Lord of the Light
Dune
Neuromancer
Hyperion
Snow Crash
Use of Weapons
Pandora's Star / Judas Unchained
What are your favourite sci-fi books?
41–50 of 110 posts
Re: What are your favourite sci-fi books?
#42Neal Stephenson, Anathem Iain M Banks, Use of Weapons Greg Egan, Diaspora and Permutation City Frank Herbert, Dune Kim Stanley Robinson, the Mars trilogy Vernon Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky [Note to Hollywood: can we please have a Culture movie?]
> [Note to Hollywood: can we please have a Culture movie?]
The only one I can think of where they might be able to stay more or less true to the source is Consider Phlebas, wherein the 'hero' fights for a monotheistic alien race against a bunch of godless communists.
Plus I would dearly love to see the Clear Air Turbulence's escape from the depths of that GSV rendered on the big screen.
Re: What are your favourite sci-fi books?
#43Arthur C. Clarke: 2001
Arthur C. Clarke: Rendezvous with Rama
Pierce Anthony and Robert E. Margroff: The Ring
Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes: The Legacy of Heorot
Stanislaw Lem: The Invincible
Isaac Asimov: The Foundation Trilogy
Re: What are your favourite sci-fi books?
#44I enjoy The Queendom of Sol series, by Wil McCarthy.
Also, A Fire Upon the Deep / A Deepness in the Sky.
Re: What are your favourite sci-fi books?
#45Poul Anderson's "Technic" stories, e.g. "The Trouble Twisters". Must re-read some.
Somewhat more recent: pretty-much anything by David Brin.
For my taste, a lot of recent sci-fi seems to be a little too focused on politics and society vs. the exhileration of a good technical solution. But do enjoy Charles Stross and John Scalzi.
Re: What are your favourite sci-fi books?
#46Everything from John Scalzi,
start with Old Man's War
and then read through everything else.
Re: What are your favourite sci-fi books?
#47Anything by Iain M. Banks. Start with "The Player of Games" and "Consider Phlebas". Anything by Vernor S. Vinge especially "Zones of Thought" series. "Daemon", "Freedom(tm)", "Kill Decision" and "Influx" by Daniel Suarez. "The Martian" by Andy Weir. Anything by Neal Stephenson, especially "Reamde: A Novel" and "Cryptonomicon". Anything by Hannu Rajaniemi, especially "The Fractal Prince".
I've just finished the first three Culture novels. Consider Phlebas starts great, but loses a lot during the rest of the book. The Player of Games is okay, but by far not as good as people told me. Use of Weapons is excellent . I'll have to re-read it in a few months.
I thought the same thing the first time I read Consider Phlebas. Having now read it over 20 times, it's safe to say I changed my mind.
My key to the novel: it's all about the nature of identity. The very first line is something of deep personal significance, but he's forgotten why. He steals identities. It ends with the mind taking his name.
It's a keeper.
Re: What are your favourite sci-fi books?
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
Neverness is not a prequel since it was written before A Requiem For Homo Sapiens. That sort of sloppy thinking would get you killed as a pilot. :-) Also, autocorrect really doesn't want to let me type Neverness.
Prequel in the sense of being named 'A Requiem for Homo Sapiens 0'. I think I'll find my way through the manifold yet...
That's definitely retroactive, my old copy says no such thing.
Neverness is a fabulous book though. RfHS also worthwhile, but does sprawl a bit for my taste.
Re: What are your favourite sci-fi books?
#49Joe Haldeman, The Forever War.
Michael Moorcock, An Alien Heat & Behold the Man.
Re: What are your favourite sci-fi books?
#50Neal Stephenson "Anathem" Stanisław Lem "Cyberiad", "Solaris", "Futurologists' convent" Greg Egan "Permutation City" Jacek Dukaj "Black Oceans" Iain M. Banks "Algebraist" (I read some books from culture series, but IMHO culture is just too overpowered to make an interesting story possible - you basicaly read to see at which point they will show their full superiority, and it doesn't work for me)
The Algebraist is my favourite Iain M. Banks book too - the breadth of imagination in it is amazing
I think Surface Detail is my favourite Culture novel. Many Iain Banks books (regular fiction as well as sci-fi) are really just wish-fulfillment stories, but they're so stylish and fun to read that I love them (plus there's usually at least one very insightful rant by a minor character to be found in nearly every book)