Favourite Sci-Fi read

[Andy44]

Favorite SF writers/writings

With the recent passing of the great Arthur C. Clarke, I've been thinking about my sci fi collection and what I like about it and what it lacks.

My favorite writers were Clarke and Robert A. Heinlein, which I considered to be the best "hard SF", meaning they actually paid attention to the physics and tried to depict realistic spaceflight physics. Of the two, I think Heinlein was the better story-teller; my love of Clarke is mainly for his short stories rather than his books. Heinlein's Starship Troopers and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress stand out as my two favorites, and for Clarke, my favorites books were 2010: Odyssey Two, and Rendesvous With Rama (only the first book). 2001: A Space Odyssey was a great film, but I thought the book was a little too dry, and gave away all the mysteries too easily.

I realize that this subject has been beaten to death numerous times on M6, but this is a space forum, so we have to break it in, here, and besides, we have a lot of younger Orbinauts.

So talk about your favorite SF books or stories here!

 

[n0mad23]

Leading to perhaps an "official recommended reading list"?

Andy44 - I agree with your reading of Clarke and Heinlein. I don't know about you, but I'm sure NukeEt can quote some favorite lines from the latter. "Ever notice how much they look like orchids?"

I'd add Asimov, too. In particular, The Gods Themselves.

David Brin's Earth, and the Niven/Pournelle collaboration, Footfall, since we're still in the realm of Hard Sci-Fi.

If we extend it out a bit - to "plausable," or maybe no need for "willing suspension of disbelief," I'd really recommend David Brin's "Uplift Saga." In particular, the second novel, Startide Rising, as his portrayal of non-human thinking is so brilliant, and uplifted dolphin pilots is such a good idea.

I'd also put in the historical fiction of Neil Stephenson. The Cryptonomicon, is really good, but pales next to his Baroque Cycle. Though not historical, the already dated (wasn't Google Earth drawn from this one?) Snowcrash is a really good read.

Bruce Sterling and William Gibson probably belong in another category altogether, but each has some novels I'd have to recommend as well.

 

[tblaxland]

I'll add my vote for Earth and Rendezvous with Rama.

Another of my favourites is Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars. I found them to be extremely immersive.

 

[SiberianTiger]

The books I can't imagine SF without? Well...

Strugatsky brothers (Arkadiy and Boris): The Kid, Monday begins on Saturday, The Prisoners of Power, The Beetle in an Anthill, The Roadside Picnic, Limpy Fate.

Kir Bulychev: Alice: The Girl from Earth, Guest from the Future, Settlement.

Sergey Lukianenko: Stars are Cold Toys, The Star Shadow, Line of Delirium, Labyrinth of Reflections, Knights of Forty Islands, Cold Coasts, Dances on the Snow.

Alexander Belyaev: Professor Dowell's Head, Amphibian.

Ivan Yefremov: Nebula Andromedae, The Hour of Ox.

Jules Verne: Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea.

H.G. Wells: The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man.

Arthur C. Clarke: Childhood's End.

Robert A. Heinlein: Citizen of the Galaxy, Starman Jones, Double Star, The Door into Summer, Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Friday.

Stanislaw Lem: Solaris, The Invincible, Return from the Stars, Tales of Pirx the Pilot.

The two top fantasy writers of all time in my view are Stephen King and Ray Bradbury, but this thread is about SF.

 

[fresh squid]

My favorite writer Harlan Ellison.

My favorite story of his..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_No_Mouth,_and_I_Must_Scream

Excellent stuff. His short stories are legendary. He successfully sued the makers of Terminator due to many similarities to his stories.

 

[Urwumpe]

Of course, Douglas "Adams Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy".

And Terry Pratchetts "Only You Can Save Mankind".

Most other Sci-Fi novels I have read, had been already mentioned (eg Asimov or Lem, but why did nobody mention his "Star Diaries" yet?) or are too trashy to be good.

 

[dbeachy1]

I quite like Larry Niven's early work, Ringworld in particular (although I didn't like the sequels nearly as much). I also like some of his co-authored works like Inferno and The Barsoom Project.

Would it even be possible to model a 1-AU ringworld in Orbiter? :speakcool:

 

[computerex]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wrinkle_in_Time

 

[n0mad23]

Well then,

I actually came back specifically to suggest Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Stanislaw Lem, but I see Siberian Tiger's beat me to it.

Cheers.

 

[n0mad23]

Bruce Sterling - Schismatrix. This is a MUST read.

 

[streb2001]

"The City and the Stars" by Arthur C. Clarke

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

"The City and the Stars"

Which I am reading right now (in dutch). So far: fantastic story.
I will prepare a list of my own favourite SF books/stories and post it here later on. But it's late, I will go back reading now if you don't mind...

regards,
mcduck

 

[n0mad23]

James Blish - Cities in Flight.

Fabulous discovery, really. Published in 1970, I bought the hardbound discard for $0.50 recently. What a score.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Most other Sci-Fi novels I have read, had been already mentioned (eg Asimov or Lem, but why did nobody mention his "Star Diaries" yet?) or are too trashy to be good.

I think I missed most of Asimov's except for his Robot short novels, which I happily hope to catch up one day. Lem's "Star Diaries" are more of a hilarious scientific satire, than of a science fiction. They should not go alone without "The Cyberiad", "Tales of Robots", "Observation on the Spot" and "The Futorological Congress" then.

 

[FlyingSinger]

John Barnes

There are many great authors and books mentioned already here so something different... A couple of favorites of mine are John Barnes' "Meme Wars" series especially "Orbital Resonance" and "The Sky So Big and Black." There is some weird stuff in there but it's set in a pretty interesting alternate-near-future that I find fascinating and somewhat plausible. Aside from the meme stuff, the major back story is that the Earth has gone down hill fast, total collapse of social and ecosystems, and there is a rapid (albeit somewhat belated) build up of space technology for colonization in response to this, a space elevator, hollowed out asteroids, Moon and Mars colonies, etc. Can't save most of the population but you can save some, so there are some real crash programs. Aside from this, I find his characters very compelling.

I also read one of the books he wrote with Buzz Aldrin, Encounter with Tiber, and that had some good stuff but was not a really integrated universe. Sort of stitched together with a lot of different ideas and an alien contact scenario that didn't sing for me. Barnes is a good writer and Buzz definitely benefited (and his astronaut experience helped with the near-future stuff), but the result was a bit of a mashup.

 

[adamb193]

Harry Turtledove's Worldwar series a fun WWII/ Sci-fi story.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwar

 

[NukeET]

...and the Niven/Pournelle collaboration, Footfall, since we're still in the realm of Hard Sci-Fi.

Don't forget Lucifer's Hammer and The Mote in God's Eye...and the sequel, The Gripping Hand.

I read somewhere that Heinlein was asked by Niven to proofread The Mote. Niven was grateful that the "Old Man" got to read it before passing on.

For those that enjoy a militaristic bent to your sci-fi, I recommend David Drake's Hammer's Slammers series.

I have read most of this thread's recommendations - outstanding list!

 

[Andy44]

Originally Posted by n0mad23
...and the Niven/Pournelle collaboration, Footfall, since we're still in the realm of Hard Sci-Fi.

Don't forget Lucifer's Hammer and The Mote in God's Eye...and the sequel, The Gripping Hand.

I read somewhere that Heinlein was asked by Niven to proofread The Mote. Niven was grateful that the "Old Man" got to read it before passing on.

For those that enjoy a militaristic bent to your sci-fi, I recommend David Drake's Hammer's Slammers series.

I have read most of this thread's recommendations - outstanding list!

Yes! How could I forget Niven & Pournelle. Footfall is my favorite alien invasion story, and Mote/Gripping Hand is one of the greatest hard SF "first encounter" stories ever written. Tremendous stuff these guys could write.

Pournelle's Falkenberg's Legion stories are cool military SF, his many-authored War World anthology had me totally hooked. I read every book I could find in that series, and I was fascinated by the remnants of a super-human subrace stranded on a distant, forgotten world full of hardy survivors descended from Co-Dominium penal colonists. I don't think he ever wrapped that series up, and I always wanted to know what became of the Haven-bred Saurons... Those familiar with Pournelle's future history timeline know exactly what I'm talking about. The Saurons are one of the scariest SF bad guys I've ever encountered. These guys (humans, believe it or not) are so badass, they would assimilate the Borg.

Speaking of alien invasions, if you've never read H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, do it! It's a classic for a reason, and I found that the movies (all 4 that I know of) don't quite measure up to the written work.

 

[Missioncmdr]

Let me see here.

I have read the entire Space Odyssey Series (consisting of the novels 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010: Odyssey Two, 2061: Odyssey Three, and 3001: The Final Odyssey) by Arthur C. Clarke. I enjoyed it overall, but the general quality seemed to decrease with each novel. And, of course, I have seen both movies. Clarke co-wrote the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Contact by Carl Sagan was pretty good.

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells is a classic science fiction story.

Voyage and Titan both by Stephen Baxter.

I am currently reading Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson.

 

[n0mad23]

Speaking of alien invasions, if you've never read H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, do it! It's a classic for a reason, and I found that the movies (all 4 that I know of) don't quite measure up to the written work.

Wells' was strangely prophetic in this work, as well. Remember his descriptions of the gas attacks in London? This hadn't happened yet. It actually happened 17 years(?) later in WWI.

Which begs the question - are science fiction writers the modern prophets?