Science Fiction

[harleydavidson]

si/fi one of my favorite forms of literature. To add my two cents ,I,ve always liked Philip Dick,his stories were the basis for the films ,"Blade Runner","Total Recall",and a few others.It always seemed to me ,the best of sci/fi was written in the early 50's. Ideas were new and fresh,they were not tainted by so much Fantasy.A.E.Van Voigt,Fredrick Brown,Theodore Sturgeon,,The incomparable Robert Heinlein to name a few....harley davidson

 

[rojse]

Interesting. I will have to read that then.

I put a link up, if you are interested.

 

[Scuba Pete]

I am, I am. Put it up!

 

[Somkid]

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by far. I love sci-fi shows but I don't like reading sci-fi with the exception of the Douglas Addams series (the movie did not do the book any justice at all). The reason I like it so much is because it show us how silly we really are and what silly things we do but for once in sci-fi its not just us its the entire universe that is insane.

 

[Scuba Pete]

Douglas Adams was GREAT. I really enjoyed reading his stuff. His primer on flying was awesome. Fall to the ground and miss!

 

[nutshell]

Try Octavia Butler - I loved her Lilith's Brood trilogy:

[edit] Lilith's Brood

Lilith's Brood refers to a collection of three texts, first published as the now obsolete Xenogenesis trilogy. The central characters are Lilith and her genetically altered children. Lilith, along with the few other surviving humans, are abducted by extraterrestrials, the Oankali, after a "handful of people [a military group] tried to commit humanicide," leading to a missile war that destroyed much of Earth. The Oankali have a third gender, the ooloi, who have the ability to manipulate genetics, plus the ability of sexually seductive neural-stimulating and consciousness-sharing powers. All of these abilities allow them to unify the other two genders in their species, as well as unifying their species with others that they encounter. The Oankali are biological traders, driven to share genes with other intelligent species, changing both parties.

from Octavia E. Butler - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[rojse]

I am, I am. Put it up!

It's on the first page, but here is the link again: http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0601841.txt

 

[rojse]

Here are a few other books I would like to add to the other suggestions in this thread:

The Forever War, Joe Haldeman - the excellent imagining of an interstellar war that spans over a thousand years. Top-notch technology and ideas, and outside of the war, the progression of society that Haldeman imagines, experienced by the main character through the effects of relativity, is one of the best I have ever read. Each society is extremely well-drawn, and logically progresses from the last society.

I am Legend, Richard Matheson - it was adapted for the recent movie release of the same title, starring Will Smith. Although the movie had it's moments, the book was far better - the story of the only survivor of a new disease that spread rapidly throughout the world. I loved how Richard Matheson explained all of the vampiric phenomena through science-based reasons and psychology - why they need to be killed with stakes, why they don't like sunlight, and so many other things, and how the everyman Robert Neville, without any special skills or training, rises to the challenge of trying to defeat every single vampire.

 

[rojse]

Thought this thread was worth resurrecting, to see if anyone appreciates SF like myself. I have found several books that manage to combine religion and SF, and are supportive of organised religion. Although I am an atheist, I can still appreciate good writing.

A Canticle For Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller Jnr. It is a story about a monastery who strives to keep the relics of the past, after a nuclear holocaust. It is supportive of religion and Catholicism, extremely well-written, and has a lot of good ideas.

The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe. A torturer is exiled from his brethren, and journeys across the lands of the future. There's quite a lot of religious symbolism here, and the series uses a lot of obscure words that really exist, and it pays greatly to keep a good dictionary or encyclopaedia handy. I don't pretend to understand everything that goes on in these books, but what I do understand simply astounds me.

I would also suggest Philip K. Dick, having read some of his books, especially those that concern religion, either as a main subject or as a segment of the book. The books are poorly written, but in there are some of the most astounding ideas about the nature of reality that I have ever seen, and are worth your time if you get the chance to read one of his SF novels.

 

[Storm]

The Forever War, Joe Haldeman - the excellent imagining of an interstellar war that spans over a thousand years. Top-notch technology and ideas, and outside of the war, the progression of society that Haldeman imagines, experienced by the main character through the effects of relativity, is one of the best I have ever read. Each society is extremely well-drawn, and logically progresses from the last society.

One of my all-time favorite books, and not just because it was one of my bedtime stories. However, Forever Peace, the sequel was a major disappointment.

