I just finished reading Out of the Dark by Weber. (Wtf ending)

Also just read Leviathan Wakes and plan on finishing up the rest of that series. Vomit zombies and thousand kilometer rail guns ftw.

Has anyone else read any decent sci-fi lately? Looking particularly for hard sci-fi about first contact or invasion.

I have one audible credit and am considering downloading The Martian. Anyone recommend?

In preparation for the kickstarter stuff arriving, I've been re-reading the Robotech novels. Can't really call them good, or hard sci-fi. Does qualify for invasion and first contact though.

In preparation for the kickstarter stuff arriving, I've been re-reading the Robotech novels. Can't really call them good, or hard sci-fi. Does qualify for invasion and first contact though.

Love the anime, the novels...not so much. Just finished "Leaves on the Wind", a graphic novel that's a canon continuation of Firefly/Serenity and loved it. Currently reading Berserk(manga) and re-reading Rogue Squadron.

The graphic novel, Saga, recommended by another member here.

Working my way through Rebels: A New Dawn, it's ok, but it needs Chopper to bring it alive a bit more.

An oldie but a goodie is Who Goes Here? By Bob Shaw - messes around with sci-fi conventions and is humourous to boot.

Haven't read anything about invasion in ages.

First contact, though... Just survived my yearly re-reading of Blindsight, which I'm willing to recommend to anyone on the condition that they promise not to suicide after or during reading.

For something that's not the previous two genres and is completely the tonal opposite of Blindsight, though, I'd recommend the Risen Empire duology, which is hard /space opera/ of all things.

I recall Starship Troopers being a good read. Key word is recall. Haven't reread it in a while.

For decent hard sci-fi, try:

Peter F Hamilton - writes excellent space opera, with some brilliantly-realised space combat technologies and descriptions. Start with the Night's Dawn trilogy.

Iain M Banks - Excellent writing about a future utopia of almost unlimited power called the Culture, with some interesting commentaries on power and intervention in other cultures. Start with The Player of Games.

Jack McDevitt - Takes a different look at interstellar exploration, by assuming that most cultures have a limited lifespan so archaeology will by vital. Contains some great first contact ideas. Start with The Engines of God.

Vernor Vinge - Uses some great ideas about the direction of technology to posit exceptionally well-thought-out futures. Great at designing truly alien alien races. Start with A Deepness in the Sky for a novel all about first contact.

I just finished Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep last night. It was wonderful.

I also finished The Mote in God's Eye right afterwards. It's ok, a little dated, but it's a "first contact" story through-and-through.

I'll second the motion of Starship Troopers. If you like military sci-fi, It is the classic that defines the genre.

Just finished rereading Minority Report.

Still blows my mind.

A big + is that it is fairly short as well, so it is easy to read during transit/daily commute.

I'd second Iain M Banks

Best sci fi writer out there until he died recently

Consider Phlebas is the best to start with as it gets you to understand 'the culture' from outside of it as a part of a huge galactic war. Pretty hard sci fi. Excession was a bit too 'techy' for me but by the same author. Some of his books like 'matter' on the shell worlds and 'feersum enjin' border of science fantasy so you might not like those. Feersum Enjin is also written about 40 per cent phonetically so until your mind gets into the pattern it takes about five minutes to read a page!

Saga is without a doubt the best contribution to sci fi and graphic novels for ages and you really should read it if you like star wars... again its got a lot of 'magic' type things in it, undead, and also a lot of not for kids content so its space opera very defintialy for adults and open minded ones at that. But its beautiful. Most people i know get quite emotional reading it which is amazing for a 'comic'.

But, i think you'd be looking for iain m banks (he put an M in his name when writing sci fi.... buy any Iain Banks and you'll probably get some clever witty dark tale about dysfuntional scots eccentrics).

Start here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Consider-Phlebas-Culture-Novel-The/dp/1857231384

Thank me later

Like i say this one is very action based but hard sci fi, the only thing he has in which is a bit squiffy is 'the grid' which is like hyperspace/warpspace/FTL travel. But its a fantastic novel.

