Science Fiction Suggestions

[Admin]

Jules Verne... I think he is often referred to as the father of Science Fiction.

http://www.online-literature.com/verne/

He wrote about technology that didn't exist yet back in the 1800's so in a way, much like H.G. Wells, he predicted the future.

[GaiusMariusJifus]

Can anybody suggest any good sci-fi books or authors, because I'm running out of reading material. So far I've read quite a few books and I particularly enjoyed Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, George Orwell, H. G. Wells, Ray Brudbary and Philip K. Dick. I would prefer if you suggest authors, because that will give me more material to choose from. Thanks!

[russb]

Julian May's Pliocene saga is really good. i also really enjoyed Jack Chalker's Soul Rider series

[MortalFool]

Anne McCaffrey's really good. I especially like the Accorna books, and the Talent series.

[MortalFool]

Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker books are really good. Funny as heck, too. :)

[Lachie]

Frank Herbert:Dune novels.

[Mirrorshades]

Read Bill Gibson's stuff. He is pretty much the only cyberpunk I have come across so far that I would give any time to, but a lot of the cyberpunk guys out of print or difficult to get hold of now so that might be an unfair comment. Anyway, Gibson pretty much invented the concept of cyberspace in Neuromancer.

Iain M Banks (who also writes regular fiction without the "M") is a good current SF guy, and I also like Brian Aldiss, one of the older chaps. You could also check out some of J G Ballards SF novels. They are pretty cool.

*realises this question was probably posted last year but submits it anyway*

[Mordant]

The most recently published (thats to say: the newest etc.) science fiction author that I can think of is Alastair Reynolds
"Revelation Space" and "Chasm City" were pretty good, had some innovative ideas, well articulated prose, interesting characters and settings.

Greg Bear somewhat less new... "Eon" and its companions were very innovative.


Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, George Orwell, H. G. Wells, Ray Brudbary and Philip K. Dick.
...You forgot Heinlein! How could you have missed Heinlein? "Starship Troopers"? "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"? ...He gave Phillip K. Dick his first typewrier!

Erhum. Anyway.

From the authors that you listed it looks like you enjoy the the play of new ideas, technologies and that sort of thing, social commentary/speculation, and (from Phillip K. Dick) subjectiv-, surreal-, impressionism...

Which both of the above guys have.
Hmmm...

Larry Niven is very technical in the sense of Arthir C. Clarke and Asimov... "Ringworld" is probably his best known... His short stories are very good. He and Jerry Pournelle (who also used to writed for... PC magazine, if I remember correctly) collaborated extensively.

Roger Zelazny (dead now)is probably better known for fantasy, but some of his books, particularly his earlier stuff, is or has elements of science fiction... If you liked Phillip K. Dick you'll probably (I'll bet the price of the book...) like Zelazny...
"Creatures of Light and Darkness" "The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth" "Doorways in the Sand". Some of his stuff is out of print. He's one of my favorite authors of any genre or period.

C.M. Kornbluth Wrote an amazing number of short stories and then died young. Frederick Pohl share's authorship with him on several novels... "Wolfbane" "Gladiator at Law" "The Space Merchants" Really interesting social commentary ... "Search the Stars" is a collection of their short stories. Satire and social commentary. Kick a**!

Fritz Lieber did some science fiction, mostly short stories of the social commentary type... he has an anthology called "Wolf" and a pretty intersting SF/F novel called "Gather Darkness"

Damon Knight ..."Hell's Pavement" or "The Analog Men" (Same book, different title) is a classic dystopian satire... Awesome.

I notice that Frank Herbert has already been mentioned, but I'll add "The Dosadi Experiment" to the list, as well as anything he wrote featuring the "BuSab". Herbert is really... psychological... Jungian influences and all... and at his best when he allows his sense of ...whimsy (Irony? Humor?) to ripple a little coser to the surface of his prose...

gotta go....

[Mirrorshades]

Greg Bear somewhat less new... "Eon" and its companions were very innovative.

Oooh good. That is sitting in my "To read" pile atm. I thought Blood Music was pretty cool so I thought I would check out some more.

