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SF Series Recommendations
- Thread starter cent
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direstraits
Well-Known Member
Sorry I came late! I'll be more punctual next time. 
I've not read him yet, but I've heard some good things about him, former members of this forum has recommended him before, and he's on my wishlist.
None other than Peter Hamilton, for his Night's Dawn Trilogy. I understand it's hard sf.
For a series that I simply love for it's intelligent characters and a rollicking good ride, I wholeheartedly recommend Lois M Bujold's Vorkosigan series. Either get the Cordelia Naismith duology (A Shard of Honor and Barrayar) or jump into the Miles Vorkosigan series. Guaranteed good times.
ds
I've not read him yet, but I've heard some good things about him, former members of this forum has recommended him before, and he's on my wishlist.
None other than Peter Hamilton, for his Night's Dawn Trilogy. I understand it's hard sf.
For a series that I simply love for it's intelligent characters and a rollicking good ride, I wholeheartedly recommend Lois M Bujold's Vorkosigan series. Either get the Cordelia Naismith duology (A Shard of Honor and Barrayar) or jump into the Miles Vorkosigan series. Guaranteed good times.
ds
Well, it depends on how strict you are on your definition of SciFI. I personally think there's a distinct difference between Sci Fi and Fantasy. Mostly I lean towards Fantasy, but here are some I have read:
Margeret Weis and Tracy Hicks have a few series that are good. Of course there is the Dragonlance series. There's also the Sovereign Stone series that is quite good. Both of these are fantasy.
Weis has a few on her own. The Darksword series is very good, and very sci fi. Also, she has another series called the Death Gate Cycle that leans a lot more toward sci-fi.
Robert Jordan's "Conan the Barbarian" series of books are very good, with little of the political silliness that has expanded his WoT series to 11 books and counting. Wot is short for Wheel of Time. It's more fantasy at face value, but if you consider the implications of the actual wheel of time and how it works, I guess it is science at its core, or perhaps theology.
Terry Goodkind's, 'Sword of Truth' series is pretty good, more fantasy again, but I warn you now there is a lot of dark and sexual content that some find hard to overlook. Also, the books seem to be up and down. Some are very good, even excellent, others are bad. Soul of the Fire reads like smut.
Terry Brooks is ok, although myself I only like his Shannara books and Landover books, but even his newer Shannara books I didn't like much. He also did one Star Wars novel that was alright. I consider his books to be a lighter read. He tends to gloss over a lot of things. His Knight of the Word series is modern fantasy. His Shannara books are fantasy on the surface, but sci fi in their core, because it is a post apocolyptic earth.
Forgotten Realms is very very similar to Dungeons and Dragons. Reads very similar also. Anything by R.A. Salvatore is quite good, although he does have his flaws. I really thought the Crimson Shadow series was quite good as well. Again these are fantasy.
Deborah Chester wrote a trilogy called the Ring, the Sword, and the Chalice that I read recently that was very very good. This is fantasy as well.
Tad Williams is an awesome author, whether you like his medieval stuff (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series), or his sci-fi stuff (The Otherland series is VERY good if you like this kinds of books).
C.S. Friedman is good, but more sci-fi. The Coldfire Trilogy, is another "after earth" type sci fi that reads a bit like fantasy.
Lawrence Watts has a few stand alone books I've read that are good, like Touched by God, but I REALLY liked the Misenchanted Sword. These are most definitely fantasy, with quite a bit of humor.
David Duncan's "King's Blades" books are excellent, although they are told from different perspectives and sometimes the books seem to contradict one another. Again, fantasy.
John Marco's books are also good, but not as well written, I didn't think. These definitely have sci fi elements. It's kind've a mixture of medieval warfare and technology.
Fred Saberhagen's books are ok, but nothing particularly great. His book of swords and the series that go along with the same vein are pretty interesting and creative. His "Faces of the Gods" series are all very creative as well, with a slight sci-fi twist.
David Eddings books are all fantasy. They are pretty good, but after you read one series, the rest all read pretty much the same. The guy even wrote the same story twice, just told it from a different perspective and sold it twice (Belgarath the Sorceror, Polgara the Sorceress). I personally liked all his books until he wrote the "Elder Gods" series. At this point, it became very obvious that he wasn't going to deviate from his original formula and his stories are all way too similar. The guy is a financial gold mine the way he can keep selling the same story over and over again, but not that great a story teller. Too close minded. Read his Riven Codex if you want to hear his POV. He tells the same story on purpose, and feels like he is stooping to a lower level having to write fantasy, instead of writing in high english or whatever the hell his preference is.
I'm sure I've read others, but I can't recall at the moment.
