I need a good book...seriously...

[Eddie]

I've hit a wall and need some help. Theres only so much non-fiction and work related literature (public education) I can take. However, I keep walking around the scifi section at my local borders looking, but never buying. It makes me sad really. I used to think of it as MY section heh. So, please, help a guy out. Throw me some recommendations, and I'll try them, I swear.

Since everyone's taste is different, I try and give a small bit of what I liked, when I was still buying

I really liked Dan Simmon's Hyperion books. Huge story, likable characters, and geeky connections to bigger literature. I read William Gibson's 2 latest ones, Pattern Recognition and Spook Country. They went together very well, great atmosphere... tho I enjoyed Pattern more.

Thats about it I guess... I even regressed and picked up some Asimov stories i must have missed as a kid, and they weren't cuttin it anymore. Ah well, I guess tastes change.

So... what have you got for me B5 fans? Thanks!

~ed

[*Starstuff*]

Hi Ed,

the first books that came to my mind are the "Battlefield Earth" series. I know they are Hubbard books, but leaving all controversy about Scientology out, I really enjoyed reading them. As far as I remember there were three books and I just couldn't put them down after I started. And they are _nothing_ like that horrible movie with Travolta. The books are in an other league entirely. Forget the movie.

Another author I enjoy is Arthur C. Clarke, who wrote "2001". Last year I read his books that revolve around "Rama", an alien vessel going by earth and ... well, I am not going to spoil it for you.

I don't claim the books are the high peak of literature, but I liked them.

Regards,
*Starstuff*

[Garibaldi's Hair]

The books are in an other league entirely. Forget the movie.

Believe me, I'm trying ...

[raw_bean]

Lately I've been enjoying expanding my knowledge of SF classics with Orion's SF Masterworks imprint. Most of them are available on amazon. I've got the first six and three specific others, and they're all worthy reads. Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly immediately became one of my favourite books. And I Am Legend was brilliant enough to ruin the (not that bad, in it's own right) film for me.

[RMcD]

About the only sci-fi novels I still make a point of reading are by Iain M. Banks, who alternates writing literary fiction and sci-fi (high concept, rampant imagination, not much restraint). Haven't read the latest one yet, but my favourites are Use of Weapons, Feersum Endjinn and Against A Dark Background.

Also hugely enjoyed Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy (don't be daunted by the length of the books, the pacing is superb).

I did also think the Hyperion novels were great (or more precisely, the first one was amazing, the second good, and the final two just okay).

[Spoo Junky]

I recently read Pandora's Star, and the continuation of the story in Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton. This book might not be for everyone because there are a lot of characters, but many of them are connected to each other in some way. It's a huge story but I really enjoyed it; there were scary parts, romantic parts and some cool concepts. I haven't read his other books, but there is a new trilogy coming out in the same universe as Pandora but about 5,000 years later. I'm holding out for the paperbacks though.

Right now I'm reading books by Jack McDevitt. The few I've read so far are good stories, involvinig first contact with aliens. They are a mix of action, adventure and some romance.

I've read all of Arthur C. Clarke's books, including the Rama series, and I liked them too.

I tend to stick to the same authors that I know I like so sometimes I get stuck in a rut. The past few years, though, I've taken chances and have found books I really enjoyed.

[Lunan]

Arthur Clarke
Robert Heinlein
Anne McCaffrey
Elizabeth Moon
David Weber
Robin Cook
Linda Fairstein
Robert Jordan
and a whole host of others, but check these guys out, i guarantee you'll find stuff you will like

[raw_bean]

Robin Hobb/Megan Lindholm is pretty good. The 'trilogy of trilogies' sort of thing she did with the Assassin trilogy, the Liveship Traders trilogy and the Tawny Man trilogy was excellent, with each book standing fairly well on its own (and each one better than the last), with the trilogies doing so even more so, but overall telling a massive arching story that came to a wonderfully satisfying (but not in any way shape or form 'pat' or trite) ending.

[Talwyn]

You want good books?

How about getting them for free?


Try this then:

http://www.baen.com/library/

Plenty of great authors there to choose from.

[Doom Shepherd]

I'm an alternate-history junkie, so I'll read pretty much anything in that vein that doesn't involve time-travel (except Flint's 1632 series) or space aliens so while I read a lot of Turtledove - especially the "Great War" series - , I've avoided the "In the Balance" series.

In my neck of the woods, "Battlefield Earth" was only one book, a thousand+ page slugfest, and I agree, nothing like the movie.

It was all right... but avoid "Mission Earth" which was a 10-book series written after he started down the Scientology route, and... loony.

I read a lot of Gaiman.

Some others, but most of them aren't writing now:
Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Niven & Pournelle, Harry Harrison, Douglas Adams, etc.

[colonyearth]

If you also want to read something fun but extremely well written you can read the Lois McMaster-Bujold books. Her Miles Vorkosigan series is a wonderful romp! Fun to read and hard to put down. It ain't really deep, but it's very well crafted and the characters are wonderful.

I, personally, still like Asimov and recently finally finished reading the entire Asi-verse from the robot short stories through the Robot Novels and the Empire Trilogy and all the way to the end of the Foundation series. I read them exactly as Asimov suggested. It really is a vast universe he created and you find how he wove intricacies throughout and connected them, even though they were written decades apart sometimes. I tried to read the authorized continuation of the Foundation books by Greg Bear and his compatriots and all I can say is ICK! They changed fundamental elements in the verse and gave no reason why. They had no real grasp of the characters and some characters weren't even there when they should've been. Couldn't finish them. Call me a purist. I wasn't fond of the writing style either.

Perhaps later I'll try to revist them once Asimov's point of view has faded somewhat. I'm not saying those involved in the "Second Foundation Trilogy" weren't good writers within the confines of their own creations. I'm just saying they should've left Asimov's verse alone if they weren't going to be faithful to it.

Anywho...that's enough from my big mouth for now.

CE