# Recommend some retro sci-fi to a huge futurama fan **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 29, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331 "2003-08-29T00:59:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![mike1dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/41 "2004-07-08T01:45:59Z")
[The Space Merchants](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312749511/qid=1089250962/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/002-1970240-2466438) is a funny satire on the distant future, kind of similar to Futurama to me anyway. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/42 "2004-07-08T01:46:56Z")
My best source for retro sci-fi are those big anthologies of Astounding, etc. from the fifties. Most libraries have batches of them. And you can find them for _really_ cheap at used bookstores too. A lot of the stories are crap (but still fun) but some of them are actual classics by recognized authors… ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/43 "2004-07-08T03:02:46Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > After you’ve read some EE Smith, get hold of a copy of Harry Harrison’s “Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers” and be prepared to laugh your ass off. After seeing this thread the first time round, I kept an eye out for this book and finally found a copy–and I’ll heartily second this recommendation. The book’s a blast. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/44 "2004-07-08T03:12:22Z")
Is the Stainless Steel Rat series retro? Or just satire? ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/45 "2004-07-08T05:20:40Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Is the Stainless Steel Rat series retro? Or just satire? Satire (IMO). ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/46 "2004-07-08T11:29:00Z")
Hmm. People already seem to have mentioned most of the good ones … so I’ll just sneak in a recommendation for George O. Smith’s “Venus Equilateral” stories. (Venus Equilateral being a space station, built with the most modern techniques available at the time Smith was writing … vacuum tubes and slide rules abound … It’s a lot of fun.) ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/47 "2004-07-10T03:54:37Z")
**Cisco** , if that radio version of “Early Model” still sounds interesting, email me because there’s been a new development. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/48 "2004-07-10T04:37:20Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Is the Stainless Steel Rat series retro? Or just satire? Both, I’d say. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/49 "2004-07-10T05:45:29Z")
I’m in the middle of watching _This Island Earth_ right now. Great movie so far (main character is Cal Meacham, heh.) I ordered The Space Merchants used from Amazon for 3 bucks. I wanted to get Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers but the cheapest copy on Amazon was $50 and my library doesn’t have it. Then I found a copy on eBay and won it for $2 🆒 . I’m really getting into this old Sci-Fi stuff. The only thing I really haven’t liked so far is Star Trek. I watched TMP two nights ago and TWoK last night and honestly didn’t care for either one. I rented an episode though (Episode 2: Where no man has gone before) so hopefully that will be better. Keep the recommendations coming! I know there has to be a ton of robot and death ray movies out there that I’m just not finding on my own. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/50 "2004-07-10T08:02:12Z")
Original series Star Trek is great, and a lot different from the movies, I think. If you can, the original novella of _This Island Earth_ is quite good. I had no idea that a movie had been made of it, much less a cheesy 50’s one, so watching MST3K: The Movie was an odd experience until I figured out why the story was so familliar. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/51 "2004-07-11T00:18:40Z")
Anybody mentioned Alfred Bester yet? I read a couple of his books a few years back and thought they were pretty good. (Babylon 5 fans should recognize the name as well…) ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/52 "2004-10-11T04:26:15Z")
I finished _The Space Merchants_ awhile back. Felt pretty “eh” about it. It wasn’t too sci-fi’ish; more of a social/economical look at the future. Reminded me **a lot** of Max Barry’s books, except without the humor. _Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers_ - I’m about 3/4ths of the way through this one. I’ve seen a couple movies in my life that I can honestly say were so bad they were good (_Dolomite_ comes to mind) but this is the first book I’ve ever felt that way about. It’s horrible, poorly written dreck with flat characters and a lame plot and yet I can’t stop reading it. Now _Triplanetary_ (first “Lensman” book) - WOW. I fell in love with this book right away and loved in until the very end. I’m just waiting to have the money to order the entire series. Absolutely LOVED it. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/53 "2004-10-11T05:09:35Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I_Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers_ - I’m about 3/4ths of the way through this one. I’ve seen a couple movies in my life that I can honestly say were so bad they were good (_Dolomite_ comes to mind) but this is the first book I’ve ever felt that way about. It’s horrible, poorly written dreck with flat characters and a lame plot and yet I can’t stop reading it. The poor writing, flat characters, and lame plot were _deliberate_. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/54 "2004-10-11T05:11:00Z")
> [@Hunter Hawk](#): > > The poor writing, flat characters, and lame plot were _deliberate_. I know. Believe me, I wasn’t bashing it. Read my last sentence, “…I can’t stop reading it.” ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331/55 "2004-10-11T05:28:20Z")
Gotcha. I’d thought you’d run into a case where you enjoyed the writing even though you thought it was genuinely bad. For example, I like some of Robert E. Howard’s bad writing (yes, even though he’s one of the great pulp authors, evidence indicates that he did write a fair number of stories in his sleep). Honesty forces me to admit that I also like–God help me–some of L. Ron Hubbard’s stories. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-retro-sci-fi-to-a-huge-futurama-fan/198331.md?page=2)