A collection of early science fiction, some of the earliest that doesn't read like dreck to modern readers. The influence of John Campbell, editorat ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION magazine, hadn't become fully real yet. Some of these stories are based on science we now know to be inaccurate, some are based on no science whatsoever, and some are the true classics, including Asimov's short story "Nightfall." More a period piece and a historical relic than a Saturday-night read, it's still of great interesd to those who wonder where SF first came from.
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A hilarious story about a mad alien, a being from another dimension who's obsessed with his genatalia, and 'Porrig'.
One of Greg Bear's earliest novels, and now looked on as the founding novel of a form referred to as "ribofunk," that as opposed to cyberpunk. A genetic engineer, who has altered the DNA of his own white blood cells, finds himself faced with the threat of his funding being shut off and, rather than allow his findings to be lost, injects his altered cells back into himself. That's when he discovers that his white blood cells have become sentient.
In a world devastated by a war that has evidently been more than nuclear, Tibor McMasters is an artist for the Servants of Wrath, who worship the creator of the bomb. Pete Sands is an acolyte of the waning Christian church. These strange friends wind up on a search for Carleton Leuftufel, the man who ordered the bomb, so that he can be painted and adored as the Deus Irae, the man who remade the world.
This brief book appears to have been written by Dick from sketches by Zelazny. These two writers, among the most thoughtful in science fiction, have created a forgotten classic of Twentieth Century literature. An acid trip view of a world twisted and distorted, you are left at the end to decipher what it means. How can we believe in a good god in a bad world? But how can we believe in a bad god and survive? What god suffices? Or is that a doomed thought?
There are no answers. Like "The Matrix" or "Leviathan," we are left with important questions and our own resources. This is hard. Though this is not the greatest philosophical science fiction novel ever written, it's right up there, and it's not to be undertaken lightly.
Truly epic in the truest sense, Herbert's story of the far future is moody, intense, operatic and deeply philosophical. He investigates the natureoffaith, religion, and prophecy while telling a story of dynastic struggle and political intrigue. Even if you don't read the rest of the series (six in all), read the first one, for sure.
One of those singular books that readers either vastly love or abjectly loathe. Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is a gifted six-year-old who, as a social outcast, is forced to use violence to defend himself. His efficiency and ruthlessness in fighting off one set of attackers attracts the attention of the military. He is recruited into a future intensive academy, where his success rate is so notable that he is put on the fast track to make war against a race of insectoid race so loathesome that no one has ever actually seen one face to face.
A collection of Harlan Ellison's best short stories, articles, reminisences, and assorted malarkey. Ellison is one of science fiction's foremost futurists and a great mind capable on incisively cutting through the bull of today's world to find the dark heart underneath. And even his darkly sarcastic articles like "Driving In the Spikes," a how-to treatise on revenge, point up the nature of the world around us in a dark, dreadful, yet somehow refreshing and enlightening manner. (Note—a new edition is being published to commemorate a half-century of Ellison's writing.)
Military SF at some of its best. Falkenberg's Legion s a mercenary unit descended from the Fleet Marines of the CoDominium, and they, in turn, aredescended from the French Foreign Legion. "Johnny Christian" is a great character, and the stories of his men and their individual conflicts and struggles make for great adventure stories without sinking to the level of camp or pulp. Pournelle captures the _character_ of the military better than anybody else I've read, showing the ceremonies and traditions of military life in all their pomp, dignity (and sometimes their silliness; anybody who's attended a "dining in" knows what I mean) and humanness. Read Drake to learn about the grit and horror of war. Read Pournelle to learn about the traditions that make the horror survivable.
Written in the form of a layman's history book, For Want of a Nail is actually a parallel-universe story, set in a reality where the British won the American Revolution. In an attempt to keep the peace in the future and mollify the former rebels, too numerous to actually punish, all British possessions in North America are reorganized into a dependent but semi-autonomous nation, the Confederation of North America. Many former rebels refuse to live under British rule, however, and emigrate to what we call Texas and Louisiana. Though they briefly form a nation called Jefferson, they quickly absorb a breakaway Spanish colony and go on to form the CNA's greatest enemy, the United States of Mexico!
Winner of a special one-time-only Hugo award for the best all-time series. Most of the classic tropes of space opera are found in these books thatrecount the efforts of a small sect to restore the crumbled glory of a technologically sophisticated galactic civilization.
Future On Ice (as well as its companion Future On Fire) is an anthology of some of the best science fiction of the 80s. Not only does the variety andquality of the stories make it a great book, but Card writes an unbelievable introduction to the collection, as well as to each story. It contains some great authors, such as Isaac Asimov, Greg Bear, and one story by Card himself.
