Dipping a Toe in the Water

[Aurian]

... help me find the right ponds...

Not quite a recommendation thread - I have already heard of many big Sci-fi names, but many of them are quite prolific with series, trilogies or simply many many standalones.

This thread is more about what book is the best one to try when dipping a toe into the water that is one author's output.

So what book is best to start out with for:

Neal Asher

Robert Heinlen

Glen Cook

Peter Hamilton

Lois Bujold

for example?

 

[Rob B]

Robert Heinlen - Either his defining Military SF novel Starship Troopers or The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Peter F. Hamilton - Fallen Dragon - standalone, epic and showcases some of his best storytelling.

 

[Rulkez]

Robert Heinlen - Either his defining Military SF novel Starship Troopers or The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Peter F. Hamilton - Fallen Dragon - standalone, epic and showcases some of his best storytelling.

Have to agree with Rob on the Fallen Dragon recommendation, it's where I started with Hamilton , I really enjoyed it , and picked up his Night's Dawn trilogy soon after.

As for Glen Cook , I'm not sure about the US, but in the UK the Black Company series has been released in omnibus editions , starting with the Chronicles of the Black Company ( which contains The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose)

 

[Randy M.]

Robert Heinlen - Either his defining Military SF novel Starship Troopers or The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

You won't see me disagree with Rob often, but I think Heinlein is best represented (like Asimov, like Clarke, like most of that generation of writers) by his short stories: The Past Through Tomorrow.

If you poke around, there's a recent thread discussion Heinlein where everyone is duking it out to explain what to read as an intro to Heinlein and why.

Randy M.

 

[psikeyhackr]

I presume you are asking about the science fiction Bujold rather than the fantasy Bujold.

Cordelia's Honor consists of the two novels Shards of Honor and Barrayar. The first one is decent. The second one got me hooked on the series.

For the 1st Heinlein is usually suggest The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. It's got politics, economics, social experiment/commentary and an AI.

psik

 

[Aurian]

Thank you, got these ordered at my library - it is so daunting to look a big pile of books and have no idea where to start (and especially irks me when I grab a book that turns out to be a part of a series and I am confused by mentions of past events).

 

[Loerwyn]

Thank you, got these ordered at my library - it is so daunting to look a big pile of books and have no idea where to start (and especially irks me when I grab a book that turns out to be a part of a series and I am confused by mentions of past events).

I know that feeling all too well, I think I picked up Revolution Ark by Reynolds (I think it was Reynolds?) without realising it was book 3/4.

Sorry to jump in, but I might pick the Hamilton book mentioned up too

 

[psikeyhackr]

Alien alligator bytes toe.

 

[owlcroft]

It's almost cheaper to buy . . . .

Thank you, got these ordered at my library . . . .

Does your library--or its correspondent libraries--charge any fees for inter-library loans?

Around here, though our local Carnegie library charges little or nothing at this end, most of the places it gets books from charge "S&H" fees of three or four dollars, occasionally more; for many books, that's close to the shipped price of a fair-condition used copy, and when you're done you own the book. I've stopped asking for anything except books that are 1) rather rare and hence expensive, and 2) about which I'm unsure if I'd want to keep it. Only a few meet both criteria.

And those that do are usually not to be found throughout at least this region.

Sigh.

 

[Aurian]

OW! Stupid gators.... *shakes toe and hops about on one foot*

I am in Canada - I only get charged if I put more than 50 holds/orders in a year, and when I exceed the 50 holds allowable, its 50 cents a book.

I usually run out of free holds by June.... :-/ Still, 50 cents a book is pretty good for the vast pile of books that are either hardcovers or ones i am not sure about. I buy a hell of a lot of books as well (ones that aren`t in the library or ones I know I will like).

If anyone else has some good sci-fi authors and a good recommendation for someone just starting with that author, feel free to suggest. This thread is not quite about good authors, more about where to start!

 

[psikeyhackr]

There is of course this:

http://www.baen.com/library/authors.htm

psik

 

[nealasher]

Neal Asher Books

Concerning my books you'll find the relevant thread here:

http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14523

 

[nealasher]

Handy Guide

Since people often ask similar questions about the order of my books, here's a handy little guide:

The Cormac series:

1.Gridlinked 2. The line of Polity 3. Brass Man 4. Polity Agent 5. Line War

The Spatterjay series:

1. The Skinner 2. The Voyage of the Sable Keech 3. Orbus

Stand alones:

Prador Moon – the start of the Prador-human war and set before the above two series.
Shadow of the Scorpion – Cormac’s early years just after the Prador-human war.
Hilldiggers – a novel set after all the above
The Gabble – a collection of stories in the above future
The Engineer ReConditioned – a collection of short stories.
Runcible Tales – six short stories in a chapbook
Cowl – time-travel novel (completely separate from the above)

 

[veganik]

Well, I don't think I would be the best for answering this. I've been on this forum for 10 minutes now and it seems my sci-fi knowledge is way out of date. The most "modern" sci-fi I've read was Orson Scott Card. Other than that I know mostly Clarke, Heinlein, Niven, Bradbury, Asimov etc.

 

[thehindmost]

out of the authors you've listed I've only read Heinlein. But out of his works I definitely recommend you start with Stranger in a Strange Land. Its a stand alone epic masterpiece.

and I noticed you didn't include Larry Niven or Isaac Asimov in there.

Ringworld is a good place to start with Niven's works, its a four book series in a larger series of his (Known space) very good work.

and of course, Asimov, read the foundation trilogy. The Gods Themselves is also another good stand alone of his.

 

[DurzoBlint]

Peter F. Hamilton - Fallen Dragon - standalone, epic and showcases some of his best storytelling.

Just picked up a copy of Fallen Dragon, looking forward to getting into it. Only problem is there are a lot of books that will come before it. The reviews tell me it is good and it is a good way to determine if I want to continue reading any of his other novels as I have Reality Dysfunction in the pile as well.

 

[Loerwyn]

Just added Fallen Dragon to my Amazon list, it'd make a welcome change from fantasy.