Sci-Fi Newbie

[Froofy-D]

The Boat of a Million Years - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

^ by Poul Anderson is one of my favorites. One person in a million is born an Immortal. That is, they age until about 25 years old, then stop aging and live forever unless physically killed. The story follows 10 Immortals from different ages/continents who eventually find each other. It starts in Ancient Greece and ends in the far future when man is populating the stars. Can't believe it hasn't been made into a movie yet.

It was nominated for both Hugo and Nebula awards. Look up a list of Hugo and Nebula award winning novels. You really can't go wrong with just about any of them.

I'll cast 2nd votes for some that were mentioned: Mote in God's Eye, Neuromancer, Snow Crash, Altered Carbon, and anything Phillip K. Dick.

[T-rex]

Originally Posted by Froofy-D

It was nominated for both Hugo and Nebula awards. Look up a list of Hugo and Nebula award winning novels. You really can't go wrong with just about any of them.

Which award carries more weight? It is my understanding that the writers themselves value a Hugo award more. They were pretty similar in terms of nominees and awards through the 80s and then through the 90s and 00s they started to diverge. The only Hugo that leaves me scratching my head is the one awarded to Harry Potter. To my embarrassment I have read that Harry Potter novel, and it isn't anything worth writing home about.

But in general, winners and nominees of these awards are usually at least worth your attention.

[Zeste]

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. This book is absolutely earth shattering.

[DoctorSpooge]

The Hugo, imo, is a far, far better award. If you look up the Nebula, you'll see some really questionable nominees. Jack McDevitt has around 15 nominations, which is quite suspect.
...Although Charlie Stross has been nominated for the Hugo for the greater part of the decade.

You should also look up the Philip K. Dick Award - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . A lot of these novels are quite good (Altered Carbon won it) and might otherwise have fallen through the cracks, as they were never published in hardcover format.

[T-rex]

Originally Posted by DoctorSpooge

The Hugo, imo, is a far, far better award. If you look up the Nebula, you'll see some really questionable nominees. Jack McDevitt has around 15 nominations, which is quite suspect.
...Although Charlie Stross has been nominated for the Hugo for the greater part of the decade.

You should also look up the Philip K. Dick Award - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . A lot of these novels are quite good (Altered Carbon won it) and might otherwise have fallen through the cracks, as they were never published in hardcover format.

Also, I know that one Nebula award for short story wasn't accepted as a protest to their distribution of stories to the judges. I don't really know the details, but some judges can't even get the stories that are on the long list of nominations, or something to that effect. I don't know if that is an issue in Novels as well.

The only PKD winner I've read is Neuromancer. I bought Nova Swing recently because it won that award, as well as the Arthur C. Clarke award. I guess we'll see how it is, someone in the other thread said it was too much about prose and not enough about story/characters. I'm going to start reading it on the bus today.

[DoctorSpooge]

Eww, I couldn't get through Light, another MJH novel.

[Lefazz]

Originally Posted by Zeste

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. This book is absolutely earth shattering.

Damn it...I read the plot summary on Wikipedia and now wish I hadn't.

[T-rex]

Originally Posted by DoctorSpooge

Eww, I couldn't get through Light, another MJH novel.

What did you dislike about Light? I am nearly done with Nova Swing, and it is pretty good so far. I'll see how everything gets tied up, but the resolution couldn't have been what turned you off if you didn't see it.

[Lenardo]

hmm excellent selections all around.

for space Battles, a bit of religious and political intrigue, David Weber's Honor Harrington Series-and spinoff's- much better writing and plot vs his stuff with white.

john ringo is good for ground pounder stuff-tho his "paladin of shadows" books is more like military porn fiction.

Travis S. "Doc" Travis has some excellent Sci-fi as well- cool thing about him is.. he works for the Directed energy division US army space and missile command-hell his latest book isn't sci-fi, its Rocket Science - he also does martial arts, mountain bike riding, gun shooting etc.

[Clericnon2boxed]

for easier scifi with more action I'd recommend the battletech book series, shadowrun as well, I'd say at least the first 40 books of each are good for filling time, I havent read any new ones in the last 7 years, got into the more hardcore and standalone books

[Xalos]

Some repeats, but a few of my favorites. Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon is a harsh mistress, Starship Troopers and many novels/short story collections from Heinlein and PK Dick that I can't recall. Also, The Timothy Zahn star wars books aren't bad.

[VariaVespasa]

Maybe some Hammer Slammers stuff by David Drake?
Also some of the Man-Kzinn wars collections?

[T-rex]

Originally Posted by Xalos

Some repeats, but a few of my favorites. Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon is a harsh mistress, Starship Troopers and many novels/short story collections from Heinlein and PK Dick that I can't recall. Also, The Timothy Zahn star wars books aren't bad.

I'm not sexist enough to enjoy Heinlein.

[Auren]

I have to second the Honor Harrington series by David Weber. Plenty of space battles, politics, future tech, and well developed characters. Also I really enjoyed the Saga of Seven Suns series by Kevin J. Anderson. The first book is Hidden Empire.

[Daelos]

To reiterate one recommendation: Alaistair Reynolds. My favorite of his so far was House of Suns (plot that spans hundreds of thousands of years in a page, characters that are millions of years old, humans that have (d-?)evolved into nothing resembling humans, spacecraft that you can fit a small planet inside...)