Recommend me some Science Fiction Lit and share your views?

[Zenskeptical]

I have always wanted to "get into" sci-fi lit but have never really know where to start. I really enjoy reading the classics and recently I have been getting seriously into philosophy, sociology, and political books.

If anyone would be kind enough to give me some personal recommendations and share some of your experiences regarding it, I would be extremely grateful.:D

[Bikewer]

Science Fiction is like any other genre, there are a variety of different styles, periods, and movements within.
One can sample the "soft" (story oriented) fiction of guys like Harlan Ellison and Ray Bradbury (The Martian Chronicles) or the "hard" (technology oriented) stuff of people like Larry Niven, Greg Bear, and Gregory Benford.
Classic authors like Jack Vance and Fritz Lieber might have been a bit sketchy on the science, but created such wonderful prose, characters, and stories that it doesn't matter.

Wonderful short fiction abounds in the genre, and you can easily pick up a few of those "years best" collections for an excellent sampling.
I've been reading science fiction since the 50s, starting out with the "juveniles" of the masters like Asimov and Heinlein.
I tend to like it all....

Personal recommendations would include:

Almost anything by Greg Bear, but Queen Of Angels and the pair, Anvil of God and Forge of Heaven are outstanding.
William Gibson. The "cyberpunk" man. The Sprawl Trilogy...
Larry Niven. Ringworld. Tales of Known Space.
Gene Wolfe. The four volume set Book Of The New Sun.
Julian May. The Saga Of The Pleistocene Exile.

So many more... Without reading through lists of authors I can hardly recall.

[kedo1981]

James P. Hogan

[jj]

I'm afraid that some guidance from you would be helpful. First, SF and Fantasy are often intermixed, combined, or stuck in the same stacks, so, what kind of stuff do you want to read about?

Space Opera? -> E.E. "Doc" Smith (Triplanetary, *lensman*...)
Eco-Xeno-Sf -> Titan, by John Varley
Present day to historical SF -> 1632 (yes, that's the title), Eric Flint
Future History -> Foundation, etc, by Asimov
Pure otherworld fantasy -> Jhereg, Steven Brust
Here/otherworld fantasy -> Storm Front (The Dresden Files), Jim Butcher
Funny Fantasy -> Good Omens, by Gaiman and Pratchett
Other funny fantasy-> Anything by Pratchett
Alternate world funny-> The case of the toxic spelldump, Harry Turtledove
Depressing Fantasy -> The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Steven R. Donaldson
High Fantasy -> Tolkein (duh!)

What sort are you interested in?

[Zenskeptical]

Thanks for all the help so far!

jj, thanks for mentioning that. I think I would be most interested in Sci-Fi not fantasy because although I do want to read about alternate universes etc. I like there to be more of a realistic basis. I am a little close-minded when it comes to fantasy as well because I have read little to none of it not counting the LOTR.

The only science fiction I have read that I can recall is Orson Scott Card's Pastwatch:the Redemption of Christopher Columbus. In that book they go back from the future to prevent Columbus from discovering America... Although I didnt enjoy the book that much, the subject matter was very interesting. This leads me to believe I would enjoy historical SF as well as Future History. I like serious stories, no comedy. I'm also not fond of love stories.

What I seem to be looking for in Sci-Fi is that all engrossing world. A world that draws you in. When I watch star wars I imagine how cool it would be to actually live in a world with ships and battles etc. This type of engrossment is few and far between when reading the classics and it is what i'm looking for in sci-fi and or fantasy. Right now I'm reading Moby-Dick and it couldnt be far more than the opposite. At about 3/4 through the book I pretty much gave up, i'm just reading it to say I didnt give up.

Again thanks all.

[Wudang]

If I read you right, try
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mote-Gods-Eye-Larry-Niven/dp/0586217460/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213779956&sr=8-2

or maybe
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dune-Frank-Herbert/dp/0450011844/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213780051&sr=1-1

[skeptigirl]

My all time favorite is Battlefield Earth (novel). L Ron wrote a few good things during his early days before Scientology. Don't let the bad movie scare you off. The book was actually good.

[shadron]

James P. Hogan

I would agree with this, up to the point where he turned into a CTer. His early novels, especially the Gentle Giants series and the series about the robots of the Jovian moons "Code of the Lifemaker" were just spectacular. More lately he has become uber-contrarian and Danikenesque, denying HIV/AIDS and other popular anti-science modes of thought; see non-fiction "Kicking the Sacred Cow".

Personally I like military and alternate time fiction, so I hang around the Baen site (www.baen.com ). Some notables there are Jerry Pournelle, Eric Flint, Dave Weber, Steve White, Robert Forward, SM Sterling, David Drake and John Ringo. You can get free downloadable copies of books by all these authors at Baen's free library if you'd like to sample them.

[Darat]

My all time favorite is Battlefield Earth (novel). L Ron wrote a few good things during his early days before Scientology. Don't let the bad movie scare you off. The book was actually good.
You are joking?

[Wudang]

My all time favorite is Battlefield Earth (novel). L Ron wrote a few good things pretty run of the mill SF during his early days before Scientology. Don't Do let the bad movie scare you off. The book was actually good.a festering pile of rubbish whose literary merit would be vastly improved by composting every copy of the book.

Hope you don't mind but I spotted a typo or two in your post.

[CriticalSock]

Check out H Beam Piper

http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/p#a8301

Especially the first contact story "Little Fuzzy", which despite the cute title, has some really interesting ideas going on.

For totally immersive alternate universes though, I have to recommend any of CJ Cherryh's Merchanter stories. It's the kind of sci fi where they've just about got Faster than light travel, but there's no FTL communications, no artifical gravity on ships and no handsome captains falling in love with alien princesses!

[Jumile]

I've been a dip-in-and-out SF reader for years, having spent many years reading nothing but fantasy. Here are some my recommendations:


Iain M. Banks's Culture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture) series. I just love the concept of the culture, and the universe they're in.
Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Mandel) (despite the premise!)
Piers Anthony's Bio of a Space Tyrant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bio_of_a_Space_Tyrant) series (he's a perve, but still a good read). Some of his other stuff is good, too: first read his Xanth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanth) stuff when I was a l'il tacker, and also quite like the Mode (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mode_series) series.
Robert Heinlein (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein_bibliography)'s stuff - particularly Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers and Farnham's Freehold.
Larry Niven's Ringworld (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringworld) stuff.

There are loads more, of course, but I'm at work so that's your lot. :)

[Patsy]

Science Fiction is, imo, one of the riches genres ever for the short story. Go to your local used book store, and look for a series of books that have been put out yearly since 1984, "The Year's Best Science Fiction" by Gardner Dozois. Keep your eyes open for anthologies of Golden Age (1930 - 1950) sci fi short stories as well.

[Damien Evans]

Phillip K Dick, especially Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep, more famous as the film Blade Runner.

Cosmos, by Carl Sagan.

[D'rok]

I really enjoy reading the classics and recently I have been getting seriously into philosophy, sociology, and political books.

