Suggestions for further science fiction reading

[Unfront]

Does anyone have any suggestiosn for any additional quality reading in the science fiction realm?

I just wrapped up Isaac Asimov's foundation series. I found it to be quite an enjoyable experience.

I am looking for something new, but do not want to waste my time reading anything that is remotely craptastic like the nu McDune (I am trying to finish up WoD and want to get it over with fast). I figured that I would ask the OH if there are any recomendations for non-Frank Herbert Science Fiction.

[Freakzilla]

Julian May

The Saga of Pliocene Exile
The Many-Colored Land (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981). ISBN 0-395-30230-7.
The Golden Torc (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1982). ISBN 0-395-31261-2.
The Nonborn King (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983). ISBN 0-395-32211-1.
The Adversary (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1984). ISBN 0-395-34410-7.

The Galactic Milieu Series
Intervention: A Root Tale to the Galactic Milieu and a Vinculum between it and The Saga of Pliocene Exile (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987). ISBN 0-395-43782-2. (Released in the USA as two mass market paperbacks: Surveillance and Metaconcert. Released in the UK as a single volume)
Metaconcert (Intervention no. 2) Separate paperback. ISBN 0-345-35524-5 Publisher: Del Rey (January 13, 1989)
Jack the Bodiless (New York: Knopf, 1991). ISBN 0-679-40950-5.
Diamond Mask (New York: Knopf, 1994). ISBN 0-679-43310-4.
Magnificat (New York: Knopf, 1996). ISBN 0-679-44177-8.

[Apjak]

That's kinda tough not knowing more what you're into, or especially what you've already read.

With only Herbert and Asimov as a starting point I'd probably start with Heinlein's Stranger in Strange Land although for pure entertainment value I preferred The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

[A Thing of Eternity]

Do you have something in mind? There are a lot of absolutely amazing authors out there, but tastes play a pretty big role. Are you looking for classics, high-tech, hard-SF, political/social SF, etc?

[Omphalos]

HERE is a list of several hundred SF books, collections, anthologies and short stories that are fully reviewed and arranged by how much I liked or disliked them.

If you have an idea of the kind of thing you want to read, look HERE. You can search by the topic that interests you the most. There are more than one hundred topics there, so you should be able to find something that interests you. You can search by multiple topics. Just pay attention to which button you hit at the bottom of the screen. If you have questions, post them here.

[inhuien]

My favourite trope being "Big Dumb Object", very cool work Omph.

[Omphalos]

My favourite trope being "Big Dumb Object", very cool work Omph.

No problem. I do it . . . to give to you.

My personal favorite trope is "Huh?" It is a source of great personal pride that I have only had to use it once.

[The_Preacher]

Which books/series would you recommend that comes closest to giving you that same Herbert buzz you experienced from reading the Dune series? Knowing, of course, that nothing will ever truly come close.

[Omphalos]

Make sure you have read all of Herbert's short fiction. There are gold mines of information in those stories that will inform a Dune afficianado about the themes from his masterpiece.

For that epic/philosophical shiver that Herbert gives, there is no substitute. But if you are looking for an author who makes you think as much as Herbert; for the modern stuff I'd recommend certain books by:

Greg Bear (Eon, but none of its progeny, Blood Music, The Forge of God and its Sequel, Anvil of Stars, and to a lesser degree, Moving Mars),

Ted Chiang (he only has one collection and one novella out),

David Marusek (one collection and two novels)'

Robert Silverberg, including Dying Inside and A Time of Changes;

Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis/Lilith's Brood series, including Dawn, Adulthood Rites and Imago;

Moore's Watchmen;

Certain of Lois McMaster Bujold's Barrayar series

Certain Heinlein, including a few of the juveniles, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers and most of his short fiction;

Most of John Varley's short fiction, but none of his long except for Ophiuchi Hotline (on the fence with that one);

Most everything that Michael Swanwick wrote, even that dinosaur book

And World War Z, by Max Brooks (more of a masterpiece then anyone gives it credit for).

For the older stuff, Id recommend:

Anything by Chad Oliver,

The Martian Chronicles, by Bradbury,

Any short work by James Tiptree, Jr.

Last and First Men, Sirius, Star Maker and Odd John by Olaf Stapledon

Vonnegut's early works

A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Miller, and all of his short fiction

Anything from the middle of Samuel Delaney's career

City and Way Station, by Clifford Simak

I think if you like Herbert you would find a lot to like in the above list. If you want to talk about stuff that was important to the development of the genre and gives plenty of food for though, but was not in the masterpiece class, then I'd add any of John Campbell's work that he did under the pseudonym of Don A. Stewart, the short stories of Stanley Weinbaum, the first two or three volumes of the collected works of Theodore Sturgeon, the Isher stuff by Van Vogt, especially the first one, The Weapons Shops of Isher, the NESFA collection of short stories by Murray Leinster, Cordwainer Smith's NESFA book, Zenna Henderson's NESFA book, and a bunch of Zelazny, Blish and Leiber.

There are a bunch of classics that could go onto a list of must-reads by Clarke, Asimov, Pohl, Heinlein and a few others, but most people probably know what to read from those guys.

[Spicelon]

I'm going to risk a stoning here, but Stephen King's Dark Tower series was, imo, delightfully and unexpectedly good. Still has some peaks and valleys, but worth it.

[Omphalos]

I'm going to risk a stoning here, but Stephen King's Dark Tower series was, imo, delightfully and unexpectedly good. Still has some peaks and valleys, but worth it.

I certainly agree with the first book, the fix up. Teh second and third were worth reading IMHO. After that, forget it. but I have a deep love for the guy's earlier works. The Dead Zone, The Stand, Night Shift, 'Salem's Lot and The Shining were great. I even liked the Tommyknockers. Id recommend Cell to anyone who asked for a SK recommendation, and I have that new one on my list. Something about a big glass dome?

[Badhbh]

Hey since i don't want to start a new topic i hope its ok to ask my question here.
Im looking for Scifi books that play on a space station and have a social, philosophical or political background.
Hope you got some recommendations

[Omphalos]

Downbelow Station, by CJ Cherryh, There is a sequel out now too, but I cant remember the title and have not read it yet, so I cant recommend it.

On Basilisk Station, by, um, Drake? Flint? I can't remember who wrote that one, but On Basilisk Station is the name.

2001 has an extended Space Station scene in it, but that's not what the book is about.

I think there was one in Heinlein's Green Hills of Earth.

Larry Niven has a lot of hard/social SF set on orbital stations, but all in short story format. J

erry Pournelle's collection called High Justice is partly set on a couple of space stations.

If you have not checked out Deep Space 9, a Star Trek series, give that one a look. Babylon 5 too.

Aldiss' Helliconia trilogy use orbital stations.

Pohl's Heechee sequence is about the discovery of an alien orbital station in teh Sol System.

Bova makes use of orbitals in a LOT of his fiction.

Ender's Game is partly set on an orbital station.

Ellison's The Discarded is about mutants put on a space station to keep the nasty folks away from teh good people of Earth. It was recently filmed too.

There really are a bunch more, and they go back to pulp, pre-SF and even back to ancient times (Lucian had one in his book True History, which was written in the second century AD - but that's not really social SF).

If you are really interested in this, check out a book called Islands in the Sky, by Gary Westfahl. Its a non-fiction book about the use of Space Station motifs in SF. that one was originally published by Borgo and old copies can be expensive, but there is a new updated paperback version out by Wildside.

Clute has a good article on Space Stations too in his Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Most libraries have that book.

I think I have a few others at home. Ill think about this and if I can think of others, Ill put them up tonight.

[Sandwurm88]

I believe On Basilisk Station is by David Weber, the author who tends to use all female protagonists (horny S.O.B). Omph covered a lot of good ones. I'd recommend:

Anything by Silverberg (as Omph said)

The Dispossessed (Ursula K. Le Guin)

We (Yevgeny Zamiatin) --> The inspiration for Brave New World and 1984, some say even better than those

BRING THE JUBILEE BY WARD MOORE (IMO, best alternate history ever written, I'm a huge PKD fan, but this blows High Castle out of the water...I'm a big fan of Alt. Hist. If you read any alt. hist., read the three classics, The Man in the High Castle, Bring the Jubilee, and Pavane. I'd also recommend L. Sprague De Camp's "Lest Darkness Fall"

The Sheep Look Up - John Brunner (Predicts many aspects of the world during the GW Bush era)

Neuromancer

Snow Crash (Two best cyberpunk novels ever)

And finally.... every short story by Philip K Dick, as well as...

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
UBIK
VALIS
Man in High Castle
3 Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Now Wait for Last Year
Confessions of a Crap Artists
The Divine Invasion
A Scanner Darkly
...I could go on and on

[SandRider]

Does anyone have any suggestiosn for any additional quality reading in the science fiction realm?

I just wrapped up Isaac Asimov's foundation series. I found it to be quite an enjoyable experience.

I am looking for something new, but do not want to waste my time reading anything that is remotely craptastic like the nu McDune (I am trying to finish up WoD and want to get it over with fast). I figured that I would ask the OH if there are any recomendations for non-Frank Herbert Science Fiction.

The Forever War

[A Thing of Eternity]

Does anyone have any suggestiosn for any additional quality reading in the science fiction realm?

I just wrapped up Isaac Asimov's foundation series. I found it to be quite an enjoyable experience.

