Baen Recommendations

[gnawingonfoot]

I'm also kinda lost on where to start with the Baen freebies, and it certainly doesn't help that I've read nothing by any of the authors listed on there. Lately I've really been into Philip José Farmer, John Brunner, Harry Harrison, and Roger Zelazny. If anyone could recommend something new for me based on this, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by gnawingonfoot

I'm also kinda lost on where to start with the Baen freebies, and it certainly doesn't help that I've read nothing by any of the authors listed on there. Lately I've really been into Philip José Farmer, John Brunner, Harry Harrison, and Roger Zelazny. If anyone could recommend something new for me based on this, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

A good way to start would be to try to read one book by each author. For some authors, you should try one book from each series. Some have written both SF and Fantasy, so if you don't like the SF by an author you might like the fantasy.

[radius]

Originally Posted by gnawingonfoot

I'm also kinda lost on where to start with the Baen freebies, and it certainly doesn't help that I've read nothing by any of the authors listed on there. Lately I've really been into Philip José Farmer, John Brunner, Harry Harrison, and Roger Zelazny. If anyone could recommend something new for me based on this, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

Based on what you like about Harry Harrison (ie: are you a Make Room, Make Room kind of guy? Deathworld? Stainless Steel Rat?), you could try:

Any of the collections of Keith Laumer (but stay away from The Road to Damascus which is a Bolo story by John Ringo; I thought it was a stinker). Laumer often writes science fiction with a touch of humour and social commentary (like Harrison) although he also does great cliffhanger action. His Retief stories are sort of a commentary on Big Power meddling in small states.

Interstellar Patrol and Pandora's Legions are collections of related Christopher Anvil stories which are also pretty good. Beware that you need to read Pandora's Legions as a collection of short stories. I think Eric Flint (the editor) tried to stitch them together, but it feels clumsy if you read it as a novel. These stories are less action oriented that the Laumer ones and are more in the problem solving vein (like, say Larry Niven short stories)


If you like Harrison more in his Deathworld style, then I think you could try With The Lightnings by David Drake (and its sequels) which is about a young man in the navy who gets caught up in a war (much better written than the Harrington books imo)

They have a Fred Saberhagen "Bezerker" collection up. I'm sure that needs no introduction.


If you like Zelazny, you might also like Mercedes Lackey.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by radius

Any of the collections of Keith Laumer (but stay away from The Road to Damascus which is a Bolo story by John Ringo; I thought it was a stinker).

Interesting how different things appeal to different people. "Road to Damascus" is one of my favourite SF books. Superb, IMHO.

[radius]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Interesting how different things appeal to different people. "Road to Damascus" is one of my favourite SF books. Superb, IMHO.

Hmmm... My problem with it is mainly that I didn't notice the author was John Ringo until too late. I thought it was going to be a Bolo story. But it turned out to be a John Ringo story that borrowed the name Bolo for one of the main characters

I don't generally mind Ringo all that much; his plotlines are usually exciting and he writes battles well. But some of his writing ticks really started to bother me after reading a few of his novels.

For example, his habit of injecting contemporary US conservative views into his science fiction novels is up at L.Neil Smith levels of annoying. And the way he puts domination into his sex scenes is awful. I'd love it if it were done in a sexy way, but he wastes so much time explaining sub/dom that it comes off more like a Wikipedia article instead. In one of his books he is gimmicky enough to have one of his characters make fun of him as an author of trashy potboilers. Ugh!

[slayda]

Actually I kind of like Ringo. I have the "Road to Damascus" but hadn't read it because I lose interest in the Bolo books if I read too many of them. I guess now I'll have to read this one.

[Elsi]

Originally Posted by gnawingonfoot

I'm also kinda lost on where to start with the Baen freebies, and it certainly doesn't help that I've read nothing by any of the authors listed on there. Lately I've really been into Philip José Farmer, John Brunner, Harry Harrison, and Roger Zelazny. If anyone could recommend something new for me based on this, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

Some recommendations:

Fantasy:
* Sheepfarmer's Daughter
* Wizard's Bane
* The Sea Hag

SF -- non-human sentient races:
* Black on Black
* Stars over Stars (sequel to Black on Black)
* Genellan: Planetfall

SF -- Navy in space
* On Basilisk Station
* With the Lightnings

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by radius

Hmmm... My problem with it is mainly that I didn't notice the author was John Ringo until too late. I thought it was going to be a Bolo story. But it turned out to be a John Ringo story that borrowed the name Bolo for one of the main characters

I don't generally mind Ringo all that much; his plotlines are usually exciting and he writes battles well. But some of his writing ticks really started to bother me after reading a few of his novels.

For example, his habit of injecting contemporary US conservative views into his science fiction novels is up at L.Neil Smith levels of annoying. And the way he puts domination into his sex scenes is awful.

Yes, I agree with you about the politics - his political views are diametrically opposed to my own! - and in some of his books the "kinky sex" scenes are just ghastly (the "Ghost" series I wouldn't touch with the proverbial barge-pole), but I don't recall there being any such scenes in "Road to Damascus". He's such a good writer that I can forgive him his political views, even though I regard them as being utterly wrong.

[Over]

When browsing the Baen site, I was curious about John Ringo's books. But then I've read this article/opinion and I thought I should just pass it. Now Harry T says it's one of the BEST... I'm confused.

Here's the article "OH JOHN RINGO NO": http://hradzka.livejournal.com/194753.html?format=light

What do you think of it?

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by Over

When browsing the Baen site, I was curious about John Ringo's books. But then I've read this article/opinion and I thought I should just pass it. Now Harry T says it's one of the BEST... I'm confused.

Here's the article "OH JOHN RINGO NO": http://hradzka.livejournal.com/194753.html?format=light

What do you think of it?

This is an excellent review of the series. Even Mr. Ringo thinks this is a great review. He posted a reply on the second page of comments.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Over

When browsing the Baen site, I was curious about John Ringo's books. But then I've read this article/opinion and I thought I should just pass it. Now Harry T says it's one of the BEST... I'm confused.

Here's the article "OH JOHN RINGO NO": http://hradzka.livejournal.com/194753.html?format=light

What do you think of it?

Please go back and read what I said more carefully - I said that I liked "Road to Damascus", but that "Ghost" and its sequels are absolutely dreadful and that I wouldn't touch them with a barge-pole. They portray an ultra-right-wing xenophobic attitude which I find frankly disturbing, mixed up with extremely unpleasant "hard core" sex scenes which I find revolting.

I like most of Mr. Ringo's stuff, but "Ghost" and its sequels are horrible books. Avoid! I honestly cannot imagine who they are written to appeal to, but I don't think I'd like to meet the sort of person who shares the viewpoint that they portray.

[Nate the great]

Harry, go read that review. Please.

[HarryT]

I have done. I still think that these are truly revolting books. Perhaps it's a cultural thing. Did you actually enjoy reading "Ghost"?

[Nate the great]

No. But I did enjoy reading the review.

[HarryT]

Try the book and let us know what you think of it .