Sci-Fi Recommendations - for the unenlightened

[Connavar]

I really enjoyed his collection, The Gist Hunter and Other Stories, which include several of his Archonate stories about Henghis Hapthorn. Great fun.

Just finished Tim Powers' The Stress of Her Regard. Action, adventure, an impossibly powerful enemy, warring cabals, despair and the struggle with despair, friendship, love, romance, skullduggery, conniving, magic, and one of the more interesting, intricate takes on the vampire/lamia that I've read. And Powers' research and ability to create an authentic setting gets me past my (few) reservations about his prose.

I'm not going to jump into Hide Me Among the Graves just yet, but I do look forward to it after TSoHR.


Randy M.

I have read and enjoyed Template, that was like Jack Vance elegant Space Opera story in similar Gaen Reach far future wierd cultures. I was dubious to someone who was similar,tried to be like JV but Hughes is good on his own. Frankly he is a gold mine as good author with similar style,dry humor, very different human cultures,heroes.

I also enjoyed the first Henghis Haptorn novel Majestrum, his recent book was recommend for Philip K Dick award and i was glad to see him get more press.

Im a big Tim Powers fan, he is one of few fantasy authors who can compete with alltime favs in the field. The way you describe that book sound good, better news to me. His post 2000 books like Declare and co havent reached imo the highs of Last Call, Drawing of the Dark,On Stranger Tides.

 

[Randy M.]

I have read and enjoyed Template, that was like Jack Vance elegant Space Opera story in similar Gaen Reach far future wierd cultures. I was dubious to someone who was similar,tried to be like JV but Hughes is good on his own. Frankly he is a gold mine as good author with similar style,dry humor, very different human cultures,heroes.

I also enjoyed the first Henghis Haptorn novel Majestrum, his recent book was recommend for Philip K Dick award and i was glad to see him get more press.

I haven't read Majestrum because, I think, it's a fix-up of some of the short stories I read. I'm waiting until I don't remember them quite so well.

Im a big Tim Powers fan, he is one of few fantasy authors who can compete with alltime favs in the field. The way you describe that book sound good, better news to me. His post 2000 books like Declare and co havent reached imo the highs of Last Call, Drawing of the Dark,On Stranger Tides.

I loved The Anubis Gate and enjoyed On Stranger Tides. The Stress of Her Regard is the only other book I've read by him. It took me about a month to read it in part for reasons external -- big project at work, too tired to read at night; a vacation with more running around than leisure -- and partly for reasons internal to the book: Dense with plot.

I intend to get to Hide Me Among the Graves in the next few months (indication of meaning of "next few months": I've meant to get to Peter Straub's A Dark Matter and China Mieville's Kraken in the next few months for about two years) because it's a sequel of sorts to ...Stress... Have to admit, though, the premise of Drawing of the Dark appeals to me even more.


Randy M.

 

[Connavar]

Im lacking only Tim Powers short stories because he isnt so prolific i have been saving them for later. Next im finishing Last Call series and reading the newest books and books like Stress.

Drawing of the Dark was rightly included in Gollancz Fantasy masterworks. Its a great historical fantasy in a time,setting not often used by quality fantasy authors. If you like his themes it and Last Call are must reads. Last Cast had awesome mythology, connected secret history, with history,setting of Vegas.

Im almost afraid to read the books in the same series as Last Call because that was brillaint book to me.

 

[Grunkins]

Finished Iain M Banks' Surface Detail. Great book, though not always pleasant to read. It probably had the most ship stuff since Excession (my favorite of the Culture books). Also, heavy last word! (saying any more than that would constitute a major spoiler.)

Back to fantasy now for a bit and book two of Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders, Mad Ship.

 

[Tansy]

If you like Urban fantasy such as Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, you might like the Alex Versus books by Benedict Jacka, set in London and I am quite enjoying them, also on the same vein enjoying the PC Grant books by Ben Aaronovitch - the series starts with Rivers of London

 

[Galacticdefender]

Metro 2033. Awesome book, though it stumbles quite a bit from the english to Russian translation.

 

[Gramm838]

Finished Iain M Banks' Surface Detail. Great book, though not always pleasant to read. It probably had the most ship stuff since Excession (my favorite of the Culture books). Also, heavy last word! (saying any more than that would constitute a major spoiler.)

Back to fantasy now for a bit and book two of Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders, Mad Ship.

I agree about Banks...the last sentence of Surface Detail was a brilliant thing!

 

[AE35Unit]

How about Where Time Winds Blow by Robert Holdstock. SF from the fantasy man, and pretty good too!

 

[Lord Captain Woden]

Just finished Cordwainer Smith's Rediscovery of Man, really enjoyed these stories especially 'Scanners Live In Vain' which was probably the best SF short story I've read so far. Definitely on the look out for more of his stuff now.

Next I'll be reading The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard.

 

[Mangara]

The Dervish House by Ian Mcdonald is fantastic near-future SF.

