Modern Sci Fi novels

[ReservoirAngel]

So some people may have seen my thread in the Advice Forum about improving my writing ability.

Commonly recieved advice was: just read a lot of books in the genre your interested in writing. Well for me, that genre is Sci Fi.

trouble is, I'm not very knowledgeable about book releases and stuff like that, and the only Sci Fi novels I seem to be able to find in local bookstores are based off Sci Fi games. and i don't wanna read a book based off Halo, thank you VERY much.

So, with that in mind, I ask if anyone here knows any decent, modern Sci Fi books I could possibly look into?

 

[Nimcha]

Once again I will recommend the books by Alastair Reynolds. Especially his Revelation Space series. It's an amazing universe he's created, and he uses it to create great stories. So there you go.

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

Hmmm... I realise I haven't actually read many modern Sci Fi books.

Possibly the most recent (a few years ago) that is the most prominent in my mind is Future Eden.

http://www.amazon.com/Future-Eden-Brief-History-Next/dp/0689839790/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250784667&sr=1-2

But it's very difficult to find...

 

[Nimzabaat]

Just because a book is based on a video game doesn't make it categorically awful. Mass Effect had some great storylines and i've enjoyed the books based on that game.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Warhammer 40k man...

Some of the best Sci-Fi books out there.

 

[deth2munkies]

Honestly, I haven't been reading too many strict Sci-Fi books recently, I've been more into the Fantasy side, which is similar but not precisely the same. Right now I'm really into The Dresden Files which is basically your basic sarcastic detective story in modern Chicago, except where said detective and most of the baddies he hunts are very powerful wizards and/or magical creatures. Great writing on that one and the most recent book has about the most epic fight scene I've ever witnessed in any medium (it also spoils basically the entire plots of every single book before it so don't read it first), so it's good.

 

[Tallim]

Once again I will recommend the books by Alastair Reynolds. Especially his Revelation Space series. It's an amazing universe he's created, and he uses it to create great stories. So there you go.

Pushing Ice is also good. (Reynolds again)

Iain M. Bancks : Player Of Games

actually most of his scifi stuff is really interesting particularly the novels dealing heavily with The Culture.

 

[Dyp100]

Gotta go with Eisenhorn. Also, not all of the Halo novels are bad, the extended universe is actually pretty great.

You shouldn't just read sci-fi books to get better at writing, you read sci-fi books to get ideas for settings but not writing in general.

If I would recomended reading anything, it'd a Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Matrin. Probably the best book series out there.

 

[Toaster Hunter]

Gotta go with Eisenhorn. Also, not all of the Halo novels are bad, the extended universe is actually pretty great.

You shouldn't just read sci-fi books to get better at writing, you read sci-fi books to get ideas for settings but not writing in general.

If I would recomended reading anything, it'd a Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Matrin. Probably the best book series out there.

Second the Song of Ice and Fire. It may not be Sci-Fi, but the plot and characterization is second to none.

As far as Sci-fi-goes, I recommend Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein and the Dune series by Frank Herbert. Both may not be "modern" but are still excellent and probably the best books of the genre.

 

[Quaxar]

As always, I'm the first one recommending modern Russian sci-fi writer Sergej Lukianenko. Some of his books may be repetitive and sometimes a tad bit too full of Russian lifestyle but all in all very good stuff.

 

[bojac6]

So some people may have seen my thread in the Advice Forum about improving my writing ability.

Commonly recieved advice was: just read a lot of books in the genre your interested in writing. Well for me, that genre is Sci Fi.

trouble is, I'm not very knowledgeable about book releases and stuff like that, and the only Sci Fi novels I seem to be able to find in local bookstores are based off Sci Fi games. and i don't wanna read a book based off Halo, thank you VERY much.

So, with that in mind, I ask if anyone here knows any decent, modern Sci Fi books I could possibly look into?

I'm more than happy to help you, I just need some more information on your interests. How do you define "modern sci-fi"? Because if you mean in the last 50 years, then there are plenty of really great works to recommend. Truly groundbreaking stuff. If you mean the last decade, then we have less stuff.

