What is a very engaging, interesting, and original Science Fiction book that you

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Question:

For example, I dearly loved the book Spin, by Robert Charles Wilson!. As a child, I adored the Animorphs series, and the Replica series!. Now that I am an adult, what are some good sci-fi books that I could read!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

I may be repeating some other suggestions, but here are a few books or series that I enjoyed that you might want to explore:

Stardoc series - SL Viehl (medical/military space opera)
Honor Harrington series - David Weber (space opera with a strong female heroine)
1632/Assiti Shards series - Eric Flint (sort of alternate history meets historical fiction - very intriguing premise)
Islands in the Sea of Time series - SM Stirling (similar premise to 1632, but different storyline), and you will want to follow this up with!.!.!.
Dies the Fire - SM Stirling (post-apocalyptic scenario, featuring the flip side of the Islands in the Sea of Time series - this one will probably really make you think)
Glass House - Charles Stross (futuristic sci-fi/mystery - fascinating story)
The Merchant Princes series - Charles Stross (sci-fi/fantasy/romance)
Wess'Har series - Karen Traviss (futuristic sci-fi with military and thriller elements)
The Last World War - Dayton Ward (accidental alien invasion of earth)
Worldwar series - Harry Turtledove (alternate history/sci-fi - aliens arrive to try to conquer earth at the height of WWII)
Odd Thomas series - Dean Koontz (thriller/sci-fi)
Bio of a Space Tyrant - Piers Anthony (sci-fi)
Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (sci-fi/humor)
Prey, Next - Michael Crichton (sci-fi/thriller)

I would also recommend you check into some of the other books by Michael Crichton, James Patterson, Clive Cussler, Dean Koontz, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child for other books that you might also enjoy, but that aren't strictly sci-fi!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I'm not a Sci-fi person generally but even I love these:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and the sequels!.
http://books!.google!.com/books!?as_auth=Do!.!.!.
These books are a riot and considered a Sci-fi classic!. If you want space travel with a heavy dose of irony and humor I suggest these!.

The 2 other Sci-fi series I enjoyed were:

Dragon Riders of Pern by Anne Mcaffery
http://www!.iblist!.com/series130!.htm
Anne Mcaffery is one of those authors whose books just leave you feeling good once you read the last page!. While a combination of Sci-fi and Fantasy (the argument continues about which one it is) they sit on my fantasy shelf!. Anyone who has ever dreamed of riding a dragon should read these!.

and

Darkover series by Marion Zimmer Bradley
http://mzbworks!.home!.att!.net/works!.htm#d!.!.!.
This is a huge series that can be read in any order since each was written to be a stand alone novel!.
Darkover is a planet that is in a state of permanent Ice Age!. The ruling class or Comyn, possess different types of Laran which are psychic powers!. There are several unique cultures and alien races!. Great reads!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card is excellent!. I couldn't put it down till the last page!. also "Gateway" by Pohl was great, and totally original!.
And if you loved 1984 then I reccoment "Brave New World" by Huxley because it has a similar premise!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

"Cat's Cradle" Kurt Vonnegut JR
"Sirens of Titan" Kurt Vonnegut JR
"Brave New World" Aldous Huxley
"1984" George Orwell
"Rant" Chuck Palahniuk
"Frankenstein" Mary Shelley
These were all excellent!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Here are a few:
"The World of Null-A" by A!.E!. van Vogt
"The Pawns of Null-A" by A!.E!. van Vogt
"Null-A Continuum" by John C!. Wright
"Pattern For Conquest" by George O!. Smith
"Pangaea: Eden's Planet" by Thomas E!. Johnson http://www15!.brinkster!.com/jur1/index!.ht!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It depends on what kind of Science Fiction you like!.
1632 is a great book but it is more historical with a bit of science fiction!.
The Honor Harrington series are great if you like space fiction!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Anything written by Andre Norton!. Super stuff, and sometimes a little sexy without going overboard!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Have you heard of Michael Crichton!? Well, he's a great author!. My personal favorite is Andromeda Strain!. He wrote the novel Jurassic Park which was adapted into a movie!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

books by Orsen Scott CardWww@QuestionHome@Com

OK!.!.!.

