Hard science fiction

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

According to Wikipedia, it stands for Menzies.

But I don't suppose that helps

It does actually, but for odd reasons (Menzies, 50's Prime Minister in Oz, likely ideologically polar opposite to author and the Culture universe ). Thanks!

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

It does actually, but for odd reasons (Menzies, 50's Prime Minister in Oz, likely ideologically polar opposite to author and the Culture universe ). Thanks!

. Glad to be of help, albeit inadvertently.

[xg4bx]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

Iain M. Banks to be pedantic if we're talking the Culture books. As Iain Banks he writes non science fiction novels.

maybe i'm just dense but i always thought they were 2 different guys lol.

thank you for all the suggestions, i've got a lot to investigate now.

[A4-]

These are action packed without military stuff and rather recent novels which I think fit hard sci-fi rather well:

Travis Taylor - Warp Speed (2004-2005; duology)
John Ringo - Troy Rising (2010-2011; triology)

[kennyc]

Just noticed this at Amazon:
The Forever War by Haldeman - $4.95 deal.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Forever-Wa...=AG56TWVU5XWC2

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by A4-

These are action packed without military stuff and rather recent novels which I think fit hard sci-fi rather well:

Travis Taylor - Warp Speed (2004-2005; duology)
John Ringo - Troy Rising (2010-2011; triology)

Are any of the Troy Rising books available in e-format? They are not at Amazon.

[Apache]

Baen Books has all three on their web site for $6.00 each.
http://www.baen.com/
http://www.baen.com/author_catalog.asp?author=jringo
Apache

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by Spacejock

I second Dragon's Egg, but it sounds like the OP is looking for recent publications?

What about Iain Banks?

Just a nitpick, not saying they are not worth reading, but I have never read a Banks book that even remotely resembles a hard science fiction novel.

Stephen Baxter, and Greg Bear are also worth reading.

--
Bill

[Crusader]

Definitely look into Ben Bova as well. His Grand Tour series and Asteroid War series spring to mind.

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

Just a nitpick, not saying they are not worth reading, but I have never read a Banks book that even remotely resembles a hard science fiction novel.

Stephen Baxter, and Greg Bear are also worth reading.

--
Bill

Iain M. Banks perhaps? [he says, having himself been justly corrected for the same thing ]

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

Iain M. Banks perhaps? [he says, having himself been justly corrected for the same thing ]

Nope, I am talking about his Sci-Fi novels, not his literary fiction. While I haven't read every book he has written, certainly anything from within his Culture series has things like anti-gravity, super weapons, etc. without any particular scientific justification. They are fun reads (though at times his anti-religious bias in Consider Phlebas gets annoying), but they are not by a long shot Hard Sci-Fi.

--
Bill

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

Nope, I am talking about his Sci-Fi novels, not his literary fiction. While I haven't read every book he has written, certainly anything from within his Culture series has things like anti-gravity, super weapons, etc. without any particular scientific justification. They are fun reads (though at times his anti-religious bias in Consider Phlebas gets annoying), but they are not by a long shot Hard Sci-Fi.

--
Bill

Thanks, Bill. Just checking, as I also suspected you may have had reason to not consider the Culture novels "hard SF" and wanted to tease it out of you if so, for my own better understanding of terminology.

Cheers,
Marc

[Crusader]

I have to agree. I don't view the Culture novels as hard sci-fi. If you take a look at Bova's Asteroid Wars, it has all the hallmarks of hard sci-fi. Staying true to science as currently known or extrapolating from currently known science.

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

Thanks, Bill. Just checking, as I also suspected you may have had reason to not consider the Culture novels "hard SF" and wanted to tease it out of you if so, for my own better understanding of terminology.

Cheers,
Marc

Hi Marc,

Well obviously, the categories are a little fluid, but I think there are a few hallmarks of hard science-fiction.

1. The fewer departures from known physics, chemistry and biology the better; even better if the departures you do make are at plausible given current theories (i.e., FTL travel via worm-hole or similar).

2. The science is often a driving force of the stories. This is probably more true than item 1. Often authors will assume a certain basic world and then ask what if about it. Greg Bear's Darwin's Children series is about what happens if evolution happens fast. Jurassic Park (yes I think it is reasonably hard sci-fi, even if it is never included on the SF shelves) is about what might happen if you cloned dinosaurs, etc.

3. The solutions are often scientific too. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress maybe more adventure story than about science, but the idea of the Moon fighting the Earth by taking advantage of its position at the top of Earth's Gravity Well is a classic SF idea.

--
Bill

[Dr. Drib]

Has anyone mentioned Hal Clement, a popular hard-science fiction writer from the 1950s and early '60s.



Don