SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Hi guys

I've recently been searching for some good science fiction books to read but have only found books that I struggle to get through and find extremely disappointing.

The science fiction bookshop couldn't help me as they only specialise in fantasy (???) so I'm hoping that the true science fiction fans here can help me!

A few favorite authors are Philip K Dick, Asimov, Christopher Rowley and some favorite books are Ender's Game and The Prodigal Sun.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance

Deborah wrote: "Hi guys

I've recently been searching for some good science fiction books to read but have only found books that I struggle to get through and find extremely disappointing.

The science fiction bo..."

"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
"The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
"Dust" by Charles Pellegrino
"The Inverted World" by Christopher Priest
"Levels" by Yours Truly

I have provided ratings and written reviews for the first four books listed. If interested, you may view them among the "Books Read" section of my profile.

Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons is well worth a read if you're into thought provoking science fiction.

I'm not surprised they specialize in Fantasy, since that genre outsells everything else currently.

Based on your books I would suggest Ted Chiang for Philip K. Dick-like short stories. Try Stories of Your Life and Others.

My main recommendation for you is The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. It's a nice in-between book straddling SF and Fantasy. I classify it as Fantasy primarily because the dragons do impossible things, but it uses science fictional elements and props throughout. This might scratch your Rowley itch.

The book I linked is the omnibus of the first trilogy -- which, to my mind, comprises the best books in the series. The first three books are Dragonflight, Dragonquest and The White Dragon. The White Dragon was my favorite book as a teenager. Fantasy + Science Fiction + dragons + genetic engineering + adventure = all win all the time.

I would also recommend a couple easy-to-read classics that are actually quite good:

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman.

Protector by Larry Niven.

Since you didn't really like Asimov's Foundation, you might want to avoid Herbert's Dune, although on the other hand it might be fantastical enough to pique your interest.

In more recent books, Old Man's War by John Scalzi is quite good. If you like it, he's written four sequels.

Deborah wrote: "I've recently been searching for some good science fiction books to read but have only found books that I struggle to get through and find extremely disappointing..."

I'm curious what you've tried and had a hard time getting through or found disappointing (and why if possible). That might point us in the correct direction better than knowing authors you've liked.

I've found that when people say they like a book (or an author), it often turns out they are liking/finding different things than I am. I mean, go look at a discussion about what Ubik actually represents in that classic PKD book and you'll find all kinds of interpretations based on what people were drawing from the plot and how they were reacting to the story.

And speaking of Phil Dick fan (I'm a huge fan of all he wrote); he actually wrote is several different modes. Martian Time-Slip, for example, is a very different thing than Ubik or The Transmigration of Timothy Archer or The Man in the High Castle (not to mention his non-SF works like Confessions of a Crap Artist.

So it can be hard to know just what to recommend based on a list of authors that you like. (I love Tolkien...but have never made it through The Silmarillion or any of the Lost Tales stuff!)

Trike wrote: "The Forever War by Joe Haldeman.
...In more recent books, Old Man's War by John Scalzi is quite good."

I just checked, Deborah didn't like either of those. ;)

You've tried the Vorkosigan novels? My go-to for space opera. I greatly enjoyed TOOTH AND CLAW by Jo Clayton, but that's quite sophisticated -- the next step beyond Anne McCaffrey.

After looking through your library some, maybe try some more Frank Herbert? Though if I were you I wouldn't stray too far into the Dune Chronicles...the books get a bit more dubious as the series progresses, but he wrote quite a lot of good SF.

Possibly some Ken MacLeod? I really liked his Fall Revolution series (Star Fraction, The Stone Canal--my favorite of the bunch, The Cassini Division, and The Sky Road). They're not really written as completely linked stories, though some of the characters/history in the books are the same. They deal a lot with leftist politics in a near-future world (simultaneously advocating them, and admitting that they are not perfect...never allowing the taint of idealism or Utopian daydreams get in the way of how f----d up human politics are), but also go off into far distant times dealing with post (or near) singularity/scarcity world. Hard to explain. I'm sure they're not for everybody, but they're some of the more thoughtful books I've read in a while. MacLeod also does New Space Opera stuff, some of which I've liked...need to read more of his.

"Lord of Light" by Roger Zelazny. Unique, fairly trippy classic. One of my favorites.

Or if you want a flavor of Zelazny, while still getting a dose of Philip K. Dick, then their co-authored work Deus Irae.

Zelazny's Amber series is also a good quick read. I actually found some of it a bit sloppily written/edited (long shadow walking descriptions when they were no longer necessary as data dumps or plot points)...but as far as ideas go, it was a winner.

Read some great women authors: Kate Wilhelm, Ursula K. LeGuin, Joanna Russ, Anne McCaffrey, Octavia Butler, Andre Norton, Sherri Tepper, Zenna Henderson, from the "old" days, and James Triptree, Jr. (really a woman) as well. New authors abound, but these are tried and true! If you're interested in ebooks, there are thousands more, including ME. Best to you!

