NationStates Jolt Archive

Over the past few months, mainly due to the stuff I've been reading on NS, I've been developing an ever-increasing interest in Science Fiction. I went to the book store the other day, to pick something up. I ended up buying nothing, being overwhelmed by the great spectrum of choices I was presented with. I'm new to the whole sci-fi thing, and I'm kind of affraid to buy a book that ends up being total and utter crap. Sooo, I turn to the sci-fi readers on NS for advice. What authors/titles stand out? What would you recommend I read?

Over the past few months, mainly due to the stuff I've been reading on NS, I've been developing an ever-increasing interest in Science Fiction. I went to the book store the other day, to pick something up. I ended up buying nothing, being overwhelmed by the great spectrum of choices I was presented with. I'm new to the whole sci-fi thing, and I'm kind of affraid to buy a book that ends up being total and utter crap. Sooo, I turn to the sci-fi readers on NS for advice. What authors/titles stand out? What would you recommend I read?
Dune. This is all I have to say for now.

I've heard great things about Izaak Asimov. Personally I don't read sci-fi but he's meant to be very good from what i've heard.

David Weber's "Honor Harrington" series is addictive for me. Start with the first book:
"On Basilik Station".

Really, it depends upon your tastes. Issac Asimov's "I, Robot" series is a facinating read - I also hihgly recommend his collections of short stories, of which he was a master. Philip K. Dick ("Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", "Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said") is another great of classic sci-fi. His novels have been transferred to screen many, many times: Bladerunner, Minority Report, Total Recall.

Then, you have your "space opera" guys. For modern novels, I highly recommend you look at works by Ian M. Banks and Peter F. Hamilton.

I second the nomination of Philip K Dick. I also endorse the novel Dune.

It really depends on what interests you about Sci-Fi. If you read JG and kinda liked the idea, I would suggest trying to find a copy of The Space Merchants by Kornbluth and someone else. While not technically considered Sci-Fi I recomend Terry Pratchett for those who like to read quirky books which make you question how you look at the ordinary. Hmm, if you don't know where your interest lies, I would recomend finding a good used book store which carries the Si-Fi magazines and buying several old issues of various ones, this will expose you to a wide variety of authors and brands of Sci-Fi so you can tell what interests you most, also look for some of the semi-annual collections of shorter Sci-Fi.

Whatever book you're looking for... the solution is to read Gormenghast by meryn peake :D

Really, it depends upon your tastes. Issac Asimov's "I, Robot" series is a facinating read - I also hihgly recommend his collections of short stories, of which he was a master. Philip K. Dick ("Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", "Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said") is another great of classic sci-fi. His novels have been transferred to screen many, many times: Bladerunner, Minority Report, Total Recall.

Then, you have your "space opera" guys. For modern novels, I highly recommend you look at works by Ian M. Banks and Peter F. Hamilton.
Movies based on Philip K Dick stories never seem to live up to the prose. Just my opinion.

classic sci-fi. His novels have been transferred to screen many, many times: Bladerunner, Minority Report, Total Recall.

Total recall wasn't a novel - it was a short story within a novel, called the painted man. I think

Personally, I quite like the alternate history books by Harry Turtledove, but that ain't to everyone's taste. So, along with dune, I'll recommend... any of the red dwarf books for comedy sci-fi, and (if you count it as sci-fi) Brave New World.

Whatever book you're looking for... the solution is to read Gormenghast by meryn peake :DJust the one, or the whole Titus' Groan series?

Get yourself some Poul Anderson.

Some good choices there, but don't forget older classics by H.G. Wells (The Time machine, Invisible man), Jules Verne (20000 Leagues under the sea), etc. if that appeals.

it depends on how scientific you want your science fiction to be. you may have noticed that there is currently WAY more "fantasy" than science fiction. fantasy generally involves magic instead of science. this is why you will find tolkein in the science fiction section.

if you want to start with the giants of science fiction go with isaac asimov, robert heinlein, arthur c clarke. pick a book that has been made into a movie. its good enough to get you started. (the good part of starting with the giants is that you can find their books at the library. free is good when you are trying a new genre eh?)

phillip k dick has great ideas but his books suck. as does h p lovecraft. you should definitely start them through the library if you want to not waste your money. if you find they ARE your cup of tea then you can buy bunches of their books later.

my son (now 18) loved the wheel of time series of robert jordan. the beginning books are better than the current ones. go figure. he also liked the george R martin series "a song of ice and fire"

i really like david brin myself. (he wrote the book "the postman" that was made into a dreadful movie by kevin kostner) ive read most of what he has written. his uplift "trilogy" (now 6 books) is excellent. its a very different idea of how the galaxy will be run in the future when we know lots of other intelligent species.

try "the doomsday book" by connie willis. wicked good book with an amusing sequel called "to say nothing of the dog". they are time travel books wherein our heroine accedentally ends up in the time of the plague. the sequel goes to victorian? (maybe earlier) england. well worth reading.

i am also a fan of sherri tepper. her books are a blend of science and fantasy as it is her supposition that magic and technology go in cycles. her book "a plague of angels" won a couple major awards. its a post apocalyptic book set on the earth after the majority of people have moved to the stars. i liked it so much that i bought a copy after i read it at the library.

Over the past few months, mainly due to the stuff I've been reading on NS, I've been developing an ever-increasing interest in Science Fiction. I went to the book store the other day, to pick something up. I ended up buying nothing, being overwhelmed by the great spectrum of choices I was presented with. I'm new to the whole sci-fi thing, and I'm kind of affraid to buy a book that ends up being total and utter crap. Sooo, I turn to the sci-fi readers on NS for advice. What authors/titles stand out? What would you recommend I read?

They are fantasy novels, but the Sword of Truth series (by Terry Goodkind) are an amazing set of books. I didn't like the 7th and 8th as much as the others, but stilll well worth reading.

The Death Gate Cycle (Margaret Weis/Tracy Hickman) is worth getting as well.

I've always liked Blade Runner.

Blade Runner is based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. It's possibly the only good movie made from a Philip K Dick novella.

"Prey" and "Andromeda Strain" by Crichton.

If you're in to Star Wars, Zahn, Anderson, and Stackpole are really good, looking for a laugh? then turn to Spider Robinson, not Star Wars, but still good.


Star Wars

I have yet to see mention of Ray Bradbury. "Farenheit 451" is a must read. He also published a three volume set of short stories (I can't think of the title right now) that was excellent.

I have yet to see mention of Ray Bradbury. "Farenheit 451" is a must read. He also published a three volume set of short stories (I can't think of the title right now) that was excellent.
Ohh, I forgot about Farenheit 451. Montag the 'fireman'. And everyone nuking each other in the end. cool

Second all the Dune suggestions. Give Gateway and it sequels a shot. Pohl was one of the first that got me hooked on SF.

thanks for the spoiler, putz

If you like your SF heavy on the 'hard' science, reach for Isaac Asimov first. His short stories are pithy and tightly plotted, very logical writing. His heroes tend to the square-eyed and steely-jawed and some of his resolutions are a bit too pat - in short, his stuff has a very old-fashioned feel - but that's true to the genre's roots.

