Pablo Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Having just finished reading Dan Simmon's Hyperion series I'm not at a total loss as to what to start that won't feel like an anti-climax. I tried The Stars My Destination but I couldn't get into it at all. I suppose I'm in the mood for some ground-breaking sci-fi but I haven't found any yet. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 If you haven't read it, I'd suggest The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Hmmm, that is a great series. Have you read Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun series? How about something by Neal Stephenson? Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon come to mind. Also, The Gap series by Stephen R. Donaldson is a favorite of mine. I'm assuming you have already read the Dune series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 Thanks for the suggestions guys. I tried to read one of Iain M Banks books before Raven, but didn't get beyond about fifty pages. It might have something to do with the fact that I wasn't a sci-fi fan at the time, but I'm a little reluctant to return to him even now. I haven't read the Dune series Pixie, but from reader reviews I understand the books become worse as they go on, and I'm not sure I want to invest so much time in a series with diminishing returns. Oh, man, what a snob I sound. The Gap series does sound good though, so I think I'll probably give that a bash. Also toying with the idea of getting into some Neil Gaiman. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 I tried to read one of Iain M Banks books before Raven, but didn't get beyond about fifty pages. It might have something to do with the fact that I wasn't a sci-fi fan at the time, but I'm a little reluctant to return to him even now. I can understand that, some of his novels are pretty hard going (Against a Dark Background being one of the leading contenders). His Culture books are a little more accessible, with The Player of Games being the most accessible of the lot. It's one of my favourite books, and after reading it you'll never look at a chess board in the same way again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 A few more suggestions: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card I Am Legend by Richard Matheson The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers Gateway by Frederik Pohl The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F Hamilton The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham Voyage by Stephen Baxter Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds The Skinner by Neal Asher All brilliant I'd also highly recommend reading Dune on its own - it's fantastic, and you don't need to read the rest of the series to enjoy it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 (edited) Thanks for the suggestions guys. I tried to read one of Iain M Banks books before Raven, but didn't get beyond about fifty pages. It might have something to do with the fact that I wasn't a sci-fi fan at the time, but I'm a little reluctant to return to him even now. I haven't read the Dune series Pixie, but from reader reviews I understand the books become worse as they go on, and I'm not sure I want to invest so much time in a series with diminishing returns. Oh, man, what a snob I sound. The Gap series does sound good though, so I think I'll probably give that a bash. Also toying with the idea of getting into some Neil Gaiman. Thanks again. Dune does go downhill after the first book, unfortunately. You don't sound like a snob. You sound like you don't want to waste your time with something that would not interest you. That's called knowing your own mind. One small warning about The Gap Cycle. Unlike Dune, the series gets better with each installment. The first book entitled The Real Story is really a mini-novel. Some people are turned off to the series with this first book. It's rather graphic and dark, and might seem pointless, but it is important for the rest of the series, as you will find out later. My advice would be to at least read the second book, Forbidden Knowledge. If you don't like that one, you probably won't enjoy the rest of the series. Good luck in your search for other ground-breaking sci-fi, and I hope you find The Gap Cycle to be a compelling read, as I have. Edited November 24, 2010 by Pixie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 Wow. Many thanks again folks. Looks like I'm going to be busy for a while then. I've read reviews on some of the suggested books and they sound really good. And you're right Pixie - I'm anything but a snob, unless you count being a wine connoisseur! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfaerychild Posted November 27, 2010 Share Posted November 27, 2010 starwars ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo Posted November 30, 2010 Author Share Posted November 30, 2010 Very tempting silverfaerychild, but I've got a thing about reading books if I've already seen the films. Mind you, I did enjoy the Alien books, so...mmmmmm. That might not be a bad idea at all. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 There are hundreds of Star Wars novels, set before, during and after the films, you may need to do some research before you tackle them, if you intend to! There are two threads on them here: Star Wars Books and here: More Star Wars Books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo Posted December 6, 2010 Author Share Posted December 6, 2010 Thanks Raven. I see what you mean by 'lots'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 Yeah, I gave up trying to keep up years ago. For me, Star Wars just isn't the same without the Empire, Stormtroopers and Tie Fighters etc. Once they got shunted out of the books in favour of a galaxy-wide alien invasion I kinda lost interest (and what interest remained after that was then subsequently crushed by the prequels!). One exception to that, which I believe you can still find in graphic novel format, was the Tales of the Jedi series they released in the early nineties, they were very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigWords Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 Tag and Bink. Not a novel, though the best entry in the entirety of the Star Wars saga. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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