What are some of your favorite science-fiction novels?

[The Bill]

I really like Greg Egan's novels. I have an especial fondness for his work from the nineties. Permutation City, Diaspora, and Quarantine are probably my favorites of his work, for different reasons.

Diaspora has probably the longest time scale within its story of any novel I've read, and both it and Permutation City treat the philosophy of transferring human consciousness into AI quite well.

Quarantine uses the philosophy of quantum mechanics as a plot point. It's not terribly realistic, but it serves the story well, and does get across some of the ideas of early/mid 20th century philosophical discussions on quantum mechanics.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

What's the reverse of "writer's block"? Yes, I'm talking to YOU, Peter F. Hamilton.

 

[The Bill]

What's the reverse of "writer's block"? Yes, I'm talking to YOU, Peter F. Hamilton.

Indeed. Of course, that's something I enjoy about his work. I like to wallow in the worlds he creates, and that's a lot easier with a longer novel than a shorter one.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

I would request a dramatis personae before I read another of his.

 

[EnumaElish]

Pretty much anything Robert Sawyer wrote.

Reading Hannu Rajaniemi's work impressed upon me kind of snobbish but true to self. Charles Stross commented "Rajaniemi writes better than me."

P.S. His novels have their own wiki: http://exomemory.wikia.com/wiki/The_Quantum_Theif_Wiki - you need a reference guide, if not an encyclopedia, to make sense of them. The reader has to work.

 

[Wastrophysicist]

Hi rmalik,

Isaac Asimov's books are definitely a must if you're looking for Sci-fi books (My personal choices: Foundation; I, robot, Empire, Nemesis//in that order). And if you're somewhat classical, you can't miss Verne's books. After that, you could start reading the great trilogy 'Dune', and because of Asimov and Verne's reading, I promise you will appreciate much more the books.

Hope I helped :)

 

[Stephanus]

Yesterday I just finished reading (again) Ira Levin's "The Boys from Brazil".
About Mengele clones 94 Hitlers. Spread the 'Hitlter' babies to 94 different foster parent. Father is 50 years old, mother is 28 years old. And when the fathers reach 65, Mengele's men kill them so making the environment somewhat similar to Hitler situation. Father was a civil servant, died age 64/65 when yound Hitler was 13/14.
It gets me thinking. Why the trouble of making 94 adoptions, spread them all over the west world, killing 94 person by not drawing attention.
Why not just gather those 94 babies, later boys, then teach them the Nazi doctrine or what ever the hell, yes hell, that Mengele had in mind. It will be easier.

And talking about sci fi. I think it's the first book who discusses cloning. Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park was in mid 80's. And Levin's book was in 1976. And Ira Levin wasn't even a sci fi writer at that time.
And the first accurate description of cloning I might add. The cloning should have not just the right (or in this case of Hitler - wrong) genetic material, but also the similar environment.
Unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger Sixth Day, where the clone has already been mature all with Adam Gibson memory. Or Van Damme Replicant, where the clone/replicant has already been mature.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Question please: Is there a readable scifi novel that has the humans as the elder race in the galaxy, spreading out and seeding life on candidate planets? I've seen the concept of "the elder race" in books from Contact on down, but I don't know of any where WE are it.

 

[Stephanus]

Question please: Is there a readable scifi novel that has the humans as the elder race in the galaxy, spreading out and seeding life on candidate planets? I've seen the concept of "the elder race" in books from Contact on down, but I don't know of any where WE are it.

James Cameron's Avatar? But, there's no book, or the book isn't published.
[Add: And thanks for your WWII links ]

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

That's a Pocahantas story, I'm think more along the lines of the Well of Souls.

 

[enorbet]

Question please: Is there a readable scifi novel that has the humans as the elder race in the galaxy, spreading out and seeding life on candidate planets? I've seen the concept of "the elder race" in books from Contact on down, but I don't know of any where WE are it.

Most such books that fit the "readable" category of Elder races, especially where humans are or may be those elders wisely leave it as a question in deep past. I don't know how to give an example without giving away an important surprise ending so hopefully the books of Andre Norton are too light on Science and too heavy on Fantasy to upset anyone if I give one partly away.

Originally titled Star Rangers (some books were re-titled later and there are more by other names dealing with various Elders, including homo sapiens) this book occurs at a time when even Terra, the human home world, is considered a myth. A somewhat Star-Trekkie interstellar spaceship whose crew is a combination of military and explorers force lands after a battle on an uncharted planet. During landing the ruins of a city is seen that may help them survive or even be rescued. It bears exploration. In that process they encounter those that they battled as well as begin to uncover the nature and origin of the city, which shockingly lends hard evidence to the Myth of Terra, and homo sapiens as the first interstellar race.

Many of Norton's books deal with time travel and the cyclical rise and fall of Civilizations. She was a favorite of mine along with Heinlein and several others as a teenager. Recently I revisited a few of her books and found her writing still very good at stimulating "the book in the mind" although scientifically some very much show their age. Her later books diverted more into "Sword and Sorcery" (which I little care for) but her early, more explorer related Sci Fi measures with the greats.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Sounds dead bang. T/Y

 

[Rubidium_71]

Islands In The Sky by Clarke is a sentimental old favorite from my youth.
And, of course...
The Martian.
Sorry, Noisy, I couldn't resist! ;)

 

[Stephanus]

Mars?? It's not a giant leap Rubidium, it's even hardly a small step. I'm thinking something like 100 light years away.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Islands In The Sky by Clarke is a sentimental old favorite from my youth.
And, of course...
The Martian.
Sorry, Noisy, I couldn't resist! ;)

"Rat Man forgive you ... this time."

 

[Rubidium_71]

Mars?? It's not a giant leap Rubidium, it's even hardly a small step. I'm thinking something like 100 light years away.

Lighten up, Stephanus, that was just a jest between myself and Noisy Rhysling, referring to our spirited discussion in a different thread. If that bugs you, Islands in the Sky must really be a bother because it's closer to Earth than The Martian is.
If it will placate you, how about The Oceans Are Wide by Frank M. Robinson? That's a good story that gets the reader all the way to another star system. Another oldie, but goodie.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Lighten up, Stephanus, that was just a jest between myself and Noisy Rhysling, referring to our spirited discussion in a different thread. If that bugs you, Islands in the Sky must really be a bother because it's closer to Earth than The Martian is.
If it will placate you, how about The Oceans Are Wide by Frank M. Robinson? That's a good story that gets the reader all the way to another star system. Another oldie, but goodie.

Just get a copy of Tau Zero. Can't go farther than that.

 

[Stephanus]

Lighten up, Stephanus, that was just a jest between myself and Noisy Rhysling, referring to our spirited discussion in a different thread. If that bugs you, Islands in the Sky must really be a bother because it's closer to Earth than The Martian is.
If it will placate you, how about The Oceans Are Wide by Frank M. Robinson? That's a good story that gets the reader all the way to another star system. Another oldie, but goodie.

A "jest"?? If only you knew what he already had given me. It's more than I can imageine Noisy. Thank you very much

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

A "jest"?? If only you knew what he already had given me. It's more than I can imageine Noisy. Thank you very much

Uh ... you're welcome?

 

[fresh_42]

My favorite SciFi novels are the complete work of Stanislaw Lem. Perhaps with the exception of Solaris.

 

[Kerrie]

Ursula LeGuin-The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. I don't read as much as I should, but her books are amazing.

 

[Dream Relics]

Hyperion was really enjoyable. Stranger in a strange land was also. and I really liked Asimov's "the Gods themselves".

 

[Claude DeBris]

I'm going to be making a list of good ones to purchase for summer reading. I would like to see what are some people's favorite books here.

If you can put a short description or say why you liked it, that would save me the trouble of reading a plot synopsis on wiki.

Go, go, go!

Tough question. Different people like different styles of writing. The Skylark series and the last three of the six Lensman books by E.E. "Doc" Smith are all fun to read. These books are considered by many to be the first "space opera" novels ever written (he started in the 1920's). Lots of strange aliens, weird planets, and impossible space drives, but entertaining reading nonetheless. Smith has a propensity for inserting arcane and archaic adjectives in his stories, so a dictionary can be helpful. "Ringworld" and ""Protector" by Larry Niven are excellent. Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is great, and H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" is a good read also. I'll probably get some flak from other members but I really enjoyed "Battlefield Earth" by Hubbard; it's a favorite of mine. Oh, and if you haven't read "The Martian" it's better than the movie, and the movie is really good.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

The Motie in God's Eye and its sequel are must reads.

 

[shirleyschloss]

My most favorite novel the "Neptune's Brood" by Charles Stross a great and interesting novel.

'The ocean at the end of the lane" by Neil Gaiman was a pretty good novel too.

 

[Svein]

My most favorite novel the "Neptune's Brood" by Charles Stross a great and interesting novel. "The ocean at the end of the lane" by Neil Gaiman was a pretty good novel too.

