SciFi Book Recommendations

When I find an author I like I usually try to read all of their books.

It's not.  That just looks spammy, and I wouldn't even know if you've read most of those.  Instead of copying and pasting a chunk from wikipedia, I think that mentioning, as I said, "particular titles [or names of series] by the authors that you would particularly recommend" would be much more helpful in such a  topic as this.  In other words, think of an author, then streamline down to the titles that you would most recommend/ or like the most.  Mine was too much of a laundry list in this topic too.  It's rather like someone saying, "I'm looking for a good jazz album -- based on these albums that I like, what titles would you recommend?", and then you throw at them every piece of music that Sun Ra ever worked on.

Earlier you wrote:

timothy leary wrote: Frederick Pohl Peter Hamilton David Brin Philip Jose Farmer

Well, I've read Gateway, but never finished the Heechee Saga (sometimes I am limited to what's available in the library, though I mean to buy more books), and I really like his Man Plus novel.  Peter Hamilton I don't know.  David Brin, been meaning to try his Uplift novels. And I tried some of farmer's Riverworld saga in high school.

Would probably be more helpful if you listed particular titles by the authors that you would particularly recommend.

Very strange is what I very like, so I will definitely look for it.  Thanks!

Guldbamsen wrote: Vonnegut's 'The Sirens of Titan' is definitely worth a read.  How could I forget? You've probably read em, but in case you haven't, then I wholeheartedly recommend the cat in my sig. Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy series is something you gotta have on your shelf, if you're into sci fi

Really liked those and the bbc series.......though the film was just ok.

I haven't read  Čapek or We (We has been on my list for awhile).

Some of my classic faves are:

Kurt Vonnegut - Cat's Cradle
Walter M. Miller - A Canticle for Leobowitz
Philip K. Dick - The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Isaac Asimov: The Gods Themselves
Stanislaw Lem - Solaris

Stephen King - The Tommyknockers

More modern dystopian novels:

Margaret Atwood - Oryx and Crake
Cormac McCarthy - The Road
Jose Saramago - Blindness
Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go
Hugh Howley - Wool (not a fave, I just read and liked it recently)

Fantasyish:

Arturo Perez-Reverte - The Dumas Club


And Stephen King and Peter Straub - The Talisman

And I must admit that I really enjoyed the Hunger Games novels.


The next book I want to read is Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan)

I'm not so sure. At the Mountains of Madness, The Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath and The Shadow out of Time for starters are very close to being the length of short novels. Lovecraft's writing style might take some time getting used to, and is definitely not for everyone.

Vonnegut's 'The Sirens of Titan' is definitely worth a read. 

Edited by Guldbamsen - December 10 2013 at 10:22

Gerinski wrote: BrufordFreak wrote: I am periodically interested in reading GOOD science fiction. Any recommendations? Past favorites include:   Frank Herbert's Dune series Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles Isaac Asimov's 2001 series Madeleine L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time quintet Ursula LeGuinn's Earthsea series Dan Simmons' Hyperion series Orson Scott Card's Ender and Shadow Series J.K. Rawling's Harry Potter series It does not have to be a series, a single book title is quite welcome. Thanks! I guess you meant either Arthur C. Clarke 2001 series or Asimov's Foundation series? (both great in any case).

dr wu23 wrote: BrufordFreak wrote: I am periodically interested in reading GOOD science fiction. Any recommendations? Past favorites include:   Frank Herbert's Dune series Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles Isaac Asimov's 2001 series Madeleine L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time quintet Ursula LeGuinn's Earthsea series Dan Simmons' Hyperion series Orson Scott Card's Ender and Shadow Series J.K. Rawling's Harry Potter series It does not have to be a series, a single book title is quite welcome. Thanks! I've been reading sci-fi for over 45 years...........here are a few of my favorites though it's just the tip of the iceberg and there are so many good ones I can't even recall now.   Iain Banks- The Culture 'series'; they are all superb but you might want to start at the beginning. Very literate sci-fi and imo equal to anything by Asimov, Clarke, Herbert. Michael Moorcock- The Dancers At The End of Time series and/or The Elric saga...part fantasy part sci-fi and fun to read. PK Dick- Martian Time Slip, 3 Stigmata, Maze of Death, Ubik, etc...brilliant surreal sci-fi with plenty of existential angst. Robert Holdstock- Mythago Wood series;  fantasy but set in a reality situation where one can slip into another world. Zelazny- Nine Princes In Amber; my personal favorite fantasy/sci-fi series . Not like any other fantasy novel you might read. Again the hero slips back and forth between our modern world and alternate realities or 'shadow worlds'. F Paul Wilson- Repairman Jack series...totally unique anti-hero who helps people caught up in 'occult' trouble...Stephen King is a fan...'nuff said? Jim Butcher- The Dresden Files...a series about a contemporary adult wizard who lives in Chicago and fights evil with the help of a local cop and some friends.   happy reading..............btw I have read everything you mentioned except for the Ender series which I have been meaning to read for 20 years.

I've been reading sci-fi for roughly the same amount of time and can second all of the above except Jim Butcher who I have not read.

If you are interested in ecological and sociological themes then try Kim Stanley Robinson's books especially the Mars trilogy.


Edited by Daysbetween - December 08 2013 at 17:06