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Posted: 8/24/2014 9:51:35 PM EDT
[#1]
Foundation trilogy
Dune trilogy ( ignore the fourth thru subsequent books.) ETA forgot one of my all time faves: The Stars My Destination. The Hyperion Cantos are also quite good. |
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Posted: 8/25/2014 4:09:36 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are very good books, but you're right, they can be a bit of a slog in places. I like them better than Night's Dawn though. It's definitely good enough to keep reading even when there is slow places, that's for sure. Really looking forward to Judas Unchained, I'm almost done with Pandora's Star. |
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Posted: 8/25/2014 6:06:20 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It's definitely good enough to keep reading even when there is slow places, that's for sure. Really looking forward to Judas Unchained, I'm almost done with Pandora's Star. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are very good books, but you're right, they can be a bit of a slog in places. I like them better than Night's Dawn though. It's definitely good enough to keep reading even when there is slow places, that's for sure. Really looking forward to Judas Unchained, I'm almost done with Pandora's Star. |
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Posted: 8/26/2014 10:45:27 PM EDT
[#4]
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. I have others that I really liked but this is the book that turned me onto sci-fi literature.
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Posted: 8/28/2014 7:06:18 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This 'un... http://www.bookfever.com/book_photos/49512.jpg Mostly because of this bad MoFo (artist's depiction, obviously)... http://www.technovelgy.com/graphics/Michael.jpg Best, JBR x2 |
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Posted: 8/28/2014 7:08:57 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Civilization Series (aka Lensman series) by EE Doc Smith Giant series from James Hogan is a good read as well. Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy is always fun. Light of Other Days by Arthur C Clarke is good. Also another vote for The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Hard to pick just one.  forgot thiese, I need to go find my copies again, I can read them over and over and the honorverse books, and dune, and webers safehold books |
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Posted: 9/2/2014 4:03:34 PM EDT
[#7]
Moon is a Harsh Mistress by RAH
TR |
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Posted: 9/11/2014 3:54:04 PM EDT
[#8]
Another vote for Armor.
And nobody named John Ringo: Troy Rising trilogy? Shame on you. For me this is the embodiment of Scifi: We could creep our way to the stars right now. And in that particular scenario: that gateway would be so mined it would be a Dyson sphere of death and pain. From glass mines to meteorites in permanent fly by. |
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Posted: 9/11/2014 4:02:32 PM EDT
[#9]
The Lensman Series by EE "Doc" Smith
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Posted: 9/11/2014 5:34:20 PM EDT
[#10]
Since Dune, Neuromancer, Snowcrash, Solaris, Heinlein's have been already been mentioned,
I'll throw in Revelation Space (Alastair Reynolds), Altered Carbon (Richard Morgan) and Permutation City (Greg Egan). |
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Posted: 9/12/2014 6:02:49 PM EDT
[#11]
SlaughterHouse 5
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Posted: 9/25/2014 10:55:54 AM EDT
[#12]
Probably Snow Crash
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Posted: 9/25/2014 11:38:04 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
SlaughterHouse 5 I hated that book. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Posted: 9/26/2014 7:33:40 AM EDT
[#14]
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman was superb. Of more recent Science Fiction I have read I hardily recommend the following: The Passage and The Twelve by Justin Cronin. They are a mixture of SF, TEOTWAWKI and horror. The Martian by Andy Weir. Superb "hard" Science Fiction |
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Posted: 9/26/2014 7:45:25 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Between Lucifer's Hammer, and the Falkenberg's Legion series. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Between Lucifer's Hammer, and the Falkenberg's Legion series. I'm a big Pournelle fan. I'm a Pournelle addict also. Need to get back subscribed to his site. Great daily reading. Pointed contrast to the stupidity that runs rampant in GD. |
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Posted: 9/26/2014 7:51:50 AM EDT
[#16]
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Posted: 9/26/2014 9:06:51 PM EDT
[#17]
Foundation Trilogy
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Posted: 9/26/2014 9:21:22 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryWhoever did that cover didn't bother reading the book, huh? |
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Posted: 9/26/2014 9:22:36 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Whoever did that cover didn't bother reading the book, huh? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Whoever did that cover didn't bother reading the book, huh? Well they did a whole movie without reading it, what is a cover to that? |
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Posted: 9/27/2014 6:39:21 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Well they did a whole movie without reading it, what is a cover to that? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Whoever did that cover didn't bother reading the book, huh? Well they did a whole movie without reading it, what is a cover to that? I have no rebuttal to that. 
