Sci-fi books

REVELATION SPACE!!!!

Or anything by Alistair Reynolds!!! Amazing, amazing writer!!!

Piers Anthony "Incarnation" series

I second this recommendation. The first book in the series, On A Pale Horse, is a short, easy read. It will, however, leave you with a ton of questions to discuss.

Nothing by Orson Scott Card. Unless of course you are okay with homophobic right wing ideology.

i realize OSC is bat **** crazy, but do you really think it leaked into Ender's Game?

ETA: wow. just found this: http://skipendersgame.com/

dude's works aren't getting $.01 more from me. I knew he was bad, but didn't realize how extreme.

Personally I think refusing to read an author because s/he has a different world view from your own is rather silly, that's sort of the point of reading, exploring other world views.

That being said, yes OSC is bat **** crazy, and his remarks have been highly offensive.

This would be especially suprising to anyone who has ACTUALLY READ Speaker for the Dead, as one of the major concepts in the book is the idea of VARELSE and learning acceptance of the alien psyche. Don't know, MIGHT make for some interesting discussion in a book club setting about the differences between the message in the book, and the message the author is spouting off about IRL.

Or you could just burn the book because you don't like the author, that always works out well.

Personally I think refusing to read an author because s/he has a different world view from your own is rather silly, that's sort of the point of reading, exploring other world views.

I think you misunderstand the point of the protest. It's not about "refusing to read an author because s/he has a different world view" but it is about refusing to support someone financially because of their 'world view,' where in this case OSC's 'world view' is outspoken bigotry and stating publicly that homosexuality should be criminalized. In his own words: “those who flagrantly violate society’s regulation of sexual behavior cannot be permitted to remain as acceptable, equal citizens within that society.” and "The first and greatest threat from court decisions in California and Massachusetts, giving legal recognition to "gay marriage," is that it marks the end of democracy in America."

That second quote is the first line of an editorial he wrote in 2008. It's a sad read, in that its sad someone could be so misguided and hate-filled, but you can find it here: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700245157/State-job-is-not-to-redefine-marriage.html?pg=1

Lots of non sci-fi in this thread.

DUNE.
Hyperion
and too much to choose from by Isaac Asimov

Really though, Dune just can't be beaten.

I have never been able to get into Dune. I may have to try it again

Of course The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is a classic! You will love it! You can lok other Douglas Adams books too. He is awesome!

My favourite book is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I read it almost 20 times already. (And if you like politics/sociology you can read Brave New World Revisited. It's about the regime and system which is run in Brave New World)

And you know Jules Verne is still number 1!

I'm for Asimov

Nightfall
9 Tomorrows (anthology)
Caves of Steel
Prelude to Foundation
I, robot (not the stupid movie)

Heinlein (his main fault is he couldn't write a decent female character if his life depended on it.)
Starship Troopers
some of his juvenile fiction, e.g. Have Spacesuit, Will Travel; Tunnel in the Sky

Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider series or Freedom series. The former reads more like fantasy than sci-fi.

I second "The Handmaid's Tale" - it's my favorite Atwood novel.

I read through the other posts briefly and didn't see (to my surprise and/or negligence!) .... H.P. Lovecraft! and Arthur C. Clarke! (Probably negligence - I skimmed through the posts quickly.)

I've always loved Clarke's short stories, and The Nine Billion Names of God is my absolute favorite ever. You can find it in basically any Clarke compilation.

Lovecraft... what can I say? He's more horror than sci-fi, but it's like... if the movie Event Horizon had a lovechild with a book and went on an acid trip to a World of Warcraft land... ish. It's interesting to say the least, and his ability to develop complex characters with amazingly weird backgrounds is outstanding.

Cheers to a good book, and enjoy your book club!

Just tried Handmaids Tale, sorry not sure why others like it so much. I found I was skipping long montages as they were quite boring. (PS aware that we all have different tastes though I am a fan normally of sci fi and fantasy)