[HD-5000]

I'm a little surprised no one has yet mentioned the grand master of science fiction, Robert A. Heinlein. Has anybody read "A Stranger in a Strange Land"? Its a fantastic and thought-provoking book.

 

[Russ Arcuri]

Quote:

Originally posted by HD-5000 I'm a little surprised no one has yet mentioned the grand master of science fiction, Robert A. Heinlein. Has anybody read "A Stranger in a Strange Land"? Its a fantastic and thought-provoking book.

I barely got through it. I only finished it because it's acknowledged as a "classic."

 

[HD-5000]

Lol, sorry you didn't like it. In my opinion, it is one of the most bizarre stories ever made....

edit: typo

 

[Jackangel]

Read 'Stranger in a Strange Land' for HS English class...strange but I liked it, I think.

Speaking of Ursula Kroeber Le Guin, I recently read Lathe of Heaven, and I thought that was a great little book.

The only Ellison I've read is Slippage, a collection of short stories. Strange, but humorous. Don't remember anything else about it.

I just borrowed book 10 (the one that just came out) of Jordan's WoT series from the library. Too bad I don't remember 90% of the names and 20% of the plot...too much extraneous information to retain over the course of several years. I'm sure (some of) it will it come back to me as I read through...

 

[TMC]

I'll have to add one of my fav fantasy trilogies since no one else mentioned it, the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb. Dark, brutal and sometimes even depressing. But no matter how you look at it you'll get involved in the story.

 

[Vagamus]

I'm not that big a reader at all. But Starship Troopers, Armor, Contact, and Ender's series are good books. I've read all but the majority of the Ender's series (only read Ender's Game)

Anyway, my input here

 

[radrd]

Quote:

Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb. Dark, brutal and sometimes even depressing. But no matter how you look at it you'll get involved in the story.

I read that as well but forgot to mention it. Good series.

 

[ooheadsoo]

Zelazny is great. I picked up his amber anthology and blew through all of them in a few days. Great old stuff.

Still, nothing comes close to Martin, though I suppose Zelazny actually comes close, or I should say, Martin went even more hard core than Zelazny. Nothing is held sacred in Martin's story. I don't think Gibson or Dick hold a candle to how utterly ruthless and demanding Martin can be to his characters

Read it, you'll understand

He breaks some VERY major fantasy conventions.

Heinlein is a wacko! Ok, I admit I still read all but 1 or 2 of his books

His philosophy is screwed up. Killing yourself and having your followers make stew out of you is not my cup of tea. That's communion I can do without!

Jordan's best book in his WoT series is the first one, by far. It was all downhill since there, but you have to read them because you need to finish the damn story! ARRGH!!

I never met Ursula Le Guin, but I did have her daughter as a guest speaker for my early opera class. I might take her rennaissance/baroque music class next quarter if I have spare time.

 

[wChen]

Once I made it through David Eddings' books, I pretty much stopped reading epic fantasies, until I found Martin. Now I, too, am waiting for his latest book.

I still read a lot of sci-fi, though. I like Asimov's Foundation series, and I just finished reading _To Say Nothing of the Dog_ by Connie Willis, which is a quite hilarious time travel/mystery/literary-spoof kind of book. Dune is probably the best sci-fi I've ever read (Dune and Emperor being the most notable I think).

As for dark and twisted, Gibson's Neuromancer is the only book that comes to mind currently (I think it's been suggested already).

Actually, another one does come to mind. _Cyteen_ by C.J. Cherryh.

 

[ooheadsoo]

Oh yeah, I love all of Robin Hobb's books as well!
Another series I highly enjoyed was the Sword Singer series, which was finally finished last year by Jennifer Roberson.

 

[TMC]

Quote:

Originally posted by radrd I read that as well but forgot to mention it. Good series.

Yeah it's one of few fantasy series I've read more than twice

 

[nanahachi]

i second wChen's rec. of Asimov. The foundation series is great. each book is different in style, but similar in nature, following the course of time as those try to save humanity by following the Seldon Plan...GREAT stuff. I, Robot is a quick read, good fun.

Clarke's 2001 books, the first especially, are good. they may get a bit too out there for some, but i enjoyed the story the 4 books told.

more to come...

 

[daycart1]

Since this thread is so interesting, I'll say some more:

1. If you liked Zelazny's fabulous "Amber" series, you should also read about the independent "Madwand/Changeling" world in two books. Also the 2-book world in Delvish(sp?) the Damned/The Changing Land. Almost as good as "Amber". I found his other stuff very disappointing.

2. I second the recommendation for Raymond Feist's big series. Not so well written as some of the other stuff (the English I mean), but good characters and plots. I'd say the same about "Dune"; brilliantly conceived and very interesting, though not as well written as Gibson/Zelazny/Martin (I put Eddison and Tolkien in another category altogether).

3. Dan Simmons's "Hyperion" trilogy is compellingly plotted and well conceived.

4. For hard sci-fi, I don't care much for most of David Brin's stuff, but the "Uplift" series is wonderful. "Sundiver" is first, but you can start with "Startide Rising" which is brilliant (the heroes are highly evolved dolphins!!) A very contemporary sense of ecology etc.. Ultimately a brighter, more positive picture of the universe than Gibson's.

5. I don't care much for Heinlein, but he does handle time travel very well. "All you zombies...", a short story, is the best fiction ever written involving time travel (I use it as a text in my Philosophy of Physics lectures). Second best and in a hard sci-fi vein for time travel is Benford's "Timescapes" (he is a physics prof and colleague of mine here at U of California, Irvine).

Happy reading!

 

[JML]

Oh, here are a few to consider:

Julian May -- an extended series, best damn thing I've ever read (but you must read 'em all) (Saga of Pliocene Exile -- 3 books) (Intervention -- 2 books) (Jack the Bodiless -- 3 books)

Ray Feist -- original trilogy about the Riftwar

David Weber -- Honor Harrington series (Hornblower is a woman, and it's all superb war & space opera)

Elizabeth Moon -- anything (fantasy or scifi)

Katherine Kurtz -- Deryni books

Guy Gavriel Kay -- anything, esp. the stuff after his first trilogy

Robert Heinlein -- his "Future History" timeline books, and his Methuselah's Children series (but remember, he's a classic 30's SciFi author who was forty years or more ahead of his time)

Arthur C. Clarke -- his classic novels and short stories (evrything pre "2001: A Space Odyssey")

Larry Niven -- his "Tales of Known Space" series

Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle -- the "Mote in God's Eye" series, the disaster books ("Lucifer's Hammer" and others)

Greg Bear -- "Songs of Earth & Power"

Janny Wurts -- "The Cycle of Fire"

David Brin -- anything

Marion Zimmer Bradley -- "Darkover" series, "Mists of Avalon"

I could keep going and going and going...

 

[elnero]

I highly recommend Terry Goodkind especially if your a Robert Jordan fan. They are very different but both have a way of drawing you into the story that is a rare find. I prefer Terry Goodkind but Jordan is pretty damn good as well.

I just finished Goodkind's latest book, about 800 pages. I'm now trying to get through a 300 page sci-fi novel but it just doesn't hold my attention and make me want to read it, already it's taken me about twice as long and I'm only about half way through it.

Norman Spinrad is another Sci-Fi author that I've always liked. Bug Jack Baron is still one of my favorites. Gibson fans should check some his as well as Bruce Sterling's stuff out.