 

[rojse]

One of my all-time favorite books, and not just because it was one of my bedtime stories. However, Forever Peace, the sequel was a major disappointment.

The novel Forever Free was the sequel to the Forever War, and yes, it was rubbish - Haldeman had an idea that rivalled his first book - what would the future be like in tens of millions of years time? - but Haldeman backed down from the initial premise at the last minute. Boo.

Forever Peace, although it should have had a different title, was a book with the same theme as the first one, but written in a completely different style. I thought it was extremely well done - a lot of ideas, full of action, and the main idea was unique and written well.

 

[Storm]

I must've gotten the titles confused, sorry.

 

[Engyo]

I'm definitely getting this one when it comes out!

Arthur C. Clarke's last vision - CNN.com

 

[Storm]

Rojse, do you mind if I recommend some fantasy books as well, or do you want to keep this thread strictly sci-fi?

 

[rojse]

Rojse, do you mind if I recommend some fantasy books as well, or do you want to keep this thread strictly sci-fi?

I have no problem whatsoever - in fact, I am trying to get a hold of Pullman's fantasy trilogy, and would have mentioned them here had I thought them worth discussing after I had finished with them.

 

[Nemesis_of_3vil]

Hmm, Ender's Game! awsome book!

 

[Mathematician]

Hyperion by Dan Simmons is an encompassing space opera with very strong questions pertaining to technology, religion, and time - one of the main characters is a priest, another is a Jewish scholar. The first book is told in a Canterbury style - which makes for an excellent read. The (seven) pilgrims have all encountered the Shrike before, and they're going back for different purposes - it is also said the Shrike grants one wish to one pilgrim, and kills the rest. You hear about a heart-wrenching story about the Jewish scholar who struggles with his faith after his daughter gets an illness which makes her grow younger. You hear about a mad poet who is awed by the Shrike monster's deity strengths. Be forewarned, Simmons is no Melville, but he's no Young Adults writer, either. There are strong themes and the prose is leaning on heavy.

Hyperion Cantos are my favorite science fiction books, if you haven't noticed. It's also recognized as a Hugo award-winner.

On the world called Hyperion, beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, there waits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all. On the eve of Armageddon, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage to Hyperion seeking the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives. Each carries a desperate hope--and a terrible secret. And one may hold the fate of humanity in his hands.

 

[rojse]

Have been on a recent binge reading books that are both science-fiction and religious, and think these are the best of what I have read:

Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke - aliens come to earth, but don't want to reveal themselves to us. Some interesting religious and philosophical ideas here.

Valis, Philip K. Dick - I have no idea what to label this as. It's a semi-autobiography by Philip K Dick, but there are some fiction elements. I won't try and discuss what PKD thinks about religion or religious ideas, but it is worth looking at if only to see what PKD thinks about the Universe - it is quite thought-provoking stuff, even if Dick directly questions his sanity during the entire process.

Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny - in the far-future, Hindu mythology is being reenacted. An excellent mix of far-future SF and religious myths and beliefs, although I cannot speak for how accurately it is portrayed.

Frubals to someone who can knows about Hindu and Buddhist mythology and philosophy, and can compare it to the Hindu and Buddhist mythology in Lord of Light.

And I have had a look at many of the suggestions given on here, through my local library system, and have quite enjoyed myself in the process.

 

[Caladan]

I was about to bring up Phillip K Dick's VALIS, before reading you mentioned it in the last post.
The book is like a printed acid trip; Gnosticism, Greek philosophy, Biblical touches, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, mixed with metaphysics and conspiracy theories, all found their way into this freakish story.

I'm not sure, but I think I haven't seen anyone mentioned Stranger in a Strange Land, which tackles issues such as the church in the future, and a Christ like being who threatens it and touches people's lives.

 

[No*s]

I would second Canticle for Leibowitz. I enjoyed that book thoroughly, especially how he discussed government vs. religion in each of his chapters. The end was rather disturbing, but I think he intended that.

As odd as it sounds, I would also add reccommend the Vange trilogy by Christopher Rowley. I read the first two books, Starhammer, and Vang: Military Form, a while back. He tends to view God as intervening in a low-key way, not quite deist but not religious either. It was an excellent read, and this thread reminds me that I need to get off my dead butt and pull the final portion down off my shelf where it's been sitting for a few months since I purchased it.