Science Fiction literature thread

nachumlist.com ^ | 10/21/09 | Nachum

[Sam Cree]

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[Mmogamer]

Is this a new ping list?

[The Louiswu]

Robert Buetner's Jason Wander series
1. ORPHANAGE (1 April 2008 - Reissued), the first volume in the "Jason Wander" series. Mankind’s first alien contact tears into Earth: projectiles launched from Jupiter’s moon, Ganymede, vaporize whole cities. Under siege, humanity gambles on one desperate counterstrike. In a spacecraft scavenged from scraps and armed with Vietnam-era weapons, foot soldiers like eighteen-year-old Jason Wander-orphans that no one will miss-must dare man’s first interplanetary voyage and invade Ganymede.

2. Orphan's Destiny (1 April 2008 - Reissued), the second volume in the "Jason Wander" series. At twenty-five, General Jason Wander has fought and won man’s only alien conflict. Now, after long years in space, he’s coming home…but to what? Earth’s desperate nations, impoverished by war damage and military spending, are slashing defense budgets. There’s just one problem with this new worldwide policy-the first alien invasion was merely Plan A. Suddenly, the real assault begins: Earth is attacked by a vast armada of city-sized warships. To block their invasion, mankind has only one surviving craft and a single guerrilla strike force…a suicide squad led by Jason Wander."

3. Orphan’s Journey (1 April 2008 - Reissued), the third volume in the "Jason Wander" series. In the years since the last Slug War, Jason’s command style hasn’t made him any friends in the Army. Now, in an effort to keep him out of trouble, the Army has sent Jason to the vast, Earth-orbiting resort called New Moon. At the core of this enormous space station is a starship, a relic from the last war. When a test run of the ship goes wrong, Jason, along with a handful of others, will be torn from orbit and thrust into space. Now, stranded on an alien planet, Jason realizes that not only are his friends looking to him for rescue, but an entire planet sees him as their only hope.

4. Orphan’s Alliance (28 October 2008), the fourth volume in the "Jason Wander" series. Humans have been discovered on the Outworlds. And the Army decides to send emissaries. Emissaries like Jason Wander. As intraplanetary conflicts rage around him, and the personal stakes get ever higher, Jason finds that playing planet-hopping politician can be harder than commanding armies. When united mankind squares off to battle the Slugs for a precious interstellar crossroad, Jason will discover that the most dangerous enemy may be the one he least expects.

5. Orphan’s Triumph (coming 26 May 2009), the fifth volume in the "Jason Wander" series. Jason Wander is ready to lead the final charge into battle. After forty years of fighting the Slugs, mankind's reunited planets control the vital crossroad that secures their uneasy union. The doomsday weapon that can end the war, and the mighty fleet that will carry it to the Slug homeworld, lie within humanity's grasp. Since the Slug Blitz orphaned Jason Wander, he has risen from infantry recruit to commander of Earth's garrisons on the emerging allied planets. But four decades of service have cost Jason not just his friends and family, but his innocence. When an enemy counter stroke threatens to reverse the war and destroy mankind, Jason must finally confront not only his lifelong alien enemy, but the reality of what a lifetime as a soldier has made him.

[Nachum]

Somebody out there has a sci fi ping list already. I forget who. Bet somebody here could tell you. It has just been a while since they ran this kind of thread.

[Mmogamer]

Legend by David Gemmel. Or anything by him that I’ve read so far.

[Nachum]

Love Asimov, but I have read enough of him and Arthur C. Clark- thanks. Besides, sometimes my taste runs to fantasy reads not only Sci Fi....

[BushCountry]

http://baderbooks.com/Parole/

My book that I am in process of writing. ;^)

While not hard science fiction, it has one heck of a twist involving a scary top secret government program that utilizes technology currently not in existence.

[The Louiswu]

Glen Cook's Passage at Arms (1985)

The Das Boot of sci fi novels. A very tight story, a quick read with lovely action and great storytelling.

[DBrow]

H. Beam Piper’s Fuzzy series, including the two posthumous novels. The Paratime work is also good.

James H. Schmitz, The Witches of Karres, and anything else he wrote. Trigger Argee and Telzey Amberdon are two good characters!

Tom Godwin, “The Survivors” or Ragnarok Calling, and the short “Cold Equations”. Cold Eq was a very controversial story that has led to endless engineering and social analysis.

“A Canticle For Liebowitz” is quirky but good, a post-to-pre apocalyptic tale with lots of little details (the first abbott of the monestary’s name begins with A, and the last, well, you know.)

“Day of the Triffids”! John Wyndham. Forget the movie.

“The Chrysalids”, one of my all time favorite novels, called “Re-Birth in the US. Also Wyndham.

[The Louiswu]

...and classics

Ringworld by Larry Niven A Mote in God's Eye by Niven and Pournelle

[The Louiswu]

...and classics

Ringworld by Larry Niven
A Mote in God's Eye by Niven and Pournelle

[Professional Engineer]

For authors: Niven and Pournelle.

[Syntyr]

BUMP for later.

[Ingtar]

Brandon Sanderson is the best of the newer authors. I am excited that he was chosen to finish for Robert Jordan. In my opinion, he rates above Jordan - especially the later books.

Raymond Feist
Roger Zelazny
Ursula LeGuin (Earthsea)
Patricia McKillip (Riddle-Master of Hed)
Aasimov’s Foundation
E.E. “Doc” Smith - Lensman series
Saberhagen’s Swords books
Finally, one who does both genres well: Orson Scott Card (Ender and 7th Son)

[NMEwithin]

Yup...Lumley is a great writer. I have read most of his stuff.

Loved the "Necroscope" series. I did think it started to drag a bit towards the "E-Branch" series of books.

If you like Lumley then I suggest you check out his "Titus Crow" series of books. Fantastic!

[thefactor]

Ender’s Game: Best. Book. Ever.

[BushCountry]

Time Enough For Love (best quotes)

[KarlInOhio]

Time Enough For Love (best quotes)

Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors — and miss.

Many, many more here at wikiquotes.

Also read Heinlein's Starship Troopers (the book, not the awful, awful movie that by some random chance had the same name and shared most of the characters' names). Few fiction books will get people thinking about the responsibilities of the citizen to the state and the state to the citizen.

[Nachum]

Ursula LeGuin

The Earth Sea series did not appeal to me, but she has written some excellent things. The "Powers" trilogy was excellent.