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So for the holidays I plan on asking a relative to get me some sf books. I'm providing her with a list of books and she picks out which ones to get. I've never read anything by Harlan Ellison and I wanted to. Could anyone recommend a couple of novels by him or anthologies of his short stories that are good? And also if you could tell me any of your favorite sf books by any author that you recommend, that'd be helpful. Thanks.
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Sqeamish? How do you define squeamish? If you mean like blood and violence, not really. I'm a 15 year old male, if that affects your recommendations at all. But I like books that make you think alot after you're finished. Some of my favorite books, aside from OSC, are the Foundation trilogy from Asimov, 1984 by Orwell, Wild Seed by Octavia Butler, and Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. A book I didn't like was Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur Clarke (too slow).
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I really enjoy the Miles Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold. The first book is "Young Miles" you might look it up and see if it seems interesting.
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Sci-Fi: Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Its a four book series, but sort of broken up in chronology between the first two and the last two. Its a very wide ranging sci-fi book, with a whole lot of interesting ideas.
Fantasy: A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. The first book is A Game of Thrones. Its an excellent fantasy series, which is currently on book four. Its more realistic and gritty than your average fantasy book, and almost reads like historical fiction.
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One of the best novels I've read in recent months is Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts. It's a mostly autobiographical account of a man who arrives in Bombay after escaping from a 20-year prison sentence in his native Australia. He gets involved in a number of pursuits, including the profession of slum doctor, and strongman in the Bombay mafia. It's a fantastic novel. Sorry, it's not sci-fi, but why restrict yourself to a genre anyways. Link.Posts: 1855 | Registered: Mar 2003
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If you like a good think and don't mind squicky stuff, any of Ellison's larger short story collections will be great; I'd start there before moving on to his novels, although of course I Have No Mouth... is a classic and would seem to fit all your requirements.
It sounds like you're big on alternate histories and dystopias. Is that right?
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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Umm, I've never really noticed that but I guess so. I'll definitely check out those books everyone mentioned. Tom, do you know any specific collections that are have some of Ellison's best stories? I bounce around different authors alot so a collection that isn't too large would be good. I usually read a few short stories then switch to a different collection from a different author and then read something by another author. I'm trying to read alot of different authors before I start focusing on specific authors that I really enjoyed. The only author I've read more than 5 novels from is OSC.
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Well, a dystopia that isn't on your list is Brave New World, by Huxley. You might also consider just about anything pre-1980s by Heinlein. I suspect that you would absolutely love the work of Philip K. Dick. And, of course, no list of dystopias is complete without mention of Dune.
If you're new to Ellison, the relatively short Troublemakers is a collection hand-picked by the author; The Essential Ellison is a bit more hit-and-miss, but also more complete.
Now, we're talking here about the Old Masters (tm) -- in that Asimov, Heinlein, Ellison, Huxley, etc. are all pretty much "classic" authors. There's a lot happening in modern sci-fi nowadays, but the feel is in general very different when compared to the Old Masters. How wide-ranging do you want to go with your recommendations?
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How many of Butler's books have you read? I'd suggest getting one or two more of hers - they're ALL excellent.
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Dune is a dystopia? I can't say I noticed. In that genre, though, I would recommend 1984 - an utter classic - and Stirling's Domination of the Draka series.
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I'd consider Dune a dystopia, absolutely. It's ultimately about world-building, especially if you carry it through God-Emperor.Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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I'm sorry but I've never finished Dune. I started it about a year ago and got about halfway through and then put it down. It's too slow, I have a very short attention span (ADD). I've read a handful of short stories from Philip Dick and I loved all of them. I have an anthlogy from him. I'll probably read more stories from him tonight now that you reminded me. About the Classic and Modern sci-fi, I switch between them. I don't really read authors togethor based on whether they're classic or modern. Maybe I should. Would it be better if I started reading all of the classic authors first and then moved to the contemporary authors? Or vica-versa?
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I read Dune 20 years ago. But, I seem to remember that 1,3, and 5 were OK. 2 and 4 were eminently skipable.
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I forgot the recomendation part. Why not try one of the Mitchner "big books". I found "The Source" a lot of fun when I was 15 and it would be different.
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Have you considered Roger Zelazny? He was interesting ... I would recommend him, though he isn't one of my personal favorites. If you want a good laugh which ... well, its weird if nothing else, try the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. The first one is The Eyre Affair. Umm ... brain froze up so I can't think of any other recommendations, but if you've ever read any classic literature, definately pick up Jasper Fforde's stuff for a good laugh.
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I'm also a big fan of dystopias. Philip K. Dick is awesome, although he seems to be really big on Nazis. I liked Lies, Inc. (which convinced me never to try lsd) and the Zap Gun. Actually, I liked most of the books of his that I've read, although I never finished the Man in the High Castle.
I also like Huxley. Brave New World is awesome. And he wrote a book called Island that I'm reading right now. I'd stay away from Ape and Essence, however, as it has creepy Satan-worshipping baby-sacrificers.
Also, I like Anthony Burgess. A Clockwork Orange is good. For something less graphic (and without the foreign slang), try the Wanting Seed.
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I've read a lot of Ellison. Strange Wine is my fave collection of his -- good mix of stories, and a lot of introductions for them if I remember right (Ellison writes really interesting story intros).
Posts: 2911 | Registered: Aug 2001
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I'm a little late to the recommendation party, but for my money 'Deathbird Stories' is Ellison's best. It's a story collection themed around the idea of new myths, new Gods in the tradition of the old, but for our modern times.
"The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" is my favorite Ellison short....
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