For an interesting evolution from Asimovian 'hard' SF to a more modernistic 'social' SF approach, dig deep into Robert A. Heinlein's stuff. Start with his future history anthology The Past Through Tomorrow, thence to The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Stranger in a Strange Land (the original version; the "uncut" version really doesn't add anything necessary).

Also give Robert Sawyer's Neanderthal and Far Seer trilogies a try.

Clark's entire Oddesey series is very good. Also check out an anthology called "Skylife".

Iain M Banks.

I'd say that it's probably best to stick to the masters if you're a sci fi beginner. I'd say that the best to start off with would be Well's, Verne, Clarke, Asimov and Bradbury. Wells and Verne are a uniquely victorian england style of sci-fi, almost like pulps or something, only better. Clarke is a space travel/philosophy/ethics style. Asimov is typically more along the lines of robots, but he has other stuff. Bradbury is sci-fi in general.

Choose first according to your personal interests.

If you are up to a highly corporate style sci-fi (low thought, maximum entertainment) read Crichton.

Read Asimov's Foundation series, it rocks. His short stories and other books are also really good.

Orson Scott Card is probably the best writer alive today. His Homecoming series and his Ender books are some of the best books I've ever read. Orson Scott Card is a must no matter what you like.

David Weber's Honor Harrington series is great. His other books are also very good. 1632 and 1633 co-written by Eric Flint are excellent (although these are more historical than science fiction).

John Ringo's Legacy of Aldenata books are great military science fiction. He also co-wrote the Empire of Man series with Weber which is excellent.

Robert J. Sawyer has some excellent novels.

Micheal Chrichton is pretty good, although this is on the edge between science fiction and pulp fiction.

Starship Troopers by Heinlein is awesome.

Pohl has got some good books, such as Outnumbering the Dead.

Dune by Frank Herbert is great (although the second and third books werent' all that great and I never read the last few). The 6 new Dune prequels by Brian Herbert are also excellent books. White PLague by Frank was also pretty good.

If you have lots of time and like the movies you could read the whole Star Wars books series. Those are usually pretty good.

Fahrenheit 451 was a good book, as was 1984 (although these are more political commentaries than science fiction).

Read any book by Baen Books http://www.baen.com/main.asp So far, everything I've read that's published by them is really good.

Personally, I think science fiction is dead. It seems everything being written in the past couple of decades is just a retread of classic sci-fi themes, characters, and ideas.

However, if you are new to the genre certainly Herbert's Dune, Asimov's Foundation series, Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, Clarke's 2001 Space Odyssey, Bradbury's Martian Chronicles, Miller's A Canticle for Liebowitz and Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five are all required reading.

I am also rather fond of Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness and a 1949 novel by George R. Stewart called Earth Abides (I don't even know if it is still in print).

Argh. I get tired of this, Asimov did write some hard science fiction, but none of his popular stuff is hard science fiction. Hard sience fiction is based upon actual science as it known, and Larry Niven is mostly hard, while Hal Clement was the master of hard science fiction, but there is no hard science to back up Foundation or the I Robot stuff. Asimov's popular stuff was based on bogon technology, not hard science.

**oh and Baen is a good choice for readability. If you want readability they are an excellent publisher. I still recomend finding a good used book store, spending $6.00US for one bad book is tough, spending the same ammount for one good book and two bad ones isn't as tough.**

I'd suggest Iain M. Banks (Not Iain Banks. Iain M. Banks for Sci-Fi, Iain Banks for non-sci-fi).

His stories are exceptionally well written, and usually have adult themes to them, rather than trying to be as plain as possible in an attempt to remain mainstream.

Oh, and i'd particularly recommend 'Excession'. Superb book by him.

Argh. I get tired of this, Asimov did write some hard science fiction, but none of his popular stuff is hard science fiction. Hard sience fiction is based upon actual science as it known, and Larry Niven is mostly hard, while Hal Clement was the master of hard science fiction, but there is no hard science to back up Foundation or the I Robot stuff. Asimov's popular stuff was based on bogon technology, not hard science.

**oh and Baen is a good choice for readability. If you want readability they are an excellent publisher. I still recomend finding a good used book store, spending $6.00US for one bad book is tough, spending the same ammount for one good book and two bad ones isn't as tough.**

If you are tired of it you might want to stop worrying about what label to give a book (hard or soft) and just focus on whether it is good or bad. At one time I found Asimov's books diverting, but he is not a great (or even good) writer. However, there is little doubt that his works are part of a classic science fiction library.

Over the past few months, mainly due to the stuff I've been reading on NS, I've been developing an ever-increasing interest in Science Fiction. I went to the book store the other day, to pick something up. I ended up buying nothing, being overwhelmed by the great spectrum of choices I was presented with. I'm new to the whole sci-fi thing, and I'm kind of affraid to buy a book that ends up being total and utter crap. Sooo, I turn to the sci-fi readers on NS for advice. What authors/titles stand out? What would you recommend I read?
Anything at all by Isaac Asimov

I'll recommend Jak Koke in addition to all these other giants of the genre.

I can't recommend sci-fi literature, but I can reccomend a great science-fiction anime: Mobile Suit Gundam (Gundam, for short).

I'll give you the basics: Gundam is a series of mecha (giant robot) animes set in the future, when humanity has partially migrated into space colonies. There are a couple different storylines (Universal Century - the longest running one, and then other ones collectively known as Alternate Universe). There is an element of hard science fiction, to some degree in the saga.

There is some excellent philosophical questions and themes I have taken from Gundam (tho they are kinda subtle at times). Gundam SEED, an Alternate Universe series, is currently airing on Cartoon Network at 1am Friday nights.

I can't recommend sci-fi literature, but I can reccomend a great science-fiction anime

Turn off the cartoons and pick up a book.

*Settles back with his collection of Clarke's short stories*

If you're impatient, there's plenty of good short story collections out there in the sci-fi genre, and there's guaranteed to be some good stuff mixed in. Most bang for your buck.

...but some notable titles are MIA...Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age, envisioning not only the impact on nano technology on the lives of everyday citizens, but also the changes such technology brings about on the social fabric of the world.

William Gibson - Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Idoru are all fantastic, futuristic, but in that Max Headroom '20 Seconds in to the Future' sort of way.

Anything by Harlan Ellison - A Boy and His Dog, (short story though, I believe) You should be able to find reprints of 'I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream'.

This Is the Way the World Ends by James Morrow is also fantastic, about several survivors of a nuclear war being tried for complacency...by the unborn citizens of the world.

