I want to read some sci fi

[Kayano]

I read a lot and generally all genres... I have however not read much sci fi (apart from the odd short story)

So please MN recommend me a good sci fi with starships and a rip roaring adventure please x

Definitely agree with Ender's Game and Hyperion. Both are very good. Especially the first two Hyperion books are brilliant.

Ian M Banks's "Culture" is an egalitarian utopia where everyone has everything and robots live in harmony with humans (and aliens? can't remember), where everyone has access to drugs directly secreted into their brains. Somehow everyone has all they need and nobody needs to work. And all this works great and everyone is happy, including the robot population

None of this is really explained and none of it makes sense. I love sci-fi and have always have read loads of it. Enough to know that things need to make sense and explained in a credible way for the book to be good.

Another vote for Ender's Game.

I recently read two novels by Vernor Vinge - A Deepness in the Sky and A Fire Upon The Deep - they have spaceships and interesting alien planets, and I really enjoyed them.

madeupstuff, I agree about Charles Stross - I really like his work. His very geeky Laundry series and "Halting State" / "Rule 34" books really hit the spot for me.

I second Orson Scott Card - Enders Game. Oh, seem to remember Ringworld by Larry Niven was great too. More recently, although more fantasy than sci fi but the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson and loved them.

Ursula Leguin, Lefthanded Side of Darkness.

It is explained, Cote. The minds are able to create matter, removing supply, demand and scarcity.

It's not egalitarian, nor a utopia.

Second the Culture novels, the Hyperion cantos and Ringworld and practically any PK Dick written in the 60s or 70s.

Tiger Tiger (aka The Stars my Destination) by Alfred Bester is a rip roaring romp of a novel with lots of spaceships which I would highly recommend (caveat, does contain rape). The Forever War by Joe Haldeman is also v good.

Oh and cote, Time Enough For Love?! Really?!

You could try Elizabeth Moon - the Serrano series, and the Vatta's War series.

Lots of spaceships and adventure.

"It is explained, Cote. The minds are able to create matter, removing supply, demand and scarcity. "

If you consider that "explanation", I suppose it is no mystery that you would find Ian M Banks' Culture books "thought provoking". Sorry.

Btw, yes, Time Enough For Love is a pretty fun and unchallenging introduction to sci-fi. Putting aside some pretty old-school views on gender roles, it brings up interesting issues like what significantly longer life spans would bring, the conflicts they would cause, our prejudices about sex and promiscuity, etc.

It is by no means the greatest speculative fiction I have ever read, but it is witty and I think OP could start to enjoy sci-fi through it. Oh and even in this light read you find that the author goes into the challenges and struggles a self-aware computer would face. Not like Banks' ridiculous utopia of robots and humans living together in harmony with no problems

Then again, Robert Heinlein is one of The Big Three writers of sci-fi, whereas Ian M Banks probably isn't even in the first 15.

Michael Cobley - The Humanity's Fire series

Greg Bear - Moving Mars, Eon, Eternity

Hannu Rajaniemi - The Quantum Thief

Peter F.Hamilton -Night's Dawn Trilogy, Commonwealth Saga, Void Trilogy

Alastair Reynolds - Inhibitor series

A bit out there but deep - Olaf Stapledon - Star Maker

That's really very rude and patronizing, Cote. Given this is a friendly thread about books and I don't believe I've insulted you, it's also uncalled for.

The thing about the Culture novels is that they're not hard sf - they're sociological Space Opera (you can have hard sf SO, but the two don't have to go hand in hand). Banks isn't normally interested in physics - he wants to play with what a truly post-scarcity society might be like, and he hand-waves a bit to say "Oh, we're post scarcity because the pixies bring us lots of goodies". This makes it less than ideal hard sf but, like FTL travel in most books, or the time travel in TEFL, we accept it because it's a necessary mechanism for the story the author wants to tell.

I wouldn't class Banks as a great author, but he has an interesting vision of the world, some intriguing plots, and loads of whacking great spaceships and "that would look great on film" moments - and sometimes that's exactly what you want.

Have a look at the Baen website. Lots of sci-fi. Lots of different sub genres of sci-fi. Most of their books have chapters free online so you can read before committing to buying.

I really like David Weber and Eric Flint.

I've generally been a sci-fantasy/dystopian novel reader. Hence I'd say Margaret Attwood, Oryx & Crake and Aldous Huxley, Brave New World. Gonna try a few of those listed above.

flapper, if you like dystopian I really recommend William Gibson. "Neuromancer" and its sequels are truly great.

Neal Stephenson can be good, too. "The Diamond Age" is well worth a read.

Oohh...thanks Snorbs. Off to Amazon right now :)

While this thread is running - I'm curious about everyones opinion on 'Friday' (Robert Heinlein).

Thanks everyone for the recs so far! Keep them coming! I've downloaded loads to my kindle but I'm frustrated I can't find Asimov foundation %231! Argh! Lol

William Gibson's earlier novels (Neuromancer, Idoru, Mona Lisa Overdrive etc) are really good. Gibson coined the word "cyberspace" in Neuromancer, btw, and with that book he opened a new chapter in sci-fi which was later named "cyberpunk". He started losing his way around the time All Tomorrow's Parties came out and these days I just don't know what his books are supposed to be about. I think he might be going senile Still, he has a very interesting Twitter feed, definitely worth following.

Neal Stephenson is definitely a genius and possibly even a minor deity. His books range from merely brilliant (Cryptonomicon) to mind-blowing (Snow Crash, Diamond Age), to epic & brain-hurty (Anathem). His Snow Crash was selected into Time magazine's list of "100 Best English Language Books Of All Time" and has inspired Google Earth and Second Life, as well as the use of the word "avatar".

Madeup - I read Friday in my late teens and loved it. Not sure how I would find it today. At the time, I had found its views on sexuality interesting and the strong female protagonist empowering.

My recommendations have already appeared - CJ Cherryh's Merchanter's Universe books (Downbelow Station etc),and Elizabeth Moon.

Actually,I'd also recommend The Pride of Chanur - CJ Cherryh again

Just adding my vote to Orson Scott Card's Enders Game.

i love this thread, i now have a reading list of my own so thanks OP!