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Community => General discussion => : whatitdo January 31, 2015, 03:24:04 AM

: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: whatitdo January 31, 2015, 03:24:04 AM
Hey all, I've started a science fiction binge, and am looking for recommendations, preferable ranked on the higher end of the Mohs Scale of Science Fiction Hardness.

So far, I've read most of Asimov and Clarke's most famous works, as well as most of Cory Doctorow's books (He's awesome, and he has all of his books up as free downloads on his site! Check him out!), and am preparing myself for the deep descent into the Dune Series.

Love a book, hate a book? Let me know what to look at and what pass over! Tell me why, and if possible, add a synopsis!

May the Three Laws guide you XD
: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: SprawlUlfr January 31, 2015, 08:21:16 AM
For a book by an InfoSec guy, Daemon (and freedom) are a good read.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_%28novel_series%29


for Cyberpunk I can't stress enough my love for William Gibson. Neuromancer, Johnny Mneumonic, ect...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprawl_trilogy


Actually read Blade Runner or Do androids dream of electric sheep By philip K dick
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_Androids_Dream_of_Electric_Sheep%3F


Dunno if these help but I love this kind of stuff.

: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: techb January 31, 2015, 08:57:30 AM
Enders game at least the first and second book.  Also the mistborn trilogy is excellent.
: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: Spectrum_963 January 31, 2015, 01:16:00 PM
for Cyberpunk I can't stress enough my love for William Gibson. Neuromancer, Johnny Mneumonic, ect...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprawl_trilogy


Actually read Blade Runner or Do androids dream of electric sheep By philip K dick
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_Androids_Dream_of_Electric_Sheep%3F


Dunno if these help but I love this kind of stuff.
How dare you leave out Snow Crash.
@OP- Does it have to be Sci-Fi or can it be in the general low-level Fantasy/Dystopia genre?
: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: TheWormKill January 31, 2015, 02:48:46 PM
I'd strongly suggest the Otherland series by Tad Williams.
: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: SprawlUlfr January 31, 2015, 11:00:29 PM
How dare you leave out Snow Crash.
@OP- Does it have to be Sci-Fi or can it be in the general low-level Fantasy/Dystopia genre?


Sorry, I have not read Snow Crash yet XD I'll have to check it out.
: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: Xires January 31, 2015, 11:38:59 PM
I strongly suggest Robert A Heinlein's books for some great classical sci-fi.
: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: whatitdo February 01, 2015, 03:09:37 AM
I am mortified at myself for neglecting to mention having read Ender!

@Spectrum_963 fantasy/dystopia is good as well

Keep the recs coming!
: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: shadowwolf February 01, 2015, 04:37:59 PM
I am mortified at myself for neglecting to mention having read Ender!

@Spectrum_963 fantasy/dystopia is good as well

Keep the recs coming!
For fantasy the stormlight archive series is amazing. There are only two books out so far but they are both over a 1000 pages long
: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: madf0x February 01, 2015, 08:53:55 PM
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Basically about the lunar colony revolting against earth. Author did a lot of research into successful revolutions. Can almost be used as a how-to guy for starting revolutions.

Also MC is friends with a hyper-intelligent AI supercomputer, and it's not evil.
: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: whatitdo February 04, 2015, 04:25:04 PM
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Basically about the lunar colony revolting against earth. Author did a lot of research into successful revolutions. Can almost be used as a how-to guy for starting revolutions.

Also MC is friends with a hyper-intelligent AI supercomputer, and it's not evil.

Well, that certainly is a rare occurrence!
: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: bones February 04, 2015, 05:30:12 PM
How dare you leave out Snow Crash.
Cryptonomicon is another good book by Neil Stephenson.
: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: bones February 04, 2015, 09:24:30 PM
For a book by an InfoSec guy, Daemon (and freedom) are a good read.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_%28novel_series%29 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_%28novel_series%29)
"Kill Decision" is really good, too. I just ordered "Influx" (his most recent book) yesterday... can't wait to read it. All of his books have been good so far.
: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: Darkvision February 05, 2015, 02:58:26 PM
Lets see.....
First i feel i have to toss up ANY Rodger Zelazny, he is a mix of scifi/fantasy but its done so well as to be a genre of its own, and well worth reading. Check out something like Lord of Light or his 9 Princess in Amber series. So basically i pimp him out any chance i get because...he is one of my favorite authors period.

Since you have listed Asimov and Clarke id also toss out Heinland(considered one of the fathers of scifi) Stranger from a Strange land is an amazing book, and easily my favorite of his. (though their are a number of other great books he has written)

Joel Sheppard is a relatively new author but i enjoyed his "Cassandra Kresnov" series and its definitely sci-fi, and reasonably well researched.

I <3 to death all of Elizabeth Moons books, she writes amazing characters, and again she researches well. Though i feel i should point out some of her science(especially related to computer technology) IS off, but this is i believe more due to the age of the books, than to her not researching.

anyway some notable mentions:Fredrick Pohl, Robert Silverberg, Poul Anderson or well just about anyone published regularly in the good sci fi magazines. (like Issac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine)

Anyway honestly im forgetting a few, one that is tickling my mind right now that i cant remember his books or name, but that is a great read....bah. should get you started.
: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: gray February 08, 2015, 10:26:43 AM
The Ilium/Olympos series by Dan Simmons.

Humans in a distant future have a way to witness the famous battle between Troy and the Greeks as if they were there. Some history scholars picked from various ages are able to actually teleport there and report the historic accuracy of the events to the Greek gods..which are not what they seem. Eventually, the Trojan war will digress considerably from what it was supposed to be. The humans who were watching it will also have to start a fight of their own for their survival, and there are sentient machines interested in Shakespeare and Proust that will also play an important part in the plot.

The Night's Dawn Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton

The story is set in a future where humanity has colonized a lot of space, there are also sentient ships and some living space stations where humans can transfer their memories when they die. Something causes the souls of all who died in the past to return to the world and possess the living, while also having some special powers. A war erupts between the possessed who need living hosts to bring even more souls into the world and the humans who haven't been possessed yet.

I really enjoyed these series, both have many characters and alternate sub-plots at the beginning, before everything converges to the final climax.

: Re: Favorite SciFi books and recommendations
: 6u1Zm0 February 12, 2015, 02:08:11 PM
You can definitely go for Dune, it's really good !
Loved everything, from the book to the video games :)
ok... there was a film once as well...