What Is Your Favorite Science Fiction Novel?
What Is Your Favorite Science Fiction Novel
I know this probably won't draw a lot of attention,
i know that reading is passe',
but I want to know, if you've read at least two, what is your favorite.
Hint: fantasy is not science fiction,
but I'm not interested in narrowing this down to
hard science fiction, cyberpunk or space opera.
I think there will be few enough of us as it is.
Ok me first. It's very tough to narrow it down. if I had to pick one, only one
it would be, "The Last Dancer" by Daniel Keys Moran.
It has almost everything. there are aliens, killer cyborgs,
genetically engineered telepaths, human feline hybrid soldiers,
alien trained martial artists who worship the art of the kill
the guardians tasked with hunting them down,
a revolution against the world government, electricity addicted juice junkies,
and a journalist who likes to get wasted on whiskey
and play with hand grenades. Okay, so there are witches too, but not the magic kind,
they're wiccans. Oh and also there are nukes in New York,
mass insanity, a biker collective that rides across oceans,
and a hacker that walks through walls and transcends time and becomes a god.
I think I missed a few things, but you'll have to read it to find out.
It is not really fair. There are so many excellent novels.
Heinlein and Niven and Stephenson, Rucker, Vinge, Robinson, I could go on and on.
So, what do you think?
Please answer in a comment below.
Here are a couple of my efforts:
https://steemit.com/ai/@lifeworship/curiouser-and-curiouser-a-fiction-short-story
https://steemit.com/ai/@lifeworship/the-truth-will-set-you-free-if-it-doesn-t-kill-you-first-original-fiction-short-story
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images: upload.wikimedia.org and 3.bp.blogspot.com
The first image is from the previous novel. I had a time of it finding what I did.
Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan - totally awesome
https://www.amazon.com/Altered-Carbon-Takeshi-Kovacs-Novels/dp/0345457684/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476687535&sr=8-1&keywords=altered+carbon
I haven't read Altered Carbon or Richard Morgan. I'll have to check it out. Thank you for the comment.
Nineteen Eighty-Four!
Every time I read George Orwell it makes me angry with the world. It is very amazing writing, and is reading philosophy in fiction form. Anyone who wants to understand the human condition should read this first and probably last too.. He has this knack, though, for portraying the authoritarian and totalitarian experience so vividly that i feel like an auger, boring my way into the blackest part of the human heart. Relentless, pitiless. Excellent writer, but I have to space it out. Thanks for the comment. Cheers.
I think it’s no longer a social science fiction book, unfortunately, we live in it now. Orwell was definitely a visionary, I enjoy reading his work.
I think it's a must read piece for everyone, to understand the current world we live in.
“Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently. We are different from the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just around the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now you begin to understand me.”
― George Orwell, 1984
That's another thing about Orwell. No matter how smart I think I am, how well read I think I am, or how fluent I think I'm getting with the writing I'm doing, I read someone like Orwell, and all I can say is, yup.
I think most people don't have the life experience to comprehend power for power's sake. I grew up in a cult. I got out of it in time to see the rest of the world become one.
Out of the whole Abu Ghraib and the CIA torture revelations, I never once ran across anyone talking about torture for torture's sake. It may have other uses like instilling fear, but the powerful engage in all abuses of power, because they can, not because it works.
One of my first posts was about an aspect of this. Torture and Voting, if you are interested.
https://steemit.com/freedom/@lifeworship/denial-seems-to-be-the-norm
This seems to be thematic in the steemit zeitgeist.
Thank you very much for the thoughts.
What's your position on EIP in HF21?
If it can be a series I would say larry Nivens ring world. (3 books)
If It can be only one book ummmm, crap I cant pick just one. I just keep thinking of more and more. xD
A brave new world, anything George orwel, stranger in a strange land, dune, anything larry niven, fahrenhiet451, anything kurt Vonnegut, the hitch hikers guide to the galaxy. shit I don't think I can do one book I having trouble not adding to that list with every letter I type.
ok I guess the first ring world if it can be only one.
Im going to look up that book you mentioned, never heard of it before and sounds good. larry niven has a bunch of current addicts too. lol
I want to change my answer but I typed it so too late.
:P
Ring World is great. Louis Wu is one of the best characters. Have you ever read The integral trees?
The difficulty of picking one book was kind of the point. I was trying to think of an intriguing question.
I have the same problem with choosing. I can think of about 20, just off the top of my head, battling for the top spot. Every time I think of it my head is awash with authors and titles.
Stranger in a Strange land was really good. I ended up putting it off until it was one of the last Heinlein books I hadn't read, because it was his most famous. Probably, the one I like the best is The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
Hitchhikers Guide stand alone. There is nothing else like it.
I think Niven calls them wireheads. Louis Wu was a wirehead.
Every time I read Orwell I end up like FTW, for about three weeks.
LOL
Yeah the integral trees is as good as ringworld imo. have you read the second book in that series, the smoke ring? I actually like the second book better then the first.
Yeah picking one book is crazy, I fell asleep thinking of other books and am still having my brain flodded with them when I woke up this morning. xD
Stranger in a strange land was the first from Heinlein I had read, it was a gift from my uncle like most my older scifi books so I was reading it before I even knew who Heinlein was or that there were other books. lol
Yeah wireheads, current addicts, hooked on the tasp, he has a lot of names for it. There is a book called gil the arm Hamilton by nieven that is all short stories and its like mystery style with the cop trying to figure out who did it, there is one with a wirehead that always stands out to me. I think nieven is the author I have read more books on then any other, could be because he has so many. He even does a bunch of books with other people. Anything known space is usualy good imo.
I think the only reason orwell doesn't effect me like that is I am already like FTW. lol
I looked up that book and found a pdf for it but was hoping for an audio book as I hate reading books o my phone/computer. There is something special to actually holding the book and flipping the pages. pdf files just don't have the same feeling to me. Ill prolly be looking into it more later today.
Smoke Ring is awesome. I kept kicking myself for not thinking of air wings when I read the Integral Trees.
Gil "the arm" Hamilton is one of the best characters, Beowulf Schaeffer too. There is a character in The Last Dancer that reminds me vaguely of Gil, Neil Corona, THE Neil Corona? yes, that one. He has no telekinetic arm though.
Some authors, I love to binge read. one time I read 6 Larry Niven books in a row. I was not happy when I ran out. Also good for this are, Heinlein, Philip K Dick, Orson Scott Card, Robert Anton Wilson, Charles Stross, Robert Silverberg, and some more i'm not thinking of at the moment. Others I like to savour. Neal Stephenson, Rudy Rucker, Vernor Vinge, these I like to take my time with. The worst thing is the one hit wonders. There are lots of these.
If you really want to read The Last Dancer, there are 3 books that come before it. The first two are ok, but not great. I'm happy I read them. The third book, The Long Run, is not to be missed. It is freaking fantastic and integral to the story in Dancer. I found The Last Dancer here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0553562495/ref=tmm_mmp_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=&sr=
four dollars isn't bad for one of the best books i've ever read. the same for The Long Run here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0553281445/ref=tmm_mmp_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=1476727368&sr=1-5
for my favorites, I'm not a big fan of audiobooks. I like my Internal narrator better, and I think I get more out of actively reading them. Some sci-fi audio is terrible. Snowcrash is in my top 10 and the audio was garbage, the same with Neuromancer, even with Gibson reading his own book.
Yeah audio books are never as good as actually reading them. If I find one that is decent I enjoy listening to it while I fall asleep. I just hate reading books on my phone or computer that im willing to listen to audio book if I cant get my hands on the real thing.
$4 is cheap, Ima check the links out now.
Philip k dick I cant believe I forgot him. lol
oh an The Metamorphosis is another up there that could be the one book I would choose but forgot too.
One thing that always makes me laugh with audio books is when you have someone reading it that makes a different voice for each person. it always cracks me up and makes it so I cant really take it serious.
xD
Albert Camus is great.
Usually if I'm going to listen to audio, I find an educational podcast and listen to it at !.5 speed. Sci-fi I use for leisure.