Oooh! Oooh! Gene Wolfe will rock your world:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_New_Sun

Trust me. You won't be disappointed.

[Zenskeptical]

Thanks for all the help everyone!

I'm going to borders today and I wrote down most of the recommendations that seemed interesting on my cell phone so hopefully they have them at borders!

[stilicho]

Thanks for all the help everyone!

I'm going to borders today and I wrote down most of the recommendations that seemed interesting on my cell phone so hopefully they have them at borders!
My favourite SF writer is Stanislaw Lem. His Futurological Congress and Memoirs Found In A Bathtub create worlds where absurdity and non sequitur abound. I also enjoyed The Cyberiad and A Perfect Vacuum. It was one of Lem's books (can't remember the exact title) that introduced me to the concept of nano-technology.

A paraphrase from The Cyberiad on creating perfect order: "...dense, black, shiny spheres..." I believe it's A Perfect Vacuum in which his "protagonist" discovers that a certain novel, when the pages are lined up on translucent paper against a light source, reveal a map of medieval Rome formed by the arrangement of the commas in the sentences.

[dakotajudo]

If you're into sociological and political books, then, "Stand on Zanzibar" by John Brunner, "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess and "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley come to mind.

Though these might be more of the alternate future/speculative fiction genre, not space adventures like Heinlein wrote.

Well, no, that's not true - my favorite SF book, is, of course, the Hitchhikers trilogy.

"Zanzibar" is my favorite of what I consider S.F.

[Andronicus]

Jules Verne.

However, I'll note from experience that when attending a sci-fi convention, and the used book stand attendant asks who your favorite sci-fi author is, an answer of "Jules Verne" will result in really dirty looks.

[gtc]

I can really recommend the Culture series. His universe is very gripping and is very far along the technology curve - almost transcending what we often consider to be 'God-like'.

[Zenskeptical]

I looked into the culture series but I noticed there are many books and they are not numbered conventionally.

which culture book should i start with?

[X]

My all time favorite is Battlefield Earth (novel). L Ron wrote a few good things during his early days before Scientology. Don't let the bad movie scare you off. The book was actually good.



I'm not the only one who enjoyed that book?
Awesome.
I like a good, easy space opera now-and-again.

The Deathstalker series by Simon R. Green is good, too.

If your interest lies in philosophy, sociology and politics, I'm going to recommend Cherryh (any of her books, particulalry the Chanur saga) and the Species Imperative series by Julie E. Czerneda.

If you are looking for something a little more esoteric and a helluva lot of fun, I strongly recommend you read the Rats Bats and Vats series.
They are now all available to read free on the Baen Free Library (http://www.baen.com/library/) (the last book being a recent addition).

The prequel, "Genie Out of the Bottle", can be read online or downloaded here (http://www.baen.com/library/0743498879/0743498879.htm)
The first book, "Rats, Bats & Vats" can be read online or downloaded here (http://www.webscription.net/p-336-rats-bats-vats.aspx)
The second (and currently last) book, "The Rats, the Bats, and the Ugly", can be read online or downloaded here (http://www.webscription.net/p-337-the-rats-the-bats-and-the-ugly.aspx)

Read them, all ye who enjoy sci-fi.
And eanyone who just enjoys a light-hearted read.

There are many other books available there as well.
/shameless plug

[gtc]

I looked into the culture series but I noticed there are many books and they are not numbered conventionally.

which culture book should i start with?

Hi,

I really enjoyed Excession (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excession) and Look to Windward (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Look_to_Windward). The last one is a sort of sequel to the first novel published in the series Consider Phlebas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_Phlebas). I haven't read that novel yet but it did not seem to affect my enjoyment of Look to Windward.

I also enjoy the non-Sci-Fi novels he has published as Iaian Banks.

[TobiasTheViking]

My all time favorite is Battlefield Earth (novel). L Ron wrote a few good things during his early days before Scientology. Don't let the bad movie scare you off. The book was actually good.

It isn't a great book, it's ok, but it isn't great.... That said, I've read much worse scifi books in my time...

[ImaginalDisc]

David Brin - The Uplift Trilogy is a series where humans in the near future contact an alien society. The kick is that the aliens society has thousands of member species, and is billions of years old. Their major political activity consists of finding decently smart animals, uplifting them into full sentience, and then reaping 100,000 years of indentured servitude as payment.

Humans are an anomoly as either A) We developed intelligence without being uplifted, which is considered impossible or B) someone uplifted us and hid the evidence, which is weird because we'd be valuable. To many species' consternation, by the time they bump into humans, we've uplifted chimps and dolphins, so we're a patron species, and have offical seniority over many much older species.

[Loss Leader]

Neuromancer, by William Gibson, is the best sci-fi ever written.

[Pardalis]

I like Stanisław Lem, he makes rather realistic science-fiction.

The last one I read was "The Invincible", it's about the evolution of mechanical flies that runs amok.

[Morrigan]

Hyperion (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553283685?ie=UTF8&tag=encymetatheme-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0553283685) and The Fall of Hyperion (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553288202?ie=UTF8&tag=encymetatheme-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0553288202) by Dan Simmons are mandatory. One of the finest, most ambitious sci-fi epic I've read. Politics, environmental issues, religion and philosophy, singularity, time travel (!), cybernetics, poetry, humanity, love and life and death, it's got it all, yet somehow manages to not become a bloated, pretentious mess. I can't recommend it enough, especially if you are looking for a compelling story in a deep, engrossing world. I haven't read the Endymion sequels yet so I don't know if they're any good, but they are not necessary - the first two volumes are self-contained with proper closure.

And then there's Dune (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0441013597?ie=UTF8&tag=encymetatheme-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0441013597), another obvious essential. Some say the other volumes suck, but all six volumes (except the tedious vol. 4) are great. The last two, Heretics and Chapterhouse, are criminally underrated. If you're into philosophy and sociology as you say, you should love those as well.

Neuromancer, by William Gibson, is the best sci-fi ever written.

Hahahaha. NO. :covereyes

[CriticalSock]

Hi,

I really enjoyed Excession (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excession) and Look to Windward (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Look_to_Windward). The last one is a sort of sequel to the first novel published in the series Consider Phlebas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_Phlebas). I haven't read that novel yet but it did not seem to affect my enjoyment of Look to Windward.

I also enjoy the non-Sci-Fi novels he has published as Iaian Banks.

The culture books don't really have a strict reading order to them, but the Culture theme is less developed in Consider Phelbas and Player of Games, oh and probably the best of the earlier books: Use of Weapons. By the time you get to Excession and Look to Windward Banks has developed the universe and the culture to a greater degree. And when you get to Matter, his latest, it has actually become over developed and a bit disappointing.

Against a Dark Background is a cracking book from "The Banks" also. Plus it's a stand alone, non-culture, book which might be a better place to start if you wanted to check him out. Or check out his writing rather...

