SF for the Non-SF Fan

[Gawdzilla Sama]

356 meg, so one CD. You can owe me.

[Bella Fortuna]

I have to say, any SF/fantasy book that's part of a series makes me automatically look askance at it - I guess because it seems so stereotypical, or commercial, or something I can't quite lay my finger on. Which is really dumb because I like, say, Pratchett. And Adams.

I dunno... rambling here.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I have to say, any SF/fantasy book that's part of a series makes me automatically look askance at it - I guess because it seems so stereotypical, or commercial, or something I can't quite lay my finger on. Which is really dumb because I like, say, Pratchett. And Adams.

I dunno... rambling here.

There are a lot of series in that collection. The Lensmen series is probably one of the oldest, pure Space Oater.

[Red Celt]

I have to say, any SF/fantasy book that's part of a series makes me automatically look askance at it - I guess because it seems so stereotypical, or commercial, or something I can't quite lay my finger on. Which is really dumb because I like, say, Pratchett. And Adams.

I dunno... rambling here.

Well, if I get them written, mine will be a trilogy. Not for financial reasons, but because the idea needs to be separated across different (although connected) stories that flow into each other. It just couldn't be done (successfully) in one book.

Zilla, have you read any Iain M Banks?

[Calilasseia]

What, no one has mentioned The Stainless Steel Rat series? If you want sci-fi with laughs, this is for you. Harry Harrison was probably experimenting with some fun pharmaceuticals when he wrote these books.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I have to say, any SF/fantasy book that's part of a series makes me automatically look askance at it - I guess because it seems so stereotypical, or commercial, or something I can't quite lay my finger on. Which is really dumb because I like, say, Pratchett. And Adams.

I dunno... rambling here.

Well, if I get them written, mine will be a trilogy. Not for financial reasons, but because the idea needs to be separated across different (although connected) stories that flow into each other. It just couldn't be done (successfully) in one book.

Zilla, have you read any Iain M Banks?

I think I read one. I left scifi when it was in the tree-hugger stage. Haven't been back much.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

What, no one has mentioned The Stainless Steel Rat series? If you want sci-fi with laughs, this is for you. Harry Harrison was probably experimenting with some fun pharmaceuticals when he wrote these books.

I have the first three under one cover, hard back. SciFi book club edition, I think.

[Red Celt]

I think I read one. I left scifi when it was in the tree-hugger stage. Haven't been back much.

Would you do me a favour and read Consider Phlebas, please? As you've read far more Sci-fi than me, I'd be interested in your take on it... and I'm half-hoping you will like my favourite author enough to read more of his work.

There's nothing tree-huggerish about him. As an example, one "bad" character (war leader) has one of his enemies made into a punch-bag. By which, I mean that his enemy is kept alive and conscious in "head form"... so that the rest of his "life" consists of nothing other than hanging in one place, waiting to be bitch-slapped.

There's some very dark humour in Banks' work. But it is also done with great beauty, at times.

[Bella Fortuna]

Here's the totality of my sci fi collection:

[Red Celt]

Here's the totality of my sci fi collection:

P1160037.JPG

I'd basically pick up the collected works of Voltaire and merge myself into your couch, oblivious to the outside world.

[Bella Fortuna]

[Red Celt]

I took this pic for a different forum. Not Sci-fi related, but hell... it's on Photobucket, so I'll share it.



edit: All of my Sci-Fi/fantasy books are in storage (packed in boxes in a garage in Dunoon)

[rasetsu]

I don't know what's been mentioned so I'll just list names, avoiding fantasy/sci-fi as best I can.

David Brin, Asimov's Foundation series, Gene Wolfe, Julian May (semi-fantasy), Dan Simmons, Clifford Simak, Ringworld, Jack McDevitt, and Greg Bear. (Bear is really hard sci-fi.)

My favorites in this list are: Brin, Wolfe, Simmons (♥), and Simak.

Specific books:
Canticle For Liebowitz
Lucifer's Hammer
Snowcrash
Eon (Greg Bear)
The Golden Torc
Startide Rising, The Postman (Brin)

It's been a long time since I've read sci-fi, so I don't have anything particularly new to recommend (if the OP is even still relevant).

[rasetsu]

-duplicate post-

[Red Celt]

Julian May (semi-fantasy)

Oh damn, yes. Julian May slipped my memory. Great books.