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  1. #1
    Field Marshal
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    [Books] New Sci-Fi Reader...Book Recommendations

    Just started reading Sci-FI and I'm hooked......So i ask of you universe to recommend some great Sci-FI books you've read...


    Old Man's War - John Scalzi

  2. #2
    Scarab Lord AceofHarts's Avatar
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    Do you consider fantasy to be a part of sci-fi (to most people they go hand in hand). Check out Mistborn (Brandon Sanderson), Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan/Branden Sanderson) and A Song of Ice and Fire (George R. R. Martin)

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    Epic! Idrinkwhiterussians's Avatar
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    Frank Herbert - Dune (sequels by Frank are decent too)
    Alfred Bester - The Stars My Destination
    Tadd Williams - Otherland (4 book series)
    Douglas Adams - The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy (5 books) <--- spoofy sci-fi

    Those are the ones that come to my mind when I think sci-fi.
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    Quote Originally Posted by marcelos11 View Post
    Do you consider fantasy to be a part of sci-fi (to most people they go hand in hand).
    Guess i meant more space related and techy....then hobbits and trolls

    Just finished The Forever War by Joe Haldeman at work real good......

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    Epic! Idrinkwhiterussians's Avatar
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    I am pretty sure what I suggested would be up your alley.

    Also, if you are looking for something more like post apocalyptic:
    Ernest Cline - Ready Player One (techy, post apocalyptic, loads of old school music/movie/game references)
    Quote Originally Posted by Cyanotical View Post
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  6. #6
    I'd disagree about Fantasy going hand in hand with Fantasy. Most book stores/online retailers lump them together but they're wildly different. I don't read a whole lot of Sci-Fi because I'm not as interested in Space and Technology as I am in Swords and Sorcery.

    If you're getting into Sci-Fi though you got to check out Asimov he's a Sci-Fi staple. Dune is a great series as well, although I didn't enjoy the books by his son as much. Enders Game is a fantastic book. The other books in the series were alright but not spectacular.

    Otherland is kind of a strange one as far as Genres go because that truly is one that mashes together Sci-Fi and Fantasy and does it well. I highly recommend it.

  7. #7
    Scarab Lord AceofHarts's Avatar
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    spacey? try Enders Game/Enders Shadow

  8. #8
    For a new person to sci-fi, there's a heck of a lot of amazing books out there. These I would consider the very best of the genre, you could say the "serious sci-fi":

    The Culture series by Iain M. Banks.
    Dune by Frank Herbert
    Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
    2001 - A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
    Ringworld by Larry Niven
    Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
    Neuromancer by William Gibson
    Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
    Eon by Greg Bear (bit heavier going, but if you like actual science interacting with sci-fi, this is my favorite book: Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear)
    Foundation series by Asimov
    The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham.

    For "light/comedy sci-fi":
    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
    Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
    The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
    A Scanner Darkly by Philip K Dick

    Modern read:
    Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey

    Finally, if you're really young or learning English (don't bother otherwise) there's also:
    Enders Game by Orson Scott Card.
    Last edited by squeeze; 2013-04-02 at 08:00 PM.

  9. #9
    Best ones i've read recently are Elizabeth Moons The Serrano Legacy and Vatta's War, first is a 7 book series and the other 5.
    An older one is Jack L. Chalkers Spirits of Flux and Anchor though it takes a while before you realize it is sci-fi
    And there are the Pern books

  10. #10
    Mechagnome sinilaid's Avatar
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    The Saga of Seven Suns - Kevin J. Anderson

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by squeeze View Post
    Finally, if you're really young or learning English (don't bother otherwise) there's also:
    Enders Game by Orson Scott Card.
    Why do you say don't bother otherwise? It's not solely a book for young readers. In fact it's recommended reading for Marine Core officers. It's not a particularly challenging book but it's a good story.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Dasffion View Post
    Why do you say don't bother otherwise? It's not solely a book for young readers. In fact it's recommended reading for Marine Core officers. It's not a particularly challenging book but it's a good story.
    Because there are so much better sci-fi books out there.
    Last edited by squeeze; 2013-04-02 at 11:21 PM.

  13. #13
    Scarab Lord AceofHarts's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by squeeze View Post
    Because there is so much better sci-fi books out there.
    personal opinion is personal opinion. Enders game is much deeper than it appears to be at first glance.

  14. #14
    C.J. Cherryh has a lot of good work out there. Downbelow Station or Pride of Chanur are good starts.

  15. #15
    Herald of the Titans Mapathy's Avatar
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    Joe Haldeman's Forever War and Forever Peace.

    " I'll tell you the ultimate secret of magic. Any cunt could do it." - John Constantine

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by squeeze View Post
    Finally, if you're really young or learning English (don't bother otherwise) there's also:
    Enders Game by Orson Scott Card.
    Read Ender's Game whatever age you are and no matter how your English is. It is my favorite sci-fi book.
    MY X/Y POKEMON FRIEND CODE: 1418-7279-9541 In Game Name: Michael__

  17. #17
    LOAD"*",8,1 Fuzzzie's Avatar
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    Read Asimov. Definitely ranks high up there. A lot of modern sci-fi is based off his stories anyways. Good place to start.

  18. #18
    The Insane apepi's Avatar
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    Fahrenheit 451 is a good classic:}.
    Time...line? Time isn't made out of lines. It is made out of circles. That is why clocks are round. ~ Caboose

  19. #19
    Meh, I find Ender's Game as a short story way superior to novel, it's way too bloated with things that don't add anything to a story. Especially as OP stated that he just read The Forever War from Joe Haldeman, that pretty much raises expectations (and standards) a lot. I second Stars My Destination (written by Alfred Bester, one of classics of the genre, you might like The Demolished Man from the same author), and I really recommend Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny, another brilliant book.

    Also I notice a disturbing lack of female writers, anything from Ursula K. LE Guin is very good (her take on monogender society in Left Hand of Darkness is really unique), James Tiptree JR. (aka Alice Sheldon) also wrote some brilliant stories. I have a very soft spot for the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold, mainly for her great female characters, something which is really rare in science fiction sadly.

  20. #20
    Hyperion by Dan Simmons
    Dune by Frank Herbert
    A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
    The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein

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