A question for SF fans - Is there any decent, recent stuff out there?
I've read loads of 60s, 70s and 80s Science Fiction that I've really enjoyed, but haven't come across much published during the last 30 years or so that's done anything for me. I haven't looked very hard as I don't know where to start. Can you recommend any writers?

To give you an idea, I like Michael Moorcock, Ursula Le Guin, Asimov (for the ideas, though many of his male characters are very dull and 2-D), and Philip K Dick (ditto).
(IHateSprouts is baking a huge pie shaped like an enormous pie, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 11:37, 40 replies)

you like Dick?
lol
(Quintno EXPERIMENT RUINED CANCELLED, LEFT 4EVER, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 11:41, closed)

Yes, I'm very interested in Dick.

(IHateSprouts is baking a huge pie shaped like an enormous pie, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 11:45, closed)

I love Dick, as much as I can get
all up me.
( Spleep Shit, or get off the internet., Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:24, closed)

Michael Marshall Smith.
Spares is outstanding.
New Model Army by Adam Roberts is worth checking out too.
( stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Mon 9 Jan 2012, 11:50, closed)

Thanks. Haven't heard of them, so keep the tips coming.

(IHateSprouts is baking a huge pie shaped like an enormous pie, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 11:51, closed)

Oh, I should mention that I tried and failed to get into Iain M Banks.
I don't doubt that he's a brilliant writer, but I picked up a couple of "Culture" novels and couldn't get into them enough to finish them. Just too fantastical for me to imagine and connect with, I think.
(IHateSprouts is baking a huge pie shaped like an enormous pie, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 11:56, closed)

I like his 'normal' fiction, never been able to get into his Sci-Fi stuff though.

( stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:02, closed)

I keep meaning to check out his other books, can you recommend any in particular?

(IHateSprouts is baking a huge pie shaped like an enormous pie, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:06, closed)

Whit is probably my favourite, closely followed by The Crow Road.

( stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:09, closed)

Whit has been mesntioned a few times on here.
I've not read it yet,but certainly will now.
(The Kwyjibo A big, dumb, balding North American ape., Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:13, closed)

I second the Michael Marshall Smith suggestion
It's often the case with his writing that although it is set in a dystopian version of reality, he climbs inside your head, has a look at your feelings and manages to write them down in the most beautiful way. This passage is from his 1st book, Only Forward:

“How many times have you tried to talk to someone about something that matters to you, tried to get them to see it the way you do? And how many of those times have ended with you feeling bitter, resenting them for making you feel like your pain doesn't have any substance after all?

Like when you've split up with someone, and you try to communicate the way you feel, because you need to say the words, need to feel that somebody understands just how pissed off and frightened you feel. The problem is, they never do. "Plenty more fish in the sea," they'll say, or "You're better off without them," or "Do you want some of these potato chips?" They never really understand, because they haven't been there, every day, every hour. They don't know the way things have been, the way that it's made you, the way it has structured your world. They'll never realise that someone who makes you feel bad may be the person you need most in the world. They don't understand the history, the background, don't know the pillars of memory that hold you up. Ultimately, they don't know you well enough, and they never can. Everyone's alone in their world, because everybody's life is different. You can send people letters, and show them photos, but they can never come to visit where you live.

Unless you love them. And then they can burn it down.”


when you've read all of his Michael Marshall Smith books, have a read of his Michael Marshall stuff too.
(Ross McBingobangobongo bingobangobongo, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 13:39, closed)

Spares is a beautiful book

(andythepieman Is surfing the waves of indifference on, Wed 11 Jan 2012, 12:36, closed)

Peter Hamilton
Have you tried Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy? Great big doorsteps of books but one of the most well-developed universes I have ever read. His characters are pretty good as well.

I've read SF from the same eras as you have although my tastes were more towards Asimov, Heinlein and Farmer than Michael Moorcock.

Send me a message if you want more info.
(BearWithLittleBrain, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:07, closed)

I've read Farmer but not the others, I'll look out for them, ta.

