[Hacksaw]

Have at it!

[Slicksadick]

Have you tried Philip Jose Farmer? old his old stuff is best. Try the riverworld series.

[RonF]

I'm sure you'd enjoy Orson Scott Card's books and politics.

[Mr. Mojo]

The early RAH .....the "juvies."

[KellyAdmirer]

Isaac Asimov's Foundation series is classic, especially the early volumes before he started getting politically correct. Lots of influences on later sci-fi.

[Arkinsaw]

Orson Scott Card, Harlan Ellison (what a pair)

[Mr. Jeeves]

If you can get past their mildly green/eco-Left sensibilities, Ben Bova is good and and Kim Stanley Robinson is brilliant.

[Mr. Mojo]

I have read all of Niven's books, some of Pournelles

And some of their collaborations are worth reading, particularly The Mote in God's Eye.

[winodog]

bump

[Hodar]

Admittedly L. Ron Hubbard is a kook.

But Battlefield Earth is the best selling Science Fiction (NOT Science Fantasy) book of all time. The movie bit; but the book is fantastic.

[balrog666]

David Brin, Vernor Vinge, Neal Stephenson, Peter F Hamilton.

[Restorer]

David Weber. SM Stirling. Early RAH (my personal favorite is The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, which oddly enough I believe was written after Stranger in a Strange Land).

[MagnumRancid]

John Bruner - Stand on Zanzabar, Shockwave Rider, and The Sheep Look Up. Bruner's early work is fairly standard fare SI FI and his later work is boring, (at least to me). These three I have read several times each.

Allan Dean Foster - Almost anything, good humor. I didn't care for any of his fantasy but I really enjoy his SI-FI. Codgerspace is a riot.

If you like SI-FI humor check out the "Bill the Galatic Hero" series.

Brian Aldis - Helconia Trilogy

[Imnidiot]

Larry Niven! His ideas are based on science possibilities, his stories have a feel-good quality. Great ideas NOT based on Fantasy.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Margaret Atwood... the Handmaid's Tale.

[Snake65]

Have you done Heinlein's Tunnel in the Sky? How about The Puppet Masters?

Some others to try:
Keith Laumer - the Retief series, but all his stuff is good.
H. Beam Piper - Little Fuzzy is one of my all-time faves.
Alan Dean Foster - he gets knocked a lot (I think some have never forgiven him for the story for Star Trek: The Motion Picture) but I find him consistently entertaining.
David Weber - Okay, Honor Harrington is just "Hornblower in Space" but it's durn good Hornblower in space.
Pretty much anything by Philip K. Dick.

~Snake, who is responsible for ISBNs 0451459393 and 0451459733 being inflicted on the sci-fi world.

[sharktrager]

Ralph Nader

[CatoRenasci]

I assume you mean SF, not fantasy (in which Tolkein is without peer at the first level, CS Lews at the second level, and everyone else is third rate or worse).

I've alwasy liked the middle Heinlein -- which would include Starship Troopers, Glory Road, Farnham's Freehold, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Stranger in a Strange Land (make sure you get the more recently released unexpurgated version).

Likewise, for really early stuff there's always E.E. "Doc" Smith, Asimov's Robotics stuff and the original Foundation trilogy.

Currently, I like Turtledove and Weber, and have enjoyed some Card (but couldn't get through the Alvin Maker stuff), Eric Flint and Elizabeth Moon.

I should also mention Katherine Kurz, whom I knew pretty well back in the '70s.

[Old Sarge]

Well, lessee. At the risk of vanity, I'd say ME, but since I haven't had it published yet, well...

My SF tastes are mixed. Henlein, Bujold, Carey, Gerrold, Cherryh, Aldrin, and a host of others.

[Phsstpok]

If you enjoyed Niven and Pournelle's stuff retry RAH, particularly Stanger. Start with the idea that this is written for a 1960s late teen early 20s audience and was supposed to be about Jubal Harshaw, not Valentine Michael Smith, but VMS (the Stranger of the title) kinda took over along the way. I still think Jubal is my favorite character of all time, SF or not. RAH felt that Jubal was his idealized self.

Niven and Pournelle were RAHs protege's and if you enjoy their stuff you should go through all of RAH's stuff, as they find good stuff in all of it.

You mention Niven and Pournelle seperately. Have you read their combined works? Particularly Footfall and Lucifer's Hammer? Footfall is the ultimate "someone invades earth book" (lots of stuff ripped off for ID4) and Lucifer's Hammer is the ultimate "something hits the earth" book (total rip off for both Armegeddon and Deep Impact, though both movies "tip the hat" to the book).

Orson Scott Cards stuff is good, and I'm finding out through FR that he is an interesting free thinker. I may have to go back and re-read his stuff.

Frank Herbert's Dune series is classic, and really interesting to re-read in the light of OBL and 9/11.

I've really enjoyed Rick Cook's "Wizard" series, which is fantasy, but with a very strict computer geek slant. If you are in the computer industry or know "the world" then you'll get all of the jokes. I swear I was at the parties at Comdex he describes in one of the books. The guy is an IEEE fellow, after all.

I'm currently reading the entier "Honorverse" (Honor Harriongton books) by David Weber. I really enjoy almost anything from Baen Books. I'm particularly fond of John Ringo's books. The Posleen books are to die for, and the Prince Roger books will capture you if you enjoy Niven and Pournelle. I got introduced to him by his recent There Will Be Dragons book, and if you get the hard back it has all of his previous books (as well as lots of others) as EBOOKS on an included CD.

Also check out the 1632 series, by Eric Flint. If you like alternate history this is really great, particularly for a Freeper. Turtledove's Guns Of the South is a great stand alone alternate history book. I have more problems with his longer series, mostly because they NEVER END!!!!

I think that will do for now.

[ironmaidenPR2717]

I recently read and enjoyed Primary Inversion by Catherine Asaro and Oxygen by John B. Olson/Randall Ingermanson.