I am looking for something new, but do not want to waste my time reading anything that is remotely craptastic like the nu McDune (I am trying to finish up WoD and want to get it over with fast). I figured that I would ask the OH if there are any recomendations for non-Frank Herbert Science Fiction.

The Forever War

I'll second that, loved the book and definitely got me hooked on Haldeman for life. I think he has a new book out soon too.

[trang]

Grab anything from Wells, Vern, Huxley, Burroughs, "Doc" Smith.

My favorite sub genre is Military Sci fi (havent got to weber yet, believe it or not). Already named is Starship Troopers, Forever War, Enders Game. Would ad Scalzi's Old Man War, Channur novels by Cherryh, Armor by John Steakley. Each has its own flavor and grabs onto you pretty well.

You might try herberts other works, Conscentient series (whipping star, dosadi experiment) is pretty good. Many others to choose from.

[inhuien]

In memorandum to the Gee o' Pee, Iain M. Banks, and my personal choice for this season, Alistair Reynolds. Read them For a man needs new experiences to grow, no?

[Unfront]

after reading some reviews of your suggestions, I can see that these are some good recomendations guys. Thanks. I like classic sci fi. (For me, it all started with Dune, then I got into Arther C. Clark, then Isaac Asimov. There is plently left of Isaac's work to get into. But I do not want to overload. I may have to read some classics like Bradberry (sp?) as well.

Has anyone read the Ben Bova serios on Mars, Titan, Saturn etc? Is it anygood or just "Book section of the Grocery Store" crap?

[Freakzilla]

Did you like Asimov's Foundation series?

If so, you should read his Robot Series.

The Caves of Steel
The Naked Sun
The Robots of Dawn
Robots and Empire

I thought they were really good (Empire, not so much).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asim ... bot_Series" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Omphalos]

Ive always loved Pebble in the Sky, one of the early Empire novels.

The Caves of Steel is my favorite Asimov book.

[Omphalos]

after reading some reviews of your suggestions, I can see that these are some good recomendations guys. Thanks. I like classic sci fi. (For me, it all started with Dune, then I got into Arther C. Clark, then Isaac Asimov. There is plently left of Isaac's work to get into. But I do not want to overload. I may have to read some classics like Bradberry (sp?) as well.

Has anyone read the Ben Bova serios on Mars, Titan, Saturn etc? Is it anygood or just "Book section of the Grocery Store" crap?

Here is a review of Mars. I wasn't too impressed. Get Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars stuff first.

You can find some good stuff in the grocery store sometimes. I found Scott Westerfelt's Empire Risen there.

[Unfront]

Did you like Asimov's Foundation series?

If so, you should read his Robot Series.

The Caves of Steel
The Naked Sun
The Robots of Dawn
Robots and Empire

I thought they were really good (Empire, not so much).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asim ... bot_Series" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I really enjoyed the Foundation Series. I went into it understanding that this was written in the 1940's/1950's (at least the first three books). The later books were a good as well. I saw a lot of things that may have given frank herert some ideas. There was mention of "Reverand Fathers" in the book. There was much discussion of mind control through tampering with human emotions. (I can see where Keith and Brian derived their Jongleur Emotion Control BS from for WoD...in foundation it is cool. In regurgitated format...)

I have I Robot in my que (i.e.it is on my shelf but I have not read it yet)

I do not have the time at the moment to give a full critical review of the foundation series, but all I can say is that Isaac Asimov is a very entertaining writer. He writes a good story. One of my favorite aspects of his writing is that he makes me laugh without cheap gags....

[Hunchback Jack]

Greg Bear (Eon, but none of its progeny, Blood Music, The Forge of God and its Sequel, Anvil of Stars, and to a lesser degree, Moving Mars),

Seconded. Queen of Angels and Slant aren't bad either.

Certain Heinlein, including a few of the juveniles, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers and most of his short fiction;

Those would be my picks too. That exact list. And don't overlook the juveniles - some of his best work there.

The Forever War

Seconded. This is a must read.

Iain M. Banks

Yes. Guy can write.

I'd add William Gibson to the list. His Sprawl series were huge at the time, but have less impact now; his more recent stuff is very very good, though.

Gene Wolfe's New Sun books. Long Sun and Short Sun are very good too. But it will make your head hurt.

Reading the rest of Asimov's SF isn't a bad option either, as others have said. Some are definitely better than others, but as an SF reader, you can't really *not* read Asimov. His (non-fic) science essays are also very very good. I'd kill to be able to explain things so accurately and yet so clearly.

HBJ

[Harq al Ada]

there's some good stuff in here and stuff I want to check out.

don't think I saw Philip K. Dick mentioned. I like the few of his I've read. Also Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove was a fun read.