Science Fiction Recommendations

[Detour]

Over the last 12 months or so I've been reading a lot of sci fi. I started with Dan Simmon's Illium and Olympos (which were incredible, mashing massive space opera and greek mythology like they were always meant to be together), then did the entire Dune series (including the prequels written by Frank Herbert's son - which were kind of shitty), and enjoyed most of it. Book 4 was a bit of a slog, though. I absolutely adored Simmon's Hyperion cantos, and the first book may very well be my favourite book of all time.

I'm currently on book 3 of Orson Scott Card's Ender series, which has so far been amazing. Using the sci fi conventions to question ethics and morals on a grand scale. Just... fuck. Wholeheartedly recommended.

Anyway, I figue I'll be done with this series in the next month or so, and was wondering where to go next - any recommendations? I'm willing to try anything (librarian mother-in-law ftw).

[Calliander]

OSC is great. Most of his books are top notch, even the ones he wrote that are essentially about the book of Mormon (Homecoming Saga). You'll find a lot of criticism about that one, but I had no problems with it and I'm an athiest.

And yeah, God Emperor of Dune is hell to read through, but worth it in the end. Those prequels were terrible, too.

If you haven't read any Asimov yet, do so. Not many libraries have his full Earth/Robots/Empire/Foundation catalog, but if you can get them all, here is the order you should read them in:

a) The End of Eternity
1) I, Robot
2) Pebble in the Sky
3) The Currents of Space
4) The Stars, Like Dust
5) Caves of Steel
6) The Naked Sun
7) The Robots of Dawn
8) Foundation
9) Foundation and Empire
10) Second Foundation
11) Foundation's Edge
12) Foundation and Earth (this book kicks so much ass)
13) Prelude to Foundation
14) Forward the Foundation
15) Robots and Empire

It's tough to find a, 2, 3 and 4. You could probably skip them, I guess, and it wouldn't hurt. They are good, short books, though. The first one is labeled "a" because it's not part of the whole Earth/Robots/Empire/Foundation timeline. I put it in because a few characters in that timeline conjecture about similar stuff and a conflict within the book coincides with what should happen after Foundation and Earth. The reason I put some stuff out of order is because the last two are weak books. When read in this order, though, it works. Robots and Empire is last because it spoils probably the greatest secret Asimov ever held in all of the prior stories.

EDIT: Obviously, read Fantastic Voyage.

Some other good stuff... Michael Crichton: Sphere, The Andromeda Strain and The Terminal Man. Arthur C. Clarke: Hammer of God, The Songs of Distant Earth and The City and the Stars. Also, Excession by Iain M. Banks, if you're into long, torturous reads like Frank Herbert.

[Detour]

Awesome, thanks.

I think I read from Foundation to Foundation and Earth about 10 years ago, and loved them. Was F & E the one where they end up at the Moon, and meet the robot? And the dog planet? My memory is pretty hazy... I should re-read them, I guess.

I've never actually read any Arthur C Clarke before, so I'll definately check some out.

You're right about God Emperor - it's a 'tough' read, but I found I did enjoy it a lot once I finished it.

I get kind of upset when I get through a series like Dune, or Hyperion/Endymion. I just want them to go on forever. I'm lame like that.

[Toupee]

Just a couple recommendations...

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A Heinlein
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert A Heinlein
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch - Philip K. Dick

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress led me to buy about 30 other Heinlein books off of ebay, only one more of which I've actually got around to reading, heh.

[g0zen]

Here's my recommendations -

"Bill the Galactic Hero" - Harry Harrison
"A Stainless Steel Rat is Born" - Harry Harrison
"The Deathworld Trilogy" - Harry Harrison
"The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World" (all the stories in there but most especially 'A Boy and his Dog') - Harlan Ellison

[Compass]

Harry Harrison sucks.

Calliander's got the right idea. I read all the Foundation-related Asimov books (the ones in Asimov's list in the beginning of Prelude to Foundatin -- not sure if it's the same as the fifteen listed above), and found the entire saga to be quite satisfying indeed.

Other things:

Asimov's Robot City books (different authors but damn, these are very cool).

Asimov's Nemesis.

Card's Ender's series. (natch)

Bova's Mars books (first one in particular).

And one of my personal favorite books of all time: Sheffield's Tomorrow and Tomorrow - A guy's wife dies of cancer in the first couple pages. For the rest of the book he's traveling further and further into the future looking for a cure. The imagination required to dream up a future, not just a few thousand years from now, but a few *billion* years from now, is rare, but Sheffield's got it, and then some. Fantastically inventive. Wonderful ending, too.

[Atlas]

My friend Marcus recently had his book published. You can read the 1st 100 pages online, and if you like it support it! I read it and love it:
http://www.marcusalexanderhart.com/oblivion/

Even Bruce Campbell owns a copy: shot taken from a G4 interview...



If you weren't against it, I would say Dune. My favourite sci-fi series ever. If you want something a little more silly, then go with Red Dwarf.

[g0zen]

Harry Harrison sucks.

Further proof of how little taste you have wasn't necessary, Compass.

If you weren't against it, I would say Dune. My favourite sci-fi series ever. If you want something a little more silly, then go with Red Dwarf.

Red Dwarf is a good suggestion.

[D_N_G]

osc, asimov you cant lose, asimov has tons of short stories too that are in compilations


one of my favorites:
a wrinkle in time - Madeleine L'Engle

and if you like that then add: a wind in the door, a swiftly tilting planet, and many waters


brave new world- aldous huxley - great old school sci fi


the 3 halo books are actually good, serious: the fall of reach and first stike are the best, both written by eric nylund , the flood is written by william dietz and is still good but I enjoyed nylund a lot more

[Calliander]

Was F & E the one where they end up at the Moon, and meet the robot? And the dog planet?

Yeah. It'll have more meaning if you re-read through in the order I specified, though. It's kind of like how the new Star Wars trilogy stinks, but they put enough on the screen to make Vader's pause before he chucks the Emperor down that shaft a really poignant moment. Except Asimov's later books were nowhere near as bad as the new trilogy.

And in regards to Arthur C. Clarke, he's eerily correct about where we are technologically when his future cultures look back on us.

Card's Ender's series. (natch)

Yeah, if you haven't read the Ender series, do so. The guy is totally known for it above any of his other stuff.