User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
|
Posted: 1/16/2017 6:35:09 PM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This is going to be really hard. Ray Bradbury, R Is for Rocket. Actually, I'll stop there. I grew up reading science fiction, I edited it as an adult, and there are just too many. But, for me, Bradbury just has something extra. A good example would be "The Sound of Summer Running" from that collection. Not even science fiction per se, but a wonderful read. What!? You haven't read that story?  You're welcome.Wow! Vulcan94 |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2017 11:02:19 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Wow! Vulcan94 Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
This is going to be really hard. Ray Bradbury, R Is for Rocket. Actually, I'll stop there. I grew up reading science fiction, I edited it as an adult, and there are just too many. But, for me, Bradbury just has something extra. A good example would be "The Sound of Summer Running" from that collection. Not even science fiction per se, but a wonderful read. What!? You haven't read that story? You're welcome.Wow! Vulcan94 I also saw Ian McDonald's name go by, which pleased me greatly. Less well known, but a great writer. And a nice guy. A genuinely nice guy. I never got put through the vocabulary paces by anyone close to Ian's firepower. Webster's Third International (Unabridged) was required. We corresponded personally but briefly by letter before e-mail was ubiquitous. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2017 10:37:46 PM EDT
[#3]
Just read Ender's Game.
Had never heard of it till reading this thread. Damn good book. Interesting. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/18/2017 8:42:26 PM EDT
[#4]
Ready Player One
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/24/2017 1:19:52 PM EDT
[#5]
I can't believe I'm the first one to say Hyperion. I just re-read it, and was reminded what a masterpiece it is.
So for me: Hyperion Cantos Pandora's Star (if you like Sci-Fi and haven't read it, get on it!) Fire Upon the Deep. Easy choice for me, but definitely an honorable mention to: Old Man's War Forever War A Mote in God's Eye Dune Didn't care for Starship Troopers if I'm being honest. Using the philosophy teacher to preach his own philosophy felt lazy to me. Also didn't care for Neuromancer too much. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't the Epic Masterpiece of Science Fiction I was lead to believe it was. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/24/2017 1:34:19 PM EDT
[#6]
Starship Troopers
Ringworld The Tank Lords, a novellete written by David Drake to fill out a Hammer's Slammers compilation. I dare anyone who was a geek, nerd, or generally outcast as a kid to read that and not shout out "YES!" at the final scene. Honorable mention to Ender's game, but only the novella. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/24/2017 1:56:29 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This is going to be really hard. Ray Bradbury, R Is for Rocket. Actually, I'll stop there. I grew up reading science fiction, I edited it as an adult, and there are just too many. But, for me, Bradbury just has something extra. A good example would be "The Sound of Summer Running" from that collection. Not even science fiction per se, but a wonderful read. What!? You haven't read that story? You're welcome.I'm a big fan of short stories, and because of that, I've always like Ray Bradbury after reading "The Illustrated Man" in highschool. I can't recall if I've read "R is for Rocket," but I'll be sure to grab it next time I'm at the library. 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/24/2017 1:58:12 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Just read Ender's Game. Had never heard of it till reading this thread. Damn good book. Interesting. It's my favorite. It's probably the first book that I enthusiastically read beginning to end as a child for a school assignment. |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/5/2017 10:12:47 PM EDT
[#9]
Freehold - Michael Z Williamson - Military SF with a libertarian bend
Altered Carbon - Richard K Morgan - cyberpunk meets noir detective story with Phillip K Dick twists Nexus - Ramez Naam - Near future technothriller |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/25/2017 11:33:13 PM EDT
[#10]
1) Have Spacesuit, Will Travel by Robert Heinlein - nostalgic, started me on Sci-fi way back in Grade 3
2) Armor by John Steakley 3) I, Robot by Isaac Asimov Some short stories I would have loved expanded into their own book: 1) "Incursions" by Mark Thies - from Bolos Book 5: Old Guard (BB5) ed. Bill Fawcett c. 2001 2) "A Time to Kill" by David M. Weber - from Bolos Book IV: Last Stand March 1997 3) "Scout" by Bud Sparhawk. . (Asimovs June 2012) |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/26/2017 12:35:08 AM EDT
[#11]
Neuromancer - William Gibson - It wasn't so much a book as an experience. That book actually affected my life.
Ender's Shadow - Orson Scott Card - "Ender's Game" from the point of view of Bean. Star Ship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein / Armour - John Steakley - I like John's story better, but the idea was all Heinlein. Watch on the Rhine (Die Wacht am Rhein) - John Ringo/Tom Kratman - It's part of the Posleean series. Germany get's desperate and brings back the SS. The actual WWII members of the SS. Sixth Column - Heinlein - I don't know why, but the book always stuck with me. A lot of this did. I liked "Farnham's Freehold" and "The Cat Who Walked Through Walls" as well. |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/27/2017 12:20:18 PM EDT
[#12]
Science Fiction has been a difficult genre for me to get into. Reading, that is. I love Sci-fi movies. So I have a limited pool to draw from. In no particular order...
I, Robot - collection of short stories by Isaac Asimov Dune - you know 
Currently reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. And even though I'm not quite finished, I think this will make the list. 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/5/2017 5:44:16 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Science Fiction has been a difficult genre for me to get into. Reading, that is. I love Sci-fi movies. So I have a limited pool to draw from. In no particular order... I, Robot - collection of short stories by Isaac Asimov Dune - you know
Currently reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. And even though I'm not quite finished, I think this will make the list. Not only is the Guide great reading, it is excellent sci-fi, fantastic comedy and extraordinarily entertaining. I cannot COUNT the times I have read it. Building Harlequin's Moon by Larry Niven and Brenda Cooper. The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell is incredible mil spec sci fi. ...and no list is complete without the original Ringworld by Niven |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/5/2017 7:37:58 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Altered Carbon - Richard K Morgan - cyberpunk meets noir detective story with Phillip K Dick twists I really like Richard K Morgan's writing, and Altered Carbon is my favorite of his. It's well paced and the prose really carries me along. Probably the most influential book on my own scribblings. However, it's just a gripping yarn - it doesn't contain anything mindblowing, which to me is what sci-fi is truly about. So my three, in no particular order: Anathem, by Neal Stephenson The Mote in God's Eye, by Larry and Jerry And this is a tossup between A Fire Upon The Deep, and it's quasi-prequel A Deepness In The Sky by Vernor Vinge. They're equally stunning, but I might give the edge on a list to Fire, just because the title is better. |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/13/2017 12:12:33 AM EDT
[#15]
Here are three that stick with me:
Fall of Hyperion Scratch Monkey Seveneves Although I read Alastair Reynolds the most. |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/18/2017 3:37:57 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Foundation trilogy. Issac Asimov. 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/18/2017 3:54:33 PM EDT
[#17]
How about 3 (4) authors instead? Since I like just about everything the three (four) of them have written.
John Scalzi Robert A. Heinlein Lois McMaster Bujold John Ringo |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/30/2017 10:54:50 PM EDT
[#18]
Due to posts in this thread, I read The Martian a few weeks ago and I just finished Asimov's Foundation. I really enjoyed both.
As a mechanical engineer, I loved the level of technical detail provided in The Martian. I had seen the movie first, but that didn't detract from the story at all. Without going into spoilers for either, I especially felt the book's ending was better than the movie's ending. Foundation was a great read. I enjoy short stories, and the novel is essentially a collection of interrelated short stories separated via various amounts of time. I'll read more, even though I've read the followups aren't as strong. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/4/2017 8:29:18 PM EDT
[#19]
Red Rising - Brown
Forever War - Haldeman Ready Player One - Cline |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/4/2017 8:39:21 PM EDT
[#20]
1. Starship Troopers by Heinlein. Hands down, no questions asked. If this isn't somewhere on your list... what are you doing with your life?
