Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

There's a vast number of sci-fi authors out there, and I was wondering who people liked.

Some of the best sci-fi books I've ever read are the Rama novels by Arthur C Clarke. The sense of wonder and awe those books capture is nothing short of spectacular.

I've just read an anthology of sci-fi shorts by a guy called Ted Chiang and I have to say I'm blown away by him. Stories Of Your Life And Others includes the short story that the film Arrival was based on. I've just bought his second anthology, Exhalation, and I'm looking forward to reading it.

I have a book from the Culture series by Iain M Banks, Excession, but I haven't read it because it's not the first in the series. Has anyone else read his Culture books, and are they worth giving a go?

Lastly, I like books that have sense of incredible awe and scale. Does anyone have any good recommendations for amazing sci-fi?

A very good military sci-fi series is Hammer's Slammers by David Drake. They're a bunch of short stories so I would recommend getting the volumes.

 Conservative Heretic wrote:
A very good military sci-fi series is Hammer's Slammers by David Drake. They're a bunch of short stories so I would recommend getting the volumes.

I'll check it out. Thanks.

Consider Phlebas was Banks first Culture novel and is a pretty good starting point. Personally I'd go with the published order so leave Excession until you have gotten Player of games and Use of weapons under your belt. Oh and Inversions is totally a Culture book even though its not officially one

If your after sci-fi with a sense of scale I'd recommend Peter F Hamiltons work. Especially the Nights Dawn trilogy(The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist and The Naked God) and the Commonwealth books(Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained, and the sequel Void trilogy).

GoatboyBeta wrote:
Consider Phlebas was Banks first Culture novel and is a pretty good starting point. Personally I'd go with the published order so leave Excession until you have gotten Player of games and Use of weapons under your belt. Oh and Inversions is totally a Culture book even though its not officially one

If your after sci-fi with a sense of scale I'd recommend Peter F Hamiltons work. Especially the Nights Dawn trilogy(The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist and The Naked God) and the Commonwealth books(Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained, and the sequel Void trilogy).

I've seen Hamilton's books on the bookshelf whenever I've nipped into Waterstones, and I've often wondered what they're like. The kind of stuff I really like are stories about subjects that go beyond the average imagination, like going further than the edge of existence, discovering that black holes are actually sentient beings and stuff that really makes you question the nature of reality and its limits. If it concentrates too much on 'normal' issues such as politics and the struggle for resources I could struggle with it.

What kind of things are Hamilton's books about, without spoiling any of the stories, of course?

I’ll second David Drake and the Hammer’s Slammer’s series. Quality military sci-fi.

After hearing a lot about the Culture series, I read the first 3 books. I enjoyed them, but it might just be that they were hyped to the moon and back, I just thought they were OK. Not sorry I read them, but not getting the rest of them.

Big fan of David Brin’s Uplift series.

Dune and Starship Troopers are classics, and you find the roots of a lot of 40k in them.

The Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujld were good, but some of them are sci-fi in name only, but more socio-political intrigue/mysteries wrapped up in a sci-fi skin. The last book in particular.

The Expanse was made into a series, but started as books. I’ve not read the last one yet, but it’s on the shelf waiting.

I could keep going; I read a lot (or used to, less time these days)

 Nevelon wrote:
I’ll second David Drake and the Hammer’s Slammer’s series. Quality military sci-fi.

After hearing a lot about the Culture series, I read the first 3 books. I enjoyed them, but it might just be that they were hyped to the moon and back, I just thought they were OK. Not sorry I read them, but not getting the rest of them.

Big fan of David Brin’s Uplift series.

Dune and Starship Troopers are classics, and you find the roots of a lot of 40k in them.

The Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujld were good, but some of them are sci-fi in name only, but more socio-political intrigue/mysteries wrapped up in a sci-fi skin. The last book in particular.

The Expanse was made into a series, but started as books. I’ve not read the last one yet, but it’s on the shelf waiting.

I could keep going; I read a lot (or used to, less time these days)

Funny you should mention David Brin's Uplift series. I've had the first book in that series gathering dust on my shelf for at least ten years. I remember trying it, but I was put off when a character came into the story that was described as a cauliflower (or was it a leek?) Maybe I should give it another go.

I've also got a book called Hidden Empire by Kevin J Anderson that's buried behind my other books. And Asimov's Foundation. So many books, so little time...

