Recommend me some good Science Fiction Novels

[raklin]

If you're more into the space opera, the Deathstalker series is a great lengthy read, if poorly named.
"Stranger in a strange land" is an incredible read as well, but doesn't focus on the action side of sci-fi. Is considered a classic, as well.

If you're more into action-sci-fi, almost anything by Timothy Zahn is a good read (Allegiance, set in the star war's EU is one of my favorite EU novels)

Andre Norton was also a great writer, as well.

Just remember, don't judge a sci-fi novel by their shitty 70's style artwork. I'm looking at you, John Ringo >_<

 

[Polarity27]

The Vorkosigan Saga by Bujold. Start with the omnibus "Cordelia's Honor" and then "Warrior's Apprentice". Some of the best-characterized SF I've ever read.

"This Alien Shore" by C.S. Friedman. Especially if you're on the autism spectrum or know someone who is. The worldbuilding is fantastic.

 

[chaosyoshimage]

Metro 2033 is pretty good, if you're into post-apocalyptic sci-fi. Yes, the same Metro 2033 as the game. The book came first.

I'm interested in that, but it appears the English version isn't on the Kindle Store. Luckily, I have a huge list of other books to read first.

 

[Tallim]

Can't really go wrong with Alastair Reynolds. Pushing Ice and Chasm City are particularly good.

or Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward. Bit hard to explain this one but it is a brilliant novel. Brief wiki quote to sum it up.

"Dragon's Egg is a neutron star with a surface gravity 67 billion times that of Earth, and inhabited by cheela, intelligent creatures that have the volume of sesame seeds and live a million times faster than humans. Most of the novel, from May to June 2050, chronicles the cheela civilization beginning with its discovery of agriculture to its first face-to-face contact with humans, who are observing the star from orbit."

 

[Gaiseric]

The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. He writes the best space battles I've read.

The Clone Republic series by Steven L. Kent

edit: Don't be fooled by the covers of the Lost Fleet series of the guy holding various big guns. There is little to no action involving said big guns.

 

[Do4600]

Got any recommendations?

Asimov's Nightfall, if you haven't already read it, 33 pages, and probably the best short science fiction story I've ever read. Asimov's Foundation trilogy is also excellent. Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein is required reading.

 

[Ziame]

Lukianienko is pretty good; Lem is just plain awesome (difficult though)

Strugatsky are hell of writers as well.

a canticle for leibowitz is a must read for fallout fans.

 

[OtherSideofSky]

Try "The Star My Destination" (sometimes published as "Tiger Tiger").
It's an excellent piece of science fiction that inspired both the new age SF of the 50s and 60s and the cyberpunk novels of the 80s and 90s. It deals with interesting themes, has great pacing and holds up much better than most other science fiction from the time period. The SF Masterworks edition has an excellent forward and afterword and should be easy to find.

If you've never read any cyberpunk, I would recommend William Gibson's "Neuromancer", the novel that kicked off the whole trend, and Neil Stephenson's "Snow Crash".

My personal favorite science fiction novel is Ursula Leguin's "The Left Hand of Darkness". It's the story of an envoy sent from a federation of worlds to make contact with the people of a frozen planet who have no gender most of the time and only become either male or female when they go into heat once each month.

 

[CounterReproductive]

To see if you will like reading the rest of his stuff pick up a copy of
Alistair Reynolds novella 'Diamond Dogs and Turquoise Days'

If you like it get Revelation Space, Chasm City et al. i recommend it because it cost only 7 english pounds as opposed to about 20 for the other books.

 

[Rogue 9]

DUNE

Arguably one of the most influential sci-fi novels ever written.
FUCKING READ IT

There are a few books people have already recommended that I want to reinforce the recommendations of but this has to be right up there at number one. Seriously, just go get Dune and read it.

Other repeat recommendations I want to reiterate (woo alliteration) are Ender's Game (and its sequel, Speaker for the Dead. Xenocide and Children of the Mind (books 3 and 4) are really interesting and thought provoking and I don't remember any gay bashing (that might be more from things Orson Scott Card has said outside of his books... I was disappointed when I learned about his views, but that's a topic for another thread) but they get a bit verbose and abstract and I wouldn't consider them must reads like I do the first two books.

Also, the Night's Dawn trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton is fantastic, one of my favourite series.

For something that hasn't been mentioned yet, I'd recommend the Cassandra Kresnov novels by Joel Shepherd, an Australian author - Crossover, Breakaway and Killswitch. They deal with artificial humans and inter-planetary politics and are all great. Plus he has a fourth one on the way.

Finally, if you enjoyed Asimov's short stories, you should read his Elijah Bailey novels - The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun and The Robots of Dawn - Fantastic murder mystery whodunnits set against a background of issues to do with robots (of course) and the future direction of humanity.

Edit: Also, this.

Asimov's Nightfall, if you haven't already read it, 33 pages, and probably the best short science fiction story I've ever read.

 

[EscapeGoat_v1legacy]

At the moment, I'm reading Gaunt's Ghosts, and loving the hell out of it.

If you're enjoying that series, I'd definitely recommended checking out the Expanded Universe equivalent of Warhammer 40000 novels. The Eisenhorn trilogy is a particularly awesome set (also by Dan Abnett) and then there's the entire series of novels devoted to the schism between the Primarchs during the 31st Millenium which are equally fantastic reads.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson is awesome.

 

[sniddy_v1legacy]

Peter F. Hamilton - The Night's Dawn trilogy.

Good luck, it's a bit...complex.

I about 3rd of 4th this

Also his other works are well worth a look

Stephen Donaldson's Gap series is fantastic

Tad Willaims Otherland is another great series

I've seen Deathstalker banded about for space opera there's also the saga of the seven suns if that's your kind of thing

The orginal Dune, really is a must read, heck the original trilogy, the 2nd trilogy....is Ok....anything else...ekk, especially the follow on books which were horrible.

I'm a fan of Greg Bear, he's written some great stuff, things like blood music, eon, forge of god...

Didn't see if anyones thrown in 2001 and it's first 2 sequels but they're worth a read

 

[Buzz Killington_v1legacy]

Try some Vernor Vinge, mainly A Fire Upon the Deep and to a lesser extent its prequel A Deepness in the Sky. The first one did weird expand-y things to my brain, which is never a bad thing.

Also try to find his novella True Names. It's sort of a cyberpunk story that predates Neuromancer by about three years.

 

[Trololo Punk]

Metro 2033 was good.
Also Gaunt's Ghost series was great.

 

[Anthony Wells]

i would recommend the hellgate london series and the fifth foreign legion series (only six books total from both series) they are some of the best scifi books i have ever read. i actually haven't read the third fifth foreign legion book yet because i didnt know it existed until a quick google search just now to make sure the name was right.

 

[spooky57571]

Since no one else has said it, I'd recommend Starship Troopers.

The book is pretty controversial tho.

 

[BringBackBuck]

Peter F. Hamilton - The Night's Dawn trilogy.

Good luck, it's a bit...complex.

Just finished Peter F. Hamilton's Void Trilogy. This is awesome too.

 

[Audun]

Hyperion, by Dan Simmons.

Robopocalypse, by Daniel H. Wilson.

1984, by George Orwell.

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. (It is a good standalone novel.)

Also, i recommend anything by Peter F. Hamilton.