An immersive journey into a near future Istanbul, Queen of Cities. McDonald’s use of Turkish language gives a sense of setting and thanks to the pronunciation guide at the front of the book, the words soon seem natural.

The history of the city is interwoven through six individual stories in a nanotechnology fueled future, where improvement is little more than a snort away. Each aspect is distinct, intricate and imaginative. The perspectives shift quickly, and McDonald gives you just enough information in each episode to keep you wanting a speedy return to their perspective.

I found the SF aspects of the book to be well imagined, with plenty of scope for thought on the future impact nanotechnology could have on mankind. Some of McDonald’s creations, in particular the bit bots are going to stay with me for some time, and I look forward to the day I can have some of my own.

This is easily a five star book with my only criticism being the early difficulty in getting into the six perspectives. Once they start to click you are rewarded with a wonderful novel in a fantastic city you will find hard to leave when you turn the last page.

 

[psikeyhackr]

I searched the entire thread for mention of James P. Hogan. He didn't turn up until page 17 and that is about the Giants series.

I am advocating for

The Two Faces of Tomorrow

There are so many bad Artificial Intelligence stories it is ridiculous. And that includes Neuromancer and The Culture series.

Hogan was an engineer and computer professional so this has very good realism. Now we are about to give kids tablet computers and they are spreading world wide. We are in so much trouble.

LOL

psik

 

[Gnrevolution]

New member here so would just throw some authors and books into the fray, although many have probably been mentioned before.

Peter F. Hamilton: His plots can be somewhat flawed but I just love what he does with his settings, and the ideas that flow forth. Probably my favourite is the Void Trilogy where he managed to blend both fantasy and sci-fi together very well. It is unfortunate that his last book, Great North Road, was not good IMHO. Bloated, slow moving and without the technological edge that his previous books explored.

Hyperion Cantos: Once quoted as a direct influence on Peter Hamilton, it is easy to understand why. But, unlike Peter, Dan Simmons knew how to perfect the idea and invest in character building. Certainly the latter two novels did not quite live up to the original pair, but even so his settings are just beautifully imagined.

The Sparrow: Been a long time since I read this but I was fully engaged in the story behind this, how the 'Father' descends from his piousness into the world of the alien race he is there to study / convert. Deeply moving book, and the follow up was no less mesmerising.

Flowers for Algernon: Missed this one in my youth and only read a few years back but this rates as one my favourite books of any genre. It had me hooked from the first page to the last, it's SF credentials may be questionable but to me, it's how SF should work (see below)

Brave New World: One of the classics, and probably for me my favourite. How Huxley imagined such things at the time that he did still boggles my mind. His commentary on social homogenisation and the control of society through peer pressure seems oddly prophetic to me given where we are now and where we are going.

William Gibson: Not read too much of his later stuff but very much enjoyed his early offerings, Neuromancer, Mona Lisa Overdrive etc. were mind blowing in their visualisation of a not too distant future.

Dune: Certainly the first book was breathtaking in its scope and intensity, later books I felt did much to detract from that.

Phillip K. Dick: Hard to pick one of his books out for more praise over others, probably the man with the widest range of ideas explored to their full potential, he is probably my favourite reason for reading sci-fi. For me it's what science fiction is all about, taking an idea, extrapolating it out and seeing where it takes you.

The list could go on all day, so I would just add honourable mentions for Asimov, Clarke, Poulson, Douglas Adams and others.

 

[Jojo999]

In the Peter F. Hamilton bibliography, I am currently finishing Fallen Dragon and liking it a lot.

 

[Gnrevolution]

I searched the entire thread for mention of James P. Hogan. He didn't turn up until page 17 and that is about the Giants series.

I am advocating for

The Two Faces of Tomorrow

There are so many bad Artificial Intelligence stories it is ridiculous. And that includes Neuromancer and The Culture series.

Hogan was an engineer and computer professional so this has very good realism. Now we are about to give kids tablet computers and they are spreading world wide. We are in so much trouble.

LOL

psik

Ooh thx Psik this sounds right up my street

 

[psikeyhackr]

My recommendations are pretty basic, but if someone asked me where to start with scifi, this is where I'd send them...

Lois McMaster Bujold
The whole Vorkosigan series - very richly-developed, human chacters

Larry Niven
Ringworld - what can I say? It's a classic!

Roger Zelazny
The first Amber series - one of the most original things I ever read

How do you like the SCIENCE in your science fiction?

As far as I can tell most sci-fi readers today ignore it. The technology is very in your face in Ringworld. It is cool, impressive but I think impossible. Is there enough material in a solar system to build that ring? And if it was built how do you get it moving fast enough to produce artificial gravity with centrifugal force. But it is still cool, over the top hard SF.

My memories of the Amber series are pretty vague, but I don't thin it was science fiction. I think it was fantasy.

