Anyone have any suggestions of the best of the best of science fiction published within the last few years?
As a kid (20 years ago), I read the usual, Asimov, Heinlein, etc. I recently meandered through the bookstore's scifi section, and did not have a clue as to which books were worth reading.
Again, any best of lists published post 2000?
Thanks!
Building Harlequin's Moon, Niven and Cooper.
Alan Steele's books, though I have problems with his physics.
See Phsstpok's lists on this thread. He's right on target.
The Honor Harrington series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_Harrington
Honor Stephanie Harrington is a fictional character, the eponymous heroine of a series of science fiction books set in the "Honorverse", written by David Weber and published by Baen Books.
An officer in the Royal Manticoran Navy, the space navy of the Star Kingdom of Manticore. Harrington bears a striking professional resemblance to both the real life Admiral Lord Nelson, Captain Thomas Cochrane, and the fictional (composite) character Horatio Hornblower. Like Nelson, she loses an eye and an arm in combat; her initials are the same as Hornblower's, and like all three officers, she has a genius for tactical command throughout the series and becomes a living legend by using those skills in several major engagements—battles for which the press dubs her The Salamander— for always seeming to be "where the fire is hottest". By the tenth main-line novel (Ashes of Victory) Honor has emerged as a strategist of note as well, and has been promoted to Admiral in both the Manticoran and Grayson space navies.
Other parallels with real history include the political situation. During much of Harrington's career her native Star Kingdom of Manticore is at war with the neighboring People's Republic of Haven, a conflict that bears more than passing resemblance to the antagonism between the British Empire and France during the Napoleonic Wars. Last but not least, Weber references the author of Hornblower within the series on at least one occasion, a minor instance of 'breaking the fourth wall', as an homage.
When I was in my early teens I found a hoard of first edition Burroughs books "John Cabot Goes to Mars." I devoured them.
Lately everything seems to be fantasmagoric with emphasis in the toe gore. Not intellectually challenging.
Start with Eric Flint's 1632 series. Weber's Harrington is hard to beat, too. Drake's later works -- especially his Cinnibar series with O'Leary is a lot less grim than his early works. I like it.
Ringo writes war-porn for Ranger/SEAL/Special Forces types. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I have been enjoying his "Ghost/Kildar" series.
Sounds like me. Heinlein, Herbert, Niven and Pournelle were my favs.
I had the misfortune of selecting Darwin's Children by Greg Bear. I stopped reading after about the third reference to the Evil Republicans' oppression of innocent Americans. I'll light my next campfire with the pages of that one.
Larry Nivin. Draco Tavern is an excellent compendium of some earlier stories with some new stuff. His version of the Star Wars Bar.
Steel Beach: Setting very reminiscent of Moon is a Harsh Mistress, with a lunar based society, with everything provided for them by a super computer, slowly sinking into hedonism. Then, what happens when the AI that runs everything goes insane?
The Golden Globe: Set in the Steel Beach milieu, this follows the story of an affable rogue actor, who somehow runs afoul of the Satan worshiping mafia of Pluto.
Red Thunder What happens when a group of teens befriend a washed up astronaut and his brain damaged savant cousin? Well, it starts when that cousin twists physics to achieve "free energy"...
Red Lightning The sequel.
If your tastes run more to intricate plotting, "Hard SF": anything by Neil Stephenson. His best is Necronomicon, with Snow Crash and The Diamond Age excellent as well.