There is one audiobook series that I have found that I love. It is The Aubrey, Machurin series by, Patrick O'brian. This series takes place at the end of the 1700's into the 1800's. It is centered on a ship's captain and his friend, who is a surgeon. If you are interested, make sure and get the version with Simon Vance narrating. This is the most fantastic series I have encountered outside of sci-fi. There are 21 books. It is the most fun thing ever. I've been thinking about doing a post about it, but I haven't found any that I can link to.
damn 21 books.
That's kind of intimidating.
I wish I could read more then one book at a time.
:D
Once it was over, I wished for 3 times more. I can always listen again. It never gets old. The vividness, the detail, is more intense than most movies I experience. It's like falling into another world. I made this into a post.
https://steemit.com/fiction/@lifeworship/the-best-audio-books-ever#@james83501/re-lifeworship-the-best-audio-books-ever-20161017t220217358z
Don't forget Niven's collaboration "Mote in God's Eye" ... a definite re-read worthy book. Also "A World Out of Time" was damned good.
all the Niven is so hard to choose from. Protector, Integral Trees, and i really like his short stories Neutron Star is my all time fav short story collection. "Mote" is incredible. he's like any 4 of the best scifi writers put together.
I have read Integral Trees, but many years ago and don't remember it. That is almost like finding a new Niven book! Another for the list.
BTW, your recommendation "Last Dancer" seems to be a middle book of a 4 part series. Should I assume they are all good and read them in order?
the first book is set in the same world, but not the same characters. books 2,3, and 4 are all excellent and 3 and 4 are the best. his writing develops a bit in the process. i usually don't worry about recommending the first book as many would be turned off and never get to the best part. from your list, it appears you are a seasoned scifi reader and would probably just fly through the first book. i read The Long Run first, i liked it so much that i hunted down all the other books and read them. i spent probably hundreds of hours in used book stores, before the internet, trying to find the damned things. i don't regret any of it. Moran also has some short stories online, and some other books. still, i think The Long Run and The Last Dancer are the best.
I've never heard of that fav of yours... I'll send a sample to my Kindle and give it a try. It checks an awful lot of boxes.
My #1 fav of all time (and not likely to be surpassed) is Dune by Frank Herbert.
Also very fond of the 2nd & 3rd Dune novels, Whipping Star, and Helstrom's Hive.
In no particular order, I'd follow that with
Blood Music by Greg Bear
Startide Rising by David Brin
Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge (also really liked Stranded In Realtime)
Larry Niven (Ringword, A World Out of Time, Mote in God's Eye)
Foundationn series by Asimov
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Childhood's End by Arthur C Clark
Snow Crash by Stephenson
Journey To The Center Of the Earth by Jules Verne
Forever War by Joe Haldeman
I'm sure I'm leaving out many other really awesome books, but those are the ones that I can recall tonight!
i would agree with all of those, except i haven't read Startide Rising by David Brin.
i would have easily put three quarters of those on my list, but i was trying to narrow it to one.
Fire Upon the Deep and Snowcrash were in the running for the top spot. i also considered Blood Music and Across Realtime (the Peace War/Marooned in Realtime combo), and also, Diamond Age. i couldn't pick a Larry Niven book without picking 20 of them, also, half a dozen Heinlein books, and an equal number of Philip K Dick.
for one book the one that has the most kinds of scifi and decent writing i had to pick The Last Dancer. i found a pdf free, here: https://www.immunitysec.com/downloads/TheLastDancer.pdf
the previous book is almost as good, and is integral to the story. it's called, The Long Run.
thanks for the comments and the suggestions.
i wrote a couple steemit length shorts you might like, linked at the end of the post. i hope they don't suck.
Since I already started Emerald Eyes, and am enjoying it, I'll just continue to read 'em in order. It's awesome to find overlooked gems. So much of the stuff on the shelves is cookie cutter crap these days.
speaking of non-cookie cutter, have you read john brunner? he wrote "The Shockwave Rider" and "The Crucible of Time".
"Stand on Zanzibar" writer? I don't think I've read any... seem to recall putting that big book down, but I was a kid then. I'll take a look see.