Mathius
Margeret Weis and Tracy Hicks have a few series that are good. Of course there is the Dragonlance series. There's also the Sovereign Stone series that is quite good. Both of these are fantasy.
Weis has a few on her own. The Darksword series is very good, and very sci fi. Also, she has another series called the Death Gate Cycle that leans a lot more toward sci-fi.
Robert Jordan's "Conan the Barbarian" series of books are very good, with little of the political silliness that has expanded his WoT series to 11 books and counting. Wot is short for Wheel of Time. It's more fantasy at face value, but if you consider the implications of the actual wheel of time and how it works, I guess it is science at its core, or perhaps theology.
Terry Goodkind's, 'Sword of Truth' series is pretty good, more fantasy again, but I warn you now there is a lot of dark and sexual content that some find hard to overlook. Also, the books seem to be up and down. Some are very good, even excellent, others are bad. Soul of the Fire reads like smut.
Terry Brooks is ok, although myself I only like his Shannara books and Landover books, but even his newer Shannara books I didn't like much. He also did one Star Wars novel that was alright. I consider his books to be a lighter read. He tends to gloss over a lot of things. His Knight of the Word series is modern fantasy. His Shannara books are fantasy on the surface, but sci fi in their core, because it is a post apocolyptic earth.
Forgotten Realms is very very similar to Dungeons and Dragons. Reads very similar also. Anything by R.A. Salvatore is quite good, although he does have his flaws. I really thought the Crimson Shadow series was quite good as well. Again these are fantasy.
Deborah Chester wrote a trilogy called the Ring, the Sword, and the Chalice that I read recently that was very very good. This is fantasy as well.
Tad Williams is an awesome author, whether you like his medieval stuff (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series), or his sci-fi stuff (The Otherland series is VERY good if you like this kinds of books).
C.S. Friedman is good, but more sci-fi. The Coldfire Trilogy, is another "after earth" type sci fi that reads a bit like fantasy.
Lawrence Watts has a few stand alone books I've read that are good, like Touched by God, but I REALLY liked the Misenchanted Sword. These are most definitely fantasy, with quite a bit of humor.
David Duncan's "King's Blades" books are excellent, although they are told from different perspectives and sometimes the books seem to contradict one another. Again, fantasy.
John Marco's books are also good, but not as well written, I didn't think. These definitely have sci fi elements. It's kind've a mixture of medieval warfare and technology.
Fred Saberhagen's books are ok, but nothing particularly great. His book of swords and the series that go along with the same vein are pretty interesting and creative. His "Faces of the Gods" series are all very creative as well, with a slight sci-fi twist.
David Eddings books are all fantasy. They are pretty good, but after you read one series, the rest all read pretty much the same. The guy even wrote the same story twice, just told it from a different perspective and sold it twice (Belgarath the Sorceror, Polgara the Sorceress). I personally liked all his books until he wrote the "Elder Gods" series. At this point, it became very obvious that he wasn't going to deviate from his original formula and his stories are all way too similar. The guy is a financial gold mine the way he can keep selling the same story over and over again, but not that great a story teller. Too close minded. Read his Riven Codex if you want to hear his POV. He tells the same story on purpose, and feels like he is stooping to a lower level having to write fantasy, instead of writing in high english or whatever the hell his preference is.
I'm sure I've read others, but I can't recall at the moment.
Mathius
phil_t
New Member
I would recommend Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs series:
Altered Carbon
Broken Angels
Woken Furies
Great sci-fi which has a small tendency towards cyberpunk at times, but is always thought-provoking and fast-moving. Not one for the kids though, fairly graphic violence, sex and even torture scenes crop up quite a bit.
Phil
Altered Carbon
Broken Angels
Woken Furies
Great sci-fi which has a small tendency towards cyberpunk at times, but is always thought-provoking and fast-moving. Not one for the kids though, fairly graphic violence, sex and even torture scenes crop up quite a bit.
Phil
erskine777
New Member
Larry Niven is a must if you like "hard" sci fi. I'd start off with Ringworld, then The Mote in God's Eye, which are my favorite books by him.
elflady
New Member
What of the prequels to the Dune series? I've recently read House Atreides, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson
You might want to check out William Gibson's trilogy - Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Mona Lisa Overdrive. They are generally regarded as the beginning of cyberpunk.
I have heard good things about Kim Stanley Robinson's series Red Mars, Blue Mars, and Green Mars.
I haven't read SF in a while, so that's the best I can do right now.
I have heard good things about Kim Stanley Robinson's series Red Mars, Blue Mars, and Green Mars.
I haven't read SF in a while, so that's the best I can do right now.
BooknaMug
New Member
Ooooh, Robert, I like that quote. Very fitting, I think.
The Dragonlance Series by Weis and Hickman got me started on fantasy, so they're dear to my heart.
Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan is the one I usually recommend because its so brilliant. Love it, love it. Great writing, great characters, great world...
I just started A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin and I like it enough to keep going.
Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea books are absolutely stunning. They're beautiful. Short and a rather easy read, but such a pleasure.
That's all for now...
The Dragonlance Series by Weis and Hickman got me started on fantasy, so they're dear to my heart.
Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan is the one I usually recommend because its so brilliant. Love it, love it. Great writing, great characters, great world...
I just started A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin and I like it enough to keep going.
Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea books are absolutely stunning. They're beautiful. Short and a rather easy read, but such a pleasure.
That's all for now...
sciencegirl94
kickbox
Hi,
I read that you read the Foundation Novels.
If you liked it you should definitely read the Robot Series also by Isaac Asimov.
Also, you should try reading a William Sleator book. Even though they are really easy to read, they really make you think. They are not typical sci-fi books.
Oh, and I also forgot. The Space Oddyseys. They are truly amazing. It is so much fun to read them.
I read that you read the Foundation Novels.
If you liked it you should definitely read the Robot Series also by Isaac Asimov.
Also, you should try reading a William Sleator book. Even though they are really easy to read, they really make you think. They are not typical sci-fi books.
Oh, and I also forgot. The Space Oddyseys. They are truly amazing. It is so much fun to read them.
What of the prequels to the Dune series? I've recently read House Atreides, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson
For the longest time I didn't want to have anything to do with the prequels for fear that they would be bad. How are they?
The waveguide
Member
I read the "Ringworld" twice already. The second time I enjoyed it even more. Really good one. I do not think it is "hard" SciFi, may be it was around 20 years ago but today it doesn't not seem so "hard". Full of worthy ideas.
Nostredame
New Member
Have you considered Warhammer 40,000?
Although they may be Warhammer 40,000 I find that the Gaunt's Ghosts novels by Dan Abnett are very easy to pick up but very difficult to put down. The books do not require much (if any) knowledge of the Warhammer universe and Dan Abnett writes in such a way that the story progresses quickly without ending too soon. I have only read the first two books in the series and am desperately seeking the third book.
The series begins with the book First and Only, which is primarily used to introduce the setting - The Sabbat World Crusade. The second book - Ghostmaker, then proceeds to provide the reader with an insight into each character's past.
Nostredame
Although they may be Warhammer 40,000 I find that the Gaunt's Ghosts novels by Dan Abnett are very easy to pick up but very difficult to put down. The books do not require much (if any) knowledge of the Warhammer universe and Dan Abnett writes in such a way that the story progresses quickly without ending too soon. I have only read the first two books in the series and am desperately seeking the third book.
The series begins with the book First and Only, which is primarily used to introduce the setting - The Sabbat World Crusade. The second book - Ghostmaker, then proceeds to provide the reader with an insight into each character's past.
Nostredame
I wouldn't say that my recommendations below are "hard sci-fi", but they're certainly enjoyable sci-fi/cyberpunk.
Having just read them again for the nth time I can't recommend Julian May's Exile & Galactic Milieu books highly enough.
Read them in order:
1) Saga of the Exiles (4 books). Is is sci-fi, fantasy, mythology, everything?
2) Intervention 1-3 books depending on how you buy it (basically a "bridge" between the above and below series)
3) Galactic Milieu trilogy
Other favourite authors/books of mine:
Anything by William Gibson (except for the Difference Engine IMO - I didn't like it)
Neal Stephenson is always worth reading - Snow Crash, Diamond Age etc. The latest books are historical adventures, but still very enjoyable.
Iain M. Banks Culture-related books are outstanding and his others are very good too.
Also, don't write off out and out fantasy - plenty of good material there as well.
Regards,
Kev
Having just read them again for the nth time I can't recommend Julian May's Exile & Galactic Milieu books highly enough.
Read them in order:
1) Saga of the Exiles (4 books). Is is sci-fi, fantasy, mythology, everything?
2) Intervention 1-3 books depending on how you buy it (basically a "bridge" between the above and below series)
3) Galactic Milieu trilogy
Other favourite authors/books of mine:
Anything by William Gibson (except for the Difference Engine IMO - I didn't like it)
Neal Stephenson is always worth reading - Snow Crash, Diamond Age etc. The latest books are historical adventures, but still very enjoyable.
Iain M. Banks Culture-related books are outstanding and his others are very good too.
Also, don't write off out and out fantasy - plenty of good material there as well.
Regards,
Kev
incorporating
kickbox
Suggestions from us, Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 trilogies (there was a fourth entitled 3001 but not so good as the originals), Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat series and the much underrated Eden trilogy (this should appeal to you if you enjoyed Dune).