| The Rama books definitely fit the bill here. |
Recommend me a hard sci-fi • Page 2
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dgb 657 posts
Seen 2 years ago
Registered 15 years ago -
@Graveland Relieved I'm not alone in thinking this. I got so cross while reading Dune - whenever characters found themselves in a genuinely tense and inescapable situation, some previously unmentioned bit of lore or character ability would save the day. "Perhaps if we sing the ritual of Ur'un' duuuuuur' we'll ascend into the sky and be OK."
No gun, no mantlepiece, just a great saga full of cheap plot.
Edited by Bedders at 19:52:10 17-11-2012
Edited by Bedders at 19:52:27 17-11-2012 -
I loved the Dune series. Never had an issue with Herbert's prose. -
spamdangled 31,803 posts
Seen 3 days ago
Registered 13 years agoEatMyCow wrote:
Basically, Hard Sci-Fi is science fiction with a greater emphasis on "hard" sciences such as physics, chemistry), as opposed to "soft" science fiction which tends to be focused more on examining the softer sciences such as psychology, philosophy, sociology, etc.
What does hard sci-fi mean? I'm not being pedantic I'm just wondering? I don't read a lot of sci-fi
Soft science fiction = Star Trek
Hard Science Fiction = Asimov
(as a general guide)
Edited by darkmorgado at 20:19:29 17-11-2012 -
TechnoHippy 19,245 posts
Seen 2 weeks ago
Registered 18 years agoNeal Asher's Polity series is pretty good. -
Ged42 7,985 posts
Seen 2 years ago
Registered 14 years agoKevin J Anderson's Saga of the Seven Suns is good though might be a bit pulpy to be hard sci-fi.
Failing that just grab a short story collection by Clarke, Asimov or P K Dick and be done with it. -
Lukree 583 posts
Seen 4 hours ago
Registered 18 years agoAlastair Reynols is my favorite, Dan Simmons comes the next. -
Khanivor 44,800 posts
Seen 2 days ago
Registered 20 years agoGreg Bear's Eon. See if you can get through this book; densest sci-fi I've ever read. He has plenty of other much more readable stuff. You might need a slide-rule though.
Greg Egan's stuff was really good. His collection of short stories is immense.
Alistair Reyonold's shit is good too. -
skuzzbag 5,950 posts
Seen 5 years ago
Registered 17 years agoUnorthodox Engineers by Colin Kapp is a collection of five short stories.
Eric Frank Russell did a pulp sci-fi style.
I'm not really sure what is meant by "hard" sci-fi either but if you want non-political Russell and Kapp can provide that. There's no back history beyond a brief character introduction and no sprawling plot lines.
Edited by skuzzbag at 21:59:28 17-11-2012 -
orpheus 1,867 posts
Seen 2 months ago
Registered 13 years agodarkmorgado wrote:
HAHAHAHA you gotta be fucking kidding me. Asimov, for all his robot laws and psychohistory is categorically *not* 'hard' sci fi. Virtually nothing from that period is; 'hard' sci fi is authors like Reynolds, Peter Watts etc that, as you say, deals with or includes/does not shy away from hard science like physics/biology etc.
Soft science fiction = Star Trek
Hard Science Fiction = Asimov
'Soft' sci fi is also not stuff that deals with 'soft' sciences - it's stuff like Asimov, like Kevin J Anderson etc, where stardrives just 'work' and aliens all magically speak the same language, can travel billions of light years in a few days etc. Star trek would be a decent example, true, but do get your terminology correct.
Edited by orpheus at 23:00:54 17-11-2012 -
Hard sci-fi is something you'd change the dust-jacket on to avoid being alienated (arf) on the bus. -
My sci-fi is harder than yours. -
rtk79 510 posts
Seen 2 years ago
Registered 15 years agoRobert Charles Wilson's Spin seems to fit OP's needs. Quite liked it anyway. -
Khanivor wrote:
Yeah, loved this. Heads is worth a try too, although it's a short.
Greg Bear's Eon.
What's the thread's recommendation then? Is it Blindsight? -
skuzzbag 5,950 posts
Seen 5 years ago
Registered 17 years agoAh I get it. Hard sci-fi is when they just write stories about going to the moon and back because that's about as far as real science has got. -
disusedgenius 10,677 posts
Seen 2 days ago
Registered 14 years agoLamb wrote:
It's a stylistic distinction, not a quality one. It's like comparing Froza and Mario Kart or something. Hard science just has more of a base in exploring scientific theory and concepts.
Personally I don't see the fucking distinction theres good sci-fi and theres crap sci-fi, end of.. -
beastmaster 22,373 posts
Seen 4 days ago
Registered 17 years agoDragon's Egg
Hard sci-fi
Edited by beastmaster at 23:46:15 17-11-2012 -
orpheus 1,867 posts
Seen 2 months ago
Registered 13 years agobeastmaster wrote:
That link leads to the wiki description of 'hard sci fi' which is exactly what DM wrote, word for word. Classy. Shame he didn't read the final para.
Dragon's Egg
Hard sci-fi
ROFL. -
localnotail 23,079 posts
Seen 2 weeks ago
Registered 13 years agoAnathem. And other Stephenson. That'll make you think.
Why no Iain M. Banks?
Any room for William Gibson & Bruce Sterling or are they too "soft"? Is it just space stuff or dry futurism? -
meme wrote:
What buses do you use?
Hard sci-fi is something you'd change the dust-jacket on to avoid being alienated (arf) on the bus. -
I don't. I'm not a peon.
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