Recommend me some good sci-fi books

[rhinochopig]

I've run out of books and fancy some easy reading. I don't want high brow, I want brain out, big guns, explosions, robots, exoskeletons, death and destruction, with at least some credible science behind it. I don't want soul searching, what it means to be human, etc. as I've done those to death.

Something along the lines of Starship Troopers, Armor [sic], etc.

Your help is appreciated.

Cheers

[grumbledoak]

Ian M Banks is pretty reliable. And, if you've not read "Ender's Game", get thee to a book shoppe.

hth

[Simpo Two]

rhinochopig said:

I want brain out, big guns, explosions, robots, exoskeletons, death and destruction

Maybe a computer game?

[rhinochopig]

grumbledoak said:

Ian M Banks is pretty reliable. And, if you've not read "Ender's Game", get thee to a book shoppe.

hth

Ta, not read that, I'll pop over to Amazon now

[dibbly_dobbler]

grumbledoak said:

Ian M Banks is pretty reliable. And, if you've not read "Ender's Game", get thee to a book shoppe.

hth

Seconded on Banks ! Or try the Hyperion books by Dan Simmons - fabulous.

[DrTre]

Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, Woken Furies by Richard Morgan

[wildoliver]

Easy reading I used to love the stainless steel rat series by Harry Harrison.

[Famous Graham]

rhinochopig said:

grumbledoak said:

Ian M Banks is pretty reliable. And, if you've not read "Ender's Game", get thee to a book shoppe.

hth

Ta, not read that, I'll pop over to Amazon now

But before you do, and get all confused, the Ender books are by Orson Scott Card, not Banks I know grumbledoak knows that, but the way he's posted that might confuse someone who doesn't know the two authors.

But I second both suggestions, wholeheartedly. Particularly 'Feersum Injinn', 'Player of Games' and 'Use of Weapons' by Mr Banks.

[andy_s]

DrTre said:

Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, Woken Furies by Richard Morgan

Excellent books, Black Man will also be up your street. As it were. (Same author).

[croyde]

A book that I have read a few times is "The Alien Years" but i can't remember the author. Takes the Alien ships appearing everywhere scenario but then carries on the story of many decades under Alien rule.

[grumbledoak]

Famous Graham said:

But before you do, and get all confused, the Ender books are by Orson Scott Card, not Banks I know grumbledoak knows that, but the way he's posted that might confuse someone who doesn't know the two authors.

But I second both suggestions, wholeheartedly. Particularly 'Feersum Injinn', 'Player of Games' and 'Use of Weapons' by Mr Banks.

Terribly sorry if I wasn't clear- "Ender's Game" (and it's rather good sequel) are O.S. Card, but I figured a quick Amazon search would find the right one.

"Feersum Injinn" (or however it is spelt) is brilliant, if rather cruel to the reader (the 'speaker' is written in phonetics). "Use of Weapons" is a stonker. Most of Ian (M) Bank's stuff is brilliant (though I didn't enjoy "Consider Phlebas")

Peter F. Hamilton's "Night's Dawn" trilogy is also very good (or anything else by him), and Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy, though aimed at kids, is a good read even when you are older.

[Civpilot]

rhinochopig said:

I've run out of books and fancy some easy reading. I don't want high brow, I want brain out, big guns, explosions, robots, exoskeletons, death and destruction, with at least some credible science behind it. I don't want soul searching, what it means to be human, etc. as I've done those to death.

Something along the lines of Starship Troopers, Armor [sic], etc.

Your help is appreciated.

Cheers

Then I give you...



You wont find more descriptive descriptions of future war anywhere. Seriously fked up stuff at times and just plain flat out gory at others. Good stories too.

ps. I just leave it up to you to decide if you can ignore the painted figures links, some can't.

[rhinochopig]

Civpilot said:

rhinochopig said:

I've run out of books and fancy some easy reading. I don't want high brow, I want brain out, big guns, explosions, robots, exoskeletons, death and destruction, with at least some credible science behind it. I don't want soul searching, what it means to be human, etc. as I've done those to death.

