Help - Sci Fi Fans!!

[Belgarion]

I, Belgarion, am not a beginner in this website as many will know me as a pure die-hard fantasy fan from the Fantasy Forum. Very pro-Cadfael and Pro-Eddings! However, I have rarely frequent the Sci-Fi Forum and would like to pop my head in the door just to see what is about!

I would like to say that I spent a huge portion of my reading in the Fantasy Section, but I wish to have a dip in the Sci Fi Ocean, just to see what is out there. I don't want to miss out on classic or out-of-this-world (no pun intended!) stories/books.

I wish to read 3 sci-fi books to decide whether I will like reading the Sci-Fi section or not.

Please can you help me by recommending which 3 books I ought to purchase and read. This can be old books or new books.

Note: I am not asking for the top 3 books but basically 3 books that you believe will entice me to become a sci-fi fan! A nice mixture of 3 different sci-fi angles would be perfect.

I hope this makes sense.

I was considering reading:

A book from Asinov (eg, I Robot or the Foundation series)
A book from Iain Banks
A book from Ben Bova

Am I in the right track or are there better authors I should consider.

Thanks in Advance, everyone, it would make my day.

[Cadfael]

Yep... I will give you the first 3 of a longer series... all by Frank Herbert

DUNE
Dune Messiah
Children Of Dune

Let me say... if you have seen any movie or TV adaptations of Dune.... forgot them... they are nothing like the books. They also have a fantasy feel to them... and may just help to pull you in.

[LePeze]

And avoid the prequels of Dune like the plague.

[fortytwo]

Obviously, Belgarion this is all going to come down to personal choices.I think Asimov is a good starting point as he is extremely easy to read (but that doesn’t mean to say his stories are simple just that he is such a terrific writer).However bearing in mind that Foundation is only the first book of a seven book series I would recommend Nightfall. This story was considered by many as one of his finest and has a really original theme .
Iain M Banks is another great and original writer and his books about “The Culture” would certainly get you thinking.My own personal favourite was The Player of Games.
My third choice would be Childhood’s End by Arthur C Clarke.All these are really good enjoyable stories (in my opinion!) and are not part of a series.-the culture books all can stand alone.That was the only reason I didn't pick a Bova novel as he often writes two or three book series.
I hope this will give you some ideas,good luck!We need more SF input on this forum

[dune dude]

Frank Herbert - Dune
Clifford Simak - Ring Around the Sun
Douglas Adams - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

[blahginger]

As 42 says it is going to come down to personal preference, so here is my 2 cents.

Ringworld - Larry Niven: Interesting characters, fast paced, fun story that always kept you in a state of wonderment. This is one of those books that you wish could have been longer. (Stay away from the sequels)

I agree with Dune - Frank Herbert. Great detail of an entire world. This would fall into the 'epic' category. Again, I would not recommend any of the others in the series.

Lastly, I was never a big fan of Asimov, I always found his stories to be a bit contrived. So in his place as the 'classic' author on your list I recommend Robert Heinlein. Stanger in a Strange Land is probably his most noteable.

Douglas Adams? Great. Fantastic. A defintie favorite. But the Hitchhicker Trilogy is sort of in a class of it's own and does not represent a huge cross section of sci-fi. I would read it anyway (as I am not sure how you could not enjoy it)...but do not include it as one of your 3.

Choose well.

[Killer Chicken]

As an avid fantasy person, well, as avid as my budget allows, I never really have dipped into the sci-fi realm. Other than a few space operas this is a whole new area for me. Where oh where should I start?

[Rocketsheep]

Belgarion,

Nobody has bothered to tell you that before Asimov, Banks and Bova the Russians and Poles were writing stunningly brilliant science fiction. Stanislaw Lem was one of the greats of that time. But the short story Labryinth by Sergey Lukjanenko might have the right blend of science fiction and fantasy to hook you into their style.

PS. it is online at lib.ru

[Belgarion]

Cheers everyone, I am jotting down all the books.

Is there anyone out there who could contribute some more recommendations?

I really appreciate it as I would like to make a serious go of it!

[Belgarion]

Hey mate, are you reading the forum properly?

I posted the same kind of question yesterday!

See my thread "Help! Sci Fi Fans!".

There are some very very helpful and useful comments from some of the avid sci-fi fans.

[SusF]

Neutron Star, a collection of short stories by Larry Niven. It dates in his world before Ringworld series.

Uplift War and/or Startide Rising by David Brin.

If you like epic style books, check out the Spider series by W. Michael Gear. Many of his other books are good too. Sweeping stories, lots of action, fun reads.

Hmm gonna have to think on this further.

Susan

[Cadfael]

My third choice would be Childhood’s End by Arthur C Clarke.

*smacks head*

Why did I not think of that!?! Also The City and the Stars, again by Clarke...

[Killer Chicken]

Thanks Belgarion... I skipped over reading that thread, because it said "Help Sci-fi fans", which I'm not really a sci-fi fan, so I figured I couldn't help you. I should definately start reading closer.

[lemetsky]

My alternativ list:

D.Adams-'Long Dark Teatime of the Soul'
H.Harryson's almost any stainless steelrat storeys
and(please don't hit me, but I consider it to be sci-fi)Umberto Eco's 'The Island of The Day Before'
Since all the other 'goodies' have been 'taken'.

[Bill]

The way I read the question is what SF novels might a fantasy fan like. This calls for a somewhat different strategy than the one I would normally use to introduce a person to SF. Like the others, I would recommend Dune; it reads like fantasy in many ways. I don't believe any of the other Dune novels are nearly as good as the original.

Next, consider reading Glory Road by Robert A. Heinlein. I usually consider it a fantasy, but it is technically SF. The old Darkover novels--there are many of them--by Marion Zimmer Bradley are other novels that are technically SF but really fantasies.

Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars stories also might appeal to a fantasy reader. The style is pulpy, but they are some of the founding texts of the modern genre. The first volume is A Princess of Mars, and it's in print. The Mars books are also easily found used.

If your fantasy taste is wide ranging and doesn't just include pseudo-Medieval fantasy, you might like The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. It's an alternate history set in a Victorian England in which Charles Babbage managed to successfully finish his mechanical computer.

On the other hand, if you would like to try some pure science fiction, the novel I usually recommend to a new SF reader is Have Spacesuit--Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein.