What are some of your favorite science-fiction novels?

[SlowThinker]

I haven't seen The Algebraist by Iain Banks mentioned in this thread. It's packed with innovative ideas, and very immersive.
A fair warning though: I checked some of his other works but none come anywhere close to The Algebraist.

 

[Hatesmondays]

I haven't seen The Algebraist by Iain Banks mentioned in this thread. It's packed with innovative ideas, and very immersive.This one?

 

[SlowThinker]

I haven't seen The Algebraist by Iain Banks mentioned in this thread. It's packed with innovative ideas, and very immersive.This one?

Yep, and now that you mention it, it has been mentioned

 

[Hatesmondays]

Lols

 

[AkshayJain]

Ender's Game is a 1985 military science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. About it finish it.

 

[_PJ_]

Bill The Galactic Hero (onlky the first one, not the ad absurdum sequels)
Stainless Steel Rat
Quite a lot more Harrison really,

Pretty much ERYTHING by John Wyndham or Ray Bradbury

 

[Jenab2]

Downbelow Station
Cyteen
Regenesis
20,000 in Gehenna

All by C.J. Cherryh.

I also liked The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress are old favorites.

 

[enorbet]

Greetz
While actually a short story and not a novel I was very pleased to be able to read Mimsy Were The Borogroves again since I hadn't seen it since Junior High School but had thought about it repeatedly and am pleased that the reality of it's quality has held up to my idealized recall. If you are in a similar state or better, if you've never read it, I'm happy to provide this link to the complete story.

http://jabberwockland.blogspot.com/2007/03/mimsy-were-borogoves-by-lewis-padgett.html

 

[Michaelhall2007]

I started watching 11/22/63 on TV and was really enjoying it so I bought the Steven King novel.
Almost finish it now and it Sooooo much better.
I love time travel stuff and add the JFK conspiracy and I'm in hogs heaven.

 

[1oldman2]

I started watching 11/22/63 on TV and was really enjoying it so I bought the Steven King novel.
Almost finish it now and it Sooooo much better.
I love time travel stuff and add the JFK conspiracy and I'm in hogs heaven.

One of his best, very cool story.

 

[1oldman2]

I love time travel stuff and add the JFK conspiracy and I'm in hogs heaven.

Try Michael Crichton's Timeline.

 

[DHF]

Crichton's "Sphere" is also good. The book that is, the movie is crap.

 

[astro_chara]

I found the original Ender's Game series very interesting, it was a great read!

I definitely recommend this series, it questions the probability of spacetravel and the motives of humanity. It's very interesting, and is highly recommended!

Can't wait to read the next four books :D

 

[Mr.Robot]

Greetz
While actually a short story and not a novel I was very pleased to be able to read Mimsy Were The Borogroves again since I hadn't seen it since Junior High School but had thought about it repeatedly and am pleased that the reality of it's quality has held up to my idealized recall. If you are in a similar state or better, if you've never read it, I'm happy to provide this link to the complete story.

http://jabberwockland.blogspot.com/2007/03/mimsy-were-borogoves-by-lewis-padgett.html

Thank You so much! I will surely read it.

 

[Michaelhall2007]

Try Michael Crichton's Timeline.

Ooh, fiction. Apart from those bits that aren't.
Thanks. You just gave me my next book to read. ;)

 

[1oldman2]

Crichton's "Sphere" is also good. The book that is, the movie is crap.

I agree 100%, never yet seen a case yet where a movie could match a well written book for detail.

 

[1oldman2]

Ooh, fiction. Apart from those bits that aren't.
Thanks. You just gave me my next book to read. ;)

You won't be disappointed with timeline, note that Crichton even puts in a disclaimer for the "impossible" physics. I remember when The Andromeda strain first came out, been hooked on his writing ever since.

 

[DaveC426913]

Timeline was a terrible novel. Movie no better.

He was one of my favorite authors. I read almost everything he wrote (and a few he didn't).

But his later works became too obviously written more as the screenplay for a hopeful movie deal than a proper novel.

 

[1oldman2]

Timeline was a terrible novel. Movie no better.

He was one of my favorite authors. I read almost everything he wrote (and a few he didn't).