As said Excession, Hydrogen Sonata and The algebraist are quite 'hard sci fi' and quite complex plot wise.

Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Against a Dark Background, Player of Games are less about the tech and more about the people living in the worlds of 'the culture'.

'The Culture' is a bit like a nastier version of the star trek federation that interferes with other civilisation and sort of 'nannys' them to make sure they evolve at approved rates and dont do anything dangerous. In phlebas they meet their match when they encounter the Idirans who are a xenophobic alien race (and a wierd alien race at that) with a religio/martial background.

Its sort of faith vs science in parts.

Actually, I really couldn't get into "Consider Phlebas", along with "Rediscovery of Man" by Cordwainer Smith.

I would gladly recommend anything by Alastair Reynolds. "Judging by the book cover" (hehe) I didn't think his books would be that good, but they are. Very good storytelling, an interesting Universe etc. - I've read Century Rain and the Revelation Space saga.

My all time favourite hard sci-fi is "Forever War", a perfect blend of time-dilation travel, military elements, a nonsensical war, sprinkled with the cultural evolution of humankind.

For super hard sci-fi similar to Interstellar, go for "Tau Zero", which has the better story but the same basic premises.

If you haven't read them, go for "Ender's game", any Phillip K **** novel ("Do Androids dream of electric sheep", "Ubik", "Time out of Joint"), "Foundation" saga by Isaac Asimov.

For soft sci-fi, pertaining to culture more than tech, I really enjoyed "The dispossessed" by Ursula le Guin and "Emphyrio" by Jack Vance.

Now I realize I read some of the comments and continued in their fashion, diverging from OP's question. Oh well.

Not lately, that's the pity. The Golden Age of Sci-Fi is over, nowadays the market is dominated by spin-offs from movies and - yikes - games. I recommend C.J. Cherryh.

And the classics, Philip K. ****, Larry Niven, the Strugackij brothers, Stanislaw Lem, Clifford Simak, Ray Bradbury, Frederick Pohl.

Starship Trooper is a rare example where I prefer the movie over the book. If you can get your hand on it, the DVD commentary by the director is hilarious.

******* Censorship, the man's name is Philip K. D_I_C_K, live with it, FFG.

Not lately, that's the pity. The Golden Age of Sci-Fi is over, nowadays the market is dominated by spin-offs from movies and - yikes - games. I recommend C.J. Cherryh.

And the classics, Philip K. ****, Larry Niven, the Strugackij brothers, Stanislaw Lem, Clifford Simak, Ray Bradbury, Frederick Pohl.

Starship Trooper is a rare example where I prefer the movie over the book. If you can get your hand on it, the DVD commentary by the director is hilarious.

******* Censorship, the man's name is Philip K. D_I_C_K, live with it, FFG.

Having read some of the classics, I can say that Alastair Reynolds holds up pretty well.

I had an audio book of 'foundation', listened to it, really didnt like it tbh.

I think the problem is a lot of the 'classic' sci fi authors while visionary and conceptually brilliant have dated terribly since being written in the 50s.

Moorcock has this problem, his fantasy is great but his sci fi was wierd in the 60s and just reads like a bad acid trip now.

I think while the ideas of bradbury, asimov et al are all the building blocks of a lot of post 60s sci fi their writing technique, characterisation etc has been eclipsed by more modern writers.

For example, to me, Banks writes very *real* characters who speak and act like real people but in a world and time alien to us.

(as an aside my tower blocks on my 40k city fight table - proper housingblocks none of this gothic L shape ruin stuff - are called Bradbury Heights & Asimov Towers, i forget now what i called the third one but it was along the same lines )

On a related note: you can listen to or read Tarkin with a free trial audible account now.

I would also recommend -

David Weber's Honorverse books as the best military sci-fi.