"the boards" in "The Shockwave Rider" are not exact, but strangely remind me of steemit. it is weirdly prescient in many different ways. it was published in 1975.
"Crucible of Time" is from the point of view of many limbed, insectoid aliens. it has a more alien feel than most other sci fi that i've read.
both are excellent.
"Steel Beach" by John Varley
Steel Beach is an old favorite of mine that still seems relevant to me. I was thinking about it recently and how Varley was somewhat panned by the critics back then. I Love that universe of his, with "The Ophiuchi Hotline," followed by "Steel Beach" and then "The Golden Globe."
Really though I love Neal Stephenson's "Anathem" What a great read that was for me.
I enjoy everyone that you list. Of course the Dean, my Son is reading a lot of Heinlein lately. And you list Rudy Rucker! Great work, his. Not widely cited in my experience. I am not familiar with Vinge, however, what book should I start on with Vinge?
All photos creative commons All Usage licensed
Vinge wrote "True Names." When I first read it (early '80s) I thought, "Interesting, but pretty fanciful..."
As it turns out, True Names is pretty much dead-on prophetic. Visionary. Recommended, for sure! ;)
I haven't read John Varley. I'm always looking for good binge reading authors. I have a funny story about Neal Stephenson. I went to a book reading for Cryptonomicon in '99. i didn't know where in the bookstore it was, so i went to the desk. I had my copy of the book with me and before I could say anything, the person at the desk said, " are you Neal?" I briefly considered saying yes, going into the reading room and just start reading. I refrained.
Heinlein is one of my best binge reading authors. Rucker, I think, is too full of drug use and weird sex to be hugely popular. Vernor Vinge is one of the best. I don't exactly know where to start. Maybe, "Fire Upon the Deep" is one of my top 5 all time. "Deepness in the Sky" is a prequel that was published after, excellent book. He also wrote two books and a short story that later became "Across Realtime". There is more, but these are the shining gems.
Thank you for the recommendations. I'll have to start looking.
Ha, ha, ha, good Neal story. I have never made it to a reading. Oh well, bucket list!
Excellent, I will read some Vernor Vinge, then! I still remember when and where I was, when this one co-worker friend of mine recommended Neal Stephenson back in the early 90's. Since then, I've always been sharp to seek recommendations from fellow sci-fi fans. Heh, I prefer Speculative Fiction, but I gather it can come off snooty. :-)
Bruce Sterling is another favorite of mine who does not seem to be as widely known. He is billed as a futurist and has a very nice body of work.
Of note:
Bruce Sterling is one of my long time favorites. I've read all listed except,
The Zenith Angle. Islands in the Net was also excellent. He also wrote a book with William Gibson called, The Difference Engine. I believe it is one of the instrumental pieces of media in the popular promotion of "Steam Punk".
I first ran across him in Mirrorshades, a collection of short stories.
It seems I don't have a firm understanding of what speculative fiction is. i was under the impression that speculative fiction is a superset including things such as sci-fi, fantasy, alternate history, and others. Is this inaccurate? What is your understanding?
You know, come to think of it, I believe the designation was popularized sometime in the 50's to 70's as a rebuff to the snubs from other "serious" forms of literature. Not sure if I remember correctly, but wasn't Stranger in a Strange Land the first science fiction book to be added to the Cannon of Western Literature?
Great scott, man! Robert A. Heinlein himself coined the term!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speculative_fiction
it's possible that i knew that at some point and forgot.
MIrrorshades! Yes! I still have my copy, lol!
My understanding is that Speculative Fiction is about speculating on possible future scenarios and technologies. So Bruce Sterling is a great example, being a futurist and all. I could be out of date on this though, but I keep fantasy as just that, fantasy. Spec Fic tends to have a science angle and reads as a possible future, although I don't think it is limited there because, after all, A sufficient level of advanced tech will appear as magic to the primitive. In other words, Rudy Rucker talks about dimensions that does end up functioning like magic, if I recall correctly. Still, break out the broad swords, start hollering "Snicker-SNACK!" and wearing lot's of leather with charms and enchanted items hanging off and POOF That's fantasy, no self respecting cyber punk fan ... nah, just kidding with the last bit. Friendly rivalries are funny. Like the Star Wars fans vs. the LOTR fans. Shiney!