But his later works became too obviously written more as the screenplay for a hopeful movie deal than a proper novel.

I just "gotta" give you a like on that post. I really enjoyed the timeline book from a layman's point of view although from the technical standpoint I guess it would seem a long stretch of the imagination, (not unlike the fascination with the old B sci-fi movies people once had, totally impossible but still entertaining). Didn't even know they had made a movie of timeline but had I known I still wouldn't watch it anyway, I love a good novel but they never translate well into film.

 

[Stephanus]

Timeline was a terrible novel. Movie no better.

He was one of my favorite authors. I read almost everything he wrote (and a few he didn't).

But his later works became too obviously written more as the screenplay for a hopeful movie deal than a proper novel.

Timeline? As @1oldman2 says, from a layman point of view I like it.
Prey? As a computer programmer I really like his story.
But his two last books: "Next" and "something about global warming are not good". Why even he wrote it?

 

[1oldman2]

But his two last books: "Next" and "something about global warming are not good". Why even he wrote it?

I concur whole heartedly, I guess I have the fatal flaw of comparing all his stuff with "The Andromeda Strain" Hard to top a classic like that one. The global warming one (can't remember the title) seemed to have major political overtones along with a scattered plot, I did enjoy the Antarctic segment though.

 

[Stephanus]

Rising Sun is my favorite.
The Global warming is okay. "Next" is the worst. Will all due respect to Michael

 

[1oldman2]

Rising Sun is my favorite.
The Global warming is okay. "Next" is the worst. Will all due respect to Michael

Rising sun was pretty cool, I enjoyed the style he used in that one.

 

[1oldman2]

I also enjoy just about anything Stephan Gould wrote, "Dinosaur in a haystack" would be a good example. Not really Sci-fi but definitely Science with a twist.

 

[mpresic]

My first Crichton novel was Andromeda Strain I read in 1970, at age 15. (Loved it, but the movie in the 70's was not good) . Another of my favorite, although not strictly sci-fi was Airframe. I liked Timeline, but not as good as the others mentioned. Stephen Kings 11/22 as the first King I read ever. I liked it.

 

[1oldman2]

11/22 as the first King I read ever. I liked it.

One of the best things he has ever written.

 

[DHF]

I liked King's Tommyknockers but i hated the movie.

 

[1oldman2]

I liked King's Tommyknockers but i hated the movie.

same here

 

[tobyr65]

When I'm in search of a good book and don't want to mess around with 'b' writers I look up award winners. I judge by first the story telling ability then originality of story and lastly the subject. Old Man's War by John Scalzi, The Gate Thief by Orson Scott Card and The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell.

 

[tobyr65]

Archer's Goon by Diana Wynne Jones. More Fantasy than Sci-fi but they'll like it.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Best seller list on Amazon is a clue for me.

 

[ronin frog]

Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy
Dune Trilogy

me too:-) I have been re-reading "the machine crusade" and also "Battle of Corrin"by Brian Herbert.and I found a book called "the stone canal"by ken Macleod.all I can say about that is wow!some far out stuff.but real good reading.

 

[Schnellmann]

Listing favourite books difficult as some books that I really liked as an adolescent I've tried to reread and not liked. Books that did make a big impression on me:

Childhoods End by Arthur C Clarke

More than Human by Theodore Sturgeon. Something I really want to read again.

1984 - this still haunts me today

I really liked Kurt Vonnegut and read a bunch of his novels about 30 years back but can't remember which one I liked best!

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

We did Brave New World at school and I liked it but some of Huxley's other novels (that I tried because of BNW) - particularly Eyeless in Gaza, Point Counterpoint and These Barren Leaves blew me away. Not Sci Fi but books that I loved even though they weren't Sci Fi.

Some of Philip K Dick I liked but others confused me. Perhaps I was too young.

 

[nrqed]

Depends which order they were done in. Ever read the book version of a movie that was as good as the movie?

One book that I think is an exception is The Abyss. Orson Scott Card did an amazing job adapting the movie to a novel.

 

[Hornbein]

Ever read the book version of a movie that was as good as the movie?

Does Catch-22 count?

I'm not sure I've ever read a book written post-movie.