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Best Sci-fi read/book/other method

timmmers

timmmers

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timmmers
I love a good Sci-fi book, I'm lost for a new read though.
Gettin's g really lazy and sitting listening to AC Clark on the Iplayer (cool of the bbc to do so much Sci-fi).

One fave book was ACC Rendevous with Rama, another was Ringworld by Larry Niven, both are masters.

Thing is..what's new, what's good and ....what do you really like?

Lazy folk could do worse than have a lookie at radio 4 on bbc.co.uk iplayer, it won't make you blind :)

t
 
chronicles of dune!
 
Read Dune. but sci-fi is not my bag..
Vampires are. . Anne Rice I can read your books over and over again. I find something new each time i re-read.. Don't get me wrong i have read other books. But for me anything that has to do with Vamps i will read. :cool:
:wtg::yay::wtg:
 
The top of my list has always been the series by Stephen Donaldson "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" , the first book is titled "Lord Foul's Bane".

There are six books in this series and I would compare it to the "Lord of the Ring" series , though I found it more enjoyable.

I have read the series a couple times throughout my younger adult life and now after speaking of it I believe I might revisit.

If you read , I hope you enjoy.


Bones
 
Anything by Philip K Dick.

A good introduction is any of his short story compilation books.


Although "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" was his most famous work as the inspiration behind Blade Runner.
 
Julian May's "The Pliocene Saga" is a masterpiece and a must read, Dune of course (the new books, edited by Frank Herberts son Brian and Kevin Anderson, are great actually and finishes the series nicely). One cannot get around Asimov and the foundation series when talking about sf but personally I prefer Arthur C Clarke since the technology in his works always seemed more probable for me.

Dunno if you can put GRR Martin as sf, but his ongoing "Ice & Fire"-series is nonetheless great.

And no sf list is complete without Douglas Adams! :)
 
I must say i love the RAMA Series all of them, absolutely fantastic, and as everyone seems to like Dune, looks like i am going to have to finally read that as well.

PS i was always put off cause of the PC game lol

NOt strictly sci-fi, but a fantastic read, Robert Jordans "Wheel of Time" series, incredible!!!!! Rather long though lol and finaly book coming out next year....!

Rgds

Ace
 
Some books i have read and liked.
SF:
1. Kristen Kathryn Rush: the "A Retrieval artis" books.("detetive" on the moon)
2. David Weber the "Honor Harrington" books. (space war)
3. Steven L. Kent "The Clone".

Fantasy:
I agree on George RR Martins "a song of ice and fire" is one of the best books, if he only could write faster, i have been waiting some years for the next book. Same for the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (RIP), a most read for fantasy lovers.
 
Roger Zelazny - Lord of Light
Frederik Pohl - Gateway
Guy Gavriel Kay - The Lions of Al-Rassan
Glen Cook - The Black Company
Barry Hughart - Bridge of Birds
Richard Matheson - I Am Legend
 
Neuromancer, mona lisa overdrive.
 
Most of the famous guys Azimov Clark etc I've read, had well over 1k collection of sci-fi books until I left the missus ..who, knowing how much I loved them and kept them mint condition...bloody burnt them :(

I've just listened to Rendevous with Rama serialised on the bbc iplayer site but wasn't aware there was more then one ..so that's next it seems. Listening to the book acted out with effects while working or sweating/crafting is cool...and nothing gets burnt :laugh:.

Lot of guys I've never heard of there, so lots to go at ...thx for the suggestions, I knew this was the right crowd to ask ;)

t
 
All of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern books :yay:
 
This conversation cannot continue without someone mentioning Spider Robinsons work, specifically the works involving Callahans Crosstime Saloon.

Ben Bova nominated Spider as "The New Heinlein" once. Ironically, Heinlein and Spider became friends, and Robinson had the honor of completing one of Heinleins novels at the request of Virginia Heinlein, Roberts widow. But I digest....

Callahans place is a tavern someplace on Long Island, with a crowd of regulars that have some interesting stories, but the most amazing visitors come through the doors of Callahans Place...

Pony up, put your dollar on the bar. Name your poison. When you're done, collect your 2 quarters change out of the cigar box or excercise your option of making a toast and lobbing the glass into the fireplace. Don't get any ideas about the change box, the last guy that did that was back in '47...

Aliens, time travellers of all sort, vampires, immortals, and even a talking dog have been patrons, now you can be one too. :)

Start with "Callahans Crosstime Saloon, or "The Callahan Chronicles" which is made up of the first 3 books of Callahans place in a trade paperback.

Tell Mike, Fast Edddie, Doc, and Jake I sent you. :)
 
Speaking of the Masters, I've always preferred Simak and Zelazny to Asimov and Clarke, but that's a matter of taste... and most reading I've done has been translations.

The only really interesting English-writing author that I've come across recently was Charlie Stross; there's quite a lot of his work online. Accelerando! has its own site.
 
The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. Just read them and haven't been gripped by a book so much in years.

Hurrikane
 
Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash is essential reading for anyone interested in MMOG (it is a blue print for SL)
 
Hurrikane said:
The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. Just read them and haven't been gripped by a book so much in years.
Click to expand...

Sitting on my bookshelf, Hurrikane ... make sure you read the remaining 6 to complete the full storyline.

All Heinlein's work there too, and Anne McCaffrey's.

For Stephen Donaldson, I preferred his duology: Mordant's Need.

And another author I rarely see mentioned - Sheri S Tepper.

Amazing writer, with always something new to find in her work, when you read it over again.
 
Oh, and I have to recommend the Monstrous Regiment by Storm Constantine; a very hard to find sci-fi epic which made me cry.... and has eluded me me in second-hand book shops ever since!

Hurrikane

(If anyone finds a copy I'll take it for a decent price:))
 
Hurrikane said:
The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. Just read them and haven't been gripped by a book so much in years.

Hurrikane
Click to expand...

Love the farseer trilogy :)

Make sure you also read the other two trilogies The Liveship Traders and The Tawny Man (preferably in that order). The Tawny Man is a pretty straight forward continuation of the Farseer trilogy, and the The Liveship Traders is like a side story (same world, different place & people).

Good reading :)
 
Dune for me too :D
 
Must admit I haven't gone off on a sci fi reading spree in a long time, got sidetracked onto vampires, aliens, and shape shifting Indians (Anne Rice et all, Strieber) and plain old wierd ghost/demon/mystery stuff that Phil Rickman does (love it as they all take place in familiar landscapes in the west country and that infamous place known as Wales ;)), none of which I really classify as sci fi. My two (not at all new) all time favs though are Childhood's End by Clarke and Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein.

Maybe time to look into some newer sci fi now :)
 
Heaps of great authors does indeed dwell within this thread.

I myself is currently reading through all things made by Peter F Hamilton, An author that I have been very struck by lately. I must say that I really love the immense variation of environments, characters and genres that reside within his space operas.

I am currently reading through the last part of the 'Night's Dawn' trilogy and is eagerly awaiting the concluding part of the Void trilogy..
 
I have been reading through some of my very old books, either that or i might send them off to the charity shop.....

Exiles Trilogy, Ben Bova
Waystation, Clifford D.Simak
Andromeda Strain, Michael Crichton
Cnsider Phlebas, Iain M. Banks


Stinky:yay:
 
Couple that I enjoyed:

Robert A. Heinlein
  • Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
  • Starship Troopers
  • Stranger In A Strange Land

Catherine Asaro
  • Primary Inversion
  • The Radiant Seas

Charles Sheffield
  • Summertide
  • Divergence
  • Transcendence
  • Convergence
  • Resurgence

Fred Saberhagen
  • Berserker Man
  • Berserker Blue Death
  • Berserker's Planet
  • Berserkers The Beginning
  • The Berserker Throne
  • Berserker Fury

Douglas Adams
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
  • The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe
  • Life, The Universe And Everything
  • So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish
  • Mostly Harmless

I know some were already mentioned in this thread.

Oh and may I suggest grabbing the unabridged audiobooks?
 
I have a library of 1000's of sci-fi paperbacks, but the best book I have read lately is Anathem by Neal Stephenson. It's a Hugo nominee.
 
As for Douglas Adams, I would recommend reading his other works too, I for one, really love his Dirk Gently Duology.
 
i've gone through all 120+ Star Wars (there is way more events in books then the movies)Audio books. Was quite the adventure and what i like is how your rewarded through out them for knowing things in other books. how everything fits together is really fun.
 
Piers Anthony.

Way back when I was a lot younger, I loved reading the Piers Anthony books. They are mainly aimed at younger readers, but they are enjoyable nonetheless. Adept books and Zanth books are both pretty fun little fast reads.

The Star Wars Books by Zahn are also a pretty good start to some sci fi reading... you can read a LOT of other star wars book that pick up the story after the movies.
 
Lots of good things already mentioned here.

Saberhagen's Berserker series is a must read if you want to know what real death machines are all about. The bots in EU pale in comparison.

Julian May's Pliocene series is classic.

John Varley - Titan, Wizard, Demon (Hard Sci-fi not fantasy btw)
Varley also Steel Beach and The Golden Globe

Greg Bear - Queen of Angels and Slant & The Forge of God etal.

Neal Stephenson - Diamond Age and Snow Crash

Larry Niven - The Integral Trees and The Smoke Ring

David Brin - Uplift Series - Kiln People etal

Iain Banks - The Culture series (my favorite newer author)

Jack Chalker - Well World series, 4 Lords of the Diamond series, The Rings of the Masters series, The Quintara Marathon Trilogy.

Gregory Benford - Galactic Center series (more machines run amok)

Roger Zelazny - Amber chronicles

Jack McDevitt - The Engines of God + lots of good hard Sci-fi

That should be enough to keep you busy for a bit. I have 3600 paperbacks in my collection :)
 
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