The problem is that there hasn't been anyone to truly step up as a Science Fiction author in the past decade. There used to be a ton, Asimov, Clarke, Card, Le Guine, Norton, and more. But they all got old (or crazy, or bad). So, while Fantasy had new authors (like Patrick Rothfuss and George R.R. Martin) to step in to fill in the last generations shoes (like Tolkien, Lewis, etc), science fiction is kind of in a limbo now.

That's not to say there isn't good stuff out there, but that it's limited. It's a few books here and there instead of saying "Oh, just read everything by so and so."

Secondly, what kind of sci fi do you want? There's Space Opera, which is Star Wars, Star Trek, BSG, etc. It's big, grandiose conflict with heroes who are Real Men and Real Women. It used to be a lot more like Star Wars, but lately the trend has been towards existential crisis and what it means to be human. Think like the new Battlestar Galactica, what with cylons and downloading and all. Can be very weird. But this is mostly about heroes and villains. Characters are the focus, with the science fiction part essentially being "magic." That's not to say it's inherently unrealistic, just that realism is not the focus, the story of the characters is.

This is related to, but different, from Military Science Fiction. Think Space Opera but with more of a focus on military stuff. Like Stargate SG-1, this is more about fighting aliens than anything else. It's fun, it's entertaining, it can make you think, but it's never really risen much above pulp fiction as a genre. Think Tom Clancy novels with aliens. Character driven, but driven in a space tank with ray guns to an ass-kicking fest and we're bringing the rail guns.

None of this is like Hard Science Fiction. This is what many claim Star Trek is, but I don't think it did a good job. The best example is Arthur C. Clarke's novels and movie 2001. The movie Sunshine, for all it's flaws, falls here too. It's the more realistic science fiction. Some rules are bent, but mostly it emphasizes realism and the science. Aliens sometimes exist, but not always. Communication is limited by light speed, relativistic time dilation is often a major player. But the stories are usually about man's place in the universe. Characters don't matter, so much, they just exist as proxies for archetypes. The real focus is on how people and nature are changed by technology, not individuals.


These summaries are not meant to be a value judgment. I prefer space opera, but have had a lot of fun with Military Sci-Fi. Hard SF makes you think, but a lot of the time, you just want the full of himself, overly verbose, stuck up author to shut up about philosophy and just fucking tell the story.

So, what are you looking for?

 

[Valkyrie101]

If you're looking for relatively "hard" military sci-fi, trying John Ringo or Michael Z Williamson.

 

[Stoic raptor]

The Knife of Never Letting Go.

The 1st book of an amazing series.
Read it recently, one of my favorite series now.
The diction might annoy you. But that was done on purpose.

 

[ReservoirAngel]

Snip

Wow. First off: my head might have just minorly exploded.
Second off: I didn't realise there was so much variation in Sci Fi literature there was, that's...a little bit staggering.

Onto my answer: I'm not sure how to phrase it exactly, so i'll use some examples I'm fairly sure you'll know. Basically, the thing I'm trying to write at the moment (minor extract from very beginning available at bottom of post for reference) is...well I want it to have the same relationship with hard sci fi elements (aliens, other worlds, space-ships, all that jazz) that stuff like Battlestar Galactica (my main sci fi influence in this entire world) and Mass Effect do.

You know, they both have the attitude of "look, there are aliens/other forms of life/spaceships/futuristic technology here, but they aren't what this is about. They're here, just deal with." If that makes sense...I want the focus of it to be on the story. The narrative and the characters are what I'm aiming to put the most focus on, with all the sci fi elements THERE, just not really focused on.

I don't like sci fi media that stops everything to focus on a specific piece of technology and give a massive description of it. It just clogs up the pacing of it too much for me. It's better if you can see it and know it exists and know its cool, but the characters just get on with what they're doing, cause all this stuff is everyday shit to them.

Spoiler: aforementioned extract (warning: is probably bad)

There was a fogstorm rolling in tonight. Well, that's if you believe the holocasts, and frankly I'd given up following those things after the Beta Prime disaster. Still, it boded well for me. I'd be working indoors for once, which was always easier. Outdoors was fine in decent weather, on decent planets. But this was Raxus. Notable shithole of the Allied Systems. Unfortunately, due to its less-than-reputable population, I ended up here more than I'd have liked. Still, a job's a job I suppose.

