Sci-fi book recommendations

[medjay]

I'm in the mood to do some sci-fi reading but I don't know what to pick up.

I'm not looking for anything too heady or philosophical; fun space-opera will do. I'm not really into the cyberpunk stuff. Golden Age is cool but I'd prefer something a little more contemporary (I read enough Heinlein when I was a kid).

I'm kind of out of the sci-fi loop these days, I don't know what's new or hot. Help a brother out.

 

[dg]

It's like totally obvious and I'm sure you've read it, but the Ender's Game series is amazing.

 

[medjay]

It's like totally obvious and I'm sure you've read it, but the Ender's Game series is amazing.

I read Ender's Game a long time ago but never any of the following books.

I'll put it on the list to consider.

 

[dg]

I read Ender's Game a long time ago but never any of the following books.

I'll put it on the list to consider.

Definitely consider Ender's Shadow then at the very least.

 

[Byron In Exile]

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny

 

[rosco rathbone]

The Demon Princes Jack Vance

 

[Sean]

Iain M Banks' Culture novels. Brilliantly written, humour and it makes you think.
http://www.iainbanks.net/
His non genre stuff is fantastic, too.

 

[Borscht]

I'm in the mood to do some sci-fi reading but I don't know what to pick up.

I'm not looking for anything too heady or philosophical; fun space-opera will do. I'm not really into the cyberpunk stuff. Golden Age is cool but I'd prefer something a little more contemporary (I read enough Heinlein when I was a kid).

I'm kind of out of the sci-fi loop these days, I don't know what's new or hot. Help a brother out.

It ain't light and fluffy, but if haven't read 'Dune' by Frank Herbert you have to.

It's the law.

 

[Doulton]

When you said "I'm not looking for anything too heady or philosophical" I immediately thought of The Golden Age as an example of what not to recommend No books have ever made me feel more compelled to keep reading just a little further to see what happens next than the first two in that series.
Anyway, an obvious series that you're probably familiar with is Alistair Reynolds' Revelation Space books. When I think of good sci-fi now, those two series are the first I always think of. If you want me to sing the praises just give the word.
Joe Haldeman's Forever War is a very good reasonably light piece of fun too.

 

[JazzManJim]

I've heard that the recent books by John Scalzi ("Old Man's War", "The Ghost Brigades", and "The Last Colony") are pretty good reads. And he has a blog that's awfully entertaining also.

 

[medjay]

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny

I read a synopsis. This looks promising.

 

[medjay]

When you said "I'm not looking for anything too heady or philosophical" I immediately thought of The Golden Age as an example of what not to recommend

To clarify, I guess I should have said that the only sci-fi I've read in the past year is Philip K. Dick, Octavia Butler and re-reading the Hyperion series by Dan Simmons.

After all that I'm feeling rather overwhelmed and depressed. Something more lighthearted would be quite refreshing right now.

 

[Valcorie]

Gabriel's Ghost is decent, can't remember the author

 

[mirrors2]

*coughDouglasAdamscough*

 

[medjay]

*coughDouglasAdamscough*

I've read that too many times now.

 

[Sean]

If you want pure space opera, try The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F Hamilton.

 

[mirrors2]

I've read that too many times now.

So've most of us.

I've got no good recommendations, really. Sorry. Few good fantasy authors, but I haven't encountered many sci-fi novels that are particularly lighthearted, recently.

 

[HB1965]

Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin

Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison

Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

This Immortal by Roger Zelazny

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

 

[Valcorie]

Gabriel's Ghost is decent, can't remember the author

Linnea Sinclair

 

[Bert Notorius]

If you have a lot of time to kill, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series by Stephen Donaldson is good. Fantasy meets morality.

 

[Sean]

The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison

God yes! How did I forget Jim?
"The Monty Python of the spaceways" as one reviewer has it.

 

[mcopado]

Kinda space opera-ish without being too space opera ish-more military sci-fi

Jerry Pournelle's

Prince of Mercenaries
Falkenberg's Legion
Go Tell the Spartans
Prince of Sparta

Really space operish, his collaberation with Larry Niven, The Mote in God's eye about first contact.

 

[medjay]

The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison

The synopsis on this looks good.

Is it as funny/cheesy as the "John Carter of Mars" books?

 

[SpeX125]

"Snow Crash",by Neal Stephenson was a fun one. It made me smile a lot.

"Starrigger","The Red Limit Freeway",and "Paradox Alley" (better known as "The Skyway Trilogy"),by John DeChancie,was a lot of fun,too. I didn't want it to end.

I think I'm gonna re-read those,it's been a while.

 

[evesdream]

To clarify, I guess I should have said that the only sci-fi I've read in the past year is Philip K. Dick, Octavia Butler and re-reading the Hyperion series by Dan Simmons.

After all that I'm feeling rather overwhelmed and depressed. Something more lighthearted would be quite refreshing right now.

hrm Octavia Butler is who I came in here to recommend.
Jack Vance recommended above sounds like what you're looking for. Epic, but with an appreciation for the absurd.