[GoodGuysEatPie]

Frank Herbert's Dune. Asimov's Foundation series. I enjoyed A.C. Clarke's Space Odyssey series, and also Rendevouz with Rama.

It has been mentioned before in this thread, but a large portion of the best science fiction is in the short story format. Asimov, Harlan Ellison, Larry Niven, etc all have some fine short stories. There are many good collections out there. Should be too hard to find them. The drawback with these kind of stories is that you don't get the engrossing world you mentioned wanting.

~ggep~

[Denver]

Frank Herbert's Dune. Asimov's Foundation series....


One of the reasons I like these choices too is that they deal with epic time spans (thousands of years, at least).

[wolfgirl]

Richard K. Morgan - Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, Woken Furies (these three are all set in the same universe with the same main character and should be read in order), Market Forces, Thirteen (I'm only about half-way through this one but can already recommend it heartily).

[ImaginalDisc]

David Brin - The Uplift Trilogy is a series where humans in the near future contact an alien society. The kick is that the aliens society has thousands of member species, and is billions of years old. Their major political activity consists of finding decently smart animals, uplifting them into full sentience, and then reaping 100,000 years of indentured servitude as payment.

Humans are an anomoly as either A) We developed intelligence without being uplifted, which is considered impossible or B) someone uplifted us and hid the evidence, which is weird because we'd be valuable. To many species' consternation, by the time they bump into humans, we've uplifted chimps and dolphins, so we're a patron species, and have offical seniority over many much older species.

Don't be worried. That wasn't a spoil. It's the premise, not the plot.

[Wudang]

Culture - best are "Use of weapons" "Phlebas" and "Player of games". Excession and Windward are okay.
Brin's Upllift books againI'd say are up and down. Startide Rising I'd say is the best.

[Lensman]

Harry Harrison's "Deathworld" & "Stainless Steel Rat" series are pretty good - so is "Technicolor Time Machine", "Bill, The Galactic Hero", "Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers" (a parody of stories such as Smith's "Skylark" series) & "Captive Universe", a multi-generation starship story.

"Islands of Space", John W. Campbell, introduces the concept of a matter-antimatter powered "warp" dive - written in about 1930!

Heinlein's "Glory Road" is a sort of mix of fantasy & SF.
So is Piers Anthony's "Blue Adept" trilogy.

Then, of course, there's my namesake - "The Lensman" series by E.E. "Doc" Smith - past & future history in 7 books.

You could also try "Venus Equilateral" by George O. Smith & "The Hospital Station" series by James White.

"Mission of Gravity" by Hal Clement

"In Deep", "Far Out" & "Off Centre" 3 books of short stories by Damon Knight.

[jj]

Having seen your responses, I think that 1632 and the Lensman series are going to be favorites of yours. They are very different,but both are immersive, and, well, mostly internally consistant. :)

That's Eric Flint for 1632 and E. E. (Doc) Smith for the Lensman series. Do the Lensman series in order.

[shadron]

David Brin - The Uplift Trilogy is a series where humans in the near future contact an alien society. The kick is that the aliens society has thousands of member species, and is billions of years old. Their major political activity consists of finding decently smart animals, uplifting them into full sentience, and then reaping 100,000 years of indentured servitude as payment.

Humans are an anomoly as either A) We developed intelligence without being uplifted, which is considered impossible or B) someone uplifted us and hid the evidence, which is weird because we'd be valuable. To many species' consternation, by the time they bump into humans, we've uplifted chimps and dolphins, so we're a patron species, and have offical seniority over many much older species.

Don't be worried. That wasn't a spoil. It's the premise, not the plot.

Yes, I love those stories. Down to the point where it seemed like he couldn't continue the story without destroying the entire setting, and that seems to be what he did in the last two books of that set. Once the human/dolphin crew lifted off the planet where they were hiding with the five other races, it seemed to me to turn into Keystone Kops does the universe.

Brin did a couple more books about a planet that is run by female clone clans called "Glory Season". There is a hugely funny story about bareback horse riding combined with the story's premise and the history of horse riding vis-a-vis women in Victorian times.

[Verde]

I am surprised that no-one has, as far as I noticed, mentioned the father of Science Fiction: H.G.Wells.

Although dated, and completely corrupted by silly film adaptations, 'The Time Machine' and 'War of the Worlds' stand as absolute classics in the genre.

Although more sci-fantasy rather than sci-fiction, I'll also suggest Michael Moorcock's 'Dancers at the End of Time'. Oh, and a plug for his 'Behold the Man', even though it doesn't fit the OP's needs, but one of my favorite books of all time.

V.

[alfaniner]

There is a decent sequel of sorts to The Time Machine, called The Time Ships. A recent book, not by H. G. Wells.

[headscratcher4]

Hyperion was great...the Fall of Hyperion not so great. But both worth reading.

Also, I don't think she's been mentioned, but I love Ursala LeGuinn...her SciFi, not her fantasy work. I think the Left Hand of Darkness is among the best SciFi I've ever read.

Don't forget Dune...especially the novels by Frank Herbert...his son's continuation of the series is just ok.

I think Vonnegut counts in his own way...especially Slaughterhouse 5 and Sirenes of Titan.

[Zenskeptical]

Is Dune worth reading then? It seems to top the lists of the "100 best sci-fi books" no matter where I look.

Whats it like?

[shadron]

Dune is very good. If you like historical allusions, fantastic historical perspective and a complicatd plot with lots of detail, the first Dune book is remarkable. Unfortunately, I like that kind of thing, and so the later books, which were much more mystical and metaphysical in tone didn't sit well with me. In short, Dune had a plot; the others of the series have suppressed that idea.

[GoodGuysEatPie]

Yes, Dune is heavy with allusions, particularly religious ones. It's an engrossing story that involves the politics and power struggles on a planet that is essentially all desert. But just because it's primarily desert doesn't mean it lacks valuable resources...

I recommend the first two books in the series. The first book well deserves to be called classic. The second book is shorter, but it still interesting. I could get into the rest of the series, for the reasons shadron gave, but that shouldn't stop you from checking Dune out.

~ggep~

[ImaginalDisc]

I don't think it's fair to say Dune is full of historical allusions; it's full of, as Tolkien would say historical "applicability." You can compare Baron Harkonen, Feyd, Paul, the Fremen to historical people and cultures, but their motivations and actions aren't merely puppeting historical events.

IMO, the book is entirely internally consistent, no one does something merely to imitate Hitler, for example. I think Dune stands out as great literature because the characters are grand, and comparable to real figures, but they have a verisimilitude that allusions lack.

[Morrigan]

Dune is very good. If you like historical allusions, fantastic historical perspective and a complicatd plot with lots of detail, the first Dune book is remarkable. Unfortunately, I like that kind of thing, and so the later books, which were much more mystical and metaphysical in tone didn't sit well with me. In short, Dune had a plot; the others of the series have suppressed that idea.