That's what I told myself as I stood in that dark inlet, dodging the admittedly weak light from the photon lamps strung haphazardly around on the tops of the spires. They weren't much good for lighting stuff up, but in general you'd be surprised how bright they can be when you don't want them to be.

"Huh, stupid bastard wouldn't let me in..." I caught a whisper of speech as a pair of Rax came slouching past, conversing in their own language, naturally. And unfortunately. The Rax on the left cast a quick eye in my direction, and I had to resist the urge to flip them their species' version of the bird.

I tracked their movement as they dissapeared into the gloomy darkness at the end of the block, cringing slightly as, with the last vision of them I could muster, I heard one of them mention "they never found all the pieces". Ironic that that would make me cringe, but I chose not to dwell on that. I had something to take care of after all.

Pretty sure the coast was clear I ducked my head out into the promenade, scanning it as best I could given the dark and the thin layer of fog slowly settling over the city. Huh, guess the holocast was right after all. It could either make this easier or more difficult.

Pros: indoors means better visibility, more corners, more inlets

Cons: more people around, tighter confines, no natural sound muffling.

Either way, this was going to very interesting indeed.

Notice that

Spoiler

I didn't give a proper description of holocasts, Beta Prime, Raxas, OR the Rax species. Just mentioned in passing like any novel set in the modern time would casually mention a cat walking past without dwelling on it.

I hope this helps narrow down possible suggestions.

 

[bojac6]

snip

Ok, so what you're doing sounds to me like Space Opera. And what you've written as a sample sounds a lot like Timothy Zahn to me. He's most famous for his Star Wars novels (The Grand Admiral Thrawn Trilogy), but you want to read his other stuff. Check out "Icarus Hunt" "Angel Mass" and "Night Train to Rigel" (this one has sequels if you like it). They're good examples of Space Opera with a cool Film Noir twist.

If you haven't already, everybody, but especially Sci Fi writers, should read "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card. It's simply one of the best. Also, "Tales from the White Hart" by Arthur C. Clarke, which is a great everyday-life science fiction book. Really, though, his entire body of work is brilliant science fiction. Though be careful, he became a brand at some point, so many books aren't actually by him. "Rendezvous with Rama" is fantastic, all of it's sequels are by other people and are terrible.

Finally, what you really should read aren't novels, but short stories. Find a "Best Sci Fi of 2008" anthology at the library or Half Priced Books. This is where Science Fiction really shines. When done well, a good author makes a completely new, unique and wonderful universe in 5,000 words. If you can find a collection of Hugo Award winners, get that. I find the Hugos are usually a pretty reliable source.

I lied, that wasn't finally, this is finally: while at your library, in the sci-fi section, find the oldest, most worn out, trashed book. Preferably published between 1945 and 1979. That's how I discovered one of my all time favorites, "The Programmed Man" by Jean Sutton.

 

[Albino Boo]

Wow. First off: my head might have just minorly exploded.
Second off: I didn't realise there was so much variation in Sci Fi literature there was, that's...a little bit staggering.

Onto my answer: I'm not sure how to phrase it exactly, so i'll use some examples I'm fairly sure you'll know. Basically, the thing I'm trying to write at the moment (minor extract from very beginning available at bottom of post for reference) is...well I want it to have the same relationship with hard sci fi elements (aliens, other worlds, space-ships, all that jazz) that stuff like Battlestar Galactica (my main sci fi influence in this entire world) and Mass Effect do.

You know, they both have the attitude of "look, there are aliens/other forms of life/spaceships/futuristic technology here, but they aren't what this is about. They're here, just deal with." If that makes sense...I want the focus of it to be on the story. The narrative and the characters are what I'm aiming to put the most focus on, with all the sci fi elements THERE, just not really focused on.

I don't like sci fi media that stops everything to focus on a specific piece of technology and give a massive description of it. It just clogs up the pacing of it too much for me. It's better if you can see it and know it exists and know its cool, but the characters just get on with what they're doing, cause all this stuff is everyday shit to them.

Spoiler: aforementioned extract (warning: is probably bad)

There was a fogstorm rolling in tonight. Well, that's if you believe the holocasts, and frankly I'd given up following those things after the Beta Prime disaster. Still, it boded well for me. I'd be working indoors for once, which was always easier. Outdoors was fine in decent weather, on decent planets. But this was Raxus. Notable shithole of the Allied Systems. Unfortunately, due to its less-than-reputable population, I ended up here more than I'd have liked. Still, a job's a job I suppose.

