Classics of Science Fiction?
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Caporegime
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Isaac Asimov - Foundation Series
Arthur C Clarke - Rendezvous With Rama
Philip K Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Philip K Dick - A Scanner Darkly
Arthur C Clarke - Rendezvous With Rama
Philip K Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Philip K Dick - A Scanner Darkly
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Neuromancer by William Gibson is well worth a read, and a classic sci-fi book.
I've just finished reading all three volumes of the Night's Dawn trilogy by Peter F Hamilton, and although I wouldn't say the writing was the best ever, it was enough to make me read all three 1200 page books back-to-back.
I've just finished reading all three volumes of the Night's Dawn trilogy by Peter F Hamilton, and although I wouldn't say the writing was the best ever, it was enough to make me read all three 1200 page books back-to-back.
Asimov's Robot series as well, try and get "The Complete Robot", it's about £6 from at least one retailer and is a good read and introduction to his writing (iirc it's got all his short Robot stories in publication order, combining the I robot and Rest of the Robots along with a number of other shorts that hadn't been collected together before).
Possibly some of the Skylark series by E.E. "Doc" Smith (iirc written in the 30's) if you want something from that far back.
The Complete Arthur C Clarke has some gems in it (it's all his short stories, including some that are only a page or two long*).
2001 and the sequals.
H.G. Wells, War of the worlds etc.
Jules Verne - 20,000 leagues under the sea, From Earth to the Moon etc.
Personally, if you're new to science fiction i'd probably take it easy and try some of the short stories by various authors to get a feel for who you might like, then try some of their longer stories and work from there (jumping straight into something like the Nights Dawn Trilogy is probably a bit of a plunge**)
Robert Heinlein's -Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers (the original story the film is based very loosely on.
Larry Niven's Ringworld (then move onto the sequels, and then the extended universe surrounding them).
Frank Herbert's Dune, then the sequels.
I'm currently trying to read (or in some case reread) some of the early Science Fiction stories, such as the Skylark series, 20,000 leagues under the sea etc, as it can be fun to read some of the really old stuff, not to mention a number of authors make discrete refereces to the older stuff (or simply other authors).
*One of my favourites from it is basically an excuse for the pun at the end.
**I say this as someone who really enjoys Hamilton's books (and indeed have most of them on my shelf).
Possibly some of the Skylark series by E.E. "Doc" Smith (iirc written in the 30's) if you want something from that far back.
The Complete Arthur C Clarke has some gems in it (it's all his short stories, including some that are only a page or two long*).
2001 and the sequals.
H.G. Wells, War of the worlds etc.
Jules Verne - 20,000 leagues under the sea, From Earth to the Moon etc.
Personally, if you're new to science fiction i'd probably take it easy and try some of the short stories by various authors to get a feel for who you might like, then try some of their longer stories and work from there (jumping straight into something like the Nights Dawn Trilogy is probably a bit of a plunge**)
Robert Heinlein's -Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers (the original story the film is based very loosely on.
Larry Niven's Ringworld (then move onto the sequels, and then the extended universe surrounding them).
Frank Herbert's Dune, then the sequels.
I'm currently trying to read (or in some case reread) some of the early Science Fiction stories, such as the Skylark series, 20,000 leagues under the sea etc, as it can be fun to read some of the really old stuff, not to mention a number of authors make discrete refereces to the older stuff (or simply other authors).
*One of my favourites from it is basically an excuse for the pun at the end.
**I say this as someone who really enjoys Hamilton's books (and indeed have most of them on my shelf).
Lordy, where to begin.
OK, this is a few off the top of my head. I'll probably post many more as I remember them...
Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead.
Iain M Banks - Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons.
James Blish - Cities in Flight series, A Case of Conscience
Philip K Dick - The Man in the High Castle
James E Gunn - The Listeners
Robert A Heinlein - Starship Troopers (ignore the film)
Ursula K LeGuin - The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed.
Stanislaw Lem - Solaris
Arkady and Boris Strugatsky - Roadside Picnic, Hard to be a God
Frederik Pohl - Man Plus, Gateway
Robert Silverberg - Dying Inside, Lord Valentine's Castle
Vernor Vinge - A Fire Upon the Deep
Richard Morgan - Altered Carbon
Vonda McIntyre - Dreamsnake
Connie Willis - Doomsday Book
Sherri S Tepper - Raising the Stones
Gene Wolfe - The Book of the New Sun (actually four books), The Fifth Head of Cerberus
Kurt Vonnegut - Cat's Cradle
John Wyndom - The Crysalids
John Christopher - The Death of Grass
Walter M Miller - A Canticle for Leibowitz
Daniel Keyes - Flowers for Algernon
Alfred Bester - The Demolished Man
Algis Budris - Rogue Moon
Isaac Asimov - The Caves of Steel
Joe Haldeman - The Forever War
Arthur C Clarke - Childhood's End (Rama is better known now, but this is the classic Clarke)
John Sladek - Roderik
Philip Jose Farmer - The Riverworld series. Read the first at least.
