Best science fiction books according to redditors
We found 4,295 Reddit comments discussing the best science fiction books. We ranked the 1,202 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 4,295 Reddit comments discussing the best science fiction books. We ranked the 1,202 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
If you haven't read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, make that your next book to read. Probably one of the most popular science fiction books ever written.
Use of Weapons and, everything else by Iain M. Banks. Amazing stuff. Trust me.
The Blade Itself and the rest of that series by Joe Abercrombie.
Altered Carbon and the rest of that series as well as Thirteen and The Steel Remains, and it's sequel (still waiting on book 3) by Richard K. Morgan. He's pretty amazing.
That would keep you busy for a long time and are all pretty amazing. Seconding Dune, which is amazing, and the Name of the Wind which is great but very popcorn.
But really, if you were to read everything by Iain M. Banks you would be a better person.
Edit: The Sparrow
If you'd like to know a little bit more about the human society in Warhammer 40K's universe, I recommend you read the Eisenhorn Trilogy. You'll understand how Chaos can breed inside human planets, how the Inquisition works, and how Godly Space Marines are to common humans, or even less common humans, such as psychers. If you like 40K, I'd say it's a must read.
Here are the recently published novels we've covered in the /r/SF_Book_Club (you can check out the survey results for these books from the sidebar over there):
>Anyone read this book?
Dude, it's practically the Citizen Kane of cyberpunk. Dated, hard to grasp and totally genre changing. I loved it when I discovered it in the early 90's but truth be told it's been surpassed several times.
Read it, and if you find the themes interesting try Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan.
Start with Eisenhorn omnibus. Brutal and glorious.
This is my favorite book even outside of 40k.
http://www.amazon.com/Eisenhorn-Warhammer-40-000-Omnibus/dp/1844161560
EDIT: Jesus its $37?!!? Get a used copy or pick it up at your library.
Wil Wheaton, for those who don’t know. The audiobook ranks among the highest critically- and user-acclaimed audiobooks for a reason, as Wheaton gives an iconic performance.
Free with trial on Audible.
Completely free from your local library — if in the U.S., a library near you should have it as an e-audiobook on OverDrive/Libby. Click “in libraries nearby” to see closest one
ender's game
if you're into bullies getting consistently destroyed by the little guy, read it today
https://www.amazon.com/Enders-Game-Ender-Quartet-Book-ebook/dp/B003G4W49C
My favorite 40k books are usually by Dan Abnett (and it's not a very unusual opinion). The omnibus about inquisator Eisenhorn is probably the best of his that I've read.
I agree that Horus Heresy series is also a great place to start, as it sets the background for the 40k universe. I really enjoyed the first 5. At the time that was all that was published -- I had no idea there were 28 now, wow!
I'd recommend the Miles Vorkosigan Adventures omnibuses by Lois McMaster Bujold, starting with Young Miles (there's an omnibus before it, but with Miles' mother as the protagonist).
Miles is similarily intelligent as Ender, and a very driven person. The first omnibus is a firework of genius. You follow Miles from one impossibility into the next and can enjoy his mad planning that somehow manages to save the day, but rides him and his entourage deeper into various problems.
Especially the first books about Miles have their fair share of action and spacebattles, but later parts go deeper into the psychology of Miles and various other characters.
The series spans over ten years in Miles' adventurous life and the omnibuses are cheap to get.
If you choose to get any, I'd suggest you don't read the descriptions on amazon or on the back of the books. I'd things spoilered for me, which was annoying. Oh, and the order of the omnibuses is kinda screwed up, with the last two swapped for some reason, which was another spoiler for me, since I realized it too late.
I can really, really recommend Altered Carbon by Richard K Morgan, and the two follow-up books. Smart, hard-boiled, fast-paced sci-fi action!
Kylar, Durzo, Dorian, Solon, Feir, Logan, Lantano, Viridiana, Elene...so many characters that I absolutely fell in love with from the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks.
Also right now I decided to start reading some Warhammer books i've had sitting on my shelf. Am almost done with the first book in the Eisenhorn omnibus and it is amazing. I never knew how badass an imperial inquisitor is! I can't wait to read the next Inquisitor trilogy by Dan Abnett, "Ravenor"
Use of Weapons by Iain Banks.
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.
Tigerman by Nick Harkaway.
An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears.
Wool by Hugh Howey.
Robert Heinlein's Friday
Definitely my all-time favorite anime. Here's a guide for getting into the series.
Note that the image is out of date; there's a remake coming out next year, the original series is being brought over to the west some time soon, and the first English release of the novels comes out next week.
The most prominent one recently has probably been The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. It's more "post-ecological cataclysm," though, and civilization has more or less survived.
I feel rather conflicted about Zoltan Istvan. One one hand his book's reviews on amazon make him sound like an awful writer (due to problems and facts which could've been eliminated with the help of an editor) with admiration towards Randian Objectivism.
On the other hand his bio on that website and wikipedia make it seem possible that to some degree he is as unabashedly awesome as his characters. That book, or potential future novels, have the potential to attract a cult following for transhumanism and its ideals. If he ever makes a comment about wishing the future and the events of his story to be similar...he would rightly and deservedly be called a delusional madman.
As much as I support transhumanism and the progression of science, I would not support the political advance of someone that wrote such a hateful work. I want to buy his book to discover if I am actually way off-base with my accusations towards him and his work, but the thought of financially supporting that man... terrifies me.
This may be a weird recommendation, but Altered Carbon. It's also cyberpunk, but a bit more violent. Looks at concepts of identity in a world where backing your brain up is easy, but bodies are expensive.
If you like REALLY BIG BOOKS with a cast of thousands then I would suggest looking at Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton. It's about an alien invasion of Earth and her many colonies in the 25th century.
I'm not kidding about a large cast of characters and the story does take a while to build up pace, but I find that Hamilton's fluid and no-nonsense prose helps to overcome this, as well as his sympathetically drawn characters and intriguing and quite mysterious plot lines.
Give it a go. It might be what you're looking for.
Check out The Windup Girl, it's the closest thing I can think of that reminds me of The Diamond Age. Aside from Snow Crash, of course.
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. Amazon explains it better than I...
http://www.amazon.com/Windup-Girl-Paolo-Bacigalupi/dp/1597801585/ref=la_B002BM2TEK_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380994224&sr=1-1
You talked to the right guy! If you want an awesome point of view and introduction (or just great stories if you are already a fan) to the Warhammer 40k universe I suggest you read the following in the order I put them:
Eisenhorn Omnibus
Ravenor Omnibus
The Emperor's Gift
All these are intertwined, there is another trilogy to follow up Eisenhorn and Ravenor but only the first book has been release for that so far. The Eisenhorn Trilogy are three of my favorite books and I read from many, many sources outside of WH40k
Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson:
Red Mars (Mars Trilogy Book 1) by Kim Stanley Robinson http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QCS914/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_4Re8tb1W5S90X
The series beginning with Altered Carbon is next on my to-read list. It might be worth a look for you.
Will post, then add links later...
If you're looking for something for < $1.46 you're mostly only going to find short stories and books of questionable quality by indie authors.
If you're willing to be patient the Kindle Daily Deal has high quality books from time to time for only $2. Just off the top of my head I've gotten sweet deals on Arthur C. Clarke, Stanislaw Lem, Lauren Beukes and Philip K Dick.
Amazon also has Monthly Deals and periodically a Big Deal where you can find books for $2-$5.
If that money is burning a hole in your pocket a quick perusal reveals a few books within a couple dollars of your credit:
Most of Greg Egan's books are permanently at $2.99
Nod $3.79 was an amazing book, nominated for several awards
1st 3 books of the Dragonriders of Pern $1.99
Player Piano $3.99 by Vonnegut
Flowers for Algernon $4.81
Enders Game $3.99
A Calculated Life $3.99 - was nominated for a couple awards this year
Edit, Also found (and added prices to all):
The Last Policeman $2.99
Horns $2.99 This is horror and not sci-fi but it is a thrilling good book.
I'd say Start Here Credit to u/smoomoo31
Then to go more in depth, Go Here Credit to u/Sentry_the_Defiant
If you'd like, you can purchase the books for yourself! SSTB and IKSSE3 and Prequel YOTBR (Kindle Edition, They're on Amazon and other mass market retailers if said dealers are available to you)
Good Apollo: Volume 1: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness is getting a re-do of it's original comic, which is quite difficult to get now, so I'd hold off, its coming soon. And No World For Tomorrow is also coming in comic form sometime after GA1.
And just for clarity's sake, it is posted in those resources but I figured I throw it here anyway, with all the prequels, the story's official order is as follows: The Afterman: Ascension, The Afterman: Descension, Year Of The Black Rainbow, Second Stage Turbine Blade, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3, Good Apollo: Volume 1: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness.Good Apollo: Volume 2: No World For Tomorrow. They're latest a;bum, The Color Before The Sun, is non-conceptual, based souly in their, namely Claudio's, life.
If you have any questions, feel free to post on here or PM me, we all love this stuff!
There are a few places you could start: The Afterman, the Year of the Black Rainbow novel, or the Amory Wars Second Stage comics.
I'd recommend starting with the Amory Wars Second Stage comics. Keep in mind, you'll want The Amory Wars comics, since they tell the complete story for Second Stage and In Keeping Secrets so far. There's also The Bag.On.Line comics, which were only a couple of issues before they were scrapped. If you decide to pursue them for a collection, expect to pay a bit of money for them.
Following that, you can continue the Amory Wars into In Keeping Secrets.. That's the latest album that's been adapted for those comics, but Claudio is currently writing the Amory Wars versions of Good Apollo 1 and 2.
If you feel like getting a very brief and confusing telling of Good Apollo 1, there's an old graphic novel that was released for it. Again, though, it will run you a bit of money, and while the art style's cool, it doesn't convey the story well and is quite short. For the time being, you'll have better luck finding bits and pieces of the Good Apollo story clued together across the internet and interviews.
You can then go back to the Year of the Black Rainbow novel, which tells the story of Coheed and Cambria's creation. It's pretty self-contained, though it does have a few references that will stick out if you're familiar with the later story.
The Afterman is only loosely connected to the Amory Wars, as it takes place long before Year of the Black Rainbow and expands on some of the unexplained concepts of the universe. Deluxe editions of the album contained artwork and brief explanations of the songs by Claudio, and u/TheElitist921 scanned and uploaded the explanations on the sub. Here's his post for Ascension, and here's the link to Descension.
Happy reading!
Edit: Bonus! u/DefiantLion also gave a synopsis/interpretation of the story to My Brother's Blood Machine over at r/TheFence.
Redshirts
Ready Player One
Fuzzy Nation
Those are three that come to mind right off the bat.
He did a great job with Ready Player One.
My recommendations from books I read in the last year or so (yes, these are all VERY STRONG recommends curated from ~100 books in the last year) -
&#x200B;
Science fiction-
Derek Kunsken's The Quantum Magician (I would describe it as a cross between Oceans Eleven with some not-too-Hard Science Fiction. Apparently will be a series, but is perfectly fine as a standalone novel).
Cixin Lu's very popular Three Body Problem series (Mixes cleverly politics, sociology, psychology and science fiction)
James A Corey's The Expanse Series (which has been made into the best sci fi tv series ever!)
Hannu Rajaniemi's Quantum Thief series (Hard science fiction. WARNING - A lot of the early stuff is intentionally mystifying with endless terminology that’s only slowly explained since the main character himself has lost his memories. Put piecing it all together is part of the charm.)
&#x200B;
Fantasy-
James Islington's Shadow of What was Lost series (a deep series which makes you think - deep magic, politics, religion all intertwined)
Will Wight's Cradle series (has my vote for one of the best fantasy series ever written)
Brandon Sanderson Legion series (Brandon Sanderson. Nuff said. Creative as always)
&#x200B;
Manga -
Yukito Kishiro's Alita, Battle Angel series (the manga on what the movie was based)
&#x200B;
Non-Fiction-
Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind - Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion (and how we are not as rational as we believe we are, and how passion works in tandem with rationality in decision making and is actually required for good decisionmaking)
Rothery's Geology - A Complete Introduction (as per title)
Joseph Krauskopf's A Rabbi's Impressions of the Oberammergau Passion Play, available to read online for free, including a fabulous supplementary of Talmud Parallels to the NT (a Rabbi in 1901 explains why he is not a Christian)
&#x200B;
Audiobooks -
Bob Brier's The History of Ancient Egypt (as per title - 25 hrs of the best audiobook lectures. Incredible)
&#x200B;
Academic biblical studies-
Richard Elliot Friedman's Who Wrote The Bible and The Exodus (best academic biblical introductory books into the Documentary Hypothesis and Qenite/Midian hypothesis)
Israel Finkelstein's The Bible Unearthed (how archaelogy relates to the bible)
E.P. Sander's Judaism: Practice and Belief, 63BCE-66CE (most detailed book of what Judaism is and their beliefs, and one can see from this balanced [Christian] scholar how Christianity has colored our perspectives of what Jews and Pharisees were really like)
Avigdor Shinan's From gods to God (how Israel transitioned from polytheism to monotheism)
Mark S Smith's The Early History of God (early history of Israel, Canaanites, and YHWH)
James D Tabor's Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity (as per title)
Tom Dykstra's Mark Canonizer of Paul (engrossing - will make you view the gospel of Mark with new eyes)
Jacob L Wright's King David and His Reign Revisited (enhanced ibook - most readable book ever on King David)
Jacob Dunn's thesis on the Midianite/Kenite hypothesis (free pdf download - warning - highly technical but also extremely well referenced)
The Quantum Thief (Jean le Flambeur) by Hannu Rajaniemi
Followed up by The Fractal Prince and the Casual Angel.
If you have the time, I TOTALLY recommend listening to this book in Audio. The narrator's voice is great and the flow of the book is mesmerizing.
>Its rather easy to market and sell novels these days with online distribution of written works
>There seems to be an increase lately in novel type works related to manga and anime being translated into english. For example, the first Record of Lodoss War novel is finally officially being translated into english.
That sounds very optimistic, given Dark Horse's track record with Berserk. They don't even sell Berserk in a digital format yet, despite the license holder doing so (because of the license holder apparently, but my point remains). You're putting your bets on the adaptation of Lodoss War (and LoGH too, recently). But those are different publishers with different priorities.
> I imagine that if they are going really dee into Grunbeld's backstory via novel that it has little relevance towards the plot of the main storyline and that it is going to be so in depth that to incorporate it into the manga would be burdonsome.
This is backwards. The novel is likely being written to flesh out ideas Miura had about Grunbeld's story into a novel-length format. That story's incorporation in the manga was never going to be a 200-page monster. The apostle origin stories are never even close to that long, so there's no reason to assume Grunbeld's would be different.
Ethical Concern: The GMO corn is trademarked by <insert well known chemical company here> and the seed is sold to farmers who invest in it. Corn propagates by wind, neighbor farmer did not buy in but now his seed stock is infiltrated and the trademark owners sue him for stealing seed stock or some other violation of copyright. Local farmer caves to relentless legal pressure, soon all food stock is owned by corporations. This could get really wild (The Windup Girl), but so far that's still sci-fi, right?
Environmental Concern: Most GMO crops are created by chemical companies who in turn make products effective on plants that were not created by them. Rather than taking time to work with the environment these companies amass petrochemical sprays (a further economical cost to the farmer as well) and bombard regions so their plant survives. This chemical mixture goes into the soil and water where it in turn effects us; you do know that ALL drinking water is recycled I hope.
So you might be right, there might not be concerns on the healthy diet level (though we all know how wonderful the American diet is for us all). But there are larger socioeconomic issues here as well. To lock this only on a healthy for diet issue is absurd. I highly recommend Botany of Desire (book or PBS) as the potato chapter is enlightening on this measure (from an economic standpoint). Basically; organic food is far more economic in terms of space, maintenance, and profit per square foot.
I tried out Eisenhorn after seeing the badass cover art, and did not regret it. If you liked Gaunt's Ghosts, this is going to be candy for you.
The Culture books by Iain M Banks.
Many books, various points in time in the "history" of The Culture.
Warning: sci-fi
Some of the best writing ever.
Footfall by Niven and Pournelle
Ring of Charon by Roger MacBride Allen (Follow up - The Shattered Sphere)
Saturn Run by by John Sandford and Ctein
From the other linked discussion - One of my favorite scifi trilogies, The Chronicles of Solace (The Depths of Time, The Ocean of Years, The Shores of Tomorrow) by Roger MacBridge Allen, makes the lack of FTL -- and the necessary workarounds for maintaining an interstellar civilization -- a major plot point.
Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan - No FTL, but consciousness can be beamed as data and downloaded into different bodies (called sleeves). Futuristic noir detective murder mystery.
--Best of luck!
"Altered Carbon" by Richard K. Morgan is kind of cyber punky and similar. It's the first book of a trilogy.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345457684/$%7B0%7D
Iain M Banks most recent Culture novel is called Surface Detail. His Culture novels are great.
China Mieville consistently wins awards for his "new weird" books; most notably the Bas Lag novels. His The City and the City is a kinda mind-bending crime novel, but his most recent is Kraken.
The Wind Up Girl has garnered quite a few positive reviews.
Use whatever makes the most dramatic and compelling story, and whatever reinforces the narrative itself. I'd probably start with throwing the reader into the middle and fill in the background as the main story progresses. For example, how Paolo Bacigalupi builds the setting in The Windup Girl or John Scalzi allows the setting to unfold in the background of Old Man's War.
You can always go back and write prequels, first contact stories, and the like afterward. Remember, Tolkien didn't start with the Simarillion either- he just threw the reader into the setting.
The question however is this: who's your target audience? Adults or young adults? If you can get an illustrator like Drachen to work with you (cause damn he's good), That would be something to consider in and of itself.
There are so many more options like this, but I don’t want to overwhelm you! These may not all be your cup of tea. But they are some of my favorites for a somewhat reasonable price.
Is there anything in particular you're leaning to?
Author Cherie Priest has a couple excellent books.
The Dresden Files series, by Jim Butcher, is a wonderful series. It's about a wizard-for-hire in the modern world, and delves into the wonderful magic environment that Jim has created. Jim likes to put his characters through trouble and turmoil, and it's good for character development! The series starts off with Storm Front.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is another great series. It's a post-apocalyptic/oppressed setting, centering around something called 'The Hunger Games' - an annual battle that captivates the capitol and all twelve remaining districts. There is a movie releasing next year, as well.
The Name of the Wind is a terrific book by Patrick Rothfuss, the first entry into his series The Kingkiller Chronicles. It's a fantasy setting, and is about a character named Kvothe recounting his life. The writing style has an absolutely artistic writing style that is captivating to read, and such interesting and progressing events that make you eagerly turn the page. I have not yet read the sequel, The Wise Man's Fear, but I'm told it's even better in every way.
Terry Pratchett is an amazing and renowned author. He has been knighted, an event for which he created his own sword for by hand, battles against Alzheimer's in a most respectable and commendable way, and has created such an interesting and provoking world that provides a lot of laughs and curious perspectives on matters. Where you start is a more difficult choice. A couple choice options might be as follows (I haven't read others yet, so I can't attest to others, but there are many!).
I haven't started this book yet, nor looked into it, but I have heard terrific reviews. The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch, is his first book in his Gentleman Bastard Sequence series.
And of course, if you haven't entered George RR Martin's world of Westeros, the series A Song of Ice and Fire could be a wonderful read. It's very complex and very long and not yet complete (five books so far). It starts off with Game of Thrones, which is what the recently-aired HBO series was based upon.
In the science fiction sphere, I would recommend Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's the first in his Ender's series, and there are quite a few books set in the world. I have only read the first one, and it was an excellent read, insightful and thought-provoking.
...anyway, that should be a few to peek at!
For anyone who would like to know, the following books I've read are my favorite and I'd really recommend them to anyone: The Martian by Andy Weir, Gerald's Game by Stephen King, The Panther by Nelson DeMille, Unflinching by Jodi Mitic, American Sniper by Chris Kyle, and Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
EDIT: Oh, and Blackwater - The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army by Jeremy Scahill.
EDDIT 2: Oh, and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card which is so much better than the movie. The movie does not do this novel justice. And Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly.
Ender's Game was pretty good. And of course you have to read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
The Bag.On.Line Adventures - nearly impossible for physical copies, if I'm not mistaken. though, much of the content of those few issues (if not all) are recounted in the Amory Wars: SSTB issues.
Ultimate SSTB - [Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/Amory-Wars-Keeping-Secrets-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B072DX4LWD). $70 + S&H (if applicable) for hardcover, ~$40 for paperback.
Ultimate IKSSE:3 - [Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/Amory-Wars-Second-Turbine-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B071KW34DC). ~$65 for hardcover. doesn't appear paperback is available.
GA Vols. I, II, III - [Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/Amory-Wars-Good-Apollo-Burning/dp/168415068X) (scroll down to "Frequently Bought Together") for a total of ~$32. Ultimate Edition is not out (yet?).
NWFT - not written yet. TBD.
YotBR - [Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/Year-Black-Rainbow-Amory-Wars-ebook/dp/B006OUEBIC), $10 through Kindle. expect to pay upwards of $200 for a hardcover as it's not in print anymore.
Afterman: Asc. and Dsc. - physical editions on eBay/etc. maybe? I wouldn't hold your breath. this is more of a collector's edition kind of thing, sadly. though people do sell them from time to time.
Vaxis Vol. I - again, same as Afterman. that being said, some lovely person made a .pdf of the Vaxis book [here] (https://www.reddit.com/r/TheFence/comments/9ouuoy/i_made_a_pdf_out_of_the_scans_of_the_vaxis_1_book/). so there is hope out there.
hope this clears things up for ya!
I am a fan of this style also.
The Novice: Summoner: Book One (The Summoner Trilogy 1)
&#x200B;
Opening Moves (The Gam3 Book 1) This series takes place in a school like environment.
&#x200B;
The Hound of Rowan: Book One of The Tapestry Very YA, but Fun.
&#x200B;
The Emperor's Blades: Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, Book I A lot of the book takes place in a "school"
Consider Phlebas, The Player of Games, and Use of Weapons
These three were written by Iain M. Banks and they're all sci-fi novels set in a far off future Earth where we live in a post-scarcity, stateless, classless, communist paradise. Banks uses the alien societies we encounter in the future as a means of criticing our actual, modern society today.
I absolutely love those novels. The Culture (what we now call the united humans of earth + their colonies) is fascinating. I won't spoil it for you. But go for it. Read until your eyes bleed.
Also, if you're looking for something fun and innocent. You can't go wrong with The Smurfs. I shit you not, I grew up on these so don't any of you dare insult them >.>
You'll want the comics, of course, not the cartoons.
What's not to love?
Friday
I was first introduced to the Orion concept in Footfall over 15 years ago and it has stuck in my mind since.
Ilium by Dan Simmonds is fun.
Almost anything by Peter F Hamilton, but Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained is a good place to start.
Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton. Long as hell and the first book in The Commonwealth Saga.
I agree, everyone seems to suggest the same series of books by the same authors. But that's the echo chamber effect.
My favorite series that I never see represented is by Peter F. Hamiltion. The Commonwealth saga of books:
The entire series of books is very fast paced, but it's a space opera. He often spends 50 or so pages introducing a character not to be seen again until the next book. It's worth it though, Hamilton is great at tying up all those loose ends in ways you wouldn't think possible.
Hamilton is often recommended for his other trilogy - Night's Dawn. Personally, I felt that was very poorly done. For instance, the 2nd book has no outcome on the end events whatsoever. Plus, it's very much more typical for a space opera zombie book series. Not my cup of tea, so to speak.
Almost all of Peter F. Hamilton's books are like this. Huge plots that intermingle. Its not nearly as gory or as ummm unexpected as ASOIAF, but they are my favorite books. He also is one of the best futurists that I can think of to date. He does not get too crazy with future technology and strives to make sure that everything is plausible and makes sense. I highly recommend it
I would start with Pandora's star, its the first of the Commonwealth series. If you want some plot points I'll be happy to summarize.
If you didnt want to hop into a series right away, Fallen Dragon is a decent starter stand-alone so you can get into his work.There are a few less characters since its not as epic, but a really great read.
The Nights Dawn trilogy is pretty massive as well with even more 1st person views. I just finished it (1.2M words!!!) and while I loved it, the concepts were a bit out there. Its a great read tho.
In no particular order:
Been on a huge Cyberpunk reading kick lately, especially William Gibson. I've never been much of a reader, so it's awesome to find books that are easy to dive into. Just finished Count Zero, now about half way through Burning Chrome. Altered Carbon arriving today for beach trip this weekend B)
I highly suggest any of these to anyone who is even moderately interested in the genre.
Met new VP of software at work yesterday. I'm actually pretty excited about working for him now. I really liked my old boss, but this dude seems much more... managerial. Hopefully I start getting actual development work now.
Jack Campbell's The Lost Fleet series is pretty good.
Also, Jack Campbell is a pen name for author John G Hemry, who wrote another, slightly less space opera-y series beginning with Stark's War.
Also, several military SF anthologies are out there, some with annual volumes. They're a great way to get exposed to new material!
Seconding this, I loved the trilogy. The first book is The Quantum Thief
I ain't so good at book descriptions but here's some stuff I really enjoyed -
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One-A-Novel/dp/0307887448
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi: http://www.amazon.com/The-Windup-Girl-Paolo-Bacigalupi/dp/1597801585
The author would argue with me about this being SF - Atwood prefers the term "speculative history" I believe - but the entire Oryx and Crake trilogy is very good.
http://www.amazon.com/Oryx-Crake-Margaret-Atwood/dp/0385721676/ref=la_B000AQTHI0_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1397411558&amp;sr=1-2 the first book in Oryx and Crake, followed by Year of the Flood and Madaddam
That pretty much describes The Windup Girl, a recent joint hugo/nebula winner.
Not classic but Peter F. Hamilton spins a good yarn.
Commonwealth Saga - A two parter that starts with Pandora's Star
The Void Trilogy - A trilogy that starts with The Dreaming Void. This is set in the same universe but many centuries after The Commonwealth Saga.
Fiction:
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin is a great start (good critique of anarchist philosophy).
The Red Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson actually cites Mondragon and discusses cooperative economics in detail.
After The Deluge (of Critical Mass fame) by Chris Carlsson is a novel about a post-capitalist San Francisco.
Non-fiction:
After Capitalism by Seymor Melman.
America Beyond Capitalism by Gar Alperovitz.
Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism by Richard Wolff.
Capitalism's Crisis Deepens: Essays on the Global Economic Meltdown by Richard Wolff.
After Capitalism by David Schweickart.
Against Capitalism by David Schweickart.
Capitalism or Worker Control by David Schweickart
Putting Democracy to Work by Frank T Adams.
Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice by Jessica Gordon Nembhard.
Humanizing the Economy: Co-operatives in the Age of Capital by John Restakis.
Owning Our Future: The Emerging Ownership Revolution by Marjorie Kelly.
For All the People: Uncovering the Hidden History of Cooperation, Cooperative Movements, and Communalism in America by John Curl.
enders game: http://www.amazon.com/Enders-Game-ebook/dp/B003G4W49C/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1332391230&amp;sr=1-1
To keep it succinct: Since leaving home, I haven't stayed in one place for more than a few months. It's not realistic for me to keep a physical library of books, and I can't afford a kindle. That's all--no sob story.
I've wanted to read Ender's Game for a while.
I did the opposite (Perth - Melbourne). First up, it's easy. The roads all the way are busy, and there's no "middle of nowhere" where your life might be in any kind of danger if you break down etc.
It takes ages. It's one thing to know Australia is super big, it's another thing to drive across the island. But it's beautiful, too. I was grateful that I wasn't going to have to turn around and come back any time soon when I arrived, though.
If you are in a super hurry, you can do it 4 full days of driving. With two rotating drivers, and a bit of risk (don't drive at night unless you really have to, your odds of hitting something and damaging your car are not insignificant), you can do it in about three days.
If you're in a rush, Drive Melbourne to Adelaide on day one. Ceduna day two. Noresman day three, Arrive in Perth at the end of day 4. I took 5 days, but I stayed a night on the Nullabor and had a leisurely time of it. If you aren't in a hurry, and haven't seen the Great Ocean Road, take that road. So beautiful.
