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Plenty of good suggestions above. However, I note that Joe Haldeman's Forever War is now being sold with the two other (slightly inferior) books of the series. It's a must read, genuine classic....... Honourable mention in the comedy sci-fi for The Stainless Steel Rat series. |
Book recommendation (sci-fi) • Page 4
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bloke 1,490 posts
Seen 1 year ago
Registered 17 years ago -
TechnoHippy 19,245 posts
Seen 2 weeks ago
Registered 18 years agoStainless Steel Rat was another classic. I seem to remember another from my youth, Legion of Moros or something. Over the top space soldier type thing. -
dmj 1,081 posts
Seen 4 months ago
Registered 17 years agocoastal wrote:
Neal Stephenson's new book is out now. Regularly good writer since Snow Crash. I wish it was more baroque cycle stuff but never mind.
I picked it up last week, though haven't opened it yet as I need to finish The Passion of New Eve.
I'd recommend Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny as, well, anyone's next read. -
Lord of Light is all kinds of amazing
Can't wait to get started on the next Stephenson, I plan on picking it up this weekend. -
FairgroundTown 2,522 posts
Seen 8 years ago
Registered 16 years agoI'm waiting for the third Time Odyssey to come out in paper-back. I didn't think the first two were the greatest things ever, but I still want to find out what happens. -
I'm going to start The Algebraist (Iain M. Banks) when I have a bit of time. I picked it up on a whim and don't know much about it, I've not read any of the author's stuff before (or if I have, I don't remember it). Anyone got strong views on The Algebraist either way? -
Yeah, my strong view is that the Algebraist is really pants. And this is coming from an Iain M. Banks fan.
If you want to know more, there's a dedicated thread somewhere where I justify my hatred..gif)
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Ginger wrote:
Wow, I'm reading Foundation and Earth now (I have the masochistic tendency to finish what I've started) and it's quite unbelievably bad. It's so bad that it's actually unintentionally funny. It even has sex scenes.
otto wrote:
Not the greatest recommendation - I'll wait for the synopsis
...but they're basically a continuation of where he left off in book three.
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Aranel 669 posts
Seen 9 years ago
Registered 14 years agootto wrote:
Yeah, my strong view is that the Algebraist is really pants. And this is coming from an Iain M. Banks fan.
Don't know that I'd agree that it was really pants...thought it was OK but definitely not his best work.
I don't think it's the best book to introduce you to his book...he's written far better stuff IMO (The Player of Games is very awesome ) -
Tonka 31,979 posts
Seen 2 hours ago
Registered 18 years agocoastal wrote:
Neal Stephenson's new book is out now. Regularly good writer since Snow Crash. I wish it was more baroque cycle stuff but never mind.
O_o Wow. Thank you. You just made my day!
/is a massive whore for Stephenson -
TechnoHippy 19,245 posts
Seen 2 weeks ago
Registered 18 years agootto wrote:
Yeah, my strong view is that the Algebraist is really pants. And this is coming from an Iain M. Banks fan.
If you want to know more, there's a dedicated thread somewhere where I justify my hatred.
I found the first read hard going, but on subsequent reads I actually got into it. Not one of his best but pretty good.
Just started reading Ashes of Worlds by Kevin Anderson, I've enjoyed teh series so far, so I've been looking forward to this. -
Onny 5,695 posts
Seen 11 hours ago
Registered 16 years agoI'm currently reading The Reality Dysfunction, and although I enjoy the Sci-Fi I'm disliking the sex. I had the same issue with Pandora's Star / Judas Unchained, really, and it seems to be a common complaint amoung EG PFH readers.
I have a question, though; I'm going on a 3 week holiday soon, which will give me plenty of time to read. Because of this, I'm looking for book suggestions. My only criteria are:
- Should be a long read
- Should be good
- If it could go lightly on the political intrigue, that would be great - I find it a little boring
All suggestions welcomed with open arms and a pure heart! -
Carbon_Altered 890 posts
Seen 2 weeks ago
Registered 15 years agoI'm loving Peter Hamiltons Night's Dawn trilogy - I'm on the last one currently so no spoilers please. I don't really mind the sex - he's not the greatest at writing it, but I think it fits with the type of socieities he is describing.
Richard Morgan is a legend, love the Kovac books and The Black Man is ace too
Iain M Banks is good, but the quality varies. I certainly wouldn't read the Algebraist if you are new to his work. As mentioned, go with The player of games, or Consider Phlebas. They are excellent. -
bef 1,766 posts
Seen 3 days ago
Registered 18 years agoNot strictly SF but probably even better: The Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway
It has a post apocalyptic setting!
It has ninjas!
