Sci-Fi Book Recommendation - Favorite Authors Orson Scott Card & Vernor Vinge?

Question

I am looking for a recommendation for my next sci-fi read. My favorite authors include Orson Scott Card and Vernor Vinge. I prefer books of the series nature but a strong stand-alone story will work also. So if you have a recommendation for these tastes please let me know! Thanks!

PS - Specific book/series titles would be appreciated! Ty

PSS - Sorry, if your not familiar with the authors I noted. I tend to lean towards the hard science genre not really into the fantasy side.

Answer 1

Scott Westerfeld--Uglies, Pretties, Specials
David Brin--Uplift War Series
Robert Sawyer--Hominids
Kevin J Anderson/Brian Herbert--Dune series
Frank Herbert --started the Dune series
Stephen Baxter-Voyage
Julie Czernada--Survival, Regeneration, Migration
Kim Stanley Robison Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars


I have personally met these authors at science fiction conventions. They are hard science rather than fantasy. I also help run a science fiction convention.

Answer 2

My suggestion would be The Books Of The New Sun by Gene Wolfe. There are 4 voulmes.
The Shadow of the Torturer
The Claw of the Conciliator
The Sword of the Lictor
The Citadel of the Autarch.

There was a fifth book, The Urth of the New Sun, but it is merely an add on and not really necessary.

These lean a little bit towards fantasy, but they are well written and very dark and include many things you find in ordinary sci-fi.

Answer 3

Both William Gibson and Neal Stephenson write great cyberpunk. Gibson is best known for his Neuromancer trilogy, which begins with the novel Neuromancer. Stephenson's Snow Crash is really good, as is Cryptonomicon.

Sheri S Tepper writes interesting sci-fi with a definite political angle; if you liked the politics in Ender's Game you might check her out. I'd recommend "Grass", "Beauty" and "A Plague of Angels".

Connie Willis ("Doomsday Book", "To Say Nothing of the Dog") writes really interesting and involving time travel novels. Same goes for Kage Baker's Novels of the Company (the first is "In the Garden of Iden") about time traveling cyborgs and their eventual rebellion against their human masters.

And if you like long, involved political intrigue, you can't go wrong with Dune. In my personal opinion the series got too long; I prefer the first three books and didn't really pursue it past that.

Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy ("Red Mars", "Green Mars" and "Blue Mars" is interesting, although I confess that it's a bit soap operatic for me. It does remind me a lot of Heinlein's work though.

And if you've never read Heinlein, try "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress". And as far as the classics go, there's always Asimov. 2001 is a must-read.

They're not hard SF writers, but both Neil Gaiman ("Neverwhere", "American Gods") and Charles DeLint are brilliant.

Answer 4

My favorite hard sci fi series of all time is the Rama series by Arthur C. Clarke. I read it over 10 years ago and still think about it from time to time. The first book in the series is Rendevous with Rama.

A more recent release that I enjoyed was the series that begins with The Golden Age by John C. Wright.

Answer 5

Honor Harrington series by David Weber (Space Opera at it's best)

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.
- On Basilisk Station

Series List--In Order:
On Basilisk Station
The Honor of The Queen
The Short Victorious War
Field of Dishonor
Flag in Exile
Honor Among Enemies
In Enemy Hands
More Than Honor
Echos of Honor
Worlds of Honor
Ashes of Victory
Changer of Worlds
War of Honor
Service of the Sword
Crown of Slaves
The Shadow of Saganami
At All Costs

Answer 6

This is a bit out of your way, but I think you might like the Uplift series by David Brin. The later books in the series get really weird, and I mean REALLY weird, but the first several are pretty good. The link is to the wikipedia article.

Answer 7

I love Orson Scott Card's books. I also like Sherri S. Tepper, and C.J. Cherryh, Greg Bear, FranK Herbert, and David Brin. There's also a Brit writer, I think her name is Gwyneth Jones.

Answer 8

Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey
The Petaybee trilogy by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

Pern is a little more fantasy-ish but it's explaned in a scientific manner. The Petaybee trilogy is the same but thay are both worth it by far. They are Sci-fi classics so they shoud be in your library. The link is to her web site

Answer 9

I enjoy Scott's books too. Have had the pleasure of a few meals with him and can describe him as a truly good person.

Just about anything by Stephen Baxter is good. I'd particularly recommend "The Light of Other Days" that he wrote with Clarke.

Aloha

Answer 10

Harlan Ellison. He's a little speculative, but very good. I recommend Angry Candy and Strange Wine. I always prefer a great short story to a series and Ellison is the best.