Not true, only volume 4 did and to a (far) lesser extent volume 3. Dune Messiah, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune most definitely have a plot, and a very good one at that. Brian Herbert's door stops (http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Ftag%2Fdoor% 2520stop%2F&tag=encymetatheme-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325) should be avoided though. :D

[Wudang]

Brian Herbert's books always reminded me of the old "this is not a book to be put down lightly. This is a book to be thrown away with great force".

[alfaniner]

Ender's Game is a popular choice. However, I can't recommend any of the followup books in the series, and by all means avoid the side-series Shadow of the Hegemon, et al.

[Morrigan]

Gah. Ender's Game is one of the worst books ever.

[borealys]

I quite like Jack McDevitt. His series books, at any rate. The Academy series, beginning with The Engines of God, and the Alex Benedict series, beginning with A Talent for War. His standalone novels are, in general, less good.

For something less far future but with some really neat imaginings of where technology might take us, I like Cory Doctorow, especially Eastern Standard Tribe.

Some of Arthur C Clarke's books feel lacking in character development, but Rendezvous With Rama and Childhood's End are both fantastic books.

Wen Spencer's Ukiah Oregon series, beginning with Alien Taste positively oozes cool, in a screaming-to-be-made-into-a-summer-blockbuster-movie sort of way.

I also second recommendations for Greg Bear, Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams.

Looking back over this list I'm realizing that even if I stick to just the genre of SF, my selection of favourites is somewhat eclectic. And that's only about 10% of my bookshelf. Looking over this list, I've got even more I'd like to look for on my next library or bookstore visit...!

[Wudang]

I don't like McDevitt because he can't seem to write an ending. He writes good books then the ending is just meh.....

[Bikewer]

"Brian Herbert's books always reminded me of the old "this is not a book to be put down lightly. This is a book to be thrown away with great force". "

Strongly agree. I actually bought the first of these through the sci-fi book club. When I saw that the "co-author" was a graphics novel guy, I took warning. A warning that was fully justified. Absolute dreck.

[Kittyclaws]

Earth - David Brin

Red Thunder, Red Lightning - John Varley

"The Past Through Tomorrow" by Robert A. Heinlein, a collection, especially "If This Goes On..." about theocratic rule in the US

Spider Robinson (some SF, some "local color," all, fun and/or funny)

Browse your library and find Harlan Ellison's stuff, both his own and anthologies he's edited

If you're a podcast listener try J.C.Hutchins' 7th Son trilogy on iTunes (clones, doomsday, world domination) or Scott Sigler has a newly-published former-podcast novel called "Infected" that was pretty interesting... chicken scissors >shudder<

Short SF can be found on Escapepod, horror on Pseudopod, and the Drabblecast has "strange stories from strange authors for strange listeners, such as yourself"

Unless you live in an enormous house and have piles of money, support your local library. And if you do have piles of money, support your library anyway.

I've never been able to read Tolkein or Frank Herbert. I like story in my story.

[Soapy Sam]

If you like believable characters and space opera, I suggest you try C.J.Cherryh's Merchanter series, starting with "Downbelow Station".

She has also written fantasy based on Celtic and Russian mythology- and the Morgaine series which is rather a half way house- ancient high technology which is viewed by the humans trapped by its effects as magic.

Cherryh's later (and current) novels can seem rather tame by comparison with her earlier work, but the detailed motivation and character is still a major element.

But SF is so multi-faceted, sometimes a short story is about one single off-the-wall idea, so unusual that the reader can forgive the most atrocious writing, other times the story is essentially a rewrite of past history set in an alien context- "Downbelow Station" is a retelling of the American War of Independence- in the 24th century.

Or if you prefer "real" historical SF, you can't do better than Neal Stephenson's Baroque Trilogy, featuring Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibnitz and the mysterious Enoch Root- who also shows up in Cryptonomicon in 1945 and then in the 1990s- and who has spawned speculative websites of his very own.

[Kittyclaws]

"Dangerous Visions" edited by Harlan Ellison. A collection of stories by different authors who take a "forbidden" idea and run with it. Not for the faint of heart.

[cruithni]

Poul Anderson's 'Dominic Flandry' series.

The Dune prequels by Brian Herbert. (Probably should read Dune first.)

In addition to Dune, Frank Herbert also wrote the Destination-Void series.
Destination-Void
The Jesus Incident
The Lazarus Effect
The Ascension Factor

Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars series: Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars

Frederick Pohl's Heechee saga.

[Morrigan]

The Dune prequels by Brian Herbert. (Probably should read Dune first.)

:eek:

The Godfather III. (Probably should watch part I and II first.)
The Star Wars prequels. (Probably should watch Episode IV-V-VI first.)
Alien Resurrection and Aliens vs Predator. (Probably should watch Alien, Aliens and Predator 1 first.)

.... :covereyes

[Wudang]

More like
Take a dump in your pants (Probably should have a nice meal first)

[SDC]

Anything by Clifford Simak. Old fashioned from the great days of Astounding and Galaxy, though. Be prepared for lots of contemplation and little action. Right now I am reading "Time and Again" (1951) with "Goblin Reservation" on deck. Good times.

[Darat]

Add "Way Station" to those two - one of my all time favourite books.

[Wudang]

Don't forget "The Werewolf Principle". To me Simak's best.

[SDC]

Oh, I love this (sob with happiness). More Simak fans! "City"!!

[Morrigan]

More like
Take a dump in your pants (Probably should have a nice meal first)

:newlol You win.

[Pendelton]

ANY book by the recently deceased Arthur C. Clarke, who worked with the film director Stanley Kubrick on 2001: A Space Odyssey. Clarke goes back to WW two, as a R.A.F. officer later getting degrees in Physics & Math. His engineering acumen was almost solely responsible for the concept of orbital communications we use today (satellites)

[PixyMisa]

ANY book by the recently deceased Arthur C. Clarke, who worked with the film director Stanley Kubrick on 2001: A Space Odyssey. Clarke goes back to WW two, as a R.A.F. officer later getting degrees in Physics & Math. His engineering acumen was almost solely responsible for the concept of orbital communications we use today (satellites)When I was a teenager I read everything by Asimov, Heinlein and Clarke, but Clarke was the one who really pulled off the sense-of-wonder. The City and the Stars has to be my favourite. Amazing book.

You are joking?
Well, Fear and Typewriter in the Sky are well-regarded, and predate Scientology, so that much is true. ;)

I really enjoyed Excession (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excession) and Look to Windward (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Look_to_Windward). The last one is a sort of sequel to the first novel published in the series Consider Phlebas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_Phlebas). I haven't read that novel yet but it did not seem to affect my enjoyment of Look to Windward.
Fine books, but definitely not the place to start. The three best starting points would be Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, and The Player of Games. If you're not a hardcore science fiction fan, The Player of Games is the one.

I also enjoy the non-Sci-Fi novels he has published as Iaian Banks.
The Bridge in particular is excellent.