(IHateSprouts is baking a huge pie shaped like an enormous pie, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:11, closed)

This ^
I've read The Nights Dawn trilogy 3 or 4 times now and all of his other works at least twice.
( Airman Gabber Living life like a 70's BBC presenter, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:49, closed)

Paul McAuley.
He writes (mostly) Hard SF, but remembers to add realistic, human characters. Start with The Quiet War and Gardens of The Sun, which are his latest. He's one of my favourite writers, and well worth checking out.
( Spleep Shit, or get off the internet., Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:09, closed)

I will, thanks. Keep the suggestions coming.

(IHateSprouts is baking a huge pie shaped like an enormous pie, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:13, closed)

The Culture novels by Iain M Banks.
Reading them in order is strongly recommended.
( drimble he'd been white, he'd been black, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:18, closed)

I've started a couple of the Culture novels, and while I love the ideas in them
And even quite enjoyed the writing, I can never quite get into him. It's odd, but I just can't decide whether I like his work or not, and I don't know why.
( Spleep Shit, or get off the internet., Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:22, closed)

I started on two (can't recall which) and just couldn't get into them. I didn't read them in order, though.
I think it's because the world of talking space ships who are beings in their own right, people who don't have to do any work and bodies that can be endlessly adapted was just too much for me to take in. I like flaws and weaknesses in characters and genuine dangers and dilemmas that they find themselves in. If someone can use technology to do everything, it doesn't engage me with their world.
(IHateSprouts is baking a huge pie shaped like an enormous pie, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:24, closed)

I think you may have nailed what it is that gets in the way of my liking the Culture stuff. There's no real danger or surprise to it.
Moorcock dealt with the same ideas in the Dancers At The End of Time books, but I think he managed to show it as actually quite an empty, soulless existence, and anyway, threw in some modern humans as relief.
( Spleep Shit, or get off the internet., Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:30, closed)

Fair enough, in my opinion one of the strengths of this series is that The Culture are never portrayed too heavily as being 'the good guys'
but rather as being lazy, occasionally morally suspect hedonist drop-outs who have succumbed to the temptation of letting the computers do all the hard work - I don't see this as a particularly positive portrayal of a civilisation.

Anyhow, give Feersum Endjinn a go, then. It's excellent for entirely different reasons.
( drimble he'd been white, he'd been black, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 13:10, closed)

The Matrix

(TheManWithThePlan cussed your mum on, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:35, closed)

Stephen Donaldson's Gap Series really hooked me.
A total change of scene from his usual Fantasy setting but this series of books has everything I look for in Sci-Fi space operas, even if it is quite dark.
( Airman Gabber Living life like a 70's BBC presenter, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:52, closed)

Alastair Reynolds
I'd highly recommend Reynolds as a new (post-2000) sci-fi author. His work is mostly space opera scale set in (what I'm about to make up as a term) the semi-far future - far enough for common space flight, colonisation of other galaxies, and some diversity of human augmentation, but not much in the way of 'proper aliens' (which makes meeting them all the more interesting when they do appear).

I'd probably start with Chasm City, which is set in 'Revelation Space' (the name of the first book and the de facto name for that universe) - while the rest of the RS novels should be read in order, that one is self-contained and very well imagined. A film noir thriller with three cleverly interwoven threads and a delightfully rich sci-fi setting.

If space opera is your thing, I'd echo the recommendations above for Iain M. Banks and Peter F. Hamilton, and add Dan Simmons to the list.

If space opera isn't your thing, have a look at China Mieville. Described as 'weird fiction', from what I've read of his output so far it's real world settings with odd or sci-fi elements. The City and The City was most enjoyable.
(annexed, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 12:58, closed)

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville is very good as well
IMHO, innit
(square go, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 19:02, closed)

If you like Space War:
Death's Head by David Gunn.
Because Space Nazis.
See also: Veteran and War In Heaven by Gavin G Smith.
( stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Mon 9 Jan 2012, 13:51, closed)

Space Nazis, you say?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Iron_Dream
( drimble he'd been white, he'd been black, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 14:02, closed)

Meh, That's old hat..
THIS is THE FUTURE!
www.ironsky.net/site/

WE COME IN PEACE!
:D
( stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Mon 9 Jan 2012, 14:09, closed)