If you have a mind for something racier, William S. Burroughs' Cities of the Red Night series...depicting time traveling homosexual pirate gunfighting sorcerers. Pretty awesome read, and actualy some of the best Sci Fi I've ever read.

In the order of classic Pulp, Way Station by Clifford Simak is a wonderful read...as is The Ragged Edge, by John Christopher...maybe not exactly classic pulp, (or directly Sci Fi) but a compelling story about an earthquake that devastates the British Isles, and assumably most of Europe.

Some of the tittles others have mentioned are worth reading in my opinion: Dune (lengthy series, but worth it) The Postman by Brin (I turned the movie off 10 minutes into it, but I've read the book 6-7 times), Heinlien's work is awesome, as is Bradbury, Wells, Clark, and so on.

People will argue about what Sci Fi is, what the term means. Ellison refers to much of it as 'speculative fiction', basicaly fiction that is set in an imaginary reality, where antigravity is the norm, or magic apples, or whatever. A lot of the work in the genre has fantasy elements in it as well as technological fancy, what's best is entirely in the mind of the reader.

I take issue with the Gundam series. I like it sometimes, but I get tired of the repetitive characters (How many blonde-guys-with-white-masks-and-sisters-who-are-the-main-character's-love-interest will it take for them to come up with a new villian?). On the other hand, they do have some good sci-fi elements in them. The UC timeline (Stardust Memory, 8th MS team, etc.) feature colony cylinders originally designed by Gerard K. O'Neill, and relatively realistic physics. Avoid anything other than the Universal Century shows however, because the alternate universes don't even try realism.

For books, my personal favorites are Asimov, Crichton, Card and of course, Heinlein. Kevin J. Anderson and Michael Stackpole are also wonderful, and have written many different stories.

I’m the first to mention this, but there is also much to be gained from Science Fiction games, especially of the role-playing variety. The Battletech universe is on of my favorite sources, because it is so richly populated and the technology is excellent too. You could also look into movies and video games, such as the Aliens quadrilogy or the Wing Commander series.

http://www.baen.com/library

A bunch of free books by various authors online.

Good science fiction....


The Left Hand of Darkness by LeGuin
Starship Troopers by Heinlein
Ender's Game Quartet, especially the last two, by Card
Foundation by Isaac Asimov

These are all thought-provoking books about human nature. If you're looking for light-hearted, random stuff with no meaning, go ask someone else. I read to hear ideas presented elsewhere.

Thought I did try the Honor Harrington series at one point. I found it to be too obviously a reproduction of the French Revolution from the perspective of England. I mean, honestly, Rob S. Pierre?

any of the warhammer 40k publications, and kevin j andersons saga of the seven suns they are really good atm.

For free stuff, I'd also suggest your local public library, they're pretty good at maintaining sci-fi stocks at those as well.

along with the already mentioned Neuromancer....
by another author, SNOW CRASH

I will differ from the view held by others- read ANYTHING by Frank Herbert OTHER than Dune. Like, (in no particular order):

-Whipping Star
-Hellstrom's Hive
-The Dosadi Experiment
-The White Plague
-The Eyes of Heisenberg
-The Godmakers
-The Santaroga Barrier
-The Green Brain
-Soul Catcher (not science fiction, but arguably one of his best lesser-known works)

Squi mentioned 'The Space Merchants' - the authors of that bit of fun were Cyril Kornbluth & Fred Pohl (that particular book was actually referred to in Max Barry's 'Jennifer Government', BTW).

I heartily recommend Fred (Frederik) Pohl, author of suck worthies as:

-The Heechee Novels (Gateway, Beyond the Blue Event Horizon, Heechee Rendezvous, Annals of the Heechee)
-JEM
-Man Plus
-The Cool War (personal fave)
-The Coming of the Quantum Cats

I also must insist on mentioning Harlan Ellison, the terror of publishers worldwide. Among Harlan's better oeuvres are such books as:

-I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream
-Love Ain't Nothing But Sex Misspelled
-Shatterday
-Angry Candy
-Mefisto in Onyx
-The Beast That Shouted Love At The Heart Of The World
-Strange Wine
-Ellison Wonderland
-Paingod And Other Delusions

The highlight of 'Angry Candy' is the reprinted 'The Region Between', a novella excerpted from the extremely interesting collection 'The Five Fates'. wherein five authors (including Frank Herbert) were supplied with the same one-page setup for a story, and left to their own devices. The hitch: the main character dies at or around the fifth paragraph.

I cannot recommend James P. Hogan highly enough - please, please - consider taking a book by Hogan home with you today (or any day for that matter). I would say 'read them all!' but if I had to choose a few memorable titles, they'd be:

-Paths to Otherwhere
-Cradle of Saturn
-Inherit The Stars, The Gentle Giants of Ganymede, Giant's Star (also sold together, repackaged, as 'The Giants Novels', with a fourth book, 'Entoverse'
-Code of The Lifemaker, and its' sequel, The Immortality Option
-The Proteus Operation
-Thrice Upon a Time
-The Legend That Was Earth

I'll just list the most worthwhile authors from this point onward:

Theodore Sturgeon
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Philip K. Dick
Brian Stableford
Brian Aldiss
Ray Bradbury
Isaac Asimov
Robert Scheckley
Vernor Vinge
Stanislaw Lem
J.G. Ballard (true, his later work is decidedly not science-fiction, but I still consider him to be a sci-fi author)
James Blish
Keith Laumer
L. Sprague DeCamp
Robert Silverberg
Jack Vance
Poul Anderson
Alfred Bester
Roger MacBride Allen
A.E. Van Vogt
Spider Robinson
Fred (& Geoffrey) Hoyle


Arthur C. Clarke is overrated, and hasn't properly 'finished' a story in decades. Always wrangling for a sequel, unfortunately. Robert J. Sawyer, Canada's self-proclaimed 'only sci-fi author' is okay provided you can dig the idea of Jesus-worshipping aliens...and I can't, so I don't. John Wyndham always writes about uptight Brits, which oddly enough, seems to work better for J.G. Ballard than for Wyndham.

There's my two cents' worth.

I . . .

There's my two cents' worth.Hey, you forgot what's her name, James Triptree Jr.

Turn off the cartoons and pick up a book.
I read a ton, (english honors *sigh*) just not sci-fi

Arthur C. Clarke is overrated, and hasn't properly 'finished' a story in decades.

Just avoid anything written by ACC and another author, and you'll do fine. Repeat after me: "There were no Rama sequels".

Robert J. Sawyer, Canada's self-proclaimed 'only sci-fi author' is okay provided you can dig the idea of Jesus-worshipping aliens...and I can't, so I don't.

I think he has had to alter this claim, so that it now reads "Canada's only full time native born science fictin writer".