Now Bujold's Vorkosigan series is very interesting in the variations in the books and the subtleties of the technology. She has wormholes and imploder lances but the uterine replicator might be real within this century. She has it changing Barrayan culture. What are tablet computers going to do to our existing culture? She also has cryonic technology changing a planets culture in Cryoburn. It ain't just the technology it is what we do with it. Who makes the decisions though?

But in Komarr she has a situation similar to Tom Godwin's The Cold Equations but most readers do not seem to notice. They just talk about the great characters. Physics and technology do not care if people are stupid with technology. It will kill you anyway.

psik

 

[Grimward]

Am probably painting myself into a corner, but Michael Flynn's series that begins with FireStar has a decent amount of "anticipatory" (lot's of "near future" technology and socioeconomic forecasting) science in it, and Flynn spins a good story, too, although I thought The Wreck of the River of Stars offering that capped his tales on the series was somewhat after-the-fact, and not just in terms of the time continuum of the story. It's not BAD, but IMHO doesn't stand up well to the 4 novels that make up the series proper. The reviews that I've read categorize it as "hard" sci fi, but I've read "harder"...

I'd hold these books up as my version of "the right amount of science" when I want mostly sci fi in a read.

 

[AE35Unit]

How do you like the SCIENCE in your science fiction?

As far as I can tell most sci-fi readers today ignore it. The technology is very in your face in Ringworld. It is cool, impressive but I think impossible. Is there enough material in a solar system to build that ring? And if it was built how do you get it moving fast enough to produce artificial gravity with centrifugal force. But it is still cool, over the top hard SF.

My memories of the Amber series are pretty vague, but I don't thin it was science fiction. I think it was fantasy.

Now Bujold's Vorkosigan series is very interesting in the variations in the books and the subtleties of the technology. She has wormholes and imploder lances but the uterine replicator might be real within this century. She has it changing Barrayan culture. What are tablet computers going to do to our existing culture? She also has cryonic technology changing a planets culture in Cryoburn. It ain't just the technology it is what we do with it. Who makes the decisions though?

But in Komarr she has a situation similar to Tom Godwin's The Cold Equations but most readers do not seem to notice. They just talk about the great characters. Physics and technology do not care if people are stupid with technology. It will kill you anyway.

psik

Thankfully Im not like most sf readers if thats the case. I love my sf to be big on the S side of things.
And a lot of so called sf reads like fantasy to me.

 

[madrotter]

Dan Simmons

Hyperion
The Fall of Hyperion
Endymion
The Rise of Endymion

Philip K. Dick

Ubik
The Man In The High Castle
A Scanner Darkly
Flow My Tears The Policeman Said

Hal Clement

Mission Of Gravity

Richard K Morgan

Black Man
Altered Carbon
Broken Angels
Woken Furies
Market Forces

Larry Niven

Ringworld
The Mote In God's Eyes (with Jerry Pournelle)
Lucifer's Hammer (with Jerry Pournelle)

Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse 5
The Sirens of Titan

William Gibson

Neuromancer
Mona Lisa Overdrive

Arthur C Clarke

2001: A Space Odyssey
Rendezvouz With Rama

Allan Steele

Coyote: A Novel of Intersteller Exploration
Rude Asronauts

Ursula K. Le Guin

The Left Hand of Darkness
The Dispossed

Stanislaw Lem

Solaris

Phillip J. Farmer

River World

Just to name a few....

 

[AE35Unit]

Dan Simmons

Hyperion
The Fall of Hyperion
Endymion
The Rise of Endymion

Philip K. Dick

Ubik
The Man In The High Castle
A Scanner Darkly
Flow My Tears The Policeman Said

Hal Clement

Mission Of Gravity

Richard K Morgan

Black Man
Altered Carbon
Broken Angels
Woken Furies
Market Forces

Larry Niven

Ringworld
The Mote In God's Eyes (with Jerry Pournelle)
Lucifer's Hammer (with Jerry Pournelle)

Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse 5
The Sirens of Titan

William Gibson

Neuromancer
Mona Lisa Overdrive

Arthur C Clarke

2001: A Space Odyssey
Rendezvouz With Rama

Allan Steele

Coyote: A Novel of Intersteller Exploration
Rude Asronauts

Ursula K. Le Guin

The Left Hand of Darkness
The Dispossed

Stanislaw Lem

Solaris

Phillip J. Farmer

River World

Just to name a few....

Quite a list. Some good, some ok, and a few I've yet to read.

 

[madrotter]

I've been living in Bandung, Indonesia for the last 17 years and here, it's very hard to get good books, you have to be lucky to get your hands on something in 2nd hand book shops so I'm a bit, well, very behind on a lot of newer science fiction books I'm afraid....

I would also like to add The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson and the Bolo stories from Keith Laumer to that list....

I finally, finally got myself an e-reader so I'll be reading loads of stuff that came out in say the last 10 years or so, think the lists compiled here will be helpful