Good SF Books
POSTED BY: ecgordon
UPDATED: Sunday, May 2, 2004 02:10
VIEWED: 8151
PAGE 2 of 4
I haven't read much short SF in quite a while, but for a time I did read a lot, many anthologies over the years and also subscribed to many of the magazines, even some that are not published anymore like Galaxy and Galileo. Also used to read all of Wollheim's and Carr's "Best of" collections and a few of Dozois and Hartwell's too, but lately I prefer novels.
I do think short stories are a good way for readers new to the genre though, gives them access to a lot of different writers and styles, and then they can make a list of those that interest them the most and can search out other stuff by those writers.
wo men ren ran zai fei xing.
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Quote:
Originally posted by MistressofUselessKnowledge:
My most recent favorite author is Lois McMaster Bujold. This multiple Nebula award winner is the author of the Miles Vorkosigan series, which is an interesting mix of James Bond, Ender's Game and Indiana Jones-type action. This series, which is best initiated by reading the omnibus edition "Cordelia's Honor," is hard to put down, except when you fall over laughing, or cringe in sympathy pain with the main character of Miles.
I was hoping that someone would mention Bujold. Have you read the three fantasy novels she's
written?
The Spirit Ring
The Curse of Chalion and
Paladin of Souls
In addition to Bujold's works, my desert island collection would include:
Poul Anderson (Winter of the World and Boat of a Million Years)
Vernor Vinge (A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky)
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Quote:
Originally posted by dbell46:
I was hoping that someone would mention Bujold. Have you read the three fantasy novels she's
written?
The Spirit Ring
The Curse of Chalion and
Paladin of Souls
I have read the first two (which are awesome, especially Chalion), but am waiting for Paladin of Souls in paperback. Hehe, Barnes & Noble gets enough of my money, as it is.
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Wow! What a great group of lists! May I add one or two more?
First, Heinlein, Heinlein and more Heinlein. Yes, his older works and ideas may seem a bit dated now (The Roads Must Roll, for example) but the man was without a doubt a genius IMO.
I'd recommend Gene Wolfe's Shadow of the Torturer series, a little earlier in his career.
For those with a taste for true pun-ishment, you'd be hard pressed to do better than Spider Robinson's "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon" and sequels. Yes, they're a bit light on the science side, but they are VERY funny. Time-travelling irishmen, talking German shepherds, a were-beagle...... and more puns than you can shake a schtick at!
For fantasy buffs, Steven R Donaldson's "Thomas Covenant" series is still one of my absolute favorites.
And for someone who crosses a lot of genres, Orson Scott Card reads very well. Sci-fi with Ender's Game and sequels and Memory of Earth series, alternative-history with the Tales of Alvin Maker series and Pastwatch, fantasy with Enchantment and Hart's Hope, horror/suspense with Lost Boys (not the movie!) and Homebody, and even several books of short fiction.
OK, my picks show that except for Card, I haven't much kept up with my reading the past few years. But I can recommend all of these.
MAL "You only gotta scare him."
JAYNE "Pain is scary..."
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I don't read much scifi but for military scifi:
David Sherman and Dan Cragg: Starfist series (9 books out so far)
I wouldn't call it great writing but it's entertaining and the character development is good.
Fantasy:
J.V. Jones: The Book of Words trilogy (Baker's Boy, A Man Betrayed, and Master and Fool). The Sword of Shadows trilogy (Cavern of Black Ice, Fortress of Grey Ice, and Sword from Red Ice).
Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Riders of Pern series.
I like Bujold as well.
Magic's Pawn and it's 2 sequels are also pretty good (by Mercedes Lackey).
I mainly read military history though or historical fiction.
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Ohhh, glad someone mentioned Starfist. I really like those books, a lot.
A similiar trilogy is "The Heritage Trilogy", with the books "Semper Mars", "Luna Marine" and "Europa Strike". Unfortunately my books are packed away and I can't remember the author's name. Not as far in the future as Starfist but definately nifty. And as the titles may give away it isn't the "Federation Marines" it's involving the honest-to-Chesty USMC. There's just something deep down inside me gets a large dose of glee to the idea of someday adding a line starting,"Through the red sands of Mars..." to the Hymn. 
Now this one may get me some odd looks, I do not like comic books. Haven't bought a comic book for lo' on 20 years...until I bought a trade paperback edition of one for Christmas. It's called "The Red Star: Collected Edition" and is an alternate history-future book about the Soviet Union (sorta) which is very well done. It has flying battleships, hammer and sickle melee fighting in power armor (yeah actual hammers and sickles as weapons, you read that right) and sorcery that allows talents to turn themselves into plasma used as broadsides. Oh and magical spells that appear as HUDs. Very odd, but very very good.
I'll have to second the "Deathstalker" series, something about spaceships and swordfights always appealed to me. Then again I always wanted to be a pirate when I grew up, and being a pirate in Spaaaaaaaaaace is even cooler.
Time for more odd looks, I loved both "Battlefield Earth" (the movie though sucked, sucked, sucked) and the "Mission Earth" Decology. Yeah there are 10 books in this lesser known, yet to my mind better, L. Ron Hubbard series. Funny, funny stuff. I got the whole set in hardback when I was in High School and read them once a year at least just to chuckle a lot. Although the cheesegrater and tabasco scene never fails to make me wince. A lot.
