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Sci-fi books that you may never have heard of, but definitely should read

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Re: Sci-fi books that you may never have heard of, but definitely should read

#111

Post by mostlysimilar »

bwb wrote: post #98
readthenotes1 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a stealth ad for the author's book. If you think the advertising copy was written by an llm, I'm pretty sure that says you won't like his book :-)

It's a way for new or unknown authors to authentically connect with readers by sharing five books they love on a topic, theme, or mood they are passionate about or experts in. Readers get fantastic personalized picks by super readers, and authors get to bump into some readers who might be more interested in them and their books. Authors face an immense battle to get noticed, and unless something is done, we will only…

I respect and appreciate what you're doing here, my flippant remark was critical of the author's writing style, not of your app or its structure.

Re: Sci-fi books that you may never have heard of, but definitely should read

#112

Post by capecodes »

alphan0n wrote: post #51

Just finished a very good audiobook, Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini and started another, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by the same author.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is my favorite of the last few years.

I thought Fractal Noise was meh by comparison

Re: Sci-fi books that you may never have heard of, but definitely should read

#113

Post by m463 »

okkdev wrote: post #110

Any recommendations for books with good made up technology/programming/cyberspace? I love alternate versions of the internet and ways to navigate it. I love hearing completely original but coherent technical babble with 0 connection to it's real world counterpart.

programming: tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by gabrielle zevin is about game development.

Re: Sci-fi books that you may never have heard of, but definitely should read

#114

Post by lubujackson »

I recommend The Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher. As a kid I read The White Mountains blind and the story unfolded in a fantastic way for me. It is YA sci-fi and a lot of the themes are well-trodden at this point, but the story is strong and clear, kind of a coming-of-age-amongst-aliens.

Re: Sci-fi books that you may never have heard of, but definitely should read

#115

Post by LargoLasskhyfv »

BillSaysThis wrote: post #101
bwb wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd start with Pandora's Star, they are HUGE in scope, so its a big book but worth it IMO.

I'd start with the Night's Dawn trilogy, I've read most PFH except for his last few and those are my ATFs.

I've found the Mandel Trilogy to be entertaining, too. Could be thought of as some world-building for the much later ND? But not as epic. Just three normal paperbacks.

Re: Sci-fi books that you may never have heard of, but definitely should read

#116

Post by 0x38B »

lubujackson wrote: post #114

I recommend The Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher. As a kid I read The White Mountains blind and the story unfolded in a fantastic way for me. It is YA sci-fi and a lot of the themes are well-trodden at this point, but the story is strong and clear, kind of a coming-of-age-amongst-aliens.

I read the Tripod Trilogy to my little brother and we both loved the story. It's one of my favorites to this day. Going further back, I also liked Wells's "The First Men in the Moon".

Re: Sci-fi books that you may never have heard of, but definitely should read

#117

Post by orbisvicis »

mnky9800n wrote: post #7

Roadside picnic is a favourite of mine. I’m currently learning Russian to reread it in the original Russian. But the translation is very good and done by the authors themselves.

It inspired Darker than Black which is quite good though not a book.

Re: Sci-fi books that you may never have heard of, but definitely should read

#118

Post by 0x38B »

mnky9800n wrote: post #7

Roadside picnic is a favourite of mine. I’m currently learning Russian to reread it in the original Russian. But the translation is very good and done by the authors themselves.

If you're learning to read it, I recommend listening as well. A quick Kagi search turned up a fantastic production read by Левашёв В. (1).

I can't go without mentioning my favorite reader in Russian. Listening to Peter Markin read is unforgettable; his performance of Stanislav's "The Invincible" brought the massive machinery and energies to life before my eyes (2); Markin also read Hyperion by Dan Simmons and Frank Herbert's Dune (3).

1: https://youtu.be/IAD-ANTvs9Y

2: https://youtu.be/Ad32oH6Cg4Q

3: I've nearly memorized Dune in Russian because I love his narration so much. He also read The Lord of the Rings - as close as we'll get to a Russian Rob Englis, I expect.

Re: Sci-fi books that you may never have heard of, but definitely should read

#119

Post by orbisvicis »

Annual wrote: post #76
hnmullany wrote: post #11

These are all painfully mid reads. (The alien in Hail Mary is about as alien as a rival fraternity brother.) If you want real alien aliens, read Blindsight (Peter Watts).

Blindsight was the only sci Fi book I ever read that had citations used non-ironically.

It would be a stretch to call Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius science fiction, but like many of Borge's works is packed with references and footnotes.

Re: Sci-fi books that you may never have heard of, but definitely should read

#120

Post by orbisvicis »

arethuza wrote: post #54
hailpixel wrote: post #33

I love this genre, and there is such a plethora of interesting reads. I think one of the most interesting, in terms of presenting technology's role in varied societies, is A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge. Great read if you are bored of the classic space opera.

And the prequel A Deepness in the Sky is even better with very alien aliens (and a neat way of hiding that alien-ness from readers) and some very nasty antagonists with truly terrifying technology in the form of "focus". Mind you, Vinge's Rainbows End is also really good and set in the near future with what may be an emerging AGI as a key character.

Huh, I think that features one of the protagonists from Fast Times at Fairmont High. Set in the early singularity age.
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