Dragons & Jetpacks discussion

Hello lovely D&Jers!

As some of you may know, every November on my blog I run an event called Sci-Fi Month.

It celebrates science fiction (funnily enough) in its many forms. This year, I thought it would be fun to ask the members of Dragons and Jetpacks to nominate their favourite science fiction book. I'll then collect these in a post (or series of posts, depending on number of replies), quoting your reason why you've chosen the book.

So, which (one!) science fiction book is your favourite, and why?

Think for me it is now Old Mans War by John Scalzi, a book I discovered because of this group.

If you count The Tales of the Ketty Jay as sci fi (I believe that the category we vote for it in) then its that hands down. I also really enjoyed Red Rising trilogy.

If I have to choose only one, it's gotta be The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for so many reasons.

ETA: Apart from it being really funny, the overall arc of the series makes sense, which sadly cannot be said about every series I've read. Adams got really inventive with this one, so much so that most people recognize a Hitchhiker's reference, even those who haven't read the books. What's more, it's been a well of creativity for readers, too: Who hasn't tried to imagine what a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster would consist of?
Another reason for me to choose this book is that it has become a cornerstone of IT pop culture. So much so that my university's library kept copies of the series in the software engineering section ("General" shelf). Because hey, you cannot expect anyone to graduate without some basic knowledge, right?

Wow, hard to choose! At the moment, I'd say either:

The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

She manages to depict the tension between individual freedom and interdependence in a more subtle, complex way than any book I've ever read, fiction or non-fiction! Her treatment was balanced in a way that wouldn't be possible in a book taking place in the "real world" .. so easy to fall into political lines, but she didn't succumb to that. Also, the book really moved me on an emotional level - by the end, I was really moved .. the main character felt fully alive, which isn't always true for her "idea" books.

or

The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber

A crushingly real book and absolutely unique - I've never read another like it. Characterizations so deep that I couldn't put it down. A better insight into human relationships than most literature but also a gripping story on an alien world and a touch of mystery besides. I thought about the characters for months afterwards; this is a book that got under my skin.

Ok, if I have to choose only one, I'll go with The Book of Strange New Things

Ooh, just 1??

I'm going to go for Fahrenheit 451.

I think tomorrow I'd have a different answer tho ;-)

Margo wrote: "Ooh, just 1??

I'm going to go for Fahrenheit 451.

I think tomorrow I'd have a different answer tho ;-)"

Making it challenging ;) And also easier to put together if lots of people respond...

My own is The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet because it just gives me all the feels!

Yes, that was a contender for me too.

I'm with Margo 'Only 1!'
But if that's the case I'd have to go with Retribution Falls because I love everything about the book; the story, the characters and the world.

See Dawn gets it lol

I haven't read a lot of SciFi books but one of my first was Lucifer's Hammer. Still one of my favorites. I thought the build up to the hammer hitting was realistic for the time it was written but now would probably be a bit dated. I found the writing style very easy to read and the human interest part of the story kept me turning the pages.

I'm going to cheat...series count as one book.

Then I'm cheating some more:

1) SF - Dune.
2) Science Comedy: The 4 books that make up the Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy. Yes, you read that correctly.
3)Fantasy: The boxed set of The Hobbit and LotR.

Revelation Space

My fav sci-fi novel ever is Chaos Mode. Perfect balance of scientific plot and fantasy characters.

My choice would be I, Robot by Isaac Asimov


Because it short and easy to read, as well as a thought-provoking in the meaning of life and what counts as a person or a machine as 'being alive'. I all so enjoyed the relationships developed and shown in this book. I remember when I first read this book and how emotional I felt afterwards.

Favourite classic sci-fi is probably I, Robot by Isaac Asimov.

The grand daddy of artificial intelligence novels featuring the famous 3 laws of of robotics. Very little in common with the film of the same name.

For more modern sci-fi novels I absolutely loved Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.

