Sci-Fi Advice

[KB3HTS]

Hello everyone,
Over the summer I had some time on my hands so I decided to brush up on some sci-fi classics. Nowadays my list is starting to run a little low, so I was wondering if a few kind indaviduals could help out and recommend a few more titles.
For the record, I have read most everything Adams wrote, Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam, Contact, a good amount of Wells, some Verne, Clarke's Rama series, Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy (which could count as fantasy but it was good&#33, Heinlen's Stranger in a Strange Land, and Asimov's Nightfall and the beginnings of the Foundation series. I probably forgot a few but those were the highlights. Out of all of these I liked most of them with the exception of most of Verne (he wrote too much about machines and too little about people) and for some reason Asimov's Foundation and I did not get along.
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

[Tinaa]

Greg Bear is pretty good. Off the top of my head, I remember Moving Mars and Eon. Gregory Benfor is another one I've read this summer. Orson Scott Card writes some pretty wild stuff like Ender's Game. Frank Herbert's Dune series was good. Larry Niven wrote a good one called Ring World. The Hyperion series by Simmons was quite different. Maybe these will help!

[Planetwatcher]

Revolt on Proxama Centauri was one of my favoritees at your age. I think Robert Adams wrote that one in the mid 1960s, but I can't find it anywhere now.
It is worth reading if you find it.
I also like Larry Nivens Ringworld, and I seem to remember one called Centour Isle touches on mythology with ogars, centours, and a prince and princess, which I thought was good.

[AJG]

If you like military sci-fi you could try David Weber's Honor Harrington series - the first two books are free downloads on the Baen website.

[seeker372011]

Have you read Michael Crighton's "Andromeda Strain" and "Terminal Man?"-oldies but good reads

Ursula Le Guin's "Left hand of Darkness" is a classic, and I have always loved Heinlein's "Starship Troopers"-nothing like the movie!!

and even if you didnt like the Foundation you may like Asimov's "the Gods Themselves". And like others who have written in , Larry Niven's "Ringworld" is a fantastic read. Don't bother with the sequel though, it stinks.

And finally I'd recommend Ray Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles" though bordering on fantasy it is wonderfully written.

All these are novels. What about the great short stories?You will find these in anthogies of SF

"By his Bootstraps"- by ??? I forget who by, but it is easily the best time travel story ever written..by Angus something??

"Who goes there" by one of the SF masters-Campbell I think. (this great story has been murdered by Hollwood many times)

any of Fritz Leiber's sword and scorcery fantasy

and for a fantastic title

"Repent harlequin!", said the Tic Toc man"


Finally Kingsley Amis wrote a critique of SF some time ago which is great--called

"the nine circles of hell" or something similar. It was a long :blink: time ago !!!


Enjoy!

seeker

[darthdurden]

Well, my favorite book is the hitch hickers guide to the Galaxy. It's really funny, you may not consider this to be science fiction, but it's a pleasant book to spend you're evening with.

[itsmebaby76]

For those who are into romance novels, the best sci-fi/romance book (that I've read so far) is:

"Contact" by Susan Grant

Let me know if you've read it too!

[MarQ]

Philip Dick and Ben Bova are big Sci-Fi authors, and the genre is full of great writers. Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land" is one I "grok" the most, and I just recently re-read it. I think "Tommorrow Never Knows" is a Heinlein short story collection, but I could be wrong. I like the short stories better then the long, foot-thick yarns--but "Dune" is an excellent escape (I fondly remember reading it during a brief stint of taking bus rides to work in Denver). Asimov's "Nightfall" is one of the best shorts ever, with an astronomer's twist. But I'll never forget the teenage summers reading the short stories of Ray Bradbury in the collections "Dandelion Wine," and "I Sing The Body Electric." !

[CyberJIT]

(sorry if i don't spell right. english is not my native language)

Nightfall: it's great. It has everything: astronomy, psichology, a new way (at least for me) of viewing the relationship between science and religion...

Actually, I like everything I've read so far from Asimov. Books (both fiction and non fiction), magazine articles, interviews, frases quoted from him, etc.

I also liked "Between Time and Terror :unsure: : 17 tales by the masters of suspense" a compilation of sci-fi stories. Various styles: what if stories, cyberpunk, paranoid. Some are known for their big screen versions.

I agree with the thought that sci-fi can relate common folks like us with the latest achievements, discoveries and theories. And when I read old sci-fi novels (like the one from "Between...") it's not rare to find thing that actually came true. Sadly, I can't remember any example right now.

¿Have you found yourselves more frightened, awed, or having more vivid images in your mind when you read sci-fi stories than when you saw the screenplay?

[ogdog]

I know I may be going out on a limb here but I really like "Battlefield Earth" by L. Ron Hubbard. I think he does an excellent job of interrelating all aspects of a truly great story, from the character development, to the sociological (sp) aspects of the story, to some of the intricate details of how his machines in his stories work. The preface in the beginning of the book is a must read it truly puts perspective on the whole story and his ideals. I have to say that I am not a scientologist nor do I have any interest in being one. I read this book the first time without the knowledge of what scientology even was. If you saw the Movie with John Travolta and Barry Pepper, completely disregard everything you saw it is absolutely nothing like the book (not even the same story). If you haven't seen the movie don't waster your time, it doesn't flow at all there is no character development and it absolutely unbelievable.

I also heard that "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" was a good read.

Ogdog

[thelonewolf37]

Originally posted by darthdurden@Sep 10 2003, 02:51 PM
Well, my favorite book is the hitch hickers guide to the Galaxy. It's really funny, you may not consider this to be science fiction, but it's a pleasant book to spend you're evening with.

You are absolutely on target there, my friend! When THHGTTG first came out, I was aware of it, but I wasn't into sci-fi. Years later, during a strange time of my life, while returning from a drive out to the "wilderness" north of Los Angeles to watch the Perdeids, I happened to hear a radio broadcast of the original radio program. I was instantly hooked. I went out and bought all 5 books of the trilogy! Looking back, I think it probably wasn't until that very moment that I was ready for these great books. When they first came out, I probably wouldn't have "gotten it." It sounds corny, but in a way, these books changed my life. Maybe its just that the humor seems so much like things I would say, that it made me realize that it is ok to be an oddball. That is no small feat.

[Faulkner]

Have to disagree with Seeker (sorry&#33 - "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell Jr was made into 2 extremely cool movies - one by Howard Hawks & the other by John Carpenter! There was also a TV movie made, but I forgot the name!? Anyone know this? A. E. van Vogt novels are great - very visual reads! Also "Logan's Run" by William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson is a personal fave of mine, LOVE this book! And yes, good to see "Ringworld" get so many mentions, a great fun read, even if it fizzles out a bit towards the end (?)...

[WendellG]

"Dune" and the "Enders Game" series.

Wendell

[Deep_Eye]

Yea, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, and Speaker for the Dead (which is the sequel). The 3rd and 4th arent near as good.

[Dave Mitsky]

Most of Arthur Clarke's novels are well worth reading. I recently read and very much enjoyed his _The Light of Other Days_ (with Stephen Baxter), a fascinating book.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Joe Haldeman (_The Forever War_ is one of the three best military science fiction novels ever written, the other two being _Starship Troopers_ and _Ender's Game_), Frederick Pohl, Jack Vance, John Varley, or Roger Zelazny.

Dave Mitsky

[Dave Mitsky]

Most of Arthur Clarke's novels are well worth reading. I recently read and very much enjoyed his _The Light of Other Days_ (with Stephen Baxter), a fascinating book.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Joe Haldeman (_The Forever War_ is one of the three best military science fiction novels ever written, the other two being _Starship Troopers_ and _Ender's Game_), Frederick Pohl, Jack Vance, John Varley, or Roger Zelazny.

A list of Hugo and Nebula Award winning novels can be found at http://www.scifan.com/awards/hugonebula.asp

Dave Mitsky

[Deep_Eye]

Firebird is also good, but I cant remember who its by. "The Time Machine" is quite good.