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/sci/ - Science & Math

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2561217 No.2561217 [Reply] [Original]

Essential Sci-Fi books and films?

I'm reading Dune at the moment, and I've also read some Arthur C. Clark, Greg Bear, Larry Niven and Issac Asimov. Oh, and Peter F. Hamilton

>> No.2561230

>>2561226

FUCK OFF.

>> No.2561226

Twilight

>> No.2561231

Contact. Better than the movie.

>> No.2561235

Phillip K Dick.

All good sci fi movies are based on his books.

A Scanner Darkly, Blade Runner, Minority Report, etc. A fuckton more are coming out.

>> No.2561240

>>2561235
He's got some good books.

I've only read The Transmigration of Timothy Archer and A Maze of Death though. It'd still be great if they were made into movies though.

>> No.2561244

>>>/tv/
>>>/lit/

>> No.2561238

>>2561231

Read it, and it was an enjoyable book.

>> No.2561251
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2561251

>> No.2561254

>>2561235

OP here, I forgot to stick him on the the list, I've read a few novels of his, namely Flow my Tears the Policeman Said and A Scanner Darkly

>> No.2561266

I'd consider all of it essential.

If you only read the classics and most acclaimed books, you will miss a lot of gems.

>> No.2561272
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2561272

Issac Asimov, Foundation series. Stop at "Second Foundation" the 4th and 5th books are a bit shit imo. Ruined it for me.

Ender saga from Orson Scott Card, gets a bit shit towards the end too, too much religious crap.

>> No.2561273

Merchants of Space
Frederik Pohl and Cyril M.

doesn't overdo it,
will probably be quiet enjoyable if you like 1984

>> No.2561281

anything from michio kaku lol

>> No.2561295

>>2561273

similar writing style or is it thematically similar? I found Orwell's writing style quite dry, though the conclusion was quite intresting

>> No.2561304

Heinlein's Starship Troopers is required reading even if you disagree with it politically. It's a classic of the genre, and it's not very long (or difficult to get through).

>> No.2561307

>>2561295
thematically, the writing style is different

>> No.2561305

Iain M. Banks ftw

>> No.2561310
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2561310

Personally I like Accelerando. Made me think, even if it was nuts.

Also 3001: The Final Odyssey. The bits about him flying in the 0.1G level of the ring around Earth made me go pic related.

>> No.2561331

>>2561307

Excellent! I'll probably enjoy that then

>> No.2561364

>>2561310

I still need to get round to reading 2001. I've seen the film at a local arthouse cinema, and loved it. Apparently the book offers at least some explanation of what is actually happening at the end, which is a plus since my reaction was basically "Woah! wait whut?"

>> No.2561381

>>2561251
>planetes
Fuck yeah.

>> No.2561395

Dune is an ok book.
IMO, the rest of the (original) series was much better than the first book

and are my favorite sci-fi of all time

>> No.2561425

Every time I mention Dune, someone thinks I'm talking about Doom.
sadfrog.jpg

>> No.2561495

I'm enjoying Dune at the moment. Are the rest of the books and the film worth my time?

>> No.2561509

>>2561495

the original film is very artistic, the newer ones are too long, and don't really do justice to the series, but they make a decent effort

the rest of the series is better than the first

in fact, they each get better and better, the last one is so far beyond the first its almost hard to believe they were written by the same author

>> No.2561525

>>2561509

Nice, I'll probably have to get them off of Amazon. I'm still not sure about the film, mostly because of the inclusion of Sting. I dunno, there just seems to be something a little wrong with that in my mind

>> No.2561537

>>2561525

his part is literally less than 5 minutes of the movie, has almost zero to do with the main plot and its nearly all at the very end

patrick stewart has a much larger role(but still too short IMO)

>> No.2561559

>>2561537
CAPTAIN FUCKING PICARD?! sold.

>> No.2561561

>>2561217
I find Heinlein and Bradbury unreadable. Most would disagree.

Clarke and Asimov are win. Although he's quite funny, I don't consider Kurt Vonnegut sci-fi. The Hugo Awards people think differently.

