Looking for Specific SciFi Books

[Jakub]

Hello. I decided to read more, so I joined this group in hopes of finding new interesting reads.

I would like to ask for more recommendation than what we are currently reading as a book club.

I like scifi books set on spaceships. Maybe with hints of horror. And aliens. Think Event Horizon, but book version.
(EDIT: Like Sphere. I LOVED Sphere.)

I enjoyed Gateway books, for example, or Ender's Game (I havent finished the entire series yet, though). Also, I loved Hyperion Cantos. I am saying this just to prove that I don't mind long book series. In fact, the longer, the better.

Any recommendation? Thanks. James

[Fabi NEEDS Email Notifications]

The first one that pops into my head is A Space Odyssey.

[Pat]

Neal Asher's Polity series ticks all your boxes - start with Gridlinked & head off from there.

You could also try James S.A. Corey's Expanse series

[Michele]

I think you might like Leviathan Wakes, 1st book in the Expanse series by James S.A. Corey

Also Blindsight by Peter Watts

[Brenda]

WARRIOR'S APPRENTICE by Lois Bujold. And you have read RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA by Clarke?

[Jakub]

Thanks for the tips, guys, I am looking those books up, so far it looks great.

Brenda wrote: "WARRIOR'S APPRENTICE by Lois Bujold. And you have read RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA by Clarke?"
I havent read much Clarke. When I was younger, I read some, but I found it too slow for my taste. Maybe it changed? I will definetly give those classics a try.

[Roberta]

"Eon" by Greg Bear, "The Boat of A Million Years" (very long) and "Tau Ceti" by Poul Anderson, "Orphans of the Sky" by Heinlein, "Starship"(also called "Non-Stop") by Brian Aldiss, for starters.

[Jakub]

Roberta wrote: ""Eon" by Greg Bear, "The Boat of A Million Years" (very long) and "Tau Ceti" by Poul Anderson, "Orphans of the Sky" by Heinlein, "Starship"(also called "Non-Stop") by Brian Aldiss, for starters."

I read Starship Troopers by Heinlein and was hugely dissappointed. But then again, I really enjoyed the movie. So I dunno. Will look up the rest, thanks.

[Trike]

Goodreads also has Listopia which collates books under various headings, so someone may have already compiled the sorts of books you're looking for.

For instance, Space Horror: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[Roberta]

Starship Troopers is more of a space cowboys story, taking place on Mars, not in a spaceship. "Universe", the first part of Heinlein's "Orphans of the Sky",also printed as a separate novella, takes place entirely inside a space ship, although the occupants don't know this.

If you're interested in a short story set entirely within a space ship, and which I think is one of the most terrifying, heart breaking stories ever written in any genre, read Tom Godwin's "The Cold Equations".

[Ben]

The Secret Sharer by Robert Silverberg comes to mind first. I read it in this issue of Lightspeed as that month's ebook exclusive, but it looks like it's in a few other anthologies. Reading it made me think of a blend between Cyberpunk and Golden Age SF, though it's definitely got a later Silverberg feel to it.

Robert Reed also has his Greatship series of stories about a generation ship. Most of them were collected in The Greatship.

Anne McCaffrey's got a series of stories loosely grouped as The Ship Who... about a ship with a telepathic link with the captain, IIRC. Click on the individual stories in the last link. The last one I read was in John Joseph Adams' Federations.

The last that comes to mind is also from Federations: John C. Wright's Twilight of the Gods. It's a partial retelling of The Ring Cycle set on a generation ship.

[Ben]

Oh, one more.

Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama is a great story about the discovery and exploration (mostly exploration) of a deserted cylindrical ship that enters our solar system.

Morgan Freeman's been trying to make this into a movie for over a decade now, but who can tell if it'll ever get past development hell.

[Philip]

Eternity by Greg Bear I found astounding to read.

[Mary]

Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet series, starting with Dauntless, is virtually all on shipboard.

[A.R.]

What about Cities in Flight by James Blish?