Other than that, the trip is pretty straight-forward. Treat your drive like you would a day at work. Stop for lunch, have a few little breaks. Maybe work back a little. You'll do fine.
Take something to listen to. I had Audiobooks. As a suggestion if you haven't already read it: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. If you're new to Audible, you should be able to download it for free. Read by Wil Wheaton, about a far-too-possible future for Humanity/Internet/Second Life kind of thing. Full of 80's pop culture.
YoTBR (Kindle Edition):
http://www.amazon.com/Year-Black-Rainbow-Amory-ebook/dp/B006OUEBIC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1370974572&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=year+of+the+black+rainbow
SSTB:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/amory-wars-1-ultimate-edition-claudio-sanchez/1102181485?ean=9781608860357
IKSSE3:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/amory-wars-claudio-sanchez/1110788600?ean=9781608861026
Well, there's /u/bethrevis' Across the Universe trilogy for starters. I didn't like the first book much, but loved the next two.
Cecil Castellucci's Tin Star is a standalone YA sci-fi with strong Titan A.E. vibes.
Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game also fits, though it's a smaller focus, I think.
More adult than YA, but I'm currently reading Steven Erikson's Willful Child and it fits the easy reading notes. It's kind of Star Trek helmed by meta-William Shatner/Zapp Brannigan/Zaphod Beeblebrox, as narrated by Kurt Vonnegut.
I believe These Broken Stars would also fit the YA space opera label, though I haven't read it.
Edit: And if you don't mind spinoffs, I forgot about Star Wars' Young Jedi Knights series. Loved those as a kid. Not sure how they stand up, but that was the series fitting the YA niche instead of adult or MG.
Here
You can buy the Kindle version on amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Year-Black-Rainbow-Amory-Wars-ebook/dp/B006OUEBIC/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1486355755&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+black+rainbow
Second Stage Turbine Blade Ultimate Edition
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 Ultimate Edition
That's the closest thing to a 'compendium' as you'll find. Also, Claudio did releases a Good Apollo Graphic Novel around the release of GA1, but it's not nearly as in-depth as SSTB or IKS as it was written/drawn/published on a severely small budget. It's going to be re-released in the future true to the format we know, though.
Almost forgot YotBR, but you'll have to go searching beyond Amazon for that, as all of the physical releases are sold out and the only thing left available is the Kindle edition.
Happy reading :)
Old guy here. I had to think about it too. But yeah, that cover is pretty memorable.
https://www.amazon.com/Friday-Robert-Heinlein/dp/034530988X
Before aliens actually invade with landing forces, they will sit back and throw rocks.
Is the idea older than the sci fi book, "Footfall" ?
The list was too long to fit into a self-post, here is the continuation.
Prolific Authors: (5+ Books)
Science Fiction with apocalyptic elements:
Richard K. Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs trilogy (Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, Woken Furies) would make a great show.
Glaxnor, I almost always agree with you, but here we part ways. It may be true of certain types of SciFi, or even the entire Fantasy genre, but not all. Replay and Altered Carbon are two that disprove this, for me.
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
It's a sci-fi detective mystery, very good, and there are two other books in the series as well.
The Takeshi Kovacs trilogy by Richard K Morgan was pretty great. Last good scifi I read.
http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Carbon-Takeshi-Kovacs-Novels/dp/0345457692/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1240608120&amp;sr=8-2
The Vorkosigan books by Lois McMaster Bujold are a lot of fun. First collection is Young Miles. You can get the whole series off of one of the free Baen cds.
The Mageworlds series is also enjoyable, in a "clearly riffing on Star Wars" way. First book is The Price of the Stars, and is a mere $3 on Kindle nowadays. (Which is nice, since the early books spent a fair while being not-terribly-in-print.)
Try online stores? The first five of the ten novels have been translated to English. The sixth will be released later this month!
Here is a mash of books off the top of my head.
Most of the characters in The Windup Girl are Thai or Chinese.
The Left Hand of Darkness messes around with gender in interesting ways. (Also, Ursula K. Leguin is an all-around fantastic author.)
Robert Heinlein can be a controversial author, but many of his works had non-white protagonists. Manuel Garcia O'Kelly-Davis from The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress is multiracial, and Johnny Rico from Starship Troopers is Filipino, if I recall correctly.
Someone else in this thread recommended The Brief But Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, and it's not exactly SFF (more in the vein of magical realism) but it is easily one of the best books I've ever read.
I thought it was great and one of the main characters you would doubtless sympathize with. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1597801585
Eisenhorn is for the most part an investigation type driven story with many literary devices and themes of duality. Out of all the books in my Warhammer Library, this one by far is my favorite, mainly because of the wide-array of relatable characters. Anyone with no background knowledge of the Warhammer universe can pick up and read this book. However, if you want something more action packed oriented where the story focuses more on the Emperor and all his Primarchs and how they all fell from grace, start with the Horus Heresy novels.
I'll provide you with links to both books:
Eisenhorn by Dan Abnett: http://www.amazon.com/Eisenhorn-Warhammer-40-000-Omnibus/dp/1844161560
Horus Heresy Book 1: "Horus Rising" by Dan Abnet:http://www.amazon.com/Horus-Rising-Heresy-Dan-Abnett/dp/1849707448/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1464468488&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=horus+rising
If you have the time, read Eisenhorn- it's a great introduction the Warhammer 40k universe.
https://www.amazon.com/Eisenhorn-Warhammer-40-000-Omnibus/dp/1844161560
I know it may not be what you're after necessarily, but give the Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett a go from the Warhammer 40k universe. I actually enjoy it a lot, and it's fairly similar to what you want in being gritty and sci-fi. However, it's also magnitudes darker than Cowboy Bebop. However, Eisenhorn is an Inquisitor - a man tasked with protecting the Imperium from corruption and sedition, and investigating a possible cult that has taken root.
The full trilogy in one omnibus, but you can buy them individually
Individually they're titled Xenos (Book 1), Malleus (2), Hereticus (3)
Nerd shit coming your way:
The Foundation, by Isaac Asimov
: De longe o meu favorito, recomenda-se vivamente, e se fores fã de macroeconomia... well a premisa do livro baseia se na certeza da previsibilidade de comportamento humano para populações suficientemente grandes.
"The books tell the story of the Foundation, an institute to preserve the best of human civilization after the millenial long collapse of the galactic empire".
https://www.amazon.com/Foundation-Isaac-Asimov/dp/0553293354
Use of Weapons, by Ian M Banks : Livro um pouco sobre as consequencias sociais e politicas de uma sociedade utopica com uma economia pós-escassez.
https://www.amazon.com/Use-Weapons-Culture-Iain-Banks/dp/0316030570
The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan
https://www.amazon.com/Eye-World-Wheel-Time-Book/dp/0812511816
Footfall by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.
So, I read and finished Cyberpunk: Stories of Hardware, Software, Wetware, Evolution, and Revolution, which I referenced in last month's thread. It was a really great collection of stories from a variety of authors.
After that, I continued my cyberpunk trend with Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. It was recommended on a list of cyberpunk books, most of which I compulsively bought. I really liked it, especially the character development. There are two more books in the series, which I'll have to get.
Instead, though, I started Limit, 1200 page epic translated from German. It received a bunch of awards and I read that lots of the technical details are on point, which is something that typically takes me out of the story a lot. I'm hoping to have it done by the end of July, but it's a lot to read and I'm easily distracKitty!!!
not completely military, but Rickard K Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs books are really good reads.
Altered Carbon
Broken Angels
Woken Furies
and there's his non Takeshi book:
Thirteen
The Lost Fleet, by Jack Campbell. The main character is about as apolitical as it gets.
>Captain John “Black Jack” Geary’s legendary exploits are known to every schoolchild. Revered for his heroic “last stand” in the early days of the war, he was presumed dead. But a century later, Geary miraculously returns from survival hibernation and reluctantly takes command of the Alliance Fleet as it faces annihilation by the Syndic.
The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell is really fantastic. It's a little more on the military side. It's about a fleet of ships trapped light years behind enemy lines trying to get home.
The Devil and Daniel Webster is short. Though if you're interested in recommendations for books that are longer that you may like check out these:
The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut's Windlass
On Basilisk Station
The Hobbit
The Dresden Files 1, 2, 3. (The first two books of the series are the weakest, the quality jumps tremendously in Book 3 and each one is better then the last after that.)
The Lost Fleet
The Vorkosigan Saga - start with Young Miles, which is a collection of the first three books.
The Quantum Thief?
>Jean le Flambeur gets up in the morning and has to kill himself before his other self can kill him first. Just another day in the Dilemma Prison. Rescued by the mysterious Mieli and her flirtatious spacecraft, Jean is taken to the Oubliette, the Moving City of Mars, where time is a currency, memories are treasures, and a moon-turned-singularity lights the night. Meanwhile, investigator Isidore Beautrelet, called in to investigate the murder of a chocolatier, finds himself on the trail of an arch-criminal, a man named le Flambeur....
You always have the option of the
justreading the novels.Edit: Grammar fix.
back to the beginning
---
Current Selection#####
---
Past Selections#####
2014######
2013######
2012######
2011######
2010######
For an epic series consider Dune by Frank Herbert especially as we approach the new Dune movie in 2020.
For well written political-military sci-fi with a good grounding in realistic physics try the Honorverse by David Weber. First book is On Basilisk Station
For exceptional military sci-fi Hammer's Slammers by David Drake. They are a series of short stories that can stand on their own but when read together form a cohesive story arc.
For a one-off story that deals with some major issues of technology and how it can affect our near future try the bio-punk story The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. Be warned however there are some really... uncomfortable parts that are NSFW to put it mildly. Easy to skip but wanted to be up front about that.
As a personal guilty pleasure I will also recommend the military sci-fi series the Legacy of the Aldanata by John Ringo. It is not "hard sci-fi" but I really like Ringo and the core quadrilogy is so much fun. Start with A Hymn Before Battle
This is a book I don't see often, but I think it fits really well with your tastes.
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
It's got a dystopian future where the world is run by corporations, and has an interesting cast of characters with their own goals. It's a standalone novel, but I will highly recommend it.
You haven't mentioned yet if you got a book to read or not, so here is my suggestion:http://www.amazon.com/The-Windup-Girl-Paolo-Bacigalupi/dp/1597801585.
Have you read The Windup Girl or Pump Six by Paolo Bacigalupi? Really good stuff, he's very dark and some might say depressing but his writing is top notch. Pump Six is his collection of short stories, I suggest you start there.
There's not a lot of history in The Windup Girl but it is set in Bangkok, and it is a good read..
This could probably fit in a category called geneticpunk. It's a good read. Also where's your source to the link? Always source other peoples work. That chick is beautiful and I'd like to see more of her.
This is not in the horror realm, but I really enjoyed it. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupe.
The Windup Girl? Takes place in Thailand, the big bad corporations are GM food corporations, main character is a young woman who is the product of genetic engineering.
I want the Eisenhorn Omnibus for mine.
Any of these three series I recommend as modern-day Lord of the Rings classics
Eisenhorn, books 1-3 of a 9 book series are simply the best books I've ever read - the series is currently on book 7. I recommend Eisenhorn to anyone that just likes to read. Books 4-6 are just as good, called Ravenor, with the 7th book in the series now out, called Pariah.
Another amazing series of books I love are the Old Man's War books, effectively a series of 6 books with some short stories in between and the last book being broken up into thirteen short stories (such was the demand for the books while they were being written). Fantastic, fantastic series - I recommend them to anyone.
I also love and recommend The Dark Tower series, 7 books. They're the only thing written by King that I've liked.
The Eisenhorn Trilogy (easily found at most book stores) is probably the most commonly recommended starting point, and for good reason: It's fantastic writing, and provides most of the knowledge you need as it goes on. If you like that, there is a story about his successor called the Ravenor Trilogy.
You can also pick up any short story collection and follow along mostly without issue.
Reading 40k novels/stories is tricky because the universe has grown almost out of control with characters and places and concepts, but the more you read the more you assimilate the information, and after a while you don't even know how you learned this stuff. But damn if it isn't entertaining sci-fi.
Best of all, for something so heavily involved in war and identity and politics, there is almost zero political agenda, by some miracle. Female characters complement male characters rather than trying to replace them. "Good guys" lose and protagonists die very frequently, giving a nice sense of urgency and importance to each story because -- let's face it -- in almost any sci-fi nowadays the protagonist is going to win because box office. Romance is almost never a theme, and in the rare instance it appears, it has a more powerful effect due to occurring naturally (and sparsely), rather than as part of a formula.
Good stuff all around.
Off mobile, here's a link to the omnibus on Amazon :)
Also from the FAQ:
Pandora's Star by Peter F Hamilton.
Wormholes, immortality, brain downloading, lots of space opera. 5/5 stars from me, 4 stars from Amazon customers.
The Expanse Series: Definitely military. Very well done.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=the+expanse+series
Pandora Star: Well done. Far forward mainstream Sci-Fi. Book One of the Commonwealth Series. Possibly Hamilton's best. http://www.amazon.com/Pandoras-Star-Commonwealth-Peter-Hamilton-ebook/dp/B000FC1AFC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1421719806&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=pandora+star
Relayor isn't military - it's SWAT. Lots of action. Strong character development, interesting plot. Lots of surprises. A couple of new concepts that will blow you away.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HI4PA8S
[The Commonwealth Saga]
Makes sense. I have lost any hope that our species will be capable of restraining ourselves from destroying our own biosphere.
On a related note, for the last couple of nights I've been playing a cool new boardgame called Terraforming Mars. It is partly based on the hard science fiction series about same, written by Kim Stanley Robinson.
I would be happy with any of the e-books on my list that are in your price range. But here are five:
Sara, Book 1
Ender's Game
Wyrd Sisters
Witches Abroad
Horror, Humor, and Heroes Volume 2
Have fun with your first gift giving! And thanks for the contest. :)
For elaborate world building, it's tough to beat Dune. Intergalactic politics in the wake of an AI rebellion, deep mysticism and Bedouin-flavored lore, religious fanatics, a drug that makes the universe go round, and giant freaking sandworms!
Ender's Game is another popular suggestion to get you into reading. I preferred Dune, though.