If you like Charles Stross and are into games (like "Pokemon Go"), read "Halting State" by Charles Stross.

 

[Chadi B Ghaith]

I'm going to be making a list of good ones to purchase for summer reading. I would like to see what are some people's favorite books here.

If you can put a short description or say why you liked it, that would save me the trouble of reading a plot synopsis on wiki.

Go, go, go!

An Age by Brian Aldiss :
In this, you can find popular science fiction themes of time travel which shows an untapped potential of the human mind. this is the amazing point to read this fiction.

 

[waternohitter]

I prefer "The Queen of Blood" by Sarah Beth Durst and The Diamond Age by "The Diamond Age or A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer" by Neal Stephenson.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Currently re-reading More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon. I don't know if the human gestalt idea was original with him, but he certainly made it believable.

 

[DaveC426913]

Uh oh. I'm stuck in a five year loop!

I've run out of books again so I checked out this thread to refill my ebook, when I came across this:

mine is: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers (20,000 leagues under the sea) by: Jules Verne,

I was about to respond that it is one of my favorites, when I discovered I already had, five years ago.

 

[DaveC426913]

I also liked Tau Zero by Poul Anderson.

I read this a couple of years back - might even have een on your recommendation. It was a great story, although it was ultimately marred by what I saw as amateur physics. I don't mean zoom-pew-pew-sounds-in-vacuum bad-physics, I mean the core physics. The story cannot happen.
Still, otherwise enjoyable.Greg Bear's Eon was pretty cool. Great premise.
An asteroid is detected falling into the solar system. Exploration reveals it's hollow.
It's 300km long on the outside.
And 20 million light years long on the inside.

 

[Aufbauwerk 2045]

My top five plus a "bonus" selection.

(1) On Two Planets (Auf Zwei Planeten) by Kurd Lasswitz. I read this because it was said to have inspired the German rocket pioneers such as von Braun. I read an English translation of the abridged version. Maybe there is a translation of the unabridged version now.

(2) Looking Backwards by Bellamy. It's a time travel story.

(3) Solaris by Stanislav Lem. The Russians made a beautiful movie based on this one. I recommend the novel and the movie.

(4) When Worlds Collide by Wylie and Balmer.

(5) The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells.

My favorite novel that I have not read (!) is Colossus by D. F. Jones. I pick this one because it was the basis for my favorite movie about AI, namely Colossus the Forbin Project. It's actually the first volume in a trilogy. If I ever have time I would like to read all three.

 

[john101]

A Canticle for Leibowitz as mentioned by willbell post#123 : ' A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller Jr is incredible, the story of a post-apocalyptic monastery that spans millennia. Not only is it a great work of science fiction but perhaps the greatest book I have ever read.' I think it's the best SF novel I've read. If the glass bead game by Hesse can be considered SF/Fantasy I'd include that.

 

[Battlemage!]

I loved the Otherland series by Tad Williams.

It's set some 50 to 100 years in the future where the internet has been replaced by a vast series of ineractive virtual reality worlds. Utilizing this, a very powerful cabal of wealthy men and women create a secret world whose operating system is an Artificial Intelligence that is grown from the subconscious minds of millions of comatose children. To what ends, well, I'd be giving a big spoiler, but it's pretty awesome. Anyway, the story follows a disparate group of people trying to figure out why "the net" seems to have caused their various loved ones to fall into comas.

Since the story is about a VR network (in which you can die/obligatory), it is able to sample a multitude of different science fiction and fantasy stories, from dystopian Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz, to some H.G. Wells stuff, or what the world would look like if Europeans never came to the New World, World War II, to completely novel worlds, like a kitchen inhabited by 1920s product logo characters, or a libray the size of an entire world, so large it's AI inhabitants have yet to plot out all of its locations.It's four massive books long, and I was disappointed that it wasn't longer (because really I fell in love with the worldand characters). But fortunately Tad Williams wrote a couple short stories continuing the world.Anyway this series was my favorite for a few years. It isn't for everyone, but I recommend it.

Yes... the cover art is what made me pick it up in the library, hehe.

 

[PinkyMcFiddle]

Obviously the Foundation series, Dune (is that sci-fi or fantasy?), I enjoy Iain M Banks (I know that Culture is fundamentally flawed as a story-telling device because of the get out of jail free card- but the poor bastard is dead, so give him a break), HG Wells.

A lot of sci-fi is crap written entirely around a sci-fi setting. Good fiction is a great story and great characters, and the setting does not matter.