Recently retired, looking for authors suggestions

[FewerButBetter]

Hi,
I find myself with some time to read. I've not been following SF for a long time. I love Asimov up to the early 70's, not so much afterwards. The one more recent book I'm reading is Robert C Wilson's Spin trilogy - found through a Google search for best SF or something. :-D It's a little slow, but I'm enjoying it. I've tried just browsing the SF shelf, but most recent stuff seems just so depressing / desperate. Is there any optimism left?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Our next month's book is being decided in the polls, but it looks like it will be The Calculating Stars which should be cheerier!

The Dispossessed or other Le Guins are stunning masterpieces.

John Scalzi is known for his humor and he writes military sci fi, space opera, parodies of Star Trek...definitely worth a shot!

[Marc-André]

Can't go wrong with Old Man's War by John Scalzi. That opens a door to a whole lot of novels.

Iain M. Banks wrote The Culture series. You might enjoy it as it features a utopia in space. Very much Space Opera. People disagree on which novel to start with, but the first four (or more?) can be read in any order.

Neal Stephenson has some great stuff, like the The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer. It draws a future based on nanobots. It is pretty exciting stuff.

Charles Stross has some pretty nifty stuff too, like Neptune's Brood, the Laundry Files or the Merchant Prince sagas.

You might enjoy Leviathan Wakes. I didn't like it, but it is very a very popular Space Opera.

2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson is pretty much the description of a utopia, so that is optimism.

The Quantum Thief is very enjoyable if you like rogue-like main characters.

I just read A Fire Upon the Deep is does some great world building and ends on a positive note.

Too Like the Lightning is about a utopia, or what looks like it. It is a very interesting start to a series that I can wait to see the end.

Ancillary Justice is a classic Space Opera, but writen in the 21st Century and with a masteres narrative structure.

[Cheryl]

Robert J. Sawyer writes in the style of the masters, imo... at least the stand-alones (I've not read his series yet.)

I recommend the stand alones, and maybe Vatta's War, by Elizabeth Moon.

I did read a couple of sequels to Expendable and then decided that I had to have the whole set. I do now have it and am excited to make time for it.

Optimistic, no villains, is The Martian by Andy Weir. Terrific for those of us from the old days. His Artemis wasn't nearly so good though.

A series in progress that's just plain nice, but also thought-provoking, is Chambers' that starts with The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.

And don't forget to get caught up on the classics. Have you read all of Clifford D. Simak? Start with the best known and the short stories.

If, like me, you're looking for Sense of Wonder and What If instead of dystopia and political thrillers that aren't really all that SF, please feel free to follow or friend me.

Also consider joining the group The Evolution of Science Fiction. This here is a great group, but large and mostly focused on newer stuff, much of which doesn't, tbh, interest me all that much. EoST is cozier and is great for dropping in with questions like this.

[Jacqueline]

The Illuminae Files by Aime Kaufman and Jay Kristoff are pretty good. It’s supposed to be Young Adult but I’m nearly at retirement age and I like it. Three books in the series....Illuminae, Gemina and Obsidio.

[Rachel]

I find reading through award winning or nominated things helps me get a good sense of what’s out there. Hugo and Clarke Awards are good ones for SF

[Jen]

Dan Simmons' Hyperion series, and his Ilium/Olympos are both fantastic- I would start with Hyperion.

David Brin's Startide Rising starts off the Uplift Saga (well, it really starts with Sundiver, but I'd beging with Startide Rising). If you're interested in climate books, Kim Stanley's Robinson's Forty Signs of Rain starts off his Science in the Capitol trilogy.

The Legacy of Heorotis just a lot of fun.

[FewerButBetter]

Thanks all for your suggestions. I should be busy reading for while.

[MadProfessah]

Optimism? I’d go with THE EXPANSE books by James SA Corey which the the television series of the same name is based on.