Another good read that I enjoyed immensely was Unwind by Neal Shusterman. After the United States has fought a second civil war over abortion, a new deal is struck - no abortion, but unwinding up to the age of 18. It's dark and twisted and I loved it... especially considering it's a young adult novel, which is not my genre of choice.
Odd Thomas is a fun series, but Koontz can be kind-of hit or miss. I'm finding the odd-numbered books in the series to be better than the even-numbered ones, but that's just based on the first four. I wonder if that was intentional?
Don’t know if this is a deal but Ender’s Game is at 7.49
https://www.amazon.com/Enders-Game-Ender-Quartet-Book-ebook/dp/B003G4W49C
Read this, it might help.
Ready Player One is a story about the future of VR [Oasis] and the struggle over who will run it. I hope all the VR Enthusiast read or listen to the book. It's a great story. I don't want to put out spoilers if you haven't checked the book out. The significance of this video becomes apparent after you've reached a little ways into the story. Also the audio book is narrated by Wil Wheaton.
http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One/dp/B005HG7BWC/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;sr=1-1&amp;qid=1395951167
Yes, actually
You can get the Year of the Black Rainbow novel on Kindle for like $10. Year of the Black Rainbow (The Amory Wars Book 1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006OUEBIC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_F3VOBbCW398QP
You're on the right track! You want to find the Year of the Black Rainbow novel which is available on Kindle. People occasionally sell the actual book online too, but it was only in limited print. You might be able to get a Kindle app on your computer, phone, or iOS device if you don't actually have a Kindle.
You'll also want the In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 comics. That edition should cover all of them.
The Good Apollo graphic novel is going to be made defunct whenever Claudio starts releasing the new stuff he's been working on, but who knows how long that'll be. It's really rare and expensive, so I wouldn't recommend trying to get a hold of that.
Lastly, pick up the Afterman Deluxe Edition book. That's also a rare find, because it was in limited print, so if you can't find it, it has been transcribed by someone right here in /r/TheFence!
Wonderful - this had me thinking about your book, The Transhumanist Wager. I finally started it after talking to you a year or so ago. I'm not that far in yet, but am enjoying it.
Cheers.
Thanks Gustavdman, I hope you enjoy it if you get around to reading it. Cheers, Zoltan Istvan
http://www.amazon.com/The-Transhumanist-Wager-ebook/dp/B00AQQSY60/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1368569674&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+transhumanist+wager
I'd love to have an event chain similar to Expeditionary Force for Atomic or Early Space Age civs, but from the perspective of aliens.
> We were fighting on the wrong side of a war we couldn't win. And that was the good news.
>
> The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the Native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon came ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There went the good old days, when humans got killed only by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits.
>
> When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved. The UN Expeditionary Force hitched a ride on Kristang ships to fight the Ruhar wherever our new allies thought we could be useful. So, I went from fighting with the US Army in Nigeria to fighting in space. It was lies, all of it. We shouldn't even be fighting the Ruhar; they aren't our enemy. Our allies are.
>
> I'd better start at the beginning.
Maybe any battle fought in orbit of, or even in the same system as, a primitive planet that has radio tech can trigger some diplomatic message or event that could lead to annexation or a tiny roadblock on your war path, depending on your responses.
Since you like RC Bray, I also strongly recommend "Expeditionary Forces" It's so so so entertaining. And just as fun in my opinion as Ready Player One while also handling space exploration in a really cool way!
And They Shall Reap The Whirlwind is a self insert into the life of bomber harris. It's long and well done.
Set in Stone A rational/ist Stonepunk story set in the future on planet controlled by an AI in an agrarian society. A very interesting and enjoyable story. /u/farmerbob1 's other story Symbiote was also pretty good.
Savage Divinity I remember the start being a little slow, but seriously awesome world-building. Has a fair amount of romance
> A modern man finds himself reincarnated in the body of a young slave with no skills and quickly fading memories. Follow his journey to find normalcy while living in a savage world, filled with myth and legends, monsters and Demons. In a land where the strong rule, the weak serve, and bloodshed is a way of life, peace is a luxury few can afford... Less action, more character and world driven is my aim. Mature language and themes, but no raunchy sex.
Updates 3 times a week usually, currently I get more excited by updates from this than from MOL.
The Last Angel is a story where humanity lost a war and was conquered, but humanities most powerful weapon, an AI Battleship, continues the war 1500 years later. It's been 4 years since I've read it and from what I remember it switches genres to a survival horror novel about halfway in for 20 chapters or so. Really good and apparently there is a sequel that I am going now going to have to check out.
The Gam3 is an extremely well done Litrpg. If its something you like the author has published an edited version of the first book Opening Moves with some extra content. Its the best LitRPG I've read, feels smooth and not clunky.
I'm about to try to go full time. I just finished my last semester of college and am hoping that this is a career that's viable for me. My recent web serial turned novel was a hit on amazon and I hope I can write a good deal more doing it full time. I have noticed however that I've already started slacking off a bit which is bad :(.
I doubt that writing will pay better than say a coding job (my degree is in CS/math) but seeing as I have no obligations other than a few student loans I'm going to try it out \^.^
This is such a crazy awesome contest, and you are such a crazy and generous person!
A Kindle Fire is the ideal e-reader in my opinion. I'm constantly on the go, and constantly stuck in long rehearsals and going on trips which have a lot of down time. Reading is one of my favorite things to do, and I tend to go through books really quickly. I love real books, that paper feel and smell, but it's not always the best idea to pack two or three books to take along. Luggage can get heavy, there's not enough space, etc. With an e-reader, I could have tons of books at my fingertips! I feel like I should maniacally cackle there, but it might not be the best idea.
If I win, I would love the book Ender's Game to start off the Ender Quintet.
Make me smile, Rasta!
this would be cool
There's this thread on similar books to the count of monte cristo and here are the current suggestions ordered by page length:
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester - 236 pages
Neuromancer - 271 pages
Ender’s Game - 5 books with the first (the linked one) around 250 pages
River God - 676 pages
Shogun & Tai Pan - 1000+ and 700+ pages each
I'm debating the first 2 really. Not sure if you happened to have read them and would have a recommendation.
I was a total girly-girl at your daughter's age, and LOVED The Secret Garden at her age. Would Coraline be too scary for her?
For your son, 6th grade is when I discovered Ender's Game and got WAY into the Star Trek novels. Franchise books tend to be pretty clean, would he be interested in the Star Wars novels?
The whole Ender's Game series is really, really good. I highly suggest reading all of the books. Everyone always compares it to the Hunger Games, but I personally don't think they really compare.
2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America is a book I thoroughly enjoyed, and I had my dad read it too. It's it's a bit apocalyptic, and of course it's a fictional novel, but the story sounds so plausible it's scary.
People have already recommended a bunch of books by John Green, but I second those recommendations. He's a wonderful author.
Finally, a coming-of-age book which just so happens to be my all-time favorite book is The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
I can talk about books all day. I love reading so much
First suggestion, although it isn't fantasy more historical fiction, is James Clavell's Asian Saga. Starting with Shogun. It takes about 70 pages for me to really get into the story, which for a normal length book would be a lot but these are over 1,000 pages for the most part. It sounds daunting but the stories are full of adventure and intrigue and you will very likely be captivated and swept away.
Second Ender's Game Series Kind of a classic science fiction series, just like Dune.
Third The End. The second book in the series releases on the 30th of August.
What genre do you typically read? Here are a few of my favorite books.
[Flowers for Algernon] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003WJQ74E/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&amp;btkr=1)
1984
Ender's Game
World War Z
Flowers for Algernon: This story is told in first person, in a series of journal entries of a mentally handicapped man named Charlie. He goes under a medical experiment to see if mental retardation can be fixed by surgery, and the journal entries follow him through this. Warning: There will be ninjas cutting onions during your reading of this book
1984: This is a must read story in my opinion, on the off chance you have not read this already. It tells the story of Winston, a party member that works for a totalitarian government. To be honest, I don't read this story for the main character Winston, but I read it for the political commentary in the book, as it describes his life.
Ender's Game: This is set in the somewhat distant future of Earth. Earth has been at war with an alien insect race, thou at this time, there is a cease fire. This follows the story of Ender Wiggins, as he goes through military school. And he is like, 10 years old, as is his fellow classmates.
World War Z: You know that movie that was called World War Z with Brad Pitt? Throw all of that out the window. The only similarity that the movie and the book has is the name World War Z. This book is written as a series of interviews of survivors of The Great Zombie War. It goes through the whole war, from an interview with a doctor who dealt with a patient zero in a small Chinese village, to the great panic and how the government reacted, as well as the aftermath. It interviews people from all walks of life. Doctors, military, human smugglers, government officials, and everyday normal people both in the states and abroad. If i had to recommend only one book, it would be a tie between this or 1984. And 1984 is tied because of the historical significance.
Life of Pi is really good. I also just read Slaughterhouse 5, which was excellent, but I felt it was too short. I am reading Ender's Game right now, which is excellent. There are so many good books. Check out /r/books, /r/booksuggestions and I think you'll find a bunch to read.
Fear cuts deeper than swords - it really, really does. :)
1.) Not just grey but Earl Grey.
2.) A rain cover.
3.) Ginger chews?
4.) Ninja throwing knifes for my wee son - because I'm a craptastic parent!
5.) A classic, Ender's Game because why haven't you already read this??
6.) An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related! Sorry! Nothing physical. $1.55 is the closest.
7.) Hello Kitty!
8.) I think compasses are beautiful.
9.) Princess Bride - but no on my WL. <3
10.) Gerber 22-41131 Profile Guthook Fixed Blade Knife -- It's self explanatory really.
11.) I love to cook and I need to cook healthy food but my current knives (and I use the term loosely) leave me beaten and bloody. So these
12.) Happy crayons
13.) A surfboard. Because they are BADD ASS!
14.) A gun safe could hold a lot of bread!
15.) Pretty lupus friend earrings!
16.) Blood orange and bergamot candle!
17.) Doctor Who K-9 bobble head!
18.) Pencils. I freaking LOVE pencils.
19.) A gift card, so I can gift more people. :)
20.) I love this beautiful buddha.
MADE IN OREGON! Bob's Red Mill flours. Look it up!
I love silly contests like this - I know others have done better, but I had fun looking. <3
My kitty makes me happy!
I'd love this kindle book!
Can you feel the love
400 gifts! You're so awesome! I think this is the only thing that qualifies on my wl lol. Thanks for the contest!
I'm not sure that's true. Some books (like this one) say at the very bottom of the description:
> At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.
(Although I haven't actually bought the book, so I can't tell you if it's lying or not.)
Bravo! I'm enticed! Purchased both. Mobile, so pardon the formatting...
Enders Game
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003G4W49C/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?ref_=r_soa_w_d
Speaker for the Dead:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003H4I4JU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1375797956&amp;sr=1-1&amp;pi=SL75
Here's that Imgur album you were talking about:
http://imgur.com/a/T3saS
And here's the link to the Kindle edition of YoTBR
http://www.amazon.com/Year-Black-Rainbow-Amory-Wars-ebook/dp/B006OUEBIC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1396907270&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=year+of+the+black+rainbow
Enjoy.
For more info on the book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Transhumanist-Wager-ebook/dp/B00AQQSY60/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1383259742&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+transhumanist+wager
The Transhumanist Wager
I'm almost done with it and I love it. Great novel. Get it now!
From your Amazon link:
> About the Author
> At the age of 21, American-Hungarian Zoltan Istvan began a solo, multi-year sailing journey around the world. His main cargo was 500 handpicked books, mostly classics. He's explored over 100 countries—many as a journalist for the National Geographic Channel—writing, filming, and appearing in dozens of television stories, articles, and webcasts. His work has also been featured by The New York Times Syndicate, Outside, San Francisco Chronicle, BBC Radio, NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, Animal Planet, and the Travel Channel. In addition to his award-winning coverage of the war in Kashmir, he gained worldwide attention for pioneering and popularizing the extreme sport of volcano boarding. Zoltan later became a director for the international conservation group WildAid, leading armed patrol units to stop the billion-dollar illegal wildlife trade in Southeast Asia. Back in America, he started various successful businesses, from real estate development to filmmaking to viticulture, joining them under ZI Ventures. He is a philosophy and religious studies graduate of Columbia University and resides in San Francisco with his daughter and physician wife. Zoltan recently published The Transhumanist Wager, a visionary novel describing apatheist Jethro Knights and his unwavering quest for immortality via science and technology.
Well. You sound mildly interesting...
I like to push Ben Aaronovich, and his Rivers of London books. Urban fantasy about a rookie cop and his introduction to newtonian magic, set in London, and excellently narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.
Historical fiction? You could try:
Arthur Conan Doyle and the Collected Works of Sherlock Holmes. 72ish hours of historical mysteries narrated by Stephen Fry.
Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Christo. Both solid stories, but I found The Count of... to be better.
I also realized that Patrick O'Brian might fit, with his 'Master and Commander' books. I tried the first one on a whim, and although it isn't my usual style, I loved the feeling of adventure it depicted. About a captain in the royal navy in the early 19th century. I've listened to the ones narrated by Ric Jerrom.
Honorable mention should go to James Clavell and Shogun, about a british sailor stranded in Japan in the feudal era.
I'm not a SciFi guy, but I've listened to Expeditionary Force, and plan to pick up more books in that series.
I think Peter F Hamiltons books are a bit heavy for an 11 year old, they have sooooo much world building, details about people and sex stuff in them.. I'd start with Expeditionary Force. Not so heavy on the details and funny as all hell. https://www.amazon.com/Columbus-Day-Expeditionary-Force-Book-ebook/dp/B01AIGC31E
Book 1 is also on sale .
The Bobiverse is great, loved that series.
Another one that's right up there with it - wait, when you look at the title and cover, and first start reading it appears to be another stuffy military sci-fi novel - but about halfway through the first book, a character enters that makes the whole series.
It does get a bit formulaic by the 4th book:
Expeditionary Force series by Craig Alanson.
Seriously, this is a great pickup if you liked Bob, despite its initial appearance.
Evan Currie, Marko Kloos, Craig Alanson, Josh Dalzelle; these are all writers I know for certain started as self-published authors. Also, probably H Paul Honsinger and Nick Webb.