First I'd go with RINGWORLD!. Larry Niven's best solo novel!.
Nothing else like it (well except for the two sequels he did)!. Very exciting and engaging!. When RINGWORLD ENGINEERS came out I went into my room and started reading and came out 36 hours later!. ANYTHING from Niven's "Tales of Known Space"!.!.!.including the stories about Gil the ARM (I really liked Gil) are excellent, but Ringworld is unique unto itself!.

Second I'd look at MOTE IN GOD'S EYE by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle!. Heinlein said that he considered it to be the best Science Fiction novel ever written!. (High praise coming from him!) It is a real classic, and the one of the very very few novels with a truly ALIEN alien!.!.!. Niven said that the hardest thing to do was to create an alien that thought as well as a human, but DIFFERENTLY!. In this book he does it!.

Heinlein is spotty IMHO!. I'm a great fan of his earlier work, but his later stuff falls short, in my personal opinion!. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is good!.!.!.Door into Summer is good!.!.!.Lazarus Long and Farnhams Freehold not so much, and Stranger in a Strange land I didn't like at all!.!.!. though many disagree with me on that!. I noticed that when Heinlein hit his mid-life crisis it didn't go so well!.!.!. all of a sudden his stories start to be full of older men who don't age, live forever, and attract hordes of beautiful young women who are just dying to sleep with them, for reasons that are never really made clear in the plot!. NOT his best work!.

( I've seen some of the same thing in a number of Sci-Fi author's work!.!.!. When you boil it down to Poul Anderson's Tau Zero is the story a starship crew who become immortal because of an accident with their starship!.!.!.and all the characters are straight out of a "Childless Faculty Members for NPR" rally!. You almost expect to see a MCGOVERN 72 bumper sticker on the back of the starship!.!.!. one wonders how the ship could lift all that condescending sanctimony!. Needless to say I didn't like it!. I've seen some of it in Niven's work as well!.!.!.but it gets stronger as he gets older!. I noticed that it tends to happen to authors who are childless (which may have something to do with it) middle aged atheists!.!.!.Personally I think it comes from how Christians and non-Christians view death, and thusly aging differently!.!.!.!.but I digress!. In any case I, as a rule of thumb avoid the later works of most Sci-Fi authors!. Once they start trying to work out their own mortality !.!.ugh!.!.!.ugh!.!.!.blech!!!

An exception to this rule is C!.S!. Lewis!. (of Narnia Book Fame)!. He wrote a space trilogy!. Out of the Silent Planet is the first book!.!.!.influenced a bit by H!.G!. Wells!. Perelandra is the second book and I did not like it at all!.!.!.fortunately you can skip it and not miss anything!. Lewis said it was his favorite thing of his he ever wrote!.!.!.which I find ironic, because, as I said, I really disliked it and he is one of my favorite authors!. The Third book is the best THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH, almost a C!.S!. Lewis meets H!.P!. Lovecraft sort of thing!.!.!.It is one of my favorite books!. It can be read independently (in fact all 3 of the books can) so I'd do that!.!.!. just skip Perelandra!.

(Speaking of which, avoid Lovecraft as well!.!.!. I read a lot of him in college and for the most part all I can say is yuck!.)

1984 is good!.!.a classic!.!.!.but so depressing I can't recomend it as a fun book!.

THE STAND by Steven King is also a personal favorite!. I'm not a King fan generally!.!.!.THE STAND and Salem's Lot are, I think, the only things of his I have read!.!.!.but I really, really, really liked THE STAND!.

Ray Bradbury is though, the master!. I hate to say this, but no author I have ever read, except for Shakespear, has as unique and wonderful way with the English language!. I tell people all the time to read THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES and THE ILLISTRATED MAN just so they can get "There will come soft rains"!.!.!.and , "The Long Rain" and "Rocket Man" !. Those three are the most haunting storirs I have ever read!.!.!.

Before you read Farenhiet 451 though!.!.!.read this http://www!.laweekly!.com/news/news/ray-br!.!.!. Bradbruy gave an interviwe talking about the story and how english teachers always get it WRONG!.

Good luck and enjoy!Www@QuestionHome@Com