[Closed] Sci Fi book people

Iain M Banks Consider Phelbas
Neal Asher Gridlinked

Alan Dean Foster. The i Inside and Sentenced To Prism. Does a lot of Sci Fantasy as well.

Surface Detail for Iain M Banks.

I read that 'Quantum Thief' by some Finnish bloke. Bit of a head **** but pretty good. Not really aliens as such tho. Also, recommended off here was Anathem by Neal Stephenson. Blew me away, but again not exactly wall to wall spaceship/alien action.

Neal Asher +1. I recently finished all his books and wish there were more.

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The black library has a lot of really good stuff spread across several different authors if you like the war hammer 40k universe? Dan abnett in particular is simply ace.

Richard. Morgan has done some great but very dark stuff altered carbon in particular I couldn't put down.

Philip k dick has done loads you'll recognise from Hollywood adaptations.

Greg Bear - Eon (just rereading it yet again) - secrets from Earth's future return to roughly present day Earth in a giant asteroid

David Drake - Hammers Slammers - tanks and loyalty in a mercenary unit

Richard Morgan - Altered Carbon - ex SF trooper hired to solve a murder is dropped into a new body

Robert Heinlein - Stranger in a strange land - the only survivor of a lost mission to Mars comes to Earth after being brought up by the martians and turns the world upside down...

all worth trying...

and second Consider Phlebas - probably my favourite sci fi book of all time

Oh Molgrips - Anathem! What a great book.

Recently read The Forever War, got aliens and battles, bit dated but classic.

Any Iain M Banks. Especially The Culture ones.

TBC sort yersel oot and read some Kelman FFS!

Robert Heinlein - Stranger in a strange land - just re-read this since I found out bitd the original had 70,000 words cut to make it more saleable!
'newer edit' even better / less staccato ( says the 2 fingered typist)

- timeless.

Amtrack Wars (series) - Patrick Tilly
Dune (series) - Frank Herbert
Foundation (series) - Isaac Asimov
I Robot - Isaac Asimov

Ian m banks stuff is excellent

alistair Reynolds revelation space series is probably a step darker

peter f Hamilton for epic space opera

Dan simmonds needs to write more scifi the hyperion books and ilium and olympos are pageturners with a classical twist

frank herberts dune books too

Some good suggestions so far........

Roadside picnic - Igor & boris strugatsky
Starship troopers - Robert Heinlein ( forget the film)
Iain m banks - all/any of his stuff
Gateway - Frederick pohl

Bit old and light weight but the Stainless Steel Rat and Deathworld series by Harry Harrison are good fun.

Orson Scott Card - Enders Game
Vernor Vinge - A Fire upon the Deep
Ken MacLeod - The Cassini Division

banks is great - both his contemporary fiction and sf, and i'd reiterate the recommendation for the culture books. excellent imo.
reynolds not bad, check the glitterband based stuff.
hamilton i waded through. found it hard going, and didn't really invest much in his characters. might just be me.
heinlein i need to revisit. i read his stuff ( including stranger in a strange land and starship troopers ) many years ago, and need to go over it again. i suspect i'll enjoy it all again.

sort of interested in the warhammer 40k stuff. not to trashy?

Alan Dean Foster
+1

couldn't get enough of his stuff, especially anything in the commonwealth series

Rendezvous with Rama
Childhoods End

The Takeshi Kovacs trilogy (Altered Carbon, Broken Angels and Woken Furies) by Richard Morgan, utterly superb - not read anything that good in years (in any genre).

Dan Abnett’s Eisenhorn and Gaunt’s Ghost stuff is v good.

Got halfway through Revelation Space by Alistair Reynolds but just couldn’t bring myself to finish it - found it really hard work.

Currently reading The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross - if that doesn’t buck its ideas up in the next few pages or so it’s getting fired-off.

EDIT - Anything by H.P. Lovecraft. More connoisseurs horror / weird fiction really, but could loosely be termed Sci Fi.

Charles Stross, the Laundry Series and the Halting State series are a sort of future now sci fi. Read his Singularity Sky & Iron Sunrise for big SciFi. His problem is that he really thinks quite deeply about stuff so the big SciFi for him is quite challenging http://www.accelerando.org/

I second foundation by asimov, its brilliant, also i loved 'the forever war' by Joe Haldeman, a book called 'midnight at the well of souls' was excellent, and a bit different but check out 'seahorse in the sky' by edmund cooper.

They are all some of my favourites

Yep, as above.

Enders game, anything by Iain M Banks, Dune is astounding, all of them.
Heinlein is OK I guess. Stranger in a strange land is his best.

Phillip K Dick. Hmmm, the film conversions are usually good but some of the original stories are pretty poor. I have no idea why he's a respected author. Asimov also, very odd writing.

But for me, the best will always be Snow Crash which is more cyber punk than Sci Fi but Stephenson is such an amazing writer it's worth a mention.

No aliens in these ones buuuuut...

Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
The Fall Revolution series, by Ken Macleod (starting with the Star Fraction)
Stand on Zanzibar, by John Brunner
Vurt, by Jeff Noon

And yep, Richard Morgan's Kovacs series.
Older Iain M Banks- Player of Games, Use of Weapons, and most of all Consider Phlebeas (ok these do have aliens in)
and Snow Crash etc by Neal Stephenson

You might want to try the Night's Dawn series by Peter F Hamilton. But they're a bit iffy tbh, man needs an editor in the same way as I need a girlfriend 😉

Lastly, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. Neither aliens nor spaceships but everyone should read it regardless.

Charlie Stross does excellent stuff, the Atrocity Archives is very good, once you get into it; James Bond fights Cthulu! What's not to like. 😀 his Iron Sunrise/Singularity Sky books are all you get in that series; in his blog he admits he's painted himself into a corner with the science. Saturn's Children is another good one of his.
Snow Crash! What a book, an absolute classic. It'll be interesting to see how it's handled as a film; lots of scope for a total cluster****!

I would have to +1 the recs for black library/40k stuff if for no other reason than I work for them!

Great list there. Thanks all! Book tokens ready to deploy.

Recently read The Forever War, got aliens and battles, bit dated but classic.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Peace-War-Omnibus-Forever-Gollancz/dp/0575079193

Found it at a book sale thing at a community centre and bought it for 25p or something silly. One of my favourite books, it's fantastic.

Any Iain M Banks. Especially The Culture ones

I'd start with the earlier ones then you will start to see a few extra in jokes. Against a Dark Background and Use of Weapons are my favs.

Robert Reed - read all his stuff, brilliant.
Alistair Reynolds - also read all his stuff, great.
Neil Asher - read all his stuff as well, dark and gory.
Steven Baxter - Flood was quite moving and hit me hard.

Reed, Reynolds and Asher all have a scientific background which makes the story much better.

[i]Snow Crash! What a book, an absolute classic. It'll be interesting to see how it's handled as a film; lots of scope for a total cluster****! [/i]

Nah, I thought The Matrix was a good film 😉

(and let the Snow Crash/Neuromancer argument begin 😉 )

and let the Snow Crash/Neuromancer argument begin

with no spoilers please, as Neuromancer on my "to read" pile (and forever war) & I can't agree Snowcrash is Neals best (it's very good, but I prefer Cryptonomicon) & I've yet to read all his stuff.

Agree with majority of the stuff listed about Banks (+1000), Reynolds, Hamilton (poor twee ending would be my review to what promised in the 1st book to be an excellent series), but do like the old stuff like Asimov's (foundation, I robot), Saberhagen (beserker series), Larry Niven (Man Kzin wars) & Heinlein. I do also love Herberts Dune (and other non-dune books too) but hated the rest.. I have recently got hold of the series to try them again (2nd chance)

One seemingly big name missing for me though is David Brin, the Uplift series is excellent.

redwoods - Member
I would have to +1 the recs for black library/40k stuff if for no other reason than I work for them!

Read the 1st book of Abnett's The Horus Heresy series and very very impressed by how dark and well written it was (I need to revisit/finish them), have read a number of other 40K works that vary greatly in quality, though I am a fan of the very light weight fun 40K Cain series.

PS. Cheers NW hadn't realised there was follow up books to the 1st Kovacs book - off to 'locate' them now!

