Favorite SF Books

[amberley]

Since the Kickstarter for Shock: Human Contact asked for my favorite SF books I thought I'd list them here as well, in no particular order. Fantasy not included, and I've no doubt overlooked some, and I left off later books in series.

A Deepness in the Sky, A Fire Upon the Deep, Altered Carbon, Declare, Expendable, Jumper, Little Brother, Old Man'

Comments

[drivingblind]

I've read the Vinge and Altered Carbon. Of the other ones you've listed, which should I read *first*?

The Vor Saga

[amberley]

The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold. Or if you tell me 3 of your favorite SF novels, I might recommend one of the others based on that.

Re: The Vor Saga

[drivingblind]

D'oh, missed that title! I've read a big hunk of Vorkosigan, which I went through chronologically (so I read Cetaganda at its point in the timeline rather than at its sequence in publication), but when I hit Mirror Dance I found Miles II to be so thoroughly annoying that I stalled out and never continued. This was, like, 8-10 years ago.

Deepness/Fire Upon are easily two of my favorites, though that's in part because Vinge is so good at conquering the dryness of hard SF with the perfect fusion of characters and big ideas. Altered Carbon was incredible, but the rest of the series was too much of a change in tone, on the balance. Shade's Children by Garth Nix, loved. Loved the submarine drama in space vibe of Glen Cook's Passage At Arms. Have enjoyed bits of Dick, Zelazny, Bester.

That help zero in at all? :)

Re: The Vor Saga

[amberley]

OK, with that additional targeting info then definitely read Glen Cook's The Dragon Never Sleeps first. Nightshade Press reprinted it a few years ago (along with Passage at Arms and his Starfishers trilogy), so it should be much easier to find than the ancient paperback of its original printing. The Guardships are so cool. Just mentioning it is making me want to reread it yet again.

I'd suggest continuing on past Mirror Dance, perhaps skipping Memory if you can't stand Miles II, although some people who aren't me consider Memory their favorite in the series. For fantasy, Bujold's Curse of Chalion trilogy and Sharing Knife Quadrology are both very good, and have the virtue that each book is complete, instead of middle books being filler like some trilogies.

It's not SF, but I'd recommend Garth Nix's awesome Sabrael (which stands alone) and the two follow-on novels. (Not a trilogy, but has setting and some characters in common, both wonderful