Any classic sci-fi fans? (Books)

CaptainShiznit · 28 Oct 2016 at 17:05

So I'm coming to the end of my mission to read every sci-fi novel/short by Isaac Asimov. I feel kind of like Desmond from Lost with his final Dickens novel that he's saving.

Mine is the final story that Asimov released in the epic foundation series, Forward the Foundation. It's been on my night stand for around 6 months while I read other things. I've never enjoyed reading anything quite like Asimov and particularly the Foundation series and when I eventually read Forward, it will be the last of both.

Any other Asimov or sci-fi fans out there?

Werewolf · 28 Oct 2016 at 18:31

I used to be a huge Asimov fan, but I have to admit some of his books simply haven't aged well imo, but if you remember the time when they were written it helps.

I want to reread the Foundation series but can never seem to get the enthusiasm to read them over some other things.

I think Heinlein and Clark's works have aged slightly better, or at least I fine them easier to read now.

Shamikebab · 28 Oct 2016 at 18:40

Love sci-fi (although I do need to read more) Asimov's are some of my favourites, especially love the robot series.

eldergeek · 28 Oct 2016 at 18:49

CaptainShiznit said:
So I'm coming to the end of my mission to read every sci-fi novel/short by Isaac Asimov. I feel kind of like Desmond from Lost with his final Dickens novel that he's saving.

Mine is the final story that Asimov released in the epic foundation series, Forward the Foundation. It's been on my night stand for around 6 months while I read other things. I've never enjoyed reading anything quite like Asimov and particularly the Foundation series and when I eventually read Forward, it will be the last of both.

Any other Asimov or sci-fi fans out there?

The foundation series is one of my very favourites. I might suggest once you're done, picking up E.E. Doc Smith.

semi-pro waster · 28 Oct 2016 at 18:51

I enjoy a bit of sci-fi from time to time. Some of the Iain M. Banks books are good although I'm a long way from having read all of them.

Meridian is a big sci-fi fan if memory serves so he might have some recommendations if that's what you wanted.

Werewolf · 28 Oct 2016 at 19:29

I think all of the Iain M Banks books are pretty good to excellent, John Scalzi's books are also enjoyable and I love Peter F Hamilton's books (Nights Dawn, Pandora's Star etc).

ElliorR · 28 Oct 2016 at 20:19

Asimov's Elijah Bailey novels are some of my favourite books ever. I loved how we saw a certain character, in different guises we didn't know about, in other novels and finally met him again in Foundation and Earth.

Meridian · 28 Oct 2016 at 21:10

semi-pro waster said:
Meridian is a big sci-fi fan if memory serves so he might have some recommendations if that's what you wanted.

I'm assuming the OP hasn't read much SF outside of Asimov? If so, I'd say: go onto Clarke and Heinlein next. All three wrote unsophisticated hard SF. The nearest modern equivalent is probably Stephen Baxter, who you should also try - but go with the older Xeelee series books, not the recent stuff. "Ring" is probably the one to start with.

Iain M Banks is good, but possible a big heavy. Orson Scott Card's books are good for broadening your range, while being rooted in the same area - start with Ender's Game (and pretend the film never happened). David Brin and Greg Bear are good for modern hard SF.

But it's important that you understand the sheer breadth of SF. And please, please don't stay in the comfort zone. Track down books of short stories (second-hand bookstores are best for this) and find other writers you like. Hard SF is what most people start with, but it's SF for teenagers (it's not a coincidence that more than half of Heinlein's books were written for teens). Try people like Robert Silverberg and Ursula LeGuin.

I don't like recommending writers out of the blue. Tell me what else you like, SF or any other genre, and I can point you at similar SF authors plus other routes to go.

Destination · 28 Oct 2016 at 21:18

Iain M Banks work is wonderful. Dark, humourous, often set in the Culture series, I oove it within and without that arc.
Shame the man is dead.

CaptainShiznit · 28 Oct 2016 at 22:40

eldergeek said:
The foundation series is one of my very favourites. I might suggest once you're done, picking up E.E. Doc Smith.

I'll definitely check them out!

Werewolf said:
I think all of the Iain M Banks books are pretty good to excellent, John Scalzi's books are also enjoyable and I love Peter F Hamilton's books (Nights Dawn, Pandora's Star etc).

I have enjoyed a couple of Banks's culture novels but particularly liked his short story collection The State of the Art.

ElliorR said:
Asimov's Elijah Bailey novels are some of my favourite books ever. I loved how we saw a certain character, in different guises we didn't know about, in other novels and finally met him again in Foundation and Earth.

That payoff at the end of Foundation and Earth was astonishing and epic.

Meridian said:
I'm assuming the OP hasn't read much SF outside of Asimov? If so, I'd say: go onto Clarke and Heinlein next. All three wrote unsophisticated hard SF. The nearest modern equivalent is probably Stephen Baxter, who you should also try - but go with the older Xeelee series books, not the recent stuff. "Ring" is probably the one to start with.

Iain M Banks is good, but possible a big heavy. Orson Scott Card's books are good for broadening your range, while being rooted in the same area - start with Ender's Game (and pretend the film never happened). David Brin and Greg Bear are good for modern hard SF.

But it's important that you understand the sheer breadth of SF. And please, please don't stay in the comfort zone. Track down books of short stories (second-hand bookstores are best for this) and find other writers you like. Hard SF is what most people start with, but it's SF for teenagers (it's not a coincidence that more than half of Heinlein's books were written for teens). Try people like Robert Silverberg and Ursula LeGuin.

I don't like recommending writers out of the blue. Tell me what else you like, SF or any other genre, and I can point you at similar SF authors plus other routes to go.

Quite the opposite! I rarely read anything that isn't sci-fi to be fair and have read from HG Wells to Alastair Reynolds. I've never quite read anything like Asimov though, Foundation, Robots and Galactic Empire serieses specifically. I think Philip K Dick comes quite close but I find that his weirdness can be hit and miss. The world Jones made, Ubik and Do Androids.. being my favourites.

I've dabbled in Clarke and really enjoyed Childhood's End. I watched the TV show recently and thought it did a pretty good job too. I also delved into Card's Ender series a long time ago which I really enjoyed though I never got around to reading the Shadow series.

I'm currently dipping into a little fantasy by Clive Barker in the form of Weaveworld. I didn't realise that Barker is from my own city of Liverpool, also where Weaveworld is set!

I'll be sure to check out your other recommendations!

Hikari Kisugi said:
Iain M Banks work is wonderful. Dark, humourous, often set in the Culture series, I oove it within and without that arc.
Shame the man is dead.

As I said I've enjoyed his Culture novels and was really sad that he died. I remember reading his final blogs on his website a few years ago. I think i should dedicate a couple months to finishing the Culture series.

Thanks for all the recommendations

Werewolf · 28 Oct 2016 at 23:49

Re Scalzi, I'm not sure if it's still the case but at least two of his books were available free (Old Man's War and Agent to the Stars), they were his first two fiction books from memory

I like OMW partly for the fact that as he put it in his blog there is usually a reason behind things.

Like the clones used for the armed forces being genetically engineered using DNA from earth animals rather than non terrestrial ones because it would be easier - so they have cat DNA for their eyes rather than purely technological implants or alien dna).

The Expanse series of books by James S A Corey is enjoyable space opera meets GOT, with a bit of whodunnit in the first one

(the TV series is ok but I think missing bits and the first series only covers about half the first book).

Chojin · 29 Oct 2016 at 00:23

I recently read Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes which I thought was very good.

Shamikebab · 29 Oct 2016 at 00:35

That is one classic I still need to read.

I love Philip K Dick too, lots of great books.

eldergeek · 29 Oct 2016 at 12:49

Shamikebab said:
That is one classic I still need to read.