[MadProfessah]

If you like spaceships and action I would second the vote for James SA Corey's The Expanse series. The first book
Is Leviathan Wakes and book 5 is coming out this summer as the entire series is being adapted into a series for SyFy with a Game of Thrones level budget and cast.

Also much of Jack McDevitt's stuff happens on spaceships. Both of his series (Patricia Hutchins and Alex Benedict) feature some aspect of action, mystery and archaeology!

[Serena]

Tanya Huff's Valor's Choice series has humanity join a Confederation of alien species and become their defenders by fighting other alien races, C.J. Cherryh's The Pride of Chanur series has a cat alien merchant species rescuing a human, Andre Norton's series of The Solar Queen involve human merchant ships going to new worlds to find new transport goods.

[Felicia]

Have you read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? It's probbaly my favoite book in the world!

Otherwise, I sort of liked Warchild, but it had some flaws.

Philip K. Dick has a LOT of awesome books, including Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

[Serena]

Trading in Danger, disgraced from the military academy, scion to a shipping dynasty, Ky becomes a captain who has to rebuild the Vetta family empire amidst war.

I also liked In Conquest Born, warring geneticly altered humans from different worlds.

A second the suggestion of Lois McMaster Bujord's Vorkosigan Saga, Cordelia's Honor, however the chronology goes.

[Teanka]

Nina wrote: "I would suggest The Children of the Stars by Maria Doria Russell. A space journey to a new occupied planet, financed by the Vatican to bring Catholicism to the new people. There is a follow-up too,..."

You mean The Sparrow, followed by Children of God.

[Packi]

Definitely go with Blindsight. It’s also the greatest first contact book imo.

[Silvio]

I'll echo the people who've suggested Rendezvous with Rama. The explore-a-big-mysterious thing plot is unusual enough to be hard to categorize in terms of fast/slow - it may or may not be your thing but is worth a try. The Sparrow and Children of God are great too. I'll also mention Solaris by Stanislaw Lem because it reminds me somewhat of Sphere, maybe with a little more highbrow pretensions.

[Mary JL]

Many of C. J. Cherryh's works---I especially recommend Merchanter's Luck and "Finity's End".

[Stefan]

Wow Rendezvous with Rama was a page turner for me I read that so long ago.

[MadProfessah]

I heard so many good things about CJ Cherryh so I started to read her Hugo- and Nebula-winning "Foreigner" and could not get past the second chapter. The writing was meh and the setting was uninteresting. I think I may be just getting less patient in my old age!

[Caleb]

How about Ship of Fools, that should get your sci if mix of horror in there. Also maybe try The Passage, or I Am Legend and Other Stories.

[Trike]

Mad wrote: "I heard so many good things about CJ Cherryh so I started to read her Hugo- and Nebula-winning "Foreigner" and could not get past the second chapter. The writing was meh and the setting was uninter..."

I had the same reaction to it and I think I was 29 when it came out. Sometimes the shoe just doesn't fit.

[Ivor]

Philip wrote: "Eternity by Greg Bear I found astounding to read.

"

Ben wrote: "Oh, one more.

Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama is a great story about the discovery and exploration (mostly exploration) of a deserted cylindrical ship that ente..."

I'm a huge fan of Bear's "Blood Music"... knowing that, do you think I'd like "Eternity"?

[Kateb]

Mad wrote: "I heard so many good things about CJ Cherryh so I started to read her Hugo- and Nebula-winning "Foreigner" and could not get past the second chapter. The writing was meh and the setting was uninter..."

I love Cherryh's writing but found that foreigner was her worst. I just couldn't get into it.

The series around Chanur, or Morgaine are both great.

That said some of my fav writers seem to have bad spells.

Since I am in my old age I find that some of the "new" books that win prizes are more orientated to grammatical expression / writing style. Rather than the interest of the story.

Then again I too may be getting old, I like a bit of quickness in style, less description

[Ivor]

I heard a lot about Cyteen and looked all over for an eBook format. I finally bought an old paperback and of course, I'm having a hard time getting into it and may put it down. I did read "Faded Sun" years ago and liked it quite a bit even though it wasn't exactly action packed.