# Recommend a Science Fiction Book - Any Genera **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 24, 2015, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416 "2015-04-24T04:56:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Haldurson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/51bf81/32.png) [@Haldurson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haldurson)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/81 "2015-07-21T00:16:30Z")
Hugh Howey’s “Silo Saga”: Wool 1-5 Shift 1-3 Dust Dune by Frank Herbert (if you like it, also **Dune Messiah** and **Children of Dune** There are other books in the series that are decent, but those are the best (the 4th book is horrible, though) Ender’s Game and **Speaker for the Dead** by Orson Scott Card (skip the rest of the series – OSC should have stopped writing after the second book, imho). A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge Waystation by Clifford D. Simak City by Clifford D. Simak Doomsday Book by Conniey Willis To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis I can go on and on, as I’ve been reading SF off and on for decades, starting back in the 1960s. I recommend checking the following lists: > **[Hugo Award for Best Novel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel)** > > The Hugo Award for Best Novel is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published in, or translated to, English during the previous calendar year. The novel award is available for works of fiction of 40,000 words or more; awards are also given out in the short story, novelette, and novella categories. The Hugo Awards have been described as "a fine showcase for speculative fiction", and "the best known literary award for science fiction writing". > The Hugo ... > **[Nebula Award for Best Novel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebula_Award_for_Best_Novel)** > > The Nebula Award for Best Novel is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy novels. A work of fiction is considered a novel by the organization if it is 40,000 words or longer; awards are also given out for pieces of shorter lengths, in the categories of short story, novelette, and novella. To be eligible for Nebula Award consideration, a novel must have been published in English in the United States. Works published in English... [http://bestsciencefictionbooks.com/top-25-best-science-fiction-books.php](http://bestsciencefictionbooks.com/top-25-best-science-fiction-books.php) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/82 "2015-07-21T01:20:31Z")
So I just finished **Ancillary Sword** , the sequel to **Ancillary Justice** , and I continue to be amazed by the author’s audacity. I’ll give some minor spoilers, stuff that happens before the book begins: [spoiler]The protagonist is a starship in human form. Large spacecraft, in this world, are sentient, with massive AIs. In order to operate the ship effectively and to communicate with humans, they take human prisoners, execute them via mind-wipe, and download a mini-copy of the AI into the human’s brain, creating “ancillaries.” These ancillaries are semi-autonomous personalities, having both an individual identity and a network connection to all the other ancillaries and the ship. The protagonist was the ancillary of a starship, until the starship was destroyed, leaving only her behind. And things get weirder from there.[/spoiler] Gender is weird in the book: for complex reasons, the protagonist calls almost everyone “she.” Some old-schoolers got freaked out by this and accused the book of all sorts of ill, but they need to get over themselves. It’s a great book. > [@Satchmo](#): > > I can definitely recommend _The Left Hand of Darkness_, by her. I think it’s her best book and one of the best I’ve read. I’m a fan. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/83 "2015-07-21T13:09:41Z")
Here are some of my favorites: _Childhood’s End_ by Arthur C. Clarke – Powerful aliens offer us peace and prosperity, but we must give up our dreams of going to the stars. _The Fountains of Paradise_ by Arthur C. Clarke – The challenges, setbacks and triumphs of building an orbital elevator or “beanstalk.” _All My Sins Remembered_ by Joe Haldeman – A spy for a distant-future republic begins to lose his own sense of identity the longer his career runs. _The Forever War_ by Joe Haldeman – Military sf novel about how relativity draws soldiers in an interstellar war away from their homeworld. _Tool of the Trade_ by Joe Haldeman – A Soviet sleeper agent in late 1980s Boston develops a practical form of mind control, and decides to use it for his own purposes as both the CIA and the KGB try to catch him. _Fatherland_ by Robert Harris - Chilling alternative history about a murder investigation in 1964 Nazi Germany. _Friday_ by Robert Heinlein – A courier/spy in the future is betrayed but decides to fights back. _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_ by Robert Heinlein – Colonists on the Moon revolt against Earth’s harsh rule. _Starship Troopers_ by Robert Heinlein - A classic military sf novel about humanity fighting two alien races for survival. _Time for the Stars_ by Robert Heinlein – Telepaths are able to keep starships linked as we explore nearby worlds. _Fevre Dream_ by George R.R. Martin – An intriguing vampire novel set along the Mississippi River before the Civil War; the kind of book Bram Stoker and Mark Twain might have written together! _Tuf Voyaging_ by George R.R. Martin - Satirical sf novel about ecological engineering, overpopulation, absolute power and war. Probably my all-time favorite sf book. _The Time Traveler’s Wife_ by Audrey Niffenegger - The inadvertent and uncontrollable time-travelling of a young man wreaks havoc upon his decades-long romance with his eventual wife. _Old Man’s War_ by John Scalzi – Sardonic, clever military sf novel about humanity fighting several hostile alien races. There’ve been several very good sequels, too. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/84 "2015-07-21T18:59:52Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Here are some of my favorites: > > … > _Starship Troopers_ by Robert Heinlein - A classic military sf novel about humanity fighting two alien races for survival. > … Not to be confused with the movie they pretended was made from it. :mad: If you like the book, don’t watch the movie. If you saw the movie, try to forget it, and read the book. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/85 "2015-07-21T21:24:39Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > _Fatherland_ by Robert Harris - Chilling alternative history about a murder investigation in 1964 Nazi Germany. If you liked _Fatherland_, I’d recommend _Resurrection Day_ by Brendan DuBois. The two books have a similar feel to me. _Resurrection Day_ is also an alternative history novel (although its turning point was the Cuban Missile Crisis) with a murder investigation and political intrigue. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/86 "2015-07-21T22:09:27Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > I would start with the reality disfunction. Space, zombies etc it is awesome! I cannot agree with this more. I’m currently rereading it, awe inspiring. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/87 "2015-07-21T22:12:18Z")
> [@XT](#): > > If you are looking for some more recent stuff, there are a few series I’ve been reading: > > The Empire’s Corps (sort of a fall of the Roman Empire in space) by Christopher G. Nuttall (he also has another series called Ark Royal which isn’t bad). > > Odyssey One by Evan Currie > > Star Carrier by Ian Douglas > > Man of War by H. Paul Honsinger (this series has just started and there are only 2 books in it so far…but the first two were really good IMHO) > > Star Force by B. V. Larson > > A bit older, but a good series IMHO is the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. The Honor Harrington series by David Weber is always good as well. Are you me? ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/88 "2015-07-21T22:17:04Z")
If you like hard Sci-Fi, I’d try Stephen Baxter. The Xelee, Destiny and Manifold series are all good. The Manifold series had me continually putting the books down just to think. I haven’t started the others yet. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/89 "2015-07-21T22:54:14Z")
> [@Stuffy](#): > > I cannot agree with this more. I’m currently rereading it, awe inspiring. Except the ending. Hamilton painted himself into a corner and had to use a literal deus ex machine to fix it. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/90 "2015-07-22T04:20:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If you liked _Fatherland_, I’d recommend _Resurrection Day_ by Brendan DuBois. The two books have a similar feel to me. _Resurrection Day_ is also an alternative history novel (although its turning point was the Cuban Missile Crisis) with a murder investigation and political intrigue. I like alt-history generally, but must admit I was very disappointed in _Resurrection Day_. Not nearly as good as _Fatherland_ IMHO. > [@RikWriter](#): > > Except the ending. Hamilton painted himself into a corner and had to use a literal deus ex machine to fix it. Absolutely. Loved the series until the final 50 pages or so of the last book, when it all turned to crap. Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/91 "2015-07-22T05:43:43Z")
Some old favorites: The Demolished Man Dune The Foundation series A Canticle for Leibowitz Childhood’s End The Stars My Destination Ringworld The Forever War The Fountains of Paradise Replay by Ken Grimwood (more fantasy than SF but a book I love) Some new recent favorites: 2312 - kim stanley robinson redshirts - john scalzi the martian - andy weir avogadro corporation, ai apocalypse, the last firewall - william hertling the wild shore - kim stanley robinson (ksr’s first novel) aurora - kim stanley robinson ---
**Author:** ![Quequeeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ba9def/32.png) [@Quequeeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quequeeg)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/92 "2015-07-23T18:50:14Z")
Ender’s Game Neuromancer (any of Gibson’s earlier books) Red Mars Armor ---
**Author:** ![zwede](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ac91a4/32.png) [@zwede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwede)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/93 "2015-07-23T19:06:29Z")
I very much liked\* The Expanse \*series: > **[The Expanse (novel series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Expanse_(novel_series))** > > The Expanse is a series of science fiction novels (and related novellas and short stories) by James S. A. Corey, the joint pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. The first novel, Leviathan Wakes, was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2012. The complete series was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Series in 2017. It later won, following its second nomination for the same award in 2020. > The book series is made up of nine novels, nine shorter works and a story collection... Other Sci-Fi books I’ve liked recently are Iain Banks _Culture_ series and Andy Weir’s _The Martian_. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/94 "2015-07-23T19:20:10Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > I haven’t read _Roadside Picnic_ by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky yet, although I have it on my shelves. I don’t remember if I’ve seen _Stalker_ or not. Most Strugatskii books are brilliant. Unfortunately, they’re best in the original, not in translation. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2015, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/95 "2015-07-24T01:03:45Z")
So I’ll guess that I’ll tell my friend, who’s the translator of one of the Strugatsky’s novels, that he’s a total failure. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/96 "2015-07-24T01:18:11Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > So I’ll guess that I’ll tell my friend, who’s the translator of one of the Strugatsky’s novels, that he’s a total failure. Yes, cuz that’s exactly what I said. ---
**Author:** ![danhanegan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb9ed0/32.png) [@danhanegan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danhanegan)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/97 "2015-07-26T18:54:37Z")
My favorite Larry Niven stories are the _Draco Tavern_ series. These are some of his most recent work, and less dated than some of his older stuff. Among his novels, don’t overlook _The Legacy of Heorot_ and its sequels. My favorite Charles Stross novels are _Singularity Sky_ and its sequel _Iron Sunrise_, two well conceived modern space opera novels. It bothers me no one has mentioned Charles Sheffield. _Brother to Dragons_ is a fairly unique coming of age novel, winning the hugo. His supernova novels _Aftermath_ and _Starfire_ are well regarded. He has written a ton of other stuff, both novels and short stories. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/98 "2015-07-26T20:10:30Z")
Dammit, every time a thread like this comes up my already lengthy Kindle wish list gets even more formidable. ---
**Author:** ![psikeyhackr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@psikeyhackr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psikeyhackr)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/99 "2015-12-02T23:15:47Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > I see there are some threads from the past, most of them for a specific category, I wanted to start a new list, of any genera. > > I have on my bookshelf: > > The Man In The High Castle > The Mote In Gods Eye This is a problem, tastes vary so much and so many people do not seem to explain why they do and do not like whatever. I read both of those. I didn’t think much of TMitHC. I never particularly cared for PKD. The movie Blade Runner is great because they chaged it so much from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. The Mote in God’s Eye is great. Heinlein said so and he helped edit it. I like the entire Vorkosigan series by Lois Bujold Barrayar, Komarr and A Civil Campaign are the high points and Warrior’s Apprentice and Ethan of Athos are the low points. > **[Vorkosigan Saga (Chronological) by Lois McMaster Bujold](https://www.goodreads.com/series/98254-vorkosigan-saga-chronological)** > > The author’s recommended reading order of the Vorkosigan stories is “internal chronological, with a few caveats”, as explained here . This is ... I think Ready Player One is great too. I avoided it for years because I figured an SF story about a gamer would be dumb but I was happily dissappointed. The economic portrayal of 2045 America is quite interesting even though most reviews don’t discuss that part. Quintaglio Ascension Trilogy > **[Quintaglio Ascension Trilogy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quintaglio_Ascension_Trilogy)** > > The Quintaglio Ascension Trilogy is a series of novels written by Canadian science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer. The books depict an Earth-like world on a moon which orbits a gas giant, inhabited by a species of highly evolved, sentient Tyrannosaurs, among various other creatures from the late Cretaceous period, imported to this moon by aliens 65 million years prior to the story. The series consists of three books: Far-Seer, Fossil Hunter, and Foreigner. > Far-Seer is the first book in the Qu... Gotta stop somewhere, I could be here all day. 🙂 psik ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416/100 "2015-12-03T00:29:23Z")
So many good books listed, and so many I’ve not read. One omission is Theodore Sturgeon (unless I missed it somewhere), who wrote primarily short fiction, and was a sublime writer. Please look for a collection of his including the short story “Microcosmic God”, which has been voted one of the great short stories of SF. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-science-fiction-book-any-genera/718416.md?page=6)