I would have to go with David Weber and John Ringo...Sci-Fi with a realistic military twist. Great Stuff. Especially "On Basilisk Station" by Weber and "A Hymn Before Battle" by Ringo.

Turn off the cartoons and pick up a book.

Ive read some books that are considerably worse than many cartoons... having said that most cartoons are sickening drivel.

Moving swiftly on... I do mean the entire Gormenghast trilogy and do wish that Peake had survived to write the rest of the series (this alludes to a post on the frist page if anyone is wondering) and i will say again that the Gormenghast series is better than most of, if not all works of literature ever published.

If you cant be bothered to read Gormenghast, try CS Lewis with Out of the silent planet (available for 3d (when my gather bought it)), Perelandra (or voyage to venus outside the US, which i am, why do we have the US version???) and That Hideous strength, everybody reads CS Lewis why does no-one read these?

For anything else sci-fi thats why god gave us BBC 7... available on freeview, digital radio, and online at www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7 :D on soon will actually be Azimovs foundation trilogy (you've not quite missed the first episode i think)

and finally... when i said god i in no way meant god, and resemblance to any 'god' real or fictional is entirely coincidental and should be ignored.

Read the late Roger Zelazny, especially his short stories, which tend to be more sci-fi oriented. I agree with most everything else here. I also suggest people pick up "Best of" Compilations/Anthologies, such as each year's Hugo award and Nebula award winners.

The world would be a much better place if everyone had read and understood Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz. Being familiar with Latin, the OT, & a few of the more obscure Catholic myths helps, but it's far from neccesary. Also, avoid the sequel.

For space opera, E.E. Smith is the genre's creator. His plots, once you're well read, seem cliched, but that's because they worked so damn well for him. Plus, there's Quagdop the Mercotan, who is disturbingly hilarious.

Sturgeon is the author of the short story "Saucer of Loneliness." There's now an anthology by the same title out, wherein every story except the second is absolutely amazing. Don't walk, run. Along with Daniel Keyes' Flowers for Algernon and Judith Merril's "That Only a Mother" (which is only great, unlike the other two), these stories are interdependently responsible for Science Fiction becoming considered "serious" literature. Algernon, in original novella form, is easily the best of the three, and likely the most mature story of the late 20th century.

Samuel Delany's Driftglass, his first anthology, is truly something you should not miss.

Oh yeah, Rah rah Robert A Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Larry Niven. They really do deserve a reading, but I'm sure a they'll be pushed a dozen times on this page alone. Ditto Left Hand of Darkness. And you should read any one Orson Scott Card novel, twice, just so you can tell what beginner's mistakes in writing look like.

Just avoid anything written by ACC and another author, and you'll do fine. Repeat after me: "There were no Rama sequels".

Agreed.

Arthur C. Clarke is overrated, and hasn't properly 'finished' a story in decades. Always wrangling for a sequel, unfortunately.


He's also lived a couple of decades longer than most other sci-fi others.

read "Iron Dream" by Norman Spinrad. It's really interesting.

He's also lived a couple of decades longer than most other sci-fi others.

True, but Jack Williamson, at age 96 and still writing, makes ACC look like something of a spring chicken at a youthful 87 years old.

True, but Jack Williamson, at age 96 and still writing, makes ACC look like something of a spring chicken at a youthful 87 years old.

ACC also got in trouble for being a pedophile.

ACC also got in trouble for being a pedophile.

No, he got into trouble when an english newspaper (or writers working for ne) bought a story that claimed he was one. He was exonerated completely. It is true that he is gay, and that has been an open secret for decades, but there is absolutely no evidence that he is or ever has been a paedophile.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/s/w_asia/74938.stm

No, he got into trouble when an english newspaper (or writers working for ne) bought a story that claimed he was one. He was exonerated completely. It is true that he is gay, and that has been an open secret for decades, but there is absolutely no evidence that he is or ever has been a paedophile.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/s/w_asia/74938.stm

I stand corrected it seems.

I thought H.G. Wells predicted the videophone.

Good science fiction....


The Left Hand of Darkness by LeGuin
Starship Troopers by Heinlein
Ender's Game Quartet, especially the last two, by Card
Foundation by Isaac Asimov

These are all thought-provoking books about human nature. If you're looking for light-hearted, random stuff with no meaning, go ask someone else. I read to hear ideas presented elsewhere.

Thought I did try the Honor Harrington series at one point. I found it to be too obviously a reproduction of the French Revolution from the perspective of England. I mean, honestly, Rob S. Pierre?
i second the enders game nomination, but also add the homecoming series by card all of them were good

The Demolished Man and The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester

Lord of Light and the Amber series by Roger Zelazny

The Snow Queen and Catspaw by Joan D. Vinge

Angel Station by Walter Jon Williams

The Anubis Gate by Tim Powers

Any book in the Vorkosigan by Lois McMaster Bujold

Good science fiction....


The Left Hand of Darkness by LeGuin
Starship Troopers by Heinlein
Ender's Game Quartet, especially the last two, by Card
Foundation by Isaac Asimov

i second the enders game nomination, but also add the homecoming series by card all of them were good

Judging by your name - are we to take it then that you reject the RAH novel because it had a Filipino as its central character?

Howdy,

Here is a short list:

I, Robot by Asimov
just about anything written by Athur C. Clark
just about anything written by Jules Verne
just about anything written by Micheal Crithon
anything written by H.G. Wells
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series
Dune

That should be enough reading for a few years...

Everything looks good so far.

Total recall wasn't a novel - it was a short story within a novel, called the painted man. I think

Almost. :) Total Recall was based on "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale". AFAIK it wasn't set within a novel, but I could be wrong.

Arthur C. Clarke is overrated, and hasn't properly 'finished' a story in decades. Always wrangling for a sequel, unfortunately.

ya but can you really consider yourself a reader of classic science fiction if you have never read "childhood's end"?

at least it used to be considered must reading for any science fiction fan.

Anything by Harlan Ellison - A Boy and His Dog, (short story though, I believe) You should be able to find reprints of 'I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream'.


pssssssst its "a dog and his boy"

i went through a big ellison phase back in ......the 70s?.....

i dont like his style but his introductions were so outrageous that i bought his books just to read them. he was SOOO full of himself!

All I can say is...


NO L. RON HUBBARD!

-scientology sucks-

All I can say is...


NO L. RON HUBBARD!

-scientology sucks-regardless of the qualities of scientology, every dedicated Sci Fi reader should manage at least 10 volumes of Battlefield Earth. It is the ultimate in low camp space opera.

Gallopagos, by kurt vonneget i may have spelled it wrong, but anyhow, it is about a sudden rappid human evolution

regardless of the qualities of scientology, every dedicated Sci Fi reader should manage at least 10 volumes of Battlefield Earth. It is the ultimate in low camp space opera.
And it's painful. By God, it hurts on so many levels. Espescially the film. Ugh.