John Scalzi's "Old Man's War" series is a good one. . . The reviews on book 6 aren't really that great, and it was the weakest of the series, but there was some nice closure to the whole line with it, so I still liked it.


There is of course Philip K. Dick (does that get through the censors??). . . 98% of his literary works have been turned into movies, or so it seems. He wrote "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" "A Scanner Darkly", "Man in the High Castle" and a ton more. One aspect of his writing that I happen to enjoy is the unsettling factor he seems to nail with each book.


If I may jump to fantasy for just a moment, I really enjoy Patrick Rothfuss' 2 novels (The name of the wind, and The Wise Mans' Fear)

 Muhr wrote:


Funny you should mention David Brin's Uplift series. I've had the first book in that series gathering dust on my shelf for at least ten years. I remember trying it, but I was put off when a character came into the story that was described as a cauliflower (or was it a leek?) Maybe I should give it another go.

I've also got a book called Hidden Empire by Kevin J Anderson that's buried behind my other books. And Asimov's Foundation. So many books, so little time...

He was a little tree.

I honestly started reading the series with Startide Rising. Which is better then Sundiver by a bit. One thing you have to give the books, the aliens are more than just humans with fake ears and forehead ridges. Sentient plants? Why not. When one of the premisses of the universe is that the gallaxy is old and occupied, there is no unguided evolution. Parton species uplift new ones, so you get some wacky stuff.

I’ve read some Asimov, never really cared for him. Classic though. Everyone should probably read one of his books at some point if they are going to call themselves a fan of Sci Fi.

 Muhr wrote:

GoatboyBeta wrote:
Consider Phlebas was Banks first Culture novel and is a pretty good starting point. Personally I'd go with the published order so leave Excession until you have gotten Player of games and Use of weapons under your belt. Oh and Inversions is totally a Culture book even though its not officially one

If your after sci-fi with a sense of scale I'd recommend Peter F Hamiltons work. Especially the Nights Dawn trilogy(The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist and The Naked God) and the Commonwealth books(Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained, and the sequel Void trilogy).

I've seen Hamilton's books on the bookshelf whenever I've nipped into Waterstones, and I've often wondered what they're like. The kind of stuff I really like are stories about subjects that go beyond the average imagination, like going further than the edge of existence, discovering that black holes are actually sentient beings and stuff that really makes you question the nature of reality and its limits. If it concentrates too much on 'normal' issues such as politics and the struggle for resources I could struggle with it.

What kind of things are Hamilton's books about, without spoiling any of the stories, of course?

Sounds like you’d prefer a lot of older sci fi, as well as Philip K Dick, Alfred Bester, maybe even some Baxter.

Hamilton’s stuff is more like ....hard R rated 90’s pulp sci-fi. I recommend Pandora’s Star/Judas Unchained because they have a lot of fun nanowank and a really cool villain.

Excess ion was the first Banks book I read and I thought it made a good introduction. Better than Consider Phlebas.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
There is of course Philip K. Dick (does that get through the censors??). . . 98% of his literary works have been turned into movies, or so it seems. He wrote "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" "A Scanner Darkly", "Man in the High Castle" and a ton more. One aspect of his writing that I happen to enjoy is the unsettling factor he seems to nail with each book.

Funny, I have the full collection of Philip K. Dick's short stories on my shelf, and they're fantastic, but the only full novel with them is Androids. More a case of me getting distracted and wandering off, than disliking them. Must rectify that.

Richard McKenna is a little-known name (I think), a writer of historical novels who started out with SF short stories. There's three collections of them but the only one to be found on Amazon is Casey Agonistes. The stories are something like Dick's, riffing on the nature of reality. The standout story, for me, is Hunter, Come Home. Well worth the couple of quid for the Kindle book, by itself.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Agonistes-Gateway-Essentials-Richard-Mckenna-ebook/dp/B00AFXBVWI/

 Muhr wrote:

I've seen Hamilton's books on the bookshelf whenever I've nipped into Waterstones, and I've often wondered what they're like. The kind of stuff I really like are stories about subjects that go beyond the average imagination, like going further than the edge of existence, discovering that black holes are actually sentient beings and stuff that really makes you question the nature of reality and its limits. If it concentrates too much on 'normal' issues such as politics and the struggle for resources I could struggle with it.

What kind of things are Hamilton's books about, without spoiling any of the stories, of course?

I'd describe it as Space Opera, but with real physics.

