What's your single favourite SF book since 2000?

[Ropie]

What's your single favourite SF book published since 2000?

I don't recall this question being asked anytime recently but I was wondering about it last night.

I could easily name 30 or 40 SF books I really love but only a couple of them published after the turn of the last millennium. If I had to pick one, well.... I'll get back to you.

 

[Charlie]

Favorite Post-Millennial Book

OK, I'll bite..."Blindsight" by Peter Watts.

Charlie

 

[psikeyhackr]

If I had to pick one, well.... I'll get back to you.

Sneaky one aren't you? LOL

This picking the best is a problem because I like things for different reasons.

I will pick Bujold's Captain Vorpatrils's Alliance. It is a fun book.

I like Cryoburn also though I was somewhat disappointed with it after the first read. But it is the more serious science fiction story. Science and technology are not just the issue, in and of themselves. It is a question of what people do with it. Cryoburn has a society doing something different with cold sleep technology on a massive scale but who is in control within the society? I think about Cryoburn more than CVA but CVA is more thoughtless fun.

So the one Best business is not so valid.

psik

 

[krisbslick]

I don't recall this question being asked anytime recently but I was wondering about it last night.

I could easily name 30 or 40 SF books I love but only a couple of them would be since the turn of the last millennium. If I had to pick one, well.... I'll get back to you.

I'd have to go with the book that got me into the greater science fiction world - Pandora's Star.

 

[suciul]

I could name 50+ - maybe even 100 - sf books from 2000 on that I loved and of which most I would still read now, but overall for the greatest entertainment value and number of rereads (10+), Off Armageddon Reef by D. Weber (Safehold 1) would be my top pick

 

[Pennarin]

The Kings of Eternity, Eric Brown

 

[Luke_B]

You hurt my head.

Light by M. John Harrison (2002).

 

[Westy]

Yeah, very hard to pick one.

I narrowed it down to Dune, Rendezvous with Rama, House of Suns and Hyperion.

Would probably pick Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke. But I've only read House of Suns and Hyperion once each, so whenever I get to re-read them the top pick may change...

 

[Ropie]

I narrowed it down to Dune, Rendezvous with Rama, House of Suns and Hyperion.

Sorry maybe I wasn't clear, Westsiyeed - I meant books that have been published since 2000 AD (have updated my original post).

 

[Westy]

Oops my fault.

Actually I would pick Stone by Adam Roberts. House of Suns would be a close second.

 

[Danogzilla]

Tough thread to post in. I've almost posted a few times since yesterday morning, each time with a different answer. I'm hesitating to post even as I type this now. But what the hey, I'll go with Surface Detail by Iain M Banks.

 

[Ropie]

Tough thread to post in.

Hehe, glad it's a bit of a challenge.

Actually I would pick Stone by Adam Roberts.

I loved Yellow Blue Tibia but have been left a bit cold by his other recent books. I should give some of his older titles like Stone a shot.

Light by M. John Harrison (2002).

OK, I'll bite..."Blindsight" by Peter Watts.

Read these, and sorry to say I didn't get either of them (they seemed quite similar to me). Undoubtedly impressive books but not floating of my boat.

The Kings of Eternity, Eric Brown

Now this is a good one! I really enjoyed it when it came out.

I could name 50+ - maybe even 100 - sf books from 2000 on that I loved

Amazing! Over the past 10 years I've probably read 15-20 SF books newer than the 1990s, and of those I'd say just 5 or 6 were really memorable. That's sort of why I was interested in asking too.

Pandora's Star.

I'm always put off by the size of his novels, to my shame.

Sneaky one aren't you? LOL

Just needed to get a moment to look through my shelves. My favourite has to be The Islanders by Christopher Priest.

 

[Luke_B]

Read these, and sorry to say I didn't get either of them (they seemed quite similar to me). Undoubtedly impressive books but not floating of my boat.

Heh, sorry I thought I was picking my favourite book, not your favourite book.

Just needed to get a moment to look through my shelves. My favourite has to be The Islanders by Christopher Priest.

Damn, I can't poop on your choice as I quite like it too. Not as good as Light, but not a bad book at all.

Edit: Don't understand Eric Brown's popularity. Word for word a terrible writer.

 

[Westy]

Edit: Don't understand Eric Brown's popularity. Word for word a terrible writer.

I do think his writing style is simplistic and fairly non-technical (especially for an SF writer), but wouldn't go so far as to call him terrible. I've found some of his latest books have been fairly average, but I really enjoyed Kings of Eternity and his Bengal station series.

 

[psikeyhackr]

I'm always put off by the size of his novels, to my shame.

I think I stopped before half way thru Reality Dysfunction. I only read that far because so many people say it is so good.

I don't mind a long book but I feel that a decent book should pull me in, I shouldn't have to push my way through. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance had more pull than Cryoburn, but I didn't have to push with either of them.

psik

 

[suciul]

I think I stopped before half way thru Reality Dysfunction. I only read that far because so many people say it is so good.

psik

The Reality Dysfunction is my 2nd top sf of all time (Use of Weapons being #1 obviously) and Pandora's Star was very close to be my top choice for the 00's but the sequel is both weak and shows the major weakness of the Commonwealth universe (the lack of consequences given by the ability of transferring to new bodies), weakness that the Void trilogy only accentuated (and I still loved those books, so powerful is P. Hamilton's narrative pull); other 00 books that could have been my #1 at a given time though looking back they stayed somewhat less with me are, Revelation Space, Stone, The Golden Age, Altered Carbon, By Light Alone, Anathem, Spirit or The Princess Bois Dormant, Spin, Gardens of the Sun, Transition, Surface Detail, The Clockwork Rocket, Adjacent, Land of the Headless, Stealing Light, 1633, March to the Sea, At All Costs, In Fury Born, By Schism Rent Asunder (this actually was another very close choice rather than OAR and in many ways it was even more memorable but while OAR is self contained to a large degree, this is part 1 of 2), Dancing with Eternity, Mercury Station/Venusia etc

 

[Luke_B]

Use of Weapons being #1 obviously)

Could kiss you.

 

[Ropie]

Heh, sorry I thought I was picking my favourite book, not your favourite book.

Hehe, well I preferred Light to some of the other choices given so far. I'll admit quite a bit of that book went over my head, though whether that was through lack of interest or understanding I can't remember 4 or 5 years later.

Damn, I can't poop on your choice as I quite like it too.

 

[Luke_B]

I do think his writing style is simplistic and fairly non-technical (especially for an SF writer), but wouldn't go so far as to call him terrible. I've found some of his latest books have been fairly average, but I really enjoyed Kings of Eternity and his Bengal station series.

"Terrible" probably was an unfair pre-coffee early morning assessment. "Simplistic" not a bad word. "Uninspired", "vanilla", "yawny-yawn-yawn-yawn" are also probably all adequate descriptions. Never got through a book of his that I've picked up.

 

[Siberian]

I can only think of trilogies/series

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (so what if it's YA, it gave me more enjoyment than any adult book).

Honorable mention:
Skolian Empire books by Catherine Asaro
Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell