SciFi reading recommendations

wmdragon · Jul 15, 2004

Please post your favorite little known works of scifi. Forget the Hugo & Nebula winners and the famous works by the big names. Spread the word about the little gems you have discovered. The more obscure the better! Off the top of my head: Demon in the Skull aka A Plague of Pythons by Frederik Pohl (out of print) The Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester ("undergound classic" according to Amazon.com review, so maybe not that obscure) <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter. --- James Clerk Maxwell </div>

tom_hobbes · Jul 15, 2004

A Plague Of Demons by keith Laumer. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> I wish I could remember But my selective memory Won't let me - Mark Oliver Everett </div>

wmdragon · Jul 15, 2004

ha! guess my titles jogged a memory? wonder if there is a Pythons in the Skull out there? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter. --- James Clerk Maxwell </div>

nacnud · Jul 15, 2004

Hearts Hands and Voices by Ian MacDonald. Anyone out there read this as well?

lunatic133 · Jul 15, 2004

As in all other threads, Eternity's End by Jeffrey Carver. I don't think it's won any major awards, though it may have been nominated ... but like NOBODY has heard of it except for me. And the guy who wrote it actually responded to my fan letter. I want to print it out and frame it but it's saved on some long lost version of outlook on Mac OS 9 on the computer downstairs which has long since been upgraded to OSX Panther and then I moved on to the Dell ... soI don't feel like looking for it right now <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /> But yuss, great book.

tom_hobbes · Jul 16, 2004

Strangely I was already thinking of Demons as I was reading down your post, and then I laughed when for a moment I thought it was one of your selections, before I realised it was the Pohl. Along with A Plague Of Demons, Michealmas by Algis Budrys and My Name Is Legion by Roger Zelazny are also superb under-appreciated gems. All three are damn near perfect in my estimation. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> I wish I could remember But my selective memory Won't let me - Mark Oliver Everett </div>

wmdragon · Jul 16, 2004

I like Zelazny a lot, but my favorites are known well enough so I didnt mention them here (Lord of Light and the first few Amber books). this is rather frustrating, starting a thread on reading recommendationsn and then the two video game ones in Free Space, when I have little time for either pasttime! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter. --- James Clerk Maxwell </div>

canadian_joe · Jul 16, 2004

I only ever read one Zelazny book and hated it. Though it was one of the worst sci-fi I'd ever read. Think it was call Flare or something like that. Yeah actually I see it on my book shelf. Wrote it with someone called Thomas F. Thomas. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

tom_hobbes · Jul 16, 2004

Read the wrong Zelazny for sure. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> I wish I could remember But my selective memory Won't let me - Mark Oliver Everett </div>

Saiph · Jul 17, 2004

enders game, shadow of the hegemon, and the other in that line of the series. The one's that follow ender...neat, but not as good IMO. Fantasy-ish: The Magic Time trilogy (2 out so far) by/edited/or something, by Marc Zircee. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> --------------------SaiphMOD@gmail.com -------------------"This is my Timey Wimey Detector. Goes "bing" when there's stuff. It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually. I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

zavvy · Jul 17, 2004

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

wmdragon · Jul 17, 2004

now now HHGTTG is way too famous, even sort of mainstream just yesterday I considered listing one Vonnegut book (Galapagos), but he is too well known an author. my intention with this thread is to get word of mouth on the less known good stuff out there. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter. --- James Clerk Maxwell </div>

zavvy · Jul 17, 2004

<img src="/images/icons/blush.gif" /> How about Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman ? (Book 1 of The Coldfire Trilogy.. )

xakk · Jul 18, 2004

Try out the Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn Trilogy. Its a little meandering at times. but the author's decriptive prose makes it a very entertaining read. The books are The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God.

Leovinus · Jul 18, 2004

I always liked "Ringworld" by Larry Niven and "Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton. Not sure if those are little-known enough for you. The book Jurassic Park was much better than the film -- you should read it. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

Saiph · Jul 18, 2004

hamilton's "trilogy" is a bit longer than the name implies BTW (I'm sure you know xakk, but not others) Each "book" is, AFAIK, split into two and sold seperately. Sorta like LoTR is one book split into three seperate novels. I was reading Reality Dysfunction, it's weird, and neat, but I never got around to finishing that section, nor later sections of the trilogy. Larry Niven is mainstream, I know, but Leo's post jogged a memory of mine for one of his less well known works: The Integral Trees. Good book, really orginal and a thoughtfull environment, situated in a gaseous torus around a Neutron star. That's right, big, open, pressurized and breathable atmosphere...with no gravity. Imagine the ramifications! And that's what Niven does. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> --------------------SaiphMOD@gmail.com -------------------"This is my Timey Wimey Detector. Goes "bing" when there's stuff. It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually. I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

nacnud · Jul 18, 2004

hamilton's "trilogy" is a bit longer than the name implies BTW (I'm sure you know xakk, but not others) It is? I've got each book as a single book.

tom_hobbes · Jul 18, 2004

Ringworld is a 'classic' of the genre and should be disqualified. It's one of the three books which hooked me SF in my youth, so it does have a special place in my own list of worthy novels. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> I wish I could remember But my selective memory Won't let me - Mark Oliver Everett </div>

wmdragon · Jul 18, 2004

capt_cardor Again, he is best known for his book, "Stand on Zanzibar" oh yes, and The Sheep Look Up. Brunner is truly a visionary, but I gathered from some reviews/comments that those two works are fairly well known, even considered classics, so I skipped them Leovinus I've read plenty of Niven and Crichton, including the ones you mentioned. as Saiph & tom_hobbes pointed out they are quite famous authors, Crichton been very mainstream. Andromeda Strain is one of the first scifi movies I remember from my childhood. caught it on TV not long ago. this actually reminds me of another Crichton novel-turned-movie: Eaters of the Dead (1999 movie The 13th Warrior) a historical fiction explanation of the Beowulf myth (that kind of stuff always appeals to me). its an old Crichton book, not one of his better known works, so it may qualify for this thread (then again its not scifi, maybe pseudo fantasy at most) Saiph The Integral Trees MAY have won a Hugo or Nebula, might be the reason I didnt mention it or its sequel The Smoke Ring. loved them in any case, a world that is all sky. amazing Tom_Hobbes there are rumors of a Ringworld movie .... yes please! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter. --- James Clerk Maxwell </div>

Saiph · Jul 19, 2004

it may have won an award, but it's one of his titles I don't see everywhere. Case in point: Theres a seqeul!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm on my way to the library! I never, ever, knew! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> --------------------SaiphMOD@gmail.com -------------------"This is my Timey Wimey Detector. Goes "bing" when there's stuff. It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually. I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

Saiph · Jul 19, 2004

nacnud: That's how I've seen it in the libraries. Reality Dysfunction Part I and II, Neutronium Alchemist (I think that's in two) and I'm not sure enough to even guess on the last one. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> --------------------SaiphMOD@gmail.com -------------------"This is my Timey Wimey Detector. Goes "bing" when there's stuff. It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually. I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

xakk · Jul 19, 2004

Hamilton's trilogy is 3 books, they just split each book in half for the U.S. editions. The UK edition is actually 3 physical books

nacnud · Jul 19, 2004

I guess we're both right then <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

wmdragon · Jul 19, 2004

in that case The Smoke Ring sequel does qualify for this thread, eh? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter. --- James Clerk Maxwell </div>

wmdragon · Jul 19, 2004

whoa, stelmosfire, we posted almost at the same time. a 3rd book, really? hmmm kind of late to continue a series. odd. but I look forward to it anyway <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter. --- James Clerk Maxwell </div>

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