If you want to sell self published MilSF, read and study the first books in all those series, and then emulate them.
I’ve recently been enjoying “The Gam3” series by Cosimo Yap : it was recommended to me after I finished RP1 and I was looking for something new.
While it’s not the same as RP1 I’ve found it to be an amazing read - loads of depth to the world(s) in it and just really draws you in.
Description from Amazon
> The Earth is changing. The alien invasion brought social upheaval, advanced technology, and an armada of peacekeeping robots. But Alan, a college student pursuing a now-useless degree, cares little about all of this. He has only one thing on his mind: the Game.
>
> A fully immersive virtual reality, the Game appears to be a major part of the invading civilization. Alan can't wait to play, recklessly diving into the digital universe. Soon though, Alan realizes the Game is anything but simple, and the stakes are higher than he ever imagined.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Opening-Moves-Gam3-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01DFCNAPG
You can always write a web novel in the style of light novels.
The Gam3 sold here started off as a series on Royalroad and went to publish in amazon. It's a more western novel, but still has some of that light novel characterization feel to it.
Mother of Learning is another fantastic english web novel though I don't believe it has any commercial releases.
Ohh. I see.
Cradle Series
Overgeared
Red Mage
The Gam3
Limitless Lands
Divine Dungeon
Mirror World
The Good guys
War Aeternus
Dest March
Bushido Online
Dark Elf Chronicles
Djinn Tamer
Hero of Thera
Morning Wood
The Two Week Curse
Party Hard
Axe Druid
Ryan DeBruyn
Equalize: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG (Ether Collapse Book 1)
The way of the shaman
Galactagon
Great series of books. You do not need to read them in order; I read book 4 first, and it spoils nothing.
Supposedly, Amazon Prime wants to do a miniseries of this, or at least the first book, to the level of quality of Game of Thrones. I'll... believe it when I see it.
Anyway here are Amazon/Audible links! (Or hit up your local library, etc.)
I really like this stuff as space opera type stuff. It's usually not "hard" sci-fi like Asimov or even Philip K. Dick or anything, but I rather hope humanity heads in the direction of the Federation, and then ultimately to The Culture.
Fun fact!! Elon Musk named the autonomous drone barge ships (the ones that SpaceX rockets land on) after some Culture ships. Namely the Of Course I Still Love You, and the Just Read The Instructions. I also rather like the full name of the ship Mistake Not… (Don't Google it! It's a spoiler!!!)
Try out the Culture books by Iain M. Banks. Use of Weapons is my personal favorite and more militaristic than the others (which are still amazing scifi!).
the Diamond Age
Friday
the Sparrow
the Blind Assasin
Parable of the Sower
Here's a link just because I like the cover art :)
In fiction: Footfall by Pournelle & Niven.
We really need to agree on what we're talking about, in terms of scale and capability and mission. If we assume humanity is constrained by physics as we presently understand them, we're effectively limited to the solar system. So what's the mission of this space navy- defend against hypothetical alien invaders? (Good luck.) Protect a nation's access to off-Earth resources? Exploration? Defense of national space outposts? Talking about power projection is tricky if you don't know what your objectives are.
(If you assume humanity has faster-than-light travel then all bets are off and society is probably unrecognizable.)
deal. i just started footfall, but i'm dling neuromancer right now, and that's next. :)
You basically described the premise of Footfall there, though their ship was a fusion ship that they built using a previous races plans.
If you're interested in philosophy and cyberpunk/noir, there's probably nothing better for you than Altered Carbon. Humanity has gotten to the point where bodies can be swapped around with all of the implications along with it, and the main character is brought in to check out a suicide for one of the social elites.
It hits every one of your points you're interested in (except being a technical book, but whatever that's a hard sell anyway), and I'm a really big fan of it.
The Takeshi Kovacs Trilogy starting with Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. If you've ever wondered what life would be like if we could digitize human consciousness and shoot that consciousness at light speed through the cosmos to be inserted into awaiting bodies or "Sleeves", this may be the book for you. What is mind-blowing is not the technology so much as the insight into what our world would look like and how it's associated population would look/behave in their consequential relationships/interactions. Very enjoyable at the same time as being scary. A great time to read this type of subject matter ahead of our supposed transcendence/singularity.
You were pretty vague in your request, but i'll leave this right here:
http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Carbon-Takeshi-Kovacs-Novels/dp/0345457684
Pretty dark and mature cyber punk/detective noir book.
What do you think of Altered Carbon's black/green cover on Amazon?
Try Altered Carbon by Richard K Morgan; it's one of the best combinations of action, atmosphere, and hi-tech ideas.
Or you could read the takeshi kovacs series, those are even better.
Sorry, i get carried away.
Altered Carbon has plenty of action and sex.
Richard K. Morgan: A land fit for heroes
It's a pretty damn good fantasy series. I got into it because his cyberpunk noir novels were so damn good. Altered Carbon and the rest of the Takeshi Kovacs novels were excellent.
Also, I was lucky enough to have friends immediately recommend Joe Abercrombie post asoiaf. The First Law Trilogy is absolutely gripping. Personally, I think it's better than asoiaf.
I'd like to see the problems (or solutions) of Identity that new technologies will create. I just finished the book Altered Carbon and in there, the future is going to happen in a way that we'd be able to digitize our consciousness and "re-sleeve" into another body so death would effectively be optional. Of course, if you didn't want to be trapped in the body you were born with, what would you want to make you feel as though you're You? But then again, some people (the not so wealthy) don't have the option of choosing what body they're put into.
All in all, why is it such a matter for us to determine "who we are" in the life that we didn't elect to be in? It's these philosophies that I'd like to see presented and dwelled on.
Altered Carbon - Netflix series
Altered Carbon - book
I just finished, and rather enjoyed Altered Carbon (Takeshi Kovacs Novels), which also falls into the cyberpunk noir genre. The first one at least, haven't read the rest yet.
Hey everyone, this week we discuss action scenes and how to ensure they're engaging and meaningful. Hope you enjoy it!
May 10th is when our Scrivener promotion ends, so if you've been trying it out and want to buy it, be sure to use the code RATIONALLY at checkout for 20% off before then!
The book recommendation this week by /u/alexanderwales is Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. It's a hardboiled detective story set hundreds of years in the future, when human minds can be digitally stored and put into empty 'sleeves' at will. A wealthy man, Lauren Bancroft, hires the ex-military detective Takeshi Kovacs to get to the bottom of a supposed suicide; the suicide was Bancroft's, who was restored from backup and has no knowledge of what might have made him take his own life. The novel has all the staples of hardboiled detective fiction, filtered through a transhumanist lens where bodies are disposable, torture takes place in virtual reality, and the femme fatales have been genetically engineered for beauty. The action in particular is a highlight, which is a good thing because there's plenty of violence along the way.
If you want to give the audio book a try, sign up for an Audible trial through us to get a free book and help support the show. Thanks for listening!
Gary Gibson does some credible space adventures. The Shaol sequence was pretty enjoyable.
A bit harder edged but brilliant is the Takeshi Kovacs trilogy from Richard Morgan. Start with Altered Carbon.
Also Neal Asher's Polity Agent series has a lot of good action tinged with horror.
Try Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon or Walter John William's Hrdwired for some good cyberpunk. For a good post-apocalypse novel you might like Earth Abides by George R. Stewart.
In this same vein, though grittier than Banks and Hamilton, is the Takeshi Kovacs series by Richard K. Morgan, starting with Altered Carbon. The main character is a former UN envoy (think baddest of the badass special forces). People's minds are backed up continually in a cortical stack, which is almost indestructible. Instead of interstellar travel, people like Kovacs have the contents of their stacks transmitted across the galaxy and "re-sleeved", loaded into a new body on the other end.
The series raises some interesting questions about identity and morality when death and attachment to a specific body are taken out of the equation. His first book also deals specifically with the topic of very, very long-lived people.
http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Carbon-Takeshi-Kovacs-Novels/dp/0345457692
You might like this. A lot.
Check out Pandora's Star.
I just finished reading Pandora's Star, Hamilton. Once they find us, we could be screwed.
I've enjoyed both of those authors, so I guess I'll recommend some books I've liked.
In no particular order (links to the first book in the series, on amazon):
The Lost Fleet by Jack Campbell
Spinward Fringe by Randolph Lalonde
Star Force by B.V. Larson
Honor Harrington series by David Weber
Valor series by Tanya Huff
I'm slowly reading my way though. I'm about 170~ books deep so far. Right now I've taken a break and I'm reading "The Lost Fleet" which is just an absolutely amazing series that have totally different concepts of space battles compared to Star*.
Yea the lore they are building\built in the halo universe is awesome. If you have finished the books try looking for the spartan ops season 1 on youtube. Runs for almost an hour and is a pretty fun watch.
Also The Lost Fleet is a nice easy read.
Dauntless, by jack Campbell (Dauntless is the first book out of six)
Lots of fun action...not sure how it rates in regards to staying power or intelligence. It'll probably be forgotten in 10 years. But as far as a military action/drama goes, it's pretty awesome
Give the Miles Vorkosigan books a shot. It's by Lois McMaster Bujold. Here is a link to the first omnibus edition, with the first two novels and a short story.
This may be off base, but if you're looking for some character-driven, some action, space opera, with probably my favorite written character ever, try the Vorkosigan Series, which starts with Young Miles. This compilation is two books and a short story, so it's worth the $8 in my opinion.
Young Miles
I love the Vorkosaigan series. Miles is like a whirlwhind of chaos, dragging awesomeness and interesting events wherever he goes behind him.
I also love the Honor Harrington series.
Honor is a bit like a female Miles, but more awesome, because she has a telepathic tree cat, and can singlehandly kick your ass, and the army you brought with you.
The City That Fought.
This one is a bit older, and is harder to find, but worth it. The story revolves around a city run by a person who's basically the ship's computer, and his Brawn. (Girl who does all the manual type things because he's literally stuck in a tube monitoring things). Just about anything by Ann McCaffery is good, though. I was introduced to her via her "Dragonriders of Pern" series, which is the best damn sci fi disguised as Fantasy I've read.
If you like the concept, but want something a little more hard sci-fi, read The Quantum Thief
Classic:
The Egyptian by Mika Waltari
Modern:
The Purge by Sofi Oksanen or maybe The Quantum thief by Hannu Rajaniemi
I have heard "The Quantum Thief" books are quite similar, but I have not had a chance to pick them up myself.
Amazon Link
The books have just recently been translated. You can buy it here on Amazon.
Readaptation coming in 2017, as well as the first few novels getting translated into English, and even more the original series is getting an official western release.
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
http://www.amazon.com/The-Windup-Girl-Paolo-Bacigalupi/dp/1597801585
For some insight into the importance of seed repositories, read The Wind-Up Girl.
Reminds me of The Windup Girl. But that's science-fiction. Maybe we're moving towards a future like it though.
> When you really think about GMOS it's putting a company in charge of food. And if one entity gains all the food we could have a real situation going on.
Already a sci-fi plot point
The Windup Girl ( or anything by Paolo Bacigalupi ) is pretty fantastic.
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
More of a hard sci-fi than GRRM's stuff: The Windup Girl
Ok, you like a lot of the authors I do so Imma try and throw a couple out there.
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi Set in future Thailand where global warming has run rampant, the oceans have risen, and gene companies produce food seed continuously to keep ahead of genetic plagues that destroy anything edible. It's some solid hard scifi and if you like Gibson and Dick it should do ya well.
Red Thunder by John Varley Set in the near future the Chinese are clearly going to win the spacerace to Mars and a small group decides to build a ship to beat em. This is the first in a three part series (which I just learned had a third part lookin up that link) and I enjoyed it.
As for fantasy...
The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher In the world of The Dresden Files, magic is real, along with ghouls, vampires, demons, spirits, faeries, werewolves, zombies and other mythical monsters. Harry Dresden works to protect the general public, who are ignorant of magic and the dark forces conspiring against them. This makes it difficult for Harry to get by as a working wizard and private eye. The Chicago PD's Special Investigation unit, when led by Karrin Murphy, regularly employs Dresden as a consultant to help solve cases of a supernatural nature. I love this series, whenever a new book comes out (and hes up to 14 not counting a few short story collections and such) I read it almost nonstop.
Dan Abnett wrote a short story that went something like this, though set in the Warhammer 40k universe. It was a good story, and a linking piece of the Eisenhorn series, which is a great read if you like sci-fi stuff at all, even if you have no interest in the Warhammer 40k world. Pretty good read even if you don't like sci-fi stuff...very cool development of characters over a long period.
Eisenhorn is probably the best possible place to start in 40k. You get every possible angle of 40k explored in this omnibus as well as a some fantastic characters. Add Ravenor for flavor.
After that, dive into the military side of things with Gaunt's Ghosts. This covers primarily the Imperium vs Chaos side of the conflict, but also the internal conflicts the Imperium suffers from.
Now that you're thoroughly acquainted with the human side, view the universe through the eyes of the super-human Space Marines in The Ultramarines Omnibus. This series shows the strengths (and weaknesses) of the Space Marines as well as introducing the terrifying Chaos Space Marines more thoroughly.
Cry for death to the False Emperor with Soul Hunter. Follow up with the sequels in Void Stalker and Blood Reaver to get a very interesting perspectives from the Renegades.
Finally, finish your introductory odyssey with The Horus Heresy. You'll be reading how the modern universe came to be.
This is a "fuck-ton" of reading and will keep you busy for 6 months to a year or more before you finish. These series are the best of the best in the novel side of things. There are huge amounts more in the Army Codexes ^^that ^^you ^^should ^^be ^^able ^^to ^^find ^^for ^^$0 ^^on ^^"sharing" ^^sites and other excellent novels. PM me anytime and I'll happily answer questions/suggestions.
In the Warhammer 40000 universe:
Dan Abnetts Eisenhorn trilogy: Xenos, Malleus, and Hereticus.
or his series about Gaunt's Ghosts
I started in the Eisenhorn trilogy, personally, on a friend's recommendation. It gives you a good feel for the politics of the Imperium of Man, and the kind of intrigue that goes on behind the scenes, as well as a small glimpse at the dangers posed by the forces of Chaos.
You can purchase the trilogy in an omnibus edition here.
You said up to present day, but what about... 40k?
Pick up a few of the books. I would read, in order:
Caiphas Cain, HERO OF THE IMPERIUM
Gaunt's Ghosts
Eisenhorn
Ravenor
Those 4 will give you a fairly firm grounding of the lore and a feel for the universe. The first two are war books, the latter two focus on the inquisition.
I ran a pretty successful six-month long campaign. Actually got to finish the story arc, unlike most campaigns I've run. We found the system...workable. The character options were pretty interesting, though the psyker felt OP to the players and the psionic manifestation effects were often game changing, usually in an amusing way, but sometimes they proved distracting from the main story just because some of their effects are so life-altering.
We all love the setting and were willing to put up with the idiosyncrasies of the system mechanics. I'd highly recommend reading Dan Abnett's Eisenhorn omnibus - it will really give you a good feel for the whole Inquisitor/Acolyte feel. Abnett's a really fun read all around.
I'm sure the Imperium could accommodate a submerged city like Rapture, even its Randian philosophy (though if it deviated from worship of the emperor, it's heresy - perfect fodder for an inquisitor and his/her team). Though I'm curious to know what else you have planned for the character.
EDIT: incorrectly called Rapture a "subterranean" city.
The Eisenhorn Trilogy
The best responses to your points to me are found in, Peter Hamilton's Commonweath Series, and the brand new Bobiverse Series by Dennis Taylor and Ghost in the Shell. If you for some reason hate books, reading, and anime here is a quick TLDR: Just because the new you is a copy doesn't make it worthless, or makes death any less horrifying. Furthermore, the potential options are more than simply copying a brain before/during death. There's the whole nanite brain replacement Ship of Theseus issue starting from simple neural augmentation all the way to full on cybernetic replacement.
You'd really like the Bobiverse, it literally has entire genealogies of copies of one nerd, each with slightly different slowly diverging viewpoints which I found captivating and engaging.
If you don't mind a little science fiction, I'd say the Commonwealth Saga by Peter Hamilton.
Pandora's Star is excellent if you have not read it. It's what happens if we discover life on a planet when we are a space-faring society.
If you like hard sci-fi and haven't read the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson - I can't recommend it strongly enough. It's actually what got me into KSP, because after reading it I was just desperate to explore space.
I was originally going to go for the Mars Trilogy's first book Red Mars, but that just has to wait for a Reddit free gift from my new favourite SciFi author :D
It looks like we have a lot in common in terms of what we like to read! I absolutely love Heinlein and have read all of his books. We also have Ready Player One in common on our lists.
I think you would enjoy this book for sure. I think it has a similar feel to Heinlein but a little more modern.
Agreed. I was looking through the gallery of Ender's Game book covers and most of them are atrocious. I do think this cover is probably the best I've seen, in terms of representing the book well and still giving a cool sci-fi feel to it, without looking too much like a kids book like this one.
Ender's Game
Use of Weapons, by Iain M Banks.
E: Dunno how to recommend it and its plot twist without spoiling said twist, but I'll try. It's two stories, told simultaneously and in reverse chronological order; in the one, mercenary Cheradenine Zakalwe is pulled out of retirement by the Culture to do one more job for them, and demands/is offered as payment a chance to see his sister one more time before she dies, while in the other we see his past and what made him the man he is today, including a civil war in which (medium-small and gorey twist) [spoiler:](#s "his adopted brother butchered his sister and turned her into a chair"). Really good, super shocking, strongly recommend.
E2: That spoiler, BTW, is not The Twist, that comes a bit later.
you should read the culture series of novels by Ian Banks ...
If I understand correctly, you're implying there won't be fantastic new MMO games? And implying that in /r/futurology? ;)
I'm not saying I'll be an MMORPG either, hence the MMO (short for Massively Multiplayer Online).
Let me share a vision of an extremely immersive mmo game, from the book Use of Weapons by Iain M Banks:
> The first night away, he linked into one of their direct-link sensory entertainments, lying on the bed with some sort of device activated under the pillow.
>He did not actually sleep that night; instead he was a bold pirate prince who’d renounced his nobility to lead a brave crew against the slaver ships of a terrible empire amongst the spice and treasure isles; their quick little ships darted amongst the lumbering galleons, picking away the rigging with chain shot. They came ashore on moonless nights, attacking the great prison castles, releasing joyous captives; he personally fought the wicked governor’s chief torturer, sword against sword; the man finally fell from a high tower. An alliance with a beautiful lady pirate begot a more personal liaison, and a daring rescue from a mountain monastery when she was captured . . .
>He pulled away from it, after what had been weeks of compressed time. He knew (somewhere at the back of his mind) even as it happened that none of it was real, but that seemed like the least important property of the adventure. When he came out of it — surprised to discover that he had not actually ejaculated during some of the profoundly convincing erotic episodes — he discovered that only a night had passed, and it was morning, and he had somehow shared the strange story with others; it had been a match, apparently. People had left messages for him to get in touch, they had enjoyed playing the match with him so much. He felt oddly ashamed and did not reply.
Friday - Robert Heinlein
She's a totally kick-ass character, but very, very human.
Edit to fix a sucky link.
Read: http://www.amazon.com/Friday-Robert-A-Heinlein/dp/034530988X
Heinlein, always the visionary :-)).
Does it have to be well-told? :P
Grimspace series - Ann Aguire
Friday - Robert A. Heinlein
Stardoc - S.L. Viehl
Blade Dancer - S. L. Viehl
Califia's Daughters - Leigh Richards (post-apocalypse)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/034530988X/ref=rdr_ext_tmb
This was the cover.
Just don't tell them about Friday.
Try out Heinlein's Book Friday. Depending on the age of your niece, I'd suggest reading it first before recommending it to her.
Holy shit, I can't believe this thread has been going on for an hour and no one has thrown out:
Same authors, different stories, great post-apocalyptic vision.
The classic "the aliens arrive, and announce themselves by dropping rocks" story is Footfall.
There is a book called Footfall, by Larry Niven, where this method of getting to space is used.
Just wanted to add Footfall to the list of stories like this. Elephant-like aliens with vastly superior technology attack Earth with a very flawed understanding of how humanity wages war.
Have you read Footfall?.
Cheers!
>As to the mental rewriting, I'm able to simply bite the bullet. I would likely feel rather physically violated, but not mentally so.
I think this makes intuitive, almost Cartesian sense, and I think I agree. What if you still had little mental residues of the last mind, though? Dreams, for example, are probably related to our brain processing and consolidating memories. Dreaming and realizing that they're "someone else's" mental residues (or, if you like, "your" mental residues while your brain was rewritten/hijacked/tricked into thinking it was someone else) might be a bit disturbing.
Bit of a tangent but if these sorts of conundrums interest you and you haven't read it already I highly recommend Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan, a noir-cyberpunk novel about a future where consciousness can be digitized, with some strange consequences for the idea of the self.
Should read an incredible scifi noir fiction called Altered Carbon. Consciousness can be digitalized and injected into new "sleeves" (bodies).
Thanks for your help man. I just checked out the Steyr M9-A1 at the local gunshop (the .357 I had my eye on is on Gunbroker.) It felt really great in the hand, and I love the sci-fi aesthetic but unfortunately that style of grip angle does not suit me, it pointed really high (like 6" at 3 yards) when held in my natural wrist alignment.
Kinda random, but if you enjoy guns and sci-fi, I'd highly recommend the book Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. In addition to being a fantastic noir/hard future sci fi, it has a quite few plausible but futuristic handguns.
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
comedy answer: https://www.amazon.com/Altered-Carbon-Takeshi-Kovacs-Richard/dp/0345457684
http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Carbon-Takeshi-Kovacs-Novels/dp/0345457684/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1421879159&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=takeshi+kovacs
I enjoyed this series.
In a similar vein:
http://www.amazon.com/Gridlinked-Ian-Cormac-Book-1/dp/0765349051/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1421879204&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=neal+asher
Try Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan.
>In the novel's quasi-cyberpunk and somewhat dystopian world, human personalities can be stored digitally and downloaded into new bodies, called sleeves. Most people have cortical stacks in their spinal columns that store their memories. If their body dies, their stack can be stored indefinitely.
It's a pretty rich world, and on the upside, if you like it, there are two more novels in the series with the same main character, Broken Angels and Woken Furies. They also deal with finding stuff on Mars although I won't spoil it for you.
Each novel is a self-contained story, but it's better if you read them in order, and they're fairly different in tone and focus. Altered is a detective story, Blade Runner-ish, Angels tackles the themes of war, and Furies gets into the head of the main character more than the other two.
Yall should check out Altered Carbon
Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, currently tearing through Woken Furies by Richard Morgan
fast-paced and well written stories of a commando-type. gritty and cool Gibonesque universe where consciousness is stored on in a small metal cylinder at the base of the skull, you can die, be revived, change bodies, etc. cool AI hotels, unfathomable ancient Martian tech, lots of guns
also just finished Dragon's Egg and Starquake by Robert L Forward
1mm alien slugs living life a million times faster than humans on a neutron star with 63 billion times the gravity of Earth. hard science. dry dialog for humans, but really well done conception and description of such an alien race, from when they first learned how to use natural tools, until they have control of blackholes, FTL/time travel, etc. (over a few Solar days)
I'm a bit late to the party but Altered Carbon and the rest of the trilogy is really good too.
They all seem to be for 8-14yr olds...
Edit: Oh. Maybe that's what the OP meant. I got excited because I thought it would be a bunch of great books for guys, not for kids.
In case that's what you came looking for too, here's a couple of greats:
Beat the Reaper It's like House meets the Sopranos, except better.
Altered Carbon The most bad ass futuristic sci-fi book, ever.
If you don't mind a sci-fi twist on the story, I highly recommend Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan.
guh, here is the Amazon link for all the other lazy SOBs out there.
Altered Carbon
Altered Carbon
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
Description from Amazon:
>In the twenty-fifth century, humankind has spread throughout the galaxy, monitored by the watchful eye of the U.N. While divisions in race, religion, and class still exist, advances in technology have redefined life itself. Now, assuming one can afford the expensive procedure, a person’s consciousness can be stored in a cortical stack at the base of the brain and easily downloaded into a new body (or “sleeve”) making death nothing more than a minor blip on a screen.
Ex-U.N. envoy Takeshi Kovacs has been killed before, but his last death was particularly painful. Dispatched one hundred eighty light-years from home, re-sleeved into a body in Bay City (formerly San Francisco, now with a rusted, dilapidated Golden Gate Bridge), Kovacs is thrown into the dark heart of a shady, far-reaching conspiracy that is vicious even by the standards of a society that treats “existence” as something that can be bought and sold. For Kovacs, the shell that blew a hole in his chest was only the beginning. . . .
Again, a book I haven't read in a few years, so my impressions are hazy. However, it's Richard K. Morgan, so there's plenty to be drawn in by. Violence, sex, technology, it's all beautiful.
Yeah, you say you've hit the classics, but did you read all of them?
Neuromancer is my favourite book. Not just in the cyberpunk genre. So I'll more-than-second that recommendation. I agree that Burning Chrome is very good.
Mirrorshades (a short story collection) is also pretty good.
http://www.amazon.com/Mirrorshades-Cyberpunk-Anthology-Bruce-Sterling/dp/0877958688
Altered Carbon is excellent noir/cyberpunk.
http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Carbon-Takeshi-Kovacs-Novels/dp/0345457692/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1372885278&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=altered+carbon
Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan. It blends genres (mystery + noir + SF) and I think does a great job of introducing a novice to SF .
[Edit] FWIW, I purposely avoided the "classics" as I think many of them would be quite dated to today's audience and would not be a good intro into the genre. But I would hope that as their taste in SF evolves that they would find the classics on their own and would be better able to appreciate them.
Have you read The Commonwealth Saga. Pandora's Star is the first in the 2 part series that takes place in the "near" future after a technological revolution. Its a Space Opera in it's own right even the more common means of travel is through wormholes (kind of like Stargate). The first few hundred pages dragged on but after reaching the middle of the book i'm not able to put it down.
http://www.amazon.com/Pandoras-Star-The-Commonwealth-Saga/dp/0345479211
If you want a good Sci-Fi that will last you the entire trip look into Pandora's Star.
Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton?
Fitzpatrick's War by Theodore Judson
Pandora's Star by Peter Hamilton
Series of books by Jack Campbell. They are excellent and you should read them!
https://www.amazon.com/Dauntless-Lost-Fleet-Book-1/dp/0441014186
The Lost Fleet series had pretty good fleet battles. Viewed through the eyes of the main commander, and slowly building up in complexity of description/execution because of plot points.
Randomly picked it up cause I liked the title for whatever reason.
Golden Age of the Solar Clipper - Nathan Lowell
The Lost Fleet - Jack Campbell
Both were enjoyable reads. The Golden Age series follows an average guy as he gets a job on a space freighter and slowly rises through the ranks. The main character isn't some long-lost cousin to a space prince, or the only person that can save the universe, he's just a guy trying to make a living for himself. There aren't any space battles, so it might be a good change of pace for you, depending on what you read. The main character is a bit of a Mary Sue, though, so be warned if that sort of thing turns you off. There are about 6 books in this series.
The Lost Fleet series does include space battles. It's a story about a long-lost hero returning from cryosleep to a government and a war so unlike what he left behind. It's a story of how Geary, the protagonist, handles his new setting (fighting off politicians, lovers, and assassins) all while trying to return his fleet (which, through dumb luck, he commands) back home from deep in enemy territory. It's pretty good, and the space battles are well thought out. There are bout 10 books in this series.
Just finished The Myriad on the recommendation of r/scifi and while it was good i wish it had more fleet combat. I guess i have just been spoiled by Honor Harrington.
The next book i am gonna read is The Dauntless and we will see how it goes
http://www.amazon.com/Dauntless-The-Lost-Fleet-Book/dp/0441014186
Yeah I read a lot of Fantasy and Sci-fi. Umm, if he likes more Military Scifi I would recommend:
If he likes "high fantasy" (elves, wizards, knights, etc) then let me know and I throw out a few of those too.
EDIT: Also I'll plug Audbile.com here because these all also have great Audiobooks with GREAT narrators and I love listening to my books on my Android phone all the time. And of course Amazon owns Audible! discounts for buying the audiobook and the kindle book (often cheaper than outright buying the audiobook!)
