Would like some recommendations on what to read ....

[Jerry]

Hi people,

I would like to start reading sci-fi books but dont know where to begin?

I loved Star Trek and the Next Generation primarily for the moral messages and for the different species and the characters. I dont know what kind of Sci Fi those shows are considered but I would love to read books that are similar.

Would love to get some recommendations from the Sci Fi community.

Ahimsa and thanks
Papa j

[Melanie, the neutral party]

I will strongly recommend The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.

[Michelle]

Jack Campbells's Lost Fleet series deals with a lot of these things. The first is Dauntless.

[Ian]

Try the Poul Anderson Bibliography on Wikipedia, particularly the long Technic League series, with many sub-series. The list is by internal chronology, but gives dates of original publication, some from his early career, some from his later years. Expect some unevenness of style and theme.

The whole of Poul Anderson’s works are worth reading, but these fit your description pretty well.

[Jerry]

Melanie wrote: "I will strongly recommend The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet."

Thank you so much Melanie for the reply. I only read books that are available on EBook from the Library and unfortunately they dont have The Long Way. Have a great weekend and thanks again.

Ahimsa Papa J

[Jerry]

Michelle wrote: "Jack Campbells's Lost Fleet series deals with a lot of these things. The first is Dauntless."

Thanks for the reply and so happy to say that it is available on Ebook from the Library and I placed a hold and should be able to read it very soon.
Again much thanks ... Ahimsa Papa J

[Jerry]

Ian wrote: "Try the Poul Anderson Bibliography on Wikipedia, particularly the long Technic League series, with many sub-series. The list is by internal chronology, but gives dates of original publication, some..."

Thanks Ian for the reply. The library has 5 of his books available and i will check it out. I am a bit reluctant as he wrote the novels so many years ago. I would prefer to read stuff that is more recent. If you ask me why, i really couldnt tell you. LOL
Again, much thanks .... Ahimsa Papa J

[Eva]

You may also like House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds, Artifact Space by Miles Cameron, the Vorkisogan saga books by Lois McMaster Bujold, or Karen Lord’s Science Fiction novels. But I agree that Becky Chambers is the best fit. I believe all her books can also be read as standalones, so if your library has one of her other books, you’d be in luck.

[Kaia]

I recommend Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon. It's an unusual first-contact story (the protagonist is an elderly woman), and I think it definitely addresses the Star Trek message of respecting all forms of intelligent life and trying to see things from their perspective.

[Sarah]

I second Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - it’s available in e-book on Libby and Hoopla both if that’s an option.

[Jerry]

Hi Sarah,

I must be doing something wrong. I went to Toronto Library Overdrive https://toronto.overdrive.com/account... and did a search and there was no ebook available?

Let me know how i can access it.

Thank u so much. Ahimsa Papa J

[Anna]

It looks like TPL site is down for maintenance, but when it's back up, here's the link to their info on Hoopla:

https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/b...

Since it looks like TPL does have Hoopla, you can go straight there and log in with your library account:

https://www.hoopladigital.com/

[Jerry]

Hi Anna, I just signed up for Hoopla .... did a search for Long Way and it came back as "no such title exists"

I really dont think it is available on ebook at the library. Either that or I the Library just doesnt like me!

Ahimsa Papa J

[Jerry]

Kaia wrote: "I recommend Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon. It's an unusual first-contact story (the protagonist is an elderly woman), and I think it definitely addresses the Star Trek message o..."

Kaia, thank you so much. It is available on ebook at the library and I will definitely give it a read in the near future.

Have a great weekend
Ahimsa Papa J

[Jerry]

Eva wrote: "You may also like House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds, Artifact Space by Miles Cameron, the Vorkisogan saga books by Lois McMaster Bujold, or Karen Lord’s Science Fiction novels. But I agree that Be..."

