Any Science Fiction/Fantasy Fans
- Thread starter WestIndianArchie
- Start date
Read all the Asimov books from the Robot series to Empire series to Foundation series. The end of the Foundation stuff does get a bit kooky, but the journey to it is incredible. Read the original I robot book of short stories too. It's not like the movie.
Dune, Dune Messiah are incredible. The rest of the series I'll leave or you to decide.
GRRM's main aSoIaF series obviously. Also his Dunk and Egg prequel novellas are a must read. They get better as you go on.
Dune, Dune Messiah are incredible. The rest of the series I'll leave or you to decide.
GRRM's main aSoIaF series obviously. Also his Dunk and Egg prequel novellas are a must read. They get better as you go on.
Try Piers Anthony's Xanth series, the first one: A Spell for Chameleon. Very good lightweight fantasy that has excellent characters and plot. I tried some of the other Xanth series and got quickly bored, though admittedly i didn't go very far past #3.
Koontz also delves into horror-fantasy on occasion. I just read a 6000 word short story of his called Snatcher about a pickpocket who snatches a purse from a witch and lives to regret it. If you like fantasy and The Thing, you'll love that story. Kept me up that night
Aziz mentioned Jurassic Park as being sci-fi. I always thought it very techno-thriller.
Koontz also delves into horror-fantasy on occasion. I just read a 6000 word short story of his called Snatcher about a pickpocket who snatches a purse from a witch and lives to regret it. If you like fantasy and The Thing, you'll love that story. Kept me up that night
Aziz mentioned Jurassic Park as being sci-fi. I always thought it very techno-thriller.
These are bit of a cheat and stretching the boundaries a bit, but if you're prepared to descend into movie novelisations, Alan Dean Foster's work on Alien, Aliens and Alien 3 are seriously good work, with recurrent images across the books even though they're almost a decade apart.
In the Star Wars franchise, there's a fair number of people who consider Matthew Stover's novelisation of Revenge of the Sith to be better than the film. Orson Scott Card's version of The Abyss is nicely done as well. And I like Vonda McIntyre's take on Star Trek IV for what it's worth.
EDIT: And how could I forget this in science fiction ... the late great Iain M. Banks' Culture series. I've only gotten hold of The Player of Games, but it was superb, and I've heard Use of Weapons and Consider Phlebas to be just as good if not better.
In the Star Wars franchise, there's a fair number of people who consider Matthew Stover's novelisation of Revenge of the Sith to be better than the film. Orson Scott Card's version of The Abyss is nicely done as well. And I like Vonda McIntyre's take on Star Trek IV for what it's worth.
EDIT: And how could I forget this in science fiction ... the late great Iain M. Banks' Culture series. I've only gotten hold of The Player of Games, but it was superb, and I've heard Use of Weapons and Consider Phlebas to be just as good if not better.
I'll throw my hat into the ring and recommend The Planets series written by Ben Bova.
I got into him with Venus when I was in college and I just couldn't put it down. The characters were so engaging and human, the narrative so well-planned and the scripting was spot-on.
Following on, there's other gems such as Saturn which does a very good job of analyzing political manoeuvres, Jupiter which examines the relationship between religious zealotry and science and many others.
I got into him with Venus when I was in college and I just couldn't put it down. The characters were so engaging and human, the narrative so well-planned and the scripting was spot-on.
Following on, there's other gems such as Saturn which does a very good job of analyzing political manoeuvres, Jupiter which examines the relationship between religious zealotry and science and many others.
Darius said:
I liked Dune a lot and finished the first two books, then it became slightly tedious and more of the same.
Personally, I was very dissapointed with Asimovs Foundation. I simply didn't buy the premises of the book, forgot which one.
A universe of billion of inhabited planets? It's impossible to imagine and would be completely impossible to administrate. I also found the tech descriptions to be severely outdated and lacking in imagination.
As far as Science-Fiction goes, there is no one who can compare to Arthur C. Clarke, a pederast he might have been, but his scientific understanding is at a very, very high level and have inspired generations of NASA engineers. The Rendevouz with Rama series are probably the best, but the City and the Stars is also excellent along with all the Space Oddysey books.
By far the best sci-fi book(s) that I have read is Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons.
Those two books are really one book, but I think its hard to publish a 1,000 page sci-fi book this deep. The first half is written like a Canterbury Tales with a set of pilgrims going to see a demon from the future worhsipped by many as a god that moves backward through time, all set during a galatic civil war between the high-tech group of humans and those outside the high-tech sphere.
Several of the parts of the book, each characters pilgrim so far, are better than most books. Together, and how they fit together, is mind-stretching and simply a great piece of art.
I put it in my top three of pieces of literature that should stand for humanity's creativity: along with The Magus by John Fowles (without question the best piece of fiction I've read and something every RVFer should read) and 100 years of Solitude which is magical-historical literature as a genre.
If a person is into heavy, high tech, post human sci-fi with religious battles throughout, check out Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion. Cant recommend more highly.
Edit----
Whats also disappointing is that I've read 100 years of solitude writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez's other big book Love in the time of Cholera and didnt think much of it at all. Same with John Fowles other big book The French Lieutenant's Woman and Dan Simmons several other novels. Even genius isn't limitless. A lot of amazing writers spend a great deal of their life with the one huge idea they have, and thats it. Its sad seeing it, hoping they could create a similiar thing again, but I just dont see it that often. Even Hemmingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls and Old man and the sea, His other long and short works arent very good.
Those two books are really one book, but I think its hard to publish a 1,000 page sci-fi book this deep. The first half is written like a Canterbury Tales with a set of pilgrims going to see a demon from the future worhsipped by many as a god that moves backward through time, all set during a galatic civil war between the high-tech group of humans and those outside the high-tech sphere.
