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This is a link post Mad Ad with Nicholas Cage
However, the above posted link is just a duplicitous ploy for your attention.

Anyway, thanks to a death in the family, I now have an impending trans-continental flight in a few days. Tomorrow I'm going to buy a Kindle e-reader to help pass the time during my 25+ hour flights (Melbourne to London).

So... I'm looking for recommendations; specifically quality sci-fi novels.

After a quick look at my bookcases (yes plural); already read are:
Starship Troopers
The Forever War
I Am Legend
Most of Iain M Banks' stuff
Dune
Tau Zero
A couple of Philip K Dick collections
Colossus
(theremin put the lotion in the basket on, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 3:56, Reply)
This is a normal post Mary Gentle: Grunts.
David Gunn: Death's Head.
Michael Marshall Smith: Spares.
Adam Christopher: Empire State.
Kim Newman: Anno Dracula series, Diogenes Club series, Moriarty And The Hound Of The D'Urbervilles.
Martin Millar: Lonely Werewolf Girl.
Don't let the fact that these next couple are Warhammer 40k put you off:
Dan Abnett: Gaunt's Ghosts series.
Sandy Mitchell: Ciaphas Cain series.
 (I helped save b3ta! stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Mon 29 Oct 2012, 4:12, Reply)
This is a normal post Yes
Seconding Gaunts Ghosts and Ciaphas Cain. Both fantastic series.
 (Smelch God says I'm a Pirate now. Yarr!, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 10:08, Reply)
This is a normal post Thoroughly entertaining:
Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson
Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke

half a chance you didn't read Good Omens by Gaiman/Pratchett

Proper sci-fi, however...perhaps the nice 2 volume edition of
Book of the New Sun - Gene Wolfe
 (macroscian (1 like), Mon 29 Oct 2012, 6:06, Reply)
This is a normal post oh and
Jeff Noon
- Vurt
- Pollen
- Nymphomation

- Pixel Juice

- Needle in the Groove
 (macroscian (1 like), Mon 29 Oct 2012, 6:23, Reply)
This is a normal post +1 Cryptonomicon

(I helped save b3ta! DrPrunesquallor is determined to post more as of, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 11:39, Reply)
This is a normal post Neuromancer is an absolute must

(I helped save b3ta! Cerebus Sticky! Sticky! Stick! Stick!, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 6:21, Reply)
This is a normal post I think Pattern Recognition was about twice as good

(macroscian (1 like), Mon 29 Oct 2012, 6:24, Reply)
This is a normal post Burning Chrome FTW

(I helped save b3ta! stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Mon 29 Oct 2012, 6:28, Reply)
This is a normal post I've not read that one or any of his more recent stuff
Last one I read was Mona Lisa Overdrive which is rather good.

I might give PR a go but Neuromancer is important for historic reasons too. Gibson pretty much nailed it with his vision of future tech.
 (I helped save b3ta! Cerebus Sticky! Sticky! Stick! Stick!, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 9:47, Reply)
This is a normal post As he mentioned on Twitter recently
Gibson is amused by how badly it suffers if you consider mobile comms - phones and wifi - while you're reading it.
 (I helped save b3ta! Fronds are waving gently on, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 13:36, Reply)
This is a normal post That is
very excellent...
 (I helped save b3ta! A!. touching Shatner's Bassoon., Mon 29 Oct 2012, 10:50, Reply)
This is a normal post Margaret Atwood
Oryx and Crake
 (Ol' Ginger Bastard a role model for the children, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 6:23, Reply)
This is a normal post Islands In The Net - Bruce Sterling
The Moon Goddess and The Sun - Donald Kingbury
The Mars Trilogy - Kim Stanley Robinson
Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M Miller
Futuretrack 5 - Robert Westall
The Bridge - Iain Banks, but it's pretty close to being sci-fi, it's not a culture novel though.
 (I helped save b3ta! Thrill_My_Chinchilla is old and unimproved, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 6:49, Reply)
This is a normal post The Bridge was a very nice read
that barbarian had me chuckling a lot
 (macroscian (1 like), Mon 29 Oct 2012, 7:08, Reply)
This is a normal post Asimov - Fountains of Paradise
Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars series.
Frederik Pohl's Gateway.
I'm going to echo the recommendation for Cryptonomicon too.

