Science fiction recommendations please

[MrsFTHC]

Hi, I'm looking for science fiction book recommendations, the problem is I've never really read any so I can't say what kind of thing I like, can anyone help with any suggestions? Probably something fairly short to start with to see if I enjoy it thenI can always look for more by the same author. Thanks

I have to say that sci-fi isn't really the place to look for rich character development and emotional journeys of each character. The few sci-fi books that tried this like Never Let Me Go have failed as sci-fi imho.

Personally, I read sci-fi for the complexity of the ideas, the sheer intellectual pleasure of reading a well-developed and internally consistent universe of 'What if's, rather than character development.

Iain Banks' books fall in a sub-genre of sci-fi called "space opera", which comes from soap operas of daytime TV. To each their own and all that, but I have found his books to be not terribly realistic (yes, good sci-fi is very realistic) and rather superficial. I read about 8 of them in quick succession and gave up.

My problem with Wool was two-fold:

1. None of it made any sense

and

2. Not much happened, except at the end of each novella. It felt like a mediocre tv show where a little something happens at the end of an episode to make you watch the next.

John Wyndham
Day of the Triffids
Midwich Cuckoos
Chrysalids

Marge Piercy
Woman at the Edge of Time

Margaret Atwood
Handmaid's Tale

Thanks for reminding me about Woman At The Edge of Time - have been meaning to get hold of that for ages.

Ugh to Never Let Me Go. Gosh, I hated that book.

Anything by Jerry Pournelle or Larry Niven.

You can't go wrong with Douglas Adams of course.

The Enders Game sequels are IMO much better books than Enders Game itself.

The Iain M Banks Culture books are superb.

My favourite Sci Fi series is probably Stephen Donaldson Gap sequence however they are somewhat gory. I'm very fond of Asimov's Foundation series even though the early books are now pretty dated.

Christopher Priest's books are good.

Dune :) However it helps to read a brief overview of where it's all at first. When I first tried to read it I was chucked in the deep end of strange words, people with titles I didn't understand, etc. and gave up after three pages vowing to NEVER try it again Once I had read a basic layout of what was going on (on Wiki) to set the scene I tried again and was hooked.
Iain M Banks Culture series- again, brilliant (though not too deep). His sci fi stuff was his magnum opus- the 'straight' novels were second to him :)

I read Stephen Donaldson's first Gap book . It was basically entirely about the enslavement, torture, and rape of a woman. I didn't read the rest.

Have I missed something?

Yes. You missed the other books. which dealt extensively with the consequences of the events in the first book and the events that had led up to the events of the first book. Very grim indeed. But utterly compelling. The whole sequence is based loosely on northern myths and legends.

And of course, the first book wasn't entirely about that at all. That's kind of the point. It wasn't the Real Story.

But even if you hadn't completely missed the point, no more grim than Dune, I'd've said.......

'Dune' isn't currently making me want to put the computer down and go and read it, I'm afraid. I will keep trying though.

I can't even begin to compare the complex mind games and strategies of Dune to that first Gap book which was truly all about the control, subjugation, torture, and rape of one woman. Ok, if not entirely, lets say 98%. Really not my kind of book and seriously impossible to compare with Dune, which has consistently been voted The Best Sci-Fi Of All Time.

Stick with it, Remus

I've read the Gap books, and I've read the Dune books, therefore I'm qualified to comment on both of them. And you aren't. You completely missed the point of the first Gap book, and didnt read the others, so you really can't comment. Dune is actually more fantasy than sci fi anyway. And it's (mostly) fine, although it's a good example of the law of (steeply) diminishing returns. No more than that though, I'd say. And pretty pointlessly gruesome.

Dune books are not fantasy and I honestly don't know what you mean by "gruesome".

If there was a point to that first Gap book that I have missed, I'd be interested to hear it so please share.

I have not commented on all Gap books, by the way, but the first one that I have read and hence am "qualified" to comment on.

Thanks for the recommendations, I've downloaded a selection of books from amazon and I'll let you know how I get on :)

I read and was totally gripped by Stephenson Donaldson's the Gap Series, I had to wait for each of the next ones to be published. Prob 20+ years ago (), but they were brilliant books. Have stuck with me as some of the best books I have ever read! I don't usually read SciFi either. I also don't read Fantasy but also enjoyed his 'Thomas Covenant' series of books too.

In fact I might reread, is so long ago I can't recall the Gap story just how good they were!

I'd also second Margaret Attwoods The Handmaids Tale.

I feel really old now that I've realised how long ago that was!

thehairybaby I think the last Gap book was published in 1996. So not quite 20 years! Have you been reading the new Covenant books? The last one is due in the autumn - I can't wait!

Ooooo no, what are they?

I'll never forget how exciting it was when one got published...I even bought them as hardbacks and I was skint then!

....now I sound like a saddo as well as old!!

Here you go www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_15?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=thomas+covenant+the+last+chronicles&sprefix=Thomas+covenant%2Cstripbooks%2C242

Te first 4 books listed. The 4th one comes out in October. Absolutely brilliant. I can't wait!

My dad read the original ones as they came out (I was too young - read the original 6 in the week after my A levels). I remember there used to be a notice on the relevant shelf in our local bookshop saying 'we don't know when the next book is coming out, as soon as we know we will put the date here p,ease stop asking!'

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy... et volià!

Handmaid's Tale is a good read also Anne McCaffrey - the Ship who sang.
Ursula LeGuin - Earthsea Quartete (think there may be 5 now) & the Left Hand of darkness. she also has some short stories- Changing Planes.