Oolite Bulletins

Yep, Niven's Ringworld for definite, but what about people like E.E.'Doc' Smith, and A.E.Van Vogt? The Lensman series are outstanding. Well worth a read!

@Little Bear... ....'The Dice Man'... ...still one of my favourite books of all time!!

EDIT

especially when he is helpless having a dorky day...

Talk about senior moment!!! I suddenly realised I was getting serious overlap between two books!! ....aaarrrrggghhhh... sad, but true... the quoted insanity came from 'The Fan Man', a very different, if equally anarchic book! Sorry! Both were read a 'number' of years ago...

I tried to read Doc Smith's work recently - just couldn't get into it!

One thing I have found that took me quite by surprise was Edgar Rice Burroughs' sci-fi stuff. The John Carter on Mars series was fantastic, as were the Venus stories. His Moon stories weren't so good, being more of a western adventure than real Sci-fi.

Jules Verne isn't bad, but I find his books heavy going, since about half of the books are devoted to the actual science of the surroundings rather than the story. For example, in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, half of the book is a detailed description of sealife and how it works. If you read every second chapter, then you get all the story...

Modern day stuff I like definitely includes the Ender saga, although I still need to pick up the new trilogy. Ender's Game is one of my all-time favourite books. Greg Bear is OK but not fantastic. Larry Niven is far too up himself for my liking. I have to shamfacedly admit to enjoying SOME (but not all) of the Warhammer 40,000 novels that Games Workshop publish - the old Inquisitor trilogy by Ian Watson and the new Horus Heresy books are notable, as well as my current favourite GW author, Ben Counter.

The Iain M Banks books are enjoyable too.

One thing I have found that took me quite by surprise was Edgar Rice Burroughs' sci-fi stuff. The John Carter on Mars series was fantastic, as were the Venus stories. His Moon stories weren't so good, being more of a western adventure than real Sci-fi.

Heh... Frank Frazetta did some gorgeous illustrations for the Mars series

Asimov compiled a series of stories he grew up with, mostly pulp from the 30's and 40's. Great hardcore sci-fi.

If you are into comics I would recommend the original Alex Raymond Flash Gordon comics from the 30's and 40's. And of course the 50's EC sci-fi comics from people like Wallace Wood, Frazetta and Williamson. Space exploration at its best.

Well, I started reading 2001, it is fantastic! I also watched battlestar: also Good, but vary strange. Someone should make a ship like the intercepters in battlestar, with a hud like the one in the movie. I also like sunshine, vary good!


Don't panic: FSOneblin

Disembodied wrote:

Iain M. Banks's "Culture" novels, too: start with Consider Phlebas

Diziet Sma wrote:

To get the background on 'Minds' (yes, they should be capitalised) try reading some of the 'Culture' novels by Iain M. Banks. I recommend taking them in order, starting with Consider Phlebas.

Disembodied wrote:

Diziet Sma wrote:

Commander McLane wrote:

I have never read a single line of Banks in my life.

You don't know what you're missing.. seriously..

A sentiment I can wholeheartedly endorse. it's best to start at the beginning with Consider Phlebas

OK, I've just read it (after seeing about 6-10 references to it on here). Very short review:

One third "Look at me and how clever I am as a sci-fo author. My ideas are great, so I shall include them, despite them having no relevance to the story whatsoever".

Random smatterings of the thoughts of people who do not interact with the story in any way. They should have been cut by a good editor.

One half cracking good, un-put-downable yarn.

And an ending that left me speechless.

Conclusion: recommend, but you may need to persist at it through the first third while you keep wondering what the point of the last chapter was.

SandJ wrote:

Conclusion: recommend, but you may need to persist at it through the first third while you keep wondering what the point of the last chapter was.

My Dad tried to get me to read it at one point. I think I was recuperating from a bone graft at the time... Anyway, 'tis one of the few books that I don't think I actually finished - I probably didn't manage to get past the first third! I might have to give it another go, methinks!

Since we resurrected this one after four years, I just thought I'd add a recommendation for Jack Campbell's The Lost Fleet series of books. They are simple, straightforward, to-the-point and a blast to read military science fiction series. The kind of books that I normally start early in the morning because I know that I will not be able to stop once the first page has turned.

SandJ wrote:

Conclusion: recommend, but you may need to persist at it through the first third while you keep wondering what the point of the last chapter was.

Interesting review! I agree that the book isn't the tightest, in terms of narrative: my main reason for recommending it as the first Culture novel is because of the protagonist's point of view regarding the Culture and what they stand for. Try The Player of Games next: it's much more straightforward in terms of storyline (or just go for the short story collection The State of the Art: the title piece is a Culture novella, where a Culture ship explores Earth, and there's a couple of other Culture-related story in there too – the other stories are worth reading as well). After that I'd recommend Use of Weapons as a warmup to the boggle-fest that is Excession.

Disembodied wrote:

... I'd recommend Use of Weapons as a warmup to the boggle-fest that is Excession.

<chortles>

SandJ wrote:

And an ending that left me speechless.

Aye.. that were really something, eh?

Agree with the others.. Consider Phlebas was Banks' first sci-fi novel.. (and it does form the background for some later stories) but he had yet to hit his stride.. they get better.. Excession was just.. wow..

Hey! There's a new Culture story due out in October.. The Hydrogen Sonata. Reportedly, it's the longest Culture novel yet released.

Banks briefly described the The Hydrogen Sonata as "it's about the whole subliming business".

Now that ought to be interesting!

Cover art and plot summary here. Sounds really good, too..

Diziet Sma wrote:

Banks briefly described the The Hydrogen Sonata as "it's about the whole subliming business".

Now that ought to be interesting!

That does indeed sound interesting. I've always liked Against a Dark Background - not a culture novel, but a very good sci-fi tale.

LittleBear wrote:

The Dice Man (non-sci fi) but one of the best books I've ever read.

I read back through this thread and saw this - The Dice Man is an exceptional novel, and Long Voyage Back (by the same author) is a very good post-apocalypse tale!

The currently on-going transit of the Sun by Venus (awesome stuff - near Earth-sized and just a dot on the Sun) brings to mind the 1761 observations made by Mason and Dixon. I mention this as Mason & Dixon, by Thomas Pynchon, is an excellent novel. Not sci-fi of course, but a very interesting and entertaining read!

El Viejo wrote:

The currently on-going transit of the Sun by Venus (awesome stuff - near Earth-sized and just a dot on the Sun)

Nothing at all to see here. All cloudy and rainy.

Alastair Reynolds was mentioned above - thoroughly agree....
Favourites are Chasm City, and the `Revelation Trilogy' (Revelation Space, Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap with a quick nod to Zima Blue - a collection of short stories which fleshes out a bit more of Nevil Clavain among other good yarns.

I was pleased to see Neal Stephenson mentioned... Snow Crash & Diamond Age got me on to reading his other 'thicker books'.
Though not sci-fi and so starting to veer off-thread...Cryptonomicon completely enthralled me and I was disappointed when it was all over. The Baroque Cycle (trilogy) was an amazing read for the scope of the story...and then back on sci-fi - I really enjoyed his latest brick Anathem

EDIT - currently away with work - and although Zima Blue is a great collection - I think I might have it confused with Galactic North which fleshes out the Revelation Space universe....sorry !