It is not a book that springs out of nowhere. Its bleakly humorous futuristic vision is not dissimilar to that of Kurt Vonnegut, while its visceral, scattershot energy brings to mind landmark American books like The World According to Garp and Catch-22. But there is also something very English about Harkaway's writing, specifically his acute sense of the ridiculous, and the ghosts of Douglas Adams and P G Wodehouse haunt some of the finest passages here. -
pauleyc 4,548 posts
Seen 16 hours ago
Registered 20 years agoI'd suggest Stephenson's Cryptonomicon. It's not exactly easy (cryptography and mathematics usually aren't) but it features Stephenson's typical style - including the famous 11000 words describing the protagonist's Captain Crunch cereal breakfast - and is otherwise both huge and involving.
As for Banks...I do like his Culture books (despite having ambivalent feelings regarding the Culture itself) but I have yet to read a book by him with a positive ending. And for the love of God, don't waste your time reading Bear's Eon, it's dreadful. -
Stephenson's Baroque Trilogy would be an even better choice imho. Cryptonomicon's a bit... well... it's basically maths porn isn't it? -
pauleyc 4,548 posts
Seen 16 hours ago
Registered 20 years agoYep, it is maths porn but the packaging is very attractive IMO. You also managed to uncover my shameful secret - I haven't read The Baroque Cycle yet, now that I've purchased all the books it's next on my to-do list (after I finish The Black Man).
Mud, eh? -
pauleyc 4,548 posts
Seen 16 hours ago
Registered 20 years agoTo make my double post more useful, I'd also recommend The Terror by Dan Simmons. Gripping and inventive story although I expected him to run out of narrators half way through the book (the spoiler probably makes sense only for those that read the book). -
Biggles 56 posts
Seen 2 years ago
Registered 17 years agoUse of Weapons is another Banks classic. I wouldn't start with the algebraist at all. It's not bad, but no where near the best starting point. -
phAge 25,487 posts
Seen 3 weeks ago
Registered 18 years agopauleyc wrote:
/obligatory whack to the cobblers for going OT
To make my double post more useful, I'd also recommend The Terror by Dan Simmons. Gripping and inventive story although I expected him to run out of narrators half way through the book (the spoiler probably makes sense only for those that read the book).
Yeah - The Terror was awesome, right until everything went all paranormal and stuff.
His rendition of life on an ice-locked wooden ship in the 19th century is the best I've ever read. To be fair, it's also the only rendition of life on an ice-locked wooden ship in the 19th century I've ever read. Still, well worth a read. -
Onny 5,695 posts
Seen 11 hours ago
Registered 16 years agoThanks for the suggestions, gents! I will have a look for the titles mentioned on amazon to see what I can get for cheap.
/fires laser
Pew pew! -
Scimarad 9,964 posts
Seen 14 hours ago
Registered 18 years agoJust finished Pirate Sun, the 3rd of Karl Schroeder's 'Virga' books. Excellent, as the others were.
"I would have brought you a horse...but it fell off the edge when the world ended." lol! -
Martin Prince: As your president, I would demand a science-fiction library, featuring an ABC of the genre. Asimov, Bester, Clarke.
Student: What about Ray Bradbury?
Martin Prince: I'm aware of his work... -
Another shout for Slaughterhouse 5 here. You really got to read it.
I don't want to tell you anything about it. Just discover it, man. -
jerrymanu 3,115 posts
Seen 7 years ago
Registered 15 years agobrokenkey wrote:
I'm going to plug Snow Crash again. And everything else Neal Stephenson has done.
/\-----This----/\
The Baroque Cycle is an AMAZING piece of work. -
sirtacos 8,279 posts
Seen 4 months ago
Registered 14 years agoAnything by Isaac Asimov.
I just finished reading his entire Robot collection. Was good. Now I'm reading the Foundation series. It's ok so far. -
munki83 1,853 posts
Seen 14 hours ago
Registered 15 years agoI'm reading otherlands at the moment and really liking it.
I'd also recommend Stephen Kings The Dark Tower Series. I know its not strictly sci-fi but they are great reads -
glaeken 12,070 posts
Seen 7 months ago
Registered 17 years agodisc wrote:
Vernor Vinge - Rainbows End.
Especially if you like Snow Crash or some of the earlier Gibson novels.
I did not rate that one too much as a story (certainly not in comparison to his earlier works) but his concept of being able to overlay your own theme's on reality was a superb idea.
The book really reminded me of Charles Stross where the technology was the focus above the actually story which was fairly perfunctory. -
Just finished One Jump Ahead by Mark L. Van Name. It's not amazing, just fun pulpy sci-fi action. Nice easy read. On the last Takeshi Kovacs' novel now, Broken Angels was a fantastic follow-up to Altered Carbon. Have A Fire Upon the Deep and Across Realtime by Vernor Vinge in the queue, never read any Vinge but I've heard good things.
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