Some of his solo books are awful, but the series are great.



If you want 40K that's not 40K (and also with real physics in space) check out The Risen Empire by Scott Westerfield.


Arthur C Clarke is good for 'hard' sci fi, but can be a little dry.

I could never get into Hamilton. Got about halfway through Pandora's Star, and it was still in the middle of what felt like the intro with no apparent direction it was heading in.

I do second the Uplift series. Great Space Opera.
If you're into grand sweeping concepts, read Anathem by Neal Stephenson. His other works are good too.

I've always been partial to Larry Niven and Keith Laumer, too.

 Muhr wrote:

GoatboyBeta wrote:
Consider Phlebas was Banks first Culture novel and is a pretty good starting point. Personally I'd go with the published order so leave Excession until you have gotten Player of games and Use of weapons under your belt. Oh and Inversions is totally a Culture book even though its not officially one

If your after sci-fi with a sense of scale I'd recommend Peter F Hamiltons work. Especially the Nights Dawn trilogy(The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist and The Naked God) and the Commonwealth books(Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained, and the sequel Void trilogy).

I've seen Hamilton's books on the bookshelf whenever I've nipped into Waterstones, and I've often wondered what they're like. The kind of stuff I really like are stories about subjects that go beyond the average imagination, like going further than the edge of existence, discovering that black holes are actually sentient beings and stuff that really makes you question the nature of reality and its limits. If it concentrates too much on 'normal' issues such as politics and the struggle for resources I could struggle with it.

What kind of things are Hamilton's books about, without spoiling any of the stories, of course?

Ok, so I’ve been a big Hamilton fan since his first books came out in the mid-late nineties (my mum picked one up, mainly because he was a local writer), so I’ll try to give you a spoiler-free feel for them.

The Mindstar rising series (his first) are near-future (2050’s? I don’t think it ever specifies) sci-fi crime/spy thrillers; they’re essentially “who-dunnit” books, but set in a world 10-years or so after a climate tipping point caused massive upheaval, government collapse, etc. and the main character is an ex-soldier who got given psychic abilities in an experimental military tech programme. They good, pacy novels, a bit pulpy at times, but with some interesting ideas in a near-future setting (he predicted smart phone use with contactless payment 25-years ago, for example). It’s also nice that they are not post-apocalyptic; gak happened, the world went through some really rough times, but people got through it and are now putting things back together. Probably quite applicable in times like these, now that I think about it.

The next series is the Night’s Dawn trilogy, which is... unique. For starters, over 1,000 pages per book, so set aside some time(!). It’s a far future (2800s) sort-of hard sci-fi epic. I say sort-of, because the technology is pretty damn “hard”; no FTL communications, everything has to go by ship, starships are uninterrupted spheres because that’s what goes through wormholes, there’s at least one chase scene built entirely around orbital mechanics, where you have to balance height vs speed vs vectors, etc. But the driving antagonism is almost fantasy/magic. Which is kind of the point, because this highly technological civilisation is completely wrong-footed when they have to fight against essentially magic, which they have no clue how it works or what to do about it. The trilogy covers hundreds of worlds and dozens of characters (there’s at least 10 major ones) in immense detail. It’s beautiful, epic, immense and fundamentally a bit flawed; it’s all just a bit too much and it doesn’t quite stick the landing. Still, one hell of a ride and worth your time.

The third “big” series is the Commonwealth saga, which is more a number of books / shorter series’ set in the same universe. It includes the novel “Mis-spent Youth”, which isn’t part of the main plots, but a prequel set several hundred years before that introduces one of the key concepts, which is sort of a spoiler? Anyway, I really, really like these books, I think they’re some of his best work (particularly Pandora’s Star/Judas Unchained); they have the same hard sci-fi epic feel as Night’s Dawn, but a more grounded plot that better fits the hard sci-fi feel and much tighter storyline with a better ending. His pulpy moments have been refined somewhat and work more as just drama, it just feels a bit more grown up. Oh and this universe’s FTL is based around wormholes, which means that interstellar travel consists of getting the train to another planet. It’s wonderfully mundane and such a contrast to most other sci-fi properties.

My best offering for such a question is books authored by Neal Asher. His work fills my bookshelves and has given me much enjoyment. Particularly the Polity series is amazing work and all-around solid work in my humble opinion. As for a genre for these books, I would have to say post - cyberpunk if it makes any sense.