Hard Science Fiction Recommendations

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by drofgnal

I don't know if it qualifies as hard Scifi, but yesterday I started Old Man's War by John Scalzi. Nice read, somewhat humorous. I'm really enjoying it a lot.

It's not quite hard SF, but certainly has enough advanced technology. You can put on on the same shelf with Heinlein's _Starship Troopers_ and Joe Haldeman's _The Forever War_, though it has some novel twists on the premise.

It's also the first book of a series, and don't assume you know what's going on. Scalzi has a knack for not going where you think he's going, and creating a world that isn't quite what you think it is.

He's doing other things at the moment, but there could be other stories set in that universe down the road.
______
Dennis

[nyrath]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

It's not quite hard SF, but certainly has enough advanced technology. You can put on on the same shelf with Heinlein's _Starship Troopers_ and Joe Haldeman's _The Forever War_, though it has some novel twists on the premise.

Don't forget John Steakley's _Armor_

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by nyrath

Don't forget John Steakley's _Armor_

You're right. I did. Steakley burbled about getting a praising note form Heinlein about it, where RAH talked about "the second time I read it." If RAH could be sufficiently impressed to read it again, he figured he had something.
______
Dennis

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Tor books were available. You may recall their run up to the official launch of Tor.com, where they offered an ebook a week to people who signed up on their mailing list.

They don't seem to be available now. The last statement I recall from Patrick Neilsen-Hayden, a Tor Senior Editor and Manager of Science Fiction, was that Tor's US parent, Macmillan, was digitizing the entire Tor catalogue, and things would be forthcoming over time. He also said the on-again/off-again deal with Baen was on-again, and was at the stage of dotting Is and crossing Ts by lawyers for both sides.

We haven't seen Tor's stuff appear on Webscriptions, and I suspect the hold up is on Tor corporate parent Holtzbrink's end. I don't think it's rooted in whether DRM is used the way the former hold up was. Holtzbrink is a global publisher with a number of imprints, and may simply feel they should do their own ebook distribution and set up the required channels, rather than using Webscriptions. I'd say they are still feeling their way, and trying to craft a comprehensive strategy across all their imprints. (Pablo Defendini, former Producer at Tor.com, freely admitted that what he was doing was seen as research by Holtzbrink, and his actions had visibility within the parent company far beyond Tor. Pablo wasn't a Tor employee, though he began as one: his boss when he ran Tor.com was a Macmillan VP in charge of their digital initiatives.)
______
Dennis

Very interesting info Dennis. We can hope this gets fixed as Tor has so many back catalog titles I would love to re-read as ebooks plus some interesting newer authors and titles as well. it is a shame corporate politics gets in the way of what, to me, appears to be just a common sense approach and a natural relationship with Baen/Webscriptions.

[ardeegee]

A heads-up-- I just noticed that there is a 4th Ringworld prequel book out now:

http://www.amazon.com/Betrayer-of-Wo.../dp/B003P9VZG6

[kacir]

Recently I have found very nice Hard Science Fiction book by an indie author David Kitson.

The book is about a guy that has just got kicked out of army. He used to be piloting a DEMON - antromorphic haptically controlled combat machine (and a great acronym - one of many present in a book). As a result he has implants that enable him to control fighting machines, connect to virtual reality environment or control heavy industrial machinery. The book picks up speed slowly, but there are quite a few unexpected turns.

I really enjoyed the book. It has got everything a good hard SF needs. Except for spaceships ;-)
The book very much reminds me of the Otherland tetralogy, but is shorter and simpler.

The book is available on Smashwords for free download
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/34627

Disclaimer:
I do not know the author, I discovered the book a few days ago in his post on Slashdot.

[kennyc]

Thanks for the Rec!

[Cyclops]

Originally Posted by kacir

Recently I have found very nice Hard Science Fiction book by an indie author David Kitson.

The book is about a guy that has just got kicked out of army. He used to be piloting a DEMON - antromorphic haptically controlled combat machine (and a great acronym - one of many present in a book). As a result he has implants that enable him to control fighting machines, connect to virtual reality environment or control heavy industrial machinery. The book picks up speed slowly, but there are quite a few unexpected turns.

I really enjoyed the book. It has got everything a good hard SF needs. Except for spaceships ;-)
The book very much reminds me of the Otherland tetralogy, but is shorter and simpler.

The book is available on Smashwords for free download
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/34627
.

But no spaceships?? Poor show!

[Cyclops]

Originally Posted by ardeegee

A heads-up-- I just noticed that there is a 4th Ringworld prequel book out now:

http://www.amazon.com/Betrayer-of-Wo.../dp/B003P9VZG6

Oh god, lets hope its better than the third book!

[CHunter_Author]

I believe the best Sci-Fi book is one that doesn't try to be sci-fi.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by CHunter_Author

I believe the best Sci-Fi book is one that doesn't try to be sci-fi.

Examples?

[ardeegee]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Examples?

Bridges of Madison County. Man was that some good sci-fi!


Okay, I don't know what he means, either.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by ardeegee

Bridges of Madison County. Man was that some good sci-fi!


Okay, I don't know what he means, either.

Well, that's maybe right.

[fantasyfan]

Tom Godwin is a Golden Age science fiction writer, five of whose stories are available for download from the Project Gutenberg Science Fiction bookshelf. He creates characters with greater psychological depth than many of his contemporaries, and still retains a sci-fi universe which is reasonably "hard". "The Nothing Equation" and "----Devious the Line of Duty" are fairly good examples. So far I've read four of the five and they're all interesting {though "The Helpful Hand of God" is on the sentimental side}. I'm going to read his novelette "Space Prison" next and see if it lives up to the others.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by fantasyfan

Tom Godwin is a Golden Age science fiction writer, five of whose stories are available for download from the Project Gutenberg Science Fiction bookshelf. He creates characters with greater psychological depth than many of his contemporaries, and still retains a sci-fi universe which is reasonably "hard". "The Nothing Equation" and "----Devious the Line of Duty" are fairly good examples. So far I've read four of the five and they're all interesting {though "The Helpful Hand of God" is on the sentimental side}. I'm going to read his novelette "Space Prison" next and see if it lives up to the others.

A collection of Godwin's stuff is also available through Baen's Webscriptions: http://www.webscription.net//p-76-th...equations.aspx

This includes:
The Survivors
The Harvest
Brain Teaser
Mother Of Invention
—And Devious The Line Of Duty
Empathy
No Species Alone
The Gulf Between
The Cold Equations

It used to be part of the Baen Free Library, but no longer appears in that listing.
______
Dennis