Wikipedia - Hugo Awards

>> No.2561573
File: 30 KB, 277x425, ghost-in-the-shell-poster1.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
2561573

>>2561251
>Planetes
>No Transhumanism: The Movie
Wat.
>>2561509
God Emperor is the climax in my opinion. That ending is pure genius.

>> No.2561581

>>2561559

it really made the movie for me as a kid when i first saw it in the early nineties, weird this is i've heard people say his role in Dune is what got him the star trek role....

then you can see he is playing almost the exact same character

its really badass, he's guerney, the man at arms

>> No.2561584

anything on trans/post/para - humanism?

>> No.2561593

>>2561573

GE is definitely the plot climax, no doubt, but overall achievement in chapterhouse, with the outcasts taking over and the sex slaves....come on now, you know that was badass

>> No.2561595
File: 89 KB, 1280x688, Ghost_in_the_Shell_(1995)_[720p,BluRay,x264,DTS-ES]_-_THORA.mkv_snapshot_00.04.08_[2010.12.18_17.28.24].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
2561595

>>2561584
Yes.

>> No.2561601

>>2561593
God mode Miles Teg is pretty much the definition of badass, yeah.

>> No.2561607

>>2561584

neuromancer is a classic, coined the term cyberspace

>> No.2561604

>>2561584
also, dystopian sci-fi? (e.g. Fahrenheit 451)

>> No.2561621

>>2561595
>>2561595
>>2561595
>>2561595
>>2561595

Both original movies, both anime series and the anime tv movie about. Get the .MKVs with subtitles, they are 9000x better than the dubs. Never bothered to actually read the manga but it's probably good too.

>> No.2561623

>>2561604

i read some weird shit a long time ago that was fucking awesome,

it was called "the tripods trilogy"

slave humans on high gravity alien worlds, pretty fucking cool

>> No.2561626

Origin of species

>> No.2561632

>>2561626
Trololololol

>> No.2561636

>>2561621
The English dub is actually pretty good.

Also remember: if it has Stand Alone Complex in its name, it belongs to the SAC continuity, otherwise it's in another continuity.

The first two manga volumes are good but different in mood. The third is just a huge clusterfuck of technobabble that doesn't make sense, LSD drawings and fucking robopenguins.

>> No.2561646
File: 105 KB, 361x436, Neuromancer2.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
2561646

>>2561607

For being written in 1984 it's amazing how futuristic the book still feels. Especially since considering how far computers have progressed. Everything in the book is vague, yet detailed enough to form a world that can stand the test of time.

>> No.2561649

>>2561626

your an idiot


but clearly a christ-fag couldn't pass up the opportunity, since you were around

>> No.2561653

>>2561646

how the fuck did that guy know potheads/rastas would still be playing an important role on the internet?

fucking genius

>> No.2561671

Call it ridiculous but I like the Solaris remake with George Clooney. The cinematography makes my pee-pee parts tickle. The rest, meh.

>> No.2561685

Are there any sci-fi books centered around war and conquest?

>> No.2561704
File: 82 KB, 311x311, You-must-be-new-here.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
2561704

>>2561685

>> No.2561786

Ender's Game

inb4 loligayfests

>> No.2561875

OP here, thanks for the advice and by all means continue discussion, but I'm going seeing as it's almost 3 am here in the UK.

>> No.2561890
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2561890

>> No.2563749

>>2561704
I think they must be new everywhere.

>> No.2563763

>>2561786


the enemy's gate is down.
nah, but I just listened to all the books.


literally just finished Children of the Mind this evening.


all of em, including Ender in Exile (but not the short stories compendium)

>>2561217

I have listened to all of the Dune novels except the "interquel" novels between Dune and Dune Messiah...

all of Herberts originals, all of the "legends" series, all of the "prelude" series and all of the "legacy" series
5 original + 2 sequels + 6 prequels
too much Dune.

>> No.2563795

>>2561272
If you didn't at least read 'Prelude to Foundation' son you missed out.

>> No.2563804

>>2561786
Ender's Game isn't really sci-fi.
It's just a regular bildungsroman that just happens to have the occasional futuretech element.