I think we were saying Snow Crash was his best sci-fi related book. Cryptonomicon is superb, I'd struggle to pick which one I preferred.

fair point, it without doubt is,it's just Cryptonomicon is so much funnier...

z1ppy - Member
Read the 1st book of Abnett's The Horus Heresy series and very very impressed by how dark and well written it was (I need to revisit/finish them), have read a number of other 40K works that vary greatly in quality, though I am a fan of the very light weight fun 40K Cain series.

I'll hold my hands up and admit I don't actually read any of our stuff, I just make it!

I think I probably have to be careful what I say here in case I cross any kind of external-company-self-promotion-and-marketing sort of line, but if you've not read any for a while then maybe worth a revisit - Dan Abnett's certainly written another two books for the HH series since the first 😉

Probably more steampunk than scifi but China Mieville's Perdido St Station is an amazing read.

I am gobsmacked to realise that no-one's recommended Stephen R Donaldson's Gap series. Brilliant. Get it NOW, all of you. If you're on this thread you must like SF, well, trust me, this'll float your boat

..what so Donaldson can continue on his rape obsession.. I bought it, even after years of dragging my through the drivel of the "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" (and it's second series) all becuase my parents thought I'd enjoy it (covenant series).
Anyone want the gap series for postage?
Cause I definitely don't & am annoyed that I wasted the money on it

Personnally I took it as a good sign no one had mentioned it.

*in all in my [i]very humble opinion[/i] obviously.

EDIT: Actually I think I may have just dug the unbeliever series out of a loft, if anyone want to waste their time on that too, before i charity shop it?

In complete contrast I love his "Mordant's Need" book.

Actually I think I may have just dug the unbeliever series out of a loft, if anyone want to waste their time on that too, before i charity shop it?

It's only fit for mulch.

agreed..

Another vote for Banks

Aliens? Mote in God's Eye by Niven/Pournelle has loads of em. Interesting first contact type novel.

HHGTTG

HHGTTG

What, all six books of the trilogy? Nope - original radio series for me.

as already mentioned 'altered carbon' only half way through but its not bad

Is the OP after Sci Fi or Fantasy. Elfs an Orcs or Robots an Aliens. I waded through the Thomas Covenant series, hard going and quite depressing. For fantasy David Eddings or Terry Brooks.

samuri - Member
I think we were saying Snow Crash was his best sci-fi related book. Cryptonomicon is superb, I'd struggle to pick which one I preferred.

Larry Niven - "the mote in gods eye" - if you can find a copy -

Another vote for Snow Crash

I vote for Larry Niven too, his 'Known Space' series is consistent and imaginative, and stretches your mind for you. It might help to read them in some sort of order.

I quite liked reamde. I've actually run out of stuff to read now after spending two weeks oln holiday so I'm checking up on this thread to catch some new stuff.

I wish I could help, but I am more a "skinnyboyinthevillagegetsaswordfromastrangerandanotefromhisunknownmumandthengotogetotshredthegnarandcutadragontopieces" type of book.

Jack Vance has written some great stuff - The Demon Princes is one of his best.

The Shadow of the Torturer (and subsequent books) by Gene Wolfe is one of my favourites

If you are going to read some Stephenson then I'd suggest The Baroque Cycle. Sci Fi set in the 17th century.

Don't read Cryptonomicon first as it has a large spoiler for the later trilogy.

Went with this pile.

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Book tokens rule.

That's an ace selection - I mentioned Gaunt's Ghost and Eisenhorn but remissly neglected to highlight Ravenor. Altered Carbon really is a must.

I would demand a science-fiction library, featuring an ABC of the genre. Asimov, Bester, Clarke.

Z1ppy, if you're going to read Gibson, then start with Burning Chrome. It's a collection of short stories, one of which Johnny Mnemonic, sets up for Neuromancer, and introduces a crucial character. The other stories are really good as well, certainly well worth reading in their own right. He tends to write trilogies, so it's Neuromancer, Count Zero, :D, and Mona Lisa Overdrive, followed by Virtual Light, Idoru and All Tomorrow's Parties, and the most recent, Pattern Recognition, Spook Country and Zero History.
I'm amazed nobody has mentioned Roger Zelazney! He was a master of prose, a writer who could turn out brilliant phrases and descriptions. He wrote fantasy and SF with equal aplomb, Damnation Alley was one of his better known novels, turned into a truly crappy film. He co-wrote a very good book with Alfred Bester, often considered the father of cyberpunk, so look for The Stars My Destination, also called Tiger!Tiger! and The Demolished Man.
He also wrote lots of tv and film scripts for stuff that many will recognise. (the Psi Ops character in Babylon 5 was called Alfred Bester...)

