NationStates Jolt Archive

I have recently read Revalation Space by Alastair Reynolds, and thought it was rather good. I'm now reading Altered Cardon by Richard Morgan, which is also excellent, but I have almost finished that and need some new reading material, so I ask you- NS General- what you reccommend

Yah, really Dune.

It's the best book ever. I've read it like a million times.

Illium is not bad.

I have recently read Revalation Space by Alastair Reynolds, and thought it was rather good. I'm now reading Altered Cardon by Richard Morgan, which is also excellent, but I have almost finished that and need some new reading material, so I ask you- NS General- what you reccommend

what do you like?
Hard core sci-fi?
Humorous?
light sci-fi (not to much on the technobabble)?

I quite enjoyed the Nights dawn trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton

Dune
Foundation

what do you like?
Hard core sci-fi?
Humorous?
light sci-fi (not to much on the technobabble)?

Nothing too heavy. -I'm more interested in the story than the scientific fact

Oh, and thanks for the suggestions

I quite enjoyed the Nights dawn trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton

It was good, but I though it petered out a bit towards the end.

It was good, but I though it petered out a bit towards the end.

I did think that the ending was a bit to easy. I do think his commonwealth saga was better. But I can't for the life of me remember how it ends, nevermind I'll just have to reread it.

Nothing too heavy. -I'm more interested in the story than the scientific fact
I thought Reynolds stuff was quite heavy, myself. ;)
It was good, but I though it petered out a bit towards the end. Indeed, that series could have been half the length, if you ask me. It just got cumbersome.

Anyhoo - if you liked Reynolds stuff, go for the rest of the series -Chasm City, Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap form a very entertaining sequence. (many of his short stories flesh out the universe, with a hell of a twist at the end of it all)

If you like story based writing, I'd reccommend Kim Stanley Robinson. The technology is very much second to the plot and characters (as opposed to the 'massive fleets kicking the living snot into each other' style). In particular, his Mars trilogy is fantastic.

I'm a fan of David Brin - his "Uplift" series is excellent. I'd advise starting with Startide Rising; the one that preceeds it, Sundiver, was his first novel and it shows, and isn't essential to the rest of the series anyway. Then read The Uplift War, and then the trilogy of Brightness Reef, Infinity's Shore and Heaven's Reach. Brin's planning to wrap the story up in a couple more novels still to be written.

I'm a fan of David Brin - his "Uplift" series is excellent. I'd advise starting with Startide Rising; the one that preceeds it, Sundiver, was his first novel and it shows, and isn't essential to the rest of the series anyway. Then read The Uplift War, and then the trilogy of Brightness Reef, Infinity's Shore and Heaven's Reach. Brin's planning to wrap the story up in a couple more novels still to be written.

i love most of brin's work. the uplift series is excellent even though he had trouble with both 3rd books. i hope he does write more, its such a well done universe.

dont miss "the postman"--ignore the crappy kevin costner movie based on it-- or "glory season". both make you think, have good characters and are easy to read but not breezy.

Nothing too heavy. -I'm more interested in the story than the scientific fact

Oh, and thanks for the suggestions

Titles
Dragon Riders of Pern series. (if you don't mind Science created Fantasy.)
Red Tape War (if you ever want to see three writers trying to write each other into a corner...)
Star Wars: Rouge Squadron (... infact almost anything by Michael Stackpole.)
Snow Crash (beware the Deliverators!)
Live Wire (heavy Cyberpunk.)

Brain & Brawn Ship Series
The Ship Who Sang , Walker 1969
Partnership , with Margaret Ball, Baen (Reissue) 1992
The Ship Who Searched , with Mercedes Lackey, Baen (Reissue) 1992
The City Who Fought , with S.M. Stirling, Baen 1993
The Ship Who Won , with Jody Lynn Nye, Baen 1994
The Ship Avenged , with S.M. Stirling, Baen 1997


Dinosaur Planet Series
Dinosaur Planet Survivors , Del Rey (Reissue) 1984
Dinosaur Planet , Del Rey (Reissue) 1984
Sassinak , with Elizabeth Moon, Baen 1990
The Death of Sleep , with Jody Lynn Nye, Baen (Reprint) 1990
Generation Warriors , with Elizabeth Moon, Baen (Reissue) 1991
The Planet Pirates , with Elizabeth Moon, Jody Lynn Nye, Audio Literature 1995
The Mystery of Ireta , Del Rey 2003


Freedom Series
Freedom's Landing
Freedom's Choice, aka Catteni's Choice
Freedom's Challenge
Freedom's Ransom

the BOLO series by Keith Laumer (intelligent Tanks... really intelligent SUPER tanks.)

all I can think of for now.