Something along the lines of Starship Troopers, Armor [sic], etc.

Your help is appreciated.

Cheers

Then I give you...



You wont find more descriptive descriptions of future war anywhere. Seriously fked up stuff at times and just plain flat out gory at others. Good stories too.

ps. I just leave it up to you to decide if you can ignore the painted figures links, some can't.

I just finished that same book about 10 minutes before my post. Hence me wanting more of the same. I've read a few of from that publisher, and I agree, if you can past the fact that they're based on a board game, they really are quite good.

[TheGroover]

You could do worse than Mindstar Rising, A Quantum Murder and The Nano Flower by Peter F Hamilton. They fit your requirements, IMHO

[Civpilot]

In that case try "The Horus Heresy" books...

http://www.play.com/Search.aspx?searchtype=bookall...

These books are set way before Ultramarines and are all about the fall of Horus and his turning on the Emperor.

Good source for finding out the different novels they have published is here...

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/landing....

Click on "Warhammer 40,00 novels" or "The Horus Heresy Novels" in the left menu

[Famous Graham]

Civpilot said:

rhinochopig said:

I've run out of books and fancy some easy reading. I don't want high brow, I want brain out, big guns, explosions, robots, exoskeletons, death and destruction, with at least some credible science behind it. I don't want soul searching, what it means to be human, etc. as I've done those to death.

Something along the lines of Starship Troopers, Armor [sic], etc.

Your help is appreciated.

Cheers

Then I give you...



You wont find more descriptive descriptions of future war anywhere. Seriously fked up stuff at times and just plain flat out gory at others. Good stories too.

ps. I just leave it up to you to decide if you can ignore the painted figures links, some can't.

[nerd mode = on]
Oh wow, I didn't know about those. I did the whole figure thing about 15-20 years ago. Never got into the game itself, oddly, but loved the mythology, back story and whatnot behind the whole set up. I'm in need of a new book or 3
[/nerd mode = off....off...OFF...oh bugger, it's stuck]

[shalmaneser]

I personally found Peter F Hamilton a bit formulaic, in the end I was reading the books just to find out the ending, not to enjoy the storytelling. I've read the Commonwealth Saga and the Night's Dawn Trilogy - worth reading but not amazing.

Dan Simmons is much better in my opinion. The Hyperion Cantos is seriously scary at times, the detail, storytelling and depth is fantastic. The Ilium and Olympos books are great too - although not as strong as Hyperion I thought.

Pretty much anything by Iain M Banks is genius (he's also good in his contempory fiction mode 'Iain Banks' (no 'M') - 'The Wasp Factory' is seriously fked up!). I'd suggest starting with 'Excession' of all the Culture novels, although they are all genuinely good. I also really really enjoyed Look to Windward and Consider Philibas.

Slightly less 'SCI' fi, really steampunk I guess are the books by China Mieville, Perdido Street Station and The Scar (among others). These are utterly fantastic, the universe he's created is awesome.

Also well worth reading as standalone books:

Joe Haldeman - The Forever War. One of my favourite books of all time, not read the sequels as I've heard they don't live up to the first book, and I don't want to destroy the magic!

Larry Nirven - Ringworld

Fredrick Pohl - Gateway (really liked this - a dark humour to it)

Philip K Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (and his other stuff. Not 'action' packed, but very well written)

Fred Sauberhagen is great too, actually.

Someone will mention Asimov I guess, I'm not too impressed by his work generally. The early Foundation stuff is OK.

Got some ideas now?!

[Mr. Potato Head]

DrTre said:

Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan

Win

Awesome first novel

[Civpilot]

But do those suggestions meet the criteria set down by the OP...

rhinochopig said:

I don't want high brow, I want brain out, big guns, explosions, robots, exoskeletons, death and destruction, with at least some credible science behind it. I don't want soul searching, what it means to be human, etc. as I've done those to death.

[Famous Graham]

Was the Hyperion series the sort of Canterbury Tales format one with the Tree of Pain and the nasty bladed/spiky creature?