[an0n]

Know of any good ones?

I was thinking about getting some of the Halo and/or Lensman ones. But I'm open to ideas.

Also, it'd be helpful if you peeps could post a paragraph-from/link-relating-to whatever book your raving about. Saying "It's awesome" doesn't mean much as for all I know you could think Tweenies is 'awesome'.

[icespeed]

Ever read Orson Scott Card? He wrote the 'Ender's Game' series (about a kid called Ender who saves the world from invading aliens called Buggers by using computers and strategy, and his later life) the 'Ender's Shadow' series (about the kid Ender's companion Bean, and his life) and the 'Homecoming' series (separate universe; humans have been separated from Earth for forty million years on the planet Harmony and are now going to come home... it's got fantasy elements but)

He also wrote all this other stuff. I've read the above. I like them. He has a website at hatrack river (you'll have to look it up in google or something cos I can't remember the exact address)

um... Stephen Baxter... I haven't read much of him except 'Raft' (bunch of humans stranded in a universe where gravity is a thousand times stronger than here) and the 'Time' 'Space' 'Origin' series (basically about the universe) and 'The Time Ships' (a sequel to 'The Time Machine', HG Wells) He's a different style from Card; he's more of the 'hard sf' stuff, broader, more concerned with the universe than with people.

i can't be bothered to think of more. night.

[Styxx]

http://baen.ghostwheel.com

Tons of good free e-books there. Even if you prefer printed ones, you can read a few chapters before buying. I just finished There Will Be Dragons, by John Ringo, and it's fairly good: it's about an almost perfect society in the far future, where energy is aplenty and everyone does only what they want - until suddenly, a war breaks among the council that controls the energy flow and the whole world falls back into the middle ages.

There's also books by David Drake and David Weber available there, of Hammer's Slammers and Honor Harrington fames, respectively. Practically the whole Honor series is available, and there's a ton of Slammers books that I didn't even have the time to touch yet.

[karajorma]

I'd also reccomend Orson Scott Card and David Weber.

I'll add Larry Niven to that list though. The guy invented the original Ringworld that Halo is based on. I'd start out with Protector even though it's not the first one in the series to see if you like his style.
 Or you could start out with something a little lighter like one of his short story collections in which case I'd reccomend N-Space or Inconstant Moon Both contain the Inconstant Moon short story which is one of my favourites and was later made into an episode of the Outer Limits (One of the few with a strong enough storyline to not need aliens or nudity to sell it).

[Dark_4ce]

Orson Scott Card is good. And many of the Star Wars books out there are good too. I cant speak for any of the NJO books though, cause I heavent read them yet... However I do primarily go for any kind of Thriller/adventure/sci-fi books mostly. Chricton stuff basically. Theres great books out there by Douglas Preston&Lincoln Child, Clive Cussler, Matthew Reilley, and James Rollins. All are basically books that you'd likely see as a major motion Picture. Loads of fun without the pretentious Bull**** that you could often find in PURE sci-fi books.

[Corsair]

Robert Heinlein is the greatest. Really amazing. I just finished Stranger in a Strange Land and it is by far one of the best books I've ever read.

[Liberator]

The Night's Dawn trilogy

Pt.1 The Reality Dysfunction
In the 26th century the human race is finally beginning to realize its full potential. But on a primitive colony planet a renegade criminal's chance encounter with an alien entity unleashes the most primal of fears - "the reality dysfunction".

Pt.2 The Neutronium Alchemist
The second volume in the "Night's Dawn" trilogy. An ancient menace has escaped from Lalonde, shattering the Confederation's existence. In such times the last thing the galaxy needs is a new, powerful weapon. Yet Dr Mzu is determined to retrieve the Alchemist, so that she can complete a vendetta.

Pt.3 The Naked God
After the multi-layered, multi-dramatic events described in "The Reality Dysfunction" and "The Neutronium Alchemist", here is the climax. Joshua Calvert and Syrinx fly their starships on a mission to find the "Sleeping God" - which an alien race believes holds the key to overthrowing the possessed.


This series has is all dramatic space battles, interesting tech, psycho-theological discussion about life after death, ghosts, demons, magic, possessed, and other stuff.  By far the best Space Opera I've ever read.  Two words: Bi tek

[pyro-manic]

Rendevous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Quite short, but excellent. Find it on Amazon for about 5 quid. 's about a big tube thingy that comes flying into the solar system and confuses everyone. Got ripped off by Star Trek 5. Very good.

[diamondgeezer]

Amtrak. Not the best but sure as hell the longest

[karajorma]

Originally posted by pyro-manic
Rendevous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Quite short, but excellent. Find it on Amazon for about 5 quid. 's about a big tube thingy that comes flying into the solar system and confuses everyone. Got ripped off by Star Trek 5. Very good.

What ever you don don't read any of the sequels though! The original is brilliant though

[an0n]

Originally posted by Styxx
http://baen.ghostwheel.com

Doood!

After 1 Chapter of On Basilisk Station, I really friggin like it.

And Nimitz kicks ass.

[Beowulf]

[size=20]Asimov.[/size]

[Aspa]

Eastern Standard Tribe, read it for free on http://craphound.com/est/download.php

Transmetropolitian by Warren Ellis. Graphic novel.

The Scar or Perdido Street Station by China Mièville. More steampunk than fantasy, but excellent reads.

[mikhael]

Originally posted by karajorma


What ever you don don't read any of the sequels though! The original is brilliant though

Fool. Read ALL the sequels EXCEPT the very last one of the main series. They all rock up until the very end where it gets all ****ed up.

You absolutely MUST read these:
The Reality Dysfunction
An Exchange of Hostages
Snow Crash
The Diamond Age
Ender's Game (This more than anything is a must read)
Xenocide
Speaker for the Dead

Authors you must read:
Susan R. Matthews
Stephen Baxter (man, icespeed is dead on. He rocks)
Greg Bear
David Brin (these last three are known as the Killer B's for a reason)
Jack McDevitt
Joe Haldeman
James Gardner
Charles Sheffield
Robert Sawyer
Michael Flynn
Roger McBride Allen

If you'd like I can go through my sci fi library and pull out a better selection and give you individual precis and recommendations. My library is currently at about 3000 books, though there are ten or twelve I haven't read yet.

[Dough with Fish]

I suggest anything by Michael A. Stackpole, mainly his Blood of Kerensky Trilogy, the X-Wing series, or his DragonCrown War Cycle.

[Stryke 9]

Aspa's stuff is all excellent. Well, except for the last one, which I've never even heard of, so can't vouch for.


Basically any sci-fi made in the past decade or so, or which "includes fantasy aspects", is pretty much a self-indulgent fantasy wank or some kind of cash-in on a popular universe (i.e. Dune, Star Wars, video games), so I'd stay away from those. Anything made before, say, the thirties isn't generally going to be science fiction so much as fifty years ago plus some aliens who're basically the same as us only eviller. Anything that falls outside of those parameters is generally passable.

In particular, Bester is the most incredibilitastic read ever, Asimov, Clark, and Heinlein are good if you want lots of metaphor and subtext (which is really what sci-fi's all about), and Pohl, Lem, Vonnegut's wierdnesses and those hordes of Russian authors are all pretty decent reads. Um, provided you can either understand Russian or get it translated.

And short stories from the old 60s sci-fi rags, if you can find any. They're generally pretty good.

[Mr. Vega]

Originally posted by Beowulf
[size=20]Asimov.[/size]

[karajorma]

Originally posted by mikhael
Fool. Read ALL the sequels EXCEPT the very last one of the main series. They all rock up until the very end where it gets all ****ed up.

I didn't say that Rama II and Garden of Rama weren't good but what's the point of reading them if you aren't going to read Rama Revealed. And the end of Rama Revealed is so poor that I can't honestly reccomend it.

Oh and cause I forgot it earlier I reccomend reading some H.G Wells. Especially War of the Worlds and The Time Machine. Both are far better in book form than the movies they spawned (although the 50's version of The Time Machine wasn't that bad).

[mikhael]

Rama Revealed is... well...

Its like Freelancer bad. Its like Command and Conquer bad. Its like Halo bad. I mean Baby Jesus would be crying if his head hadn't exploded. Its that damn bad.

But the other two, they're pretty good. I suppose you're right though.

[redsniper]

Stackpole! X-wing series!
It's more like star wars than the new movies are.