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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Amph Book Recommendations

Discussion in 'Archive: SF&F: Books and Comics' started by NYCitygurl, Feb 4, 2006.

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  1. Whizkid

    Whizkid Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 11, 2003

    Can someone recommend me a good Sci-Fi series which doesn't depict humans in a secular humanistic way? One thing I love about Star Wars is despite the setting and time of the stories, it shows humans still haven't conquered greed or lust for power. Most Sci-fi stories i've read depict humans as completely devoted to their governments, devoid of real emotions or religious needs, and completely dedicated to the advancment of mankind (Star Trek being the most prominent example). These utopian stories really wear thin with me. Any suggestions?
     
  2. Excellence

    Excellence Jedi Knight star 7

    Registered:
    Jul 28, 2002

    Really? Most sci fi I've read don't have humans so sedative. Have you read The Evergence and Orphans Trilogies? Revelation Space?
     
  3. VadersLaMent

    VadersLaMent Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 3, 2002
    Can someone recommend me a good Sci-Fi series which doesn't depict humans in a secular humanistic way? One thing I love about Star Wars is despite the setting and time of the stories, it shows humans still haven't conquered greed or lust for power. Most Sci-fi stories i've read depict humans as completely devoted to their governments, devoid of real emotions or religious needs, and completely dedicated to the advancment of mankind (Star Trek being the most prominent example). These utopian stories really wear thin with me. Any suggestions?

    The Rama series, Clarke and Lee.

    The Dune series.

    Ian M. Banks Culture books. A Utopia to be sure, but hardly without gods.

    Wild Cards series, George Martin.

    The first couple of Odyssey books, Clarke.



     
  4. Excellence

    Excellence Jedi Knight star 7

    Registered:
    Jul 28, 2002

    Anyone who's read The Eternity Artifact by whoever Modesitt is, can you seriously recommend it?

     
  5. DarthBoba

    DarthBoba Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2000
    I'll give it a read tonight at Borders. :p
     
  6. Excellence

    Excellence Jedi Knight star 7

    Registered:
    Jul 28, 2002

    Elf it. Saw it cheaply priced, snatched it on the spot. Guess I'll find out in a few months! The premise of the story intrigued me, and I always had in mind to backdrop an abandoned world of exotic cityscape myself. Lets see how the geeks do it.
     
  7. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2002
    I haven't read that book, but I really like Modesitt.
     
  8. Excellence

    Excellence Jedi Knight star 7

    Registered:
    Jul 28, 2002

    Is Modesitt male, female, shemale, droid, what? What? Why must you look up authors who initialise their name like that? If I call them a default male, they have only themselves to blame. [face_not_talking]

    The Risen Empire won the coin toss, Eternity Artefact will have to wait. 7 pages into Risen, I'm understanding how that got published. The temptation to plagiarise is a seductive maiden . . . must resist. Activate emergency saving throw.

    Phew!
     
  9. DarthBishop

    DarthBishop Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Dec 8, 2005
    amen the first two books on the sci-fi classic's


    also do andriods dream of electric sheep is a good book
     
  10. JediTrilobite

    JediTrilobite Jedi Grand Master star 7

    Registered:
    Nov 17, 1999
    A couple of random, newer authors to recommend:

    Charles Stross - I'm reading Singularity Sky again, which is a fantastic read. I've read a number of his short stories are outstanding, although I have yet to read any of his other novels.

    Karen Traviss - I'm sure a lot of people have heard of her Star Wars books, but her non-SW works are amazing - City of Pearl, Crossing the Line, the World Before and Matriarch, all stunning SciFi books. Her shorter fiction is also just as good, from what I've read in Asimovs

    Karin Lowachee - She's got three books out, Warchild, Burndive and Cagebird. All fun reads, although Warchild is by far the best of the three of them.

    Allen M. Steele - He's won a couple of Hugo Awards, but my favorite books by him is his three part Coyote series, Coyote, Coyote Rising and Coyote Frontier. They began as short stories and are essentially a series of shorter stories carrying a storyline. Really good books.


    Can anyone recommend any newer SciFi novels? Newer authors?
     
  11. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2002
    He's a guy; the 'L' stands for Leland.

    She's not a new sci-fi author, but Maria V. Snyder is amazing!!! She wrote Poison Study and it's sequel, Magic Study. I like the first one better, but both held my attention very well.
     
  12. Excellence

    Excellence Jedi Knight star 7

    Registered:
    Jul 28, 2002

    Good; I was calling Modesitt male anwyay. :p Without spoiling me like Amazon's Storm of Swords reviewers, anyone read his Eternity Artefact and thought it worthwhile?
     
  13. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2002
    Sorry, I'm working my way through his Recluse books first.
     
  14. barabel_humour

    barabel_humour Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2005
    Would anyone recommend Clone Republic by Steven L Kent or is it very derivative?
     
  15. Kol_Skywalker

    Kol_Skywalker Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 9, 2006
    I am mainly interested in stand alone novels, mainly science fiction, cyberpunk, dystopian. Will try fantasy once in a while. Will also like to read 1st novels in a series if they can be read as a stand alone, ie: Ender's Game, Nueromancer.

    Any recommendations?

    I have Forever War coming in the mail from Amazon.com - looking forward to reading that.
     
  16. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2002
    Terry Goodkind's first Sword of Truth book, Wizards First Rule, can really be read as a stand-alone, IMO.
     
  17. emilsson

    emilsson Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 5, 1998
    Have you read anything by Charles Stross? His Iron Sunrise is quite good, and it fits with your interests.
     
  18. ShrunkenJedi

    ShrunkenJedi Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2003
    Please don't get annoyed at me because I'm pointing this out... but just because religion doesn't enter into the equation doesn't mean people have conquered greed or lust for power, as you put it, or are 'devoid of real emotions'... anyway, I'll take this as an opportunity to plug my own favorite author. Try CJ Cherryh, some of her stuff has religion as a medium-important element and the rest most definitely includes human drives, needs and desires as well. Her plots are some of the best and most character-driven ones I've seen. Sci-fi of hers I'd recommend: Cyteen, the Faded Sun Trilogy, the Foreigner series (first book is named Foreigner). Fantasy: the series starting with Fortress in the Eye of Time.
     
  19. Raven

    Raven Administrator Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Oct 5, 1998
    Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. The entire series stands alone, though there are a lot of plot threads that continue on through.
     
  20. lightning-girl

    lightning-girl Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2007
    Hey in about a week or two i'm gonna be finished my summer reading list 'til august at which time i must read watership down. any good recommendations? all i ask is no perverted content and not "girlie girl"
     
  21. Chancellor_Ewok

    Chancellor_Ewok Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2004
    If you have The Forever War comming in the mail, you should read Starship Troopers. Its completely different from them movie. but its a good book and well worth your time.

    I would also recomend His Dark Materials.
     
  22. crystalashes

    crystalashes Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 17, 2007
    I don't know if you're familiar with Magic (The Gathering) books. If yes, I recommend them to you.


    ____________
    Lito
    Pontiac GTO 2006 Catalogue

     
  23. Darth-Liam

    Darth-Liam Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 6, 2007
    The Doctor Who books are really very good, they are all by different authours and I have got about 8 of them. If your in the UK then you cna get most of them from Water Stones if your in AmericaI'd try Amazon.
     
  24. Hammurabi

    Hammurabi Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 14, 2007
    I don't know about Golden Compass as a stand alone book... Too much is left unresolved at the end for it to work out well without the rest of the trilogy.
     
  25. Chancellor_Ewok

    Chancellor_Ewok Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2004
    If you're looking for stand alone novels, then maybe you should think about Carl Sagan's Contact. Its quite different from the movie, but its an excellent read.
     
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