Science Fiction

mrsdewinter

Don't know if anybody saw Newsnight's Late Review tonight but during the discussion of this year's Booker Prize, Ian Rankin made a fairly interesting point. He rather bitterly observed that Genre Fiction never gets the nod in these serious heavyweight literary awards even though science fiction, to take an example of genre fiction, has a lot to offer the reader right now.

So, sci fi geeks, what authors was he talking about and which of their works would you recommend?

Andy-Pandy

Ian M Banks to start off with.

MikeC101

He's right too. It's very frustrating when you see someone like Margaret Atwood at such pains to claim what she writes isn't science fiction.

There is, it seems, a large amount of literary bigots, who are sure that sf and genre fiction must be kept in it's ghetto. Though some of the behaviour of certain groups of SF fandom factors into it too. It can't be anything other than snobbery and ignorance, though you must bear in mind I consider "The Road" to be science fiction for those who consider themselves too good to read science fiction

As to current SF writers, I wouldn't be too sure - certainly Ian M Banks (his mainstream fiction is written under the name Ian Banks in case you're confused), JG Ballard, Charles Stross, China Mieville..

If you're also interested in older stuff, Heinlein, Aasimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C Clarke, Philip K Dick..a huge list really.

"I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson has a special place for me, one of the best I've ever read.

mrsdewinter

Thanks very much for that... plenty to go on.
Appreciate the feedback

Linguo

Gotta read some Asimov too, caves of steel is brilliant!

Busi_Girl08

Can anyone here recommend the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series?

It's on my list of books to read, and I was wondering if it was any good?

Linguo

Read it, defo worth a read, it's crazy but good fun!!

Busi_Girl08

Sweet, thanks!:)

Dades

Busi_Girl08 wrote: »

Can anyone here recommend the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series?

It's on my list of books to read, and I was wondering if it was any good?

I really wish I'd never read it.

Only so I could read it for the first time again.
An absolute gem.

dudara

"I am Legend" - forget the film and read the book. Great story.

"Consider Pheblas" - from the great Ian M Banks

A great idea is to get hold of the SF Masterworks series and read your way through it. A personal favourite from the old day is "The Forever War".

"Hitchhiker's" has to be read, simply because of the humour and the amount of culture it has spawned in it's own right.

Busi_Girl08

You know, I tried I am Legend, and really couldn't get into it. I couldn't get past the first 50 pages or so, just seemed to find it really drawn out.

I might give it another try some time...

I do prefer the book ending (yes I already know the ending, curse people who don't know how to use spoiler tags :mad:) to the movie though...

Dades

dudara wrote: »

A great idea is to get hold of the SF Masterworks series and read your way through it. A personal favourite from the old day is "The Forever War".

I do the same thing and The Forever War is one of the best!

Busi_Girl08, you should read "Contact" by Carl Sagan. Doesn't matter if you've seen the movie - it's a brilliant read anyway - and many things (including the ending) are different. Great sci-fi without loads of aliens or plasma rifles if that kinda stuff puts you off.

John

Dune by Frank Herbert. What Lord of the Rings does for fantasy, it does for scifi. Absolutely amazing series (well the first three books, it loses a bit of steam in the later books but each book ends definitively so you don't have to go on if you don't want to).

Dibble

I would recommend 'Rendevous with Rama' (Arthur C. Clarke) and 'I, Robot' (Isaac Asimov). The latter should not be confused with film of the same name as there really is nothing comparable between the two.

MikeC101

Dibble wrote: »

I would recommend 'Rendevous with Rama' (Arthur C. Clarke) and 'I, Robot' (Isaac Asimov). The latter should not be confused with film of the same name as there really is nothing comparable between the two.

As far as I'm aware the script for I, Robot was already written, and had nothing to do with the collection of Asimov stories. The studio had already bought the rights to I, Robot back in the 70s (Harlan Ellison had written a fairly acclaimed script for it too) and to give the Will Smith movie a bit of a publicity boost they used the name, and added in a few Asimov things, like the references to the three laws of robotics. Like you say, nothing comparable between the two, bar a few character names (I think) and some references.

Shoota

Not strictly Sci-Fi but Terry Pratchett should always be mentioned, Night Watch is one of the best books I've ever read, its not even all that funny, and Good Omens is a classic, actually lets not forget about Neil Gaimen while I'm at it, absolutely marvelous writers, both :P

Dibble

Cool, I thought there must have been some association alright. Cheers

stabu

"The Time Traveller, for so shall we speak of him, ..." Exxy exxy lent!

Eoin

I'm not a big sci-fi fan, but trying to read more - so as a newbie, the ones I have enjoyed, and not found too heavy on the science side:

The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks - I didn't realise it was the second in the series though
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - one of my favourites
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan - sort of a sci-fi meets crime story
Wyrms by Orson Scott Card - might be more fantasy than sci-fi though

Dades

eoin wrote: »

The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks - I didn't realise it was the second in the series though

There is no "series" as far as certain books need to be read first. The books don't happen chronologically at all. In the entire 'set' only a few characters ever appear more than once - and each book is an entirely different novel and can be read independently.