This is the opening novel of "Songs of Ice and Fire," Martin's epic series (three massive volumes so far, and counting!) of dynastic warfare. Thisishigh fantasy combined with high melodrama, and a captivating read. Also read "A Clash of Kings," the second volume. Both books had me up late at night to finish a chapter, and even had me stealing time at work to read. Enthralling, wonderful stuff.
A manga comic, very complex and hard to follow, but if you can plow through the layers of existential philosophy, science fiction, adventure, and male-female working relationships, it's a heck of a read. It's no thicker than most graphic novels, but it's so densely packed that it will take you some time to get through, and not everyone will like it. However, for those to whom this is easily comprehensible, it's a highly rewarding read.Dark Horse Comics
One of the best military SF series around. Drake originally wrote the first Slammers story as a reaction to his own experiences in Vietnam and thelack of understanding of it shown by those who hadn't been there. His depiction of professional soldiers in combat emphasizes the human aspects of war, and the inhuman effects it has on the people who fight it. While the Slammers and their commander, Colonel Hammer, aren't angels by any stretch, they're sympathetic characters and all of their struggles are realistic and human. Highly recommended.
1985 Bestseller. Offred had a husband and child, independence, a job and money of her own but all that changed when the Republic of Gilead took control. Now donned in the red habit of a handmaid, her life revolves around and is dependent on her fertility. She is subject to a humiliating monthly ritual and allowed out only once a day for the walk to the food markets where words are pictures because women are no longer allowed to read. Atwood creates frigthening world of the future that may not be so far away. This book is a wonderful example of social-commentary science fiction.Reference Source for The Handmaid's Tale
This collection of short stories, focussing on the development of the robot as an artificial man as seen through the eyes of physicist Dr. Susan Calvin, was one of the first to see robots not as a Frankenstein's Monster that would destroy its creator, but as a possible partner with humanity in the creation of a superior future world. Some of the dates don't pass muster anymore -- the first self-propelled bipedal robot obviously wassn't completed in 1996 -- but it remains a ground-breaker and a trail-blazer in modern science fiction.
In a near-future world where corporations have unprecedented power and workers take their firms as their last names, young Hack Nike is given a new assignment by his boss: in order to drive up sakes of the new Nike Mercurys, Hack is to willfully shoot ten young adults and steal their shoes.
Reminiscent of early cyberpunk, with a plethora of plots in play at once and a tongue planted firmly in cheek, Jennifer Government is at once a cautionary tale, an adventure story, a long running joke, and a good (if imperfect) novel. Potentially the manifesto of the early-21st-century left, it's worth reading, if for no other reason than to see where SF has the potential to go in the next few years.
Amazon.comRecommended by NBSanDiego, 2/20/2003.
Though not a science fiction book, this volume provides much that the average writer can find admirable to emulate. Recounting the Battle of Gettysburg from the vantage point of the generals and other officers in charge, Shaara manages to capture a crucial moment in world history, a broad leap of evolution as warfare moves from the era of bold Napoleanic assault tactics to the first stages of modern warfare. This book is required reading in Officer Candidate School for certain branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
A fascinating story about a culture which is truly alien to our own. There is a planet called winter where aliens have preformed a genetic experiment. Humans of winter are normally nueter, but come into "Kemmer" every so often. "I" is an emmisary for a galactic empire which wishes to have Winter join as a trading partener. The fascinating thing about the book is that what it is really about is the culture and how alien it is from ours.
The best way to approach this novel is not as a science fiction story but as a police procedural. Alan Dean Foster, one of the unappreciatedlights in the SF pantheon, has crafted a cop drama with the distinguishing characteristic of being set about a century in the future. Technology has advanced, borders have changed, demands on individuals are different—but human nature, including criminal nature, is the same as it ever was.
The book is peppered with future slang so thick that there's a glossary at the back. In some books this is distracting, but because most of the slang has its roots in words we're familiar with, it only serves in this case to deepen the realism of the setting. Don't be flustered by jargon; if you need to look it up, do so, but remember, it's all part of the story.
A good read for fans of both genres, a possible benchmark for the hybrid of two genres, this book is a worthy purchase. Foster is a strong writer, and this is a strong book.
A collection of many of the Great Man's early stories, including "Nightfall," agreed by many to be one of the best SF short stories of all time. Agreat lesson in the crafting of worthwhile stories.
Whether this story is SF or fantasy, I'll leave to you to decide. It is, in fact, a comic book in the manga style. It concerns the misadventures ofSeska Fuze, a space navigator in a magical universe. Her father, in defiance of Imperial edicts, summons Susano, the god of destruction, to prevent the building of a nine-headed naga intended to suck up all the negative karma in the Empire. Fun stuff, and at least part of the inspiration for my own "Sorcerer of the Empire" story...
OK, so half the book isn't even SF, but, nonetheless, it is still a very interesting read about the choices of a future society. Also, it goes into much detail (as much as can be expected in a fiction) about past cultures and is a decent learning experience as well.