Basically look through the history of winners of the Nebula Prize and see what interests you.

Outside of Sci Fi (but not far outside), I tell everyone who asks for a book recommendation to read Haruki Murakami's Wind Up Bird Chronicle.
 (I helped save b3ta! wheresthefish Partly filled with wrong, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 6:59, Reply)
This is a normal post Haruki Murakami's Wind Up Bird Chronicle
or anything by Murakami, Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is amazing too.
 (Ol' Ginger Bastard a role model for the children, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 7:22, Reply)
This is a normal post I LOVE Murakami.
His latest was a bit hit and miss, his books are dreamy though.
 (I helped save b3ta! Dawn Of The Bread $$$$ E-THUG 4 LIFE - THAT'S HOW I SCROLL $$$$, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 8:19, Reply)
This is a normal post what a bunch of asshole nerds we are
sorry for your loss
 (Ol' Ginger Bastard a role model for the children, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 8:07, Reply)
This is a normal post What loss?

(I helped save b3ta! stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Mon 29 Oct 2012, 8:38, Reply)
This is a normal post Never mind, reread it and spotted now.
Yeah Theremin, sorry for your loss and that. Still, KINDLE!
:D
 (I helped save b3ta! stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Mon 29 Oct 2012, 9:28, Reply)
This is a normal post Sorry to hear about your loss

I see a few recommendations for Kim stanley robinson's mars trilogy.

Red Mars is brilliant, a 'must read'. The other two aren't worth the time - decidedly meh.

Just my tuppence worth.
 (Montyphuq, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 8:22, Reply)
This is a normal post Diminishing returns, certainly
But I think you're a BIT harsh.
 (I helped save b3ta! Thrill_My_Chinchilla is old and unimproved, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 8:38, Reply)
This is a normal post Candles to you.

(I helped save b3ta! Pig Bodine., Mon 29 Oct 2012, 9:56, Reply)
This is a normal post happy candleday :)
Possibly a bit harsh, but i think his publisher and his bank manager may have had more to do with the 2nd and 3rd books than he did.

I'd advise anyone to read Red Mars, but maybe blue and green should not be seen :)
 (Montyphuq, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 19:06, Reply)
This is a normal post There's loads of sci-fi in the Daily Mail

(I helped save b3ta! Fadgebadger Sweaty sumo wanks for everyone!, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 8:29, Reply)
This is a normal post Ha!!!
First laugh of the day, cheers Fadgy.
 (I helped save b3ta! Dawn Of The Bread $$$$ E-THUG 4 LIFE - THAT'S HOW I SCROLL $$$$, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 8:30, Reply)
This is a normal post Thank you.
I'm here for a few more days at least. Have you tried the veal yet?
 (I helped save b3ta! Fadgebadger Sweaty sumo wanks for everyone!, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 8:38, Reply)
This is a normal post Im vegetarian, i'll have you know.
I don't even have the energy to finish this sente...
 (I helped save b3ta! Dawn Of The Bread $$$$ E-THUG 4 LIFE - THAT'S HOW I SCROLL $$$$, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 8:39, Reply)
This is a normal post Greg Egan's stuff is great.
"Oceanic" is a good anthology.
 (I helped save b3ta! Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 8:42, Reply)
This is a normal post "Sirens of Titan" by Vonnegut. By far.
"We" by Zamyatin, or "Starmaker" by Olaf Stapleton.
 (I helped save b3ta! Tab Hunter Make this useless process end and so, begin again, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 9:08, Reply)
This is a normal post I've only read one Stapledon:
"Last and First Men".

