Science Fiction Recommendations!

[chongjasmine]

I am a long time fantasy readers. I will like to venture into the field, known as science fiction.
However, since I had never read any science fiction book, I am at a loss of what to read.
So, I will appreciate your recommendations. What science fiction books will you recommend to a newbie like me?

 

[Rodders]

You can't go too far wrong with the classics.

Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keys
The Cloud Walker and A Far Sunset by Edmund Cooper.
I also think that the short stories of Philip K. Dick is a great place to start.
Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman.

For something a little more contemporary:

Dogs of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
When The English Fall by David Williams
Artifact Space by Miles Cameron.
The Culture books by Iain M. Banks. Release order is fine, but my favourite is The Player of Games.

There are many more, but for some reason, my mindbrain has gone blank.

 

[BAYLOR]

Solaris by Stanislaw by Stanislaw Lem
Ringworld by Larry Niven
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip k Dick
Waystation by Clifford Simak
Colony by Ben Bova
Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney
The Humanoids by Jack Williamson
Triton by Samuel Delany
More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon
Donovan's Brain by Curt Siodmak
Starship Troopers by Robert A Heinlein
Stranger in A Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
The Puppet Masters by Robert Heinlein
Past Master by R A Lafferty
The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
The Voyage of the Space Beagle by A E Van Vogt
Slan by A E Vogt
The Dragon Never Sleeps by Glen Cook
The Rediscovery of Man by Cordwainer Smith
Norstrillia by Cordwaider Smith
Jack Faust by Michael Swanswick
Earth Abides by George Stewart
The Space Merchants by Frederic Pohl and C M Kornbluth
Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsey
The Caves of Steel by Issa Asimov
The Naked Sun by Issac Asimov
The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac AsImov
The Reef of Earth R A Lafferty
The Veils of Azlaroc by Fred Saberhagen
Childhood's End by Arthur C Clark
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
Hammers Slammers by David Drake
Ranks of Bronze by David Drake
Bolo and Rogue Bolo by Keith Laumer
A Cantle for of Leibowitz by Walter Miller Jr
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
The High Crusade by Paul Anderson
The Demon Prince Novels of Jack Vance (These are science fiction )

 

[Brian G Turner]

I am a long time fantasy readers. I will like to venture into the field, known as science fiction.
However, since I had never read any science fiction book, I am at a loss of what to read.
So, I will appreciate your recommendations. What science fiction books will you recommend to a newbie like me?

Two of the best that you may find work well for you:

Dune by Frank Herbert
The Martian by Andy Weir

 

[Montero]

When I started reading genre fiction, I found most earlier science fiction rather dry on the people side, and so read almost all fantasy for a number of years. Then more recent science fiction, starting in maybe the 1990s began to have a lot more of a people side to it, rather than being all about ideas. There were some exceptions to the "dry" in earlier works, but I'm not sure I'd start with the classics when trying science fiction for the first time.
My suggestions are
Tanya Huff - writes both fantasy and science fiction - her Confederation series about a marine sergeant is excellent on the people side (providing you are happy with military action sf) and the aliens are wonderfully done. If you haven't read her standalone fantasy novel "The Silvered" I'd strongly recommend that as a read as well.

Julie Czerneda's series about a marine biologist in the nearish future is fascinating - starts with Survival: Species Imperative #1. Her take on what a research group is really like is spot on. Aliens are inventive too.

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden Universe starting with Local Custom. It is not chronologically where the story starts, but it is the first that came out and they later wrote a lot of prequels and it is where I started reading the series. You can see the whole layout of the world here Liaden universe - Wikipedia

Try Lois McMaster Bujold, starting with Shard's of Honor. She started as a sf writer and is now mostly a fantasy writer.

 

[Elckerlyc]

SF has a lot of sub-genres, including cross-overs where Fantasy meets SF. Perhaps you, as mainly a fantasy fan, should first answer the question what you expect or are looking for in SF.
With a few exceptions I would forget about the classics (for now.) Read something from a contemporary (and preferably female) writer, as this will probably dampen the culture shock.
Writers I would recommend, from the classics Theodore Sturgeon, Ursula leGuin, Jack Vance and Roger Zelazny. From this day and age, Becky Chambers, Martha Wells, Jo Walton.

 

[Rodders]

Dune is a great shout and possibly the best way to start.

 

[BAYLOR]

Dune is a great shout and possibly the best way to start.

And some of Herbert the books too

Dragon in the Sea
Destination Void
Helstroms Hive

 

[Montero]

I'd mention Anne McCaffrey at the point - especially the Ship Who Sang and Crystal Singer.

