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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Black Wolf on October 06, 2004, 01:31:49 pm

Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Black Wolf on October 06, 2004, 01:31:49 pm: I highly doubt there's anyone here who doesn't like at least some sci-fi other than FS2's. I'm trying to write some of my own (I currently have the universe basically done, I'm just doing all the various histories and explainations of technologies and tedious little details like that), but I've realized that my Sci-Fi reading isn't really what you'd call particularly broad, largely limited to Star Wars stuff, classic HG Wells and the odd random book I've picked up from a second hand bookstore or had given to me. That's not neccesarily a bad thing, since I want to make it vaguely starwarsy (at least to the extent that fighter combat plays a big role), but I'm looking to broaden my horizons a little, particularly with some of the slightly darker sci-fi. I know that reading within the field too much can lead to contamination, so I basically just want to sample a few of the subgenres outside what I typically read. I'll be aiming to get these from the local library rather than the bookstore, so stuff that's at least a year or two old would be preferred.
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Ransom on October 06, 2004, 01:44:46 pm: Darker scifi... hmm. Alastair Reynold's stuff is good, particularly Diamond Dogs.
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Tiara on October 06, 2004, 02:38:15 pm: Hyperion, by Dan Simmons. Period.

You will learn to ph34r t3h Shrike!

No, not that Shrike. :doubt::p
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Fury on October 06, 2004, 02:39:46 pm: If you have watched Babylon 5, then I most definitely recommend to check out:
- To Dream in the City of Sorrows
- Legions of Fire (trilogy)
- The Shadow Within (prequel to The Passing of the Techno-mages)
- The Passing of the Techno-mages (trilogy)
- Dark Genesis, Deadly Relations, Final Reckoning (trilogy)

And preferrably in that order too.
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Flipside on October 06, 2004, 02:47:29 pm: Try some Asimov as well. Not entirely dark, but if you want to read someone who's thoughts span thousands of years including the history of 2 human empires from a point of view that isn't all 'shooty'. This is the man to read ;)
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Tiara on October 06, 2004, 02:51:39 pm: Yeah, Asimov had some... 'time demanding' books :D Pretty damned good too if you ask me.
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: ionia23 on October 06, 2004, 02:54:13 pm: the Ringworld books by Niven.

The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny

Dune by Frank Herbert

Revenge of the 50 Foot Mutant Space Laser Penises by.......

There's at least a few Star Trek novels worth checking out. "Dark Mirror" is a personal favorite.
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Ford Prefect on October 06, 2004, 03:05:30 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Tiara
Hyperion, by Dan Simmons. Period.

Absolutely. That's about the best science fiction I've ever read. I honestly believe that has the capability to become a literary classic. It's absolutely rich with allegory and also a clever commentary on many aspects of our own time.
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
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Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Liberator on October 06, 2004, 03:31:15 pm: The Night's Dawn Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton (http://members.tripod.com/~NightsDawn/) also about TND (http://books.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c0/c3358.htm?authorid=3816)

These are the absolute best of modern SF(IE, published in the last 10-15 years.)
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: mitac on October 06, 2004, 03:49:31 pm: I'd recommend Gregory Benford's Contact series. In that order :

In the Ocean of Night
Across the Sea of Suns
Great Sky River
Tides of Light
Furious Gulf
Sailing Bright Eternity

The first two are rather "conventional" SciFi, Part 3+4 are pretty dark, part 5+6 are pretty weird. 3+4 are probably best. Admittedly I can't judge on the writing, as I only read the german translations.
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: MatthewPapa on October 06, 2004, 05:06:06 pm: Genre:Sci Fi
Good fun read: Enders Game
Intriguing read: Manifold Space
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Shrike on October 06, 2004, 05:07:27 pm: Dan Simmons (duh?)
Alistair Reynolds
Richard Morgan
Iain M Banks
Vernor Vinge

Just for a few authors to check out.
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: NGTM-1R on October 06, 2004, 05:45:53 pm: The Beserker series by Fred Saberhagen. The Berserkers are tied with the Shivans for best sci-fi villians, IMO.

If you're willing to come down out of the void for a little ground-based action, the Starfist series by Dave Sherman and Dan Cragg is a good read.
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Corsair on October 06, 2004, 05:47:38 pm: Robert A. Heinlein :nod:
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Liberator on October 06, 2004, 06:20:21 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Corsair
Robert A. Heinlein :nod:

RAH == :thepimp: :thepimp: :thepimp: :thepimp: :thepimp:
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: kode on October 06, 2004, 06:29:15 pm: Quote
Originally posted by ionia23
Dune by Frank Herbert

seconded.
Title: Goody!
Post by: Getter Robo G on October 06, 2004, 06:54:44 pm: Man you guys beat me (I've read probably 1/3 of what you guys posted)...

Ahem...

Arthur C Clarke: Many, I particularly like Rama series and 2001,2010, and the 3001 (don't want to ruin that one but WOW what a concept).

Forgot who wrote it but HAMMER'S SLAMMERS! (Future Tanks WOOT!)

Believe it or not Piers Anthony had someinteresting works (Battle Circle Trilogy and something with a huge ass Land combat Train)
Both these series start out primitive but end up clashing with higher tech societies...

out!

(ps): Bacuse of you people I have not touched more than a few library rentals of Trek (maybe 4 books) in 3 years...
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Kamikaze on October 06, 2004, 07:37:56 pm: Iain M. Banks' books are very enjoyable. I've read Excession, Look To Windward, Use of Weapons and The Bridge. Supposedly A Player of Games is the best introduction to his Culture series of sci-fi books. (I haven't read it yet, it's sitting on my shelf while I read Consider Phlebas)

I also recommend Roger Allen Macbride's three part sci-fi time travel series. The individual titles are The Depths of Time, The Ocean of Years and The Shores of Tommorow. It has a unique take on time/space travel and keeps surprising you.

David Brin's uplift books are good as well (Sundiver, The Uplift War and so on).
Title: Re: Goody!
Post by: Shrike on October 06, 2004, 07:45:56 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Getter Robo G
Forgot who wrote it but HAMMER'S SLAMMERS! (Future Tanks WOOT!)
David Drake. He's written some good books, if you like military scifi.
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Setekh on October 06, 2004, 07:47:36 pm: Apart from all that has been mentioned already (Banks is my favourite so far, still have to get a hold of Hyperion), there's also Stephen Baxter. He's got a number of 'hard sci-fi' novels out, check out his Manifold Sequence (Time, Space, Origin).
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: silverwolf on October 06, 2004, 10:36:38 pm: well i'de have to say almost nay star trek novel some are better than others. and i would also suggest the Equation novels(the human equation and the alien equation. The renegade equation is slated for this fall) if you can get a hold of them. They are written By a friend of a forum member who's name is corhellion lol
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: übermetroid on October 07, 2004, 02:23:18 am: Night Fall is a really good book.... I read it in death valley and I hardly noticed I was in DV at all...
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: an0n on October 07, 2004, 02:32:44 am: Day Of Honor (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671028138/qid=1097134187/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2_2/202-7775312-4976665).

One of the stories has a level of gore that surprised even me. Something about a carpet that squelched with blood. And then there's all the Klingon-on-Klingon slaughter....
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: mitac on October 07, 2004, 03:49:36 am: Did anybody mention Douglas Adams? :p
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Stunaep on October 07, 2004, 04:12:17 am: The fact that Ford Prefect has posted in this thread could be counted as an indirect reference.
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Clave on October 07, 2004, 04:45:31 am: Ringworld and Ringworld Engineers are two of the most inventive and interesting books ever. Niven goes to some effort to explain the structure of the greatest artifact ever created, it's all good stuff.
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Tiara on October 07, 2004, 06:32:31 am: Quote
Originally posted by Clave
Ringworld and Ringworld Engineers are two of the most inventive and interesting books ever. Niven goes to some effort to explain the structure of the greatest artifact ever created, it's all good stuff.

*shrugs*

Talk about your tedious reading... Ringworld is only for those with patience and a 'different' taste in books.
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Arraxis on October 07, 2004, 07:32:03 am: I thought I was the only one to have read the Night's Dawn trilogy :D

Anyway, some other good books:

Pandora's Star, by Peter Hamilton (Part 1 of the Commonwealth Saga)
Hidden Empire, by Kevin Anderson (Part 1 of the Saga of the Seven Suns)
Has anyone mentioned Battletech? That's a great bunch of books.
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: silverwolf on October 07, 2004, 01:43:25 pm: ah yes battletech there is a problem though most of the battletech books are iout of print except for the ones based off of Dark Ages
Title: WOOT
Post by: Getter Robo G on October 07, 2004, 04:43:41 pm: GREY DEATH LEGION 4EVA!

(Yeah I'm a Freebirth, so go pike it you Clanners!)
:p
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: NGTM-1R on October 07, 2004, 07:59:45 pm: The Twilight of the Clans books dealing with Operation Serpent (III, V, VI?).

And the Warrior Trilogy. Definitely the Warrior Trilogy. Fourth Succession War, w00t!
Title: Good Sci Fi Reads?
Post by: Fergus on November 02, 2004, 05:06:21 pm: Iain M. Banks is by far the best of the other contemporary novelists. Use of Weapons, Excession and Consider Phlebas are his more notable works in this area. (Use of Weapons will leave you feeling empty, quite an ending if you've read it. Same with Condsider'. They are all very witty.)