Gimmie some SciFi to read

[GilloD]

Someone suggest me some SciFi. Fall is the time of year when I forego literary pretension, put McSweeney's on the shelf and gorge myself on SciFi. I just read Stephen Baxter's Mayflower II, about the 25,000 year trip of a generation ship and it blew me away. I looked into his other books, but I wasn't as taken by the premesissess. I like books where's there's a silly central mystery that has a shocking and awesome answer (Ala LOST or Twilight Zone), planetary exploration.

I'd also like some suggestions for post-apocalyptic stuff. I've been through I Am Legend and World War Z, so anything else would be nice.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

obligatory READ LIGHT
obligatory FUCK ENDER'S GAME

if you haven't read Zelazny's Lord of Light, that is a personal failing

if you like "big premise" books, Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep is pretty good.

The Dark Beyond the Stars was a fun generational ship book, if you want another one of those.

Wolfe is the best, but not if you're looking to forgo literary pretention.

[bagofeyes]

Ignoring your preferences I'm just gonna give you some books I like:

Childhood's End - Arthur C Clarke
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
There Are Doors - Gene Wolfe
Any number of Philip K Dick books and short fiction (his short story 'I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon' is great)

[Howard Alan Treesong]

omg you did NOT just recommend There Are Doors by Gene Wolfe

I thought I was the only human being who had read that!

Wouldn't be my first Wolfe to recommend, but damn if that book hasn't stuck with me. It's more about vacuum salesmen than science fiction, tho.

I'm reading Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said right now.

[bagofeyes]

I'm gonna start Bradbury's 'The Martian Chronicles'. Never read it before.

[jobber]

www.ign.com 

[Fragamemnon]

I'd also like some suggestions for post-apocalyptic stuff. I've been through I Am Legend and World War Z, so anything else would be nice.

If you like geology in any way, Baxter's Moonseed is good pulpy fun for a post-apoc setting, given that you were able to enjoy Mayflower II. His way of destroying the world is, at the very least, quite unique.

My standard post-apoc recs-the "big three" must read books. Note that I don't do ZOMBIEZ hardcore like other people do nowadays.

A Canticle For Leibowitz
Lucifer's Hammer
Alas, Babylon

For something a bit different:

Oryx and Crake  (I like Atwood, if you don't avoid)
Good Omens (Prachett and Gaiman, really great book IMO)
The Road  (yes it's an oprah book club book. still good stuff)

[Bloodwake]

I'm actually reading through Ender's Game for the first time right now.

If Patel's right, whoops.

It's alright though. It's keeping my attention.

[Bloodwake]

I'm easily swayed. After Ender's Game I'm finding There Are Doors.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

be forewarned

There Are Doors is more subdued modern fantasy than science fiction. Maybe something like de Lint, though far less Gothic. It's also a bit of a romance, though "romance" here means the aching, impossible love between an autistic department store salesman and an immortal woman from another world, and not the Harlequin bodice-ripping kind. It's a haunting, beautiful story, but it's pretty spaceship free. Think of it as a Celtic legend circa 1200 AD rewritten for 1985 and you sort of have the picture.

If you want a one-shot of Wolfe, you could do worse than to track down Seven American Nights in some collection. A good novella that will give you an idea if you like his style or not. Most of his better novel-length work is in 2-4 book cycles, which makes it hard to recommend off-the-cuff. I think his Wizard Knight series is vastly underrated, and that's only two books, so, uh, start there!

Ender's Game is okay. There's no shame in reading and enjoying it. It's just kind of forgettable fluff that has been elevated to canonical status--like the Da Vinci Code of SF. At the very least, skip the fucking sequels.

Can we count Lethem's Amnesia Moon as post-apocalyptic? It's kind of during-apocalyptic. Anyways, it rules.

If you want a dark post-apocalyptic comedy, read Dick's The Penultimate Truth.

Canticle for Lebowitz is awesome/must read.

The Road was okay, if far from the most beautiful book I've ever read.

I like Atwood but found Oryx and Crake to be mediocre, sadly. Read The Blind Assasin, it has a few secret SF chapters.

[Bloodwake]

be forewarned

There Are Doors is more subdued modern fantasy than science fiction. Maybe something like de Lint, though far less Gothic. It's also a bit of a romance, though "romance" here means the aching, impossible love between an autistic department store salesman and an immortal woman from another world, and not the Harlequin bodice-ripping kind. It's a haunting, beautiful story, but it's pretty spaceship free. Think of it as a Celtic legend circa 1200 AD rewritten for 1985 and you sort of have the picture.

If you want a one-shot of Wolfe, you could do worse than to track down Seven American Nights in some collection. A good novella that will give you an idea if you like his style or not. Most of his better novel-length work is in 2-4 book cycles, which makes it hard to recommend off-the-cuff. I think his Wizard Knight series is vastly underrated, and that's only two books, so, uh, start there!

Ender's Game is okay. There's no shame in reading and enjoying it. It's just kind of forgettable fluff that has been elevated to canonical status--like the Da Vinci Code of SF. At the very least, skip the fucking sequels.

Can we count Lethem's Amnesia Moon as post-apocalyptic? It's kind of during-apocalyptic. Anyways, it rules.

If you want a dark post-apocalyptic comedy, read Dick's The Penultimate Truth.

Canticle for Lebowitz is awesome/must read.

The Road was okay, if far from the most beautiful book I've ever read.

I like Atwood but found Oryx and Crake to be mediocre, sadly. Read The Blind Assasin, it has a few secret SF chapters.

Except the Da Vinci Code sucks completely. Ender's Game actually reads like the author wrote novels before.