Science Fiction Recommendations

[Stu]

Offhand, I like Alfred Bester, Greg Egan and Douglas Adams.

[miguel1984]

Classic science-fiction, like the Foundation trilogy (don't bother with the others) and Dune DUne DUNe DUNE!

Another great place to start would be the SF Masterworks line of paperbacks published by Gollancz Press.
They also have a Fantasy Masterworks line if you're curious about fantasy recommendations as well.

[Nemonymous]

Saucerful of Secrets
By Andrew Darlington

This is new SF collection by a possibly underrated legend that I have just read and reviewed.
It is astonishingly good.

A Saucerful of Secrets Andrew Darlington | THE DREAMCATCHER OF BOOKS: Gestalt Real-Time Reviews

[qcrisp]

I'm supposedly (I set myself the challenge) reading 25 science fiction books this year. I actually doubted I would make it, and it looks like I was right. My reading gets too easily diverted along other channels. I might just carry on reading until I've exhausted the list, anyway, even if it takes longer than a year, unless I find there are too many duds on it. Anyway, the following is the list I drew up (one or two of them are re-reads). It includes some either/or choices:

Time is the Simplest Thing - Clifford D. Simak
The Crystal World or High Rise - J.G. Ballard
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin
Dead Romance - Lawrence Miles
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Lilith's Brood - Octavia Butler or The Female Man - Joanna Russ
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
The Death of Grass - John Christopher
Star Maker - Olaf Stapledon
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
Light - M. John Harrison
Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
The Three-Body Problem - Cixin Liu
The Last Man - Mary Shelley
The Midwich Cuckoos - John Wyndham or Solaris, Stanisław Lem
Luminous - Greg Egan
Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis
Dune - Frank Herbert or Radix - A.A. Attanasio
The Fifth Head of Cerberus - Gene Wolfe
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Word of God - Thomas M. Disch
Moderan - David Brunch or Mappa Mundi - Justina Robson
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams or Blood Music - Greg Bear
The Einstein Intersection - Samuel Delaney
Welcome to the Arms Race - Justin Isis

I've now read Star Maker and The Stars My Destination and am currently on High Rise. The first of these has already been mentioned on this thread, but it's definitely one of the most impressive things I've ever read.

I've also been advised I should put Asimov and Ellison on this list. I'll think about that.

There's no Dick on it, because I'm pretty well conversant with Dick. Just about every Heinlein in existence was read to me as a child, so no Heinlein, either. Can't stand the thought of reading Clarke, though I enjoyed his short stories as a child. There are probably other very notable omissions, but it's hard to get a list of twenty-five (ish) books to represent such a vast field.

Anyway, should it be of interest, I'll report back here on those books that I find especially worth reading.

[qcrisp]

Quote Originally Posted by MTC

Thanks for the recs so far. Dune is special to me as well James, I've read it several times. The other recommended writers are mostly unknown to me which is of course very exciting! I was just reminded that I've often heard Jack Vance mentioned in connection with Clark Ashton Smith, specifically the Dying Earth series. Being a long-time fan of CAS I wonder if Vance's books are worth tracking down? And in continuation of Vance, possibly Michael Shea?

It's been years since I read Jack Vance, but I remember him as excellent, a kind of Tanizaki of SF.

[Acutely decayed]

Quote Originally Posted by qcrisp

It includes some either/or choices:

I am unsure which are re-reads (of course), but if you are unfamiliar with Simak I would dive deep - all his stuff has something to offer and I do not think he will disappoint you - Gene Wolfe also I see as a match - but if you have not read the Torturer series it may offer a bit more "Versaille" and less "puritan" truly I would read the first volume of that before Cerberus which is still a great and very important book - but more ideas of self without the pagentry

If you haven't read Hitchhikers you need to read it (I read it at about 12 in the back seat of the car on a wretched Holiday and nearly tossed it as not being Sci-Fi - it was just saved by Vogons) - Blood Music is OK for ideas though - The Midwich Cuckoos is gold - but what about reading say Web in a night (it's a quick read )and then Solaris - I really don't like these either/ors

another science fiction I have been pondering recently is Vinge's a FIre upon the Deep - I really enjoyed this a few decades back - the AI's would reach a certain level of development and then become uncommunicative as they "transcended" ...some dinosaurs stuck around.. and who doesn't love sentience only in wolf pack form

anyway babbled enough

heres a recent sci-fi I liked -

The Dime Spared | Three Pound Brain


If you read Kool Running from my earlier post - this is what happens without the fable

Peter Watts - Blindsight and Echopraxia are very good but I don't get the impression you would enjoy them aesthetically/temperamentally, so I am reluctant to recommend them in this specific instance, although generally I do highly

[paeng]

I've been collecting volumes of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame and titles from SF Masterworks.

[Robin Davies]

Quote Originally Posted by qcrisp

I've now read Star Maker and The Stars My Destination and am currently on High Rise. The first of these has already been mentioned on this thread, but it's definitely one of the most impressive things I've ever read. I've also been advised I should put Asimov and Ellison on this list. I'll think about that.

I don't regard High-Rise as one of Ballard's best. The Unlimited Dream Company is amazing though it's more fantasy than science fiction. I'd recommend his short stories more than his novels. Harlan Ellison's output is mostly short stories and I think Deathbird Stories is his best collection.

[Mr. D.]

There are so many writers to choose from in this field that I could think of dozens of names without thinking very hard. Let ne just mention two of my favorite short fiction Science Fiction authors: R. A. Lafferty and Avram Davidson. Lafferty is a bit forgotten but cheap collections of his short stories are available. Better quality collections of Davidson are also available.