Against a Dark Background is a cracking book from "The Banks" also. Plus it's a stand alone, non-culture, book which might be a better place to start if you wanted to check him out. Or check out his writing rather...
Yes, AaDB is a great place to start with Banks. I also love Feersum Endjinn, but some people find that difficult to read. (I got used to it within a few pages.)

[PixyMisa]

Other SF I love:

Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series.
CJ Cherryh's Chanur series. In fact, just about anything by CJ Cherryh.
Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun and Book of the Long Sun.

A thousand others I'm too tired to think of right now, but those will keep you busy for a day or two. :)

[Aromantic Ghost]

Brian Herbert's books always reminded me of the old "this is not a book to be put down lightly. This is a book to be thrown away with great force".
That's a little harsh. Some of us like reading things that have the beginning filled in. I am enjoying BH's House of series books.

[rhtufts]

My all time favorite is Battlefield Earth (novel). L Ron wrote a few good things during his early days before Scientology. Don't let the bad movie scare you off. The book was actually good.

I used to love that book as kid... at the time I had no idea what $cientology was.

3 sci-fi books I recently read and HIGHLY recommend... Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy

.02
Russell

[Lensman]

The Demolished Man
Xtro
Tiger, Tiger.

by Alfred Bester, he wrote some excellent SF.

[DoubtingStephen]

David Brin - The Uplift Trilogy is a series where humans in the near future contact an alien society. The kick is that the aliens society has thousands of member species, and is billions of years old. Their major political activity consists of finding decently smart animals, uplifting them into full sentience, and then reaping 100,000 years of indentured servitude as payment.


I'll second your recommendation. Brin is a brilliant writer and the worlds he creates are fascinating.

I also enjoyed The Practice Effect by David Brin.

[shadron]

My all time favorite is Battlefield Earth (novel). L Ron wrote a few good things during his early days before Scientology. Don't let the bad movie scare you off. The book was actually good.

Yeah, he did write a few good things, but that wasn't one of them.

Now, don't get yourself all in a lather, SG - I'm just pointing out that he wrote Battlefield Earth *after* he invented and started up Scientology. If you go and read the link you provided, you can read about how Scientologists bought up huge numbers of the book just to try to get a good deal on the movie rights.

[Aromantic Ghost]

It's not everyones cuppa and Moran on one hand is not the greatest writer, but on the other hand his vision holds its head well up above the water.

"Emerald Eyes" by Daniel Keys Moran part one of the epic series entitled "The Tales of the Continuing Time".

If you can get a copy "Ariel" by Steven Boyett is worth a read.

H G Wells, Orson Scott Card and Cordwainer Smith are other writers I favour.

[jimbob]

I've been a dip-in-and-out SF reader for years, having spent many years reading nothing but fantasy. Here are some my recommendations:


Iain M. Banks's Culture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture) series. I just love the concept of the culture, and the universe they're in.
Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Mandel) (despite the premise!)
Piers Anthony's Bio of a Space Tyrant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bio_of_a_Space_Tyrant) series (he's a perve, but still a good read). Some of his other stuff is good, too: first read his Xanth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanth) stuff when I was a l'il tacker, and also quite like the Mode (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mode_series) series.
Robert Heinlein (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein_bibliography)'s stuff - particularly Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers and Farnham's Freehold.
Larry Niven's Ringworld (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringworld) stuff.

There are loads more, of course, but I'm at work so that's your lot. :)
Agreed with this.

ETA: A couple of other "traditional" US authors; Harry Harrison, and Poul Anderson...


If you like the idea of "Literary SF" then Iain M Banks' "Use of Weapons" or "consider Phlebas" could be good starting points.

There are several other British writers with similar outlooks:

Ken MacLeod (My favourite is the Cassini Division: Anarcho-capitalism and anarcho-communism akin to the culture meet, he and Iain Banks have references to each other in their books)

Charles Stross (Iron Sunrise)

Neal Asher: (Gridlinked, The Skinner) "The Polity" is "culture lite": more action, less philosophy, but some of the drones are very similar to SC drones

Alistair Reynolds: (Chasm City, Revelation Space) He does have an annoying inability to tie up a series convincingly, but the remaining 90% is good.

Peter F Hamilton is good, but could do with a lot of editing in his other books.

And Richard Morgan:

Richard K. Morgan - Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, Woken Furies (these three are all set in the same universe with the same main character and should be read in order), Market Forces, Thirteen (I'm only about half-way through this one but can already recommend it heartily).

Was this published in the UK as "Black Man"? He should win the Bad sex-scene award for some of his books... But also worth a read (fast-paced).

Wan't too keen on "Market Forces" though.

[PixyMisa]

Good selections. Alastair Reynolds and Charlie Stross are both fine writers. The earlier Ken MacLeod stuff is good too (The Cassini Division is a fun read) though I've gone off him of late.

[Menalitus]

Stephen Baxter is fantastic, the time ships is a great place to start and the Xeelee sequence is absolute genius.

My introduction into 'proper' scifi was Ringworld by Larry Niven the scale blew me away and from then I have been interested in little else.

Hienlen is good but like many writers of his generation I don't think the writing style has aged particularly well although the stories are inspired.

Dune is a must, its a shame that everyone has slated Herbert juniors work, I have only read the Butlerian Jihad but enjoyed it immensly.

Banks culture books are for me some of the best, I love the immensity of the orbitals and the hope it gives me that the human race could survive long enough to create such an awesome existence.

Greg Bears Eon and Eternity are also unmissable as are many of his other books.

[mooseypops]

I can't believe no one has mentioned John Wyndham yet. Sci Fi that really burrows into the science part and applies it to the "current" world. I say "current" - most of his books seem to be set in "contemporary" times which for him was about the 60s, I believe. The Trouble With Lichen, Chocky, and The Midwich Cuckoos are some of my favourites!

[Morrigan]

What is everyone's opinion on A Voyage to Arcturus ?

[Flashman]

Iain M Banks for me too.

Here are his notes on the Culture (http://www.cs.bris.ac.uk/%7Estefan/culture.html) to whet your appetite.

[balrog666]

What is everyone's opinion on A Voyage to Arcturus ?


LSD-inspired-crap for $200, Alex!

[SDC]

Above, I spoke in favor of anything by Clifford Simak. Well, I just gave up on "Goblin Reservation," a late novel. It is simply bad. I am now depressed. Maybe I enjoyed it as a kid (I don't recall if I read it) but I certainly didn't now. It takes a lot for me to give up on a book in mid-read and this was it.

When we go on family vacation in a couple of weeks I'm taking a bunch of my father-in-law's Analogs from 2005-06 (I'm behind). Maybe they will soothe my weary heart.

Speaking of which, he started a subscription to Astounding (Analog's predecessor) I think before he went into the US army in WW2. He still subscribes, approx 65 years later. The only gap in his reading probably came while he was actually overseas in 1944-45. I ought to check that when I see him.

[RazorEddie]

"Emerald Eyes" by Daniel Keys Moran part one of the epic series entitled "The Tales of the Continuing Time".

The second book in this series The Long Run is one of my personal favorites, and would make an awesome movie.

