The Orbiter Forum List of Essential Science Fiction.

[n72.75]

I'll start:

• Dune: Frank Herbert
• Rendezvous With Rama: Arthur C. Clark

 

[Urwumpe]

Starship Troopers: Robert A. Heinlein
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: Douglas Adams

 

[iamwearingpants]

A Canticle for Leibowitz, sci-fi isn't only space

That one is one my list.

 

[Mantis]

My two favorites:

"Titan" -- Stephen Baxter
"Voyage" -- Stephen Baxter

Titan has some pretty wacky political junk in it but aside from that it's an excellent book.

 

[orb]

"The Forever War" - Joe Haldeman

 

[Ark]

My two favorites:

"Titan" -- Stephen Baxter
"Voyage" -- Stephen Baxter

Titan has some pretty wacky political junk in it but aside from that it's an excellent book.

Totally agree, they're must-read for Orbiter junkies who love imaginative uses for existing technology.

As for me, I submit the Grand Tour series by Ben Bova. All physics taken into consideration, decent character writing, and fun to be had at any location in the Solar System. The Asteroid Wars arc is my personal high point in the series.

 

[martins]

Don't know about "essential", but here is one I enjoyed:

Mary Doria Russell, "The Sparrow".

There is also a sequel.

 

[francisdrake]

I agree with all of the above + adding two not so popular ones:

"Forever War" - Joe Haldeman
Pretty realistic war scenarios in an environment of close-to-lightspeed travel, where time dilation leads to encounters of different technological development stages. Actually an anti-war novel, although war is omnipresent.

"The Risen Empire" and "The Killing of Worlds" - Scott Westerfeld
How would Star Wars look like in hard SF? No FTL, but large battlecruisers, time dilation, no space-fighters but drones remote controlled by 'jockeys' onboard the battlecruiser, nanotechnology spy drones the size of a mosquito, and many more well-thought concepts.

 

[Urwumpe]

"Forever War" - Joe Haldeman
Pretty realistic war scenarios in an environment of close-to-lightspeed travel, where time dilation leads to encounters of different technological development stages. Actually an anti-war novel, although war is omnipresent.

Thank you for reminding me, had been planning for a long time to buy it, maybe I can now realize that.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

Ben Bova's "Grand Tour" series. Start anywhere in the series you want, Ya'ah'teh'.

One more great thing about this forum, many of you will know the reference. No explanation req'd.

 

[Jarvitä]

In descending order of sci-fi "hardness",

K. Stanley Robinson - Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars
Alastair Reynolds - Revelation Space series
Iain M. Banks - Culture series
Larry Niven et al - The Man-Kzin Wars series

 

[Moach]

Isaac Asimov - The Last Question

 

[Mantis]

Totally agree, they're must-read for Orbiter junkies who love imaginative uses for existing technology.

As for me, I submit the Grand Tour series by Ben Bova. All physics taken into consideration, decent character writing, and fun to be had at any location in the Solar System. The Asteroid Wars arc is my personal high point in the series.

Thanks for the tip on the Grand Tour series. I just bought the whole set of eBooks for my Kobo Reader!

 

[xlns]

"Use of weapons" Iain M. Banks

 

[streb2001]

"The City and the Stars" by Arthur C Clarke. A timeless masterpiece.

 

[n0mad23]

Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle - Footfall.

Worth reading if not just for the Orion nuclear ship launched out of Bellingham, Washington (USA). My favorite alien invasion story of all time!

 

[Star Voyager]

Marooned (1964 Mercury/Gemini/Vostok version) by Martin Caidin

 

[Loru]

May be hard to find but still I've grown on those.

Stanislaw Lem - Star Diaries, Eden, Astronauts.
Peter Zsoldos - Task

 

[Hielor]

Variable Star, by Spider Robinson based on an outline by Robert Heinlein.

 

[RichWall]

The Martian Chronicles - by Ray Bradbury

The Sixth Finger - by Ellis St. Joseph

Demon with a Glass Hand - by Harlan Ellison

Quatermass and the Pit - by Nigel Kneale