Cassie - Sci Fi Reading list please

[Tisiphone]

S.L. Viehl's STARDOC is one of my favorite sci-fi books of all time. It kicks off a series, that stayed great, but has kind of dwindled.

I read more fantasy than sci-fi though, unless it's erotica science fiction.

 

[curiousa2z]

The Gate to Woman's Country : GREAT ending! OMG!
lol - she planted clues all through the book but it's only in hindsight that you have that "!" epiphany.
Clever juxtapositioning with the Trojan play, too....
Now I'm sad the library doesnt have anything else by her. I will try the used bookstore though. Thnx Cassie for recommending her!

 

[Cassie]

I love it when I recommend something and the person actually likes what I recommended! It doesn't always turn out that way, lol. I've given up trying to get my mom to read my books.

I like Tepper's style and there have only been a couple of her books that I didn't like so much. They were still readable, and enjoyable.

 

[Loktar]

I love it when I recommend something and the person actually likes what I recommended!

Yeah I love that you recomended BSG(ok not a book but still...). Its an awesome show.

 

[Hero1000]

It's not sci-fi, exactly, but George Saunders's books of short stories, Civilwarland in Bad Decline and Pastoralia should be read by everybody. They're set in a not-too distant future in which the world has gone weirdly awry. The stories are devastating satires of contemporary life, the ubiquity of advertizing, consumerism, and mass media, especially TV.

Here's an excerptfrom the hilarious story, "The 400 Pound CEO"

When I've finished invoicing I enjoy a pecan cluster. Two, actually. Claude comes in all dirty from the burial and sees me snacking and feels compelled to point out that even my sub-rolls have sub-rolls. He's right but still it isn't nice to say. Tim asks did Claude make that observation after having wild sex with me all night. That's a comment I'm not fond of. But Tim's the boss. His T-shirt says: I HOLD YOUR PURSE STRINGS IN MY HOT LITTLE HAND.
"Ha, ha, Tim," says Claude. "I'm no homo. But if I was one, I'd die before doing it with Mr. Lard."
"Ha, ha," says Tim. "Good one. Isn't that a good one, Jeffrey?"
"That's a good one," I say glumly.
What a bitter little office.
My colleagues leave hippo refrigerator magnets on my seat. They imply that I'm a despondent virgin, which I'm not. They might change their tune if they ever spoke with Ellen Burtomly regarding the beautiful night we spent at her brother Bob's cottage. I was by no means slim then but could at least buy pants off the rack and walk from the den to the kitchen without panting. I remember her nude at the window and the lovely seed helicopters blowing in as she turned and showed me her ample front on purpose. That was my most romantic moment. Now for that kind of thing it's the degradation of Larney's Consenting Adult Viewing Center. Before it started getting to me, I'd bring bootloads of quarters and a special bottom cushion and watch hours and hours of Scandinavian women romping. It was shameful. Finally last Christmas I said enough is enough, I'd rather be sexless than evil. And since then I have been. Sexless and good, but very very tense. Since then I've tried to live above the fray. I've tried to minimize my physical aspects and be a selfless force for good. When mocked, which is nearly every day, I recall Christ covered with spittle. When filled with lust, I remember Ghandi purposely sleeping next to a sexy teen to test himself. After work I go home, watch a little TV, maybe say a rosary or two.
Thirty more years of this and I'm out of it without hurting anybody or embarrassing myself.

 

[Cassie]

That sounds like something I'd like.

 

[SilentBtViolent]

Did I forget to mention Dan Simmon's Hyperion? I forgot to mention: Dan Simmon's Hyperion (which means you'll have to read the sequel, Fall of Hyperion...It's sort of a 2001 / 2010 relationship: The first is a gem; the second exists mostly to tie up the loose ends).

I disagree, I thought Endymion etc were even better than the original, but still a GREAT call.

 

[SilentBtViolent]

This thread really emphasizes sci-fi / fantasy when I really strongly prefer "hard" sci-fi and the "space opera" sci-fi genres. A few authors in this brother-genre:

David Brin: everything he writes is dazzlingly brilliant, in particular I liked "Kiln People" and the Uplift series.

Vernor Vinge: almost everything is amazing, in particular I liked "the Peace War" and "A Deepness in the Sky"

Greg Bear: sometimes a little slow, "Darwin's Radio" was awesome

Poul Anderson: can also be a little longwinded, also suffers from being written during the Cold War, but flashes of brilliance. "The Boat of a Million Years" stands out to me

Gregory Benford: handle with care, but can be great. The "Galactic Center" series is awesome. Too bad his last couple books made me want to die with their ridiculous over-explanations when I just wanted to dang plot to advance.

Larry Niven: "Ringworld" is his best, but other stuff is worth exploring too. I can't remember which, but one of his co-authored books was huge for me.

Frederik Pohl: also awesome and has a ton of works, one of the better guys from the 60s and 70s if you ask me

Jack McDevitt: just a fantastic writer who explores interesting ideas, with strong-but-not-over-sexualized lead characters. Probably currently my favorite writer.

 

[Cassie]

SBV, have you read any of Alastair Reynolds Revelation Space series? I like space opera too, but not if it's got too much technobabble. ANYWAY, I read Absolution Gap not knowing it was part of a series, and it was really good.

 

[curiousa2z]

LOVED Pohl! Liked Niven's "Ringworld" alot, "Kiln People" vaguely sounds familiar, but I'll have to check on that; do not think I've read anything by Jack McDevitt or V.V.; ...gonna see what the library has...

oooh - didnt realise you were so hardcore, SBV! *waggles eyebrows*

 

[curiousa2z]

ok, only one V.V. : A fire upon the deep.

only one McDevitt: Moonfall

Recommend them?

 

[The Tomtrek]

I like Philip K. Dick.

A lot.

A Scanner Darkly is the fastest I've ever read a book.

 

[CaptainWacky]

I need to read more hard sci-fi.

 

[SilentBtViolent]

ok, only one V.V. : A fire upon the deep.

only one McDevitt: Moonfall

Recommend them?

Actually I would go with "A Peace War" for VV, and for McDevitt "Moonfall" is one of the only ones I haven't read. I would say "Seeker" or "Deepsix" are his best start-points. However I've gobbled up about 8 McDevitt books in the last couple months and they've all been great, so i bet it will also be awesome. Only tricky books with him have been mid-series (I thought "Chindi" was a smidge slower than the books before and after it).

 

[curiousa2z]

they dont have those others at my library. I'll let you know what Moonfall's like.
There are 15 Philip K Dick books OTOH.

 

[Cassie]

I've read two or three PKD books, I should read more. I don't know if I read A Scanner Darkly, but the movie was pretty awesome, imo. Reminded me of some of the tweakers I used to hang out with.

 

[SilentBtViolent]

they dont have those others at my library. I'll let you know what Moonfall's like.
There are 15 Philip K Dick books OTOH.

AH OK!

I think either is fine then, give 'em a roll!

 

[headvoid]

Dune, by Frank Herbert. If you love it, then read all six of them. DO NOT READ THE PREQUELS AND SEQUELS written by FH's degenerate son and the hack KJA. I talked Wacky into reading it and he is now officially a Dune nerd. You will be too.

Dune Nerd - checked in

The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K Le Guin. She is a master story teller, and I don't believe she's ever written a bad book. This one is my favorite though.. so if you read it and like it, you'll probably like her other books as well.

Next read.

Sorry I haven't been around. things going on.

 

[Cassie]

Headvoid!! Haven't seen you in a long time. Missed you BIGTIME, lol.

Fear is the mind-killer.

 

[CaptainWacky]

HEADVOID POST BOOK REVIEWS