That's what I told myself as I stood in that dark inlet, dodging the admittedly weak light from the photon lamps strung haphazardly around on the tops of the spires. They weren't much good for lighting stuff up, but in general you'd be surprised how bright they can be when you don't want them to be.

"Huh, stupid bastard wouldn't let me in..." I caught a whisper of speech as a pair of Rax came slouching past, conversing in their own language, naturally. And unfortunately. The Rax on the left cast a quick eye in my direction, and I had to resist the urge to flip them their species' version of the bird.

I tracked their movement as they dissapeared into the gloomy darkness at the end of the block, cringing slightly as, with the last vision of them I could muster, I heard one of them mention "they never found all the pieces". Ironic that that would make me cringe, but I chose not to dwell on that. I had something to take care of after all.

Pretty sure the coast was clear I ducked my head out into the promenade, scanning it as best I could given the dark and the thin layer of fog slowly settling over the city. Huh, guess the holocast was right after all. It could either make this easier or more difficult.

Pros: indoors means better visibility, more corners, more inlets

Cons: more people around, tighter confines, no natural sound muffling.

Either way, this was going to very interesting indeed.

Notice that

Spoiler

I didn't give a proper description of holocasts, Beta Prime, Raxas, OR the Rax species. Just mentioned in passing like any novel set in the modern time would casually mention a cat walking past without dwelling on it.

I hope this helps narrow down possible suggestions.

Ian M banks is your man, but be careful he writes more "literary" fiction using the name Ian Banks. Try any of his Culture novels. My favourite is Consider Phlebas, but from what you have written I think your best bet is Use of Weapons.

 

[animaeus]

Yet more sci-fi. This stuff is more on the 'personal dramas' side of sci-fi, not space opera. Massive planet-destroying conflicts are only on the periphery.

Richard Morgan writes some... interesting stuff. He tends to combine near/far-future technology ideas and their impacts on a society with nihilistic commentary on the society we're living in right now. One of my favorite authors. Very pulp-y, though, and can get a little predictable. For some reason, every novel I've read from him has two-ish sex scenes each and all of his books are filled with violence. And every single main character is a hardened ex-military psychopath with daddy issues. 'Altered Carbon', followed quickly by 'Black Man', are probably the best.

Karen Traviss writes military sci-fi, and seems to draw heavily on her experience as a war journalist. She writes emotion and character development very well, and breathed actual life into Gears of War when she wrote the novels for it. She's also got her own book series, which deals with environmental effects and certain human responses to tragedy or the idea of immortality. Seemed like good stuff when I read it.

 

[44-Blue]

do read alistair reynolds for fun, you will be blown away. may not be good for your writing though because we are only mortal and will never be able to compare.

read richard morgan, robert heinlein, john varley, neal asher, gene wolfe, china miéville, jeff noon, some of LE modesitts SF stuff. look for writing that is unique, not just traditional SF. look at michael marshal smith, steven brust, george rr martin (he has some fantastic sf, not just asoiaf)charlie huston, peter watts, cj cherryh and so many more.

if you want to write 1st person, read other books that pull it off in the right way, not just the dialogue, description and prose.. look at actions, how other characters are brought into the scene. look at how you would write the same scene in different styles then blend it into your 1st person for added depth.

number one tip is experience LIFE. you use your imagination to dream up the idea, the story, the setting - but if you want your characters to be real you have to understand how they feel about everything that goes on around them. shoot more guns, play with swords (gemmell would act out fight scenes in his yard before writing), explore, understand how it feels to travel and really be in a place you don't know, get out of your depth, BE SCARED, be amazed. love, fuck and do what you want. the same goes for doing stuff you don't want to do, get fucked up, get a job you hate and hold yourself back for awhile before letting yourself do what you really want to do. you will appreciate it more. figure out how everything works.

and of course every writers tip.. write, write every day, even when its shit and you have no inspiration because the habit is the most important thing.

oh... and the times when your writing and serious.. don't read anything at all, you don't know what kinda effect its really having on you, if you don't believe me write a scene after reading a book of a certain style.. read a completely different book and rewrite the same scene