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Ask HN: Recommend a Good Sci-Fi Book

3 points by macando 7y ago

I've recently read: - The Gods Themselves, Asimov: The second story is brilliant. The other two are meh. - Neuromancer, Gibson: So disappointing I couldn't finish it. Is there a better cyberpunk book out there? - Ready Player One, Cline: Loved the book, loved the movie. - Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut: Not a pure Sci-Fi book, but loved it nonetheless.

Phithagoras 7y ago
"Schild's Ladder" by Greg Egan Really, anything by him is good but Schild's Ladder is the best.
inianvasanth 7y ago
"Story of Your Life" By Ted Chiang (source for the movie "Arrival")
lm28469 7y ago
http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Roadside_Picnic http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Roadside_Picnic
phillc73 7y ago
Vernor Vinge: A Deepness in the Sky and A Fire Upon the Deep. Iain M. Banks: Consider Phlebas (and then spend the following months reading all the rest of the Culture series)
- __d 7y ago
  If you're familiar with Usenet, A Fire Upon the Deep has extra good moments.
osullivj 7y ago
Neal Stephenson: Cryptonomicon
- __d 7y ago
  For me, Snow Crash was awesome, but like early Gibson, it's lost a little with the passage of time. His middle-period work did nothing for me at all. Just overdone, to my taste. I haven't read anything after the Baroque Cycle put me off.
  - osullivj 7y ago
    I enjoyed the Baroque Cycle, but at the end was left with little sense of resolution. I have enjoyed Anathem since.
DaOne256 7y ago
Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash
__d 7y ago
CJ Cherryh, Cyteen (and then the rest of the Merchanter universe). Iain M Banks, Player of Games (and then everything else) For cyberpunk, Neuromancer and the sprawl trilogy have not aged terribly well. I still like them, but they're from a certain context. Try Greg Egan's Permutation City; Bruce Sterling's Heavy Weather, Islands in the Net, or Holy Fire. Lauren Beukes, Zoo City. There are so, so many ... ;-)
scottdw 7y ago
Blindsight, Peter Watts [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blindsight_(Watts_novel) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blindsight_(Watts_novel)]. Avaliable free in a number of formats from his website: https://rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm https://rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm
brudgers 7y ago
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

3 points by macando 7y ago

Phithagoras 7y ago

"Schild's Ladder" by Greg Egan Really, anything by him is good but Schild's Ladder is the best.

inianvasanth 7y ago

"Story of Your Life" By Ted Chiang (source for the movie "Arrival")

lm28469 7y ago

http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Roadside_Picnic http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Roadside_Picnic

phillc73 7y ago

Vernor Vinge: A Deepness in the Sky and A Fire Upon the Deep. Iain M. Banks: Consider Phlebas (and then spend the following months reading all the rest of the Culture series)

__d 7y ago
If you're familiar with Usenet, A Fire Upon the Deep has extra good moments.

osullivj 7y ago

Neal Stephenson: Cryptonomicon

__d 7y ago
For me, Snow Crash was awesome, but like early Gibson, it's lost a little with the passage of time. His middle-period work did nothing for me at all. Just overdone, to my taste. I haven't read anything after the Baroque Cycle put me off.
- osullivj 7y ago
  I enjoyed the Baroque Cycle, but at the end was left with little sense of resolution. I have enjoyed Anathem since.

DaOne256 7y ago

Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash

__d 7y ago

CJ Cherryh, Cyteen (and then the rest of the Merchanter universe). Iain M Banks, Player of Games (and then everything else) For cyberpunk, Neuromancer and the sprawl trilogy have not aged terribly well. I still like them, but they're from a certain context. Try Greg Egan's Permutation City; Bruce Sterling's Heavy Weather, Islands in the Net, or Holy Fire. Lauren Beukes, Zoo City. There are so, so many ... ;-)

scottdw 7y ago

Blindsight, Peter Watts [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blindsight_(Watts_novel) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blindsight_(Watts_novel)]. Avaliable free in a number of formats from his website: https://rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm https://rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm

brudgers 7y ago

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress