealed to me.

[peter eldergill]

Sphere and Timeline by Crichton

Kidding! :P I thought they were awful

There are so many titles here and I've hardly heard of any of them!

Later

Pete

[bytheway]

What I'm going to suggest almost qualifies as a different style of Sci-Fi than what others have suggested.

Have many here read Ender's Game (and sequels) by Orson Scott Card?

The genre is definitely Sci-Fi, but that's not its focus. Usually Sci-Fi is limited to a couple basic themes, the most common being such as Man vs. Machine or Man vs. Consequences of Science. Ender's Game uses the science as the backdrop, and then gets on to the story. Because of this, Sci-Fi fans love it, and even those that don't care too much for the science part (because they usually get lost) love it.

Sometimes his astronomy and science is right on the money ... and other times he creates science to make things work (like all Sci-Fi, I suppose)...but it's never too bothersome.

If you can't tell, I love these books (the latest one in the series just came out, and it should be the next-to-last) -- they are rather easy to read and keep the reader drawn in. Oh, and there's a movie version in the works!

A definite must-read!!

-- BTW

[Gullible Jones]

Yes, Ender's Game is IMO quite amazing. The sequels, though, are fairly boring, despite Card's claims that Speaker for the Dead is a deeper and better book. (For the record, it's neither.)

Also, having just finished Brightness Reef, I'll say that Brin's Uplift series rocks.

There's also other stuff you might want to read... Cordwainer Smith's Norstrilia is... strange, but a very good read. Smith's short stories are also good, though his later ones sometimes border on evangelism due to his conversion to a different sect of Christianity.

[bytheway]

Well, the third and fourth books are more of a matter of preference ... but I like to put Speaker just a rung or so below Ender's Game.

That said, however ... those who like Ender's Game should also read Ender's Shadow -- same story, second verse. In fact, if those are the only two books your read, that's enough. Ender's Shadow is a retelling of the same story from a different character's point of view, making it a very unique book. I've heard it doesn't matter which book you read first.

And for those that might be interested... Ender's Game: The Movie (http://www.frescopictures.com/movies/ender/endersgame_update.html)

--BTW

[Gullible Jones]

Somehow, I get the idea that Ender's Game is one of those things that's brilliant when played in your head, but would look ridiculous played on a movie screen. On the screen, after all, you can't hear the characters' thoughts.

[SPOILERS BELOW]

Also, wouldn't it be rather... gutsy... to have a kid murdering other kids, even if they were aiming for an R rating? You'd have people leaving the theater in a rage...

[Gillianren]

I'm seconding Bujold, and, from the world of fantasy, heartily endorsing Pratchett. (even if you don't like fantasy. just skip the first few books.)

[AstroSmurf]

I'll put in a word for C.S. Friedman's This Alien Shore and In Conquest Born

Especially the first, which is everything I like about cyberpunk, well made, and a lot of more space-y things.

They are both on my vaguely defined top 10 SF novels list. Ppl have mentioned most of the others that I could think of.

[Parrothead]

For some dated SF, I say John Wyndham is a good choice as author (I may be in a minority with this view). I was bored with The Chrysalids, when I had to read it in Jr High School, but picking it up years later, I enjoyed it. The Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos (basis for the movie Village of the Damned), appealed in their own ways too. It might be an idea to check his work out from a library, to see if you like his writing style or not.

[bytheway]

A long time ago I read Peace on Earth by Stanislaw Lem.

Really, it's a very intriguing book.

-- BTW