5 ms·

Started Flatland on the train yesterday - lots of fun so far. I'm looking for more Sci-fi if HN can recommend anything! I've been reading a lot of historical n

Started Flatland on the train yesterday - lots of fun so far. I'm looking for more Sci-fi if HN can recommend anything! I've been reading a lot of historical non-fiction over the years, but recently finished Snow Crash and the Diamond Age. Love the genre, but don't know much about it.

monk_e_boy 12y ago
"Off to be the wizard" is pretty light and fun. "John dies at the end" was fun, not really sci-fi, more buffy the vampire slayer esque. "Existence" by David Brin made me want to puke it had so many good ideas. A tiny bit dated, but very smart. "The Martian" I expect you've read it. Good romp, easy to read. Reminded me of a Michael Crichton. "World War Z" was good.
- dasboth 12y ago
  I'm a huge fan of John Dies At The End. It's really not for everyone but I found it incredibly entertaining. The follow-up, This Book Is Full of Spiders is also worth reading.
jpgauthier 12y ago
You can try the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov if you like Sci-Fi.
- prezjordan 12y ago
  Twice-recommended, I'll check it out - thanks :)
zubeen 12y ago
Isaac Asimov is a must read for people who love Sci-Fi. Some of his books I loved: The Robot Series (The Caves of Steel, The Robots of Dawn etc.), The Foundation Series, Nemesis, the list goes on ...
walterbell 12y ago
R.A. Lafferty's literary sci-fi has many historical and non-fiction elements. Out of print but there's a complete collection online called "Talled Tales". Some stories can be read on the web, http://www.ralafferty.org/works/collections/online-stories/ http://www.ralafferty.org/works/collections/online-stories/
2mur 12y ago
Anathem and Cryptonomicon are both must-reads by Stephenson too.
- mithras 12y ago
  The two books I've read by Stephenson and really enjoyed. Never really got into the Baroque cycle because it's so long winded, but that should also be good.
msg 12y ago
Not for every reader but Stephenson's Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) is something between historical fiction and science fiction. Worth a try in your case. Also, it's hard to go wrong with the yearly Hugo Award winners and nominees. Sometimes they are middle entries in long running series, which is worth checking on Wikipedia if you like to start at Book 1. Usually it is just going to mean the whole series is great. How about a few great authors who have all won? Ursula K LeGuin Lois McMaster Bujold CJ Cherryh Connie Willis Jo Walton
navbaker 12y ago
Neuromancer by William Gibson. The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke. A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky, both by Vernor Vinge. Also, the Culture series by Iain M. Banks, but I would recommend not starting with the first published book, Consider Phlebas. YMMV, but I personally found it hard to get in to and almost didn't continue the series. Later I read lots of reviews of the second book, The Player of Games, and decided to give it a chance and have since read most of the remaining books. I have now gone back and re-read Consider Phlebas and love it now that I have a better handle on the setting, universe, and concepts from the series, but I definitely feel that The Player of Games is a much better intro into the series.
grey-area 12y ago
Flatland is great. Try Ian M Banks if you haven't already for some cerebral sci-fi, also Vernor Vinge.

monk_e_boy 12y ago

"Off to be the wizard" is pretty light and fun. "John dies at the end" was fun, not really sci-fi, more buffy the vampire slayer esque. "Existence" by David Brin made me want to puke it had so many good ideas. A tiny bit dated, but very smart. "The Martian" I expect you've read it. Good romp, easy to read. Reminded me of a Michael Crichton. "World War Z" was good.

dasboth 12y ago
I'm a huge fan of John Dies At The End. It's really not for everyone but I found it incredibly entertaining. The follow-up, This Book Is Full of Spiders is also worth reading.

jpgauthier 12y ago

You can try the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov if you like Sci-Fi.

prezjordan 12y ago
Twice-recommended, I'll check it out - thanks :)

zubeen 12y ago

Isaac Asimov is a must read for people who love Sci-Fi. Some of his books I loved: The Robot Series (The Caves of Steel, The Robots of Dawn etc.), The Foundation Series, Nemesis, the list goes on ...

walterbell 12y ago

R.A. Lafferty's literary sci-fi has many historical and non-fiction elements. Out of print but there's a complete collection online called "Talled Tales". Some stories can be read on the web, http://www.ralafferty.org/works/collections/online-stories/ http://www.ralafferty.org/works/collections/online-stories/

2mur 12y ago

Anathem and Cryptonomicon are both must-reads by Stephenson too.

mithras 12y ago
The two books I've read by Stephenson and really enjoyed. Never really got into the Baroque cycle because it's so long winded, but that should also be good.

msg 12y ago

Not for every reader but Stephenson's Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) is something between historical fiction and science fiction. Worth a try in your case. Also, it's hard to go wrong with the yearly Hugo Award winners and nominees. Sometimes they are middle entries in long running series, which is worth checking on Wikipedia if you like to start at Book 1. Usually it is just going to mean the whole series is great. How about a few great authors who have all won? Ursula K LeGuin Lois McMaster Bujold CJ Cherryh Connie Willis Jo Walton

navbaker 12y ago

Neuromancer by William Gibson. The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke. A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky, both by Vernor Vinge. Also, the Culture series by Iain M. Banks, but I would recommend not starting with the first published book, Consider Phlebas. YMMV, but I personally found it hard to get in to and almost didn't continue the series. Later I read lots of reviews of the second book, The Player of Games, and decided to give it a chance and have since read most of the remaining books. I have now gone back and re-read Consider Phlebas and love it now that I have a better handle on the setting, universe, and concepts from the series, but I definitely feel that The Player of Games is a much better intro into the series.

grey-area 12y ago

Flatland is great. Try Ian M Banks if you haven't already for some cerebral sci-fi, also Vernor Vinge.