Several of the parts of the book, each characters pilgrim so far, are better than most books. Together, and how they fit together, is mind-stretching and simply a great piece of art.
I put it in my top three of pieces of literature that should stand for humanity's creativity: along with The Magus by John Fowles (without question the best piece of fiction I've read and something every RVFer should read) and 100 years of Solitude which is magical-historical literature as a genre.
If a person is into heavy, high tech, post human sci-fi with religious battles throughout, check out Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion. Cant recommend more highly.
Edit----
Whats also disappointing is that I've read 100 years of solitude writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez's other big book Love in the time of Cholera and didnt think much of it at all. Same with John Fowles other big book The French Lieutenant's Woman and Dan Simmons several other novels. Even genius isn't limitless. A lot of amazing writers spend a great deal of their life with the one huge idea they have, and thats it. Its sad seeing it, hoping they could create a similiar thing again, but I just dont see it that often. Even Hemmingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls and Old man and the sea, His other long and short works arent very good.
1
1818Steve
Guest
Chindi - Jack McDevitt
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson This one may be on the edge of SF / Fantasy genres but if you have not read this author, give him a try with either Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, or Snow Crash.
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson This one may be on the edge of SF / Fantasy genres but if you have not read this author, give him a try with either Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, or Snow Crash.
1
1818Steve
Guest
ball dont lie said:
Agreed. I love The Magus, but couldn't get excited about Fowles other works. Same with F. Scott Fitzgerald. I consider The Great Gatsby to be a masterpiece but found his other works to be lackluster.
FrenchCanadian
Woodpecker
Anybody ever read David Eddings?
This is the series that propelled me to enjoy the fantasy genre.
The Belgariad
I've read many classic series, but I'm always in for some new stuff.
Will def. look into some suggestions here.
This is the series that propelled me to enjoy the fantasy genre.
The Belgariad
I've read many classic series, but I'm always in for some new stuff.
Will def. look into some suggestions here.
FrenchCanadian said:
David Eddings is a good start, but you're going to encounter much more hardcore stuff than that
Try his Elenium series as a step up and out of the Belgariad focus.Someone also mentioned Jack McDevitt -- I also really liked A Talent For War; it's a very unusual sort of a novel, an archaeological mystery set in the far future.
Robert Silverberg - one of the greats of SF - was very Red Pill in real life too fucking 1000+ women and writing his ass off. Pretty much anything from him is good. He likes women and it shows as he puts plenty of sex in his books.
Philip K Dick - his movie adaptations speak volumes - but his other SF works also foresee a multitude of real-life events that have come to fruition by now.
Philip K Dick - his movie adaptations speak volumes - but his other SF works also foresee a multitude of real-life events that have come to fruition by now.
WD-40
Woodpecker
Weird that Time Enough For Love by Heinlein hasn't been mentioned yet.
If there is one red pill science fiction book- or red pill book for that matter- that absolutely everybody should read, it is this one.
Assume that you are a man who has lived a thousand lives - been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Knowing what you now know- from lived experience - what kind of life would be truly worth living? And what is the operating manual for living that kind of life - what life skills and mental attitudes must a man develop?
After rereading that book as a mature adult, the message finally clicked, and it changed the world for me.
If there is one red pill science fiction book- or red pill book for that matter- that absolutely everybody should read, it is this one.
Assume that you are a man who has lived a thousand lives - been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Knowing what you now know- from lived experience - what kind of life would be truly worth living? And what is the operating manual for living that kind of life - what life skills and mental attitudes must a man develop?
After rereading that book as a mature adult, the message finally clicked, and it changed the world for me.
Paracelsus said:FrenchCanadian said:
David Eddings is a good start, but you're going to encounter much more hardcore stuff than that
Someone also mentioned Jack McDevitt -- I also really liked A Talent For War; it's a very unusual sort of a novel, an archaeological mystery set in the far future.
I like Eddings. The Elenium and Tamuli series are pretty good; the Tamuli follows after the Elenium with the same characters.
However, I have to say some of his dialogue gets on my fucking nerves. It didn't start bugging me until like the third time I read through the books though.
I read a lot of the classic guys when I was younger, Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Herbert, Silverberg, Dick, E.E. Doc Smith, Spinrad, Harry Harrison.
Out of all of them, the most on-target predictions were in John Brunner's Stand on Zanzibar. That book was a pretty good picture of the world now (it's set in 2010) written in 1968.
I don't see shit on the SF shelves nowadays that really interests me, it's all sword and sorcery crap, except I saw some by Kim Stanley Robinson that looked ok.
Anybody read him, is he good?
Out of all of them, the most on-target predictions were in John Brunner's Stand on Zanzibar. That book was a pretty good picture of the world now (it's set in 2010) written in 1968.
I don't see shit on the SF shelves nowadays that really interests me, it's all sword and sorcery crap, except I saw some by Kim Stanley Robinson that looked ok.
Anybody read him, is he good?
Sp5 said:
Most good SF ended in the 1990s - the hay-days were in the 1970s, when society had high hopes about the future.
Nowadays SF is mostly dystopian - no happy future for the serfs.
Also most movies are almost unwatchable to me since the agendas getting crammed down our throats are just too crazy - feminism, global warming, trans-gender, SJW, globalism etc.
Sp5 said:
I did not enjoy Antarctica (1997) very much. Too verbose, focused on environmental issues and sustainability, and some personal relationships seemed forced. I gave the Mars trilogy a try a long time ago but can't recall why I didn't finish it. Maybe his recent stuff is better, but I've been burned twice now by that match.
Overall, meh, 4/10 WNR again.
