Sci-Fi Recommendations - for the unenlightened

[Jojo999]

Have just finished the first two Neil Asher Polity/Ian Cormac novels, Gridlinked + The Line of Polity. Very enjoyable reads, excellent space opera! I am liking Asher's writing style and imagination.

I anticipate reading all of the Cormac books and his other books.

Have finished reading 10 Neal Asher books to-date. Very happy with his writing style and galaxy wide space opera.

 

[Jojo999]

Just finished reading these three books. Highly recommended although the writer's style is a bit lacking. I think he could have expanded each of the books to add more descriptive text, which would have been helpful. Took me until the 3rd book to understand some of what happened in the 1st book! [lol]

The Jean le Flambeur series - Hannu Rajaniemi

The Quantum Thief (2010, ISBN 978-0-575-08888-7)
Third place, John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel[21]
The Fractal Prince (2012, ISBN 978-0-575-08891-7)
The Causal Angel (2014, ISBN 978-0-575-08896-2)

 

[Guillermo Stitch]

A question. Can anybody recommend an author or authors to me who are sci-fi but also noir? I'm interested in that intersection.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

 

[Titus Groan]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it yet, but Tom Toner's Amaranthine Spectrum, the first book being The Promise of the Child, is incredible. Think weird fiction meets space opera meets George R Martins intense detail and huge cast.

 

[Titus Groan]

A question. Can anybody recommend an author or authors to me who are sci-fi but also noir? I'm interested in that intersection.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

The City and the City by China Meiville comes to mind. Not much 'science' there though.

 

[Randy M.]

A question. Can anybody recommend an author or authors to me who are sci-fi but also noir? I'm interested in that intersection.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

I'm not positive of this, but maybe William Gibson and the cyberpunks; early on anyway Gibson wrote Chandleresque stories, which were more hard-boiled than noir, though maybe that differentiation is subtle, I suppose. Richard Morgan, too; I haven't read him but by reputation he'd fit.

I think, if you want to look back, you could check on Alfred Bester. Some of his short work -- I'm thinking "Fondly Fahrenheit" -- and maybe The Stars My Destination, sort of.

Randy M.

 

[Guillermo Stitch]

Thanks to both of you for these - I'll look them up.

 

[Guillermo Stitch]

The City and the City by China Meiville comes to mind. Not much 'science' there though.

That's fine by me, I'm not a 'hard' science fiction nut anyway - not knowledgeable enough about science to be one!

 

[psikeyhackr]

A question. Can anybody recommend an author or authors to me who are sci-fi but also noir? I'm interested in that intersection.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

12 sci-fi/fantasy books that channel the blood of hardboiled noir into their black, black hearts

The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester

Hell's Pavement by Damon Knight

 

[Randy M.]

Argh. I should have thought of The Yiddish Policeman's Union. The noir is somewhat mitigated by Chabon not being a noir personality, I think, but the setting is in place. And both Do Android's Dream of Electric Sheep and The Man in the High Castle have noir aspects.

My other thought was Fred Brown. He was a well-respected mystery writer and some of the hard-boiled attitude transfers to his sf/fantasy. There's also Leigh Brackett who wrote a few mysteries -- and co-wrote the screenplay for The Big Sleep -- though I'm not familiar with her sf/fantasy so I can't say whether there is or isn't a bleed over. Lastly, just occurred to me Walter Moseley has written some sf and I would expect that to lean toward noir.


Randy M.

 

[Vince W]

Well, there is Noir by K. W. Jeter. But that may be a little too on the nose.

 

[Guillermo Stitch]

Plenty of great recommendations for me to get to work on here - thanks to all. I'd never heard of The City and The City and it looks very interesting.

 

[Randy M.]

Plenty of great recommendations for me to get to work on here - thanks to all. I'd never heard of The City and The City and it looks very interesting.

More European noir than American noir, it reminds me of the police procedurals from Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. Very good book and, I think, a good one to start with.

Randy M.

 

[Vince W]

I remembered the Moreau Quartet by S. Andrew Swann. These are very noir type books.

 

[BAYLOR]

Donovan's Brain by Curt Siodmak A science fction horror novel and a really good one. it was adapted into a feature film in 1953.

 

[Daysman]

If you're looking at China Melville, I would recommend embassytown for its marvellous aliens.

Also, as mentioned in this thread about a decade ago, try pkd's now wait for last year for what I think must be a revival of a nineteenth century time travel trope....

I can't find mention of a collection of linked stories by Harry Harrison - are we including that kind of thing here?

I'm talking about one step from earth...