Your favorite SF book and author.

Just wanting to find out how many diehard ATSer's are diehard sf fans. My all time favorite SF book is The Hammer of Darkness by LE Modesitt

It's basically the story of a man exiled to a planet after he is found to have psi powers. He is not sure who or where he is when he awakes but slowly comes to realise that his powers are growing stronger. There are others on this planet with similar powers who are feted as gods by the populace. They become jealous of his burgeoning powers and the book finishes with a bang. I wont give any more away in case any one decides to check it out as i think it has just been re-released, my copy is about 20yr's old.

Some of my other favorites are anything by Greg Bear, Iian M Banks, Larry Niven and of course the late great Isaac Asimov. I have about 300 books of SF and fantasy from the 40's up until now.

Would love to hear about your favorites.

Cheers
M4S

Actually, my favorite science fiction writer is Orson Scott Card and the book--rather series--has to be the Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow Series.

Both sets are really intriguing and make you think. Not to mention the fact that the books are written from the perspectives of child geniuses who are being trained from an early age (5yrs+) to fight in military combat against a hoard of aliens "bugs" that even the government has never encountered--or even seen.

That's what I call a good series.

Your favorites also sound interesting and even though I have never heard of your favorite author I'll make a mental note to check out that authors works soon.

Cheers~

-Emissari

hard to say. i say the line between sci fi and fantasy is blurred in auite a few places...but as far as sci fi, i'd have to say i thoroughly enjoyed what i read of peirs anthony's series. i forgot the name of it. also, deathlands was a good series as a teenager.

That's practically impossible to answer, that is picking one. But if I had to, and going off the top of my head, I'll go old school and say-
Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land.

It's a tough call. In terms of space opera, I think it's hard to beat Peter F Hamilton's books, but for a deeper read, I think that Consider Phlebas by Iain M Banks is hard to beat. It's a dead heat, though with Slant by Greg Bear. That book works on so many levels it's ridiculous, the heroine is really cool, and the writing is extraordinary. As well as the narrative voice, the author includes extracts from a late 21st-century political polemic that is so brilliantly written. A masterpiece.

Valis by Philip K. Dick, the greatest s/f author ever. The man had Orwell's eye into the future.

Has to be Storm Clouds (surprise surprise!!)www.mikehughes.bravehost.com

[edit on 18-6-2006 by Storm Clouds]

[edit on 18-6-2006 by Storm Clouds]

[edit on 18-6-2006 by Storm Clouds]

The Hyperion series by Dan Simmons is one of the best series of sci/fi books I've read. The first book, Hyperion, is excellent sci/fi.

First sci-fi book I picked up at a book fair when I was a kid was "Citizen of the Galaxy" By Robert Heinlein. The book is still one of my favorites.

Some of my other heinlein top picks aside from C.O.T.G. would be Tunnel In the Sky, Job, Stranger in a strange land (mentioned before and of course Grokking was a very hip phrase for a while thanks to R.H.), Starman Jones and of course Starship troopers.

Oh and the "Weapon Shop of Isher" and "Slan" by A.E. Van Vogt.

SPiderj

"Player Piano" by Kurt Vonnegut

"Welcome to the Monkey House" also K. V.

Larry Niven - Ringworld

'nuff said.

The Iain M Banks books ar worth a serious look. I especially like Consider Phlebas and Use of Weapons has an exceptional ending.

Bank's other non-SF novels are also very good, especially The Bridge and The Crow Road because it offered some similarities with bits of my own life!

Regards

Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy
By: Douglas Adams

By far the best science fiction I have read. Love all five of them

I can't identify just one!!!

In this case I'd say...............ummmm................

The ENTIRE Dune Series!!!!
Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune!!!!

They're all exciting, thought provoking, philosophical etc etc!!!

I'm with you on that one, sweeping, allegorical, elegant, just beautiful.

The Shockwave Rider, by John Brunner is a good sci-fi. It has genetically enhanced intelligent animals.

The Honor Harrington series by David Weber.
Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore as well other books related with Drizzt and his friends.

I never really got into the Ender books but i absolutely loved his short story collections Maps in a Mirror 1&2 and the novels Seventh Son, Red Prophet and Prentice Alvin.



Well what can you say about Heinlein. I think my fave would be The Number of the Beast.



My favorite Iain Banks would be Feersum Endjinn, Excession and Inversions.My fave Greg Bear would be Eon and Eternity and Legacy, mind blowing!!



If you ever get a chance try On a Pale Horse, classic.



Yes im also a huge Phillip Dick fan, mostly his short story collections though, Beyond lies the Wub, Second Variety, The Father Thing and The Days of Perky Pat.



Yep i liked that book but i havent gone out of my way to read anything else by him.



Thanks for that, im also a huge fan of the old skool sf, slan is a classic and ive also found copies from a second hand store of Destination: Universe ( awesome short story's) and Cosmic Encounter which is one of the funniest sf books ive ever read.

Some names i neglected to mention in my first post that deserve a read if you havent already, Robert Silverberg, Robert Sheckley and Ben Bova. thanks for all the replies i am going to look for the ones that i havent already read and i will let you know what i think of them if your interested.

Cheers
m4s

My favorite science fiction book is often the last one I've read. Currently:

The Grays, published August 2006 by Tor Books. Author is Whitley Strieber.

A great read. Excellent discussion of historic and present-day impact of The Grays, as well as a look ahead. Amazing details about the technology already developed based on information shared by The Grays.

I found the character development and story line totally convincing and absorbing.

Just finished reading Time by Stephen Baxter, and The Skinner by Neal Asher.
Both a great read.

I actually finished a book recently called Helliconia Spring, the first part of Brian Aldiss' Helliconia trilogy.

It is set on a distant world in the future where (luck would have it) the human race has evolved again (while our own Terran descendants observe from an orbital satellite).
They share the world with another sentient race that they call the Phagors, descended from bovines.

The planet orbits two suns and as such has two 'years'. Little years occur as it orbits one star, and a 'great year' as both it and the smaller star orbit a larger one. As it orbits the larger one the seasons change. During Spring the humans are the dominant race and enslave the Phagors (which are suited to the cold). Then inevitably Winter returns and the Phagors enslave the humans...

My description doesn't do it justice. After reading the first installment I have been hunting the other two like a starving, rabid dog.