Norman Spinrad - Bug Jack Barron
Harlan Ellison - Deathbird Stories (a collection - Ellison doesn't write novels)
Bob Shaw - Other Days, Other Eyes (that's one book, not two), Orbitsville
Theodore Sturgeon - More Than Human
Clifford Simak - Way Station
Ward More - Bring the Jubilee
C J Cherryh - Downbelow Station
Brian Aldiss - Non-Stop, Hothouse
Christopher Priest - Inverted World (which has the best opening line in SF)
One comment: SF is the one one genre where the short story is as important as the novel. If not more so.
M
OK, this is a few off the top of my head. I'll probably post many more as I remember them...
Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead.
Iain M Banks - Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons.
James Blish - Cities in Flight series, A Case of Conscience
Philip K Dick - The Man in the High Castle
James E Gunn - The Listeners
Robert A Heinlein - Starship Troopers (ignore the film)
Ursula K LeGuin - The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed.
Stanislaw Lem - Solaris
Arkady and Boris Strugatsky - Roadside Picnic, Hard to be a God
Frederik Pohl - Man Plus, Gateway
Robert Silverberg - Dying Inside, Lord Valentine's Castle
Vernor Vinge - A Fire Upon the Deep
Richard Morgan - Altered Carbon
Vonda McIntyre - Dreamsnake
Connie Willis - Doomsday Book
Sherri S Tepper - Raising the Stones
Gene Wolfe - The Book of the New Sun (actually four books), The Fifth Head of Cerberus
Kurt Vonnegut - Cat's Cradle
John Wyndom - The Crysalids
John Christopher - The Death of Grass
Walter M Miller - A Canticle for Leibowitz
Daniel Keyes - Flowers for Algernon
Alfred Bester - The Demolished Man
Algis Budris - Rogue Moon
Isaac Asimov - The Caves of Steel
Joe Haldeman - The Forever War
Arthur C Clarke - Childhood's End (Rama is better known now, but this is the classic Clarke)
John Sladek - Roderik
Philip Jose Farmer - The Riverworld series. Read the first at least.
Norman Spinrad - Bug Jack Barron
Harlan Ellison - Deathbird Stories (a collection - Ellison doesn't write novels)
Bob Shaw - Other Days, Other Eyes (that's one book, not two), Orbitsville
Theodore Sturgeon - More Than Human
Clifford Simak - Way Station
Ward More - Bring the Jubilee
C J Cherryh - Downbelow Station
Brian Aldiss - Non-Stop, Hothouse
Christopher Priest - Inverted World (which has the best opening line in SF)
One comment: SF is the one one genre where the short story is as important as the novel. If not more so.
M
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Great minds think alike
(I think i was typing my reply when you replied)I actually reread the Lensmen series a couple of years back and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Great minds think alike
I actually reread the Lensmen series a couple of years back and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Now read Harry Harrison's "Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers" and you'll never be able to read Smith again...
M
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Great books!!! 2001: A Space Odyssey. Good read and not a massive book to start with. Rama books are fantastic!
The Bladerunner series by PKD are all good reads.
Aldous Huxley - Brave New World.
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Dune - Frank Herbert. (very surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet)
Nate
Nate
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LOL, another of my fave book/films, cant believe I didnt think about it!! All the Dune stuff is excellent. Even the prequels are a good read. Watch the film and you will be confused as hell, even after watching it a few times, but read the book it all makes sense (sort of
)I'd go for Dune for a first read anytime.
Wha?
"Bladerunner" the film is based on "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", mentioned above ("Based" has its usual meaning where Hollywood is concerned). Dick never wrote sequels - the closest he got was two books based on the same world. One is "Galactic Pot healer", and I'll buy a drink for anyone who can tell me what the other book was without an internet search.
M
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The Man in the High Castle?
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Try the Otherland series by Tad Williams.
Not quite SF, think a combination of SF & fantasy on steroids!
The Gap series by Stephen R. Donaldson is also very much worth a read, although it isn't to some peoples taste.
I'd agree with Dune, but please read the book before you consider the film The film was produced by David Lynch, and TBQH should have been about triple it's finished length (Basically split into multiple parts). As such it suffers from from some confusion and various other issues. Still a very good film though.
-Leezer-
Not quite SF, think a combination of SF & fantasy on steroids!
The Gap series by Stephen R. Donaldson is also very much worth a read, although it isn't to some peoples taste.
I'd agree with Dune, but please read the book before you consider the film
The film was produced by David Lynch, and TBQH should have been about triple it's finished length (Basically split into multiple parts). As such it suffers from from some confusion and various other issues. Still a very good film though.-Leezer-