Very good selection, needs a Neal Asher adding to it and you'll be addicted to some very good authors.

Tiger!Tiger! forgot about that one, think I'm going to have to dig it out of my collection and pay it a re-visit.

Would Chris Wooding's series involving Capt. Frey and The Ketty Jay be considered 'proper' sci-fi..?

(Mark; happy to lend if you like the sound of 'em.)

+1 for Ketty Jay series. But some excellent black humour then Joe Abercrombie is worth a look The First Law series is excellent.

Was going to suggest The First Law series, too, but would suppose that's more fantasy fiction than science fiction..?

Recommend Peter f Hamilton epic books and series

You might want to try the Night's Dawn series by Peter F Hamilton. But they're a bit iffy tbh, man needs an editor in the same way as I need a girlfriend

lol, and a perfect description - fun light reading, the ending was a slight let down, same thing happened in the Void trilogy. Worth reading, but don't expect great literature.

And my favourite Stephenson book is The Diamond Age. Although the Baroque Cycle and Cryptonomicon come close.

Finally got round to reading Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion which were pretty good.

Also recently read "Sliding Void" by Stephen Hunt, entertaining but once again, hardly literature. Good enough I bought the second book in the trilogy, the 3rd has yet to come out.

Now reading Cloud Atlas. So far so good.

Julian May - Non born king or any of his later polity series.

Ready player one - ernest cline - great if you love 80's retro non alien sci fi.

Peter F Hamilton - Void trilogy

CZ, noted the Gibson comment, want to read the Richard Morgan book 1st though...

Dragon's Egg by Robert L Forward. Drags a bit at first, but the aliens are completely different to anything we can understand and not intent on destroying/eating us
Asimov's Robot series - nothing like that awful I, Robot film. No aliens apart from 1 short story IIRC, but all sorts of interesting takes on the famous 3 Laws of Robotics.

(the Psi Ops character in Babylon 5 was called Alfred Bester...)

Not got much in the way of aliens, but Micheal Marshall Smith's 'Only Forward' and 'Spares' are two of my most fav sci-fi novels.

Probably more steampunk than scifi but China Mieville's Perdido St Station is an amazing read

I've plugged that one a few times on here! Nearly finished it and waiting for Un Lun Don to hit the door mat.

+1 for the Asimov "Robots" series of novels and short stories, some very thought-inspiring stuff (my favourite would be the short story "That thou art mindful of him")

A bit left field, but have you considered Ursula Le Guin's Hainish series of novels? I'm currently working my way through them, and have really enjoyed the whole setup. Start with "The Dispossessed", which has the added bonus of being set (partly) on an Anarcho-Syndicalist planet (as in Monty Python's annoying peasant from "Holy Grail")

BigButSlimmerBloke - Member
(the Psi Ops character in Babylon 5 was called Alfred Bester...)

Ensign Chekov?

Really enjoyed the final two Kovac's triology books, again cheers for the heads up on these. I'm off to locate the 1st two books in his next trilogy.

How's TBC doing with those book, or is he a slow reader?

Enjoying the Ravenor one. Book 1 complete.

cool 😀

Erm - Julian May was / is a 'she'...

+1 for Rendezvous With Rama (and the sequels) and Childhood's End: excellent (as is most of Arthur C Clarke's writing).

Sorry for the hijack, but do any of these authors have series which have the same characters throughout?

Stainless Steel Rat and Deathworld series by Harry Harrison are good fun.

Stainless steel rat........brilliant witty charming well worth a read.
I would recommend. H G Wells..... The time machine or war of the world's. Still good read.

10 - Member

Sorry for the hijack, but do any of these authors have series which have the same characters throughout?

There's a few I know of:
Neal Asher's 'Cormac' series
Peter F Hamilton - Greg Mandel, Night's Dawn and Void Trilogies
Alastair Reynold's - Revelation Space series

Of these I'd particularly recommend Peter F Hamilton's Night's Dawn and Void trilogies.

Thanks, I like to have some continuation in books.