If you like to read, consider Young Miles. It's an extremely good sci fi story where the main character has something resembling OI.
+1 for the Vorkosigan saga. I recommend it every chance I get. Start with Young Miles.
A great military/space opera sci-fi series is the Miles Vorkosigan books. They're action-adventure-drama-mystery-comedy. Really excellent. Start with Young Miles, when Miles is 17 and flunks out of military academy.
The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter Straub completely captured me around your age. It's dark fantasy, and ties in with King's The Dark Tower series. Which you also could give a shot.
Sometimes you can get lucky and find an author that writes both in the YA and adult range, like Neil Gaiman.
I'd suggest Neverwhere and American Gods (which is a bit more adult than Neverwhere, but you should be fine to read it).
I heartily second /u/nebulousmenace recommendation. I would recommend starting with The Warrior's Apprentice which can also be found in the omnibus edition Young Miles.
Here’s some stuff from new authors……
Check out The Six Gun Tarot by Belcher.
Amazon link.
I finished it a couple of weeks ago, and really enjoyed it. It’s kind of a mashup of a Western and something from the Cthulhu mythos.
If you want really good new SciFi, I’d recommend The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi.
Amazon link.
I highly recommend this one. It’s awesome.
Only the first novel has been translated as of now. The second one is going to come this month that too extremely soon.
Here's the Amazon link.
Here's the goodreads review link
Here's a video review link. (See this whole review first and no, it's not a light novel )
Japanese light novel series, Legend of the Galactic Heroes sounds like a perfect match for that.
The Lost Fleet series, by Jack Campbell is interesting to me, as the main character is somewhat chronologically displaced, and politics are a large factor for character interactions.
I'd recommend watching the anime first as there is no other translation or fan translation for the novel series.
Novels
Try legend of the galactic heroes
https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Galactic-Heroes-Vol-Dawn/dp/1421584948
I've never read it, but here you go.
https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Galactic-Heroes-Vol-Dawn/dp/1421584948
I'm reading The Windup Girl right now, and the shipping docks and nearby warehouse/industrial area are featured prominently. In the post-apocalyptic landscape (after "the Expansion") moving goods by sailing ship is once again the dominant form of global trade. I like that your idea of using the flats and up the Cuyahoga river a bit. Maybe also that section of abandoned "subway" under the Veterans Memorial bridge.
The Windup Girl
If you liked that book, check out The Windup Girl. It's a book, but about a post-oil economy where people are storing energy in springs, and there is a small group of android-like people who run on that energy.
Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood are two of my favourites.
The Wind-up Girl is also pretty neat.
The Fionavar Tapestry is one of my all-time favourite fantasy reads.
The Lies of Locke Lamora is usually a good bet if you like GRRM.
Riddle the First: Wine
I’ve heard tell that wine can be paired with fruit and cheese. Because I’m a classy lady I would have no trouble substituting traditional cheese for some White Cheddar Cheez-its:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ONPN9K/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=3OX0211BFWC4U&amp;coliid=I2QRJJ8FY0PH3O
Riddle the Second: Broom
Do you know how dusty White Cheddar Cheez-its are? Of course I need a broom to keep my side of the dormitory clean!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006TESANU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=3OX0211BFWC4U&amp;coliid=I37I11D6JNTLOL
Riddle the Third: Hat
What “classy lady” wouldn’t want a miniature top hat headband fascinator? I just hope its not too distracting to the other students…
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IB052U4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=3OX0211BFWC4U&amp;coliid=IPL430LO8ISSR
Riddle the Fourth: Book
I chose a muggle book of fiction I’ve wanted to read for a while now, The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi. I’ll give you a prize if you can say “Bacigalupi” three times fast…
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1597801585/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=3OX0211BFWC4U&amp;coliid=I3IYSDZAX1N183
Riddle the Fifth: Trunk
Cards Against Humanity would be stowed away in my trunk. What better way to learn about all my new housemates after sorting is complete?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004S8F7QM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=3OX0211BFWC4U&amp;coliid=I1Z7ZLARVMKSAN
For Bonus Points: Cape
I need variety! Why wear the same boring old cape day after day if I don’t have to? With Dancing Colors Scarves I could have a different colored cape, or a cape of many colors, anytime I pleased!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042SR4F0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=3OX0211BFWC4U&amp;coliid=I2KTI79YW1128G
I'd suggest The Windup Girl. Though the psychological horror is pretty explicit. (Admittedly, it panders heavily to my tastes because, hilariously enough, Iowa is a superpower in that setting.)
Have I got a book for you. https://www.amazon.com/Windup-Girl-Paolo-Bacigalupi/dp/1597801585
If you liked that book you should read the Wind-Up Girl and his other stuff. It's mostly all from different perspectives in the same future Earth.
> The real risks for GMO foods is that the plant can be induced to produce its own herbicide which in turn might have health consequences on people who consume it.
We'd have to establish that the herbicide was a peoplecide as well. My main concern about GMOs have nothing to do with health. I think it's crazy and dangerous to allow corporations to patent the food we grow. The SF novel Windup Girl was set in a dystopia where a company had, after patenting certain types of foodstuffs, "accidentally" released a pathogen that wiped out all the other ones, thus making everyone utterly dependent on theirs. I consider that a very potential future. It's the patenting of the food supply that freaks me out, not the health issues of GMOs.
Yes' I came here to suggest that' here's a link - http://www.amazon.com/The-Windup-Girl-Paolo-Bacigalupi/dp/1597801585
For those commenting the lack of women authors, I agree.
I suggest Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente. She has other interesting books as well.
ALso, I did not see Paolo Bacigalupis The Windup Girl mentioned, very good
Go here and click around. Warhammer 40k doesn't have one singular story line to focus on. It's an entire universe wherein tons of different storylines, each with their own lore, are told via books, games, movies, etc... In my opinion, this is a decent book to start on as it doesn't draw on previous lore knowledge very much. It almost reads like a sci fi/fantasy detective novel.
Books! Especially the two Dan Abnett trilogies: Eisenhorn and Ravenor.
http://www.amazon.com/Eisenhorn-Warhammer-40-000-Omnibus/dp/1844161560
http://www.amazon.com/Ravenor-The-Omnibus-Dan-Abnett/dp/1844167372
Each is an "omnibus", three relatively short novels that were combined into a single book (750 or so pages paperback each?).
Start with Eisenhorn, it's a great primer to the general 40K world. Ravenor is much darker, and also fantastic.
Oh my God, it's such good stuff. Pirate the epub versions, or buy a used copy for pennies somewhere. I think they're out of print now.
The Eisenhorn and Ravenor Series by Dan Abnett from the Black Library.
Eisenhorn by Dan Abnett
Set in the warhammer 40k universe I think it is his best work. Combines the inquisition, chaos magicks, xenos aliens, and space demons in one action packed omnibus. The emperor protects!
http://www.amazon.com/Eisenhorn-Warhammer-40-000-Omnibus/dp/1844161560
Eisenhorn is generally considered to be the magnum opus of the 40k novels.
For (currently) free Kindle books, David Weber's On Basilisk Station is the first book in the space-opera Honor Harrington series. The second book The Honor of the Queen, is one of my favorites in the entire series. Eric Flint's 1632 turned into a massive and awesome alternate-history series. If you'd like to delve into Alaskan-based murder mysteries, give Dana Stabenow's A Cold Day For Murder a try as the first in the some eighteen book Kate Shugak series.
For paid Kindle books, there's Hugh Howey's Wool Omnibus is the beginning of the dystopian Silo series; the followup Shift Omnibus is actually a prequel trilogy that I haven't gotten yet but is very readable. Naomi Novik's first novel in the alt-history Temeraire series, His Majesty's Dragon, is currently $.99.
In print, Elizabeth Moon's military fantasy The Deed of Paksenarrion is available used for a very affordable price and is an epic series. The Cage was my introduction to a fantasy universe written by SM Stirling, Shirley Meier, and Karen Wehrstein. Diana Gabaldon's Outlander is a sort of alternate history/light romance series set in Scotland that I've thoroughly enjoyed. Brent Weeks' assassin-based (excuse me, wetboy) fantasy Night Angel Trilogy was recently released as an omnibus edition. Empire from the Ashes collects Weber's Dahak sci-fi trilogy into an omnibus edition. Weber and John Ringo co-wrote March Upcountry and the other three novels in the sci-fi Prince Roger quadrilogy. If you haven't tried Harry Turtledove's alt-history sci-fi WW2 'Worldwar' series, In the Balance starts off a little slow plot-wise but picks up good speed. EE Knight's sci-fi/futuristic fantasy Vampire Earth starts off with Way of the Wolf. Mercedes Lackey wrote the modern-fantasy Born to Run with Larry Dixon, and the rest of the SERRAted Edge books with various other authors. Neal Stephenson's cyberpunk and slightly dystopian Snow Crash is hilarious and awesome. Maggie Furey's Aurian is the first of a fantasy quadrilogy that I enjoyed many years ago.
If you're at all familiar with the Warhammer 40k universe, the Eisenhorn Omnibus is Dan Abnett's wonderful look into the life of an Imperial Inquisitor. He's also written a popular series about the Tanith First-and-Only Imperial Guard regiment starting with The Founding Omnibus. He also wrote the first book in the Horus Heresy series, Horus Rising (I highly recommend reading the first three novels together as a trilogy and then cherry-picking the rest).
... and if you've read all that already, I'll be impressed.
Edit: Why yes, I do read a lot. Why do you ask?
Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained (sequel) are excellent
Hah, well there's a loaded tag.
I have no idea what happened to him/her, but I'm happy to have lent some input.
For the record I'm no expert, just a space nerd that reads a lot :-p
If you're curious to read more I'd recommend either Terraforming: Engineering Planetary Environments for nonfiction, or Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy for really well-researched and realistic science fiction.
Windmills for energy? Lots of wind on Mars.
I thought they recently discovered frozen water was abundant on Mars' surface?
Everything else I agree with though. Also, read Red Mars if you haven't!
Awesome post! Love reading these.
For anyone who wants to read realistic science fiction focused on Mars in the same vein (but much deeper) as The Martian check out Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars
>That said I feel like it would be a hell of a lot easier to live on a hot earth than it would be to live on mars.
Maybe; a rise in temperature means a rise in the prevalence of disease and superstorms. Combine those two and it doesn't look very promising for human civilization on earth.
On the other hand, developing a colonized mars with domed cities that have been acclimated to human climate would be quite easy to live in due to the lack of superstorms and disease. We need the tech (no small feat, though possibly achievable in the next half century I think) and the management to manage that tech. Even so, access to these domed cities would be limited so the point is moot if we're talking about moving the majority of human life over there.
If you want a good piece of hard sci-fi, check out Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. The focus of the utopic novel is colonizing and terraforming Mars and includes a great deal of political ideology and quasi-scientific ideas about how we would make it on Mars.
Here's his description:
> Watch Nat Geo's MARS Monday 11/14 at 9/8c: http://makemarshome.com/
>
> Watch Kevin and Jake's videos! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_MhErD-EA0&amp;index=2&amp;list=PLiyjwVB09t5xDxwO8KpwJA2HTA13xarpf
>
> Thanks to Nat Geo for sponsoring this video
>
> Earth and Mars size comparison: http://www.space.com/16871-how-big-is-mars.html
>
> calculate how much you’d weigh on Mars: http://www.exploratorium.edu/mars/yourweight.php
>
> Martian ‘sun dial’:
>
> http://www.universetoday.com/96930/curiositys-sundial-carries-a-message-of-hope/
>
> http://mars.nasa.gov/multimedia/interactives/revealing-mars-before-after-image-comparison-slider/rover-opportunity/
>
> Touching Mars images (walnut regolith): http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/multimedia/images/2005/dust_devils.html
>
> Pascal Lee:
>
> http://www.pascallee.net
>
> https://www.facebook.com/PascalLeeOfficial/photos/a.533740600028877.1073741831.518292958240308/951932401543026/?type=3&amp;theater
>
> Other flag ideas:
>
> http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20151214-what-would-the-flag-of-mars-look-like
>
> https://astrosociety.org/edu/publications/tnl/66/flag.html
>
> Kim Stanley Robinson’s excellent trilogy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QCS914/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&amp;btkr=1
>
> terraforming of Mars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terraforming_of_Mars
>
> Outer Space Treaty: http://www.state.gov/t/isn/5181.htm#treaty
>
> Extraterrestrial Liberty: http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-319-18063-2_3
>
> Time on Mars:
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timekeeping_on_Mars
>
> http://jtauber.github.io/mars-clock/
>
> Mars orbit: http://www.windows2universe.org/mars/mars_orbit.html
>
> Mars orbit proximity chart: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_mission_to_Mars#/media/File:Mars_close_appr.png
>
> NASA Mars time program: http://www.giss.nasa.gov/tools/mars24/
>
> Mars Watches:
>
> http://mars.nasa.gov/mer/spotlight/spirit/a3_20040108.html
>
> http://web.archive.org/web/20120525133718/http://executivejewelers.com/jewelscart2000/store/jewelscart2000_listCategoriesAndProducts.asp?idCategory=10
>
> Darian calendar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darian_calendar
>
> Ask a Mathematician physicist article: http://www.askamathematician.com/2012/09/q-is-it-likely-that-there-are-atoms-in-my-body-that-have-traveled-from-the-other-side-of-the-planet-solar-system-galaxy-or-universe/
>
> Apollo quarantine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Quarantine_Facility
>
> space dust: http://www.universetoday.com/92807/rocks-from-mars/
>
> Blood and skin cells changing: https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1q16hw/im_32_is_there_a_single_cell_or_even_molecule/
>
> Planetary protection:
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_protection
>
> https://planetaryprotection.nasa.gov/
>
> Mars sample return [PDF]: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/pss/presentations/200803/04-Atlas-PPSonMSR.pdf
>
> glow worms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnocampa_luminosa
>
> ANSMET: http://caslabs.case.edu/ansmet/
>
> AH84001: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Hills_84001
>
> Bill Clinton speech on Mars rock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHhZQWAtWyQ
>
> All music by http://www.youtube.com/JakeChudnow
Fulfilled: Kim Stanley Robinson (plus two or three more). And, to be more directly Marxist, his thesis advisor Fredric Jameson.
