Looking for some NON-military sci-fi - Page 2

xg4bx · 09-19-2011, 10:46 PM

not a series but i like Ivory by Mike Resnick. it follows a pair of elephant tusks through the galaxy and tells vignettes of the hands they pass through.

"In the year 6303, when earth is bare of anything larger than an insect or a mouse and most people have left for the stars, Duncan Rojas receives a most unusual visitor. His name is Bukoba Mandaka, and he is the last of the Maasai. Mandaka wants Rojas, senior researcher for Braxton's Records of Big Game, to find the tusks of the Kilimanjaro Elephant, tusks that weigh over 200 lb. each. Why? Mandaka will not say, but he will pay enormous sums for them. And Rojas cannot resist the challenge of tracing something lost for 3000 years. Back and forth through time, in card games, wars, and rivalries, Rojas searches. But as he begins to glimpse the elusive, lost power of ancient Africa, he is seduced, and before long the quest has become his own."

Apache · 09-19-2011, 11:29 PM

David Weber's Safehold Series. I am reading book 5 in the series How Firm a Foundation.
Apache

JeremyR · 09-19-2011, 11:44 PM

Kristine Kathryn-Rusch's Retrieval Artist series is very good. I think it's on hiatus now, but there are I think 7 or 8 novels in the series.

Mike Resnick has a ton of very good SF, basically all set in the same universe (well, 90% of it), though ironically, the latest was military SF, since that's pretty much it these days. You either write urban fantasy or military SF, it seems.

BenG · 09-20-2011, 01:12 AM

You might like James White's Sector General series about an inter-species hospital on the edge of the galaxy.

They are available in 3 omnibus editions.
http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Oper...=AG56TWVU5XWC2

caleb72 · 09-20-2011, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneandonlyDoc

The Sparrow was pretty amazing...but it's not for the faint of heart. She did publish a follow-up to it, though I don't recall the title. We actually read that in an Anthropology in Fiction class I took (it was the book representing linguistics).

The follow-up was called Children of God.

I have The Sparrow but I've not got around to reading it yet.

CRussel · 09-20-2011, 08:21 AM

I'd recommend the Liaden Universe novels by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. Well written, not MilSF, and available at reasonable prices without DRM from WebScription.

John F · 09-20-2011, 08:37 AM

How about Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan?

jabberwock_11 · 09-20-2011, 08:58 AM

Thanks for the suggestions folks. There are a ton of spifftastic sounding novels listed and I plan on reading several of them. Right now, thanks to an indirect suggestion, I have begun reading Scratch Monkey, by Charles Stross and am enjoying it so far.

I didn't really care for the Riverworld series, it was a cool idea, but it just didn't grab me. It is along the lines of what I have been looking for though.

Like I said, it's not that I dislike military sci-fi...I am just burnt out on it. I look forward to crunching through a bunch of newly discovered authors and novels.

pdurrant · 09-20-2011, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jabberwock_11

I would really like it if I could get some good recommendations for non-military sci-fi novels, especially books in a series.

The Time Scouts series by Robert Aspirin
Most of Greg Bear's books.
Gregory Benford's Galactiv Center series
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series.
Some of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series isn't MilSF (although most is).
Cory Doctorow's books.
Robert Forward's Rocheworld series.
Many of Heinlein's books are not Mil SF.
Lee and Miller's Liaden universe isn't Mil SF
Ann McCaffrey's Pern books, and Brainships and Crystal Singer books. Oh - and the Pegasus books.
Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars books.
James H Schmitz's books.
Charles Sheffield's books.
Brian Stableford's books, e.g. hooded swan series.
EC Tubb's Dumarest series.

kacir · 09-20-2011, 09:33 AM

The Night's Dawn Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night%27s_Dawn_Trilogy

It has unusually high rating at Goodresds

kacir · 09-20-2011, 10:35 AM

Tad Willaims - Otherland series.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2..._Golden_Shadow

WillAdams · 09-20-2011, 12:04 PM

Mike Brotherton's _Star Dragon_ is interesting, not military (though one character is a starship captain and another is the starship), and is freely available (ob. discl. I did the formatting of the .pdf)

William

xg4bx · 09-20-2011, 07:01 PM

i've started reading the Galaxy Unknown series by Thomas Deprima. there's some ship to ship combat but they seem to be more of a classic feeling sc-fi series than power armored marines fighting aliens military sci-fi.

sabredog · 09-20-2011, 07:45 PM

Good series that. Looking forward to the next in the series and first of the spin offs.

mediax · 09-21-2011, 08:15 AM

Iain M. Banks' Culture series is superb, and probably isn't military in the sense you mean.