...You forgot Heinlein! How could you have missed Heinlein? "Starship Troopers"? "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"? ...He gave Phillip K. Dick his first typewrier!

Really?? Hehehe...cool!! :D


Larry Niven is very technical in the sense of Arthir C. Clarke and Asimov... "Ringworld" is probably his best known...

A little pulpy perhaps though?


C.M. Kornbluth Wrote an amazing number of short stories and then died young. Frederick Pohl share's authorship with him on several novels... "Wolfbane" "Gladiator at Law" "The Space Merchants" Really interesting social commentary ... "Search the Stars" is a collection of their short stories. Satire and social commentary. Kick a**!

Hehehe!! Yes I agree with that...unusually Pohl was the first SF guy I read, although the thing is that a lot of these great old books are pretty hard to get hold of. You really have to scan the second hand bookshops and know what you are looking for to seperate the wheat from the chaff!

[Mordant]

"Eon" was good.
A friend of mine just dropped off "Burning Chrome" by William Gibson. I'm looking forward to getting into that.


A little pulpy perhaps though?
-Re: Larry Niven (ed.)
"Pulpy"?
Hmmm...

Yeah... I think so... Sometimes... Well... He's heavily influenced by "Golden Age" SF... Pulp by... maybe not definition, but certainly association ^_^

That reminds me of Norman Spinrad... "The Iron Dream" Heheheh... A satire on SF/F pulp... I think particularly aimed at Michael Moorcock (they were or are friends)... Too easily dismissed as being in incredibly poor taste... "Little Heroes" is pretty cool, and very pulpy : P

Did you know that Gore Vidal did a SF novel? "Messiah"
Science Fiction in the same way that "Brave New World" is. Good book, if you can find it...

It seems like a lot of the most interesting SF/F is out of print, even that by authors who are generally still in print : (

[fvjt]

try The Scar by China Mieville, it is one of the best sci-fi books i have ever read

[grepi]

ursula k. leguin...dan simmons' hyperion series...

[MarsMonster]

Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker books are really good. Funny as heck, too. :)

yap and then someone tells you terry prachet is similar to adams you read it and then you think.....well why not try fantasy? like maybe lord of the rings? and than you become one of those metal fans and finally you become a satanist. that's so tipical.

[neva]

Definetely.I recommend you Orson Scott Card. His "Ender´s game" is
one of the best science-fiction books ever written.

[SPUCK]

Heinlein.... I always liked his plots but his characters are always totally adolescent to the point of ruining the stories for me.
Card.... Enders Game. Agreed! One of the all time greatest. The rest start going down hill. Speaker for the dead, Okay. Xenocide, bottoming out. Seventh Son, erk. Worthington Chronicle,Wyrms, ugh.
Niven.... World Out of Time, Exciting! A++. Ringworld, World of Patavvs, Protector, Mote in Gods Eye, Neutron Star, Footfall, Hammer, A+ very hard to put down. Later books not in the series "Known Space" are not very good; Integral Trees and Limits just don't have it. Most of the collaboration books, Dream Park, Legacy of Herlot, are poor. His latest books, (with the exception of Gripping Hand), like Ring World Throne are so poor I honestly cannot believe he wrote them.
Brin... Very solid stuff ussually good reads.
Feintuch....The Seafort Saga. (Midshipmans Hope, Challengers Hope, Prisoners Hope, FishermansHope). Read them all, "A" material.

Well that's my take.!?

[Sam Gamgee]

Someone already said Jules Verne - I really liked his book Black Diamonds or something like that. Also C.S. Lewis' Trilogy Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra and That Hideous Strength is great. THere are some allusions to Tolkien in Hideous Strength that I really liked

[Tabac]

Connie tells a great story, and she has won just about every sci-fi writing award there is. I'm not really into the genre, but because I knew her in college, I tried reading one of her books that was recommended to me: The Doomsday Book about time travelers who lose one of their colleagues in England just about the time Plague is about to start. That led me to another of her books, also about time travel (Tom Jones type of antics): To Say Nothing of the Dog.