And it's painful. By God, it hurts on so many levels. Espescially the film. Ugh.well the film was something worse than terrible, but the series was excellent for what it was. I would not recomend it for the occasional sci fi reader though, only the dedicated one who can appriciate the beauty of the ultimate in low camp space opera. It is the best of what it is, although the Grimes novels do give Johny a run for his money and Hubbard also has some competition in Perry Rhodan. But it is not for everyone.

All I can say is...


NO L. RON HUBBARD!

-scientology sucks-

Amen to that. But to answer the topic, I have got to suggest the "Legacy of the Aldenata Series" by John Ringo. The series goes like this:

A Hymn Before Battle
Gust Front
When the Devil Dances
Hell's Faire

And a few weeks ago the newest one (Cally's War) was published

Gallopagos, by kurt vonneget i may have spelled it wrong, but anyhow, it is about a sudden rappid human evolution
Technicaly true, but this seems to be intentionally avoiding the point as much as possible. It is, however, a rather good book, being one of the less heavy-handed bits of Vonnegut's tireless, tiresome crusade against forced equality.

However, my mind (about an hour ago) went off on one of it's more philosophical tangents after something reminding me how much better the world would be if I'd torn the throat out of this one guy I knew from HS brought out a scene from Kathlen MacClean and Charles DeVet's "Second Game." There's a short-story/novelette, which is great. About twenty years later, they published "Cosmic Checkmate," an expansion on the short which doesn't add much and is almost as good, and ten years after that they released the expanded novel, once again named Second Game.

The full-sized novel is inferior in many, ways, but if you cut out the multi-chaptered "world's most boring sex scene," tape a gum wrapper over a three line spoiler which makes me cringe to think about it, and don't think about the new explaination for the technology, there's nothing wrong with it. The particular scene I was thinking about, though, has made me lie awake at night and think about it for hours many, many times. I'm halfway tempted to start a thread about it, but it feels like such a personal experience that I don't want the dirty masses to taint it. If the book hadn't been out of print for my whole lifetime, I'd suggest going to the bookstore to get it the moment you finish the short. As is, keep it in mind, and if you ever run across an anthology containing "Second Game," and it deeply intrigues you, go to Amazon.

well the film was something worse than terrible, but the series was excellent for what it was. I would not recomend it for the occasional sci fi reader though, only the dedicated one who can appriciate the beauty of the ultimate in low camp space opera. It is the best of what it is, although the Grimes novels do give Johny a run for his money and Hubbard also has some competition in Perry Rhodan. But it is not for everyone.
I'd be willing to bet that the reasons I don't like this story probably are rooted in my highbrow attitude with literature.

Harry Harrison, he's not bad, Dune (of course) and the Death Gate Cycle series. A week of reading for me but for you most likely more.

EDIT
Not offending you, I read really fast.

Anybody ever hear of a SF writer by the name of Glen Cook? I think his most famous books are the "Starfishers Trilogy."

There are so many tangents to go from it is hard to say where you should start. Do you like short stories or novels, "hard" science or barely realistice ideas. modern or early 1900's morality plays? The list goes on and on, I can't disagree with anything that has been reccommended in this thread as a book worthy of reading or an author worthy of consideration. The problem is, we're shooting in the dark, we don't know what you like. You want some Sci-Fi reccomendations; You've got hundreds of them here. What more can you tell us that might let us narrow the list to the one's you'd REALLY like? As it stands now, I'll go with author reccomendations and my favorites by them (in no particular order):

Harlan Ellison: I have no mouth and I must scream
Robert Heinlien: Stranger in a Strange Land, The Number of the Beast
Isaac Asimov: Nightfall, Foundation, Robot Dreams, Fantastic Voyage (1 & 2)
Arthur C. Clarke: Childhood's End or Rendevous with Rama (tie)
Philip K. Dick: The Father Thing, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Frank Herbert: Dune
Jules Verne: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Mysterious Island, Journey to the Center of the Earth and From Earth to the Moon (and the trip around it)
H.G. Wells: The Invisible Man, The Time Machine and War of the Worlds
Kurt Vonnegut: Cat's Cradle, The Sirens of Titan, Slapstick, Galapogos (NOTE: Mr. Vonnegut would get very, very, very P.O'ed to hear his work described as Sci-Fi).
Edgar Rice Burroughs: The entire Pellucidar series and the John Carter of Mars books.
Ray Bradbury: The Sound of Thunder, I Dream the Body Electric, The Illustrated Man
Anthony Burgess: A Clockwork Orange
Urula K. LeGuin: The Left Hand of Darkness
George Orwell: 1984 and Animal Farm (MUST READS)
Aldous Huxley: Brave New World
John Campbell: Who Goes There (basis for the movie "The Thing" [both versions])
Mary Shelley: Frankenstien (1800's soap opera style writing, maybe, the underlying idea and story though it is pure Sci-Fi - You Sci-Fi purists, think about it).
Pierre' Boulle': Monkey Planet (i.e. Planet of the Apes) READ THE BOOK, SCREW THE MOVIES
?????: Dark Star ($10,000 NS to who ever can remind me who wrote this)
Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle: Footfall, The Mote in God's Eye, Lucifer's Hammer (Can't believe no one has even come close to mentioning these)
Larry Niven: Ringworld (A basis for Halo?)

I'm sure there are others I and other posters here have overlooked, read what we've suggested though and we'll have a new list when you come back for more :)

There are so many tangents to go from it is hard to say where you should start. Do you like short stories or novels, "hard" science or barely realistice ideas. modern or early 1900's morality plays? The list goes on and on, I can't disagree with anything that has been reccommended in this thread as a book worthy of reading or an author worthy of consideration. The problem is, we're shooting in the dark, we don't know what you like. You want some Sci-Fi reccomendations; You've got hundreds of them here. What more can you tell us that might let us narrow the list to the one's you'd REALLY like? As it stands now, I'll go with author reccomendations and my favorites by them (in no particular order):

