Good Sci-Fi

[Shano592 (Shane)]

+1 for The Dark Tower. I read all seven books in under a week. What I love about King is that he gives his characters a full back-story, and builds them up so that you can identify with them.

I also like Alan Dean Foster's work. He did a few of the Star Wars Expanded Universe novels, and his writing is very good.

[pmrid (Peter)]

Thanks one and all for your suggestions.
I had a house full of in-laws all weekend and didn't get an opportunity to get back online to catch up with all your suggestions.
Plenty there to explore.
My thanks again.
Peter

[bugeater (Marty)]

Originally Posted by vlazg

Hi Peter, i have been reading SF for 50 years and my favourites are
Frederik Pohl esp the Heechee Saga
and my absolute favourite is Iain M Banks who sadly died.

Yeah Iain M Bank's Culture novels are generally excellent. It's sad we won't get any more of them.

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Amazon's 100 science fiction and fantasy books that you must read is fairly subjective, but may give you some ideas.

First Pub Title Author
1949 1984 (Signet Classics) George Orwell
2001: a Space Odyssey Arthur C. Clarke
1960 A Canticle for Leibowitz Walter M. Miller Jr.
1996 A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) George R. R. Martin
1968 A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle) Ursula K. Le Guin
1962 A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet) Madeleine L’Engle
2003 Altered Carbon (Takeshi Kovacs Novels) Richard K. Morgan
2001 American Gods Neil Gaiman
2011 Among Others (Hugo Award Winner – Best Novel) Jo Walton
2013 Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch) Ann Leckie
2014 Annihilation: A Novel (The Southern Reach Trilogy) Jeff VanderMeer
Assassin’s Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1) Robin Hobb
1985 Blood Music Greg Bear
1932 Brave New World Aldous Huxley
1953 Childhood’s End Arthur C. Clarke
2004 Cloud Atlas: A Novel David Mitchell
1998 Daughter of the Blood (Black Jewels, Book 1) Anne Bishop
1975 Dhalgren Samuel R. Delany
1968 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Philip K. Dick
1992 Doomsday Book Connie Willis
1968 Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern – Volume 1) Anne McCaffrey
1965 Dune Frank Herbert
1985 Ender’s Game (The Ender Quintet) Orson Scott Card
1953 Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury
1994 Foreigner: (10th Anniversary Edition) C. J. Cherryh
1818 Frankenstein Mary Shelley
1990 Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch Neil Gaiman
2008 Graceling Kristin Cashore
1989 Grass Sheri S. Tepper
2002 Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Book 1) Laurell K. Hamilton
2005* H. P. Lovecraft: Tales (Library of America) H. P. Lovecraft
1997 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone J.K. Rowling
2010 How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe: A Novel Charles Yu
1986 Howl’s Moving Castle Diana Wynne Jones
1989 Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos) Dan Simmons
1954 I Am Legend Richard Matheson
1950 I, Robot Isaac Asimov
1976 Interview with the Vampire Anne Rice
2004 Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel Susanna Clarke
2003 Kindred Octavia E. Butler
2001 Kushiel’s Dart (Kushiel’s Legacy) Jacqueline Carey
1977 Lord Foul’s Bane (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Book 1) Stephen R. Donaldson
1984 Neuromancer William Gibson
1984 Nights at the Circus Angela Carter
2005 Old Man’s War John Scalzi
1991 Outlander Diana Gabaldon
1982 Pawn of Prophecy (Belgariad) David Eddings
2000 Perdido Street Station China Miéville
2011 Ready Player One: A Novel Ernest Cline
1993 Red Mars (Mars Trilogy) Kim Stanley Robinson
2014 Red Rising Pierce Brown
1976 Riddle-Master Patricia A. McKillip
1970 Ringworld (A Del Rey book) Larry Niven
1995 Sabriel (Old Kingdom) Garth Nix
2009 Sandman Slim: A Novel Richard Kadrey
1969 Slaughterhouse-Five Kurt Vonnegut
1992 Snow Crash Neal Stephenson
1961 Solaris Stanislaw Lem
1959 Starship Troopers Robert A. Heinlein
2010 Stories of Your Life and Others Ted Chiang
1961 Stranger in a Strange Land Robert A. Heinlein
1983 The Color of Magic (Discworld) Terry Pratchett
2001 The Curse of Chalion (Chalion series) Lois McMaster Bujold
1984 The Dark is Rising (The Dark is Rising Sequence) Susan Cooper
1974 The Dispossessed (Hainish Cycle) Ursula K. Le Guin
1988 The Dragonbone Chair: Book One of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Tad Williams
1990 The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, Book 1) Robert Jordan
1974 The Forever War Joe Haldeman
1995 The Golden Compass: His Dark Materials Philip Pullman
2013 The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel (P.S.) Helene Wecker
1982 The Gunslinger: (The Dark Tower #1)(Revised Edition) Stephen King
1990 The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood
1979 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams
1937 The Hobbit J. R. R. Tolkien
2008 The Hunger Games (Book 1) Suzanne Collins
1968 The Last Unicorn Peter S. Beagle
1969 The Left Hand of Darkness (Ace Science Fiction) Ursula K. Le Guin
1984 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 2) C. S. Lewis
1954 The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary, One Vol. Edition J.R.R. Tolkien
2009 The Magicians: A Novel (Magicians Trilogy) Lev Grossman
2014 The Martian Andy Weir
1950 The Martian Chronicles Ray Bradbury
1983 The Mists of Avalon Marion Zimmer Bradley
2007 The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicle) Patrick Rothfuss
1987 The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure William Goldman
2009 The Road Cormac McCarthy
2012 The Rook: A Novel Daniel O’Malley
1996 The Sparrow: A Novel (Ballantine Reader’s Circle) Mary Doria Russell
2003 The Speed of Dark (Ballantine Reader’s Circle) Elizabeth Moon
1956 The Stars My Destination Alfred Bester
1977 The Sword of Shannara Terry Brooks
1895 The Time Machine H. G. Wells
2003 The Time Traveler’s Wife Audrey Niffenegger
2010 The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive, The) Brandon Sanderson
2009 The Windup Girl Paolo Bacigalupi
1870 Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Jules Verne
2005 Uglies Scott Westerfeld
2015 Uprooted Naomi Novik
2011 Wool Hugh Howey
2006 World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War Max Brooks

