(no subject)

[cymry]

i've decided i'm fed up of reading fantasy, and i'm determined to pick up a few sci-fi/mystery/suspense/historical/regular fiction books to give myself a change of pace. any suggestions? (note: i'm not guaranteeing i'll read them, just that i'll look into them).

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Some good suggestions already. I'll also second Neil Stephenson's Snow Crash (POOR IMPULSE CONTROL), and the Vonnegut recommendations.

He is arguably more fantasy than science fiction, but picking up Ray Bradbury would be a good idea.

I'm sure you saw it recommended on Alikat's site, but Tad William's Otherland books were good.

Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin is a good 'un.

William Gibson is really exceptional. His earlier books may not be as accessible though... you may want to start with something published more recently.

Arthur C. Clarke is a great 'hard science fiction' writer, though avoid most of his recent works. Go to him if you want some old school science fiction. Rendevous with Rama is good. And some of his short stories are fantastic (Childhood's End is a classic). The other Rama books (written by Gentry Lee) are also pretty decent.

Speaking of shorts, I tend to like collections of science fiction short stories. This is especially useful for finding authors you may like before you go purchasing their novels.

You may also want to check the Nebula awards for the last few years for potential reading material.

--- Ouro

[neotrixan.livejournal.com]

william gibson is good, but they are a little heavy handed and twisted... then again i did reccomend vonnegut.... ill shut up now :)