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Post by mrc1214 on Sept 25, 2014 18:12:23 GMT -5
I'm sure I was responsible for Bug Jack Baron. I read that back in the 70s. Hope you liked it and that it wasn't too dated It was a bit dated but I enjoyed it quite a bit despite of that. |
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Post by Calamas on Sept 25, 2014 20:25:34 GMT -5
I'll throw a few in for now Assimov,Isaac-Foudation Trilogy,Naked Sun . . . . Heinlein,Robert-Past Through Tomorrow,Stranger In A Strange Land,Starship Troopers I only dabble SF/Fantasy when I need a break my norm (which is crime fiction) so feel free to ignore the following if contradicted by a greater authority. That said, I enjoyed Asimov’s Foundation’s Edge more than any one story in The Trilogy. Now “essential” may include historic significance as well as quality, so I may be out of line (though I seem to remember that Edge won the Hugo). In that same vein, Heinlein’s Friday is one of my all-time favorite novels. Again, admitting my preferences, it reads like a secret agent adventure set in the future. It’s much more than that of course, the definition of humanity and other Heinlein themes woven throughout. Just a couple of suggestions from the outside looking in. |
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Post by mrc1214 on Sept 26, 2014 9:19:23 GMT -5
It wasn't just "essential" books we had discussions about all types of classic sci-fi in the old threads. I think it all started in the Meanwhile thread and carried over.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 26, 2014 10:49:06 GMT -5
Just for discussion, here's my top 5 'modern' essentials (things published in the 80s or later.. off the top of my head):
Sci-Fi
Ender's Game (Card)
Jurassic Park (Crighton)
On Basilisk Station (Weber)
Old Man's War (Scalzi)
1632 (Flint)
Fantasy:
Name of the Wind (Rothfuss)
A Game of Thrones (Martin)
Sword of Shannara (Brooks)
Belgariad (Eddings)
Harry Potter (Rowling)
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Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 26, 2014 10:50:41 GMT -5
I'll throw a few in for now Assimov,Isaac-Foudation Trilogy,Naked Sun . . . . Heinlein,Robert-Past Through Tomorrow,Stranger In A Strange Land,Starship Troopers I only dabble SF/Fantasy when I need a break my norm (which is crime fiction) so feel free to ignore the following if contradicted by a greater authority. That said, I enjoyed Asimov’s Foundation’s Edge more than any one story in The Trilogy. Now “essential” may include historic significance as well as quality, so I may be out of line (though I seem to remember that Edge won the Hugo). In that same vein, Heinlein’s Friday is one of my all-time favorite novels. Again, admitting my preferences, it reads like a secret agent adventure set in the future. It’s much more than that of course, the definition of humanity and other Heinlein themes woven throughout. Just a couple of suggestions from the outside looking in. I remember enjoying Friday, but I'm not sure I'd call it an all-time favorite. I'd have to review the Foundation books to separate which is which... I've read them 3 times, but always in quick succession, so which bits are in which book elude me.  |
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Post by MDG on Sept 26, 2014 14:53:38 GMT -5
Off the top of my head, though, my top 15 or so PKDs, more or less in order Time Out of Joint Do Androids Dream Three Stigmata The Man in the High Castle The Simulacra Now Wait for Last Year Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said We Can Build You Martian Time-Slip Dr. Bloodmoney A Scanner Darkly The Game-Players of Titan Clans of the Alphane Moon The Cosmic Puppets Galactic Pot-Healer Counter-Clock World The World Jones Made the only PKD I've read is Confessions of a Crap Artist, which isn't science fiction, but I enjoyed it very much. But to be honest, I'm not a big SF fan (the big exception being Philip Jose Farmer). |
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Post by mrc1214 on Sept 26, 2014 16:55:53 GMT -5
Just for discussion, here's my top 5 'modern' essentials (things published in the 80s or later.. off the top of my head): Sci-Fi Ender's Game (Card) Jurassic Park (Crighton) On Basilisk Station (Weber) Old Man's War (Scalzi) 1632 (Flint) Fantasy: Name of the Wind (Rothfuss) A Game of Thrones (Martin) Sword of Shannara (Brooks) Belgariad (Eddings) Harry Potter (Rowling) I've read more of the fantasy books then I have the sci-if. I liked Enders Game quite a bit. I own Old Mans War. Jurassic Park I know because of the movie. The other two I'm not familiar with at all. I read the first book in the Name of the Wind series and enjoyed it was the sequel good. As far as my reading goes I generally don't get into fantasy because they seems to never end and are made up of 7-who knows how many books. I've balked at starting the Dark Tower series for that very reason, although at least that series is complete. The Game of Thrones books are some of my favorite books of all time. And I hate to be one of those people but when is the next one going to come out? I just don't understand what is taking so long? Did Martin not know where he was going with the series from book to book or what? |
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JLU51306
Junior Member
Jack of all trades - Master of none
Posts: 59 
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Post by JLU51306 on Sept 26, 2014 17:28:16 GMT -5
Well this thread is right up my alley...
Last year I went on a "classics" shopping-spree, and got as many as I could afford.
