I am looking for Sci-Fi book recommendations.

[rcs619]

I like Sci-Fi, but I've noticed that my book library in this section is severely lacking. I would be thankful to those who are willing to recommend me good books.

I am willing to read good books from any sub-genre: Science Fantasy, Space Opera, Hard Sci-Fi, Cyberpunk (is Cyberpunk a Sci-Fi sub-genre or genre of it's own?). I only ask to not recommend anything written by Asimov, Scheckley and Bradbury, because my library is made up mostly of their books.

I've also read and liked P. K. Dicks "Do androids dream of electric sheep?", "Ubiq" and "The man in high castle".

Thank you very much.

Alrighty, I see Honor Harrington has already been mentioned. I will add that the first two books of that series can be found, in full, for free on the Baen publishing website.
http://www.baen.com/readonline/index/read/sku/0743435710 On Basilisk Station
http://www.baen.com/readonline/index/read/sku/0743435729 The Honor of the Queen
Overall it's a pretty fun series, but the plot does overreach a bit later on, and runs into some pacing issues. Up through book 8 is great though.

If you like military sci-fi, I'd also recommend "Valor's Choice" by Tanya Huff. It's the first part of a series that follows the life and adventures of Torin Kerr, a space marine gunnery sergeant. Basically, humans (and two other species equally as young) make up the military arm of the Confederation, since the elder species who run the thing have become such helpless space-hippies that they won't even fight to defend themselves. Fun series overall, good sense of humor, and Torin is a legitimately badass lady.

"The Reality Dysfunction" by Peter Hamilton. First part of his 3-part Night's Dawn series (although, each of the 3 books is a thousand pages long, so it's a longer series than you'd expect), and this thing is just great. Super interesting world he throws the reader into, and the main badguys of the series are extremely creative, and genuinely menacing. Good, fun space-opera

"Revelation Space" by Alastair Reynolds. First part of a 3 part series (with like 3 spin-off novels and a book of short stories), this is also a very interesting, if grim, setting. Humans never broke the lightspeed barrier, and travel between stars on decades-long trips at 99.9% lightspeed, and cybernetic augmentations have sub-divided us into several (almost) sub-species that dislike each other to varying degrees.

I saw the Lost Fleet series mentioned, and while I've also only read the first book, I thought it was a pretty fun read.

Peter Watts has written a lot of interesting stuff. I will say, don't read Peter Watts if you're having a bad day, as his material tends to be pretty damned grim (in an interesting way, but still). He's posted four of his novels and a lot of short stories, in full, for free on his personal website. http://www.rifters.com/real/shorts.htm

Also not to hijack your thread, but if anyone reads this post, could you shoot some suggestions my way. What should I look out for if I read and liked all of the above already?

 

[Breakdown]

Off the top of my head I'd recommend Hyperion by Dan Simmons and Forever War by Joe Haldeman.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

My grandfather always recommended the Lensman series by E.E. "Doc" Smith.

 

[Chris Mosher]

Ian M Banks and his culture series is pretty well regarded. The stories are pretty standalone but i would recommend starting with player of games.

 

[Ambient_Malice]

McLendon's Syndrome.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

"Altered Carbon" by Richard K. Morgan is one of my favorite books of all time. Very interesting concept done extremely well.

 

[Twinrehz]

Ian M Banks and his culture series is pretty well regarded. The stories are pretty standalone but i would recommend starting with player of games.

Chronologically, Consider Phlebas is the first Culture Novel. Player of games is damn cool too, but my favourite Culture novel so far (haven't read them all) is Use of Weapons. It's a weird book with a brutal revelation towards the end.

Inside the cover of all Banks' books is an illustrated list of the books released so far; I was advised to read the Culture novels in that order, because the later ones (like Excession) has references to The Culture itself, that's explained in earlier books (for example, in Consider Phlebas it is explained what the Minds are). The non-Culture novels are also worth reading (Against a dark background was the first Banks-book I read, and the one that got me hooked in the first place).

 

[Chris Mosher]

Chronologically, Consider Phlebas is the first Culture Novel. Player of games is damn cool too, but my favourite Culture novel so far (haven't read them all) is Use of Weapons. It's a weird book with a brutal revelation towards the end.

Inside the cover of all Banks' books is an illustrated list of the books released so far; I was advised to read the Culture novels in that order, because the later ones (like Excession) has references to The Culture itself, that's explained in earlier books (for example, in Consider Phlebas it is explained what the Minds are). The non-Culture novels are also worth reading (Against a dark background was the first Banks-book I read, and the one that got me hooked in the first place).

I know that Player of Games isn't the first chronologically but I found it the most accessible. I had a couple of irl friends recommend I start with Player of games so I am biased because that's where I started with the Culture. My actual first Banks book The Wasp Factory which was rather chilling.

Btw how was the Expanse vs the TV series. I was super impressed with the series so i have been avoiding the books.

 

[Twinrehz]

Btw how was the Expanse vs the TV series. I was super impressed with the series so i have been avoiding the books.

Honestly I haven't read the book, and I started watching the series because it was recommended by my friends. I have the book, though. There's a previous post a bit further up that details some of the differences.

 

[kurupt87]

Ian M Banks and his culture series is pretty well regarded. The stories are pretty standalone but i would recommend starting with player of games.

Chronologically, Consider Phlebas is the first Culture Novel. Player of games is damn cool too, but my favourite Culture novel so far (haven't read them all) is Use of Weapons. It's a weird book with a brutal revelation towards the end.

Inside the cover of all Banks' books is an illustrated list of the books released so far; I was advised to read the Culture novels in that order, because the later ones (like Excession) has references to The Culture itself, that's explained in earlier books (for example, in Consider Phlebas it is explained what the Minds are). The non-Culture novels are also worth reading (Against a dark background was the first Banks-book I read, and the one that got me hooked in the first place).

Yeah, The Player of Games is what is normally recommended as the start off point to his sci fi universe. It's quite short and introduces the reader to The Culture well. Also, a really great read.

And as an interesting snippet to gamers, he wrote it after playing Sid Meier's Civilisation. Blurb below.

The Culture - a human/machine symbiotic society - has thrown up many great Game Players, and one of the greatest is Gurgeh. Jernau Morat Gurgeh. The Player of Games. Master of every board, computer and strategy.

Bored with success, Gurgeh travels to the Empire of Azad, cruel and incredibly wealthy, to try their fabulous game . . . a game so complex, so like life itself, that the winner becomes emperor. Mocked, blackmailed, almost murdered, Gurgeh accepts the game, and with it the challenge of his life - and very possibly his death.

I think you could happily have any Culture book as your entrance to the universe, my own was Matter, except for Excession.

 

[sXeth]

WEll, with a cursory glance at one of my bookshelves, and avoiding some obvious ones people have covered already.

CS Friedman's Black Sun trilogy. Space Fantasy. It is more character driven then a lot of the genre though. Also the sci-fi is a bit more of a backstory then central to the plot, which delves more into fantasy standards. The "magic" system in it was always sort of intriguing to me though. Can't really say too much without spoilering though.

 

[Freyr]

If you haven't already read them, i'd recommend Christopher Anvil's books, starting with the Interstellar Patrol.
http://www.baen.com/interstellar-patrol.html

"Ready Player One" is also a very good read, if you haven't already read it.

 

[Drathnoxis]

I thought The Journeys of McGill Feighan was pretty good. It's been a long time so I'll just post the first summary I find on Google.

"Caverns" is the first book in a (currently) four book series by Mr. O'Donnell. As the title implies, the focus is on a character named McGill Feighan. In this first book, the origin of McGill and the start of his adventerous life is revealed. "Caverns" is at first a light-hearted read, but you soon find yourself drawn into the life of the hero, his triumphs and despair. McGill is a "flinger", a person who can teleport anything (himself, other people, things) anywhere that he's been before. But even for a flinger, he does not lead a normal life due to unusual events in his life, when he was a newborn. Much of the story revolves around McGill's growing-up and learning to deal with his powers, as well as the assortment of people and aliens that take an interest in his life (both good and bad)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1112535.Caverns

One of the things that is unfortunate about the series is that the author gave up and then died before writing the fifth book. So that sucks.

 

[Mister K]

Wow, so many recommendations! Thanks you very much!

You know, I though that I'd like to do something more than write a simple "Thank you", so I am also going to give a recommendation of my own to other people that may read this thread.

