• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

SF readers: What are your favorite hard SF novels?

Kadarin

Kadarin

Lifer
I was just curious to see what science fiction books y'all like. Here's some of my favorites:

Iain Banks' Culture series: Player of Games, Look to Windward, Excession, etc.
Daniel Keyes Moran's Continuing Time series: Emerald Eyes, The Long Run, The Last Dancer
Peter F. Hamilton: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, The Naked God
Dan Simmons: Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, The Rise of Endymion
Verner Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep, Marooned in Realtime
Glen Cook: The Dragon Never Sleeps
Alfred Bester: The Stars My Destination (oldie, but goodie.. written in the '50s, but it's almost cyberpunk)

There's many, many more... I'm interested to hear what you've read and what you like..
 
I like anything by Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke is good, and so is Larry Niven. And of course we can't forget Robert A. Heinlein. I have read a few books by Jack McDevitt and found them quite enjoyable.
 
Atlantean: Jack McDevitt was one that I forgot about. I rather liked "Ancient Shores".

Anyone else? Any particular books/authors that you like, and if so, why?
 
song of ice and fire by george r r martin

Uh . . . yeah, that definitely counts as science fiction. 😱
 
Thought of a few more excellent ones:

Walter Jon Williams: Aristoi, Hardwired, and any others..
Steven Barnes: Firedance, Gorgon Child, Streetlethal (and he's got some other good ones)
 
I don't know if I would really consider the Dune series hard sf, but it is a great read 😉. Most of the best hard sf authors have been mentioned, with a notable exception: K.S. Robinson and his Mars trilogy. SF doesn't get much harder than that, its practically a handbook for the colonization of Mars. It may not be as futuristic as many of the other authors that have been listed, but it is an excellent series based on as much scientific fact as could be included.

I'm also pleasantly surprised that somone mentioned Peter F. Hamilton and the Night's Dawn trilogy. I loved that series, but anytime I mentioned it before noone had read it.

I'm also a bit surprised that Greg Bear hasn't been mentioned yet. He's also done some excellent hard sf work.
 
Walter Jon Williams: Aristoi, Hardwired, and any others...

Voice of the Whirlwind is probably my favorite sci-fi novel. EXCELLENT author. I haven't read his latest, but I have nearly all of his older books.
 
Nice site, they explained it better than I was going to.

Hard science fiction

"Science fiction focusing on the natural sciences and technological developments.
Character development is commonly secondary to explorations of astronomical or physics phenomena, with the resolution of the plot often hinging upon a technological fix.
Hard science fiction is largely a literary genre, as the complexities of physics rarely translate well to the screen. One of the notable exceptions is 2001 A Space Odyssey, however the movie still leaves out much of the examination of the physics, computer science, and other scientific analyses present in the novel version.
The works of Hal Clement are sometimes said to exemplify hard science fiction. Arthur C. Clarke may also be considered a better-known example."

vs.

Soft science fiction
Soft science fiction is science fiction which explores the reactions of societies or individuals to problems posed by natural phenomena or technological developments.
Plots tend to focus on psychology and sociology while de-emphasizing the details of technological hardware and physical laws.



Wikipedia: Science fiction
Science fiction is a form of fiction which deals principally with the impact of actual or imagined science upon society or individuals. The term is more generally used to refer to any literary fantasy that includes a scientific factor as an essential orienting component, and even more generally used to refer to any fantasy at all.
Such literature may consist of a careful and informed extrapolation of scientific facts and principles, or it may range into far-fetched areas flatly contradictory of such facts and principles. In either case, plausibility based on science is a requisite, so that such precursors of the genre as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Gothic novel Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (1818) and Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) are plainly science fiction, whereas Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897), based purely on the Supernatural?, is not. There are, of course, many borderline cases of works using outer-space settings and futuristic-looking technology as little more than window-dressing for tales of adventure, romance, and other typical dramatic themes; examples include Star Wars and many Hollywood Space Operas. Fans of hard science fiction would regard such films as fantasy, the general public would probably place them squarely in the science fiction category.
 
A few books/ stories I liked very much:

Isaac Asimov - I, Robot
A.E. van Vogt - The Weapon Shops of Isher
Eric Frank Russell - The Great Explosion
Eric Frank Russell - Design for Great-Day (or The Ultimate Invader)
Eric Frank Russell - Jay Score
H. Beam Piper - Little Fuzzy
H. Beam Piper - Fuzzy Sapiens
H. Beam Piper - Fuzzies and Other People
 
I doubt that it would be concidered HARD SCI FI, but I've always remembered and enjoyed "The Jesus Incident" by Frank Herbert which turned into a trilogy.
The second book was called "The Lazarus Effect".
The name of the third book (Started by Frank Herbert but finished by another author after his death) escapes me...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top