Player of Games is actually a book recommended to read first as it gives a better introduction to the "Culture" than Consider Phlebas. Just pick them up and enjoy!

getz

one of the best SF writers is anne mcaffey her series of books are all well written,she now lives in ireland[wicklow mountains] early this year when driving in ireland i noticed a house sign called dragonhold-underhill,it stuck in my mind,then a few days later i remembered it is her own house,i will drive passed it again in feb for another look, maybe a might see her

Data_Quest

Would recommend Dan Simmons Hyperion and Endymion series of books. Also to a lesser extent Ilium and Olympos by the same author.

JD1763

Seconding the Richard K Morgan recommendation, read his first book Altered Carbon and before I had finished it I went out and bought all of his other books. Fantastic author, well worth investing the time to read.

MudSkipper

Also try some Philip K Dick

'Do androids dream of electric sheep?' was filmed as Bladerunner, which still is one of the best PKD adaptations. Total Recall is very loosely based on the short story 'we can remember it for you wholesale'.

My personal recommendation would be 'the man in the high castle' it is an alternate history novel where WWII had a, well errm, alternate outcome :pac:

Liquorice

dudara wrote: »

"I am Legend" - forget the film and read the book. Great story.

But don't forget The Omega Man, another film based on it but with the oldsmobile replaced with SPORTS CARS and MACHINE GUNS and all sorts of Charlton Heston debauchery.

Saint Ruth

Dades wrote: »

There is no "series" as far as certain books need to be read first. The books don't happen chronologically at all. In the entire 'set' only a few characters ever appear more than once - and each book is an entirely different novel and can be read independently.

Player of Games is actually a book recommended to read first as it gives a better introduction to the "Culture" than Consider Phlebas. Just pick them up and enjoy!

Well, you can read them in any order, but they are vaguely chronological. For example, one of the later books mentions that the Idirian War was 500 years previously (this is the war in Consider Phlebas).

Also, as someone said, Dan Simmons Hyperion books (the first 2) are top notch.
Vernor Vinge is also good.
Mainstream author SF would be Will Self, The Book Of Dave, and The Road of course.

BeatNikDub

I would actually recommend the Use of Weapons of all Iain M Banks' sci fi, absolutely amazing book. Also, Walking on Glass for a mix of the fiction and science fiction in one book.

Weaveworld by Clive Barker is fantastic too

MikeC101

BeatNikDub wrote: »

I would actually recommend the Use of Weapons of all Iain M Banks' sci fi, absolutely amazing book.

You'll never look at a chair in the same way again!

BeatNikDub

That is very true!!

ixoy

Sci-fi seems to have a bad name in terms of how "literary" or indeed "worthy" it seems. Recently, a British crime novelist published a novel set in the future where criminals had implants I believe to prevent their committing crime. He refused to call it sci-fi despite the fact, like much science fiction, it used a spectacular fictional premise to explore a story.

There's much of that attitude that abounds in the public as well - I've heard it from my own mother. It's the idea that it's "not real", that there's no possibility of it being real. In their minds it's all like "Star Wars" or "Star Trek" with space ships whizzing around the place firing lasers. Any sci-fi reader will know the genre can be multi-faceted and explore many themes (identity, alienation, and many philosophical quandaries) in great depth but I think the broad perception is still that it's silly aliens.

It's not all authors of course - Iain Banks is unashamed of his sci-fi (the use of Iain M. Banks is hardly a disguise). Neal Stephenson could easily have labelled his primarily historical Baroque cycle as historical fiction but calls it sci-fi. Both are quite well respected, and very literary, authors but as a whole it seems there's almost a culture of shame in admitting your books are science fiction, as if it demeans you rather than as an outlet to show your creative strengths.

nitrogen

MikeC101 wrote: »

"I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson has a special place for me, one of the best I've ever read.

I agree. This is a fantastic read, and even if you had the misfortune of seeing the movie, it won't really spoil the book.

I also recommend The Glamour by Christopher Priest.

Coriolanus

The "SF Masterworks" imprint is a good place to start.

Jessibelle

'I am Legend' is quiet simply one of the best things I've ever read. Such a shame the film ever had to be made...
'The Handmaids Tale' by Margaret Atwood is also brilliant, as is 'Flowers for Algernon' by Daniel Keyes. Both were made into films but the books are in my opinion, way way better.

Nate--IRL--

I'm currently working my way through all of Peter F Hamiltons books. I started off with "Pandora's Star" enjoyed it so much I bought all his other books off ebay.

Nate

steevee

other great author's to watch out for are Neal Asher and Alastair Reynolds oh and a must read is Michael Marshall Smiths "spares".
A great referance guide is The Mammoth books of best new Sci Fi (Ithink they're up to volume 20 now)

Wilde

Well Maus by Art Spiegelman; a brillian graphic novel where the mice are jews and the cats are Nazis won the Pulitzer years ago.
Douglas Adam's a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy deserves numerous awards.

JuliusCaesar

Not strictly Sci-Fi, more Speculative Fiction:
Kit Whitfield - Bareback (how would a society work where most people are werewolves?) published in the US as Benighted
Jan Mark - Useful Idiots (global warming has happened and Britain has shrunk to various islands)
Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go (clones)
Nancy Farmer - House of the Scorpion (clones)
Neal Stephenson - Cryptonicon

Anybody read any of these? I enjoyed them greatly and would like to find some more.....