Hard Science Fiction Recommendations - Page 7

Sparrow · 08-20-2010, 05:04 PM

I'm not sure if Rudy Rucker's "White Light" qualifies - it's more maths than science, but a very enjoyable, and educational, read.

tyche · 08-20-2010, 06:00 PM

A couple nods to Peter F. Hamilton already but I have to give a vote to him. It's space opera with a sense of wonder I don't get with any other author. I'd mention Fallen Dragon as another of his books and it's a single novel so less to read as his series are huge volumes.

Iain M. Banks's Culture books are another option as well as Neal Asher's Polity universe.

NormHart · 08-20-2010, 10:01 PM

Even and although it is only five days old I have to say that this is the greatest "Hard" Science Fiction I've seen in awhile.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95180

Williamlk · 08-20-2010, 10:10 PM

Check out 'The Holographic Universe', it blew me away

Manichean · 08-21-2010, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomereader

Solaris, by Stanisław Lem

I'm not sure anything by Lem, especially not Solaris, qualifies as "hard" science fiction. Nevertheless, it's well worth reading.

tomereader · 08-21-2010, 07:57 PM

I just gathered what others posted

Manichean · 08-22-2010, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomereader

I just gathered what others posted

Yes, I know. But I must have missed the Lem reference earlier, so I thought I'd say it now.

PhilK · 08-27-2010, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Robert Heinlein -- "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" - "Starship Troopers"

The politiclly correct hate Robert Heinlein's stuff, so I knew he'd be good -and he certainly was !
Considering these turds also rant against Rudyard Kipling's wonderful stuff especially his magnificent "IF" poem (voted Britain's most loved poem. The middle class PC lobby wanted it removed on account of it being "racist" "sexist" and "homophobic"

- none of which was true, but it's a MAN's poem, and they don't like that) and it shows how much credence you can give them !

Sorry - rant over !

Robert Heinlein is hit and miss actually, the ones you mention are dead centre, bullseye hits.

kennyc · 08-27-2010, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilK

The politiclly correct hate Robert Heinlein's stuff, so I knew he'd be good -and he certainly was !
Considering these turds also rant against Rudyard Kipling's wonderful stuff especially his magnificent "IF" poem (voted Britain's most loved poem. The middle class PC lobby wanted it removed on account of it being "racist" "sexist" and "homophobic"

- none of which was true, but it's a MAN's poem, and they don't like that) and it shows how much credence you can give them !

Sorry - rant over !

Robert Heinlein is hit and miss actually, the ones you mention are dead centre, bullseye hits.

love it! and Welcome!

Steven Lake · 09-01-2010, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmclough

So far, since getting into reading fiction, and not just how-to/reference-type books, I've mostly been reading Star Trek. I'm also about to finish the Oort Perimeter by MR's own Steven Lake. Although Oort has some aspects I like, I've decided, in short, it's just not for me. Oh, I'll still finish the last two chapters and the epilogue, but I won't be reading the sequels. Nothing personal, Steve; again, it's just not for me.

Sorry you didn't like it, but if you want, you're welcome to leave feedback with me. I'm always interested in input from my readers, regardless if you loved the book, or hated it so bad that you end up using it for toilet paper. (well, with an ebook that's hard, unless of course you print it out first so you don't soil your ereader. lol) Either way, anyone is welcome at any time to write me and give me their 2c on my stories, ask questions, etc. Just email me at: me@earthfleet.net, or use the anonymous feedback form on my site (www.realmsofimagination.net/feedback/) to leave me input. And I don't care if it's uber mushy, epic level hate mail, or something in the middle. I still value the opinions of all my readers and, as stated before, you're always welcome to email me and ask questions about anything, or leave me feedback anytime you want.

tomereader · 09-01-2010, 03:12 PM

This might be a reach...

A professor of engineering writes a hard science fiction novel, only to have his publisher title it "Bimbos of the Death Sun" and then he learns from his friend and professor who teaches science fiction, that writing is only the first step, he has to promote it as well so they attend a local convention and.....

Bimbos of the Death Sun
Sharyn McCrumb
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/sharyn-mccrumb/

one of my all time top recommendations for any genre: comedy, sci fi, mystery etc

ATDrake · 09-01-2010, 03:39 PM

Bimbos of the Death Sun is brilliant and hilarious. The follow-up, Zombies of the Gene Pool is lower-key, but a great look at Golden Age science fiction fandom.

As for the authors from the list a page back, I'll second the recommendations for Robert J. Sawyer, Peter Watts, Greg Bear's Blood Music (better in original novella version, imho).

Sawyer, however, is really more of an ideas man than a character guy, although he tries his best, being Canadian and writing about the social consequences of the tech/developments. So his novels are generallly strong on exploring the idea and how it plays out in society at large, but a little fuzzy as far as emotional convincingness insofar as how individual personalities take it goes.

And I say this as someone who owns practically all his books.

Recommended reads: start with the freebie short stories on his website. "The Hand You're Dealt" and "Identity Theft" are novellas that won both sf and mystery prizes, and are some of the best of his work. Also good, "Just Like Old Times", "Iterations", and "You See But Do Not Observe" is unmissable for Sherlock Holmes fans.

As far as his novels go, I especially liked the Quintaglio Ascension trilogy (intelligent dinosaurs), Golden Fleece (locked room murder mystery on a colony ship which can't spare any of its future colonists), The Terminal Experiment (AI simulation of human brain goes rogue), Illegal Alien (loosley based on exploring the celebrity notoriety/reasonable doubt aspects of the OJ Simpson case, as applied to extraterrestrials), Factoring Humanity (kind of Contact-ish, message arrives from beyond stars, only how to interpret it?), Calculating God (what if visiting aliens believed in Intelligent Design and came to Earth looking for proof?).

He's also won/nominated for Hugos for the Neanderthal Parallax and the current WWW trilogy, but while I liked those books well enough and still plan on reading/getting the upcoming ones, the lead characterizations just felt kind of… off to me. But then it's probably not easy for 50-something men to convincingly portray teenaged girls.

Peter Watts offers all his stuff Creative Commons licensed on his website, alongside a tipjar.

At novel length, the easiest work to get into is "Blindsight", since the Rifters trilogy really is a trilogy, although you can read the first one standalone with no problems and no feeling that the story abruptly cliffhangers To Be Continued…

Best short stories, "Fractals", about the fractal nature of human hatred, "The Island", one of this year's Hugo novella nominees, and while "Bulk Food" is kind of hokey, if you've ever been annoyed at PETA or Greenpeace's sometimes overdramatic tactics, you'll like this one. A lot.

I should note that both Sawyer and Watts have actual scientific backgrounds. Sawyer trained to be a paleontologist before going into journalism school, and Watts is a marine biologist who for some bizarre reason, moved from the Canada's extremely marine biodiverse West coast to the concrete jungle of Toronto.

jgaiser · 09-02-2010, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomereader

Bimbos of the Death Sun
Sharyn McCrumb
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/sharyn-mccrumb/

Ok... Amazon has two Kindle versions available. One for $3.99 and one for $7.99. Both published by RosettaBooks. Cheap one in 2002. Expensive one in July of this year. 6K difference in size. ??? What the heck?

nyrath · 09-02-2010, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomereader

A professor of engineering writes a hard science fiction novel, only to have his publisher title it "Bimbos of the Death Sun" and then he learns from his friend and professor who teaches science fiction, that writing is only the first step, he has to promote it as well so they attend a local convention and.....

Bimbos of the Death Sun
Sharyn McCrumb
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/sharyn-mccrumb/

one of my all time top recommendations for any genre: comedy, sci fi, mystery etc

It is my understanding that certain characters in that novel are based on real people in the science fiction convention community. The names were changed to protect the author from lawsuits.

The first time I read that novel, I was actually at an SF con. The sounds of the con in the background made the reading a multi-sensory experience.

sgtpokey · 09-02-2010, 06:31 PM

Neal Stephenson has been mentioned but not what book might qualify for the OP's request.

for my money that would be Anathem. Straight-up hard sf but in a uniquely novel manner. Discovery/Mystery is inherent right from the beginning. And of course, science and scientific philosophy is at the core of the story.

An easier entry point into Neal Stephenson might be Cryptonomicon however.

And of course neither of those are his BEST works in my opinion.

08-20-2010, 10:10 PM	#94
Williamlk Guru Posts: 624 Karma: 700001 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: New York Device: kindle	The Holographic Universe Check out 'The Holographic Universe', it blew me away

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08-20-2010, 05:04 PM	#91
Sparrow Wizard Posts: 4,395 Karma: 1358132 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: Palm TX, CyBook Gen3	I'm not sure if Rudy Rucker's "White Light" qualifies - it's more maths than science, but a very enjoyable, and educational, read.

08-20-2010, 06:00 PM	#92
tyche Addict Posts: 227 Karma: 2530 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: PRS-505, iPad	A couple nods to Peter F. Hamilton already but I have to give a vote to him. It's space opera with a sense of wonder I don't get with any other author. I'd mention Fallen Dragon as another of his books and it's a single novel so less to read as his series are huge volumes. Iain M. Banks's Culture books are another option as well as Neal Asher's Polity universe.

08-20-2010, 10:01 PM	#93
NormHart Semper Carpe Bufo Posts: 537 Karma: 21676 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Napa Valley, California Device: Kindle2 & Kindle3	Even and although it is only five days old I have to say that this is the greatest "Hard" Science Fiction I've seen in awhile. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95180

08-21-2010, 07:57 PM	#96
tomereader Zealot Posts: 124 Karma: 664461 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: North Coast of Ohio Device: Ectaco JBL, Archos 5, 7, 70, Kindle DXG, Craig 7, Vizio Vtab	I just gathered what others posted

09-01-2010, 03:12 PM	#101
tomereader Zealot Posts: 124 Karma: 664461 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: North Coast of Ohio Device: Ectaco JBL, Archos 5, 7, 70, Kindle DXG, Craig 7, Vizio Vtab	This might be a reach... A professor of engineering writes a hard science fiction novel, only to have his publisher title it "Bimbos of the Death Sun" and then he learns from his friend and professor who teaches science fiction, that writing is only the first step, he has to promote it as well so they attend a local convention and..... Bimbos of the Death Sun Sharyn McCrumb http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/sharyn-mccrumb/ one of my all time top recommendations for any genre: comedy, sci fi, mystery etc

09-01-2010, 03:39 PM	#102
ATDrake Wizzard Posts: 11,517 Karma: 33048258 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Roundworld Device: Kindle 2 International, Sony PRS-T1, BlackBerry PlayBook, Acer Iconia	Bimbos of the Death Sun is brilliant and hilarious. The follow-up, Zombies of the Gene Pool is lower-key, but a great look at Golden Age science fiction fandom. As for the authors from the list a page back, I'll second the recommendations for Robert J. Sawyer, Peter Watts, Greg Bear's Blood Music (better in original novella version, imho). Sawyer, however, is really more of an ideas man than a character guy, although he tries his best, being Canadian and writing about the social consequences of the tech/developments. So his novels are generallly strong on exploring the idea and how it plays out in society at large, but a little fuzzy as far as emotional convincingness insofar as how individual personalities take it goes. And I say this as someone who owns practically all his books. Recommended reads: start with the freebie short stories on his website. "The Hand You're Dealt" and "Identity Theft" are novellas that won both sf and mystery prizes, and are some of the best of his work. Also good, "Just Like Old Times", "Iterations", and "You See But Do Not Observe" is unmissable for Sherlock Holmes fans. As far as his novels go, I especially liked the Quintaglio Ascension trilogy (intelligent dinosaurs), Golden Fleece (locked room murder mystery on a colony ship which can't spare any of its future colonists), The Terminal Experiment (AI simulation of human brain goes rogue), Illegal Alien (loosley based on exploring the celebrity notoriety/reasonable doubt aspects of the OJ Simpson case, as applied to extraterrestrials), Factoring Humanity (kind of Contact-ish, message arrives from beyond stars, only how to interpret it?), Calculating God (what if visiting aliens believed in Intelligent Design and came to Earth looking for proof?). He's also won/nominated for Hugos for the Neanderthal Parallax and the current WWW trilogy, but while I liked those books well enough and still plan on reading/getting the upcoming ones, the lead characterizations just felt kind of… off to me. But then it's probably not easy for 50-something men to convincingly portray teenaged girls. Peter Watts offers all his stuff Creative Commons licensed on his website, alongside a tipjar. At novel length, the easiest work to get into is "Blindsight", since the Rifters trilogy really is a trilogy, although you can read the first one standalone with no problems and no feeling that the story abruptly cliffhangers To Be Continued… Best short stories, "Fractals", about the fractal nature of human hatred, "The Island", one of this year's Hugo novella nominees, and while "Bulk Food" is kind of hokey, if you've ever been annoyed at PETA or Greenpeace's sometimes overdramatic tactics, you'll like this one. A lot. I should note that both Sawyer and Watts have actual scientific backgrounds. Sawyer trained to be a paleontologist before going into journalism school, and Watts is a marine biologist who for some bizarre reason, moved from the Canada's extremely marine biodiverse West coast to the concrete jungle of Toronto.

09-02-2010, 06:31 PM	#105
sgtpokey Member Posts: 12 Karma: 3206 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: sony prs-505, 900, 650	Neal Stephenson has been mentioned but not what book might qualify for the OP's request. for my money that would be Anathem. Straight-up hard sf but in a uniquely novel manner. Discovery/Mystery is inherent right from the beginning. And of course, science and scientific philosophy is at the core of the story. An easier entry point into Neal Stephenson might be Cryptonomicon however. And of course neither of those are his BEST works in my opinion.