Where to start?

mcgarnicle

Ok, I've been a big fan of sci-fi on tv and films for years but never got into reading it. I've decided to try some out but I'm totally new to it. I've only really heard of Asimov and have got Foundation on the way. I'd be interested to know what others here think would be a good way to get stuck into sci-fi literature, thanks.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

L ron hubbard - battlefield earth, dianetics

User45701

..... I love reading i don't post much about it because i don't read much. i know it does not make much sense. I suppose you could say i have a reading problem, well thats not it. I have a problem in general. I value my own happiness a bit too much but when im watching a movie or tv show its fine cause its only 20 mins 40 mins or 2 hours long so i don't get to bed that late unless im watching a trilligy in that case i will be up for 6 hours then just watch a short episode of SG1 and go to work....

Reading is a problem because there are allot more good books than good tv shows and when i start reading a good book that is it for me i will just stay awake till it is finished. When i am having fun i dont relay have that good self control like that. For me the whole idea of reading a chapter a night is too much like watching 5 mins of a episode of Dexter or Lost or BSG or whatever a day. You would not watch a TV show like that so i don't read books like that.

The way i see it is in years to come whatever happens either when i am old and retired or if i have to live away for whatever reason or even if something happens and i have a faling out with my friends, maybe the world will **** up and have no more tv or movies?

You never know what will happen but the way i see it books are pretty constant and they will always be around i have read very few books but that means that when i do have months free time then i will have allot to read

mcgarnicle

Mordeth wrote:

L ron hubbard - battlefield earth, dianetics

Is that meant to be a joke? If it is you're not funny, if it's not I'll give the Scientology propoganda a miss... thanks anyway.

mcgarnicle

User45701 wrote:

..... I love reading i don't post much about it because i don't read much. i know it does not make much sense. I suppose you could say i have a reading problem, well thats not it. I have a problem in general. I value my own happiness a bit too much but when im watching a movie or tv show its fine cause its only 20 mins 40 mins or 2 hours long so i don't get to bed that late unless im watching a trilligy in that case i will be up for 6 hours then just watch a short episode of SG1 and go to work....

Reading is a problem because there are allot more good books than good tv shows and when i start reading a good book that is it for me i will just stay awake till it is finished. When i am having fun i dont relay have that good self control like that. For me the whole idea of reading a chapter a night is too much like watching 5 mins of a episode of Dexter or Lost or BSG or whatever a day. You would not watch a TV show like that so i don't read books like that.

The way i see it is in years to come whatever happens either when i am old and retired or if i have to live away for whatever reason or even if something happens and i have a faling out with my friends, maybe the world will **** up and have no more tv or movies?

You never know what will happen but the way i see it books are pretty constant and they will always be around i have read very few books but that means that when i do have months free time then i will have allot to read

Eh I was more looking for good books to start with rather than a method to actually read them.

Vokes

Is there any particular sci-fi sub-genre you're interested (or not interested) in reading, mcgarnicle?

ixoy

McGarnigle - can you be more specific as to what you think you'd like? Are you looking for sci-fi that focuses heavily on the science? Are you looking for one that's highly speculative? Are you looking for a story that's about high concepts or one that uses sci-fi devices to tell a story?

For harder sci-fi, I'd recommend Greg Bear and "Moving Mars". There's more science to wade through than a fair bit of sci-fi out there but it's generally fairly solid (from what I know). If you're looking for something that's speculating on current issues, check out "Darwin's Radio" (and its sequel) and dealing with genomes and evolution in the very near future.

If you're looking for something where ideas and grand scale are big players, I'd check out Peter F. Hamilton's "Night's Dawn Trilogy" which spreads its tale over multiple planets with a large cast of characters. Some very well written action pieces in it too - very cinematic in tone. If you don't want to jump into a full trilogy (each book is roughly 1000 pages), then check out his one-off "Fallen Dragon".

If you're looking for a bit more literature and thought about things not just science-related, then definetely check out the classic "Dune". Sequels are up to you - I personally enjoyed them but I know a fair few people didn't. The series spawned my boards username so it must be good...
I'd also recommend "Neverness" by David Zindell for blending spirituality and philosophy very well into a high-tech setting.

And if you want utter pulp then yes check out Hubbard's "Battlefield Earth" or "Mission: Earth" series...

mcgarnicle

Ok, since starting this thread I have looked into it a little and am quite surprised at just how deep and varied the library of sci-fi works actually is. I'm not really sure what I'm looking for... I don't want something that was written 30 yrs ago speculating about life today or in a few years, stuff like 2001, which I found pretty tedious due to its total wrongness in terms of what the world is like today.

On the other hand I really liked Carl Sagan's Contact. I guess I would like stuff like that, set in the present or near future with people dealing with drastic changes such as the discovery of new life, revolutionary technological advancements or drastic geological changes, although not so much the last one.

I like the idea of the science being real but the fact is I only studied physics to the leaving cert and did not study science at uni so too much science would probably have me swamped. I liked that Contact was based on plausible inter stellar travel with its wormholes and would prefer that sort of approach over a book that had everyone "warping" around the universe without a second thought.

I know it's sort of an impossible question to ask given the amount of material available. What I am really looking for is something you guys would recomend to a beginner, is there any easy way into sci-fi reading. I don't want to start into Asimov and hit a brick wall of jargon and stuff I should really know but don't.

User45701

mcgarnicle wrote:

Eh I was more looking for good books to start with rather than a method to actually read them.

Sorry i treated the thread as general discussion rather than a question.

Ill recommend series of sci-fi books

William shatner Start with a book called
"The Return" it takes place just as star trek generations ends
It is then followed by 4 more books that i have read The book directly after the return i believe is called Avanger, Then there is 3 more books after that i don't remember there names but they are based in the mirror universe and quite enjoyable.

Johnny Storm

One of the things about science fiction is that unlike regular fiction most SF writers pay their dues by writing short stories and continue to write them during their careers, often lter incorporating them into their novels.

So, I would suggest getting down to a book shop and have a look at a few collections of SF short stories. Usually before the As in alphabetical sequence. Gardner Dozois edits a lot of these anthologies and IMHO he knows what hes doing. But there are many others. Some anthologies are themed (ie all SF war stories or something) some are best of the year, some (and these would be most suitable for you) are an overview of best SF stories ever.

Then having read a few short stories check out the novels by the authors you prefer.


Have a look at the recent best Sci-Fi Authors thread for some other ideas. But remember one mans Elron Hubbard is another mans Issac Asimov :rolleyes:

My personal all time fav is Philip K Dick.

Jack B. Badd

Anything and everthing by Isaac Assimov
Ditto for Arthur C. Clarke
Robert Reed - especially Marrow
Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy
Greg Bear
Phillip K. Dick
Take a look at the Masterworks series as they have a very good range of thought provoking sci-fi stories.

Vokes

mcgarnicle wrote:

What I am really looking for is something you guys would recomend to a beginner, is there any easy way into sci-fi reading. I don't want to start into Asimov and hit a brick wall of jargon and stuff I should really know but don't.

You should check out The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. A nice easy read to begin with.

The protaganist, from Earth, gets involved with a seemingly neverending war on the far side of the galaxy. To reach the staging area, 'wormholes' are used to transport the military but a side effect of this being that everytime the soldiers return from a tour of duty, hundreds or even thousands of years will have passed, while only 6 months have passed for them. So, it's a look at what has changed in the world during the war through the eyes of a soldier fighting in it, and the unique view he has of it compared to the rest of humanity who have moved on from the war.

The book is generally seen as a Vietnam War story in a sci-fi setting (the author is a Vietnam-vet) and its a great read (not too long either). Was previously recommended by another boards user, c0y0te.

Tree

i wouldnt rule out scifi written thirty years ago coz the predicitons were wrong, its about a good story and the concepts don't have to be true.

John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids is a great read
as is Phillip k. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

Johnny Storm

1984 is superb too (written in 1948) and surprisingly good SF.

Jack B. Badd

Why surprisingly?
The appendices in that book scared the crap outta me! Truely scary stuff...

Johnny Storm

Surprisingly in that its widely considered to be "litrachure" not SF

mcgovern

Jack B. Badd wrote:

Why surprisingly?
The appendices in that book scared the crap outta me! Truely scary stuff...

I thought the book was good, but the ending was terrible so I closed it in disgust without reading the appendices. Are they worth a look?