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Posted: 9/27/2014 12:04:42 PM EDT
[#21]
Manifold Space, Stephen Baxter.
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Posted: 9/28/2014 12:23:44 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Uh, Dune. Then the entire Dune series ( by Frank Herbert) Then Armor. I agree with this, and would then add Ender's Game, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. |
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Posted: 9/28/2014 2:56:47 PM EDT
[#23]
There's been some good ones listed (except I must be the only person who really didn't like Ender's Game and Dune) especially Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Mote in God's Eye. My all time favorites, though are H. Beam Piper's Cosmic Computer/Junkyard Planet and Lord Calvin of Otherwhen/Gunpowder God; both books can be found under either name and both are free at Gutenberg. With Junkyard Planet, how can you go wrong with a planet covered with abandoned advanced military equipment and arms.
 While you are at Gutenberg for Piper, get a copy of his Uller Uprising, too. You won't regret it.
For the real fans of Lord Calvin of Otherwhen/Gunpowder there is a sequel by Roland Green called the Great Kings War. For the even more advanced fans a woman named Gina Marie Wylie has some sequels that to me are about as good a Piper. They're (in order) Tangent and Cost of Time. Another good read by her is The Far Side. The link to get to her books is http://www.beyondthefarhorizon.net/phpBB2/show_author.php?a=2 but you have to register to get there. They're a free DL and I'd DL what you think you might want to read as I think they have come and gone before. For another really good read, try Alan Dean Foster's Into the Out Of. It's a great book, but very hard to find. I had a copy for years, but loaned it to someone I trusted and they lost it.  I found a copy from a big online used book dealer. After reading it, you'll never look at a piece of rubber on the side of the road the same again.
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Posted: 9/30/2014 12:06:33 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
There's been some good ones listed (except I must be the only person who really didn't like Ender's Game and Dune) especially Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Mote in God's Eye. My all time favorites, though are H. Beam Piper's Cosmic Computer/Junkyard Planet and Lord Calvin of Otherwhen/Gunpowder God; both books can be found under either name and both are free at Gutenberg. With Junkyard Planet, how can you go wrong with a planet covered with abandoned advanced military equipment and arms. While you are at Gutenberg for Piper, get a copy of his Uller Uprising, too. You won't regret it.
For the real fans of Lord Calvin of Otherwhen/Gunpowder there is a sequel by Roland Green called the Great Kings War. For the even more advanced fans a woman named Gina Marie Wylie has some sequels that to me are about as good a Piper. They're (in order) Tangent and Cost of Time. Another good read by her is The Far Side. The link to get to her books is http://www.beyondthefarhorizon.net/phpBB2/show_author.php?a=2 but you have to register to get there. They're a free DL and I'd DL what you think you might want to read as I think they have come and gone before. For another really good read, try Alan Dean Foster's Into the Out Of. It's a great book, but very hard to find. I had a copy for years, but loaned it to someone I trusted and they lost it. I found a copy from a big online used book dealer. After reading it, you'll never look at a piece of rubber on the side of the road the same again. I have nearly all of Piper's books on my Kindle (free since out of copyright) and Space Viking and Lone Star Planet are my two favorites. A rare non-scifi book he wrote, taking a page from Dashiell Hammett, is Murder in the Gun Room. Good little detective yarn. |
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Posted: 9/30/2014 1:10:13 PM EDT
[#25]
Giants trilogy by Hogan. I loved that series and need to pick it up and read it again. I have a few of his other books that I need to get into.