Most recent read: Lord of the Flies by William Golding. It really did have as much heart to it as I had heard, and really presented metaphors to ponder, even though they weren't incredibly veiled. I really enjoyed it and have to put it on my "read again" list.
Currently reading: The Strain by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan.
I'm undecided if I'm going to read the next installment of the Strain, but I usually prefer to take a break when it's a multiple-part book series, with another book unrelated.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2014 17:33:40 GMT -5
The first Strain novel was ... perfectly OK, I thought. I liked the opening quite a bit, though as things went on characters, scenes, development, etc. began seeming far too reminiscent of stuff I'de read or seen before. I got only a chapter or two into the second volume before concluding that nothing new was going to happen. And that was that.
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JLU51306
Junior Member
Jack of all trades - Master of none
Posts: 59
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Post by JLU51306 on Sept 26, 2014 17:37:47 GMT -5
The first Strain novel was ... perfectly OK, I thought. I liked the opening quite a bit, though as things went on characters, scenes, development, etc. began seeming far too reminiscent of stuff I'de read or seen before. I got only a chapter or two into the second volume before concluding that nothing new was going to happen. And that was that. That's what I've heard. Perhaps this is my chance to finally read Warlords of Mars next. |
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Post by berkley on Sept 27, 2014 19:46:59 GMT -5
Off the top of my head, though, my top 15 or so PKDs, more or less in order Time Out of Joint Do Androids Dream Three Stigmata The Man in the High Castle The Simulacra Now Wait for Last Year Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said We Can Build You Martian Time-Slip Dr. Bloodmoney A Scanner Darkly The Game-Players of Titan Clans of the Alphane Moon The Cosmic Puppets Galactic Pot-Healer Counter-Clock World The World Jones Made the only PKD I've read is Confessions of a Crap Artist, which isn't science fiction, but I enjoyed it very much. But to be honest, I'm not a big SF fan (the big exception being Philip Jose Farmer). That's a good one too. Apparently a movie version was made of it in France, but I've never seen it. Haven't heard many people mention Friday as one of their favourite Heinleins before. I've kind of steered clear of his later stuff after trying and failing to get into The Number of the Beast when it was appearing in OMNI back in the day. I'll probably give Friday a try some time, though, and maybe even take another crack at NotB. Anyone mentioned Piers Anthony yet? He's another guy much of whose earlier output I enjoyed but who seemed to go off the rails a bit later on. I would recommend starting with: Omnivore (1st of series) Macroscope (standalone) Cluster (1st of series) |
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JLU51306
Junior Member
Jack of all trades - Master of none
Posts: 59
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Post by JLU51306 on Sept 27, 2014 19:53:26 GMT -5
the only PKD I've read is Confessions of a Crap Artist, which isn't science fiction, but I enjoyed it very much. But to be honest, I'm not a big SF fan (the big exception being Philip Jose Farmer). Haven't heard many people mention Friday as one of their favourite Heinleins before. I've kind of steered clear of his later stuff after trying and failing to get into The Number of the Beast when it was appearing in OMNI back in the day. I'll probably give Friday a try some time, though, and maybe even take another crack at NotB. Have you ever read a Stranger in a Strange Land? I picked it up recently, but haven't got a chance to peek into it yet and was wondering how it was. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2014 20:34:07 GMT -5
I liked Stranger a lot back in 9th grade. Probably the last worthwhile thing he wrote, in my admittedly jaundiced (because of his reprehensible politics & attitudes in general, which basically make Steve Ditko look like a hardcore collectivist) opinion. By 1970 or thereabouts he was basically senile, anyway, apparently.
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Post by berkley on Sept 27, 2014 23:07:26 GMT -5
Yeah, I liked Stranger a lot. I read it at a little later age than Dan, probably Grade 11 or so. If you want to try Heinlein that and The Door into Summer are the two I'd recommend personally.
Looking at his wiki bibliography, I haven't read nearly as much Heinlein as I thought - just the two mentioned above, plus Beyond this Horizon (not bad, but nothing special, IMO) and a short story or two (I remember The Roads Must Roll for its anti-union politics). I also tried Glory Road and The Number of the Beast, but was turned off by various things - for one thing, the protagonist came across as irritatingly smug to me in both. I do intend to try more, though. I've picked up a few recommendations from some of the guys here, over time.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2014 0:52:56 GMT -5
Looking at his wiki bibliography, I haven't read nearly as much Heinlein as I thought - just the two mentioned above, plus Beyond this Horizon (not bad, but nothing special, IMO) and a short story or two (I remember The Roads Must Roll for its anti-union politics). I also tried Glory Road and The Number of the Beast, but was turned off by various things - for one thing, the protagonist came across as irritatingly smug to me in both. I do intend to try more, though. I've picked up a few recommendations from some of the guys here, over time. Interesting. Glory Road was the Heinlein novel that broke the camel's back for me, as it were, & for exactly the reason you cite. I've read nothing of his since that I hadn't red (& enjoyed), before that, particularly The Puppet Masters, which as mentioned earlier is my favorite thing of his. I've read around 16 or 17 of his novels. His '50s works tend to be very good; some are even better than that. I second your endorsement of The Door Into Summer. |
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