The fiddler himself
Arthur C Clarke is always worth a read, especially if he's collaborated with a character writer as he did in 'The light of other days'. That book is about new technology that is designed so that that atom sized cameras can go through worm holes and see into the past and present. Goes into the effect it would have on society when anyone can be viewed by anyone at anytime.....People either start walking down the road stark naked because it's no big deal anymore, or they start using stealth technology to be hidden to the remote viewers. Also they send cameras back to biblical times and the creation of the human race. Prob not everyones cup of tea but I loved it.
(bROKEN aRROW PUA HVI Master, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 14:06, closed)

Charles Stross
He writes in a couple of sub-genres: alternate Earth, very near future, comic horror.

The Merchant Families I couldn't get into, but Accelerando, which starts about 5 years from now and extends into the next 200 years is very good, along the lines of Greg Egan's Diaspora. Halting State and Rule 34 are set 10 years from now in an independent Scotland: very funny detective stories.

The ones I really like are the Laundry novels: the Lovecraft universe superimposed on the Ipcress File.

For a taster look up "A Colder War" available online.
(all my scars face forward possesses 2.5% of a hyperalloy combat chassis, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 14:15, closed)

HELL YES to The Laundry stories.
:D
( stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Mon 9 Jan 2012, 14:16, closed)

Evening
I enjoyed The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway, as it contains kung-fu truckers and ninjas and is hugely imaginative.

Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart is definitely worth a punt too - nicely written near-future sci fi / economic collapse LOLs.
(square go, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 18:53, closed)

Richard K. Morgan
all very good esp his first - Altered Carbon.
(wino.NZ The Ayatollah of rock n' rolla..., Mon 9 Jan 2012, 20:17, closed)

^ this
It's pulp, but good pulp.
( drimble he'd been white, he'd been black, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 21:15, closed)

John Brunner
beat William Gibson to the cyberpunk punch by a good few years with The Shockwave Rider: that, Stand On Zanzibar and The Sheep Look Up are towering SF masterpieces. M. John Harrison's Viriconium out-Goths the Sisters of Mercy. Bob Shaw's Orbitsville is great. Anything by Robert Sheckley. All the Hyperion quartet by Dan Simmons. Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. Schismatrix Plus by Bruce Sterling, anything by him really. Most of Greg Egan's work ( I'm not over keen on Schild's Ladder ).
( uncle bastard is twanging a dan moi, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 23:28, closed)

Can I weigh in
with a bit of Space Opera?

Give Alastair Reynolds a try. I used to be very much into Sci-Fi but kind of lost interest in my late teens. But a few months ago I suddenly got seized by a need to read some good old fashioned, proper Sci-Fi. And Alasiter Reynolds is the author that caught my eye.

In particular House of Suns or the Revelation Space series. Hard interplanetary Sci-Fi, with some big ideas but man he can write a ripping good yarn.

If space opera isn't your thing try Reynolds' Century Rain. Absolutely gripping, I found it hard to put down.
(MrC. Having the most boring username on b3ta since 2004, Tue 10 Jan 2012, 0:17, closed)

Or,
why not give Stephenson's Anathem a try?

At almost 1000 pages it's a big bugger and it's slow - it takes probably 200 pages before the story gets going. So it's not for the impatient, but if you really want to immerse yourself in a new world, as well delve into some mind-bending science and philosphy, it's unbeatable. And despite the slow start and heavy concepts it really does build into a proper action novel with a fantastic story and a great cast of characters.
(MrC. Having the most boring username on b3ta since 2004, Tue 10 Jan 2012, 0:22, closed)

Oh yeah, I've read Anathem. Plus Cryptomonicon and the trilogy about Eliza the spy
I like Neal Stephenson a lot; my boyfriend got me into his stuff.
(IHateSprouts is baking a huge pie shaped like an enormous pie, Tue 10 Jan 2012, 17:31, closed)

Thanx everyone; I now have a list of 20 or so writers to check out and I know where next month's wages are going...

(IHateSprouts is baking a huge pie shaped like an enormous pie, Tue 10 Jan 2012, 17:39, closed)