Harlan Ellison: I have no mouth and I must scream
Robert Heinlien: Stranger in a Strange Land, The Number of the Beast
Isaac Asimov: Nightfall, Foundation, Robot Dreams, Fantastic Voyage (1 & 2)
Arthur C. Clarke: Childhood's End or Rendevous with Rama (tie)
Philip K. Dick: The Father Thing, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Frank Herbert: Dune
Jules Verne: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Mysterious Island, Journey to the Center of the Earth and From Earth to the Moon (and the trip around it)
H.G. Wells: The Invisible Man, The Time Machine and War of the Worlds
Kurt Vonnegut: Cat's Cradle, The Sirens of Titan, Slapstick, Galapogos (NOTE: Mr. Vonnegut would get very, very, very P.O'ed to hear his work described as Sci-Fi).
Edgar Rice Burroughs: The entire Pellucidar series and the John Carter of Mars books.
Ray Bradbury: The Sound of Thunder, I Dream the Body Electric, The Illustrated Man
Anthony Burgess: A Clockwork Orange
Urula K. LeGuin: The Left Hand of Darkness
George Orwell: 1984 and Animal Farm (MUST READS)
Aldous Huxley: Brave New World
John Campbell: Who Goes There (basis for the movie "The Thing" )
Mary Shelley: Frankenstien (1800's soap opera style writing, maybe, the underlying idea and story though it is pure Sci-Fi - You Sci-Fi purists, think about it).
Pierre' Boulle': Monkey Planet (i.e. Planet of the Apes) READ THE BOOK, SCREW THE MOVIES
?????: Dark Star ($10,000 NS to who ever can remind me who wrote this)
Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle: Footfall, The Mote in God's Eye, Lucifer's Hammer (Can't believe no one has even come close to mentioning these)
[B]Larry Niven: Ringworld (A basis for Halo?)
I'm sure there are others I and other posters here have overlooked, read what we've suggested though and we'll have a new list when you come back for more :)

That is what I've always thought.

That is what I've always thought.

Glad to know I'm not alone and hallucinating!!! Thanks. :)

I'm lazy, so if someone said Stanislaw Lem I'm reinforcing it, if they haven't then I'm recommending him.

I was hoping that Halo 2 would take place on the planet from The Mission of Gravity, but it didn't happen.

I was hoping that Halo 2 would take place on the planet from The Mission of Gravity, but it didn't happen.

that would have been Kewl. BTW, do you think (like me) that the Kevin Costner movie "The Postman" evolved from "Lucifer's Hammer?"

I'm lazy, so if someone said Stanislaw Lem I'm reinforcing it, if they haven't then I'm recommending him.

Good choice, no one has named him I'm pretty sure. I'll add "His Master's Voice" to my list as well.

that would have been Kewl. BTW, do you think (like me) that the Kevin Costner movie "The Postman" evolved from "Lucifer's Hammer?"

Interesting theory. Ever hear about Alas Babylon?

Interesting theory. Ever hear about Alas Babylon?
I believe so, could you remind me of the storyline?

Interesting theory. Ever hear about Alas Babylon?

Hmmm, a deeply buried neuron has fired and set off a chain reaction in my brain. wasn't that a Harlan Ellison story, or am I delusional? It sounds toooo familiar.

Halo is "mos-def" evolved from the Ringworld series.

Read Spider Robinson's Mindkiller
Isaac Asimov's I, Robot and Nightfall
I just read Number of the Beast, it's no good unless you read some of Heinlein's other works like-
Methusaleh's Children
Time Enough For Love
Also:
The Barsoom books
You should read Dune just for jihad dynamics.
If you enjoy feeling worthless, Philip K. Dick is excellent.
And beyond a shadow of a doubt, you must read the greatest sci-fi pulp book of all time:
The High Crusade by Poul Anderson.

All the others have already been mentioned, but you know.

Pat Frank, published 1959, plot line: tells the story of a small town in Florida right after nuclear war accidentally breaks out between America and the Soviet Union. Its pretty good.

Oh shit, almost forgot.

There is an amazing space opera series by the author Lois McMaster Bujold.
The Vorkosigan Series:
Shards of Honor
Barrayar
The Warrior's Apprentice
The Vor Game
Cetaganda
Brothers in Arms
Mirror Dance (a must read)
Borders of Infinity
Memory
Komarr
A Civil Campaign (very woman-oriented, but very hilarious
Diplomatic Immunity

Yeah... she also wrote one of my favorite books of all time, though not sci-fi:
The Curse of Chalion.
Probably the best character development I've ever read.

I'm lazy, so if someone said Stanislaw Lem I'm reinforcing it, if they haven't then I'm recommending him.

Stanislaw Lem needs more reinforcing :D. I would suggest Cyberiad as a great starting place for him. Cyberiad contains the (famous ?) poem "Love and Tensor Algebra" which is in my opinion absolutely brilliant. Other than that, Solaris is a classic, and all his books are worth reading.

Of course Asimov is essential, especially the foundation series. Almost anything by Arthur C. Clarke is worth reading (except for the Rama sequels as someone already pointed out).
If you're looking for something more light weight, I think someone mentioned them before, but the Star Wars books written by Timothy Zahn are great fun. Be careful with Star Wars books though, some are written quite poorly, so stick to good authors there.

Finally, more people should urge you to read Ender's Game, which manages to be a really easy and enjoyable read, but still thought provoking. Ender's game is an ideal intro to scifi, and I would read it before any of these others listed (by anyone), because it's probably the most fun.

I'm surprised, with all the authors cited here, no one has offered up Dan Simmons work. Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion are two of my all time favorite books, sci fi or no. The final two of the series, Endymion and Rise of Endymion, I can take or leave. His latest sci fi book, Illium, is also quite good.

Stanislaw Lem needs more reinforcing :D. I would suggest Cyberiad as a great starting place for him. Cyberiad contains the (famous ?) poem "Love and Tensor Algebra" which is in my opinion absolutely brilliant. Other than that, Solaris is a classic, and all his books are worth reading.

Of course Asimov is essential, especially the foundation series. Almost anything by Arthur C. Clarke is worth reading (except for the Rama sequels as someone already pointed out).
If you're looking for something more light weight, I think someone mentioned them before, but the Star Wars books written by Timothy Zahn are great fun. Be careful with Star Wars books though, some are written quite poorly, so stick to good authors there.

Finally, more people should urge you to read Ender's Game, which manages to be a really easy and enjoyable read, but still thought provoking. Ender's game is an ideal intro to scifi, and I would read it before any of these others listed (by anyone), because it's probably the most fun.

I don't know I'd go that far with "Enders Game" though I'll agee it is a GREAT book. As an intro, I'd read Isaac Asimov's novella, "Nightfall." Also easy to read and a great thought provoker. However, It might be just a matter of taste, I can't fault your's, that's for sure.

I don't know I'd go that far with "Enders Game" though I'll agee it is a GREAT book. As an intro, I'd read Isaac Asimov's novella, "Nightfall." Also easy to read and a great thought provoker. However, It might be just a matter of taste, I can't fault your's, that's for sure.
Ender's Game is one of the best books I'v read of ANY genre I read it cover to cover without stopping. Stayed up all night, and even took it into the bathroom so I didn't have to stop reading.

And Asimov's early work was good, but the later stuff was all ego masturb... ooops this is a family site.

Ender's Game was good and it was nice to see its later sequels being almost as good.

Asimov's Foundation series is a great read, an easy style and old fashioned character development but great imagary!

Ray Bradbury is also a great read, whether your into sci-fi or not.

Can't argue with Dune.