thought i was going to have to break out the "no true scotsman". hah.
there seems to be lots of blending. for instance, larry niven talks about the possibility of certain technologies and the consequences of using them. then some of his writing is problem solving and taking a logical argument to it's furthest extent. then some of it is full on space opera. which, at some levels is indistinguishable from fantasy. does any spec fic have aliens? sometimes, i think useful speculation may be hampered by "logical" assumptions made within a context populated by humans. john brunner wrote a book called "the crucible of time" in which, all of the characters are intelligent, insect aliens. this gives the first person narrative a truly alien feel. in some sense that is speculative, isn't it? WWAD what would aliens do? some very good sci-fi boils down to nothing more than a mystery story, dressed up in a grand future. Is mystery a type of speculation? robert reed wrote a book called "marrow" it is the far flung future for humanity, lots of interesting, crazy seeming technologies along the way, brilliant, i thought, but the main plot is simply a mystery story. it is one that takes place over thousands of years of the characters unusually long lifetimes, but still, a mystery story. lots of it based in pure speculation of, what if? i think i will have to further clarify my understanding here.
if you do get a chance to read Vernor Vinge, i'd be curious to hear what you think.
Ah, sorry I'm late to the party, but glad to get here before comments were closed...
For me, it's a "no-brainer;" Robert Heinlein's The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, published in 1966. Here's an image of the original cover art, courtesy of http://sciencefiction.com:
I was fifteen years old at the time and picked up a copy in a Florida airport on my way back home to St. Croix. I was mesmerized from the start, and have read the book a dozen times if once.
There is no doubt that the core ideas of responsibility, liberty, and loyalty that Heinlein's characters seem to embody so well have had a big impact on my own life. God bless you, R.A.H. - may you rest in peace...
this book still battles for my top spot. this is the first Heinlein i read. i even have the one with this cover. at the time i had no idea the world was this big. i think Heinlein taught me more about individual liberty than anyone else, ever.
The Last Dancer looks great. I think I'll dig into that one next.
i was trying to limit myself to one book. the previous book to this is The Long Run, and is integral to the story, and an excellent read. there are two books before those, but they are not as necessary to the story. the second, Emerald Eyes, is good though.
I already started reading Emerald Eyes and right away I knew I was in good hands.
OK I'll start with The Long Run first.
i found it here: https://www.immunitysec.com/downloads/TheLongRun.pdf
also: https://www.immunitysec.com/downloads/TheLastDancer.pdf
let me know what you think, if you like. please comment here or in any of my posts, if this one closes.
Ya, I think "Splinter in the mind's eye" was pretty good, "The sirens of Titan" was pretty cool. "Atlas shrugged" was looooong, but cool. "Han Solo at Stars End" was an oldie-but-goodie. I have read lots more, but I think the one I like the best, is the one I am writing right now...Biased, I am...hmm hmm hmm (as Yoda would have said!)
All Vonnegut I've read is great. I haven't read "Splinter in the mind's eye" since 1982. The list of things that Foster has written is as long as my arm. I still struggle with the disparity between what Ayn Rand wrote and what the followers think she wrote, but yeah it was cool. I haven't read "Han Solo at Stars End". There are just so many. Thank you for the comment.
As always, you have interesting topics. Check out my latest:
https://steemit.com/ufo-abductions/@james83501/have-you-ever-taken-a-ride-on-one-of-these-a-true-story-if-you-care-to-believe-it
Might make yer' hair stand on end..hehehe
I never was able to choose between blondes or brunettes, jazz or rock, Velásquez or Tizian. But here is one anyways.
Iain M. Banks: Against a Dark Background
Because it features a cult of solipsists.
I haven't read it. I'll have to check it out. do all of the solipsists think there are too many people in the cult? I know Banks, but not this book. I have toyed with starting my own privacy cult. It is unworkable for now, until technology improves.
You might like Charles Stross' "Singularity Sky" and the sequel "Iron Sunrise".
Thanks for the comment.