And, if you really want to THINK: Doris Lessing.

I am going to throw out some suggested that I do not see mentioned often (or at all).

Rebecca Ore has a trilogy that begins with Becoming Alien. I thought she did an excellent job with it.

The Complete Roderick and Tik-Tok by John Sladek are both fun reads and may be more appreciated by Asimov fans that others. Oh, and if you find you like robot humor/satire, check out Henry Kuttnerand Aurelio O'Brien.

Norstrilia and the other related short story collections by Cordwainer Smith are great reads from someone often forgotten.

do you like the cyber-punk stuff at all? Snow Crash, Altered Carbon and Neuromancer are all great.
Some other good suggestions would be Iain M. Banks culture stuff (all stand-alone, just in the same universe) and Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep

Deborah wrote: "Hi guys

I've recently been searching for some good science fiction books to read but have only found books that I struggle to get through and find extremely disappointing.

The science fiction bo..."

-Anything by Robert Heinlein, the "Dean" of science fiction.
-I too like the Pern series. Good escapism while remaining "semi-hard" SF.
-Anything by John Bowers or Bruce Davis (eBooks)
-For dystopian, try Lesser Gods by Duncan Long (eBook)
-Humor? The Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison.
-Gordon Dickson's "Dorsai" series.
-Classic (really old): "Doc" Smith's Lensman series (pseudoscience mind-reading device involved).

All these would be a good start.

Micah wrote: "After looking through your library some, maybe try some more Frank Herbert? Though if I were you I wouldn't stray too far into the Dune Chronicles...the books get a bit more dubious as the series p..."

I wouldn't classify "Dune" as "hard" SF. Too many elements of "Fantasy" involved (mind games). But I still enjoyed reading the first book. Kinda went downhill from there.

Maybe some of Kay Kenyon's sci-fi? I've read & enjoyed several of her stand-alones. Or Elizabeth Bear? I recommend Carnival as a great stand-alone. Some of C.J. Cherryh's work can be a bit slow (usually worth it, though), but the The Chanur Saga (Compact Space, #1-3) is pretty quick-moving space adventure.

I also second the Neal Stephenson recommendation. & Douglas Adams if you haven't read Hitchhiker's Guide (although more purely comic, Adams was one of few as inventive as PDK).

Al wrote: "I wouldn't classify "Dune" as "hard" SF. Too many elements of "Fantasy" involved (mind games). But I still enjoyed reading the first book. Kinda went downhill from there..."

I didn't call Dune hard SF (and wouldn't). By saying the rest of the series became more dubious, I meant "Kinda went downhill from there." ;D

wow! So much advice! Thank you so much you're all so knowledgeable!

As I've been asked for more information on what I like here it is:
Philip k Dick: I like the short stories only. I've tried reading some of his books and found them quite difficult to get through.
Christopher Rowley: I've only read the Vang, which is science fiction, haven't read any of his fantasy stuff.
Asimov: I like all his books that I've read.

I have tried the first book of the Dragonriders of Pern but couldn't get into it.

I found Old Man's War, while interesting, a bit seedy which I'm not really a fan of. Pretty much why I'm not a huge fan of A Song of Ice and Fire is that I don't like all the twisted physical relationships. Otherwise I find the books extremely interesting.

Hope this gives more insight? I have started Hyperion and am finding it quite interesting so thank you for that suggestion!

Also I'm sorry that I'm not responding to comments individually but I'm accessing this site through the app on my phone and it doesn't have that capability.

Ok most of my science fiction reading has been old school, but two I would look at are Robert Heinlein and Spider Robinson, love both of those guys.

Huh, intersting. Hyperion, if I remember correctly was a pretty complicated story...though I don't remember it being difficult to read.

If you're into the PKD short stories, then I'm guessing you'd be more interested in his novels that have a bit faster pace. His first published work, Solar Lottery was written during his big short story period (1954) and is much more like the short stories than a lot of his later novels.

Also, I'm wondering if you'd like The Metrozone series by Simon Morden (4 novels total, beginning with Equations of Life. He released the first 3 in 2011 and won the Philip K. Dick award for the series, though I don't hear much about him. I think he's an underappreciated writer.

Each of the books in that series follow after each other historically--so read #1 first--but they do each have a complete story with a definite ending. You don't end each book feeling like it was unfinished.

Maybe take a look at the samples of them on amazon.

Deborah wrote: "wow! So much advice! Thank you so much you're all so knowledgeable!

As I've been asked for more information on what I like here it is:
Philip k Dick: I like the short stories only. I've tried re..."

I'd second the Heinlein suggestion, but perhaps look at Starship Troopers or his YA books as although they're dated in terms of technology, they're upbeat and have interesting technology.

I've also enjoyed David Weber's Honor Harrington Series. They're not a huge read, and there is quite a lot of space battle description, but they have treecats!

Deborah wrote: "wow! So much advice! Thank you so much you're all so knowledgeable!

I have started Hyperion and am finding it quite interesting so thank you for that suggestion!..."

If you can find a copy, The Demon Breed by James H. Schmitz is a short, fast-paced & worthy read.

Re: Hyperion... Great series! But... I advise picking up a copy of The Fall of Hyperion, or you will be left hanging at the end of the first book. The events in books 3 & 4 occur much later and with (mostly) different characters so you can pick those up at leisure.

Anyone else here think Clans of the Alphane Moon by Philip K Dick is an extraordinarily underrated book?

if you like something more science, with a little fiction, I'd suggest Contact by Carl Sagan. I read it when I was 16 and found it an enjoyable read...well written.

If you're intimidated by space operas or books with lots of specialized terminology, check out More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon. It's a very original book, kind of in the same vein as Geek Love.

Thanks again for all the suggestions everyone. I'm working my way through finding them and adding them to my pile of books to read :)

You can go old school and read The Time Machine.

Enders Game !

Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett

What? It has invading aliens!

More clearly in genre:
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman
A Just Determination by John G. Hemry
Archangel by Sharon Shinn

I'm picky as well. You might want to try out Kerry Nietz. This is a good one A Star Curiously Singing (and a bit off the beaten path).

A Canticle For Leibowitz is an intriguing book you might want to check out.

Alfred Bester's THE STARS MY DESTINATION, possibly one of the best SF novels ever written.

I'd second The Inverted World as one of the better science fiction novels written. It was a Hugo Award Nominee (1975), and won the British Science Fiction Association Award for Novel (1975).

I'm going to throw in some of my favorites, all female SF writers.

Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh (excellent at alien biology and language)
Connie Willis, anything by her, really.
and Primary Inversion by Catherine Asaro, mixing SF and romance but with great discussions on genetics, quantum theory and computer technology.

Hi. If you really want to find a good series to read, may I suggest Orson Scott' Card's shadow series. it isn't really a lot of science, but the events make the ideas so commonplace that you barely notice them. I'm still working on the other side of the series concerning Ender that begins with Speaker for the Dead. Another great book even if it does have limited action. Both of course have to be read after reading Ender's Game to appreciate the full impact of the books. Just a few thoughts. And if a little fun is on your mind, try anything from Prachett's discworld series. No science but trust me, you won't miss it.

Personally, I think one of the all time greats (and ignored by many) is "Nerves" by Lester Del Rey. Wm Shatner's "Tek" series is a quick read, albeit leaning towards juvenile. Old authors that told good stories are Edmond Hamilton, John Campbell, and E.E. "Doc" Smith.

If you like Philip K. Dick, I'd suggest The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch and Man in the High Castle, if you haven't already read them.

Greg Bear's Eon is another book that has a lot of cool sci-fi content and good characters/interesting plot.

My favorite book by Vonda N. McIntyre is The Moon and the Sun. I enjoy re-reading it!

Then you will be pleased to hear that there's a movie in the works. With Pierce Brosnan to star as the Sun King!

I recommend Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke.

Brenda wrote: "You've tried the Vorkosigan novels? My go-to for space opera. I greatly enjoyed TOOTH AND CLAW by Jo Clayton, but that's quite sophisticated -- the next step beyond Anne McCaffrey."

I love the Vorkosigan saga also :)

How about James Blish "A Case of Conscience" or Mary Doria Russel "The Sparrow".

The Wool series by Hugh Howey is good.

^^^^ Yes!

Anton wrote: "I recommend Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke."

That one's on my bucket list :) Picked it up on a kindle daily deal sometime last year, I think

Anton wrote: "I recommend Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke."

Interestingly enough, there were two versions of that story. The second was a short story listed in a book of short sci-fi stories that stopped at the point where Stormgren used an ultra flashlight to try and see Karellen for the first time. A friend of mine says the book is on several high school reading lists. I considered the long version rather frightening, but still an excellent book.

NINE PRINCES IN AMBER by Roger Zelazny
SONGS FROM DISTANT EARTH by Arthur C. Clarke
LILITH'S BROOD by Octavia Butler (it's a 3 in 1)
NIGHT WATCH by Terry Pratchett
DOWNBELOW STATION by C J Cherryh

I recommend Stephen R. Donaldson's excellent Gap Cycle series with the first book being The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story. Awesome!

I've liked the early novels by Greg Bear.

Eon, The Forge of God, Darwin's Radio, Darwin's Children to name a few.

Ron wrote: "I've liked the early novels by Greg Bear.

Eon, The Forge of God, Darwin's Radio, Darwin's Children to name a few."

I agree, The Forge of God is a fantastic read.