Good Sci-Fi Book Recommendations

[Spade Lead]

I am having a hard time finding good books to get involved with, and since I have three whole hours every weekday where my stepkids are in school and my girlfriend is at work, I want a nice deep world to get absorbed into. Some of my previous reads include:

The Destroyermen [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destroyermen_%28book_series%29]
The Dresden Files [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Files]
The Honorverse by David Weber [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorverse]
The Star Wars Expanded Universe
All the books by Tom Clancy


I have also read Phillip K. Dick's "A Scanner Darkly" recently, and enjoyed that, as well.


Mainly, I am looking for a good human-oriented story that involves amazing battles and overcoming long odds. I especially like starships, and anything high-tech, and preferably involving a good war. I must clarify though, I hate dragons, and anything where "Magic" replaces technology. Preferably, if you know of a series of books that involves magic AND technology, like "The Dresden Files," that is what I really am looking for.

Thanks.

 

[Esotera]

And here goes my standard suggestions:

- Iain M Banks
- Alastair Reynolds
- Stephen Baxter (Destiny's Children is an amazing series)
- John Wyndham (and the other greats)
- Mammoth Book of Sci-Fi

If you're having trouble finding authors you like, I'd recommend the Mammoth Book, as you can get them for about £3 on amazon but you get around 30 short stories. I love about 50% of the stuff in there and it's made me aware of some really great authors (and also some cheesy classics)

Also, this is greathttp://craphound.com/overclocked/Cory_Doctorow_-_Overclocked_-_When_Sysadmins_Ruled_the_Earth.html

 

[HardkorSB]

Try Stanislaw Lem's and Arthur C. Clarke's works. I'm sure you'll find some good sci-fi there.

 

[Flamezdudes]

Do Android's Dream of Electric Sheep?
It's by Philip K Dick so i'm sure you'll enjoy it if you liked A Scanner Darkly.

 

[Hoplon]

Victor Pelevin is good for subversive Sci Fi.

Harry Harrison for pulp Sci Fi. Stainless Steel Rat books are awesome.

 

[Imthatguy]

And here goes my standard suggestions:

- Iain M Banks
- Alastair Reynolds
- Stephen Baxter (Destiny's Children is an amazing series)
- John Wyndham (and the other greats)
- Mammoth Book of Sci-Fi

If you're having trouble finding authors you like, I'd recommend the Mammoth Book, as you can get them for about £3 on amazon but you get around 30 short stories. I love about 50% of the stuff in there and it's made me aware of some really great authors (and also some cheesy classics)

Also, this is greathttp://craphound.com/overclocked/Cory_Doctorow_-_Overclocked_-_When_Sysadmins_Ruled_the_Earth.html

I have been ninja'd so hard.

Anyway let me expound upon his suggestions

Stephen Baxter- The Xeelee Sequence is good; tells the story of a war between humanity (and post-humanity) and near omniscient aliens over the course of eons. Flood and Ark where cool too: Imagine a world where ocean levels didn't stop rising after the ice caps melted... in fact they rise faster.

Alastair Reynolds- Diamond Dogs... dear god where do I start? Pretty much questions what it means to be human/intelligent being/wtfwagon. Haven't read anything else so.

Iain M Banks- Culture series ultratech liberal utopia meets people they don't like... and win.

Cory Doctorow's Little Brother and Down and out in the Magic Kingdom where awesome books... and they're free.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Isaac Asimov, namely Foundation series, Robots & Co
Scott Westerfield's stuff (including the steampunk series starting with Leviathan, for teenagers, I think, but it's still a fun read)

...

Actually, Horus Heresy... fuck only knows how many books have been released, but you're bound to find something amongst them that'll take your fancy. I like most of them (including some of the short story collections), but the ones that concern the non-Marine personae dramatis are the best ones (runaway psyker & the assassins being two of the best books in the series thus far).

 

[Shock and Awe]

The forever war
Starship Troopers
Foundation Trilogy
The Halo Novels(I liked them)

Those are just a few off the top of my head.

 

[Tiger Sora]

Ciaphas Cain (HERO OF THE IMPERIUM) novels by Sandy Mitchell.

The tales of one of the greatest Commissars ever to serve the Imperium of Mankind.

They're Warhammer 40k books. I recommend many of the other books about WH40K. Check out which of them are good, and read them in chronological order for the series if you do.

 

[DrRockor]

Enders game is a good one. The one after it, Speaker for the Dead is better though but you need to read enders game for the context.

 

[JDLY]

Anything by Jules Verne or H.G. Wells

Some of Verne's works being: Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Mysterious Island, Around the world in 80 days, and the most famous, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. That last one also being a personal favorite.

A couple of H.G. Wells': The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds would be his two most famous books.

 

[Spectrum_Prez]

I don't read much sci-fi, but greatly enjoyed Embassytown by China Mieville. Well, I may be biased because he's one of my favorite modern authors.

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

This Alien Shore by C.S. Friedman

Practically everything in the book COULD happen, in fact at the rate today's companies are going I'd say most of it is highly probable.

 

[NinjaSocks333]

Ringworld, Neuromancer,Snow crash.
That is all.

 

[Old Father Eternity]

Most of the classics have been listed ... I commend thee. In addition, the works by the Strugatsky brothers are quite good, assuming you can find some translated versions.
F.Herbert's Dune series.
A book called Dirac Sea by M.Jemtsev and J.Parnov , also, I do not know if a English version exists.
R.Bradbury has some good ones
There is this short story collection "Vigil"
C.D.Simak
M.Crichton
Some works by Gary Gibson are rather enjoyable as well.

 

[sinsfire]

Ender's Game is probably a safe bet, although I think someone already said it.

Another philip K. Dick novel you might like is We Can Remeber it for You Wholesale, and also The Man in the High Tower.

If you don't require big battles and booms then I would recommend Neuromancer by William Gibson, internet based SciFi before the internet was the internet, very techie

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

The Warhammer 40000 universe sounds like like a good place for you. The Tagline for the IP is "In the Grim Darkness of the Far Future there is only War" there's both high levels of technology and warp (magical) powers.

Games Workshop, the owners of the universe, have their own publishing house called The Black Library. Generally the standard of quality is good but I recommend you stay clear of the author C.S. Goto, as his work is considered sub par. But don't let one guy throw you off, Sandy Mitchell the creator of Ciaphas Cain (HERO OF THE IMPERIUM) adds some pitch black humor to the universe. Another author to look out for is Dan Albert, who is credited with turning the Imperial Guard form an army whose tactics came out of World War 1 into a competent force that uses combined arms to take on advanced aliens and demons, and occasionally win.

The Gotek and Felix series may interest you, although technology take a back seat to magic in this universe. But what tech there is (gyro-copters, steam tanks and a zeppelin which become a major plot point for at least one novel) is pretty nice. The series is also published by The Black Library and is the tale about a death seeking dwarf and a human who (while drunk) swore an oath to record the slayers deeds until he dies.

You have already mentioned Honorverse in your read list, so why not read the Bolo! series. It's about sentient battle tanks with discussions on philosophy and loyalty.

 

[Spade Lead]

You have already mentioned Honorverse in your read list, so why not read the Bolo! series. It's about sentient battle tanks with discussions on philosophy and loyalty.

That caught my eye better than anything on the list...

I appreciate the suggestions, and while I won't discount anything, but a lot of the stuff mentioned here was single books, which I will pick up eventually, but I was really hoping for a good series. I think I may just check out Bolo! right now...

 

[GiglameshSoulEater]

Do Android's Dream of Electric Sheep?
It's by Philip K Dick so i'm sure you'll enjoy it if you liked A Scanner Darkly.

If I recall correctly, wasn't blade runner based on i]Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?[/i]?

Games Workshop, the owners of the universe, have their own publishing house called The Black Library. Generally the standard of quality is good but I recommend you stay clear of the author C.S. Goto, as his work is considered sub par. But don't let one guy throw you off, Sandy Mitchell the creator of Ciaphas Cain (HERO OF THE IMPERIUM) adds some pitch black humor to the universe. Another author to look out for is Dan Albert, who is credited with turning the Imperial Guard form an army whose tactics came out of World War 1 into a competent force that uses combined arms to take on advanced aliens and demons, and occasionally win.

i definately agree here. Dan Abnett has also written a few other books, like Ravenor and Eisenhorn or, for some aircraft action, Double Eagle.