I also really liked Ender's Game, but another book by Card was excellent as well: Pastwatch. While probably not sci-fi, I enjoyed Stephenson's Cryptonomicon a ton. I enjoyed Snow Crash more for the concepts than the execution (I know, sacrilege, but he hadn't straightened his prose out in that book the way he's done since. Cryptonomicon and the Baroque Cycle were simply masterworks. Serious at points, and laugh out loud funny at others. Pure excellence. I enjoyed Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy a good bit even with the deus ex machina at the end, and look forward to Pandora's Star, which I have but haven't read yet. |
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Posted: 9/30/2014 9:12:36 PM EDT
[#26]
its to the point that I no longer have favorite books, just favorite authors. If Heinlien or Ringo wrote it, I'll read it, multiple times. If Drake or Corroria(SP?) wrote it, I will read it, just not as many times as the previous two.
That being said, Drake has so many books covering such an expanse its hard not to find stuff that you enjoy. For me, Dune, Enders Game and Armor are all overrated, yeah their ok, just maybe not the first in the genre that some may proclaim. All 3 get to preachy. |
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Posted: 9/30/2014 9:43:51 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
its to the point that I no longer have favorite books, just favorite authors. If Heinlien or Ringo wrote it, I'll read it, multiple times. If Drake or Corroria(SP?) wrote it, I will read it, just not as many times as the previous two. That being said, Drake has so many books covering such an expanse its hard not to find stuff that you enjoy. For me, Dune, Enders Game and Armor are all overrated, yeah their ok, just maybe not the first in the genre that some may proclaim. All 3 get to preachy. I'm with you on Dune and Ender's Game, not so much on Armor. Yeah, it gets a bit preachy, but the characters are awesome. |
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Posted: 9/30/2014 9:51:57 PM EDT
[#28]
Single book only, probably Starship Troopers.
Almost all the alternate future stuff by Heinlen is good. If you've never checked her stuff out before, Lois McMaster Bujold spins some fun stories in the "Vorkosigan" series. "Old Man's War" and the two follow ups by John Scalzi was pretty good. |
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Posted: 9/30/2014 9:59:31 PM EDT
[#29]
THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS
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Posted: 10/1/2014 10:28:44 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm with you on Dune and Ender's Game, not so much on Armor. Yeah, it gets a bit preachy, but the characters are awesome. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
its to the point that I no longer have favorite books, just favorite authors. If Heinlien or Ringo wrote it, I'll read it, multiple times. If Drake or Corroria(SP?) wrote it, I will read it, just not as many times as the previous two. That being said, Drake has so many books covering such an expanse its hard not to find stuff that you enjoy. For me, Dune, Enders Game and Armor are all overrated, yeah their ok, just maybe not the first in the genre that some may proclaim. All 3 get to preachy. I'm with you on Dune and Ender's Game, not so much on Armor. Yeah, it gets a bit preachy, but the characters are awesome. Parts of armor seemed like he was attempting to go toe to toe against Starship Troopers, the whole anti war, only the poor and destitute serve type crap. his characters were good but he took too much from Troopers as far as the Armor and even the enemy in the book. Now the second part he comes back to the armor to save the ship or colony or whatever it was was very good |
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Posted: 10/1/2014 11:00:56 AM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Parts of armor seemed like he was attempting to go toe to toe against Starship Troopers, the whole anti war, only the poor and destitute serve type crap. his characters were good but he took too much from Troopers as far as the Armor and even the enemy in the book. Now the second part he comes back to the armor to save the ship or colony or whatever it was was very good That's true, I did notice the bits that were blatantly anti-war and anti-military, but he's just such a good writer I couldn't stop reading. That's one thing I try hard not to do with my SF books...I really don't want to be preachy. People assume when they read Duty, Honor, Planet that I was being all gung-ho and pro-war, but that's not the case any more than the idea that I was being anti-war in the last book The Line of Duty. I was just writing through the POV of a character who started out as a young, gung-ho military officer and eventually became a middle-aged, war-weary senior officer who had been worn down by politics. |