>> No.2563815
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2563815

>mfw im the only guy in the world who has read of the Saga of the Exiles

>> No.2563816

>>2563804
Perhaps, but it also deals with conflicts with intelligent aliens species. There are still the aspects of the book which focus on the nature of and interactions with the Buggers.

>> No.2563948

>>2563816
>>2563816


not really. there is very very limited specifics on the nature/interaction of buggers.

indeed, there is only a brief mention of the "first" encounter with the buggers (where the author simply states that they attacked and laid waste to lots of China/Asia).

the author mentions that "Vids" of the 2nd attack always shows "slumped over buggers on their consoles" and no action shots...


all of the later "conclusions" about the hive mind nature of the buggers is relayed to the reader through Graff, Mazer, and Ender.


you get a brief "glimpse" of the Hive Queen's attempts to "control" ender when he is dreaming on Eros (he dreams that he is being dissected)


the final scene with the remade landscape, and the discovery of the hive queen cocoon can barely be considered a discussion of the bugger's "nature/interaction"

after that, there is a very very brief "glossary" in which the author states that Ender wrote the "Hive Queen" and gave a very short, very terse explanation.


Ender's Game has almost no information on the Buggers.


the Sequels are where all the info is found.

>> No.2563958

>>2563804


its not "hard" sci-fi.

but "hard" sci-fi is relatively rare anyway.

hard sci-fi isnt interesting to most readers and doesnt make good literature.


it is the same way with television.


shows like Stargate SG-1 and Star Trek NG /DSN have had moderately good ratings at various points in their run...

but to make LOTS of people watch these shows, you need to attract NORMAL PEOPLE.


normal people do not care about the hypothetical/made up technical plot details.


they care about relationships, drama, psychology, culture, etc.


indeed, they dont even care about the "sci-fi" interaction with those concepts.


That is why BSG did so well, critically... it was geared towards people who wanted to see realistic social interactions.

people who DIDNT CARE about how/why the ship's crew gets somewhere or what technology an alien species has aquired...


they care about who is fucking who, who hates who, who is bribing/coercing who, etc.


the sci-fi details no longer become plot devices, but BACKGROUND ELEMENTS.

>> No.2564002

>>2561573
God Emperor of Dune is maybe the best book I have ever read. Holy shit.

>> No.2564658

A Canticle for Leibowitz
battlefield earth (lol)

>> No.2564665

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein (hard sci-fi)

A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge

The Xeelee Sequence by Stephen Baxter

>> No.2564680

>>2561217
Never read any of the stuff his sons wrote. you will want to burn the books. Has been a very long time since I read the dune series but I remember it getting a little silly to the end and then his kids took over and it made me want to shoot myself :(.

>> No.2564690
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2564690

>>2561217
>didn't mention vernor vinge
>sadfrog.jpg

A Fire Upon the Deep is a good one.

Actually you know what OP, just go and pick up every hugo and nebula award winner. You pretty much cannot go wrong with any of them.

Seriously, I picked up "The speed of dark" just as a test of this - it was a nebula award winner, but was a story I wasn't particularly interested in.

Read it, loved it, a few more results like that convinced me that if it's got a nebula or hugo award, it's bound to be pretty good and enjoyable to read.

>> No.2564700
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2564700

>>2561561
>I find Heinlein and Bradbury unreadable. Most would disagree.

I feel this way about a lot of Larry Niven's novels, particularly the ones related to Ringworld. The novels are very dry, the later ones I really just couldn't get into, and Ringworld itself only kept me interested because of all the cool technology that was described.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed A Mote in God's Eye, and I've yet to read any of the stuff involving the Man-Kzin Wars.

>> No.2564706

What was that book that depicted an interstellar war but with realistic relativistic starship combat where the whole thing was run by super computers?

>> No.2564710
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2564710

Hyperion series by Dan Simmons.

Also Ilium and Odyssey by the same author.

Iain M. Banks culture series.