Philip Pullmans Dark material trilogy (The Northern Lights/Amber spyglass/Subtle knife) are more fantasy than sci-fi but are close enough to the genre to be included (IMHO) and are un-put-downable!

Asimov's Foundation series is a great read, an easy style and old fashioned character development but great imagary!

Ray Bradbury is also a great read, whether your into sci-fi or not.

Can't argue with Dune.

Philip Pullmans Dark material trilogy (The Northern Lights/Amber spyglass/Subtle knife) are more fantasy than sci-fi but are close enough to the genre to be included (IMHO) and are un-put-downable!

I agree with you on all except on the Philip Pullman books. They're good but still just too much fantasy for me.

Dear god, how did I forget Ender's Game.

Yeah, superb book. Basically, it's a must-read.

I don't know I'd go that far with "Enders Game" though I'll agee it is a GREAT book. As an intro, I'd read Isaac Asimov's novella, "Nightfall." Also easy to read and a great thought provoker. However, It might be just a matter of taste, I can't fault your's, that's for sure.


Nightfall is a great place to start too, and it's completely self contained, which isn't altogether common with Asimov (he tried to put almost every single story in the same universe - even when they weren't originally conceived that way). Another good self contained work by Asimov is Nemesis, which may not be his best in terms of ideas, but is one of his better written books.

As for Ender's game: I certainly don't claim it's the best sci-fi ever written, but it has everything you expect from the genre - aliens, interstellar war - and even people who don't normally like Sci-fi enjoy it. Plus, it's just such an engrossing read, that I've found it is one of the best books for getting people hooked ;).

And while I'm here, I may as well second the recommendation of Hyperion, if not its sequels, and of Ilium, even if waiting for the sequel is driving me nuts. Hyperion is neat because it is basically the Cantebury tales in a very strange future, and Simmons is a great storyteller. To really enjoy Ilium properly, I think you need to know the Iliad pretty well. For me half the fun of the book was figuring out where Ilium differed from the Iliad and why. But then I'm obsessed with the Iliad, so I may not be an entirely unbiased observer.

I have to put in another plug for George R. Stewart's Earth Abides. Written in 1949 (as far as I know his only novel) it has radios with tubes, no interstates highways, and the Dodgers and Giants still in New York. However, the little details aside it stands up as one of the best dystopia novels I've ever read.

The main character, a white man, also ends up romantically involved with a black woman. Pretty heady stuff for the late '40s (and even today, judging by the silly flap over the Terrel Owens/Nicollette Sheridan skit for MNF).

Dear god, how did I forget Ender's Game.

Yeah, superb book. Basically, it's a must-read.
Wow, I can't believe I forgot Ender either. My most recent reading of it was while I was on an airplane, and the general atmosphere of the plane seemed to suit the book.

There's been lots of good stuff mentioned here. But there's one that's been overlooked: V. E. Van Vogt's Voyage of the Space Beagle. It's pretty sexist (but not surprising given when it was written), but a good story IMO. Also, there was a short story published in response to the incredibly unrealistic space flight and combat in Star Wars called "One Clay Foot" might be hard to find, but it's a good short story.

If you like silly comedy in a sci-fi setting, then Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy and its sequels are good.

Julian May's Jack the Bodiless is meant to be good (my brother gave it to me awhile ago after reading it, but I still haven't read it).

John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids is a classic. I also liked Rollerball Murder which was much better than the film (the old film, haven't seen the new one--the social commetary came through much better in the book). Logan's Run was, well, a book that a movie was based on. I really can't say that the book was that good, but in comparison to the film, it was great. It had an insane cyborg in it, which made it worth the read IMO.

I liked the Eyes of Heiseinberg by Frank Herbert, mostly, again because of cyborgs (and also because the way the cyborgs and the genetically improved humans are pitted against one-another).

Flatland (which should be available online from Project Gutenberg), and Flatterland are worth a read too. They're more like mathematical and physical fiction.

Well, Presgreif, you started this thread and you've been bombarded with ideas, so what are you going to read first? :)

regardless of the qualities of scientology, every dedicated Sci Fi reader should manage at least 10 volumes of Battlefield Earth. It is the ultimate in low camp space opera.

Satan get behind me. :headbang:
Battlefield Earth was a stupid enough slog in itself. Don't go suggesting more. (>o<)

Well, Presgreif, you started this thread and you've been bombarded with ideas, so what are you going to read first? :)

We have suggested hundreds of books. Sometimes too much information is as bad as too little. What if you could only reread one science fiction book - what would it be?

If there could be only one?

Dune by Frank Herbert.

that would have been Kewl. BTW, do you think (like me) that the Kevin Costner movie "The Postman" evolved from "Lucifer's Hammer?"
no
the postman is from the book of the same name by david brin

wicked good post apocalyptic book. you wont regret spending the time to read it.

We have suggested hundreds of books. Sometimes too much information is as bad as too little. What if you could only reread one science fiction book - what would it be?

If there could be only one?

Dune by Frank Herbert.

i agree

ive read dune almost as many times as ive read lord of the rings. its always good

So you want to read some Science Fiction (not Sci Fi :) )?

The key is which category.

1. "Classic" Science Fiction; also "Sociological" or "Philosophical" SF. This is the Isaac Asimov, the Robert Heinlein. They use elements of science fiction to make a point about society or to forward their particular philosophy, or usually both. With Asimov, start with "Foundation" and read that series first; I, Robot is good, but is confusing for first time readers sometimes. Heinlein, start with "Strangers in a Strange Land", or "Friday". For modern writers, Iain M. Banks (the M is important) writes the "Culture" series, and "Use of Weapons" would be a good place to start, or "Consider Phlebas"; also David Brin, writer of the "Uplift" sagas ("Sundiver") and many standalones ("Kiln People"; "The Postman"). This brand of SF is going away somewhat, but is still a haven for excellent writers. Phillip K. Dick falls mostly here, although he helped define a lot of the genre.

2. "Space Opera" or "Adventure" SF. Dune qualifies here (although it also qualifies as #1, as does most of the good SF in any category). So does Arthur C. Clarke, particularly Rendezvous with Rama and the later in that series. This is the genre that includes stories of adventures in space; there is usually a hero, just like in tolkienish fantasy, and a bad guy, or evil empire, or whatever; many writers just write a standard tale of fighting and whatnot, but the best write a meaningful, philosophical story too. Not to bash the "fun" writers; some are very good and interesting. Modern writers include Simon R. Green ("Deathstalker" et al.), John Barnes ("A Million Open Doors"), on the "darkish" side; Lillian McMaster Bujold ("Cordelia's Honor", start of the Vorkosigan series) or Catherine Asaro ("Primary Inversion") are lighter fare. Ken Macleod (either of his two series- "Star Fraction" is the first) is good if you enjoy politics (well, very left-leaning politics anyway :)); "Hyperion" (Dan Simmons) is a classic as well, very philosophical in addition to the adventure.