I don't think I'll be rushing to read anything else of his...
 (I helped save b3ta! Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 9:40, Reply)
This is a normal post tarmaker's quite different, but still, it's one of those books that is as interesting because of what it influenced, its place in literary history & Stapleton himself.
"We" is too, to a certain extent- it's good, but it becomes something more if you compare it to the two (more obvious) dystopian novels written around the same time.
 (I helped save b3ta! Tab Hunter Make this useless process end and so, begin again, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 10:10, Reply)
This is a normal post Yeah - I kind of agree about "We" -
though it's a loooooong time since I read it, and I have to admit that I can't remember a great deal about it.
 (I helped save b3ta! Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 10:16, Reply)
This is a normal post If you like "hard" sci-fi,
Try Stephen Baxter, the Manifold series : Time, Space, Origin and Phase Space are pretty good.
 (I helped save b3ta! loonybean giving as good as he gets since, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 9:32, Reply)
This is a normal post Blindsight, by Peter Watts
(Which has the benefit of being a freebie off his website if you are so inclined)
 (Zachariah Pardon, pardon. J'AI UNE POUSSETTE, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 9:50, Reply)
This is a normal post William Shatner's TekWar

(I helped save b3ta! Joe Scaramanga with a G-double-O-D vibration, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 9:58, Reply)
This is a normal post Well, OBVIOUSLY

(I helped save b3ta! Tab Hunter Make this useless process end and so, begin again, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 10:12, Reply)
This is a normal post You are Father Ted Curly
AICMFP
 (I helped save b3ta! DrPrunesquallor is determined to post more as of, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 11:41, Reply)
This is a normal post Spaceship Troopers.
Keep you eye on the daily deal where they put something for £1 each day. Often they're offering dross but sometimes you'll stumble across something worth a punt:
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000577623
 (I helped save b3ta! Pig Bodine., Mon 29 Oct 2012, 10:02, Reply)
This is a normal post If you want some epic length Sci-Fi with a nice gothic twist I highly recomened the revelation space series
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_Space_universe
 (I helped save b3ta! Cerebus Sticky! Sticky! Stick! Stick!, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 10:03, Reply)
This is a normal post My mum bought me the first. I thought it a steaming heap of boring, badly-written bilge. Weighed a fucking tonne, too.
What was I missing?
 (I helped save b3ta! Tab Hunter Make this useless process end and so, begin again, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 10:14, Reply)
This is a normal post Tact?

(Ol' Ginger Bastard a role model for the children, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 10:24, Reply)
This is a normal post Oh look: I dare criticise something a ginger recommends
& all the other tangerine-haired freaks pile on.
 (I helped save b3ta! Tab Hunter Make this useless process end and so, begin again, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 10:38, Reply)
This is a normal post dream on

(Ol' Ginger Bastard a role model for the children, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 10:46, Reply)
This is a normal post If you're not a fan of the space opera genre then it's a bit to much to invest in
But the series running though the books creates and destroys some really well defined characters.

Absolution Gap has one of the most genuinely creepy characters i've ever seen in a book.
 (I helped save b3ta! Cerebus Sticky! Sticky! Stick! Stick!, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 13:23, Reply)
This is a normal post Only one of Reynold's books hasn't been worth reading for me
"Terminal World" was terrible. Started well, then turned into a clumsily written "as you know, Bob..." tell-not-show fest. And it had a Stephenson-type nonending, without the fun of Stephenson's erudition.

All the others are great! Haven't read Blue Remembered Earth yet.
 (I helped save b3ta! Fronds are waving gently on, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 13:34, Reply)
This is a normal post The Dresden files - Jim Butcher
Hard boiled detective meets dark magic. There's a bunch of 'em.
Definite love of the genre shows through.

And in a similar vein the Laundry Files series by Charlie Stross.
Coldwar thriller/Lovecraftian horror mashups.
Protagonist is a bit smug sometimes, but a fun read.
 (It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday!It's my b3taday! smaggers Like a gibbon on helium, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 11:30, Reply)
This is a normal post Golden Globe by John Varley
The best sci-fi evar writtin. Seriously.
 (I helped save b3ta! simbosan is too tired, Mon 29 Oct 2012, 12:40, Reply)