It's a real mind bender that will really make you think, if you could go back and live your life differently, would you?

My favourite Sci-Fi is Nyxia by Scott Reintgen.

It was adventurous and had a diverse cast of very memorable characters. It was creative and action-packed but still touched on really important things like what it means to be human. I was hooked on this book immediately and everyone should read it whether they are interested in sci-fi or not. It's a great read!

It is difficult picking a single favourite!!! Some of my all time 5 star ones are Redrobe, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Consider Phlebas, Eon, Pattern Recognition, and many many others, I think I'd plump for The City & The City

for me. Probably because it was one of the first one that I read and loved (except Asimov). It has everything that I love in sci-fi especially space travel.

My new favorite is Leviathan Wakes

I have to go with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. I couldn't put it down, and I just felt like every word was carefully chosen, none superfluous or wasted. It was well-paced and also got my mind furiously thinking about several deep questions regarding humanity and empathy.

I would have to say Foundation. It really does have it all and so masterfully written.

I just thought of another two that somewhat fit scifi. Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan was really good. And for science fantasy I really enjoyed Heroes Die.

My favourite is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
Love that book, everything i love about gaming, anime, movies, tv shows, etc. is in there.

One book.

One. Book.

I'm going to have to think.

The January Dancer by Michael Flynn Action! Adventure! Metaphysics! In an amazingly imagined galaxy!

I am not sure how you get thumbnails or short links to my book but it would have to be Matter by Iain M Banks

Although this is not his best book, it is the first one that i read in the culture series and therefore it introduced me to my favourite sci fi series.

The planet that they start on (name escapes me, the onion planet) is amazingly described and i needed to stop reading and trhink about it before i could carry on.

Player of Games, again by Iain would technically be my favourite culture / scifi novel though.

I intend on finishing this set of novels as soon as i can wade out of the grasping swamp that is high fantasy

Susie wrote: "I have to go with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. I couldn't put it down, and I just felt like every word was carefully chosen, none superfluous or wasted. It was well-paced and a..."

I'm reading that book right now Susie, and so far it is fantastic!

Cody wrote: "I am not sure how you get thumbnails or short links to my book but it would have to be Matter by Iain M Banks."

when you open up a comment, it should display an 'add book/author" link in the upper right hand corner. If you click on this, it should let you search and insert.

2001 by Arthur C. Clarke--as it deals with two of the SF issues I'm most interested in--contact with alien intelligence and A.I. (HAL). Also there was a great film based on this book!

I'd have to go with 'Dark Matter by Blake Crouch' and 'Living Real by James C Bassett' both amazing, mind bending reads!! They really make you think about how the 'reality' really 'works'.

I love Dark Matter and Ready Player One. But for me, my favorite is The Martian.

I think mine is a toss up between Dune and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with Ready Player One close on their heels. It depends on if I want something classic vs modern and funny vs more serious.

Maybe you should've asked for our top 5 lists :)

Can I use the Firefly comics?

Lol no but really, I think it would have to either be Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card or The Themis Files by Sylvain Neuvel. I have not read as much sci fi as I would like to but I found both of these to be very engaging and I just can't put them down.

~Dani~ LazyTurtle's Books wrote: "Can I use the Firefly comics?

Lol no but really, I think it would have to either be Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card or The Themis Files by Sylvain Neuvel. I have not read as much sci fi as I wou..."

I loved Ender's Game Dani! I was predisposed not to like it for some silly reasons, but the book completely won me over. A gripping read, an an immensely satisfying conclusion on many levels.

Greg wrote: "~Dani~ LazyTurtle's Books wrote: "Can I use the Firefly comics?

Lol no but really, I think it would have to either be Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card or The Themis Files by Sylvain Neuvel. I hav..."

I thought the Ender's Games movie was awful. Have the book - haven't gotten through it yet. If you saw the movie - how would you compare the book to the movie?

Sandy wrote: "Greg wrote: "~Dani~ LazyTurtle's Books wrote: "Can I use the Firefly comics?

