Sci-Fi Recommendations - for the unenlightened

[knivesout]

Have you read MacLeod's other books? I've read almost all of them (I think there's one I couldn't locate, part of the first series he wrote), waiting for this one to come out in papaerback, or at least tpb, wondered how it measured up?

[Jay]

My introduction, and appreciation for Macleod began this year, I really hting it's a bit of a renaissance period for Science Fiction. The only Macleod books I read prior was Newtons Wake, I also made the mistake of reading his Fal lrevolution out of order - and since bought the first 2 books (yet to read) - so I'm not sure what comparisons I can draw, but Learning the World in excellent. We always read books regarding first contact, but often it is the us (humanity) who is run up on, and in this book Macleod makes us the technologicaly advanced race meeting a avian society.

The first pages caught me depicting a boy on a a seemingless endless sky ladder, which is more of an inviting introduction to - it encited wonder - and not necessarily a overload of technical jargon (don't geet me wrong Macleod has plenty of that in the text), that generally makes work like this hard to get into in the beginning. It's really fascinating to read Macleod's speculation on humanity, and the ship life which has a caste of it's own, and than be swithced to the Alien perspective, of 2 scientists tracking what they first think is a comet - but one that is impossibly slowing down!

Due to limted reading, I can't compare with Macleod's prior work, but at this point in the year, this is one of the 10 most enjoyable books I have read this year - and perhaps with Olympos the best pure SF book I read. I read Orphans of Chaos by John C. Wright, and Vellum by Hal Duncan (that has both have some SF elements) but are a bit cross-genre.

I'm going to review this book soon (I have an interview lined up with Macleod as well), right after I put up my Princess of Roumania review by Paul Park in the next two days, so if you want I'll let you know when I do.

I definitely recommend it. It has a very human element fron non-humans, a wonderful possible look into humanity advancing, the aformentioned flip of usual roles. One of my favorite lines is made by one of the aliens who says "if god didn't intend fo us to fly he wouldn't have given us wings" (hmmm...I can't remember if he said god, or reffered to a another deity (one of the planets in their system - so excuse a possible paraphrase), when remarking on a ground based transportation system

Really enjoyed it.

[knivesout]

It seems as much fun as MacLeod's other books, then, and somewhat new territory for him. He's shown humanity in contact with aliens before, but his take on First Contact - that ought to be interesting! MacLeod, along with Adam Roberts and John C Wright, was one of the newer writers whose books who got me back into SF some 5 years back.

[Jay]

It seems as much fun as MacLeod's other books, then, and somewhat new territory for him. He's shown humanity in contact with aliens before, but his take on First Contact - that ought to be interesting! MacLeod, along with Adam Roberts and John C Wright, was one of the newer writers whose books who got me back into SF some 5 years back.

I was much of the same. I had alwyas been a fan of fantasy, but not SF, in fact hard SF used to annoy the hell out of me. Don't get me wrong I had read Hebert's work, and Card's, and Leguin's, Philip Jose Farmer, Dan SImmons, Peter Hamilton, among a few others, but for the most part it was very secondary to me. It wasn't until the last few years (and really in the last year) where I really started loving and cathing up with my SF reading). Wright played a role in that - his trilogy was terrific - as did works like Jeffrey Thomas's Punktown (I like this sequence a lot albeit cross genre), and I was blown away by MJH's Light, as did Zoran Zivkovic's Fourth Circle. I can now honestly say my appreciation is pretty much equal to the point where I don't differentiate the two genres any more in my thinking. I really think SF is in a upward transition - an infusion of talent in the last decade or so, with new ideas.

Regarding Wright - Orphans of Chaos is hot! I think that's a november release - its' a damn publisher split - but it's a wealth of great ideas, my second favorite book I have read this year - loved it.

Wait a sec - have to give props to Silverberg - some of his books really impress - and drove me to SF as well.

[knivesout]

I think I probably read much more SF than you - fantasy is more my second love - but we seem to have settled on rather similar authors. While there are specific novels by hard SF writers like Greg Bear or Stephen Baxter that I like, I find myself drawn to the sort of SF that plays around more with human possibilities - and impossibilities - than technological speculations. That's probably why Robert Heinlein is an author I enjoy so much , even if I disagree with many of his characters' viewpoints a lot of the time. His books are basically about people, and his different theories about how they should organise themselves or not.

Theodore Sturgeon has written some fine stuff in the human-speculation line - his novel Venus Plus X, with its fascinating take on gender as a pathological condition for human society was a really thought-provoking book.

[Leto]

Try some older Robert Silverberg novels if human speculation is what interest you in hard SF first : especially The World Inside, The Man in the Maze or Hawksbill Station or for a different approach of Atlantis myth and gypsies'origin Star of Gypsies. And along the line of Dying Inside, have a look at The Book of Skulls

[Jason_Taverner]

I don't read that much sci fi with exception to philip k dick who i recommend to everyone not just sci fi fans I've convinced a lot of my mates to read him and I can truly tell you they aren't the type of ppl who enjoy reading and they all loved him I find him very adictive and I can't wait to see the animation/film of a scanner darkly (i really want to put a ban pun in here maybe I bet you find it aDICKtive god dam where are my pills). I also won a signed book singularity sky by charles stross and felt that was a great read in fact I enjoyed more than I thought I would. I loved Dune that was one of the best books I have even read but the other dune titles i didn't fancy maybe I don't want to spoil the memories. After reading everyones recommdations the could anyone tell me what they think of Jeffrey Thomas's Punktown without giving any of the story away, i just like the title.

[Jay]

Punktown is a collage work mixing Sf with Horror elements in a unique setting a space colony/city called Paxton - that by locals is called 'punktown'.

Thomas weaves story that include several varieties of aliens, and how they interact with each other, and teh city itself. It has a couple of things going for it, one Thomas has incredible ideas, and he has other spin off in the same setting: Everybody Scream, which is a full, novel, and Monstrocity. Both Sf fans and horror fans (Lovecraft fans) will like this work IMHO.

Secondly it was republished by Prime - who is my favorite publisher for the last year or two - they do exceptional work. I woud also recommend Thomas's Letter From Hades, a non-Punktown related effort - that would be a good intro into thomas's work - hell by the all!


I always thought this series would make a great HBO series. It's damn bizarre, yet very penetrating at the same time. I have been pimping Thomas' work for awhile now. I'm not saying he's Jeffrey Ford or anything like that yet, but he's got some damn talent and some damn good work out there. I really admire his work and at the very least he is worth giving a shot.

Knivesout - (if you haven't) you may want to give Thomas a look - I think their are some elements (both i nhorror and SF) you would appreciate.

[knivesout]

Certainly sounds interesting. Jeffrey Thomas has been on my list for a while though, although I don't know when I'll rread his works, since I'm more or less at the mercy of what people choose to import into India.

[Jason_Taverner]

sounds good, I found it on amazon.co.uk but in hardback which are just way to pricey these days I'll have to wait until its paperback but it sounds good I have never really read much along those lines before

[jenna]

Originally Posted by sanityassassin

how about Piers Anthonys Tarot trilogy really good sci-fi/fantasy cross over

IMO Piers is the GOD of sci-fi/fantasy crossover.
but for pure sci-fi, his Bio of a Space Tyrant series is fantastic.

[Brys]

Talking of SF/F crossovers, I'd have to mention:
Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun
Michael Swanwick's the Iron Dragon's Daughter (though this is more fantasy than SF)

Anyway, one recommendation I have to make is
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M Miller Jr.
It's the best SF I've read (of my admittedly very limited SF reading)

[Brys]

Ok, I said A Canticle for Leibowitz was the best I'd read. As I expected, that didn't last long. It's now the 3rd best SF novel I've read. Ahead of it are:
1) The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
2) The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester

[Jimmy]

My must-must read, something essential, not only classical, what everyone who likes sf must read consists of:

Novels:
Isaac Asimov "Foundation" (only first three classical stories)
Pierre Boulle "Monkey planet"
Ray Bradbury "451 Fahrenheit"
David Brin "Startide Rising"
Arthur C. Clarke "Childhood's End"
Philip K. Dick "Man on the High Castle", "Ubik", "Eye on the Sky"
James Gunn "The Listeners"
Joe Haldeman "Forever War"
Daniel Keyes "Flowers for Algernon"
Sergiej Lukjanienko "Лабиринт отражений", "Фальшивые зеркала" (The Deep series)
Walter M. Miller Jr. "Canticle for Leibovitz"
A. & B. Strugatsky "Monday Begins on Saturday", "Roadside Picnic"
John Wyndham "Day of the Tryfids"

Short stories:
Poul Anderson "Sam Hall"
Karl Michael Armer "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"
Isaac Asimov "Bicentennial Man"
David Brin "Thor meets Captain America", "Crystal Spheres"
Kir Bulyczow - all stories about Guslar
Arthur C. Clarke - every short story is a masterpiece
Philip K. Dick - almost everything (I love "The pre-persons")
Philip Jose Farmer "Riders of the Purple Wage" from "Dangerous Visions"
Shin'ichi Hoshi "City like a Pastureland" (that title was in polish)
James Patrick Kelly "Monsters"
Bob Leman "The Time of the Worm"
Siergiej Lukjanienko "Поезд в Теплый Край"
George R.R. Martin "Sandkings", "For a Single Yesterday", "The Storms of Windhaven"
Sean McMullen "Colours of the Soul"
Frantisek Novotny "Madonna from the Wreck..." (? czech short story)
Frederik Pohl "The Gold at Starbow's End"
Lester del Rey "Evensong" from "Dangerous Visions"
Robert Sheckley - everything
John T. Sladek "The Happy Breed" from "Dangerous Visions"
Henry Slesar "Ersatz" from "Dangerous Visions"
James Tiptree Jr. "The Screwfly Solution"
A.E. van Vogt - almost everything
Connie Willis "Wind of the Marble Arch"
Timothy Zahn "Pawn's Gambit"

...and many, many more...

[HieroGlyph]

Originally Posted by Rosemary

Apart from the brilliant Dune series, I would recommend Julian May's The Galactic Millieu Trilogy.

Ohhhh, well said!