Good sci-fi novels.

[Wine and Books]

I am always partial to the classics and have tried to bring more sci fi into my reading. A few I have enjoyed recently were Island of Dr Moreau by HG Wells and The Land Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I have also recently read Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle. As with most movies the book is nothing like the movie, and the book was actually quite interesting to me, very philosophic if you like that kind of thing.

[_Prox]

For cyberpunk, check out Snow Crash by Neal Stepheson and Neuromancer by William Gibson. Neromancer more or less codified the style, and Snow Crash perfected it.

For space fiction, I'd recommend Frank Herbert's Dune even though it's mostly set on one planet. Lots of political intrigue and well thought out technology. If you want something with a bit more action, check out Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle.

[Chris OConnor]

I didn't read Dune but I watched the movie and TV mini-series. The TV series was absolutely amazing.

[Richard Kane]

Hi Endless,

I just finished The Day Time was Hacked. amazon.com/Day-Time-was-Hacked-ebook/dp ... B00375LIF6. I could stop reading, into the late hours.

Got many 5-star reviews, and I understand why: it's one of those unknown novels you rarely see.

Hope you'll like it!

Richard.

[lenabro]

Don't read Dune, I've tried several times and lost the battle each time.

[Andrez]

Don't read Dune, I've tried several times and lost the battle each time.

I think the first one is great, but Herbert lost me on the sequels. Then again,I read them in high school, so my taste may've changed a wee bit...

[Andrez]

New one: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat. Noir/sci-fi/dystopian tale with a sense of humour... but I'm very, very biased.

[Jozanny]

I like hard science fiction and couldn't put Stephen Baxter's Ark down, although I probably should have read Flood first, to put all the threads together. I am hard to please, however, and the satire has to be a cut above the norm for me to care; not huge on space opera, but give Philip K. Dick a pass, and Vonnegut is an exception to anyone's rule, and I weep over Mitchell's skill in merging post modern techniques with futurist concerns, but he is a very difficult writer and not for the faint hearted. I am reading Containment right now, which is influenced by Asimov, but the author is no Baxter, and I just started Soul Identity. I have not yet found a contemporary woman who can hold a candle to Doris Lessing, unfortunately. Connie Willis falls flat and Elizabeth Moon is heavy on technical specifications but to what end I could not say.

Edit: Let me augment giving Dick a pass: He is a sloppy writer but his themes transcend his flaws. Electric Sheep and Blade Runner are cut from the same cloth but have much different subtexts. If anyone would ever like a discussion on these and Dick count me in!

(I edit myself a great deal )

[BookSpyGal]

I LOVE sci fi. Here is my list of books to start with:

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card - I was actually pissed off that no one told me about this book until I was 26
The Foundation Series - Isaac Asimov - A classic
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut - One of my all time favorite books
Dune - Get your hard core sci-fi badge!

EDIT: Saw one post up Phillip K. Dick. Start with Do androids dream of electric sheep?

[Kevin]

Sure. Do Androids is a fine place to start.

hrm... to answer the original question, and since I've just recommended it and unrecommended it in another thread I'll mention here The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester.