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Thread: Favourite Science Fiction Story or Book

  1. #33
    Asking silly questions menthel's Avatar
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    Does no one read Iain M Banks? Most of his stuff is great, especially the culture series. Consider phlebas and the player of games are really very good.
    Not around too often!

  2. #34
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    Tha Rama books are great and I want to re-read them (having been bought them recently - first time being library copies) but I just can't be bothered to start them...

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    Senior Amoeba iranu's Avatar
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    Revelation Space - Alistair Reynolds. (Stunning space opera like no other)

    Chasm City - Alistair Reynolds. (Excellent story set in the "Revelation Space Universe" good place to start)

    Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars Trilogy - Kim Stanly Robinson (Just the way it may pan out, breathtaking detail)

    Stone - Adam Roberts (You don't quite get it until the last page)
    "Reality is what it is, not what you want it to be." Frank Zappa. ----------- "The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." Huang Po.----------- "A drowsy line of wasted time bathes my open mind", - Ride.

  4. #36
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    For Classic Sci Fi I like Poul Anderson
    Trader To The Stars for instance

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    If you REALLY want to read about ALIEN societies, then read Genji Monogatari
    It's like nothing seen on Earth... except it was...

  6. #38
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    there but for the grace of God, go I IBM's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by menthel
    Does no one read Iain M Banks? Most of his stuff is great, especially the culture series. Consider phlebas and the player of games are really very good.
    I have to agree with that one....Iain M Banks....what an imagination that guy has...and to be able to switch between all the Culture classics and regular fiction stuff like The Wasp Factory...absolutely amazing.
    sig removed by Zak33

  7. #39
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    oh man I prolly read 2 scifi books a week.. except peter hamiltons.. cos his are like thousand page whoppers as a rule.

    I really enjoyed red mars blue mars and green mars by kim stanley robinson, and I approve of some things said in this thread... but not of others.

    Terry Pratchett, while enjoyable is NOT sci-fi. It's not even close.

    Greg Bear's Eon and Eternity haven't had a mention, but omg.. theres some "hard science" in those two.

    Dirk Gently is not even close to the hitchhikers guide, and I thought the film let the books down terribly.

    The Rama series and A C Clarke in general is top stuff, and Aasimov, though dated, is still a cracking read - swearwords like "gosh" and "bother" seem almost quaint yet so out of date as to be not relevant.

    LOTR isn't sci-fi. And if anyone ever says to you "oh man i really enjoyed all that elven poetry, all 200 pages of it" they are telling LIES. The book is fashionable "quality reading" for one reason only.

    Julian May... I have missed him in my readings... //logs into online book retailer. Cos tbh I'm running out of authors.

    As for my favourites.. well I couldn't choose, I'll put in a good word for Iain M Banks.. sci fi from the top drawer.
    And Evolution by Stephen Baxter is pretty god.
    William Gibson - artistic beautiful prose sci fi... try pattern recognition - just awesome.
    Heinlein -- girl friday, and of course Starship Troopers - but these are proper starship troopers not the wimpy nubs in the film, these guys have many mini nukes and large armoured jumpsuits.. none of this trying to kill bugs with little things like guns... cracking read.
    Greg Bear deserves a 2nd recommendation. Just because.

    But my favourite

    Mother Of God - by David Ambrose

    woman creates AI... AI goes mentalist and starts pwnin earth.. its so uber words fail me. Everyone buy it now.

  8. #40
    Will work for beer... nichomach's Avatar
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    And I agree with a lot of what you say, Nana; I'm a Hamilton addict, a Gibson addict, but I should probably point out that Julian May's a she, not a he... (named, I believe, after the anchoress Dame Julian of Norwich). I highly recommend her; the Saga of the Exiles BEGS to be read, as does Intervention and the Galactic Milieu series.

  9. #41
    Prize winning member. rajagra's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Theo
    Richard Matheson - I am Legend.

    Fantastic vampire novel with a sci-fi twist.
    Come out, Neville.
    Lol.
    That would make such a great film. (I liked The Omega Man, but that was only loosely based on I Am Legend.)

    Quote Originally Posted by daverobev
    To anyone who loves Stephen Donaldson - the third Thomas Covenant series is on its way!!
    Cough, splutter!
    I remember when the 2nd set was coming out, after reading each book I'd think "I hope I don't die before the next one comes out."
    I don't know if I can handle the withdrawal symptoms again.
    Last edited by rajagra; 02-06-2005 at 12:27 AM.
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    The difference between hard sciene fiction, fantasy, and pop drivel: Hard science fiction
    Heinelin
    Asimov
    Clarke - the three giants of the golden era. Other fab writers include:
    Gordon R Dickson with his Dorsai worlds
    A.E. Van Vogt with his worlds of Null A
    Anne McCaffrey with the fabulous Dragons of Pern worlds. (Genetics and A.I.)
    Poul Anderson
    Ray Bradbury
    Damon Knight
    John Brunner
    Larry Niven (The Ringworld stories)
    Robert Silverberg and many more.
    Hard science fiction/fantasy mix:
    Roger Zelazny
    Samuel R Delaney
    Philip K Dick
    Frank Herbert

    There's a few to get on with.

  11. #43
    Super Tanker Driver hitman67's Avatar
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    2001 by Arthur C Clarke

    A god of a book, even if you've seen the film the book is 10x better. Also Hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy.
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    Moderator DavidM's Avatar
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    Some great names and books mentioned - but my own fave is out of print in the UK -- Chtorran invasion stories by David Gerrold ... (the chap who was responsible for The Trouble With Tribbles... but don't hold that against him!)

    Hitchhikers - classic! But I really wish he'd have stopped with the first 3 books in the trilogy - i'm not a fan of the last 2

  13. #45
    Moderator DavidM's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DavidM
    Agreed with most of the listed ones: (MYTH, Pratchett, Assimov & Clarke..)

    but my own? the Necroscope series - Brian Lumley - and the very hard-to-obtain "Chtorr" series from David Gerrold (The one behind "The Trouble With Tribbles")
    /me laughs - didn't realise i'd already mentioned this

  14. #46
    Moderator DavidM's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ferral
    Clive Barker - Weaveworld and also Cabal
    Stephen King - Green Mile
    Graphic Novel - Lobo : Bounty Hunting for Fun & Profit (DC Comics)
    On that note - I was wondering how many issues of "Lobo the duck" where made?

  15. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by nichomach
    Good Omens is fantastic - "Crawley, you BASTARD! Holy Water??!!"
    My fave quote from that book is -
    "You can't do 80 miles an hour through central London!!!"
    "Why not?"

    Well worth a read folks!

    My faves tend to be graphic novels such as Bone, The Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, V for Vendetta and loads more. Too many to mention! As for "proper" books I like mine (A Gathering of Storm Clouds (plug plug!)), Neuromancer by William Gibson, Timothy Zahns original three Star Wars books, oh jeez, far far too many to mention!

    EDIT: And Asimov's books are wonderful. So full of sheer brilliance coupled with an easy to read style. Everyone should read them.
    An Atlantean Triumvirate, Ghosts of the Past, The Centre Cannot Hold
    The Pillars of Britain, Foundations of the Reich, Cracks in the Pillars.

    My books are available here for Amazon Kindle. Feedback always welcome!

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    Mars trilogy - Kim Stanley Robinson

    most things Arthur Clarke has written (not the later 20xx books - pants, only written
    due to huge demand)

    Same again for Philip K Dick

    Use of Weapons - Iain M Banks. Superb.

    Eon - Greg Bear. Totally mind buggering

    Foundation series - Asimov.

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