Science Fiction Reading Suggestions

[Captain Tagon]

Hey everyone. I get tired of reading fantasy sometimes and always try to branch out into good sci-fi, but it seems the only ones I can find that seem interesting at the military sci-fi books. So I'm looking for any non-military suggestions of books or series that you found entertaining.

 

[Pozatronic]

I'm mostly a fantasy guy myself, so I know what you mean.

Have you read Dune yet? The first one deserves it's "classic" status, but I stopped after the second book (did Herbert really write that?).

Dan Simmons Hyperion and Endymion Series (Hyperion & Fall of Hyperion; Endymion & Rise of Endymion) are some of my favorite books and the first Sci-Fi series I read. Very non-military, and the ending is the best bitter-sweet ending I've ever read.

I was about to say China Mieville, but he's not Sci-Fi, is he? Still, he's a pretty big step away from traditional fantasy as you can get without completly leaving the genre.

I started reading Alastair Reynolds books. I enjoy the first one (Revelation Space), but the second one (Chasm City) had so many absurd twists that I lost my taste for his writing.

That's all I can think of for now. Good luck in your search.

 

[drnuncheon]

If you like hardish Sci-Fi, you might try Michael Flynn: Firestar, Rogue Star, Lodestar, and Falling Stars. Sort of reminiscent of Heinlein, big on the rah-rah for space exploration, makes you want to get us back up there.

If you like posthuman stuff, try The Golden Age, Phoenix Exultant and The Golden Transcendance by John C. Wright. Or if that's a bit too out there for your taste, you might look at Idlewild and sequel Edenborn by Nick Sagan (Carl's son).

If you can track down a copy, I greatly enjoyed George R.R. Martin's Tuf Voyaging. Very dry humor.

J

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

I think that you're cheating yourself out of some wonderful stuff with that non-military clause. Starship Troopers remains one of my favorite books of all time, and unquestionably of Heinlein's work. If you can lay your hands on it, The Mote in God's Eye by Niven and Pournelle is a must-read; the sequel, The Gripping Hand, is less so. Many of Heinlein's short stories are worth reading; IMO moreso than his novels. Some will disagree; I say that you should avoid Time Enough for Love and Stranger in a Strange Land like the plague. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is good. Isaac Asimov's Foundation series is an enjoyable read; his Robot books are good, too. Dune treads a bit into fantasy sometimes, but nothing like Star Wars. The first 3 Dune books are very good, with Dune itself being the best, but the subsequent 4 are not my cup of tea. Some of the prequels his son wrote from his notes are good. A lot of the stuff in WoT is either ripped from Dune, "inspired by," or drawn from similar sources. I'm looking at you, Aeil...


EDIT: If you can find the Hugo Awards books presented by Asimov, GET THEM! They are very good. Also, Fred Saberhagen's Berserker books. I honestly can't understand why they weren't first to mind, I read Berserker 'till it fell apart.

 

[Tanager]

It all depends, are you looking for "hard" sci-fi (where the science aspect is more strongly grounded to real science) or would you prefer something that plays fast and loose with reality?

For the latter, I've found David Brin's Uplift series, particularly Startide Rising, to be a good read. It's got dolphins, and they crew a starship .

Another series I enjoyed was Cherryh's Foreigner series (six books in all: Foreigner, Invader, Inheritor, Precursor, Explorer and Defender. Maybe not in that order though). Essentially about the representative of the human minority on an alien world and his dilemas in dealing between the two goverments. Interesting aliens who are just different enough to be interesting.

For hard sci-fi, Carl Sagan's Contact is a good read, much better than the movie they made out of it. Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 and 2010 ( I was never able to get very far into the others) are worth reading, as is Rendez-Vous with Rama.

There's the quintessential cyberpunk of William Gibson. I'd recommend his first 'trilogy' (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive).

I'll take it for granted that you've read Dune.

Oh, I forgot to mention Spider Robinson. he's not for everyone, fairly sledgehammery with his politics (left wing ex-hippy), but Callahan's Crosstime Saloon and Time Traveller's Strictly Cash are fun, as long as you enjoy truly terrible puns.


Ok, editing again because I forgot Phillip K. Dick, particularly his short stories, his prose isn't all that great but he does have a talent for messing with your head.

(edited to add Spider Robinson to the list, and again for P.K Dick)

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I'm a sucker for Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. About the Moon (used as a prison) revolting against Earth's control.

A cross between fantasy and sci-fi, one of the genre's defining stories, Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars books. Starting with A Princess of Mars. It was written in 1912.

I also liked Asimov's Nightfall, re-written with Robert Silverberg. Asimov's Nemesis is a book I was moderately impressed with, it is also a non-military sci-fi.


Regards,
Eric Anondson

 

[Richards]

I'd also recommend James Alan Gardner's series of novels about the Explorer Corps. They are: Expendable, Vigilant, Hunted, Ascending, and Trapped, and to a lesser extent, Commitment Hour. They're a very different take on a Star Trek-like "Federation" and the "red shirts" that have to check out planets to see whether they're suitable for human expansion.

Some of Robert J. Sawyer's novels are pretty good; he does very likeable alien races. Check out the Quintaglio trilogy (a dinosaur civilization taken from Earth and seeded on the moon of a gas giant): Far-Seer, Fossil Hunter, and Foreigner. Or try Calculating God or Illegal Alien for one-shot novels if you don't want to commit to a series.

Johnathan

 

[Nellisir]

I'll second the mention of David Brin's Uplift series, William Gibson, and CJ Cherryh's sci-fi in general (particularly the Chanur and Foreigner series).

You could invest in a few of the Years Best Sci-Fi anthologies -- that should give you a few leads on authors to look for.

Sharon Shinn has an interesting series -- Archangel, Jovah's Angel, and The Alleluia Files are the 3 books on the shelf I can see from my chair here. They share a setting but are otherwise stand-alone

David Drake's Hammer Slammers is decidely military sci-fi, but it's like the sugar version of testosterone. Romance novels for guys, I suppose. Lots of things blow up. The bad guys are bad. The Hammers kick them into little pieces and win.

Cheers
Nell.

 

[huds0n]

If you haven't checked them out yet may i suggest Ben Bova's "Planet" series. I've been reading them for some time now and each one is just as good if not better than the last.

Also check out Orson Scott Cards Ender's Game, Stephen Baxters Vacuum Diagrams, and John Steakleys Armor. Plus it goes without saying if you haven't already checked out stuff from Sci-Fi masters like Asimov, Gibson, Clarke, and Heinlein you should.

 

[Umbran]

If you want something a little wierd, that in some ways borders upon fantasy, you might try the Gaia Trilogy by John Varley - Titan, Wizard, and Demon.

For something in the area of reasonably "hard" sci-fi, pick up almost anything by Larry Niven, many of which are now classics. The shared-world "Man-Kzin Wars" books buck the usual trend for shared-worlds, in that most of the stories are really good for the whole series.

Other suggestions include:
Gateway by Frederick Pohl, which is the first of the Heechee saga.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry harrison for comic sci-fi.
Enemy Mine by Barry Longyear - some fo the characters are military people, but it is not military sci-fi by a long shot.