>> No.2564713

>>2564710
Hyperion was such a bad book when you think about it critically. I mean, sure it was sad and all at the end and there was a lot of high quality writing but the plot was god awful.

I love Banks, though. The Player Of Games is one of my favorite books.

>> No.2564716

>>2564713
THANK YOU

i thought hyperion was utter shit

>> No.2564721

the night dawn trillogy by peter f hamilton

the saga of seven suns kevin j anderson

>> No.2564723
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2564723

>>2564713
>I mean, sure it was sad and all at the end and there was a lot of high quality writing but the plot was god awful.

I feel the same way about the "His Dark Materials" trilogy. Especially the last book. It was written specifically to cause heartache at the end, and unfortunately, the way it was brought about was so contrived that I lost a sense of immersion I had while reading it.

Not to say I wasn't emotionally attached to Lyra and Will and didn't empathize with them - because I certainly did - but what happened and how it happened at the end just didn't jive with me, it felt forced.

>> No.2564726
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2564726

>> No.2564750

>>2564721

OP here, back after a good night's sleep! I read that series, and it's pretty good. I've actually read most of Peter's stuff come to think of it, with the exception of misspent youth

>> No.2564764

Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds is one I keep on going back to.

Hard, gothic, unsettling. Especially when you find out how lighthuggers work.

>> No.2564807

>>2564764
How do they work? I didn't think the conjoiner drives were explained?

>> No.2564808
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2564808

I've been reading hard sci-fi for a long time but have just recently discovered cinema is fine too.

So while we're on the subject, help me complete the set /sci/!

>> No.2564819

>>2564807

Not in that book, no. I'm not telling, it'll spoil the surprise.

>> No.2564846
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2564846

>>2564764

>Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds is one I keep on going back to.

I started reading that book to see why /sci/ was so excited.

Plot twists.

At the end of every chapter.

Holy shit it just NEVER ENDS.

>> No.2564859

>>2564819
But which book explains it?

>> No.2564863

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

>> No.2564884

>>2564846
Absolutely love the Revelation Space series. I've just started Absolution Gap last night. I wasn't even very interested in Sci-Fi novels, but my uncle recommended this series and it absolutely blew me the fuck away.

I've also seen many people mention House of Suns, also by Alistair Reynolds. It's apparently outside of the Revelation Space universe but is reviewed very positively everywhere I've looked.

>> No.2564890

>>2564884

>I've also seen many people mention House of Suns, also by Alistair Reynolds. It's apparently outside of the Revelation Space universe but is reviewed very positively everywhere I've looked.

I read that one and loved it, and that's why I assumed it would be the same with this.

>> No.2564922

House of Suns is a great tribute to Isaac Asimov. I love it. The only book of Reynolds' that I didn't like was Pushing Ice.

>> No.2565301

Hyperion, The Rediscovery of Man, Dune, almost anything by Robert Silverberg, Mockingbird, Dangerous Visions, almost anything by Theodore Sturgeon.

Am I one of the only people who thinks that Asimov is one hell of a dry writer? Damn if he didn't have some great ideas, but he just could not write well.

>> No.2565324

>>2565301

>Am I one of the only people who thinks that Asimov is one hell of a dry writer? Damn if he didn't have some great ideas, but he just could not write well.

I loved him in childhood, but afterwards, I discovered that there was in fact science fiction outside Asimov.

And then I stopped loving him that much.

>The Rediscovery of Man

<3

>> No.2565395

I really loved Ringworld but I think I'm one a very small number.

I also enjoyed the Neal Stevenson books: Snow Crash, Diamond Age

>> No.2565515

>>2565324

Glad to find another fan of Cordwainer Smith. His short work is just hnnng. What a shame that he's so overlooked.

>> No.2565542

>>2565395
>I really loved Ringworld but I think I'm one a very small number
Excuse me, but WHICH universe are you posting from?
http://www.mediafire.com/?jwk3pqfl0vqsq7v

>> No.2565592

If you liked The Rediscovery of Man you'd probably like Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter. It's a collection of short stories that span the entire 10 million year timeline of his Xeelee Sequence, with a kind of sub plot between that ties them together.