Along the "epic space opera" line: David Weber's Honor Harrington series is excellent. They're basically Horatio Hornblower updated, and I absolutely love them. A rich, complex, universe, epic space battles, and well developed characters. The first book is On Basilisk Station.

Someone mentioned Gibson's Neuromancer earlier, and I have to agree. This book coined the terms "cyberspace" and "microsoft". A classic.

RE

[borealys]

Along the "epic space opera" line: David Weber's Honor Harrington series is excellent. They're basically Horatio Hornblower updated, and I absolutely love them. A rich, complex, universe, epic space battles, and well developed characters. The first book is On Basilisk Station.


My sister and my father are both addicted to Weber. My sister hardly ever buys books, but she's got every Honor Harrington book ever published. Me, I liked the ones I've read well enough, but I've never really gotten over the interruption of the big climactic battle sequence in book one for a five-page infodump on the history of FTL.

Later books in the series don't, as I recall, have that problem.

[Morrigan]

LSD-inspired-crap for $200, Alex!

Can you elaborate? I've heard lots of praise for that book, yet the description from those praisers kind of put me off...

Also, any other opinions?



Someone mentioned Gibson's Neuromancer earlier, and I have to agree. This book coined the terms "cyberspace" and "microsoft". A classic.

RE

I really cannot stand that book at all. I realise it's hugely influential, but it's one of the most boring I've ever read and the writing is quite frankly mediocre at best.

[firestorm]

My opinion (2cents),

Read a couple classics first.

Asimov, HG Wells, Heinlen, Arthur C. Clarke.

All good. I, personally, would avoid jumping into heavy trilogies. Those are when you're really hooked.

[Mark Felt]

Someone mentioned Neal Stephenson earlier, and to be quite honest, I can't understand why they didn't mention Snow Crash, which is the most over the top (in a good way) novel I've read in years, and Diamond Age, which is less over the top but a little heavier on the philisophical themes, both of which are excellent.

[borealys]

Morrigan--

I'm glad I'm not the only one who found Neuromancer dull. I didn't hate it, I just wasn't particularly impressed. I kept thinking, this is the classic book everyone raved about? Seriously?

But then, I've never managed to quite "get" cyberpunk as a genre, so there you have it.

[Mark Felt]

It's a little like going back and playing FF1 after having played, say, FF6. Neuromancer is an excellent introduction to cyberpunk, and it paved the way for everything else, but it's... difficult... to get into if you've read better books in the genre.

[JohnG]

Phillip K Dick, especially Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep, more famous as the film Blade Runner.

Cosmos, by Carl Sagan.


I totally agree about Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. That book, along with Ray Bradbury's Farenheit 451 and Kurt Vonnegut's The Sirens of Titan are three of the most extraordinary experiences I've ever had reading a book. In fact the memory of the sensations I felt while reading those books have remained with me long after the details of plot and character have grown hazy.

As for the second book you mention, are you sure you don't mean Contact? Cosmos was of course a great book (and TV series), but not really Science Fiction.

I recently purchased a book called 100 MUST-READ SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS. It omitted some personal favorites of mine but it also included some I would have otherwise never have heard of. I'd recommend it as a good jumping off point.

[moopet]

I'll second John Wyndham. Personal favourites are The Secret People, Stowaway To Mars (read the short story prequel first) and The Kraken Wakes. If you like Wells, you'll probably like Wyndham.

I've said before that I couldn't bring myself to like Iain M Banks, but I'll second Ken MacLeod as being well worth the read. They're often compared to one another, and I think MacLeod is way out in front so far.

There are so many great SF titles when I think about it, but for easing into the genre I'd go for something like Asimov or Clarke. Clarke had a great collection of short stories called "Of Time And Stars" which I loved as a child and which still stand up now.

[RobRoy]

Caveat - I'm not a scifi fan. I mostly read fantasy. Feel free to take everything I say with a big bag of Morton's Extra Fine.

I didn't like Dune and have never understood what all the fuss was about. It's an OK read, but the characters never develop, and too much of the "action" is glossed over very quickly. That included the supposed manuevering of the Houses, the concept of the Bene Gesserit and their machinations, etc. as well as the actual action of the battles.

S. Andrew Swann's Moreau Omnibus (Forests of the Night, Emperors of the Twilight, Spectres of the Dawn, Fearful Symmetries) and his Hostile Takeover Trilogy (Profiteer, Partisan and Revolutionary) are quite good.

For quick and easy reads, I did like L. Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth(since it was mentioned earlier). Perhaps it's just the prominant role that Scots play in the action, but I thought it was fun. No depth whatsoever though, and this was before I knew anything about Scientology.

Loved, loved, loved Elizabeth Lynn's A Different Light. It's not a long read, but the prose is beautiful, the characters and world are well-imagined, and the story is unique.

David Brin's Kiln People was a very invigorating read. The premise attracted my attention and I was gripped from the begining to the end. It felt very bright and fresh when I first read it, and has every time since.

Larry Niven's and Jerry Pournelle's Footfall was given to me as a gift, and I really enjoyed it. It's an upbeat alien invasion, despite the devasation wrecked on the Earth and its inhabitants. I especially like the scifi author think tank they inserted. A nice little lift to authors of the genre.

[TiaH]

Vernor Vinge - Marooned in Real Time, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War
And just in case no one else has mentioned it (sorry, I'm rushed for time here) The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester

[balrog666]

Clarke was a product of his times (40's-50's) and too many people have built upon the edifice he and the other Golden Agers built and his stuff no longer has the thrill of wonder.

Asimov had better ideas but was a somewhat dull and plodding writer.

Heinlein's juvenile's were fine for what they were, his later works were somewhat simple-minded and sometimes sexually offbeat.

Brin is a genius but it took him some time to evolve into the superb writer he eventually became.

Vernor Vinge - genius, except for that Tatja Grimm crap that started as a short story.

Roger Zelazny - genius.

Walter Jon Williams - genius.

Alistair Reynolds - genius but heavy going.

Terry Pratchett - Discworld. Need I say more?

If you like fantasy, you should try Bujold or Brust.

[Morrigan]

I didn't like Dune and have never understood what all the fuss was about. It's an OK read, but the characters never develop, and too much of the "action" is glossed over very quickly. That included the supposed manuevering of the Houses, the concept of the Bene Gesserit and their machinations, etc. as well as the actual action of the battles.

You missed the point.

And...


I didn't like Dune


I did like L. Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth
Fail.

[Wudang]

Quite! I think some people missed the "LIT" part of the title.

[Darat]

"From this, Battlefield may sound almost worth looking at for its sheer laughable badness. No. It's dreadful and tedious beyond endurance"
- David Langford

And

Yes, SF often uses magic science like force fields, but we still need common sense. Look at L. Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth, featuring a stack of atomic bombs encased in an "impenetrable" force screen. The first bomb dramatically goes off, converting everything inside into white-hot radioactive plasma -- and the force field just barely holds. Then, with mounting tension, the second bomb (which was sitting next to the first, and just got vaporized) explodes. Then the third ...