I'd like to recommend three works by the best Soviet Sci-Fi duo, The Strugatsky Brothers:

1. Monday Begins on Saturday. It is a light Sci-Fi satire on Soviet research institutes, that tells us a story about a young programmer who met two people, go a job offer and is now working in basically fairy tale/mythology Institute.

2. Hard to be a God. This book tells a story of a member of a group that is researching underdeveloped alien worlds, who during events of the book is posing as a duke on a planet, that is on a level of our Middle Ages.

3. Roadside Picnic. You know S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games? Well this book served as an inspiration for these games. Basically, The Event happened, during which Alien species landed on Earth in certain locations and shortly thereafter left our planet. Places where they've landed now possess supernatural characteristics and in these Zones aliens have left a lot of their stuff. Some of it is harmless/useful, some of it is deadly. The novel tells us a story of a young Stalker, who goes to the Zone to hunt down these relics.

 

[K12]

It's an old one and doesn't feel particularly sci-fi compared to more modern examples but I read H.G. Wells "Invisible Man" recently and loved it. The character is delightfully insane and it's a fun read that's pretty easy going compared to many things from that era.

 

[Old Father Eternity]

snip.

Good recommendation, though regarding Roadside Picnic, it was not so much that the aliens landed, rather they sort of orbital bombarded earth with their junk, least that is the main theory in the book.

In addition, I would recommend basically the entirety of the 'Noon Universe' books and since you are apparently Ukranian, getting a hold of those should not be extremely difficult as many of their works were part of the Mirabilia serialization durig the soviet era.
Also part of the mirabila were Dirac Sea/More Diraca by Jemtsev and Parnov (if i got those names right) Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

Stuff by C.D Simak and M.Crichton

The Shoal Sequence by Gary Gibson is pretty decent.


And again i am sad that i am not near my book shelf as i am certainly forgetting some.

 

[Orga777]

-Jules Verne (specifically Journey to the Centre of the Earth, War of the Worlds, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Journey is more fantasy than sci-fi now, due to how our understanding of the Earth's interior has changed, and War is a bit of a dry read, but they still get my stamp of approval)

Um... What? War of the Worlds was most certainly written by H.G. Wells. Not Jules Verne. :/

ANYWAY! I recommend Arthur C. Clarke and 2001 A Space Odyssey. That book is great, and easily one of the best science fiction stories ever written. I would also recommend H.G. Wells (War of the Worlds is one of my all time favorite sci-fi stories.)

 

[Mister K]

snip.

Good recommendation, though regarding Roadside Picnic, it was not so much that the aliens landed, rather they sort of orbital bombarded earth with their junk, least that is the main theory in the book.

I don't know, as far as I remember during prologue interview with The Scientist (forgot his name, damnit) he says that aliens actually landed and later in the book he said that aliens stayed on Earth for a few days and had their "roadside picnic" here.

Maybe I am wrong, though. But whatever, whether they've landed or were just passing by doesn't play major role in the story.

 

[immortalfrieza]

Let's see... well, I don't have anything that's particularly current, but the Dragonback series by Timothy Zahn is pretty good, and he's also written a few Star Wars books that I hear are also pretty good, though I've only read a couple so far they hold up. I'm actually working my way from the earliest in the Legends chronology to the latest and I've managed to get to the the Empire Era, though I've only really read books that heavily feature Jedi and/or Sith. Of those, I'd say anything that was written by Jude Watson are among my favorites, the Jedi Apprentice, Jedi Quest, and Last of the Jedi series are all very good series written by Jude Watson despite or perhaps even because of being young adult books.

Aside from Star Wars stuff there isn't much in my library of Sci-Fi books.

 

[Sonicron]

The Warhammer 40.000 universe is incredibly rich in lore and well worth getting into. Instead of throwing hundreds of the Black Library's titles at you, I'll just give you one solid recommendation - the very series that reeled me in.

Dan Abnett, one of the best W40k authors there is, penned a trilogy about inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn. The whole thing is available in a handy omnibus edition, simply titled "Eisenhorn". The series mixes action and suspense expertly, creating an atmosphere that's somewhere between grim dystopian warfare and a science-fantasy detective novel.
And if you end up liking the series, Abnett also wrote a follow-up trilogy about Eisenhorn's proteg?, "Ravenor". Same deal in terms of publication, and also an excellent read.