Here's a few that I've read:

Isaac Asimov: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation (the original trilogy); The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun (original Robot novels); The End of Eternity; Nemesis (one of his last books); The Gods Themselves

Poul Anderson: Tau Zero, Brain Wave, The High Crusade, Trader to the Stars, Satan's World (note here the prediction of Google), Orion Shall Rise

Arthur C. Clarke: Against the Fall of Night, Childhood's End

Robert Heinlein: Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, Glory Road, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

David Brin: Sundiver, Startide Rising, The Uplift War; The Postman (infinitely better than the movie version)

Greg Bear: Blood Music, The Forge of God, Anvil of Stars, Eon

James Blish: Cities in Flight ("Okie" series 4-novel omnibus), A Case of Conscience

Eric Flint: 1632

Larry Niven: Ringworld

James Schmitz: Telzey Amberdon (collection), The Demon Breed (short novel)

E.E. "Doc" Smith (very old-school, '30's space opera): Galactic Patrol, Grey Lensman

Olaf Stapledon (very old-school, highly influential): Last and First Men, Star Maker

Harry Turtledove: World War: In the Balance (first of a long series)

You can also check out this link:

http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/topscifi/lists_books_rank1.html

You might also find some ideas here: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=517625

Other than that, look at what others and I recommended - there should be something to suit your taste! ;)

you should read some of the classics of science fiction. they will available at your local library.

isaac asimov's foundation trilogy

robert heinlein's stranger in a strange land

arthur c clarke's childhood's end

frank herbert's dune

ray bradbury's martian chronicles

amongst many others. all these authors have written manymany books that you should read. (ok except herbert, the rest of the dune books were crap that only got read because the first was so phenominal)

Try some Dick, Man in the high castle, do androids dream of eletric sheep...

Why does everyone forget Lem among the classics? His stories surely belong there.

Why does everyone forget Lem among the classics? His stories surely belong there.

Can you find them?

I think I saw two books by Lem in my 25+ years of reading Sci-fi and Fantasy.

and if you want true classics... H.G. Wells.

1. Michael Flynn - Lodestar, Firestar, Rogue Star
2. S.L. Viehl - Stardoc and the other novels in the series
3. Robert Heinlein - anything he wrote, but especially Stranger in a Strange Land
4. Lois McMaster Bujold - all the books in the Vorkosigan Saga.

If you're interested in future warfare, these three books are a must read:

Robert A. Heinlein: Starship Troopers
Joe Haldeman: Forever War
John Steakley: Armor

Other good ones include:

Frederik Pohl: Gateway (Easy to find, but the sequels are not.)
Robert Silverberg: Nightwings
Isaac Asimov: End of Eternity
Clifford D. Simak: Time and Again

If you don't mind reading a full series, these are worth mentioning:

Isaac Asimof: Foundation
Frank Herbert: Dune
Dan Simmons: Hyperion

Also, I warmly recommend anything written by Philip K. Dick and Stanisław Lem.

arthur c clarke's childhood's end


I dug that book.
Titles
Dragon Riders of Pern series. (if you don't mind Science created Fantasy.)

I always wondered, in the big rush to tap the already dry well of Lord of the Rings/Harry Potter movies why they didn't make a run at that...at leas the SciFi Channel...
Star Wars: Rouge Squadron (... infact almost anything by Michael Stackpole.)

Hehe...he wrote Battletech novels...oops, I outed myself as a total geek...great...
Why does everyone forget Lem among the classics? His stories surely belong there.
I got your back, brotha.
Can you find them?

I think I saw two books by Lem in my 25+ years of reading Sci-fi and Fantasy.
.
I find them.

I would say-Peace on Earth by Stanislaw Lem
or
Fiasco (very dry and philosophical)
or
Cyberiad
or
Prix the Pilot
or
The Futurlogical Congress
or
One Human Minute

I would also recommend Skepticism Inc by Bo Fowler in which a man opens a betting house for religions to bet on them being the one true religion and thus bankrupts the worlds religions-told from the point of view of the first shopping trolley to scale Mt. Everest.

I always wondered, in the big rush to tap the already dry well of Lord of the Rings/Harry Potter movies why they didn't make a run at that...at leas the SciFi Channel...
I know... with Eragon, and CGI getting better and better, I'm waiting to see the Dragons winking in and out flaming Thread in the air.

As ever - Jack Vance. Techno-gibberish free too.

Brian Aldiss, in particular the "Helliconia" trilogy and "Hothouse". "Riverworld" by Phillip Jose Farmer is a bit of a must. These arent "space operas" though, so expect no battlefleets and the like.

For that kind of thing (and I'm suprised nobodies mentioned him) Iain M Banks. "Consider Phlebas" is well worth a goo at the very least.

I remember the "Death World" series by Harry Harrison with fondness, but its at least 20 years since I read them, so how they'd stand now, I've no idea.


(I never took to Heinlein. Fuck knows why...he actively irritated me in places...)

I would also recommend Skepticism Inc by Bo Fowler in which a man opens a betting house for religions to bet on them being the one true religion and thus bankrupts the worlds religions-told from the point of view of the first shopping trolley to scale Mt. Everest.

That sounds awesome. I'll have to pick it up somewhere.
And as for Michael Stackpole's Star Wars novels - I always thought the writing was a bit naff - good fun and all, but the long periods of people analysing themselves (either in conversation or in their own head) just got on my nerves.

For that kind of thing (and I'm suprised nobodies mentioned him) Iain M Banks. "Consider Phlebas" is well worth a goo at the very least.

Of course! Any of the culture novels are fairly easy to get into - maybe Excession or Look to Windward. The Algebraist is good too.

if any body here has read it I'd like to get there opinion but i just loved Engines of God by jack mcdevitt, top sci-fi novel imo