09-20-2011, 08:58 AM	#23
jabberwock_11 Addict Posts: 231 Karma: 1591305 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Savannah, GA USA Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2, Aluratek Libre Pro	Thanks for the suggestions folks. There are a ton of spifftastic sounding novels listed and I plan on reading several of them. Right now, thanks to an indirect suggestion, I have begun reading Scratch Monkey, by Charles Stross and am enjoying it so far. I didn't really care for the Riverworld series, it was a cool idea, but it just didn't grab me. It is along the lines of what I have been looking for though. Like I said, it's not that I dislike military sci-fi...I am just burnt out on it. I look forward to crunching through a bunch of newly discovered authors and novels. Last edited by jabberwock_11; 09-20-2011 at 09:00 AM.

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09-19-2011, 10:46 PM	#16
xg4bx Are you gonna eat that? Posts: 1,633 Karma: 23215128 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Phillipsburg, NJ Device: Kindle 3, Nook STG	not a series but i like Ivory by Mike Resnick. it follows a pair of elephant tusks through the galaxy and tells vignettes of the hands they pass through. "In the year 6303, when earth is bare of anything larger than an insect or a mouse and most people have left for the stars, Duncan Rojas receives a most unusual visitor. His name is Bukoba Mandaka, and he is the last of the Maasai. Mandaka wants Rojas, senior researcher for Braxton's Records of Big Game, to find the tusks of the Kilimanjaro Elephant, tusks that weigh over 200 lb. each. Why? Mandaka will not say, but he will pay enormous sums for them. And Rojas cannot resist the challenge of tracing something lost for 3000 years. Back and forth through time, in card games, wars, and rivalries, Rojas searches. But as he begins to glimpse the elusive, lost power of ancient Africa, he is seduced, and before long the quest has become his own."

09-19-2011, 11:29 PM	#17
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,277 Karma: 90000484 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	David Weber's Safehold Series. I am reading book 5 in the series How Firm a Foundation. Apache

09-19-2011, 11:44 PM	#18
JeremyR Guru Posts: 973 Karma: 2458402 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: St. Louis Device: Kindle Keyboard, Nook HD+	Kristine Kathryn-Rusch's Retrieval Artist series is very good. I think it's on hiatus now, but there are I think 7 or 8 novels in the series. Mike Resnick has a ton of very good SF, basically all set in the same universe (well, 90% of it), though ironically, the latest was military SF, since that's pretty much it these days. You either write urban fantasy or military SF, it seems.

09-20-2011, 01:12 AM	#19
BenG Home Guard Posts: 4,730 Karma: 86721650 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard Device: Kindle Oasis 3G, iPhone 6	You might like James White's Sector General series about an inter-species hospital on the edge of the galaxy. They are available in 3 omnibus editions. http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Oper...=AG56TWVU5XWC2

09-20-2011, 08:21 AM	#21
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,296 Karma: 80074820 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), iPad Air M3	I'd recommend the Liaden Universe novels by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. Well written, not MilSF, and available at reasonable prices without DRM from WebScription.

09-20-2011, 08:37 AM	#22
John F Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,943 Karma: 70766125 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo Clara 2E	How about Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan?

09-20-2011, 09:33 AM	#25
kacir Wizard Posts: 3,463 Karma: 10684861 Join Date: May 2006 Device: PocketBook 360, before it was Sony Reader, cassiopeia A-20	The Night's Dawn Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night%27s_Dawn_Trilogy It has unusually high rating at Goodresds

09-20-2011, 10:35 AM	#26
kacir Wizard Posts: 3,463 Karma: 10684861 Join Date: May 2006 Device: PocketBook 360, before it was Sony Reader, cassiopeia A-20	Tad Willaims - Otherland series. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2..._Golden_Shadow

09-20-2011, 12:04 PM	#27
WillAdams Wizard Posts: 1,258 Karma: 3439432 Join Date: Feb 2008 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (300ppi), Samsung Galaxy Book 12	Mike Brotherton's _Star Dragon_ is interesting, not military (though one character is a starship captain and another is the starship), and is freely available (ob. discl. I did the formatting of the .pdf) William

09-20-2011, 07:01 PM	#28
xg4bx Are you gonna eat that? Posts: 1,633 Karma: 23215128 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Phillipsburg, NJ Device: Kindle 3, Nook STG	i've started reading the Galaxy Unknown series by Thomas Deprima. there's some ship to ship combat but they seem to be more of a classic feeling sc-fi series than power armored marines fighting aliens military sci-fi.

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09-20-2011, 07:45 PM	#29
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,629 Karma: 14933353 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-T3, Kindle Voyage, iPad Air2, Nexus7v2	Good series that. Looking forward to the next in the series and first of the spin offs.

09-21-2011, 08:15 AM	#30
mediax Readaholic Posts: 255 Karma: 1058454 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Swindon, UK Device: Sony PRS-T2 (previously 505 and 650)	Iain M. Banks' Culture series is superb, and probably isn't military in the sense you mean.