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Posted: 10/1/2014 12:45:33 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That's true, I did notice the bits that were blatantly anti-war and anti-military, but he's just such a good writer I couldn't stop reading. That's one thing I try hard not to do with my SF books...I really don't want to be preachy. People assume when they read Duty, Honor, Planet that I was being all gung-ho and pro-war, but that's not the case any more than the idea that I was being anti-war in the last book The Line of Duty. I was just writing through the POV of a character who started out as a young, gung-ho military officer and eventually became a middle-aged, war-weary senior officer who had been worn down by politics. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Parts of armor seemed like he was attempting to go toe to toe against Starship Troopers, the whole anti war, only the poor and destitute serve type crap. his characters were good but he took too much from Troopers as far as the Armor and even the enemy in the book. Now the second part he comes back to the armor to save the ship or colony or whatever it was was very good That's true, I did notice the bits that were blatantly anti-war and anti-military, but he's just such a good writer I couldn't stop reading. That's one thing I try hard not to do with my SF books...I really don't want to be preachy. People assume when they read Duty, Honor, Planet that I was being all gung-ho and pro-war, but that's not the case any more than the idea that I was being anti-war in the last book The Line of Duty. I was just writing through the POV of a character who started out as a young, gung-ho military officer and eventually became a middle-aged, war-weary senior officer who had been worn down by politics. He wasn't trying to "go toe to toe with Starship Troopers". Quote from Steakley "Inspired by Starship Troopers? Hell, I stole it outright. If Heinlein could write action I wouldn't have written this and Haldeman wouldn't have written his clone". Note the reference in there somewhere where Felix is asked if he's from South America - that's a shoutout to the attack on Buenos Ares in Starship Troopers. That being said, I'm not sure how you could claim Starship Troopers had an anti-war vibe - Juan Rico was rich, he joined because he wanted to vote and voting required federal service of some kind. Hell, people have been claiming for decades that Starship Troopers was fascist and pro-military. The movie, on the other hand, is anti-war, but the director has said he never read the book because he found it depressing. Armor does have a bit of anti-military vibe, but mostly in it's portrayal of military command as incompetents. Steakley was as pro-military as almost anyone I've ever met, but Armor was written in 1984 and the portrayal of the military command had a definite post-Vietnam flavor to it. |
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Posted: 10/1/2014 12:50:32 PM EDT
[#33]
Maybe my verbiage left something out, I in no way think that Starship Troopers is anti war, the way and tone Armor was written gives me the perception however.
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Posted: 10/1/2014 12:50:37 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That being said, I'm not sure how you could claim Starship Troopers had an anti-war vibe It didn't...we were talking about the anti-war vibe in Armor. |
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Posted: 10/1/2014 12:54:40 PM EDT
[#35]
Starship Troopers was published Dec 1959. Here it is, 54 years later, and we're still arguing about what it means.
That's a helluva legacy, Mr. Heinlein. (And a helluva lot of books!)
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Posted: 10/1/2014 1:01:03 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
It didn't...we were talking about the anti-war vibe in Armor. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
That being said, I'm not sure how you could claim Starship Troopers had an anti-war vibe It didn't...we were talking about the anti-war vibe in Armor. Got it, sorry for my misunderstanding. That being said, Steakley was DEFINITELY not anti-war or anti-military. Unfortunately I let the website go a few months ago but I found a place where someone quoted one of his op-ed pieces I had posted there. You can read it here: copy of Steakley's Op-ed piece |
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Posted: 10/1/2014 1:07:38 PM EDT
[#37]
I've read Starship Troopers many, many times.