I like alternate histories and there are a lot of them I could list but won't because they aren't precisely Sci-Fi, but one definately is. "Guns of the South" by Harry Turtledove. His books tend to have a rapidly swinging quality level, even in the same series, hell even in the same book; but this one is definately a good one.
Harry Harrison's "Bill The Galactic Hero" is also a great read, very funny stuff. In the same vein so are the "Stainless Steel Rat" books. The first one is only one of two books I can re-read to this day and still laugh out loud while I'm reading it. Which is a rare trick because I'm so reserved and whatnot. 
I'd second a lot on this list, see lots of books I really liked but the one that I need to say again by name is "Starship Troopers", if you only ever saw the movie, no matter what you thought of the movie, you really should read this book. I used to say it should be manditory reading before anyone even thought of seeing a military recruiter, and actually I still do. The movie is Hollywood fluff, the book will make you think and that's one of the best things any book can do.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
"Oh hey, I got an idea. Instead of us hanging
around playing art critic till I get pinched by
the Man, how's about we move away from this
eerie-ass piece of work and get on with our
increasingly eerie-ass day, how's that?"
My eerie-ass website:
http://gunhandsfirefly.homestead.com/Index.html
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Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:Quote:
Originally posted by MistressOfUselessKnowledge, in another thread:
Anyone think we should start a thread for great sci-fi books? My reading pile is getting a little low, which sucks since there is such a dearth of good sci-fi on tv right now.
I read almost nothing but SF, and a smattering of Fantasy, and have for almost 40 years.
Sorry to go on so long, but I love books!
Now somebody else list some newer stuff that I haven't read yet.
wo men ren ran zai fei xing.
Okay...you've got some great ones here. I can only claim the last ~ 35 years, since I really started reading F&SF around age 10. In my late 20's, I used to shop at A Change of Hobit in LA. I focused a lot on women's authors, but not totally. Here are some of my favorite authors that are not on your list. Many are blended F&SF or total fantasy authors, but they are good. Not a one is Robert Jordan-ish. I can recommend titles if any strike your fancy.
Sherry S. Tepper -- SF and so incredibly talented
Charles de Lint -- who writes incredible urban
fantasy
Octavia Butler -- If Samuel R. Delany is the king, she is the Queen of black SF writers
Nalo Hopkinson (Awesome afro-carribean inspired SF) http://www.sff.net/people/nalo/
Sean Russell
Guy Gavrial Kaye (fantasy)
Joan Slonczewski (I still argue her book "A Door into Ocean" is the inspiration for that blue farscape woman)
some quirky favorite books:
Vonda McIntyre's Nebula and Hugo winner Dreamsnake
Amy Thompson's "The Color of Distance" is just poetry -- the sequel is good, but not magic.
Spider and Jean Robinsons' Stardance (or stardancer) is very close to my heart.
My hubby really liked Steve Barnes' alternate history books (and I hear his wife, Tananarive Due is also great, but haven't read her yet).
A friend of mine swears by Marge Piercy, but I haven't read her yet.
You have probably read Theodore Sturgeon's "Godbody" -- which is his excellent posthumous book.
If you are looking for SF writers of color, check out Limited Color Palette at http://mechnoir.com/limited/LCP.html
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I see lots of great books and authors listed in this thread.
One series of books that has not been mentioned is "The Honor Harrington series" by David Weber. The first book in the series is called "On Basilisk Station".
I cannot say enough about this series of books! Absolutely superb reading! Anyone interested in Military Sci-Fi should do themselves a favour and read this series.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Calhoun:
I see lots of great books and authors listed in this thread.
One series of books that has not been mentioned is "The Honor Harrington series" by David Weber. The first book in the series is called "On Basilisk Station".
I cannot say enough about this series of books! Absolutely superb reading! Anyone interested in Military Sci-Fi should do themselves a favour and read this series.
I've heard really good things about that series as well but never managed to find it in a bookstore. And everytime I go on Amazon or B&N sites I get brainlockup. Sorta like River but instead of "too much hair" it's always,"too many books" and I forget what I was looking for, surf for a few hours and wind up with a shopping cart of stuff I just stumbled upon.
No discipline in my online buying. *looks over at his lava lamp with a hula dancer doll in it* I mean NONE.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
"Oh hey, I got an idea. Instead of us hanging
around playing art critic till I get pinched by
the Man, how's about we move away from this
eerie-ass piece of work and get on with our
increasingly eerie-ass day, how's that?"
My eerie-ass website:
http://gunhandsfirefly.homestead.com/Index.html
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Quote:
Originally posted by Calhoun:
I see lots of great books and authors listed in this thread.
One series of books that has not been mentioned is "The Honor Harrington series" by David Weber. The first book in the series is called "On Basilisk Station".
I cannot say enough about this series of books! Absolutely superb reading! Anyone interested in Military Sci-Fi should do themselves a favour and read this series.
Concur. I got one of the Harrington series to read - and by the time I'd got halfway through, I'd ordered the rest (Except one which is taking it's time)
If you want a preview,the publishers have On Basilisk up at their website here
http://www.baen.com/library/
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Experience has taught me that interest begets expectation, and expectation begets disappointment, so the key to avoiding disappointment is to avoid interest. A=B=C=A, or whatever
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