 

[BAYLOR]

The Mortal Engine Series by Phillip Reeve

 

[twelvegraves]

hello i would like to recommend the humanx commomwealth series by alan dean foster, my particular favorite being nor crystal tears. the humanx commonwealth series is a couple different series' and then a few prequals iirc? set in a future where humans and a mantis like species called the thranx have a strong alliance.

nor crystal tears is a first contact story (and the first book chronologically speaking) with really lovely character writing for the main character (though for other characters it can b a bit shallow), excellent wordbuilding and culture re: the thranx, and fun and tasty little interactions between the humans and the thranx. it really tickled an itch for a fun anf culture centered firdt contact story tha i had been looking for for wuite a while!

i also have to second rendezvous with rama! its a story about a near future (relatively) earth that quite by coincidence catches sight of a comet thats strangly smooth... or is it a comet? if you like spec bio and the idea of alien speculative sociology/architecture, youll really like this one. arthur c clark sacrifices character for more time describing the sheer grandiosity of the titular rendezvous but i think that was a good choice on his part. plus the second book (which has a video game adaptation) actually takes that formula of less character and more pure spec and flips it on its head, suddenly turning into a character driven murder mystery! very fun, i reccomend reading both

 

[Bick]

You could look up any of the threads here that provide recommendations of great SF books. There are lots.

There's also a personal 'recommendations' page on my website that covers novels and short stories - see here.

 

[vanye]

Vernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky

A Fire Upon the Deep is great, Deepness is in a league of its own, I think.

 

[psikeyhackr]

I am going to jump off the deep end of left field.

Weapons of Choice by John Birmingham

This is the first book of a trilogy.

This trilogy is an alternate universe time travel story. There is a movie similar to it with Kirk Douglas. A multinational naval task force operating near Indonesia in 2021 is transported through time to 1942 and crashes into the US Navy task force headed to Midway.

Axis of Time Series by John Birmingham

Also known as the World War 2.0 series. A modern naval task force is sent back in time and end up in the middle of a major battle during World War 2, cha...

www.goodreads.com

The Final Countdown (film) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

This website avoids politics but this story just shoves a lot of stuff in the readers face. I would consider it to be interesting to discuss but this might be too confrontational. I think the story is flawed by saying the the task force is from 2021. The technology would be more believable from 2040 or 50.

Something like Ringworld might be more of an introduction to science fiction but if you want SF to introduce the reader to the near future with socio-economic political consequences then the Axis of Time trilogy is more interesting. And I have read lots of Larry Niven.

‘Axis Of Time’ Book Trilogy Set For TV Remake From ‘Occupation’ Director Luke Sparke

EXCLUSIVE: John Birmingham’s World War II alternate history book trilogy Axis of Time is set for a television adaptation. Luke Sparke, the Australian writer/director behind the sci-fi feature franc…

deadline.com

 

[psikeyhackr]

@BAYLOR have you read Weapons of Choice?

 

[BAYLOR]

@BAYLOR have you read Weapons of Choice?

Yes I have , superb trilogy ! I love that fact that Prince Harry Windsor is character in this book.

He's written addition stories in this series set years after the events of the last novel. I haven't gotten to those yet.

 

[psikeyhackr]

Yes I have , superb trilogy ! I love that fact that Prince Harry Windsor is character in this book.

He's written addition stories in this series set years after the events of the last novel. I haven't gotten to those yet.

I have read a couple of them but they did not live up to the trilogy.

I have read 24 of your list in post #3. None of them had the shocking immediacy of Weapons of Choice. You got your sexism, racism, classism, techno-shock. There was a real world case of some soldier calling Enrico Fermi a WOP.

The Prince Harry character was that Harry?
I didn't know. He wasn't as famous in the US when I first read it.

 

[Bick]

Yes I have , superb trilogy ! I love that fact that Prince Harry Windsor is character in this book.

Is he a complete tool, and does he get shot?

 

[BAYLOR]

Is he a complete tool, and does he get shot?

In the book he's actually quite heroic. He even tangles with Otto Skorzenny.

I have read a couple of them but they did not live up to the trilogy.

I have read 24 of your list in post #3. None of them had the shocking immediacy of Weapons of Choice. You got your sexism, racism, classism, techno-shock. There was a real world case of some soldier calling Enrico Fermi a WOP.

The Prince Harry character was that Harry?
I didn't know. He wasn't as famous in the US when I first read it.

Yes , it is that Prince Harry.

 

[psikeyhackr]

Is he a complete tool, and does he get shot?

Complete tool?

He gets shot at and has a couple of fights with a German soldier. I think he was injured in the 2nd fight, maybe stabbed. I am in the process of reading the 1st book again and the 1st fight is near the end where he saves Winston Churchill but the German gets away.