# I need more Sci-fi books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 26, 2005, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988 "2005-10-26T13:50:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/21 "2005-10-26T18:33:28Z")
If you’ve never read any of his books before, I would highly recommend Jack Vance. He’s an author known for brilliant use of language; cynical tone; and the ability to cram all kinds of bizarre planets, funny characters, and twisted societies into a single book. Best of all, he’s been writing constantly since the 1950’s, so he can keep you occupied for a while. The Demon Princes series is probably his best and most famous work. It consists of five novels, recently reissued in two high-quality volumes from Tor Science Fiction and probably available at your local bookstore. The Durdane Trilogy is a short and sweet adventure story, unfortunately out of print and difficult to find. The three novels are _The Anome_ (also published as _The Faceless Man_), _The Rogushkoi_ (also _The Brave Free Men_), and _The Asutra_. The three books of The Cadwal Chronicles trilogy are longer than most of Vance’s other books. They lean towards humor, though there’s also plenty of mysteries to be unraveled and narrow escapes to be escaped. The three books are _Araminta Station, Ecce and Old Earth_, and _Throy_. ---
**Author:** ![velveeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/13edae/32.png) [@velveeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velveeta)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/22 "2005-10-26T18:34:57Z")
> [@Eleanor of Aquitaine](#): > > Wow, how’d you get **Judas Unchained**? Amazon says it won’t be released until February. I broke down and bought it off Amazon UK. I hate waiting 6 months to a year for books to become available in the States. The exchange rate… not so good right now. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/23 "2005-10-26T18:45:54Z")
> [@Der Trihs](#): > > The Sten series by Alan Cole and Chris Bunch Page Make that “The Sten series by Alan Cole and Chris Bunch”. Also, the Chanur books by C. J. Cherryh, and _Legacy of Heorot_ by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes, and it’s sequel. Plus, _The Mote in God’s Eye_ and _The Gripping Hand_ by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Oh, and _King David’s Spaceship_ by Jerry Pournelle. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/24 "2005-10-26T18:48:28Z")
> [@Der Trihs](#): > > Make that “The Sten series by Alan Cole and Chris Bunch”. > > Also, the Chanur books by C. J. Cherryh, and _Legacy of Heorot_ by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes, and it’s sequel. Plus, _The Mote in God’s Eye_ and _The Gripping Hand_ by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. > > Oh, and _King David’s Spaceship_ by Jerry Pournelle. I second all of these except _Heorot_ and sequel. The “Sten” books are rollicking great adventure, with recipes! And spotted snakes! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/25 "2005-10-26T20:08:27Z")
The author I always recommend in these threads is **Octavia Butler**. Her Patternist series (Wildseed, Mind of My Mind and Patternmaster) are wonderful, but not exactly hard sci fi. Basically it’s a look at what people with super powers would really be like. There’s two more books (Clay’s Ark and Survivor) which are in the same continuity, but honestly I don’t think they’re as good. Her Xenogenesis series (Dawn, Childhood Rites and Imago) is good also. It’s about the Earth nearly being wiped out and the survivors being rescued by aliens who start interbreeding with humans. She also wrote Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents which are excellent. They follow a young woman growing up in the near future when violence is everywhere, global warming has limited food supplies and things are basically falling apart. She creates her own religion and gains followers and enemies. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/26 "2005-10-26T20:16:04Z")
Of course you’ve read **A Canticle for Leibowitz** , right? Because if you haven’t, run, don’t walk. I second the CJ Cherryh suggestion - her fantasy is crap, but her science fiction is consistently excellent. I personally prefer the Foreigner books, but anything of hers is assured to be excellent. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/27 "2005-10-26T21:23:32Z")
I would recommend almost anything by Iain M. Banks, especially his Culture novels. _Consider Phlebas_ _The Player of Games_ _Use of Weapons_ (which has one of the most chilling reveals I’ve ever read) _Excession_ _Look to Windward_ There is also _Inversions_ which is one of the Culture novels but it doesn’t look like one. Then there is _Against a Dark Background_ which isn’t a Culture novel (though there are those who maintain that it is) but is still a good novel. The Culture is probably the best-realized utopian society you will ever find in fiction. Plus, what can you say about a series containing artificial intelligences so advanced that one of them described themselves as being “close to gods… on the far side” yet give themselves names like “Unfortunate Conflict Of Evidence” or “No More Mister Nice Guy”. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/28 "2005-10-26T21:28:29Z")
I have nothing specific to offer, but you could look in places not often traveled like: [http://www.lulu.com](http://www.lulu.com) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/29 "2005-10-26T21:29:36Z")
(One whack at the dead horse here) Dan Simmons’ Hyperion/Endymion saga. Also, John Varley has written a lot of good stuff. You can’t go wrong with any of his stuff. I especially enjoyed _Steel Beach_ and the Gaea trilogy (_Titan_, _Demon_, and _Wizard_). ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/30 "2005-10-26T21:31:05Z")
I recommend **A Fire Upon the Deep** by Vernor Vinge. And, on the off chance that you haven’t read it already, **Ender’s Game** by Orson Scott Card. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/31 "2005-10-26T22:59:56Z")
> [@Harmonious Discord](#): > > I love the hidden humor for the attentive reader. The not so subtle mocking of the enemy. > > I have hundreds of scifi magazine with a lot of first drafts of the stories in many authors books. I think Dune was one of them, I can’t be sure though… I don’t have a index, so they’re a bit hard to find a specific story. To agree with you, Terry. 🙂 I love the way Laumer changes syntax to reflect the alien languages. It’s kind of what Hemingway does in For Whom the Bell Tolls, writing English directly translated from the Spanish. I have thousands of magazines, and you are right. Dune ran in Analog in the early '60s. Dune Messiah ran in Galaxy in the late '60s, early '70s (unless it was in If - they were pretty identical for a while.) I wonder if the indices are still available. There are two magazine indices for that period - the Metcalfe index and the MITSFS index (actually done by NESFA.) I prefer the Metcalfe index myself. Very useful at times. ---
**Author:** ![marque\_elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@marque\_elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marque_elf)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/32 "2005-10-26T23:06:01Z")
for military science fiction, I’d suggest William C. Deitz and his Legion of the Damned books. Also take a look at John Ringo’s books about the Posleen invasion of Earth. You’ve got to love a series where one of the main weapons in a 2 story tall cannon that fires nuclear warheads and is named Bun Rabbit. David Drake’s Hammers Slammers series is also good military science fiction. I second the suggestion of the Vorkosigan books by Bujold. For my money, she is the best writer in the genre today. _A Civil Campaign_ is both a political thriller and the funniest book I’ve read in a long time. You should read the series in order to know who these people are and then read _A Civil Campaign_ to get the full effect. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/33 "2005-10-26T23:34:35Z")
I liked Mockingbird, In Conquest Born & Hyperion (but not the sequel). I’d like to recommend Sheri S. Tepper’s “Raising the Stones”. I haven’t read it in years, but it used to be one of my favorites. I guess it’s time for me to dig it out & re-read it. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/34 "2005-10-26T23:39:51Z")
I would like to suggest Roger Zelazny’s _Lord Of Light_. I confess that I found it to be a hard read the first time through (not everyone will agree) but I also found it to be worth the (second) read. I really enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/35 "2005-10-26T23:50:32Z")
The new Honor Harrington book (At all Costs) is out. 🙂 Webb also has some other good stuff. John Ringo has some good books out as well if you like military SciFi…his Gust Front books (and the newest Watch on the Rhine), plus I think he started a new series I haven’t picked up yet. How about Michael Gear’s Forbidden Borders series? -XT ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/36 "2005-10-27T00:17:40Z")
Another good choice is **Harry Harrison**. Now he’s written a lot of crap but he’s written some excellent stuff as well. For humorous sci-fi you have Bill the Galactic Hero, Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers and the Stainless Steel Rat series. For more serious, but still very good, you have Captive Universe; A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!; and the Eden series (West of Eden, Winter in Eden and Return to Eden). ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/37 "2005-10-27T00:27:54Z")
> [@marque elf](#): > > for military science fiction, I’d suggest William C. Deitz and his Legion of the Damned books. Also take a look at John Ringo’s books about the Posleen invasion of Earth. You’ve got to love a series where one of the main weapons in a 2 story tall cannon that fires nuclear warheads and is named Bun Rabbit. David Drake’s Hammers Slammers series is also good military science fiction. The link for free electronic books I posted had Hammer’s Slammers and other Authors’ books set in the Hub Universe. Drake has many great books out there. John Ringo’s books are good too. Fred Saberhagen’s Berserker series is great. It’s an universe where a dead race’s self replicating doomsday machines fight the humans stellar empire to eliminate all life. There’s some real clever plots in some of the short story collections. ---
**Author:** ![blackhobyah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blackhobyah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blackhobyah)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/38 "2005-10-27T00:31:52Z")
I’ve recently read Elizabeth Moon’s Heris Serrano and Esmay Suiza series which were great fun. There are three Heris Serrano and then three or four Esmay Suiza books, set in the same system with the same characters, but the lead character changes. The first novels are _Hunting Party_, _Winning Colors_ and _Sporting Chance_. They’re lots of fun, sort of space opera with horses, but the characterisation is strong, the plots complex enough to be engaging and the writing is pretty good. If deep and meaningful sci fi is your thing, or you’re hooked on Morgan’s noirish take on the genre, then you might not like them, but they are intelligent enjoyment for a spare moment. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/39 "2005-10-27T01:51:03Z")
Let’s not stop at recommending only one Sheri S. Tepper book, she’s a very underrated writer who needs a wider audience. Orson Scott Card I can recommend pretty much across the board, even when he has his Mormon hat on I still like his style. John Varley, check [hijack] Am I the only one who’d really love to see Peter Jackson tackle the Titan books and adapt them into movies?[/hijack] Jumping on the general pile on endorsement of Zenna Henderson–read her People stories as a child and to this day reread them often, cursing my mundane Earth heritage, grumble. Another near forgotten and undeservedly so: Cordwainer Smith. Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore too, while we’re resurrecting. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988/40 "2005-10-27T02:22:47Z")
Robert Charles Wilson is a great SF author who I don’t think’s been mentioned yet. And I agree with the recommendations for Brin, Bujold, Haldeman, Hamilton, Hinz, and Vinge. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-more-sci-fi-books/327988.md?page=3)