[Wudang]

It is such concentrated crap that without it Sturgeon's Law would be "10% of SF is crap"

I also swear that Morrigan is not my sock puppet despite agreeing with every word she's written. Gibson? How anyone in IT doesn't kick the books out the window baffles me. It's just fairies and wizards with different words and without the internal consistency.

[Bikewer]

It never ceases to amaze me (though perhaps it shouldn't) regarding the different reactions to art of all sorts. Doesn't matter if we're talking literature, visual arts, music....

People have strong opinions about things that affect them strongly, and often are baffled by the fact that other folks are not so affected, or are affected by things that they think are utter drivel.

This is entirely normal, folks.

I suffered through much of that "literature" I was forced to read in high school. Who could give a rat's posterior about Silas Marner or Hester Prynne when there were alien worlds to conquer and four-armed warriors on Mars?

Hehe- I unabashedly love Gibson. The Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) I've read through at least 5 times, maybe more.
Likewise the the Bridge stuff, Virtual Light and All tomorrow's parties.

Neuromancer so impressed the editors of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine that it was the first novel they ever serialized.

To go the other way with my "different strokes" rant; Delaney's Dhalgren has been cited as one of the great science-fiction novels. I found a used copy for a couple of bucks and read it.....What? What the Hell was that about?
Perhaps I'm merely deficient mentally. Maybe I just didn't "get it".

I'm not loosing any sleep over it though.

[Wudang]

My comment was only about IT re: Gibson. I quite enoy them then I hit some bit where I just stop dead as my credulity filter blows several fuses. This is true of almost any SF book that involves virtual reality. Off hand only Richard Morgan gets me to suspend my disbelief there.
Don't get me started on martial arts in SF.

[Bikewer]

I'll admit that some of Gibson's extrapolations regarding the state of IT seem more likely only for a civilization far more advanced than that of the near-future setting of his novels.

Gibson himself surprised many with his general lack of knowledge on the subject. He admitted he knew very little when he started writing Neuromancer.

Isaac Asimov admitted that computing was one of the subjects that most authors (including himself) missed the boat on.
He had a vision of massive, centralized computers with public-access terminals all over the place. The fact that everyone would own one themselves seemed.....Unlikely.

[ttch]

Most of my books are in storage but I recently decided to use the local library system to get and reread some of my old favorites. The best by far is Engine Summer by John Crowley, which was reissued in a 1992 paperback with two of his other early works in Otherwise: Three Novels. Read this book! Read this book! Read this book!!

[RobRoy]

You missed the point.

No. I didn't.

Fail.

I'm sorry. Were you saying something? I was distracted by someone interesting. :p

[Morrigan]

Well, you complain about character development and action about... Dune. That's like complaining about those things in, say, 2001: A Space Odyssey. So yeah, you missed the point of the book.

[RobRoy]

Well, you complain about character development and action about... Dune. That's like complaining about those things in, say, 2001: A Space Odyssey. So yeah, you missed the point of the book.

Comparing apples and supercomputers again Morrigan? The fact that I didn't like a book doesn't mean I missed the point of the book. Only that I felt the book failed to entertain and isn't one that I would recommend. As I said, Dune was an ok story, but it reads like the outline for a real book, one that would be very interesting.

[Morrigan]

It's not the fact that you didn't like it that shows you missing the point, it's the fact that you highlight a "glossed over action" and "underdeveloped" characters that shows it.

[RobRoy]

It's not the fact that you didn't like it that shows you missing the point, it's the fact that you highlight a "glossed over action" and "underdeveloped" characters that shows it.

First, it looks like you've taken what I said out of context in regards to "action. I said, "[Action] included the supposed manuevering of the Houses, the concept of the Bene Gesserit and their machinations, etc. as well as the actual action of the battles."

Second, how does highlighting plot and characters in regards to my enjoyment and potential recommendation of a novel reflect that I've "missed the point" of the book? That's arrogant presumption at its worst

Or best.

I'm never certain which way arrogant presumption is meant to go.

[Rocko]

I looked into the culture series but I noticed there are many books and they are not numbered conventionally.

which culture book should i start with?

As others have pointed out, it probably makes no difference. They're all self-contained stories, so you don't have to read in any order.

I'd particularly recommend Consider Phlebas and Excession for two opposite views of the culture - from the living being perspective and that of the AI's. They're both brilliant books. Once you've read one or two, I also have a soft spot for Inversions. You could read the whole book - and enjoy it - without realising it's science fiction/a culture novel.

[jimbob]

As others have pointed out, it probably makes no difference. They're all self-contained stories, so you don't have to read in any order.

I'd particularly recommend Consider Phlebas and Excession for two opposite views of the culture - from the living being perspective and that of the AI's. They're both brilliant books. Once you've read one or two, I also have a soft spot for Inversions. You could read the whole book - and enjoy it - without realising it's science fiction/a culture novel.

My favourite is "Use of Weapons".

I think that "The Player of Games" is the most "Science Fiction-y" in that I found the ideas seemed to play a more prominent part, whilst "use of Weapons" is most similar to some of his non-SF writing.

Iain Banks seems to have mellowed, mind you, with "The Wasp Factory", "Consider Phlebas", "Use of Weapons", and "Complicity" there was a far bit of mellowing to do...

Both sets of his early books seemed to have a leitmotif of using surprising things as weapons....

[Neckbone]

I didn't see my favorite: The Mote in God's Eye by Niven & Pournel(sp?); I also liked their books Footfall and Lucifer's Hammer, my favorite Armageddon fiction.

Neckbone

[moopet]

I didn't see my favorite: The Mote in God's Eye by Niven & Pournel(sp?); I also liked their books Footfall and Lucifer's Hammer, my favorite Armageddon fiction.

Neckbone

#6.

I'd recommend Mote, too. And its sequel, The Mote Around Murcheson's Eye which I've sometimes seen titled The Gripping Hand for no clearly defined reason whatsoever.

[Zenskeptical]

So far thanks to you guys I've read The Mote in God's eye(it was ok, a waste of time imo though) and the first 2 parts of Gene Wolfs the book of the new sun series, I'm on the 3rd part right now.

[moopet]

So far thanks to you guys I've read The Mote in God's eye(it was ok, a waste of time imo though) and the first 2 parts of Gene Wolfs the book of the new sun series, I'm on the 3rd part right now.

What didn't you like, and why did you think it was a waste of time? For that matter, what *did* you like in it? If you elaborate, maybe people can suggest things you might like better.

[Jon.]

Isaac Asimov admitted that computing was one of the subjects that most authors (including himself) missed the boat on.
He had a vision of massive, centralized computers with public-access terminals all over the place. The fact that everyone would own one themselves seemed.....Unlikely.

Maybe he died too soon. It seems that the internet is becoming something like a "massive, centralized computer", what with Wikipedia and IMDB and all the other information-concentration sites. And while most people do own their own computers, more and more people are using them primarily or almost solely to access the internet. In addition, libraries are becoming as important for their public-access computer terminals as they are for their paper book collections.