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Posted: 10/1/2014 2:56:45 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Got it, sorry for my misunderstanding. That being said, Steakley was DEFINITELY not anti-war or anti-military. Unfortunately I let the website go a few months ago but I found a place where someone quoted one of his op-ed pieces I had posted there. You can read it here: copy of Steakley's Op-ed piece Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
That being said, I'm not sure how you could claim Starship Troopers had an anti-war vibe It didn't...we were talking about the anti-war vibe in Armor. Got it, sorry for my misunderstanding. That being said, Steakley was DEFINITELY not anti-war or anti-military. Unfortunately I let the website go a few months ago but I found a place where someone quoted one of his op-ed pieces I had posted there. You can read it here: copy of Steakley's Op-ed piece That was, refreshing, may need to reread Armor again with his views in mind. |
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Posted: 10/2/2014 12:17:42 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f0/ArmorOriginalCover.gif I have his original outline, and if he'd finished the sequel he was going to name a character after me. Yes this was one of the best books. Felix was amazing, and was a serious book about the psychological effects of long term combat. I ised it as a reference in a paper once. The quotes i used were very well recived by non sci-fi types. Not so much sci fi, but i also really enjoyed the gunslinger series by the king. |
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Posted: 10/2/2014 1:02:26 AM EDT
[#40]
Armor reminded me of being in Iraq. I think it's pretty shit hot.
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Posted: 10/2/2014 9:40:22 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Armor reminded me of being in Iraq. I think it's pretty shit hot. Veterans always were surprised to learn that Steakley had never served in the military, he was told all the time that his point of view action sequences really captured the feeling of being in combat. |
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Posted: 10/2/2014 1:19:34 PM EDT
[#42]
Don't read much Sci-Fi, but the wife and I listened to Ender's Game on audible and loved it, have the next book queued up.
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Posted: 10/2/2014 9:37:21 PM EDT
[#43]
Dune!
"The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.” |
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Posted: 10/12/2014 1:30:43 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That's a hard one. I really like a lot of older Heinlein, but I think if I had to pick my absolute favorite SF novel it would be Voice of the Whirlwind by Walter Jon Williams. Met him on two different occasions during book signings around here. Liked him a lot. And that was his best book, although I also really liked Hardwired and Angel Station. |
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Posted: 10/12/2014 1:32:03 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have to agree Snow Crash is really good, but for classic science fiction, if I can pick only one, I would go with "Neuromancer" by Gibson, and if I can have some runners up I would go with Heinlien's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" and "Stand on Zanzibar" [I am drawing a blank on the author] and H.G. Wells "War of the Worlds". John Brunner |
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Posted: 10/13/2014 8:13:30 AM EDT
[#46]
I love to reading "Divergent". Actually it like In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions.
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Posted: 10/13/2014 10:45:02 AM EDT
[#47]
Gust Front
Hymn before battle |
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Posted: 10/13/2014 11:07:58 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Met him on two different occasions during book signings around here. Liked him a lot. And that was his best book, although I also really liked Hardwired and Angel Station. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
That's a hard one. I really like a lot of older Heinlein, but I think if I had to pick my absolute favorite SF novel it would be Voice of the Whirlwind by Walter Jon Williams. Met him on two different occasions during book signings around here. Liked him a lot. And that was his best book, although I also really liked Hardwired and Angel Station. I couldn't get into Angel Station or Aristroi. He got a bit too esoteric for my tastes by that time. I love Hardwired and I also really liked Days of Atonement. "Out of the t'chevy, Pedro!" |
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Posted: 10/13/2014 11:12:55 AM EDT
[#49]
Monster Hunter International series and anything he writes
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Posted: 10/13/2014 3:29:45 PM EDT
[#50]
The Martian that was recently published was a great read. Lots of dark humor.
The First Formic War is a three book series that gives the background to Ender's Game. (Earth Unaware, Earth Afire, and Earth Awakens) Orson Scott Card co-wrote with Aaron Johnston. They are working on another three book series called The Second Formic War that will give all of the backdrop to Ender's Game. The Long Earth Series. A great book about parallel earths. It will be a five part series with the first three already published. (The Long Earth, The Long War, and The Long Mars) Now for the absolute favorite: Fate of Worlds, by Larry Niven. It is a great conclusion to the Ringworld/Fleet of Worlds series. |
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