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Author Topic: Recommended science fiction books?  (Read 7036 times)

Flying Dice

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #30 on: May 11, 2015, 01:18:22 pm »

Brave New World, anything Asimov wrote, most of what Heinlein wrote (but sample first in case his hangups kill your interest), anything by Vernor Vinge (seriously, I wouldn't hesitate to call him the greatest SF writer of our time).
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Lord Shonus

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #31 on: May 15, 2015, 12:12:14 pm »

Dragon's Egg and Starquake by  Robert L. Forward  are fairly interesting, involving the inhabitants of a neutron star that is passing through the Solar System, and their interactions (by laser radio) with a human science team.
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FallacyofUrist

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #32 on: May 16, 2015, 08:58:51 am »

Science fiction is really subject to definition. The Gone books by Michael Grant may count, though they could also be considered... okay I don't even know what the proper name for that genre is.
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BlitzDungeoneer

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #33 on: May 16, 2015, 09:20:31 am »

Science fiction is really subject to definition. The Gone books by Michael Grant may count, though they could also be considered... okay I don't even know what the proper name for that genre is.
Urban Fantasy, I think?
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FallacyofUrist

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #34 on: May 16, 2015, 12:22:16 pm »

Wouldn't really count as fantasy, but has some sci-fi themes... Hm.
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Ross Vernal

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #35 on: May 16, 2015, 01:50:37 pm »

Seconding Honor Harrington, but it gets Sequelitis Syndrome late in the series when the author decided "Yeah, I'm not going to kill my protagonist."

Don't even bother reading A Rising Thunder until he comes out with an actually new book in the series, and for the love of whatever you find sacred NEVER EVER READ SHADOW OF FREEDOM. I was pissed off enough at the chapter repetition in ART and SoF not only does that, but repeats the typos.

We is good. Dune is good. I love the Vorkosigan books. I kinda like the Lensman series. Robotech New Generation was interesting.

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Capaverde

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #36 on: May 16, 2015, 07:10:59 pm »

Worm by Wildbow, a different story about superheroes.
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Urist McCoder

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #37 on: May 18, 2015, 05:24:27 pm »

Even though it has been said before, Ender's game. I would also recommend The Hugo winners, which is a collection of the short stories/novelettes that won a Hugo in that set of years. I also really liked The Dragon Masters.
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Pavellius

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #38 on: May 19, 2015, 11:22:09 am »

-Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham
-Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
-Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
-Epic and Saga - Conor Kostick
-You (debatable whether Sci-Fi) - Austin Grossman
-Cell (also debatable) - Stephen King

And many of Ray Bradbury's short stories, such as:
-The Man (read this one first)
-Pillar of Fire
-The Veldt

I will post more when I can think of them.
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Urist McCoder

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #39 on: May 19, 2015, 02:26:36 pm »

Yes definitely Fahrenheit 451
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Un67

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #40 on: May 19, 2015, 05:44:00 pm »

Quote
-Epic and Saga - Conor Kostick

Seconding these, although I think they're targeted at young adult audiences. Definitely a fun light read, though.
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miauw62

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #41 on: May 23, 2015, 04:13:56 am »

The Hugo Winners seems like a very good idea. Still haven't ordered new books, Neuromancer is taking me longer than expected (which is good, I go through most books in a little bit over a week, even thick books like Consider Phlebas)
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Avis-Mergulus

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #42 on: May 23, 2015, 05:49:26 am »

I second the Lem thing. I can also recommend Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga if you like space operas, and also anything by the brothers Strugatsky.
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birdy51

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #43 on: May 23, 2015, 09:32:59 am »

If it counts as Science Fiction, I highly recommend the Jurassic Park series by Michael Critchton. Enjoy the Chaos Theory in motion.
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gimlet

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Re: Recommended science fiction books?
« Reply #44 on: May 23, 2015, 09:46:05 am »

If you like the cyberpunk, a not-so-well-known series is by Wilhelmina Baird
Crashcourse/Clipjoint/Psykosis
It runs out of steam a little towards the end of the series, and it does have a few annoying bits, but it's got a damn cool world and (mostly) interesting characters.

Another not-so-well-known far-future series that has some pretty cool (imho) ideas:
John C Wright's The Golden Oecumene -
The Golden Age (2002)
The Phoenix Exultant (2003)
The Golden Transcendence (2003)

C J Cherryh - I really enjoyed every one of her books, the way she did characterization and dialogue just hit the right spot with me, really immersive.  Best non-fantasy series were
The Company Wars universe, from Downbelow Station to Finity's End
Cyteen - clone of a murdered top scientist/politician growing up (better than I made it sound)
Chanur - trader who gets caught up in economic and political maneuvers between species/empires.
Faded Sun: Kesrith
even the Foreigner series was mostly pretty darn good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._J._Cherryh_bibliography

Oldschool - Anything by Cordwainer Smith is a jewel.

Other space opera/military/cyberpunk authors I liked, check out their various series:
Ken MacLeod - various series w/some great space opera, can't think of one I didn't like
Walter Jon Williams - some cyberpunk stuff, some space opera
Greg Bear - some really good space operas, especially Forge of God and Eon series
Larry Niven - Mote in God's Eye and a bunch of military scifi
Poul Anderson - a bunch of classics, the Flandry and van Rijn series are really good space opera
Richard Morgan - Altered Carbon series is awesome cyberpunk.
John Ringo - good military scifi
John Scalzi - ditto
EE "Doc" Smith - Lensman and Skylark series, just kickass old-school space opera, classics that started it all and still hold up decently well.
Rudy Rucker had some pretty good cyberpunk novels
Elizabeth Moon as mentioned, really good military/political scifi, some of my favorite series.
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