Good Sci-fi

[ExplorerAtHeart]

I'm looking for some good scifi books I can sink my teeth into. A good space adventure or exploration. What do you guys recommend?

 

[Doc.]

never read any sci-fi in my life but I've already twice been advised to read "Ender's Game".

 

[Netheralian]

Off the top of my head...

- Anything by Ian M Banks (his stuff published as Ian Banks is not science fiction)
- Peter F Hamilton - Commonwealth Universe books and Fallen Dragon (although I am not a big fan of his Confederation Universe - the premise annoyed the shit out of me although it is ok to read otherwise.)
- Anything by Alistair Reynolds (book order is confusing in his revelation space universe though)
- Dan Simmons - Hyperion and Endymion series
- Steven Baxter - Ark & Flood are quite good. However, I think his better stuff is the collaboration work with Arthur C Clarke - A Time Odyssey series (have't read many of his others although I really would like to)

There is of course Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clark - have read some of theirs. Not a huge fan, but still very good. Wanting to read some Neal Asher but having trouble getting them from the library in English in the Netherlands.

The list goes on and on. What specific genre are you after?

Edit: I thought Enders Game was pretty good. However, I found it went downhill a bit for the rest of the series.

 

[Anachronous Rex]

I'm partial to Ringworld myself. Planet of Adventure is good too.

 

[nasher168]

heheh, there's apparently an alien species in that last one called the Wankh. :lol:

/childishness

 

[ImprobableJoe]

Edit: I thought Enders Game was pretty good. However, I found it went downhill a bit for the rest of the series.

Yeah... and Orson Scott Card is a raving right-wing Mormon homophobic lunatic, so I would suggest not buying any of his books new. Library or used bookstore ONLY, let's not give him another penny.

 

[Anachronous Rex]

heheh, there's apparently an alien species in that last one called the Wankh. :lol:

/childishness

Don't forget the Dirdir. Ruthless top-predators that happen to be bright pink.

But yes, wankh. :lol:

 

[SchrodingersFinch]

The last scifi book I read listened to was Stranger in a Strange Land. I did enjoy it, but it certainly was quite strange.

 

[InvisibleStain]

The best science-fiction book I've ever read, and probably the reason why I ended up in this forum, is "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy", the author, Douglas Adams, was a close friend of Richard Dawkins (it was to Adams that he dedicated "The God Delusion")
It's a weird mix of science-fiction, satire and comedy, if there's one book in my shelf I really value that definitely is my -beautiful- copy of "The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy"

 

[lrkun]

Pendragon by D.J. Mchale is a good series. I recommend this book. If you like time travelling, moving from world to world, etc. This is for you.

It's a nice sci-fi/fantasy/adventure book.

 

[Laurens]

Gateway by Frederik Pohl is a good one

 

[Commander Eagle]

- Dune, by Frank Herbert, is one of the greatest novels of all time - and that's in every genre, not just science fiction. The sequels leave a lot to be desired, though.
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. If you haven't heard of this book series, a) go buy it b) commit suicide because you are entirely out of touch with the world.
- The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons. It's a four-book space opera: Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, and The Rise of Endymion. All are great, and this is the only science fiction series that I have ever read that didn't have a horrible ending. The first book in the series is one of my all-time favorites.
- Speaker For the Dead, the sequel to Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, is a great novel. I actually prefer it to the rest of the books in the series.
- Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein is a great novel. It deserves its place among the sci-fi classics list.
- Starship Troopers, also by Heinlein. Absolutely nothing like the movies, and at least fifty bajillion times better.
- The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman. Probably the best military sci-fi novel out there.
- 1984, by George Orwell, is generally classified as science fiction. I don't think that it is, but it's a fantastic novel, and as long as I have the opportunity to recommend it, I will.
- Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson is one of my favorite novels. It's witty, interesting, and a blast to read. I highly recommend it.

And last, but definitely not least, is this book. It is, hands-down, the single greatest book I have ever read. By anyone. In any genre. This book is amazing and if you don't love it you should die in a fire.

Ladies and gentlemen, literary buffs of the world, lend me your ears. Verily I say unto thee, go and purchase this novel!

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny.

That is all.

 

[Lallapalalable]

The "Foundation" prelude trilogy; "The Stars, Like Dust", "The Currents of Space", and "A Pebble in the Sky". Written in the usual Asimov fiction style, some mystery and a protagonist that needs to learn at the same pace as the reader. Sadly, I never got to read the last one, and I cant find it anywhere (havent looked online, but I dont use cards so that would be just teasing me).

 

[TheFlyingBastard]

- Dune, by Frank Herbert, is one of the greatest novels of all time - and that's in every genre, not just science fiction. The sequels leave a lot to be desired, though.

That one. Just do it. Seriously. The first book is an epic adventure. The sequels that CE feels leave a lot to be desired actually have my preference because it's less about epic adventures but more about court intricacies and, without spoiling too much, the curse of being a prophet/messiah.

 

[lrkun]

Jurassic Park is a 1990 science fiction novel written by Michael Crichton. Despit it's wrong application of the chaos theory, the novel itself could stand alone. Therefore, if you like dinosaurs, this one is for you.

Warning, it's different from the movie and if you've seen such, then you'll appreciate this more.

 

[Prolescum]

 

[Yfelsung]

Necroscope by Biran Lumley

It's sort of horror, sci-fi and fantasy at the same time. It's got vampires, esp, alternate dimensions and Russians.

Also anything written in the Warhammer 40k universe is awesome because, well, it's f-ing Warhammer 40k. You have to love any universe that has space Orks that are so psionically powerful their very belief causes reality to bend to their will, but they're too dumb to realize they can do it.

 

[Yfelsung]

- Starship Troopers, also by Heinlein. Absolutely nothing like the movies, and at least fifty bajillion times better.

I will tell you something that will make the first Starship Troopers movie infinitely more entertaining to watch:

The entire movie is mocking Heinlein. Many aspects of the society shown in Starship Troopers were ACTUAL political beliefs that Heinlein held, such as requiring military service to be a "citizen". The movie was a tongue-in-cheek mockery of the book and Heinlein himself. Once I understood this, I now LOVE the movie. It even works as a social commentary about the right-wing conservative movement in the US.

Replace the bugs with terrorists and tell me you can't see it.

The sequels were just cash grabs.

 

[Shaedys]

The best science-fiction book I've ever read, and probably the reason why I ended up in this forum, is "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy", the author, Douglas Adams, was a close friend of Richard Dawkins (it was to Adams that he dedicated "The God Delusion")
It's a weird mix of science-fiction, satire and comedy, if there's one book in my shelf I really value that definitely is my -beautiful- copy of "The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy"

Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy is the best thing ever by a long shot.
I can't express just how awesome those books are.
I even like the 6th part.

 

[Your Funny Uncle]

I can never understand how anyone took the Starship Troopers movie at face value. It was so obviously taking the piss, especially given the tone of Verhoeven's previous sci-fi films Robocop and Total Recall...

On topic, I'd agree about Asimov, Peter F. Hamilton and Iain M. Banks. All good stuff, and obviously anyone who's never read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy should be forced to do so at gunpoint.