slateef

I'm a big fan of Arthur C. Clarke...read basically everything by him, but its been a while.

I'm going on a trip to the beach where I'll have some free time and would like some recommendations for "hard sci-fi". No fantasy based stuff, please. As close to Clarke as you can make it.

Thanks in advance!

mgbfan

Don't know what you mean by "as close to Clarke as you can make it." Do you want well-written, original science fiction, or do you want some Clarke-wannabe hack? If you mean that you want something of lasting and genuine impact, here are a few to consider (many of which you've probably read, but...)

Dune - Herbert
Hyperion - Simmons
The Mote in God's Eye - Niven & Pournelle
The Left Hand of Darkness - LeGuin
Ender's Game - Card

benedict

Although the request has arisen before, it'd be churlish to merge with threads from so long ago so, in case you are interested in checking what was said on an earlier occasion: Looking for some good sci-fi

And, earlier this year, someone was asking about classic (as opposed to exclusively "hard") science fiction here: http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=489352

brainee

All great picks for me too. I'm also not exactly sure how close writers are too Clarke, but if that means authors that write "hard" sci-fi, with serious science, emphasizing the themes of exploration and the philosophy of what it means to be human, I have a few more:

Greg Bear: Kind of left the genre as of late, but was one of my favorite "hard" SF writers of the 80's. "Eon" (and to a lesser extent it's follow-ups) is a great starting place, and evokes the feel of Clarke's Rama. "Forge of God" and "Blood Music" are also a couple of my favorites, though everything through 1993's "Moving Mars" is very solid.

Vernor Vinge: "A Fire Upon the Deep" and "A Deepness in the Sky" are both terrific.

Iain Banks: "Consider Phlebas", the first (and my favorite) of his "Culture" series (which share the same universe, but which can be read in any order). Banks writes "thinking persons" space operas, and his novels can be interesting and experimental as far as story-structure is concerned (though Phlebas is one of the more straight-forward).

"Heart of the Comet" by Gregory Benford and David Brin. Though both Benford and Brin have published much great SF in the last 30 years, their collaboration remains my favorite.

Dr Mabuse

i would recommend Robert Silverberg's 'Dying Inside'...

very good...

Link...

dugan

"The Dark Beyond The Stars" by Frank M Robinson is an unfairly forgotten gem. Thought provoking and gripping at the same time. And as SF goes, it's very hard.

"Gateway" by Frederich Pohl. Another classic. Extremely powerful ending. Followed by several sequels of steadily declining quality.

innocentfreak

No idea how close it is but I always loved John Steakley's Armor.

Lastblade

Try Walter Jon Williams' Dread Empire Falls trilogy (first book is "The Praxis"). It was a fun read (nothing too deep or anything).

Newfrd

Demon, Titan, and Wizard by John Varley

NCMojo

Just finished Snow Crash... I read it halfway through when it first came out, and then picked it up and read it cover to cover when I went to the beach.

johnnysd

The Giants series by Hogan is great hard science fiction. Also, if you have not read it, try to read "The Stars My Destination" by Bester one of the best novels I have ever read.

orderandlaw

Excellent book. NS is my favorite SF author.

Diamond Age is a great follow-up to Snow Crash. Totally different, but in the same future, a few decades on...

beavismom

Try Old Man's War or The Android's Dream by John Scalzi.

Xytraguptorh

All the Scalzi books are really good. The third in the Old Man's War series is out now. If anyone like Robert Heinlein, they would probably enjoy the OMW series too.

I would also recommend Red Thunder by John Varley if you like that type of SF.

Joe Molotov

If you like Snowcrash, you should definately read Neuromancer.

cranberries fan

I got an old one for you Cyborg by martin cadin (it's novel that was the bases for The Six Million Dolllar Man).