3. Scientist SF: The Main character is a scientist, or at least the main plot device is scientific advancement. Not just futurist; not just in space; the actual science comes into play here, and it has to be realistic science - motsly cutting edge stuff that we think is possible but don't know how to do yet. However, even if you're not a scientist you may enjoy this; most of the good stuff is written for all readers (though it varies, like all things). You can learn a LOT about cutting edge science here. Many writers cross from 3a to 3b and back; I classify them solely by the book I choose.
3a. "Science" SF: Closely linked to "Astro" SF (#3b), this is the genre of pure science, where a scientist or a scientific discovery plays the important part in the book, often the main character. Verne and Wells foreshadowed this genre somewhat (although they also fall in #1); modern writers include Greg Bear (anything; "Darwin's Radio" is good thriller stuff), Robert Sawyer ("Hominid" series) in the biology sphere (though Bear writes all over); Wil McCarthy ("Collapsium") is a good start in physics, as is Greg Egan ("Permutation City" et al.). (A lot of physics ends up in #3b.)

3b. "AstroPhysics" SF. This is where the main characters are astrophysicists, physicists interested in the makings of the universe. Gregory Benford is probably the best (pretty much anything by him; "Cosm" is one of the best); "Firestar" by Michael Flynn is the start of a great series there; "Manifold Time" by Stephen Baxter; "Red Mars" by Kim Stanley Robinson is possibly the best series ever written about anything in SF. Charles Sheffield ("Convergent Series"; "Between the Strokes of Night") is amazing as well.

4. "Futurist" SF. This is set in the FAR future, and has adventure written all over it. I separate this from "Space Opera" because it is has elements of real science (#3b) playing a strong role, although it doesn't have to be that important; usually we're talking nanotech or the like. Some of Arthur C. Clarke fits here rather than in Space Opera. Alistair Reynolds ("Revelation Space") is probably the best writer in this genre; Charles Stross ("Singularity Sky") isn't bad either, and Nancy Kress (various, including "Probability Moon" et al) is an amazing character and set writer. John C. Wright's "Golden Age" series is pretty cool, too.

5. "Military" SF. Much SF has some military combat in it, but this stuff is written from the military point of view explicitly, and usually written by someone with some experience, or at least is realistic enough for an Army guy (or a navy gal, or anything in between) to find it interesting and accurate. David Weber is the flagship writer here, with "Honor Harrington" being the series to read - "On Basilisk Station" et al, for Navy types. John Ringo is the "up and coming" writer, "A Hymn Before Battle" is his first in a great series for Army types. BAEN books (www.baen.com) is a great source for MilSF; they even put first books by most authors on the web (ebook) for FREE. :)

6. "Cyberpunk"; this is the genre that William Gibson created nearly singlehandedly (although he's not the first writer here, just the first to popularize it). Some Barnes ("Candle") fits here; some of the more far out stuff ends up classified here, like Richard Morgan, and Rudy Rucker ("The Hacker and the Ants") is a classic as well. Some Phillip K. Dick falls more or less here.


Okay, that's enough to get you started. Realize that most of these authors span several genres, but I group them hopefully so you can pick good starting points, and if you like an author in one group perhaps you like more in that group. I also left out some amazing authors because they don't fit nicely in one of these areas; Octavia Butler and several other Dystopian authors could fit their own genre; Ursula K. LeGuin *is* her own genre, with the best Fantasy SF combo in the genre. Kristin Kathryn Rusch writes time-travel thrillers among others; Cory Doctorow is just weird, but in a good way. Stephen Barnes crosses over into about 4 of these genres with each book, and is one of the best "thriller" writers in the SF supergenre. Neal Stephenson, I'm not sure where to put him - perhaps his own genre as well. :) China Mieville is amazing, but in an essentially new genre (part fantasy, part SF; part cyberpunk, part dystopian, part space opera)...

For light, entertaining reading I can't go past Jack Vance. A cold, wet weekend just zips past tucked up in bed reading one of his novels. I love the word play.

I see a few ppl have already said it, but no harm repeating it: 'Left hand of Darkness' by Ursula LeGruin is fantastic.
I also enjoyed the Iain M Banks 'Culture' series, which are stand-alone books, so you don't need to read them all.

Also for near-future cyber-punk, read Neal Stephenson. Speaking of which his 'Cryptonomicon' book's pretty good.

For fantasy, I don't recommend 'The wheel of time' series by Robert Jordan. It starts off great (actually it takes about 60 pages to really start going in the first book, but I digress) but by book 4 it starts to drag and becomes fucking annoying, with everyone off doing different things and not talking to each other and getting annoyed that they don't know what's going on. Also all the bad guys ket being resurrected so there didn't seem like any end in sight from my perspective. I gave up about book 7, and last I heard it's up to book 11 now, with a couple of prequels, and he's given no hint as to when it'll finish.
Do yourself a favour and go for George R Martin's 'Song of fire and ice' series.

The Red Dwarf books are pretty good, they are based off a comedy tv show though. They are still enjoyable without needing to have seen any episodes of Red Dwarf.

no
the postman is from the book of the same name by david brin

wicked good post apocalyptic book. you wont regret spending the time to read it.

Thanks, I'll check it out. The movie does remind me of Lucifer's Hammer though, if you've not read it, I recommend it highly.

BTW: just curious, would ya'll count Stephen King's "The Stand" as Sci-Fi - Its right on the edge in my opinion, but could reasonably be called a sci-fi story (it's a good read too).

We have suggested hundreds of books. Sometimes too much information is as bad as too little. What if you could only reread one science fiction book - what would it be?

If there could be only one?

OK, I'm getting a headache trying to figure out an answer to this question. Dune would probably be it, but I might have to toss a coin to decide between it and The Mote In God's Eye or Foundation or Rendevous with Rama. Ok, now I'm all confused :headbang:

I just wanted to thank everyone for your replies. The feedback I've gotten from this thread has exceeded my wildest expectations, and some of you have gone above and beyond the call of duty with your replies. You've given me alot of options to weigh and good educated advice to ponder. I am sincerely thankful for this crash course in the world of sci-fi literature. Thanks everyone. :)

While it's not a book, the game series Marathon has an excellent Sci Fi storyline.

David Wingrove - Chung Kou Series (8 in series - I think it would have been best for all concerned if he had stopped at 5 or 6, because very good up till then.) Would not recommend as a first read though.

I just wanted to thank everyone for your replies. The feedback I've gotten from this thread has exceeded my wildest expectations, and some of you have gone above and beyond the call of duty with your replies. You've given me alot of options to weigh and good educated advice to ponder. I am sincerely thankful for this crash course in the world of sci-fi literature. Thanks everyone. :)

Let us know which book you read first. We're all curious now.

Let us know which book you read first. We're all curious now.

Will do. :)