Epic Science Fiction

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Epic Science Fiction

#21 Gnaw

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Posted 13 October 2015 - 11:56 PM

I hesitate to mention this because it can get out of hand completely.

The Ringworld Series by Larry Niven.

But to really understand everything past book 2, you need to read just about everything Niven ever wrote set in his "Known Space" universe.

And his "Fleet of Worlds" series is pretty good, but then you really do have to read everything from the "Known Space" universe, including the anthologies "The Man-Kzin Wars" series.

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#22 Abyss

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Posted 14 October 2015 - 02:22 AM

Some glorious recos upthread. A few more to complicate your life....
I'll add Richard Morgan's TAKESHI KOVACS books. Elements of hard SF, noir, mil, political drama, mind transference, disposeable ninja bodies and some seriously weird ass sex. Killer action too.
Also RM Meluch's TOUR OF THE MERRIMACK books 1-4. Spaceships, cyborgs, bugs, swords, Romans.
Campbell's LOST FLEET is fairly 'hard' milsf but always good, often brilliant.
And online you can find Weber's STARS AT WAR series for free and see why he more or less invented the milsf genre.

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#23 Andorion

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Posted 14 October 2015 - 02:37 AM

Abyss, on 14 October 2015 - 02:22 AM, said:

If you like huge fleets blasting away forever Stars at War is great. I love reading it sometimes to just let my brain unwind.

Campbells Lost Fleet started off great with a nice twist on the Ten Thousand theme but I am not sure about the Beyond the Frontier theme going on now.

I was wondering when the Merrimack would turn up.

Well if Stars at War are here, then I recommend David Weber's Honor Harrington. At least the first three before they get bloated beyond recovery

#24 Tiste Simeon

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Posted 14 October 2015 - 05:40 AM

Abyss, on 14 October 2015 - 02:22 AM, said:

Completely forgot about Kovacs. I loved the first book but the 2nd & 3rd declined in quality I felt...

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#25 amphibian

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Posted 14 October 2015 - 06:56 AM

Considering Simeon's strong liking for addled detective stories, it makes sense the first book appeals the most. The second is basically a private military heist that culminates in some weird, weird shit. The second is probably Morgan, at his most heartfelt, grappling with the aftereffects of war and what it means to be a revolutionary in an era of immortality and corporate takeover. I love Morgan and his fierce will to not repeat the same story from one book to the other. But they may not be everyone's cup of tea, whether they are looking for epic space stuff or addled detective stuff.

I think the Ringworld recommend is a good one. In a similar vein of exploration and contact with aliens, the Pournelle and Niven co-written Mote in God's Eye and The Gripping Hand are very good.

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#26 Mentalist

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Posted 14 October 2015 - 11:14 AM

Briar King, on 14 October 2015 - 05:50 AM, said:

Yeah but they had even more porno sex in them

fixed that for you...

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 28 October 2015 - 04:16 PM

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#27 Tiste Simeon

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Posted 14 October 2015 - 11:32 AM

amphibian, on 14 October 2015 - 06:56 AM, said:

This is true. I enjoyed the detective/noirish element as much as the sci-fi element. I liked the other 2 enough to keep going and I was glad it wasn't just a straight continuation of the same story but they just didn't click in the same way.

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#28 Abyss

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Posted 14 October 2015 - 01:15 PM

Tiste Simeon, on 14 October 2015 - 05:40 AM, said:

Abyss, on 14 October 2015 - 02:22 AM, said:

Completely forgot about Kovacs. I loved the first book but the 2nd & 3rd declined in quality I felt...

Tiste Simeon, on 14 October 2015 - 11:32 AM, said:

amphibian, on 14 October 2015 - 06:56 AM, said:

All 3 Kovacs books are very different, but with some interesting common themes, and Morgan can write one hell of an over-the-top action scene.

I can see how some people coming off bk 1's funky noir detective story would be offput by 2's high concept sf heist, and even if they loved that, 3 gets into political thriller, albeit with feral killer robots, orbiting death rays and interplanetary revolutions.
That said, the main character's arc and the world around him follows some interesting and logical paths. I really enjoyed the series.

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#29 Serenity

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Posted 14 October 2015 - 01:36 PM

Abyss, on 14 October 2015 - 01:15 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 14 October 2015 - 05:40 AM, said:

Abyss, on 14 October 2015 - 02:22 AM, said:

Completely forgot about Kovacs. I loved the first book but the 2nd & 3rd declined in quality I felt...

Tiste Simeon, on 14 October 2015 - 11:32 AM, said:

amphibian, on 14 October 2015 - 06:56 AM, said:

I loved book 1 but thought book 2 was all kinds of awesome. Still my fave of the three.

#30 CowboyYojimbo

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Posted 29 November 2015 - 02:33 AM

I have to say Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, and The Rise of Endymion are incredible reads.
I'm sure there are more "sprawling" adventures in sci-fi, but the detail in these have very little rivals and the scope of things is quite epic.

#31 Abyss

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Posted 02 December 2015 - 04:30 PM

CowboyYojimbo, on 29 November 2015 - 02:33 AM, said:

I read and loved HYPERION/FALL way way back.

The reaction to ENDYMION has always seemed rather tepid, amounting to 'not as good as Hyperion, wouldnt have read it if it wasn't the sequel'.

Anyone care to convince me otherwise?

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#32 Salt-Man Z

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Posted 02 December 2015 - 06:43 PM

My favorite part of the ENDYMION books was how Simmons took the cruciform creatures and extrapolated their use out to the extreme. Very cool and creepy.

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#33 HiddenOne

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Posted 02 December 2015 - 07:14 PM

Simon R Green's Darkstalker series, about 10 books of space opera - I liked it, not sure about everyone else on here

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#34 Tsundoku

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Posted 12 August 2016 - 12:12 PM

Didn't Peter F Hamilton already have this in his Night's Dawn trilogy?

Living houses, eg coral

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