I love Philip K Dick too, lots of great books.

Philip K Dick is a weird one for me - His books have a curious habit of making me feel a little melancholy and even claustrophobic at times, but I love his stories; and then, even more curiously...There seems to be a real struggle in bringing his stories to the screen with the notable exception of Blade Runner (incidentally, if you haven't you should check out Almost Human).

Minority Report is a great example - not much in common with his short story, but a great film.

CaptainShiznit · 29 Oct 2016 at 21:01

eldergeek said:
Philip K Dick is a weird one for me - His books have a curious habit of making me feel a little melancholy and even claustrophobic at times, but I love his stories; and then, even more curiously...There seems to be a real struggle in bringing his stories to the screen with the notable exception of Blade Runner (incidentally, if you haven't you should check out Almost Human).

Minority Report is a great example - not much in common with his short story, but a great film.

I agree and I think the struggle is due to the weird emotions that his writing invokes, as you mentioned. I think it's an almost intangible quality that's difficult if not impossible to replicate with film.

Shamikebab · 29 Oct 2016 at 21:10

I loved A Scanner Darkly, such a good film.

Meridian · 29 Oct 2016 at 21:27

CaptainShiznit said:
Quite the opposite! I rarely read anything that isn't sci-fi to be fair and have read from HG Wells to Alastair Reynolds. I've never quite read anything like Asimov though, Foundation, Robots and Galactic Empire serieses specifically. I think Philip K Dick comes quite close but I find that his weirdness can be hit and miss. The world Jones made, Ubik and Do Androids.. being my favourites.

I'm struggling to find two writers less alike than Asimov and Dick!

But thanks for making your reading a bit clearer. In which case, go down to your local bookstore and look for the Gollancz classic series. Grab any of them that look interesting. Seriously. They cover a huge range, and every one genuinely is a classic - Gollancz were famous for hoovering up all the good SF writers.

As for the original question: what is like Foundation? The short answer is: not much. Baxter, as I said. But long timespan Space Opera has been dead for thirty years - and it was pretty niche at the time. Davis Brin's Uplift series might interest. Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga has some aspects, but covers a limited timescale. Walter Jon Williams' Dread Empire's Fall series was fun, but again a shorter timescale. I also like Scott Westerfeld's The Risen Empire (I've not read the sequel).

CaptainShiznit · 29 Oct 2016 at 21:40

Meridian said:
I'm struggling to find two writers less alike than Asimov and Dick!

But thanks for making your reading a bit clearer. In which case, go down to your local bookstore and look for the Gollancz classic series. Grab any of them that look interesting. Seriously. They cover a huge range, and every one genuinely is a classic - Gollancz were famous for hoovering up all the good SF writers.

As for the original question: what is like Foundation? The short answer is: not much. Baxter, as I said. But long timespan Space Opera has been dead for thirty years - and it was pretty niche at the time. Davis Brin's Uplift series might interest. Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga has some aspects, but covers a limited timescale. Walter Jon Williams' Dread Empire's Fall series was fun, but again a shorter timescale. I also like Scott Westerfeld's The Risen Empire (I've not read the sequel).

Many thanks for the suggestions.

I didn't necessarily mean to draw parallels between Asimov and Dick's styles of writing, just that they both stand out for me as unique. Dick's works being the closest I've found to the genius of Asimov

memyselfandi · 29 Oct 2016 at 22:04

Classic Sci-fi ... with those johnny-come-lately authors ... goes back to re-reading the E. E. Doc Smith Skylark series ... just kidding I like all of those previously mentioned ...

Actually I'm re-reading some David Weber at the moment ...

SickAsAParrot · 30 Oct 2016 at 19:42

eldergeek said:
The foundation series is one of my very favourites. I might suggest once you're done, picking up E.E. Doc Smith.

The first sci-fi book I bought as a teen was a collection of short stories which I found wierd and unfathomable. I nearly gave up then, but it just so happened the second book I bought was Galactic Patrol.