Mote in God's Eye and its sequel The Mote Around Murcheson's Eye(UK Title - I think it has a different title in the USA)

Also the same authors' novel Footfall

Jack McDevitt's Pricilla Huchinson(Academy) novels previously mentioned, however the first is Starhawk(although last published) not Engines of God.

Elizabeth moons Serrano Legacy and Vatta's War series are good military SciFi(She was a USMC Officer).

David Brinn's Uplift series - Sundiver, Startide Rising, The Uplift War, Brightness Reef, Infinity's Shore and Heaven's Reach.

James White's Sector 12 series. The first stories are dated but there are several first contact situations in the stories, centred around a huge hospital space station.

I'm really enjoying this thread. Thank you. With the exception of SW novels I've not read much sci-fi. This post and the responses have inspired me to pick up a book or two for kindle and check it out.

Whilst, I'm not adding anything productive to the OT's post, I'd like to say 'Thank you!!' to all the contributors.

Now where to start. I might check out Peter Hamilton...

David Weber's Honorverse books as the best military sci-fi.

Good, maaaaybe. Best, absolutely not. There's something in Weber's prose style that makes me want to throw up every so often to get it out of my mouth.

Having read some of the classics, I can say that Alastair Reynolds holds up pretty well.

Definitely agree with this. Reynolds is excellent.

As is Peter F Hamilton.

I'm currently (re)reading Dan Simmons Illium/Olympus saga. Very odd - very Ancient history + Sci Fi + Invasions. Takes some getting into though - but well worth it in my opinion. Not read any of his other stuff though.

Yea the Mote books are really enjoyable.

I actually read Out of the Dark convinced that it was part of the Honorverse set. That's why the end caught me so off guard. I did not love paragraph-long descriptions of slug mass and velocity, but overall it was enjoyable.

I'm reading William Gibson's new book "The Peripheral," which is quite good near-future Earth stuff. Just read all his stuff.

Alastair Reynolds is solid. The classic authors (Asimov, Bradbury, Heinlein) are classics for a reason. Quite surprised I haven't seen Larry Niven mentioned yet.

James S. A. Corey (Leviathan Wakes) is one of my favorites as well. Hannu Rajaniemi (Quantum Thief), Bruce Sterling, Neal Asher (Prador Moon fits your request for first contact/invasion), Austin Grossman (Soon I Will Be Invincible, You), Paolo Bacigalupi (Windup Girl), Ben Bova, Neal Stephenson (Diamond Age), and Max Barry (Company, Jennifer Government) all have some really good stuff.

For Star Wars material, try Ian Doescher's Shakespearean SW trilogy.

If you read comic books or graphic novels, try Brian K. Vaughn's Y: The Last Man and Kurt Busiek's Astro City.

Well this is kind of abstract but... Does Metroid Prime count? Like, all three games and whatnot. The lore and stuff you can find via scan visor is -fascinating-. I wish they'd keep making more prime games because holy jeezus. I love it. It's like... Really cool tech, but there's an air of weird magicy stuff going on too..? I can't really place my finger on it. But I've rarely seen science fiction do the whole, "Enigmatic race" thing super well. But the Chozo, aw dude. The info you can find on them is just cool.

I really love the prime games. You could sit there for a few hours reading a full codex of scan logs. There's just so much to offer the player there. It's really, really great. If you have a Wii or Wii U, or a gamecube, any of the prime games will totally satisfy your need for a really creative and absoutely inspired science fiction.

If you can get a Wii U, Trilogy, and a Wiimote you are sit. If you want to scuzz it and be a little cheaper a Wii only costs like 100 bucks these days.

It may not exactly be dedicated reading, but it is amazing! Also the music is utterly enchanting, and adds such a nice atmosphere to reading logs.

Cool as it may be i dont think computer games count as 'reading good sci fi'. I mean there is no end of written backstory in the fallout games which i love but if someone wants a book to unwind i wouldnt recomend them hooking up to a console

Buh? That's precisely what I do to unwind.