2. Armor by John Steakley. "That's the trouble with armor. It won't protect you from what you are." "And what is that?" "What you'll do." "When?" "When it counts." That scene hit me like a god damn freight train. 3. Old Man's War by John Scalzi. Great series, but the first one was the best. Honorable Mention: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/4/2017 8:55:54 PM EDT
[#21]
Starship Troopers
Old Man's War Yellow Eyes These are the three I've read the most times. There are others I've read multiple times, too, but not as many times as these three. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/4/2017 10:45:33 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Red Rising - Brown Forever War - Haldeman Ready Player One - Cline Ready Player One was ok, but entirely too much "teenage angst" bs |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/5/2017 12:56:03 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Thanks. I have had the privilege of working on the material of great (or popular ;^) SF writers -- Bradbury, Clarke, Bova, McCaffrey, Martin, on and on -- but Bradbury is the guy for me. He had his pure SF, sure, but also delved into early 20th Century America and minor horror with a humanity and compassion that often moved me. His Martian Chronicles were ["was"? YOU be the judge] so well written and readable at face value, and then for the reader comes the epiphany that those Martians, well, wait! this is OUR experience, they're really-- I also saw Ian McDonald's name go by, which pleased me greatly. Less well known, but a great writer. And a nice guy. A genuinely nice guy. I never got put through the vocabulary paces by anyone close to Ian's firepower. Webster's Third International (Unabridged) was required. We corresponded personally but briefly by letter before e-mail was ubiquitous. You are an editor? Please start another thread and talk about the authors you've worked with! I don't want you to dish about the bad things, I'm more interested in the process and learning more about the authors you've known. If it helps, I name checked Ian earlier. Thanks for considering it. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/5/2017 1:34:52 AM EDT
[#24]
Enders game
armor/starship troopers triplanetary (really all the lensman books) e.e doc smith, literally defined space opera, which is still probably my favorite genre. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/5/2017 2:19:58 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
@vim You are an editor? Please start another thread and talk about the authors you've worked with! I don't want you to dish about the bad things, I'm more interested in the process and learning more about the authors you've known. If it helps, I name checked Ian earlier. Thanks for considering it. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Thanks. I have had the privilege of working on the material of great (or popular ;^) SF writers -- Bradbury, Clarke, Bova, McCaffrey, Martin, on and on -- but Bradbury is the guy for me. He had his pure SF, sure, but also delved into early 20th Century America and minor horror with a humanity and compassion that often moved me. His Martian Chronicles were ["was"? YOU be the judge] so well written and readable at face value, and then for the reader comes the epiphany that those Martians, well, wait! this is OUR experience, they're really-- I also saw Ian McDonald's name go by, which pleased me greatly. Less well known, but a great writer. And a nice guy. A genuinely nice guy. I never got put through the vocabulary paces by anyone close to Ian's firepower. Webster's Third International (Unabridged) was required. We corresponded personally but briefly by letter before e-mail was ubiquitous. You are an editor? Please start another thread and talk about the authors you've worked with! I don't want you to dish about the bad things, I'm more interested in the process and learning more about the authors you've known. If it helps, I name checked Ian earlier. Thanks for considering it. One author in particular -- a really well known person not mentioned so far -- was a real a-hole. Johnstone was prolific. (He's not the a-hole referred to; I want to be clear.) This was back in the days of paper manuscripts, double-spaced, and he was good for a 225-250 page manuscript every month, or so it seemed. On the other end of things, Ian McDonald really was a class act as well as talented. I saw elements of Jorge Luis Borges in his work, which he seemed to like, and we had a brief conversation on South American magic realism and weird stuff like the OBVIOUS central theme of death in Empire Dreams via airmail -- remember airmail? -- (he was in Dublin I think at the time). Since I mentioned Ian, I'll add that one thing I admired was his ability to both extrapolate and synthesize technological advances into imaginative yet reasonable stories that showed their impact on society, culture, and, well, people. I dunno that a thread would have anything wonderful, but I could fire up my scanner and post images of the style sheets I developed for some of them. If nothing else, that would provide some insight into the mechanics of publishing and the ways the process gets carved up into discrete chunks that separate people can handle. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/5/2017 6:35:44 AM EDT
[#26]
Please post a link here if you decide to make a thread.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 4/5/2017 7:13:28 AM EDT
[#27]
vim, if you don't mind me asking, what do you do now?
