Sci-fi readers! Greetings! Please allow me to pick your BRAINS?

Question

firstly, please recommend some up-to-date authors and good examples of their work. I've enjoyed William Gibson, Azimov, Heinlein, Di- Phillip K. Dick, and Harlan Ellison. Secondly (if you're still reading) there is a story I read once; a ship on a long trip. the crew begins to become addicted to tethering themselves to the ship and floating out there for longer and longer periods....ring any bells? Live long and prosper. Nanoo nanoo.

Oh, Virginia! Of course I have heard of the public library, you ninny! As you said, many many books. Any problem with my narrowing the search? You must be a Romulan.

Answer 1

If you like William Gibson, try reading Neal Gibson. "Snow Crash" is a cyberpunk novel, while "Cryptonomicon" is based upon cryptography.

I have some friends who love Jeff Noon. I tried reading "Nymphomation" and had trouble with it - too stylistic for me, but you may like it. I liked his ideas, it's just the execution that gave me problems.

Sheri S Tepper's books are all set in the far distant future, and are often allegorical in nature. I'd recommend "Beauty" or "A Plague of Angels".

Connie Willis writes interesting time-travel novels that bounce between the past and the future. I loved "Doomsday Book" and "To Say Nothing of the Dog".

Kage Baker's Company novels are interesting - time-traveling cyborgs through history. There's a plot arc running through all of them, where we learn that at some point the cyborgs rebel against their human masters, but we don't know details of when or why. The first book in the series is "In the Garden of Iden".

Kim Stanley Robinson has some interesting stuff, like his Mars trilogy. They're a little soap operatic for me, but reminiscent of Heinlein, I think.

Answer 2

I recommend The Hammer Of God by Arthut Clarke. It has nothing to do with God. It's an amazing book. I read it at least twice a year, sometimes more.

You may also enjoy Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's now seen as a teen/YA book, but it was originally written for adults. It also has many, many, spinoffs and sequels, so if you like Ender's Game you can continue in the series.

If you're a Trekkie check out Kevin Dilmore and Dayton Ward. They are an awesome writing team. Specifically check out Summon The Thunder. Also check out the Titan series by Michael A. Martin, Andy Mangels, and Christopher L. Bennett.

For some short reads try to look for the Years Best Sci-Fi, which is an omnibus of Sci-Fi short stories.

Margaret Wander Bonanno writes some amazing Trek books and also has an awesome series of her own. You can find out more about that on her website: www.margaretwanderbonanno.com

Peter David writes awesome Sci-Fi books. From here I can just list a few other authors I read, some of which may write only Trek:

Michael Jan Friedman, Dean Wesley Smith, Christie Golden, John Vornholt, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Rod Serling, J.M. Dillard, Vonda N. McIntyre, and Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens.

Good luck, and happy hunting!
Wes

Answer 3

This sounds so familiar. Could it be something by Asimov? Now this is going to drive me nuts trying to remember the title and author.
I just woke up as 4:30 AM and I think I remember some more details of this story. It sounds like the one about an Earth politician rallying people on Earth against the Martian colony. He called them "wasters" because they had to import their water from Earth, they were wasting a valuable resource. The Martian asteroid miners went to Saturn to retrieve a chunk of the ice that formed the rings. Nobody had ever traveled so far into deep space so it was believed that it was impossible.
I'm pretty sure that Asimov either wrote this or was the editor of the collection, possibly the best of 1930 something. Now I have to search my bookshelves.

Answer 4

I'm not a big sci-fun fan, but I enjoyed:
1. Anything by Stanislaw Lem + Kobo Abe's Inter Ice Age 4 + Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange + not that well written but interesting plot: Philip Kerr's A Philosophical Investigation
2. Sounds a bit (if only a little bit) like Lem's Solaris - if that's not the one you're looking for and haven't read it yet - give it a try!

Answer 5

Honor Harrington Series by David Weber

Book 1:On Basilisk Station
Having made him look a fool, she's been exiled to Basilisk Station in disgrace and set up for ruin by a superior who hates her.
Her demoralized crew blames her for their ship's humiliating posting to an out-of-the-way picket station.
The aborigines of the systems only habitable planet are smoking homicide-inducing hallucinogens.
Parliment isn't sure it wants to keep the place; the major local industry is smuggling; the merchant cartel wants her head; the so called "Republic" of Haven is Up To Something; and Honor Harrington has a single, over-aged light cruiser with an armament that doesn't work to police the entire star system.
But the people out to get her made one mistake. They've made her mad.

Answer 6

Hey Cig, try the Library of Cogress' website at loc.gov and pose your question there. Now, though, you need to read David Weber, John Ringo, Eric Flint, Raymond Feist, Harry Turtledove, Jane Lindskold, Ursula LeGuin, Mercedes Lackey, Wen Spencer, S.M. Stirling, just for starters. Happy Reading.

Answer 7

I mostly read Star Wars novels and would recommend anything by Karen Traviss or I also recommend Timothy Zahn not only does he write Star Wars novels but he also writes a lot of other Sci-fi novels that are very good.

Answer 8

Nanoo Nanoo indeed.

Read a book a while ago called "the meek", it was sort of okay.
Don't remember the writer though, sorry.

Answer 9

Clive Barker.
Hellbound Heart.
Weaveworld.

Answer 10

Gene Wolfe is good, but sort of more fantasy than scifi. Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series is very enjoyable... And if you like hard-boiled detective books, you might like George Alec Effinger. Have fun!