Sort of a misnomer, science fiction usually means "speculative fiction" including everything from aliens and flying cars to "what-if" stories of Hitler taking over the world. For the purposes of our discussion here, we will not include fantasy but the boundries can blur even between SF and fantasy when you think of authors like Michael Swanwick and others of his ilk.
I'm creating this page in the hopes of enlisting Brett and Adam to post occasional recommendations for reading lists and their thoughts on authors and storylines.
Recommendations
Suggest a book to share with other fans.
GeneMerrill
- The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Recommended by BrettShand as a "scifi book for those who don't like scifi". I gobbled this up in a couple days, a great love story. Comment: I've just finished reading this book again, and it's a much better book than I gave it credit for being. It takes a look at some serious issues under it's guise as a love story. It's a thoughtful book and really repays careful reading. BrettShand
- Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh
- Originally published as a serial I believe, I read this in novel format and loved it. I'm not a huge Cherryh fan but this is an amazing story.
AdamShand
AdamShand/ReadingList has a bunch of good recommendations.
SimonRyan
- By Greg Egan - An excellent Australian hard core science fiction author.
- Diaspora
In the 30th century, few humans remain on Earth. Most have downloaded themselves into robot bodies or solar-system-spanning virtual realities, escaping death--or so they believe, until the collision of nearby neutron stars threatens life in every form.
- Schild's Ladder
Twenty thousand years into the future, an experiment in quantum physics has had a catastrophic result, creating an enormous, rapidly expanding vacuum that devours everything it comes in contact with.
- Diaspora
Brett Shand
Here are some of my favourite books. Some only just teeter on the edge of science fiction and some are more fantasy. AdamShand and I like a lot of the same books, so I've stayed away from some books I might have listed as they're on Adam's list.
John Fowles
- A MAGGOT
A mixture of fake history, the future and a murder mystery. This is high class literature, erotic, obsessive and moody.
John Fowles also wrote "The Magus," "The French Lieutent's Woman" and others.
Russell Hoban
- RIDDLEY WALKER
A very dark post-apocalyse novel. It tracks the life of a boy, Riddley Walker, as he explores his young adult world. It is written in an invented language. It is a tragic look at the human greed for power.
- PILGERMANN
It is not science fiction, but it is the "sequel" to Riddley Walker and in many ways the anti-dote to it.
P.D.James
- THE CHILDREN OF MEN
P.D.James leaves her usual murder mystery genre and writes of the near future when the men of the world wake up and find they are all sterile. Set in England, of course.
Ursula Le Guin
I like everything she has written, and I enjoy the philosophy behind her feminist utopias, and the strong influences from anthroplogy and Taoism. But particularly I like:
- THE WIZARD OF EARTHSEA
The first of the Earthsea books, amd all the Earthsea books are wonderful. BTW don't ever watch the Sci-Fi Channel adaption of these books. They are, in my opinion, deeply insulting to the books, their intent and to any aesthetic taste. How the script writer got away with this nonsense is a mystery.
- A FISHERMAN OF THE INLAND SEA
An excellent set of short stories in the Hainish universe. The last story (Another Story) is one of the best love stories I ever read.
- ALWAYS COMING HOME
One of her utopias set in a post-apocalypse Earth. Here she explores the idea of a "climax technology," another of her recurring themes.
- THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS
One of the Hainish novels.
And a whole bunch of others. I love her short stories too.
Phillip Mann
A New Zealander, I think that's how he would identify himself, and a friend of mine. He has written a number of books but the two that I read over and over are:
- PIONEERS
A story set in the far future. It follows the adventures of two gentically "enhanced" humans trying to recover pioneers sent out from Earth many generations before in the hope that they can rejuvenate the burned-out and sterile remains of the population on Earth. I would love to see Peter Jackson make this one into a movie.
- WULFSYARN - A MOSAIC
Again set in the far future and this one on the far distant planet of Juniper. It follows the fortunes of Jon Wilberfoss and the Nightingale, the hospital ship of the Gentle Order of St Francis Dionysos. The story is told by Wulf, a biocrystalline autoscribe who in his spare time is a social historian struggling with the idea of what it means to be human, as seen from a machine's point of view.
All Phil's books are very moral - in the best sense - and his socialist leanings show through very interestingly, I think. This is not to say that these book are in the least moralising or didactic; very far from it.
Walter M. Miller
- A CANTICLE FOR LIEBOWITZ
If you haven't read this book go and get copy from the library today. A classic, a warning for these times and very funny too.
Neal Stephensen
- SNOW CRASH
A great book of ideas and a thriller at the same time. Who can write a virus to crash the human brain?
- DIAMOND AGE
This one explores the moral ideas in Confucianism and high tech books and a whole host of other ideas. I loved it.
- CRYPTONOMICON
A great story of ideas and adventure. The last novel of his that I could read.
Bruce Sterling
Everyone knows his books. So I'll just list the four I like the best.
- SCHIZMATRIX
- INVOLUTION OCEAN
- ISLANDS IN THE NET and
- THE CRYSTAL EXPRESS (short stories)
After this they became a bit formulaic. A pity, he's a very good writer.
Robert Silverberg
One of the old school of science fiction writers.
- LORD VALENTINE'S CASTLE
A good old fashioned adventure, love story and romp. Great!
John Wyndham
Stories from the 1950s and sometimes they haven't aged very well. I read them when I was a teenager and I still dig them out occasionally. These exemplify the art of good story telling.
- THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS
- THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS
- THE CHRYSALIDS
and
- THE KRAKEN AWAKES
Vikram Chandra
- RED EARTH AND THE POURING RAIN
A stunning history of India - in a different way. Told through the mouth of a monkey who remembering his previous incarnation. Beautifully written, very moving and very funny - particularly on why Alexander the Great gave up his brutal marauding at the Indus River. Speculative fiction, but not science fiction.
Misc
See the CategoryScienceFiction for all pages that directly relate to science fiction, and here are some other pages on Spack that may give you some ideas if you are looking to write your own: