I need some good Science Fiction!

HELP! Does anyone write good Science Fiction any more? I'm going on vacation Friday, and need a couple of good books. I've checked the Bestsellers list, and there's nothing that interests me. "Enders Game" is still on the list, I read it 20 years ago. Great book, but everything after it by that author was substandard by comparison.

I recently read the latest Peter F. Hamilton book, and enjoyed it, but now have to wait 2 more years for his next one. I've read everything he's written.

Have also read every Heinlein every published.

I seriously need something new. Ideas?

 

No there is nothing current that even comes close to novels like Enders Game, Stranger in a Strange Land, Fahrenheit 451, 2001, Dune, Hitchhiker Guide to the Galaxy, etc...

 

I first read Ender in the 'short story' version that it was originally published in. Maybe 60 or 80 pages, max. The novel was good, but the basic story was already fully fleshed out. The rest was 'filler'.

 

Stephen Baxter
Greg Bear

 

Have you read "Ringworld" and "The Ringworld Engineers" by Larry Niven?

 

Al Gore wrote some stuff that was fictional about science, does that help?

 

When all else fails-Reread Herbert's Dune. Maybe some of the best writing period.

 

Yup, read 'em.

Years ago, but yup. An all time favorite was "Lucifers Hammer" by Niven and Jerry Pournelle.

Agreed. Then the sequels were boring.

I need NEW stuff guys, I've read all the classics!

 

Did you read canticle for leibowitz, by walter miller?

How about Alas Babylon by Pat Frank?

Dom

 

Robert J. Sawyer. The Hominids/Humans/Hybrids trilogy is pretty cool parallel-world speculative biology and well written. New within the last 5 years or so.

If you like Space Operas and shoot-em-ups with solid characters, look at Lois McMaster Bujold. Her "Miles Vorkosigan" series isn't hard science but a lot of fun. Start with The Warrior's Apprentice. It's not new, though.

 

But like you, didn't think his other stuff was at the same level.

The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) It's not Sci Fi, but maybe fantasy. Something I haven't read since I was 12, but this is adult fantasy:
by George RR Martin. 1600 reviews on Amazon, average of 4.5 stars

I do a lot of driving, and I am listening to the above as books on iPhone (Audible.com) really excellent.

I know you want Sci Fi, but it's Wednesday, dammit man you're running out of time:
Another FChat person recommended this. Just got it today via Amazon, so can't say for myself, but the reviews are very positive:
Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans

A friend suggested you check out, the "best" Sci Fi of 2008:
http://www.omnivoracious.com/2008/11/best-science-fi.html

 

2 votes for The Warriors Apprentice. It'll get a nod.

Also noticed from the 'best of' list a new book by Iain Banks. Have read most of his stuff, and I guess I'll pick up the new one.

T-man, for a "Space Opera" read any Peter F. Hamilton series. He's 2 books into his 3rd or 4th batch now, and they're all good.

 

I enjoyed both Accellerando and Glass House by Charles Stross.... not sure about some of his other work but thought they were an interesting read. Got introduced to them by the NYT book review section in a seldom seen section about Science Fiction.

 

Anathem by Neil Stephenson. IMO the best writer out there today. If you have the time, read Cryptonomicon and then The Baroque Cycle (comprised of Quicksilver, Confusion, and System of the World) as well. He writes LONG books so they take a while to get through, but it's well worth the time. Anathem is pure sci-fi, but the others are more genre defying, although they're filed in sci-fi for some reason.

 

Lesson 1: Never expect Half Price Books to have anything resembling decent SciFi.

Lesson 2: Never take a trade-in stack of 20 hardbacks by John Grisham and Tom Clancy and expect to get more than $2.50 from the cheapskates at HPB. Total of $2.50. Not $2.50 each.

I picked up Cryptonomicon, but am honestly not sure I've got the mental capacity for a 900 page book at this point. Off to a real bookstore at lunch.

 

Pick up any sci-fi by Ian Banks. He is incredible. The "Algebraist" woudl be a great place to start.

 

The Physics of Star Trek by Lawrence M. Krauss, foreword by Stephen Hawking, 1995 first edition revised/updated June '07.

Not sci-fi, but a fun and easy to comprehend critical analysis of the scientific concepts that are the basis of the myriad "Trek" TV shows and movies; by extension anything else that contains hyperlight travel, etc.

Author is a top-level physicist, Hawking as the foreword contributor lends a certain presence and credibility.

Aside from being a tepid-to-lukewarm Trekker since the original series was syndicated for TV reruns in '72, sci-fi, written or otherwise, isn't my thing, so I can't make recs there.

I'm into history-based fiction, with the Civil War, Old West, and Medieval eras as favorites.

I gave up on Grisham when he started churning 'em out, same for King, never got into Clancy. Dan Brown's stuff is along my lines of interest, but I don't really care for it. Mc Murtry's the current Old Master, IMO.

 

Agreed! I also liked Consider Phlebas and Excession. Feersum Endjiin was kind of fun, but a tough read with all the phoentics.

Just picked up Matter at lunch. It'll be the primary book for next week.

 

Not new books, but if you haven't read Man in the High Castle, Time Out of Joint and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep you should. All are Philip K Dick books.

 

You'll buzz through it faster than you think. Cryptonomicon is one of the best books I've ever read. Stephenson has a way of weaving stories together that never leaves me short of blown away. Cryptonomicon combines WW2 and modern IT storylines in some fascinating ways. The Baroque Cycle is somewhat of a prequel to it, but it clocks in at about 2800 pages, so you'll need a long vacation to get through it. I'll also second Imola82 with the PKD selections. Man in The High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep are short but good. Solid classics.

 

I have had the same thoughts lately and from the responses I am disappointed that I'm not hearing of much new.
If you like Space Opera/Space War/Strategies/Politics read the Honor Harrington series by David Weber. He has military background/training and has written some great multifaceted story lines in this series.

Probably one of his best (#2 I think) is The Short Victorious War which ended up being anything but.

It's important to read the series in order, 7 books I think. A fun read, fast pace, good story lines etc.................

A little drier but fascinating to me was a non-fiction book by Isaac Asimov titled, "The Universe, from Flat Earth to Quasar" (A Guide for the layman)

 

I got through Matter, and enjoyed it, but you read the whole book for the last 100 pages. As with all of Banks' books, the end is not exactly what you expect and it's sort of abruptly over. His heros have it rough. He does have a hell of an imagination though, and effectively intertwines a society that's just starting to employ gun warfare, to high level starfaring races in the same enormous universe. A good read. Be sure to read the epilogue after the appendix, or you miss the true 'end' of the story. I nearly missed it.

It reminded me how much I enjoy good SciFi, and how little of it there seems to be.

 

Bump!

Vacation starts Tuesday and I need a BOOK!

Little help?

 

Not recent, but this is a bit lesser known and pretty excellent reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mote_in_God's_Eye

Of course, there is always Asimov's "Foundation Trilogy" - I love that work.

 

Here's one more I quite liked:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep