please give me your top 3 favorites in the genre. recently looking through my book collection i noticed i've read little science fiction besides Brave New World (one of my personal favorite books period), 1984, and Animal Farm. i'm more of a race, history, violence and sex, type of fiction dude... so i'm excited to hear what y'all think i should read.

..I will put you on to this writer from former Soviet Union, whose name is Alexander Belyaev. I'm from there originally and grew up reading his books. If you can find any of his books in English, ESPECIALLY "The Amphibian", you're in for a treat. He was a true science fiction writer. Another great book by him is "A Star named KET". Look these up, along with his other work. I hope its translated accurately. I have his books but they are in russian.

Stay strong

Lexx

iamlexx.com
newvintagegroup.com
aim: lexx3001

thanks

its mars trilogy

I have been looking for some sci-fi

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*Note to self: Add Sig*

1. Iain M Banks This is heavy dork factor 7 or some shit. He writes space operas that are so freaking beautiful and fun to read....Hmm, OK you should start with any of his Culture novels. His books basically revolve around a species that kinda mirrors humanity a millenia in the future and the weird shit they come up against. Consider Phelbas, Dark Matter, etc. I cant do his work justice, definitely worth checking out.

2. Patrick Rothfuss The Name of the Wind (kingkiller chronicles 1) first in a trilogy. Smart, American the 'next big thing' i'm positive. Story of an innkeeper with a crazy past as the most lethal mercenary type traveller world has seen. Very Fable like, really smart.

3. NK Jemisin The heir to Octavia Butlers throne, she just keeps getting better. Her Inheritance Trilogy is about a little girl that grows up to be a god... yup, its dopeness.

Honorable Mentions: Johnothan L Howards Johannes Cabal Series (quirky fun, wit, not for dummies) Laini S Taylor's The Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Pure by Julianna Baggott which makes the Hunger Games look like Candyland.

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COTW Afficianado, Dro

i just finished tananrive dues my soul to take and was about to continue Zone One but its kinda bleak so i need to jockey

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When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

left with a bigger feeling of 'meh' in a long while. Beautifully written tripe that never, ever goes anywhere. Shame. Whiteheads got talent tho. For a non SF recommendation I would say Stephen L Carter, specifically Palace Council

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..._...|..____________________, ,
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.....), ---.(_(__) /
....// (..) ), ----"
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COTW Afficianado, Dro

>left with a bigger feeling of 'meh' in a long while.
>Beautifully written tripe that never, ever goes anywhere.
>Shame. Whiteheads got talent tho. For a non SF recommendation
>I would say Stephen L Carter, specifically Palace Council

i'm hanging in expecting it to go somewhere
but then i give up and get distracted by another book

i also have world war z to start
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

and was bored as fuck with Zone One

I did not like My Soul To Keep. I just couldn't get into that world. It felt like Twilight with Black people and no vampires. I hated the female lead and felt Dawit did not follow the logic of his "essence"

She's def a good writer and attention to small detail is to be admired. She's also been a great editor / provider of insight for my writing over the past six months

>I did not like My Soul To Keep. I just couldn't get into that
>world. It felt like Twilight with Black people and no
>vampires. I hated the female lead and felt Dawit did not
>follow the logic of his "essence"

i love her and the idea of the series
but i'm not that eager to revisit


>She's def a good writer and attention to small detail is to be
>admired. She's also been a great editor / provider of insight
>for my writing over the past six months

thats fantastic!

~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

>1. Iain M Banks This is heavy dork factor 7 or some shit. He
>writes space operas that are so freaking beautiful and fun to
>read....Hmm, OK you should start with any of his Culture
>novels. His books basically revolve around a species that
>kinda mirrors humanity a millenia in the future and the weird
>shit they come up against. Consider Phelbas, Dark Matter, etc.
>I cant do his work justice, definitely worth checking out.

he also seemed to steer clear of the plague of "trilogies" and "sagas" or whatever else. lots of his novels were just one-offs, which I really enjoyed, but it also means I enjoyed some more, others less. for a while I would buy everything with his name on it, though. was even excited when trips to England netted me books that weren't published in the US. he's always, always interesting, and one of the strongest "writers" (i.e. his prose is good) in the sci-fi genre that I came across, aside from being a really interesting idea man.

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HOPE!
https://vine.co/v/i7JjIBL3Qix
https://vine.co/v/i7JtqEFwxDu

i'm in

1)The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch - Philip K. Dick

2)Snow Crash - Neal Steaphson

3)Quarantine - Greg Egan

These are the three books I've re-read the most in the last 10 years.

>2)Snow Crash - Neal Steaphson

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HOPE!
https://vine.co/v/i7JjIBL3Qix
https://vine.co/v/i7JtqEFwxDu

I fux with that

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Young Broadway Star Urgently Needs a Bone Marrow Donor. Is it you? http://MatchShannon.com/







O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

thank you.

Asimov- Foundation series

Philip K. Dick- Man In The High Castle

Herbert - Dune series

Heinlein- Cat Who Walks Thru Walls, Stranger in a Strange Land
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"There's a fine line between persistence and foolishness..."
-unknown

"To Each His Reach"
-George Clinton

just never picked up a damn book. thanks for the picks

peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

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** i move away from the mic to breathe in

I did most of my sci-fi reading in high school, and there was a day I could mark when I decided I was beyond such pursuits, boxed them all up, and donated them to a used book store. of course there's still quality in there, but if you REALLY stick your nose into sci-fi books, there's lots of guilty pleasures, too. so I haven't actually read the books I'm about to list in 10+ years, but I remember particularly liking them and their stories still haunt my imagination to this day:

-- The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov (and this is where you get into the thorny mess of sci-fi publishing, because I read them when there were just books written by Asimov, but since I know they've published extra books by other authors to add to the story. don't read those. start with Asmiov's first book, which I believe is just called "Foundation," and is a truly great piece of sci-fi, then read forward at your own discretion."
-- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (again, no endorsement whatsoever of any other books in the series as they are of extremely varying quality, but the first book is a bona fide, undeniable sci-fi classic)
-- Mars Trilogy (Red, Blue, Green) by Kim Stanley Robinson (again, by the third book it's more soapy than science, but still good. start with Red Mars, about a manned mission to Mars to terraform, genuine sci-fi gem, read forward at your discretion)

those would easily be the first three that still come to mind frequently. there might be a few others that I would recommend to a non-regular sci-fi reader from back in the day, but honestly I've forgotten a lot with all the books that got donated. I don't regret it.

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HOPE!
https://vine.co/v/i7JjIBL3Qix
https://vine.co/v/i7JtqEFwxDu

.

also, but they are very different in tone.

ender's game is also an excellent book to start with if you're not a heavy sf reader.


peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

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** i move away from the mic to breathe in

Finally read it last week. I mean it literally only took me a week, which is a very very rare feat for me and non-picture books. Mad captivating... I felt a bit of a slump in the post-Salvor Hardin years, just because he was such a cool, fun character to me... But I was still intrigued by the bigger picture Asimov was working at. The concept of psychohistory, and seeing how all the crises switch up how the Foundation has to operate, is enough to keep me going for at least one more volume. I'll play it by ear after that but I doubt I'll go beyond the initial trilogy.

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@kennykeil

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Young Broadway Star Urgently Needs a Bone Marrow Donor. Is it you? http://MatchShannon.com/







O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

As a kid looking for disc world books
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

ringworld books.

the mote in god's eye.

oath of fealty

footfall.

descent of anansi with stephen barnes (dude be on some collabo shit, hard).

larry niven is one of the GOATs of hard sf.


peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

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** i move away from the mic to breathe in

for me, that is THE seminal science fiction book (well, trilogy).

one of the most complete series ever in terms of completely creating an entire universe, complete with thousands of years of history.

politics, intrigue, religion, philosophy, economics... all interwoven in intricate and thought provoking detail.


peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

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** i move away from the mic to breathe in

mind blowing. its farce / snark / parody and just brilliant. but it makes fun of a lot of tropes of sf so reading other science fiction books first might give a better appreciation. but it stands great on its own because of adams' imagination and quixotic story telling. (its actually a trilog-- quadrilogy, some shit... there's a bunch of books.

hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
restaurant at the end of the universe
life, the universe and everything
so long, and thanks for all the fish.



also, the discworld series by terry pratchett is what gets my by now that adams is dead. similar off-kilter british humor and deadpan take down of the fantasy genre. way too many of them to list. if i'm not reading anything else, i can pick up one of the discworld novels -- guaranteed enjoyment. plus thought provoking in the same way that hhgtg is.




peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

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** i move away from the mic to breathe in

The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester great book...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Demolished-Man-S-F-MASTERWORKS/dp/1857988221/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341528456&sr=1-1
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http://b-girldocument.tumblr.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/RawBlueCheeseTV?feature=mhum

I should check out more Bester

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@kennykeil

Howard Chaykin

It wasn't quite a graphic novel, but close. Incredibly badass stuff.

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@kennykeil

I stumbled onto a great book; The Unincorporated Man by Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin.

It has a great premise that actually speaks to the meaning of “freedom” and the pros and cons of capitalism.

Despite the big issues covered in the book, it’s a fun and easy read.

1)Read anything by Jack Vance - weak to nonexistent plots, but a great prose stylist. Jonathan Lethem stays on Vance's nuts. I suppose you could start with "Tales of a Dying Earth," "Planet Adventure," and "Demon Princes."

2) "More Than Human" by Theodore Sturgeon - again, a prose god, at least when compared to his SF peers, occasional sophistication.

3) Anything by Thomas Disch, who was also one of the best, if not the best, critic of SF, specifically his books "On SF" and "The Dreams are Stuff is Made Of."

Extra: "Lord of Light" by Zelazny.

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"Every Golden Age is as much an act of disregard as it is of felicity."

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One Hundred.

Samuel Delany: out there, escoteric but fun as hell to read. Dhalgren, Babel-17, Nova and Driftglass are personal favorites of his

Philip K. Dick

Iain M. Banks

Ursula K. L'Engle (sp?)

PD James (does she count? Or is she more dystopian?)

Octavia Butler...

But, I haven't been heavy into it like I used to be. But, I need to pick it back up for real...

Get Out the Room
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/get-out-the-room/id525657893

Some of y'all need this in your life: http://www.psychology.com

1)William Gibson- Sprawl Trilogy
2)Ursula K Leguin-Earthsea books
3)Roger Zelazny-Lord of Light, Chronicles of Amber books
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http://agoonieneversaysdie.wordpress.com <--(film)

Ok, I WANT to suggest some Butler, but to be honest SO few of her stories stand on their own. Also, she not the most popular here.

None-the-less:

Wild Seed
Survivor
Clay's Ark

Now from Vonnegut:

The Sirens of Titan - I love, love LOVE this book!

Now from Steven King:

The Stand
Insomnia

Lastly, Asimov, Asimov, Asimov

If you're looking for a specific book, obiously, there's I, Robot. However, ANYTHING you pick up from him, will be great.

Good luck!

*edit*

Oh, oh, oh,

For something more contemporary:

Victor LaValle's Big Machine - Janey gave me this rec and it was pretty damned good.

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Get Out The Room!
http://getouttheroom.podomatic.com
@fakewilliamkatt

"You probably wouldn't worry about what people think of you if you could know how seldom they do!" - Olin Miller

(Kindle versions that is)

((And yes I should have posted this sooner))

(((Picked up Valis, Three Stigmata and Flow My Tears)))

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@kennykeil

If so it just made my top 3

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http://talestosuffice.com/
@kennykeil

"Your current frequencies of understanding outweigh that which has been given for you to understand." Saul Williams

handmaid's tale
oryx and crake


didn't see her listed
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

during my first residency (Dec2013) about why Atwood is or isn't Sci-Fi. McCarthy's The Road was tangentially brought up to make a point for both being sci-fi / speculative leaning

>during my first residency (Dec2013) about why Atwood is or
>isn't Sci-Fi. McCarthy's The Road was tangentially brought up
>to make a point for both being sci-fi / speculative leaning

she is

sheesh
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

One of the best pieces of fiction I've come across. The layers and levels to that shit, sheeeesh. What a jewel of the written word. I was a bit disappointed by the ending of the "Tale", but overll it was powerful. The ending ending was a nice touch as well. A tongue and cheek critique of the academy

I really think you'll like oryx and crake if you can get to that trilogy
The second book is a bit weaker I actually haven't gotten to the third yet
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

popped up in my 'shit you might like' section of my Nook. but this was a very good read.

dude did some very interesting things. i loved it.


peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

and The Kundalini Equation by Steve Barnes

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One Hundred.

interesting ideas, although a bit lecturing. scenes with action or movement were often hard to follow or simply incoherent.

more annoying than that, however, was the theme of misogyny. perverse ideals of women who crave fucking a 200-year-old man at every turn, blinded by false love and are much dumber than every male.

along with the "to be continued" ending, fuck this book and series.

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Philip K Dick novels: The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Clans of The Alphane Moon, UBIK, Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep, Dr Bloodmoney (I'd say read ALL of the Philip K Dick novels. At least 40 of them are worth reading, and the other 12 still have something good in the,.)

Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash. Read it now before EVERY SINGLE PART is recycled 100 times and you can't recognize what a groundbreaking book it is and instead think it's just jumbles of pop-culture from elsewhere

Frank Herbert - Dune. Children of Dun. Dune Messiah.

Greg Egan - Quarantine, Permutation City, Distress

Robert Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land

Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven - The Mote in God's Eye, The Gripping Arm

Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game, Xenocide, Speaker For The Dead

Asimov - I Robot

William Gibson - Neuromancer, Mona Lisa Overdrive, Count Zero

Larry Niven - Ringworld

Philip Jose Farmer - To Your Scattered Bodies Go, The Fabulous Riverboat, The Dark Design, The Magic Labyrinth, Gods Of Riverworld