Lol no but really, I think it would have to either be Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card or The Themis Files by Sylvain ..."

Hey Sandy, the movie was fairly awful for me by comparison. I was so disappointed as one who loves the book that I turned it off halfway through.

I'm a bit taken aback by how many very recent books are peoples' favorites. I wonder... do those of you selecting these books read a lot of SF?

I'm not criticizing here - but having something that came out in the last couple of years as a favorite usually indicates that someone hasn't read a ton in that genre. Although the question is a little ambiguous.. favorite is different from desert island book.

Rick wrote: "I'm a bit taken aback by how many very recent books are peoples' favorites. I wonder... do those of you selecting these books read a lot of SF?

I'm not criticizing here - but having something tha..."

There's quite a few older ones Rick ... Foundation (1951), I, Robot (1950), The Dispossessed (1974), Ender's Game (1985), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979), Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Fahrenheit 451 (1953), etc.

But I think it's natural to have the things you've read most recently fresh in your mind. My "favorite" changes frequently! It's hard to choose just one!

Ender's Game. This is the first SF book that I've read and made me think "I want to read ALL the SF!!". I just got completely lost into the world and the characters, and I've read it twice now. I just love it.

Rick wrote: "I'm a bit taken aback by how many very recent books are peoples' favorites. I wonder... do those of you selecting these books read a lot of SF?

I'm not criticizing here - but having something tha..."

I don't think that's necessarily true, it's completely down to personal preference. Someone might have read SF covering all different decades, but it just so happens that a favourite is more recent. It doesn't mean they're any less 'experienced' in the genre.

I love SF (obviously), and I have read SF from all different decades. However, I chose a very recent book as my ultimate favourite because it had that feeling of wonder that SF leaves me with, but I also I completely fell in love with the characters, which to be honest is not always something I find myself doing with the genre.

I asked for one book, but I could also just have easily listed Hyperion, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and The War of the Worlds amongst my favourites.

Tuf Voyaging. Amazing.

The Island of Doctor Moreau for me...
It is so atmospheric and creepy. It raises important questions on ethics (especially for me as a biologist) but is still entertaining and not preachy. And it is still relevant. It is one of those books that just stuck with me, and ive read several adaptations since.

Rick wrote: "I'm a bit taken aback by how many very recent books are peoples' favorites. I wonder... do those of you selecting these books read a lot of SF?

I'm not criticizing here - but having something tha..."
I did see one of the books listed above only came out 13 days ago which is possibly taking the mick a little.

I would have to say the Red Rising trilogy. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is a contender as well.

I really enjoyed Mark Watney is just so entertaining and manages to keep a sense of humor in a very tough situation. It's well written and I devour it in a few sittings every time I read it.

Mary wrote: "Cody wrote: "I am not sure how you get thumbnails or short links to my book but it would have to be Matter by Iain M Banks."

when you open up a comment, it should display an 'add book/author" link..."

Matter

ha that is brilliant and easy when you know how!

Thanks

Rick wrote: "I'm a bit taken aback by how many very recent books are peoples' favorites. I wonder... do those of you selecting these books read a lot of SF?"

I don't think I've read a lot of sci-fi, though I have read a few of the oldies: War of the Worlds, A Princess of Mars, Brave New World, 1984, The Day of the Triffids, Foundation, Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, Dune. I gave all of these 2 or 3 stars. It wasn't until I read some books from the late 60s that I gave 4 stars (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Slaughterhouse-Five) or even 5 stars (Lord of Light). But my favourite sci-fi book is Revelation Space, which is only 17 years old. I find the older books tend to feel dated. The ones by Dick, Vonnegut and Zelazny were great because they were about people as much as ideas.

I don't think the age of the book should really make a difference. You like what you like. I've read far less sci-fi than fantasy, but have read fantasy for twenty some years and a lot of my favourite fantasy books are very recent.

My favorite Science Fiction book is The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.