|
|
|
|
Posted: 4/5/2017 12:40:33 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
vim, if you don't mind me asking, what do you do now? |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/7/2017 1:17:40 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
fify Ready Player One was ok, but entirely too much "teenage angst" bs |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/7/2017 2:00:27 PM EDT
[#30]
I really had a hard time enjoying Starship Troopers. I felt like he was using the book as a very thinly veiled attempt to philosophize- I mean, the teacher in it drones on and on... I just didn't care for how he did it I guess. I certainly wouldn't put it in the top 50 even, but that's just me I guess.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 4/7/2017 2:07:12 PM EDT
[#31]
Quoted:
I'll Start! 1 - Gateway by Frederik Pohl 2 - Rendezvous with Rama - Clark 3 - Ender's Game - Card In no particular order, what came to mind that I'd reread today and enjoy. Gateway - Pohl The White Dragon - McCaffery March Upcountry (Empire of Man) - Ringo |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/10/2017 8:58:36 AM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I really had a hard time enjoying Starship Troopers. I felt like he was using the book as a very thinly veiled attempt to philosophize- I mean, the teacher in it drones on and on... I just didn't care for how he did it I guess. I certainly wouldn't put it in the top 50 even, but that's just me I guess. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/10/2017 9:26:04 AM EDT
[#33]
Ringworld - Larry Niven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR2296df-bc (HALO pretty much stole Niven's concept, but not nearly as impressive as the original Ringworld of the book) The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester. 1950's sci-fi with mind-blowing concepts of innate societal wide teleportation ability, combined with military grade hardware upgrades (for the right price). Probably one of the best Sci-Fi books of all time. And grim, from an era before grim was the norm. 
A Fire Upon the Deep Venor Vinge. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/10/2017 3:20:55 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Was an editor, in a previous career. I finished it with about a decade of freelance copyediting, working with (oh gosh, on the road at the moment and working from memory) Bantam Spectra, Tor, Del Ray, etc., in the SF/Fantasy world, Random House and others outside those genres. Some of the Shannara stuff, I forgot Arthur C. Clarke above, some the Robotech series, blahblahblah on and on. Women's romance, men's adventure (Johnstone, both Ashes stuff and westerns), adult westerns (yep, you read that right), self-help, nonfiction -- whatever they'd pay me for. Couple hundred books. It paid ... nominally. The publishing industry at the time was where a lot of people with liberal arts degree wanted to work, and the payscale reflected the reality that it the demand/availability of people favored the employer. One author in particular -- a really well known person not mentioned so far -- was a real a-hole. Johnstone was prolific. (He's not the a-hole referred to; I want to be clear.) This was back in the days of paper manuscripts, double-spaced, and he was good for a 225-250 page manuscript every month, or so it seemed. On the other end of things, Ian McDonald really was a class act as well as talented. I saw elements of Jorge Luis Borges in his work, which he seemed to like, and we had a brief conversation on South American magic realism and weird stuff like the OBVIOUS central theme of death in Empire Dreams via airmail -- remember airmail? -- (he was in Dublin I think at the time). Since I mentioned Ian, I'll add that one thing I admired was his ability to both extrapolate and synthesize technological advances into imaginative yet reasonable stories that showed their impact on society, culture, and, well, people. I dunno that a thread would have anything wonderful, but I could fire up my scanner and post images of the style sheets I developed for some of them. If nothing else, that would provide some insight into the mechanics of publishing and the ways the process gets carved up into discrete chunks that separate people can handle. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/10/2017 3:28:18 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I can't believe I'm the first one to say Hyperion. I just re-read it, and was reminded what a masterpiece it is. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/10/2017 3:45:28 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've also started a re-read of Hyperion due to this thread. I read it many years ago and my impression could probably be summed up with "dense". I've only read up to Sol's story so far and while still "dense" I find it more compelling than I did the first time through. I'm glad you mentioned it, I might never have re-visited Hyperion. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I can't believe I'm the first one to say Hyperion. I just re-read it, and was reminded what a masterpiece it is. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/10/2017 4:07:11 PM EDT
[#37]
The Book of the New Sun (and the coda "The Urth of the New Sun")
Neuromancer The Moon is a Harsh Mistress |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/10/2017 4:23:37 PM EDT
[#38]
I really enjoyed "The Incarnations of Immortality" series by Piers Anthony
|
|
|
|
Posted: 4/10/2017 6:12:55 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've also started a re-read of Hyperion due to this thread. I read it many years ago and my impression could probably be summed up with "dense". I've only read up to Sol's story so far and while still "dense" I find it more compelling than I did the first time through. I'm glad you mentioned it, I might never have re-visited Hyperion. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I can't believe I'm the first one to say Hyperion. I just re-read it, and was reminded what a masterpiece it is. I got so much more out of it the second time I read it. I expect I'll read it again in 5 years or so. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/11/2017 8:54:49 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Dense is a good way to describe it...in a good way though. I got so much more out of it the second time I read it. I expect I'll read it again in 5 years or so. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I can't believe I'm the first one to say Hyperion. I just re-read it, and was reminded what a masterpiece it is. I got so much more out of it the second time I read it. I expect I'll read it again in 5 years or so. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/11/2017 10:57:01 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I wasn't a father the last time I read it, the end of Sol's story reduced me to tears. I put the book down and checked on my kids. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I can't believe I'm the first one to say Hyperion. I just re-read it, and was reminded what a masterpiece it is. I got so much more out of it the second time I read it. I expect I'll read it again in 5 years or so. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/11/2017 11:50:36 AM EDT
[#42]
My all time favorite sci-fy book is.
DARK IS THE SUN By Phillip Jose' Farmer |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/11/2017 11:58:09 AM EDT
[#43]
Not in my top 3, but one of my faves: H Beam Piper's Lone Star Planet.
Some good one-liners and funny parts. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/11/2017 12:14:19 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My all time favorite sci-fy book is. DARK IS THE SUN By Phillip Jose' Farmer |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/11/2017 1:26:37 PM EDT
[#45]
Probably my top 3, even though I'll argue with myself all day for picking these:
TMIAHM Earth Abides Dune But that leaves off way too many brain benders. PKD, Asimov, ... |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/14/2017 7:43:58 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I read that SO many times when I was a teenager. It had a cool ending. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
My all time favorite sci-fy book is. DARK IS THE SUN By Phillip Jose' Farmer |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/14/2017 9:13:20 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I would like to see it as a movie. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
My all time favorite sci-fy book is. DARK IS THE SUN By Phillip Jose' Farmer |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/23/2017 2:26:37 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Have to be like an 8 part miniseries. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
My all time favorite sci-fy book is. DARK IS THE SUN By Phillip Jose' Farmer |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/23/2017 6:57:03 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That would be seriously awesome... Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
My all time favorite sci-fy book is. DARK IS THE SUN By Phillip Jose' Farmer |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/16/2017 6:24:38 PM EDT
[#50]
1. The Lensman Series (The History of Civilization), E. E. Doc Smith; six books:
Triplanetary First Lensman Galactic Patrol Gray Lensman Second Stage Lensman Children of the Lens 2. Hyperion Cantos, Dan Simmons; four books: Hyperion The Fall of Hyperion Endymion The Rise of Endymion 3. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams; five books: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy The Restaurant at the End of the Universe Life, the Universe and Everything So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish Mostly Harmless 4. The Giants Series, James Hogan; five books: Inherit the Stars The Gentle Giants of Ganymede Giants' Star Entoverse Mission to Minerva |
|
|
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.
