I'm really new to the whole "Science Fiction" genre, but I always wanted to find a decent one (or series) to read. I would appreciate some suggestions of personal favorites, since I haven't hardly read them. Thanks! E. F. Mingo
You should take a look at some of the old classics. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes War of the Worlds by HG Wells The Time Machine by HG Wells I am Legend by Richard Matherson Foundation by Isaac Asmiov As well as that, it's worth having a look at the work of some newer writers in the genre. Myself, I'm partial towards Iain M. Banks, and Greg Egan. And Robert J. Sawyer's Flash Forward is very good, just don't expect it to be anything like the TV show.
Thanks a lot. I had forgotten that I already read The Time Machine and I am Legend, so that takes a few off the classics list. I'll go check out the others though.
The Known Space seried by Larry Niven. Many of them are short story collections, but Ringworld, A Gift from Earth, World of Ptaavs, and Protector are novels I recommend, along with the collection Neutron Star. Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rendezvous with Rama, and A Fall of Moondust. The last of the three is a bit dated in its science (most scientists no longer believe in seas of fluid dust on the moon nowadays), but it is a fine nailbiter survival story. James P. Hogan's Thrice Upon a Time, The Genesis Machine, and The Two Faces of Tomorrow. The characters are somewhat flat, but the stories are very good anyway.
It really depends on the type of SF you're interested in. There are so many subcategories: Military SF, Alternate History, Space Opera, etc. If you like Military SF, for example, John Ringo's Posleen War series might be a good choice. If you think alternate history is along what you'd like to read, Harry Turtledove has, for example, Guns of the South, or the World War series. Of course, there are all of the Star Trek novels, and some classic Roger Zelazny works such as Lord of Light and Creatures of Light and Darkness. Check out what was mentioned in this thread, try and find some reviews and give them a shot. Most mentioned so far would be available in a library, as well as for sale in bookstores and online. Good luck. SF is a great genre to read, if you ask me. Terry
Thanks guys, this really helps quite a bit. I didn't really know the defined subcategories, so I'll have to figure out which ones I enjoy. I'll make sure to make a trip to the library sometime next weekend hopefully. =]
Also good is anything by Nancy Kress. I think she gets forgotten a lot but she has won the Hugo award, and I think her Sci-fi is pretty fresh and different.
Sphere by Michael Crichton Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card I don't actually read a lot of sci-fi books (which is weird, I'm a little bit of a sci-fi nerd) but I loved those two.
I read those two as well haha. I liked Crichton's Andromeda Strain better though. I forget that he's science fiction. XD
Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders series, and also her Crystal Singer series. For some good old-school space opera, E. E. "Doc" Smith's Lensmen series. Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's Lucifer's Hammer, and The Mote in God's Eye. Very little similarity between these two stories, but both are great reads. Frederik Pohl's Heechee saga, especially the first two books, Gateway and Beyond the Blue Event Horizon.
If I had just one book to recommend in the Sci-Fi genre, it would have to be ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card. It's an intense thriller with a lot of emotional depth. I think you'd love it.
Wow, I'm amazed no one has mentioned Dune (Frank Herbert) yet or Ringworld (Larry Niven). Still lot's of classics so far, not that this is bad, some books are classics for a reason. Time for something more recent. World War Z (Max Brooks) - Despite being written by Mel Brooks's son this isn't the laugh out loud funny romp you might expect. It's a suprisingly serious, scary and meticulously well thought out, story, or rather series of stories, about how the human race responds to a disaster of apocalyptic proportions.
Look again Another interesting series id James Blish's Cities in Flight. It's old school, and has an archaic feel, but it's a good read, and takes you all the way to the end of the universe. And speaking of the end of te universe, don't forget Douglas Adams Hitchiker's Guide to the Universe series. It's written for laughs, but it brilliantly pokes fun at the standard themes of science fiction. Also for laughs, read the collaboration piece by Larry Niven and David Gerrold, The Flying Sorcerers. David Gerrold is best known for writing the classic Star Trek episode, The Trouble with Tribbles.
I really wanna read Ringworld by Larry Niven. Unfortunately, the only copy available in my university's library network is missing. I just recently finished The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells though. It took me a little while to get into it, but upon finishing it I realized I really enjoyed it. I also recently read The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick and I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. I also really want to read the Dune series. So many books to read!
Did not enjoy H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds at all, was a complete snoozefest for me. The Time Machine is one of my favorite books, however. Aside from those two, the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov ranks very highly with the best I've ever read. I would recommend it to anyone looking to read a light, yet very engaging, book. Anything by Asimov is amazing in my opinion. Ray Bradbury is another great writer to check out. Ender's Game, while a good book, shouldn't be read alone. It's a precursor to a good series, but the book itself is childish in nature and not something I'd read if I didn't plan to read the other novels in the series as well. Think someone mentioned it, but Max Brooks has a couple of zombie books out that I found very engrossing.
I don't think anyone here has mentioned Dan Simmons yet. If you're into Greek mythology and classics, you'll absolutely love him. Try Ilium, Olympos, and The Fall of Hyperion by him. Terrific books by a terrific sci-fi author.
I have to disagree. Ender's Game, while focused on children, is anything but childish. The characterization, the plot, the action; it all fits together perfectly. It has to be one of my favorite Sci-Fi books, besides Starship Troopers (which, I admit, I mainly read because of the the "Roughnecks" CGI cartoon that was on when I was a little tike) and a few others besides. John Scalzi writes interesting military sci-fi; his Old Man's War novel is something I'm currently reading and his writing style is excellent; he brings a setting and the characters to life very well and (of course) he entertains.
More than Human by Theodore Sturgeon But don't overlook shorts. SciFi is a great short story field. One of my favorites is Light of Other Days by Bob Shaw. John
It is, isn't it? Anyway, anything by Philip K. Dick. That's scifi, I know. And he's not half-bad either. (He's actually pretty good)
