Books for lovers of Firefly, the TV and comic series

[FizzyWater]

Hmmm, have you looked at Linnea Sinclair's books? All but Down Home Zombie Blues is set in space. They do have varying degrees of romance in them, just in case that's a no-no for you.

[ebusinesstutor]

I think Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series fits the bill nicely. Action, humor and space opera.

You can download the entire Vorkosigan series except for Memory here.

[ApK]

Man, I'm starting to really love Baen. I'll certainly give that a try too.
I couldn't figure out what order the Vorkosigan series was supposed to be in from the link above, so to be safe I just downloaded the whole CD iso image from a few levels up:
http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/

[edit: browsing the CD, I still can't figure out the series order...I guess I'll actually have to go look it up....]

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by ApK

I couldn't figure out what order the Vorkosigan series was supposed to be in from the link above, so to be safe I just downloaded the whole CD iso image from a few levels up:

fantasticfiction is the best place for stuff like this... I also use LibraryThing to look at series since they use common knowledge and people list the several ways. But from ff here is the publication order at least:

Miles Vorkosigan
Ethan of Athos (1986)
The Warrior's Apprentice (1986)
Falling Free (1988)
The Borders of Infinity (1989)
Brothers in Arms (1989)
The Vor Game (1990)
Vorkosigan's Game (omnibus) (1992)
Mirror Dance (1994)
Cetaganda (1995)
Memory (1996)
Young Miles (omnibus) (1997)
Komarr (1998)
A Civil Campaign (1999)
Miles, Mystery and Mayhem (omnibus) (2001)
Diplomatic Immunity (2002)
Miles Errant (omnibus) (2002)
Miles, Mutants and Microbes (omnibus) (2007)
Miles in Love (omnibus) (2008)
Winterfair Gifts (2008)
Cryoburn (2010)

BOb

[ApK]

Wow, thanks, Bob.

Hmm...looks like the CD doesn't quite have the "ENTIRE Vorkosigan Saga" as the website said.

Unless I'm missing something, the 'novels' section of the CD includes:

Cryoburn
Cordelia's Honor
Young Miles
Miles, Mystery Mayhem
Miles Errant
Miles, Mutants & Microbes
Miles in Love
Diplomatic Immunity

and
The Vorkosigan Companion

So of those, which do you folks think is the best place to start to see if we like it?

ApK

[ATDrake]

The Vorkosigan novels are mostly in omnibus editions. The CD which came free with Cryoburn really does have the entire thing (minus Memory, which is a mere $6 at Baen, $3 if you buy it within the Webscription bundle with several other books).

Since the OP is looking for Firefly-ish stuff, start with The Warrior's Apprentice in "Young Miles" which is classic Boy's Own Space Opera. If the reader wants a slightly more romantic tilt, they can start with Shards of Honor in the "Cordelia's Honor" omnibus, which supplies background on how the previous generation got together. IN SPAAAACE!!!!!

ETA: Here's my breakdown of the contents and chronology of all the books on the CD and suggested reading order from last time, if it helps any.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by ApK

Wow, thanks, Bob.

Hmm...looks like the CD doesn't quite have the "ENTIRE Vorkosigan Saga" as the website said.

Unless I'm missing something, the 'novels' section of the CD includes:

Cryoburn
Cordelia's Honor
Young Miles
Miles, Mystery Mayhem
Miles Errant
Miles, Mutants & Microbes
Miles in Love
Diplomatic Immunity

and
The Vorkosigan Companion

So of those, which do you folks think is the best place to start to see if we like it?

ApK

They are anthologies and Omnibusses, so yes you do have the full series.

For instance: Miles, Mutants & Microbes has Falling Free, Labyrinth and Diplomatic Immunity.

[pilotbob]

Right, I was going to say the whole "omnibus" thing... but two people beat me to it. I'm so inadequate.

That said, I'm gonna give a few of these a try... although, I have decided my current reading list (other than book club selections) is going to be all the joint Hugh/Nebula award winners.. which I have only read two of so far.

BOb

[ApK]

You had me at "Firefly-ish." 'Young Miles' is wifi-ing his way to my Kindle now. What a great world this is!

[Anke Wehner]

Internal chronological order of mainly-omnibus volumes is, by and large:

Cordelia's Honor
Young Miles
Miles, Mystery Mayhem
Miles Errant
[insert Memory here, which was accidentally left off the CD/replaced with Diplomatic Immunity]
Miles in Love
Miles, Mutants & Microbes (contains Diplomatic Immunity)
Cryoburn

Young Miles is a good place to start if you like a bit of mystery, too. Part of the first book in Young Miles is the "next generation" looking for information is spelled out in Cordelia's Honor, so it wouldn't come as a surprise to you.

My first thought at "something for Firefly-lovers" was the Vlad Taltos series by Steven Brust, but that's fantasy rather than scifi.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Anke Wehner

[insert Memory here, which was accidentally left off the CD

Accidentally? You mean it was supposed to be there, and if we asked Baen, they'd give it to us free?

Oh, for my own contribution, if the OP's taste indeed run like own, you might also like
'Time Scout' by Robert Asprin and Linda Evans.
Less space, more science, but a similar frontier spirit.

[Anke Wehner]

oh, come on. If you liked the first six novels of the series, you can shell out $6 for the seventh.

[ApK]

...almost as if that was their plan all along! Mwah-hahaha!

[Dave Berk]

I'd recommend these two books: Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding, and its sequel Black Lung Captain.

From Amazon product description (about the first book):

Sky piracy is a bit out of Darian Frey’s league. Fate has not been kind to the captain of the airship Ketty Jay—or his motley crew. They are all running from something. Crake is a daemonist in hiding, traveling with an armored golem and burdened by guilt. Jez is the new navigator, desperate to keep her secret from the rest of the crew. Malvery is a disgraced doctor, drinking himself to death. So when an opportunity arises to steal a chest of gems from a vulnerable airship, Frey can’t pass it up. It’s an easy take—and the payoff will finally make him a rich man.

But when the attack goes horribly wrong, Frey suddenly finds himself the most wanted man in Vardia, trailed by bounty hunters, the elite Century Knights, and the dread queen of the skies, Trinica Dracken. Frey realizes that they’ve been set up to take a fall but doesn’t know the endgame. And the ultimate answer for captain and crew may lie in the legendary hidden pirate town of Retribution Falls. That’s if they can get there without getting blown out of the sky.

I found them very similar in spirit to Firefly, and reading about it online I found I'm not the only one.

[Billjr13]

This thread had my wife and I watching the entire Firefly series and the Serenity movie over spring break last week, very fun I hadn't watched them in a couple years.