MikeC101

The new Chapters (on Parnell St) has lots of the Fantasy Masterworks and Science Fiction Masterworks prints on sale at the moment - decent value to, from 6.99 to 9.99. Great chance to pick up some classics cheaply.

I dragged myself out of there before I tried to buy them all, and only ended up with 6.

Jack B. Badd

mcgovern wrote:

I thought the book was good, but the ending was terrible so I closed it in disgust without reading the appendices. Are they worth a look?

The appendices are essentially an essay about Newspeak and the control of people through the control of language. It's an incredible concept but really scary stuff.

By 2050—earlier, probably—all real knowledge of Oldspeak will have disappeared. The whole literature of the past will have been destroyed. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Byron—they'll exist only in Newspeak versions, not merely changed into something different, but actually contradictory of what they used to be. Even the literature of the Party will change. Even the slogans will change. How could you have a slogan like "freedom is slavery" when the concept of freedom has been abolished? The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking—not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.

azezil

Johnny Storm wrote:

1984 is superb too (written in 1948) and surprisingly good SF.

Bleh that book just bored me so, read little past half way and just had to put it away.. far far away :P

Mr. Presentable

Bob Shaw

Harry Harrison

Philip k Dick

Philip Jose Farmer

EE Doc Smith

Garroldy

mcgarnicle wrote:

what ....would be a good way to get stuck into sci-fi literature

You may find Iain M. Banks sci-fi novels a good way to start. They are generally set in the far future of humankind in a society called The Culture, they do have a very human element. Some of the emotional turmoil in 'The player of games' can definitely have an effect. For speculative hard sci-fi starting from the near future Charles Stross's 'Acclerando' is jambed to the gills with future shock extrapolations of current computing technology. For sci-fi/thriller try Richard Morgans first novel 'altered carbon' with Takeshi Kovacs as the anti hero, mega fast paced,difficult to put down.

The_Minister

mcgarnicle wrote:

Is that meant to be a joke? If it is you're not funny, if it's not I'll give the Scientology propoganda a miss... thanks anyway.

Battlefield Earth is actually an intresting book, I really enjoyed it. The film was a pile of ****e though.

Clarke is probably the king of Sci-fi.

egon spengler

Asimov if very good though somewhat boring at times. He delivers quality sci fi in any case.

Robert Sheckley writes brilliant sci fi satire, his style is interesting and his ideas are great. The Status Civilization and Mindswap is good book. Also Immortality Inc is an excellent read.

Peter F. Hamilton is also very good. He puts forth superb scientific concepts and he knows his ****, probably has something to do with him having a phsyics major.Nightsdawn trilogy is riveting, Im reading it at the moment, while it takes a while to start up and some of it is a bit dull and can elicit responses of "I dont care!" or "oh no not these uber perfect edenists again" its still probably the best sci fi Ive ever read.

The Gap series by Stephen, agh cant remember the name, but anyway its alright, starts off a bit ****ty, but it improves, by book 3 its got its own momentum.

Not exactly sci fi, but The Dark Tower by Stephen King is incredible. It combines sci fi with horror and fantasy, should definately read it, it is the best series of books so far I have ever read.

For pure cheese dafyd ab hughes and brad lineweavers DOOM series is recommended. A good laugh all round, I found them to be gripping in a "and then I fired 27 rockets at the spider mastermind but it still wouldnt die" kind of way. In the later books it gets weird with the newbies which is cool.

Johnny Storm

MikeC101 wrote:

The new Chapters (on Parnell St) has lots of the Fantasy Masterworks and Science Fiction Masterworks prints on sale at the moment - decent value to, from 6.99 to 9.99. Great chance to pick up some classics cheaply.

I dragged myself out of there before I tried to buy them all, and only ended up with 6.

That shop is HUGE. I didn't notice the books you mention but I did notice a very good selection of comics... oops I mean graphic novels.;)

mcgovern

When did the new Chapters open?
Haven't been in there in awhile, used to be my favourite shop in town though!

ixoy

mcgovern wrote:

When did the new Chapters open?
Haven't been in there in awhile, used to be my favourite shop in town though!

A couple of weeks ago. It's less homely than the one on Abbey Street but the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section is pretty damn respectable and there's some good bargains there.

It's probably my favourite shop - been to it in all its multiple homes on Abbey Street for the last ohhh... near twenty years!

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

I am very, very funny.