[brian nordstrom (As avatar)]

Yes such a shame .

I am into the last 100 pages of the 1300 page Judus Unchained by Peter F Hamilton awesome saga that continues the story on from the equally awesome Pandora,s Star.
Brian.

Originally Posted by bugeater

Yeah Iain M Bank's Culture novels are generally excellent. It's sad we won't get any more of them.

[Neutronstar (T)]

Another 4 thumbs up for Larry Niven. Tales of Known Space and the epic Ringworld series books are just screaming to be made into movies and are going to waste.
Hollywood could make a series of movies with Ringworld rather than that super hero trash they keep churning out (I boycott them, as they are science fantasy at best). Oh, no, not another batman movie.

Nivens stories are much better than Star Wars/Treks could hope to be. So much more depth to them.

[pfitzgerald (Paul)]

One of Niven's best is Protector - certainly worthy of turning into a movie.

Some more: Artur C Clarke - Fountains of Paradise, The Hammer Of God, Rendezvous with Rama

[pmrid (Peter)]

Well, I'm off and running. I've got access to a pretty large eBook library and I've just loaded up a few dozen of Iain Banks, Peter Hamilton and Larry Niven. Some I've read but I'm now good for a few solid months reading. Woohoo!

Thanks again for all the input.

Peter

[pfitzgerald (Paul)]

Happy reading Peter.

Paul

[iasuka (Dmitry)]

Originally Posted by silv

I'm a sucker for characters and authors with enough empathy to make me care for their action(s).
Sci-Fi is not famous for those traits - so at least I want to be intrigued by currently futuristic ideas and concepts.
Reading dead sci-fi authors, to me, seems a waste of precious reading time.

Breaks my heart.

I don't think characters in sci-fi books can get much better or livelier than in "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" by Robert Heinlen. Would you miss it simply because Mr. Heinlein passed away a long time ago?

[silv (Annette)]

probably


BUT: because of this thread, I began reading Asimov's The God's Themselves, my first Asimov.
WOW! Now that's a REAL treat! His language alone is beautiful! Let alone the characters and the story... and the scientific fiction, too, is nice

I'll be giving Heinlein's harsh mistress a go, soon, too. Let's see why you suggested it. Book recommendations tell something about people ... he he he heee

[Mick (Michael)]

E. E. "Doc" Smith, Skylark series is a good read.
His Lensman series is also another favorite.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylark_(series)

[iasuka (Dmitry)]

Originally Posted by silv

BUT: because of this thread, I began reading Asimov's The God's Themselves, my first Asimov.
WOW! Now that's a REAL treat! His language alone is beautiful! Let alone the characters and the story... and the scientific fiction, too, is nice

That's old school for you mate. The true Golden Age of sci-fi.

Originally Posted by silv

I'll be giving Heinlein's harsh mistress a go, soon, too. Let's see why you suggested it. Book recommendations tell something about people ... he he he heee

I'm glad you are going to read it after all. I really hope you'll like it.
If you do I'd be happy to supply a list of other Heinlein's great works for your enjoyment, those written in more traditional style and language.

[pmrid (Peter)]

Heinlein is certainly a must read! He won the Hugo 4 times - more than any other author I think. No slouch. His other Hugo winners included Double Star and Stranger in a Strange Land. Get reading!
Peter

[silv (Annette)]

okay! thanks a million!

[pfitzgerald (Paul)]

Here are a few you more - assuming that you haven't already read them.

The Dragon In The Sea - Frank Herbert
The Integral Trees - Larry Niven
The Smoke Ring - Larry Niven

Paul

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Originally Posted by pfitzgerald

Joe Haldeman (the Forever War)
Elizabeth Moon
Arthur C. Clarke (Fountains Of Paradise)
and
Frank Herbert

Are two authors worthy of addition to the above list.

Paul

Good to see someone else likes The Forever War!! One must be careful as Haldeman insisted on regularly updating his book, so later editions are quiote different to the original. I had a copy and it went walkabout so a bought a new one and it was noticeably altered.
Still one of the best!! Has everything, interstellar war, time travel, lots of sex, anti war sentiment. All round good fun!!
Malcolm

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Originally Posted by iasuka

+1 for Heinlein, he's my all-time favorite sci-fi writer. I basically grew up reading his novels. You _might_ not like it though if you don't like libertarian values.

Another good name to add to the list is Robert Sheckley. He's definitely worth checking. And re-checking.

Yet another great one is a Polish writer Stanislaw Lem. He wrote a whole lot of very deep and philosophical (but still quite fun to read) sci-fi books. Your experience may vary depending on a translation quality.

Ah, and don't forget about Kurt Vonnegut. Not exactly sci, but worth trying. Who knows, you might love it.

Ah ha! Another Sheckley fan! I managed to track down a nearly perfect copy of his "Store of Infinity" collection from a 1960 imprint with "The Store of the Worlds" in it. Read it when I was a teenager and been looking for it ever since. One of the great SF short stories of all time.

Malcolm

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Quite a few have mentioned Heinlein. Read almost all his books as a teenager, still grab one out every now and then. Best ones would be:

Orphans of the Sky
Methuselahs Children
Starship Troopers (enjoy the read and the adventure, not the message so much)
Time for the Stars
Tunnel in the Sky
Starman Jones
Farnhams Freehold (interesting but controversial read!!)
Citizen of the Galaxy

There are more but ones to avoid are:
Time Enough for love
Friday
Stranger in a Strange Land

Malcolm

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by barx1963

There are more but ones to avoid are:
Time Enough for love
Friday
Stranger in a Strange Land

Malcolm

Interesting - I'd have said Time Enough for Love and Stranger in a Strange Land were very avoidable to (I guess I missed what other people "got") but I thought Friday was very refreshing, with Heinlein getting back to something very readable the way he used to write.
Regards,
Renato