Sci-fi book recommendations?

[AntonyF]

I started a thread like this once upon a time, and got a lot of great feedback. Sad thing is due to the pruning of old (partially of my own doing) the thread got lost, and I am slow.

But pruning is a thing of old, and I need to try this again!

So I ask for any suggestions for sci-fi books, to read, I'm eager for a new read.

If any of you have read the Tenebrea Trilogy by Roxann Dawson and Daniel Graham, I loved this. Loved it.

I guess that could be described as sci-fi drama and space opera. I want more of that.

While I love complicated TV, I'm not so good with complicated books. I like a complicated story, but find with books if there's too many characters I get confused and switch off. BUT, if I do get engaged then I commit and love it.

Any suggestions from you all?

 

[Mistral]

OK, brother, you asked for it:

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress-R.A.H.

Santiago:A Myth of the Far Future-Mike Resnick

1632-Eric Flint(and the Universe he created, try Baen'sBar for free e-versions)

Little Fuzzy-H Beam Piper
Paratime- "
Federation- "
Empire- "

The Coming Of the Quantum Cats-Pohl(?)

anything by Allen Steele, anything at all

The Mote In God's Eye-Pournelle/Niven

Axis of Time trilogy by John Birmingham

Island In the Sea of Time by S M Stirling(actually, most of his stuff is good although some of his last 2 trilogies is a little heavy-handed)

Conquistador-S M Stirling

The Peshwar Lancers-Stirling

Freehold- Michael Z Williams

Old Man's War-John Scalzi

Startide Rising/The Uplift War-David Brin

Stirling's Draka series(only available in omnibus form new, very expensive individual novels used)-some of the most horrifying alt hist stories I've ever read.

The Chronicles of Amber-Roger Zelazny

Flash Forward-Robert Sawyer

Desolation Road-Ian McDonald

The Riverworld series-Phillip Jose Farmer

Starborn-Andre Norton

Armageddon Blues-Daniel Keyes Moran

BOLO-Keith Laumer

The Stainless Steel Rat-K Laumer

The Guns of the South- Harry Turtledove

Pavane-Keith Roberts

The Lord Darcy series by Randall Garrett

Lest Darkness Fall-L Sprague DeCamp

 

[Mistral]

and...

Time and Time Again-Jack Finney

Shakespeare's Planet-Clifford Simak

Norstrillia-Cordwainer Smith

Cowboy Angels- Paul J. McAuley

The Big Time - Fritz Leiber

A Canticle for Liebowitz-Walter Miller

The Forever War-Joe Haldeman

Rainbow's End-Vernor Vinge

The Peace War-Vernor Vinge

The Postman-David Brin

Emergence David R Palmer

Time Enough For Love-R.A.H.

The Time Patrol-Poul Anderson

Flowers For Algernon-Daniel Keyes

Dorsai!-Gordon R Dickinson

Kage Baker's Company series(The Garden Of Iden, et al)

by Ken MaCleod-

1. Cosmonaut Keep (2000; US paperback ISBN 0-7653-4073-9) -- Clarke Award nominee, 2001 [11]; Hugo Award nominee, 2002 [12]
2. Dark Light (2001; US paperback ISBN 0-7653-4496-3) -- Campbell Award nominee, 2002 [13]
3. Engine City (2002; US paperback ISBN 0-7653-4421-1)

And that should keep you busy.

 

[pookha]

thomas harlan's the wasteland of flint..

 

[Joy]

I second Kage Baker's Company series... Absolutely brilliant series.

Joy

 

[Australis]

The Culture novels by Iain M Banks (start with Consider Phlebas)

The Sprawl trilogy by William Gibson (important for the shape of the net today)

Any books you can find by Howard Waldrop (mainly a short story writer but dazzlingly good).

 

[sojourner]

Mistral! I'm shocked! How could you not suggest Space Viking (doesn't get more opera than this) and Cosmic Computer aka Junkyard Planet? Both by Piper. Space Viking has even seen a reprint in the last few years, picked up a new copy a couple months ago.

Also
The Berserker books by Fred Saberhagen (and now other authors)

Still waiting for someone to write a Berserker VS Bolo book. That would rock!

 

[Mistral]

Mistral! I'm shocked! How could you not suggest Space Viking (doesn't get more opera than this) and Cosmic Computer aka Junkyard Planet? Both by Piper. Space Viking has even seen a reprint in the last few years, picked up a new copy a couple months ago.

Also
The Berserker books by Fred Saberhagen (and now other authors)

Still waiting for someone to write a Berserker VS Bolo book. That would rock!

I figured if he liked the 4 I suggested by Piper he'd find those on his own. I didn't suggest A Planet For Texans either but its one of the better stand-alone novels he wrote. For that matter, there's Earthblood by Keith Laumer-now that's opera at its finest.

 

[Hyperspace05]

Anything by Dan Simmons, John Scalzi, Vernor Vinge, Peter F Hamilton, and Alastair Reynolds. And in that order.

 

[Mistral]

The Lensmen series by EE "Doc" Smith-that and Olaf Stapledon's work were the original space operas.

 

[AntonyF]

Bejesus, that's a lot of suggestions. Thanks guys. I'll need to trawl Amazon and read about them.

I wish I had an eBook reader, it'd be easier!

 

[Maestro]

Antony, if you have an iPod Touch or an iPhone, you can get a nice eReader ap for it. I have one and never use it.

On to my suggestions:

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson

The Outback Stars by Sandra McDonald

Dune by Frank Herbert

The Calling by David Mack

 

[Starbreaker]

The Dark Beyond the Stars by Frank M. Robinson (Lambda award winner)
Raft by Stephen Baxter

 

[indianatrekker26]

I just started reading Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling. I'm really enjoying it.

 

[Mick of Time]

Midworld, by Alan Dean Foster. It's a wonderful and thought-provoking work. One of his best, in my opinion.

 

[Kegg]

For that matter, there's Earthblood by Keith Laumer-now that's opera at its finest.

Keith Laumer, people say?

If someone's looking for a space opera satire about diplomatic politics (and who isn't) his Retief series is very funny.

 

[RandyS]

Two of my favorites: The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold (Of "The Trouble With Tribbles"), and Tommorrow and Tommorrow, a time travel romance by Charles Sheiffeld.

 

[Lookingglassman]

My favorite is Titan by Stephen Baxter.

Stay away from 3001 by Clarke. It sucks!

 

[Mistral]

Bejesus, that's a lot of suggestions. Thanks guys. I'll need to trawl Amazon and read about them.

I wish I had an eBook reader, it'd be easier!

Keep in mind, Antony, that what I posted was a distilled list of 31 years of reading scifi at an average rate(until 3 yrs ago when my son was born) of 5 books a week. What I listed is truly cream-of-the-crop stuff, albeit an incomplete list of same.

I just started reading Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling. I'm really enjoying it.

I dug it too but he gets very heavy-handed about the Wicca stuff later on. Don't say I didn't warn you. I actually found myself skimming in sections of the later books. I never did that in his Nantucket trilogy.

 

[MyCylon]

Just one suggestion for now. This is the most recent one I read:

"Ubik" by PKD