Need some Sci-Fi book recommendations...

[comicbookwriter]

Hey all,

I haven't posted here in a good long time, but the last time I was here, I got some great recommendations for a good sci-fi read and here I am again searching for some good stuff to read.

Just so you know what I am looking for, a good sci-fi story in the vein of Allen Steele's COYOTE series or the Mike Resnick PARADISE series.

I like good political stuff with human exploration of space and the consequences that arise from said exploration.

I can't wait to hear the new recommendations.

Thanks in advance.

CBW

 

[Kelso]

I'm not familiar with the books you listed, but I'd recommend the Tour of the Merrimack series by R.M. Meluch or the Seafort Saga by David Feintuch.

Though, I should say that I haven't read to the final book of either series yet.

 

[Admiral_Young]

"The Dark Wing" by Walter H. Hunt it's a hard sci-fi military series but mixed with a deep mythology. It's about a war between humans and their long time enemies, a bird-like warrior race called the Zor. Four books in the series. Among my all time favorite science fiction series.

The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell.

 

[Ubik]

It sounds to me like you've got to read Frederick Pohl's Gateway (the original, just called Gateway.) It's one of the best science fiction books ever written, and it's precisely about politics, exploration, and the dangers thereof. It also takes place mainly on a space station that has somewhat of a Deep Space Nine vibe, which is a plus. Absolutely compelling and unforgettable.

Or, for something more hard-edged, less about exploration and more about trade and politics and loyalty and betrayal among the stars, you've got C. J. Cherryh's Downbelow Station. It's part of a larger series, but I've only read that one - very dense, but exceptionally well-plotted.

 

[Starbreaker]

Hmm... Engins of God by Jack McDevitt - exploration and politics.

 

[Scout101]

It sounds to me like you've got to read Frederick Pohl's Gateway (the original, just called Gateway.) It's one of the best science fiction books ever written, and it's precisely about politics, exploration, and the dangers thereof. It also takes place mainly on a space station that has somewhat of a Deep Space Nine vibe, which is a plus. Absolutely compelling and unforgettable.

Just finished this recently, on recommendation of someone here (maybe you?). Not bad at all, a fun book. Not sure I loved the ending, but at the very least, it worked with the book. Just felt it could have had a little more to it. Also kinda depressing, as I got it from the library, and the last stamp for checkout was from 1985. First person to check it out in 25 years...

Just getting started on the Game of Thrones, to jump into the Song of Ice and Fire series, on multiple recommendations. Working the Foundation books into the mix too, as they show up from the library loan thing.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Hmm... Engins of God by Jack McDevitt - exploration and politics.

Oddly enough I was just about to suggest Jack McDevitt's Chindi...

 

[Nathan_Heller]

Hmm... Engins of God by Jack McDevitt - exploration and politics.

Oddly enough I was just about to suggest Jack McDevitt's Chindi...

I agree. The Priscilla Hudgins novels by Jack McDevitt is a fine series with the qualities you ask.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

A couple standards, oldies but goodies, (forgive if you've already read 'em):

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. It's defintely political, with a strong libertarian bent. (At one point, one of the main characters spends a couple pages giving a lecture on alternative configurations for a bicameral legislature.) It's also a thrilling yarn about the citizens of the Moon rebelling against exploitation by their Earth masters.

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. It's perhaps less interstellar than the title implies, but I think Bester is one of the sharpest writers in this history of the genre. In this classic revenge tale, stranded space grunt Gully Foyle vows revenge when a passing spaceship fails to rescue him from his crippled vessel. When he finally manages to get back to Earth, he uncovers political intrigue amongst the giant corporations that run the planet.

 

[Ubik]

A couple standards, oldies but goodies, (forgive if you've already read 'em):

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. It's defintely political, with a strong libertarian bent. (At one point, one of the main characters spends a couple pages giving a lecture on alternative configurations for a bicameral legislature.) It's also a thrilling yarn about the citizens of the Moon rebelling against exploitation by their Earth masters.

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. It's perhaps less interstellar than the title implies, but I think Bester is one of the sharpest writers in this history of the genre. In this classic revenge tale, stranded space grunt Gully Foyle vows revenge when a passing spaceship fails to rescue him from his crippled vessel. When he finally manages to get back to Earth, he uncovers political intrigue amongst the giant corporations that run the planet.

I think Bester's The Demolished Man is even better. Fantastic stuff.

 

[diankra]

I'm not familiar with the books you listed, but I'd recommend the Tour of the Merrimack series by R.M. Meluch or the Seafort Saga by David Feintuch.

Though, I should say that I haven't read to the final book of either series yet.

The first Seafort is terrific. The rest of the original quartet are good, though they start to be formulaic in character terms. The fifth is anything but formulaic, but is a challenging read. The sixth and seventh are OK, but I don't think they really add anything to what was already there.
Book eight is unpublished, if it was ever finished before David Feintuch died.

But the first one, Midshipman's Hope, is a definite must-read.

 

[Starbreaker]

Hmm... Engins of God by Jack McDevitt - exploration and politics.

Oddly enough I was just about to suggest Jack McDevitt's Chindi...

I've read Engines of God, Deepsix, and Chindi. I really liked all three, but I really think that Deepsix was the best by far. Probably in my top 10 books... good stuff.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Not quite to the specs you laid out, but you can't go wrong with Anne McCaffrey's "Pern" books.

 

[JoeZhang]

I'm not familiar with the books you listed, but I'd recommend the Tour of the Merrimack series by R.M. Meluch or the Seafort Saga by David Feintuch.

Though, I should say that I haven't read to the final book of either series yet.

The first Seafort is terrific. The rest of the original quartet are good, though they start to be formulaic in character terms. The fifth is anything but formulaic, but is a challenging read. The sixth and seventh are OK, but I don't think they really add anything to what was already there.
Book eight is unpublished, if it was ever finished before David Feintuch died.

But the first one, Midshipman's Hope, is a definite must-read.

I can never quite decide if the Seafort books are very very earnest or simply very clever and subtle parodies.

In either case, it's clear that nothing solves as many problems as spanking young boys.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

I'm not familiar with the books you listed, but I'd recommend the Tour of the Merrimack series by R.M. Meluch or the Seafort Saga by David Feintuch.

Though, I should say that I haven't read to the final book of either series yet.

The first Seafort is terrific. The rest of the original quartet are good, though they start to be formulaic in character terms. The fifth is anything but formulaic, but is a challenging read. The sixth and seventh are OK, but I don't think they really add anything to what was already there.
Book eight is unpublished, if it was ever finished before David Feintuch died.

But the first one, Midshipman's Hope, is a definite must-read.

Another recommendation for the Seafort books — guess, where I got my moniker. I have to agree about the latter two books. They don't pack as much punch as the original quartet.

I'll also toss my recommendation in for John Scalzi's Old Man's War series; although, I have yet to read The Last Colony.

 

[RandyS]

These aren't what you're looking for, I loved them anyhow.

Parralities by Alan Dean Foster
The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold.

Both are books dealing with multiple parrallel universes.

Another good one one is Tommorrow and Tommorrow by Charles Sheffield.

 

[Owain Taggart]

If we're talking parallel universes now, I'd recommend the Parallax trilogy by Robert J. Sawyer. Excellently plotted story throughout all 3 books, dealing with a parallel universe where Neanderthal still live and where humans have perished.

The title for all three are:
Hominids
Humans
Hybrids