[SDC]

Vernor Vinge - Marooned in Real Time, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War
And just in case no one else has mentioned it (sorry, I'm rushed for time here) The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester

TiaH, let me start by saying that your taste is excellent. Vinge and Bester are among the best.

But right now I am re-reading James Blish's "Cities in Flight" quartet. A product of the 1950s-60s Astounding and Galaxy style, and classic of its kind. Obviously won't be to everyone's taste, and in many ways is quite dated; the inability to foresee the rise of high power and general access computing was nearly universal. But still good reads.

[Galileo]

I have always wanted to "get into" sci-fi lit but have never really know where to start. I really enjoy reading the classics and recently I have been getting seriously into philosophy, sociology, and political books.

If anyone would be kind enough to give me some personal recommendations and share some of your experiences regarding it, I would be extremely grateful.:D

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne is the greatest science fiction book yet written.

Second on the list is The Moon is a Harsh Witness by Robert Heinlein

Third > Master of the World by Jules Verne

4th > From Earth to Moon and a Trip Around It by Jules Verne

5th > Rocket Ship Galileo by Heinlein

Oldest Science Fiction Book:

The Dream by Johannes Kepler

NOTE

Books like 1984, We, Brave New World, and Gulliver's Travels are not science fiction in my book. Neither is Around the World in 80 Days. Nor is Atlas Shrugged.

The Dialogues of Galileo (1632) are technically fiction and is technically science, but it is not science fiction.

[Lensman]

If you like a bit of humour in your SF, how about "The Stainless Steel Rat" series by Harry Harrison?

Or have I already mentioned it? :confused:

[SDC]

If you like a bit of humour in your SF, how about "The Stainless Steel Rat" series by Harry Harrison?

Or have I already mentioned it? :confused:

I have no idea whether you have mentioned it. But you are absolutely right! Also his Deathworld trilogy. Great adventure SF and something to think about.

[bruto]

Has anyone mentioned Stanislaw Lem yet? I just finished The Cyberiad. Highly recommended, if you like the more philosophical or sociological sort of SF, with a good dose of humor. Whether by luck or skill, the stories survived the translation from Polish very well.

e.t.a. a little research suggests that the translation by Michael Kandel is very highly regarded, and a matter of luck on Lem's part, and skill on Kandel's.

[SDC]

I once had the opportunity did get Lem's autograph during a university student fair (Juvenalia?) in Krakow in 1978. I didn't have the nerve, and it is one thing I have always regretted.

[kid-charlemagne]

Oooh! Oooh! Gene Wolfe will rock your world:

i'm close to weeping, i've never met any other Gene Wolfe fans! The fifth head of Cerberus is also really good, and his book of short stories The island of doctor death and other stories and other stories (not a typo).

Also there's been no mention of Olaf Stapledon, First and last men and Starmaker are seriously class.

[Mark6]

If you like a bit of humour in your SF, how about "The Stainless Steel Rat" series by Harry Harrison?

I hate "Stainless Steel Rat" -- at least the first book. It is not a SF world -- it is 1970's Middle America with spaceships pasted on. Everything that happened in this book could happen now -- in fact some things could not happen today because of the advances in forensics and surveillance since it was written! Later books are okay, but not great IMO.

[jimbob]

I hate "Stainless Steel Rat" -- at least the first book. It is not a SF world -- it is 1970's Middle America with spaceships pasted on. Everything that happened in this book could happen now -- in fact some things could not happen today because of the advances in forensics and surveillance since it was written! Later books are okay, but not great IMO.

Wasn't that the point though?

[moopet]

I loved the Stainless Steel Rat books when I was a kid. Now... I don't know if I could read them without losing patients. I wouldn't call them particularly good literature.
Harry Harrison's first Bill book, Bill, The Galactic Hero is pretty good. It's more like Robert Sheckley's stuff. I couldn't be bothered with the later Bill books though.

[balrog666]

Wasn't that the point though?

Eggs-actly.

;)

[PixyMisa]

I loved the Stainless Steel Rat books when I was a kid. Now... I don't know if I could read them without losing patients. I wouldn't call them particularly good literature.
Harry Harrison's first Bill book, Bill, The Galactic Hero is pretty good. It's more like Robert Sheckley's stuff. I couldn't be bothered with the later Bill books though.
One of the Bill, The Galactic Hero sequels was a collaboration with Sheckley. It was pretty terrible.

Now, there's a science fiction lit recommendation: The short stories of Robert Sheckley. Not the novels - most of those fall apart pretty quickly - but in the shorter form, Sheckley is a master.

[Mark6]

Wasn't that the point though?
If that was the point of the book, I was obviously not the intended audience. In fact, I am stumped as to who is.

[balrog666]

One of the Bill, The Galactic Hero sequels was a collaboration with Sheckley. It was pretty terrible.

Now, there's a science fiction lit recommendation: The short stories of Robert Sheckley. Not the novels - most of those fall apart pretty quickly - but in the shorter form, Sheckley is a master.


Almost without exception, collaborations are always complete dreck.

[jimbob]

I agree Balrog; most collaborations demonstrate the aptness of the old saw about a camel being a horse designed by committee.

"Good Omens" by Neil Gaimen and Terry Pratchett was an exception. It is probably more amusing if you are British though...

[Wudang]

I loved the Stainless Steel Rat books when I was a kid. Now... I don't know if I could read them without losing patients.
I'm glad you're not my doctor, then.

[moopet]

I'm glad you're not my doctor, then.

I was really hoping that one had gone unnoticed :/

[Lensman]

I was really hoping that one had gone unnoticed :/

Fat chance of THAT happening. :D I'd've mentioned it my self, if someone hadn't beat me to it.

Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement is a classic - as is Iceworld by the same author.

In another thread I mentioned the Sector 12 General Hospital series by James White - good medically based Sci-Fi.

Jerry Pournelle's Future History & The Mercenary (both set in the same universe as The Mote in Gods eye, but some centuries earlier) - good military Sc-Fi.

[SDC]

Lensman, I was waiting for you to recommend E.E. "Doc" Smith's works.

[Skeptic Guy]

I love Harlan Ellison, The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World, is a good book of his short fiction. He's part of the New Wave movement in SF and any of those writers would be good.

Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes is good.

And I always enjoyed the old school fiction that lensman suggests.

And as headscratcher suggests, the Fall of Hyperion is excellent.

[Lensman]

Lensman, I was waiting for you to recommend E.E. "Doc" Smith's works.

Someone beat me to it - besides, it'd be too bleedin' obvious. ;) :D

[jimbob]

As we are talking about the "Lensman" series now... Anyone read "Star-Smashers of the Galaxy Raiders"?

[Wudang]

One of Harry's best - along with the 1st "Bill the Galactic hero" and the Technocolour Time Machine

[Lensman]

The Skylark of Space series is another classic.