Hi Eva
Thank u so much for the list of books. I have gotten such a great response and I am so glad i posted my request. I think I have more than enuf to keep me busy.
Have a terrific weekend. Ahimsa Papa J

[Anna]

Jerry wrote: "Hi Anna, I just signed up for Hoopla .... did a search for Long Way and it came back as "no such title exists""

It's possible TPL Hoopla doesn't have it, I think there can be small differences between libraries, but here's a direct link to the book you can try:

https://www.hoopladigital.com/ebook/t...

[Jerry]

Hi Anna, I went to the site and yes, it listed it but is says "Sorry, but no copies are available to lend at this time. Please try later." Methinks that this means they do not have it period but may get it sometime in the future. Otherwise, one would have the ability to put a Hold on it of put it on a wish list.
Again, thank you. you have gone thru a lot to help me and I appreciate it
Ahimsa Papa J

[Anna]

I think that means that TPL does not allow access to it. I am not in North America, so haven't felt the need to find out if there is a logic to this, but from my understanding a large % of the titles on Hoopla are available to everyone, but every now and then one is not in a certain library's collection.

Maybe you'll get to read Wayfarers one day :)

[Jerry]

I should put it on my bucket list - LOL

all the best to you Anna
Ahimsa Papa j

[Michael]

Jerry wrote: "Hi people,

I would like to start reading sci-fi books but dont know where to begin?

I loved Star Trek and the Next Generation primarily for the moral messages and for the different species and th..."

You might like https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Old Man's War by John Scalzi. There are a lot of aliens - a sympathetic main character and the writing is good. It is a fun read.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... The Forever War by Joe Haldeman is also good. These two books have a similar theme.
There's always the classics and any books written together by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle are recommended. I list books here that I read early on.

[I'm Just Ken]

If you like Star Trek, it sounds like space operas might be your category. Might I suggest the Red Rising Series (Red Rising is the first book) by Pierce Brown or the Expanse Series (Leviathan Wakes is the first book) by James S.A. Corey. Not always dealing with different aliens and species, but they are sagas in space.

[Jerry]

Michael wrote: "Jerry wrote: "Hi people,

I would like to start reading sci-fi books but dont know where to begin?

I loved Star Trek and the Next Generation primarily for the moral messages and for the different ..."

Hi Michael,
Thank you so much for the 2 recommendations. Both have great ratings and both are available in Ebook at the library. Even better, they are a series which if i enjoy the read, there will be more in store. Thank you my friend and have a wonderful week. Ahimsa Papa J

[Jerry]

I'm Just Ken wrote: "If you like Star Trek, it sounds like space operas might be your category. Might I suggest the Red Rising Series (Red Rising is the first book) by Pierce Brown or the Expanse Series (Leviathan Wake..."

Hi Ken,
Both are available at library and both got great reviews. Thank you so much. I will definitely give them a try but with because of the terrific response, it might be in a month. Again, much thanks for taking the time to help me. Ahimsa papa j

[Jerry]

Kaia wrote: "I recommend Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon. It's an unusual first-contact story (the protagonist is an elderly woman), and I think it definitely addresses the Star Trek message o..."
Hi Kaia, I just finished Remnant and I gave it a 4 out of 5. The first third I found tiring - just too much time on the planting etc - and bec you recommended it, i kept on going. Well, it was definitely worth it. As soon as she made contact, I was engrossed. Thanks you again and have a very Happy Safe and Healthy New Year! Ahimsa papa j

[Kaia]

Jerry wrote: "Kaia wrote: "I recommend Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon. It's an unusual first-contact story (the protagonist is an elderly woman), and I think it definitely addresses the Star T..."

I'm so glad that you stuck with it and enjoyed it, Jerry!

[Ryan, Your favourite moderators favourite moderator]

Vonda N. McIntyre wrote many Star Trek books and her Starfarers series did a lot of what Star Trek did.

[Jerry]

Thanks Ryan. I might check out the starfarers series. I dont want to do more Star Trek, wanted something different. Have a happy New Year. Ahimsa papa j