Here you go:
Red Mars
Green Mars
Blue Mars
Ender's Game The book, not the movie. Still my all time favorite.
This is the one. Some other good ones might be Ender's Game, A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, and Fluency. Really all depends on what types of book you like to read. I can recommend many!
Thanks for the contest!
Have you ever read any Orson Scott Card? His Ender's Game and series is absolutely amazing. He has a few other series, too, like Seventh Son, and some amazing standalone books like Songmaster.
Another trilogy I'd highly recommend is the His Dark Materials series, including The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass.
How about Enders Game I am mad at myself for waiting so long to read any of the Enders Game books. Also, there is a movie coming out for the first book in November, so if its anything like Watchmen now is the time to read it.
Since I already own copies of the books and this is the only book I have on my WL that is under $10 (I have a great used book store I go to) you don't have to gift me.
http://www.amazon.com/Enders-Game-Ender-Quintet-ebook/dp/B003G4W49C/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1370567555&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=ender%27s+game
Have always loved this book, I would really like the Kindle for reading books and watching movies on the go. As a younger kid I would always read and now I feel as if it doesn't happen as much. This would make me read.
-a hammock because the outdoors is awesome
-this sharpie is amazing
-these pens, although a little pricey, are AMAZING. Additionally, you can get refills for them on Amazon and those are inexpensive
-best coloring pencils imho
-Some really awesome book series one, two, three and four
-for math, here's some sodoku
-Some movies: Overboard, When Harry Met Sally, Burlesque
-Telescope
-Picnic basket
-Spirituality book
-some incense and an awesome fairy burner to go with them
I'll try and add some more later :)
Thanks for the contest
I really really want it! ( $5 and $10
Ender's Game
I haven't read this or seen the movie, and I really should. The books are always better than the movies! Thus why I want to read this first
I don't believe there's a way to do it in general. Some books, like Ender's Game, include it in the description. (It's at the very end, so you may need to expand it)
> I think my account is American
On the Kindle, in the Kindle store, look at Store Settings and there's a setting for Country/Region that will tell you which store it's registered to.
I think there's a separate setting for your Amazon account through the Amazon website; I'm not sure if the two are always linked to the same store, but I don't think they are.
> Ender's Game
It's available in the Amazon USA store, so it may be because of the region you're in. https://www.amazon.com/Enders-Game-Ender-Quartet-Book-ebook/dp/B003G4W49C/
I would love Ender's Game for my kindle. Thank you for the contest and congrats on the new job.
I read all the time, I actually didn't like the idea of reading on a tablet or e-reader at first, but I'm reading every day on my new Kindle and I love it.
I would highly recommend The Thrawn Trilogy, first book here. I also really loved the whole Ender's Game series found here. One last big recommendation is The Sword of Truth series found here.
Ready Player One is the freaking best. I had a 13 year old recommend it to me (I'm 31) and I was GLUED.
Give this a try. It is excellent if you are remotely into video games or you grew up in the 80's.
http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One/dp/B005HG7BWC
This won't help your LD but audio books are a way to get into "reading" if that is a goal you are aiming for.
Both editions:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Ready-Player-One-Audiobook/B005FRGT44
https://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Ready-Player-One-Audiobook/B007PR4J4E
are unavailable for me (audible.com from Europe)
also both amazon.com audiobook editions are unavailable:
https://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One/dp/B007RJRBNG
https://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One/dp/B005HG7BWC
I find that authors reading their own books is usually a good thing. Anthony Bourdain reading Kitchen Confidential and John Hodgeman reading The Areas of My Expertise are my favorite examples.
Old Man's War has an excellent narrator. And I know the opinion on Ready Player One is rather polarized, but if you are interested Wil Wheaton's narration is great.
Ahh shit, I did not really see the part about you wanting longer audio. Book length is pretty short for litrpg so this is really tough.
The best I can do for that criteria is recommend good long audiobooks but they wont be litrpg.
Ready Player One is a self explanatory recommendation. 16 hours
Super Powereds super hero book. Super long at 26hours per book and 4 books total in series
Wool followed by Shift followed by Dust. Its an international bestseller post-apocalyptic drama. I dont really like drama but this one is amazing
Three body problem followed by Dark Forest followed by Deaths end . Its a three part ultra hard core science fiction. There are moments when it gets boring only to turn around and fuck your mind so hard you wont know what hit you. Written by a Chinese author which introduces an interesting perspective on things you dont see with American authors. 14/23/25 hours
Dresden Files is a great long running series with avg 16h per book
If you like stuff like this, I recommend reading Ready Player One! by Earnest Cline (also available in audiobook read by Wil Wheaton).
A couple comments mention this below, but no link...unabridged audio version narrated by Will Wheaton.
http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One/dp/B005HG7BWC
This or this
One is a multimeter which will be sooo helpful since I've decided to start messing around with electronics. The other is a book that I've been wanting to read because it's written by Coheed and Cambria's lead singer and is about the story their songs are about. I couldn't choose between them!
bunnicula
I know you can get a Kindle version of YOTBR on Amazon. You can get all of IKSSE:3 on comixology. As for the others, there's not really a medium to grab them online. Not great for SSTB, but Good Apollo (as previously stated) will be re-released soon. I've got a feeling that'll be released digital just like IKSSE:3.
Second Stage Turbine Blade
In Keeping Secrets
Good Apollo 1
Good Apollo 2
Good Apollo 3
Year of the Black Rainbow
&#x200B;
Those are the ultimate/collected editions, so whether you go paperback or Kindle, it should narrow the search down for you. (I saw the conversation about being confused by chapters.)
A confusing note about the Good Apollo series: the 3 books make up the story of the Fear Through the Eyes of Madness album. Claudio announced earlier this year that he was going to start working on the graphic novel/finale for No World for Tomorrow, but a book does not currently exist for that album.
As for Afterman, the coffee table book is cool, but the wiki synopsis on the Amory Wars page is more than sufficient unless you're absolutely committed to the collection and shelling out money for the sake of that collection. The Afterman book has some art, but it's not as important or immersive as either the comics or the book that came with Vaxis.
Kindle edition $9.99 on Amazon
The Transhumanist Wager is what OP wants to read;
https://www.amazon.com/Transhumanist-Wager-Zoltan-Istvan-ebook/dp/B00AQQSY60#nav-subnav
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Transhumanist_Wager
I feel like The Transhumanist Wager by Zoltan Istvan qualifies. It starts out as "one man against the world" and builds to a "colony fighting for their right to survive".
It's not 100% what you want but I'm reading a book at the moment called the transhumanist wager. It deals with the philosophy and ethics of mind/consciousness upload and combining humans with machines.
Just a warning - I found the first 2-3 pages very poorly written and I almost stopped reading but bizarrely after that the writing improved dramatically and it's actually very well written after that point and gets very interesting. Heavily focussed on the philosophy but also has great action scenes scattered throughout.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00AQQSY60
I just finished Columbus Day and as far as cheap sci-fi goes it's pretty damn good. Much more grounded that most sci-fi I've read recently. And I just started the sequel today.
Craig Alanson
Columbus Day (Expeditionary Force Book 1)
This is a must it now spans 8 books including a couple of novellas as side stories but still important to the over all arc, the audible series breastfed by RC Bray is amazing I have listeners to them all over the last couple of years can’t recommend highly enough.
Amazon kindle link
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Columbus-Day-Expeditionary-Force-Book-ebook/dp/B01AIGC31E/ref=nodl_
Audible link
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Columbus-Day-Audiobook/B01NAE4H74
https://www.amazon.com/Opening-Moves-Gam3-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01DFCNAPG
Opening Moves is what you're looking for.
Those people didn't do their research. I posted a comment which is currently awaiting moderation. I'll cross post it here:
I disagree. I’ve been a member of the Web fiction community on Webfictionguide since 2014 and have seen many, MANY of my fellow web fiction writers serialize successfully. Wildbow’s serialized novel, Worm, earns him a couple thousand a month from Patreon alone. https://www.patreon.com/Wildbow?ty=h
Personally, I sold 500 books the first month after release thanks to my web fiction following.
There are several others who make a few hundred a month, and again others who launched ebook versions of their serialized novels and earned more than most trad published debut novelists do. Some examples:
https://www.amazon.com/Opening-Moves-Gam3-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01DFCNAPG (was originally posted on Royal Road Legends)
https://www.amazon.com/MageLife-Tale-Punch-Clock-Magelife-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00SPA212W (was originally linked on Webfictionguide)
https://www.amazon.com/End-Online-2nd-D-Wolfin-ebook/dp/B00RJHKH82 (again, Webfictionguide and other places)
I could post many more.
You said you weren't looking for fiction, but other people might come to your thread looking for those kinds of suggestions, so sorry to leave you hanging, but I'll put a few out there, because I've enjoyed this genre.
Opening Moves Aliens have taken over and ostensibly done away with war, but the main character finds out the stakes in the aliens' "Game" may be just as high.
Solarversia We've got a sort of reality show VR game where a hundred million players duke it out over the course of a year to win a big prize. It's easy to get sucked into this one as a gamer, because the author really captures this sens of video game action. There's pseudo-ai personality modeling based on social media, and even a fanatical AI doomsday cult.
Survival Quest Don't let the name turn you off here. In this trilogy the biggest MMO has become so big that prisoners are actually sentenced to server their time in VR capsules mining resources for paying non-prisoner characters. Where standard players get to choose their class and have access to outside materials like guides and wikis, the protagonist here (who's unjustly charged, of course!) gets his class selected for him, and must learn the nuances to this underplayed Shaman class, as well as figure out how to earn respect, while simultaneously earning his way out of prison. The third book just came out on the 10th, and I wouldn't have found out about it if not for writing this, so thanks! And enjoy!
I'VE READ OVER 50 BOOKS IN THIS GENRE OVER THE PAST YEAR. SOME ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS, BUT I DO LIKE THEM. THINK SWORD ART ONLINE, BUT A BOOK, AND NOT WEEB. GIVE THE GAM3 A TRY, IT'S A FREE READ HERE (ALSO AVAILABLE ON AMAZON IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR).
These types of questions get near instant replies from the facebook group link I specified above.
Maybe try The Gam3
Here is the mobile version of your link
Intro To Objectivist Epistemology
Man, Economy, and State
Organization Theory
And possibly surprisingly: Friday
My advice to you is to read a book. The ones I pointed out would be a good start, but if you can't handle actual scholarly works yet, the Bible and Doctor Seuss aren't going to get you terribly far. So try finding a library. Pick up Heinlein, Asimov and Clarke. Then maybe you can graduate on to Jack Diamond and Graeber before tackling Pinker, Sagan and Krauss.
Read a book.
Footfall had alien elephants, but it was mid-80s and it wasn't for kids.
http://www.amazon.com/Footfall-Larry-Niven/dp/0345323440
Start here: https://www.amazon.com/Francisco-Street-Secrets-David-Eames/dp/0935182756. It's a history of SF from the view of it's citizens that have had our streets named after them. It's a fascinating book!
The "bad" sections of town are the Tenderloin and Bay View/Hunter's Point 'hoods. They're "bad" because they house poor residents and the area are prone to drug and human trafficking, as well as violence.
The "Muni Metro" subway is nice, but it's starting to show its age. Each station has different colored walls and floors to distinguish one from the other. They've finished boring out the main tunnel for the new "Central Subway" under Stockton Street, and how they're (block by block) ripping up the street and inserting the infrastructure around the tunnel.
It almost never snows in SF. I've lived here 20 years and I've seen it once (it evaporated before it touched the ground at Haight Street and Market Street, and this was at night!) and a friend "out in the Avenues" had a sleet / snow storm that laid out a couple of inches a few years ago. Other than those "freak" occurrences the Winter months are (WERE!) usually raining and overcast. However with the ongoing drought in California our Winter's have been pretty dry lately.
The "High Class" 'hoods are Pacific Heights and Sea Cliff.
The last two I cannot answer as they're too subjective. What's expensive to me wouldn't be to another, and "coolest" is far more subjective than just $ or $$$!
One of the biggest issues facing the city now is "Techies". These are well paid, IT-related, young professionals that are moving into the city and rents have been skyrocketing. SF is a very NIMBY city so for years now no one wanted to allow high density building in their 'hoods. Hence a shortage of rental units. We also have some very Renter-centic laws in the city that have owners of apartment buildings just not renting them out and having to deal with those laws.
That should be enough for you to get started on your research. Let me know if anything else comes up.
Personal Note: One of my favorite books is Altered Carbon (https://www.amazon.com/Altered-Carbon-Takeshi-Kovacs-Novels/dp/0345457684/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1474925617&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=altered+carbon). It's a sci-fi novel based in SF that's intelligent, very well written and trippy as hell. The author does a great job basing it in SF, but not falling into the trap of "over explaining" the details/scenery to "prove a point". (I hope that makes sense.) It was a joy to read because of that. I could "tell" where they were by what he was describing!
I've been thinking about this since I read Altered Carbon.
Say someone makes a perfect clone of you including your memories. Then they kill the first you. Someone else will go on being you, but it probably won't feel that way from within the first you.
Now imagine they do this at night, while you sleep, so you don't notice being killed. You lose consciousness and someone else resumes a like consciousness a few hours later.
But that's pretty much what going to sleep and waking up is already. Today-you loses consciousness and tomorrow-you wakes up with today-you's memories.
I found it a bit of a mindfreak.
Hugh Howey's Molly Fyde books are pretty entertaining. I read them after finding the Wool series. A book I would recommend is the Commonwealth Saga books by Peter Hamilton. The first one is Pandoras Star http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0345479211/ref=mp_s_a_7?pi=SL75&amp;qid=1348879643&amp;sr=1-7
Young Miles - Lois McMaster Bujold
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
On Basilisk Station - David Weber
Skip anything isekai. Try works by Nomura Mizuki, her works usually got a detective novel-like feel.
If you feel really into scifi/politics, try Legend of Galactic Heroes
Probably in a world where Roundup was a stable of every schoolchild's healthy breakfast.
You might enjoy The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
The obvious book to read would be Ready Player One. I highly recommend the audio book narrated by Wil Wheaton.