Anyone else like to read science fiction?

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I've been reading science fiction for over a decade, starting when my dad brought me some books after one of his business trips. My favorite authors are Poul Anderson, Stephen Baxter, Vernor Vinge, John C. Wright, David Drake, Iain M. Banks, Alastair Reynolds, and Larry Niven. (I had a little trouble narrowing it down. ) Any other science fiction fans?

hi JDM

I love science fiction. I found it a bit disconcerting that a lot of aspie diagnostic lists suggest aspies only like non-fiction.

I have just finished Peter F Hamilton's "Fallen Dragon" and liked it a lot, I will be looking for more of his books.

And before that Iain M Banks "the algebraist" which I pretty much hated. Too many loose ends and a little bit derivative of CJ Cherryh's gate worlds concept. But I hated that too.

I also liked Vernor Vinge's books that crossed over "spiders" and nanotech. I like Lois Mc Master Bujold for her Vorkorsigan series, David Brin, Neal Stephenson. And I like a few authors that write crossovers into the realms of fantasy as well. And yes I've got/read lots of others.

Yes, I like some science fiction.. though I prefer fantasy. Not really too sure which books I've read that are classes one way or the other though, so I won't name any...

Me too, I like Iain M Banks, Neal Stephenson and (particularly) Kurt Vonnegut.

I didn't much like the algebraist either, BTW; I enjoyed the little details, but the world didn't make coherent sense to me and I could never quite visualise what was going on.

I consider science fiction stuff that takes the science we know now and extrapolates it in some way.

I consider fantasy - stuff that likes to include mythological creatures from the myths and fairytales and earth folklore. So lots of magic, sword fights, horses, unicorns, dragons, bows and arrows, castles, and maybe a tendency towards feudal systems of government - though I don't know why they do that.

Anne Macaffrey wrote cross over, because they arrived on a planet by space travel, modified the lizards into dragons by genetic tech - so science fiction. But for various reasons, reverted to a feudal style of government, with horse-like creatures, dragons, sword fights, bows and arrows blah blah blah...

Lois Mc Master Bujold writes both. The Vorkorsigan stuff has a degree of high tech sci fi stuff, and a fair bit of stuff that cannot be directly extrapolated from physics as we know it today. And a semi-feudal military hierarchical style of government at least on the home planet, but also a few others. And some of LMB's new stuff is all fantasy and no spaceships.

Some writers like to transport current hi-tech concepts and put them into feudal style societies - so things like your two way radio and your telescope seem like magic. I think you'd want the solar battery charger?

But I particularily like the way these books create a new world (or worlds) to explore. I'm not so fond of the ones that present an entirely shoot first and ask questions later attitude or the ones that expect the women to stay at home out of danger (most of Isaac Asimov's stuff).

I love sci-fi. It's pretty much my life at the moment. I haven't read any sci-fi in a while, (right now I'm reading The Dark is Rising. very fantasy) but I've read some good books/series.
Anything by K. A. Applegate. (except Animorphs-thats up past 50 books, with no sign of stoping[unless you want to be reading for a couple of years])
Pendragon-I'm not exactly sure if it's sci-fi or fantasy. It's amazingly written, whatever it is
Anything by Eoin Colfer. Artemis Fowl is fantasy, but he has some sci-fi.
EU Starwars books. Any of them. I've only read the Han Solo trilogy, and Bounty Hunter Wars, but I'm sure all of them are as good as those.
Michael Crichton-Yeah, the guy who wrote Jurassic Park. Very good writer.

As for the difference between Sci-fi and Fantasy:
Sci-fi involves science, no matter how losely based (unless you write what I call true sci-fi: everything in it is entirerly possible, based on what we know of science. You can actually get a lot of good stuff with this, I should know.)
Fantasy either involves Mythological creatures or magic. (of course, you have the problem of Clarke's third law, so the line gets blurred.)

Clarke's law is great. I've exploited it several times.

Barracuda, if you like the EU Star Wars stuff I higly recommend the New Jedi Order series of books. I believe they're set about 20 years after the RotJ film. Luke is working to rebuild the Jedi Council with wife Mara Jade, and helping to traing Han and Leia's twins Jayna and Jaycen.

There is relative peace in the galaxy in the years since the Empire was overthrown. There is still a small group of loyalists, but nothing like they once were. Anyway, all of this changes when the galaxy starts being invaded by the Yuuzhan Vong--an extragalactic race of warriors that use organic technology that they grow. And what's worse, since they are from another galaxy, they are completely cut off from the Force--can't 'sense' them, can't manipulate them--meaning the Jedi have their work cut out for them.

wouldn't say i'm a huge science fiction fan, but i have read quite a few of philip k dick's books. also like jg ballard, some of his earlier work could be classed as science fiction. michael moorcock's "behold the man", also, although i haven't really got into any of his other stuff i've tried to read...

I used to have an obession with Issac Azimov's books. His foundation series is awesome. Theres also Frank Herberts Dune saga

Just finished Prelude To Foundation. Really cool. Asimov is great. Does anyone like David Brin? My nephew loans me great sci-fi books. He has a really good collection. He's my sci-fi mentor.

I started my SF reading in the late 60's with Asimov and Clarke. I feel Clarke's stories have aged better.

Other early authors : James White ("Sector General" stories, still good)
Philip High: (light stuff, now dated and formulaic)
Roger Zelazny (At his best, utterly remarkable, and the first Amber series is just great fun)

I first encountered Brin with "The Heart of the Comet" (With Benford)
Followed by "Earth" and then the Uplift series. Excellent!

So much SF, so little time.

The military wing?
Dickson's Dorsai books,
Keith Laumer's Bolos
Saberhagen's Beserkers,
Drake's Slammer's and The Northworld series.
Orson Scott Card for Ender's Game

For vast scopes,
E E "Doc" Smith's classic lensman series,
Peter Hamilton's outrageous Night's Dawn trilogy.
(but his Mindstar Rising series develops scale, too...)

Larry Niven, for Ringworld, and Dream Park...

I've been a science fiction fan since I was 10 and Robert Heinlein was writing for mainstream magazines (or how I discovered the genre!). Current favorites: Lois McMaster Bujold, David Brin, Jacqueline Carey (fantasy), Rosemary Kirsten (stranded colonists series with wandering scholar I can identify with, though she's more competent in the outdoors than I am!) More later.

Hmm

I like Brin too. Glory Season is good - it is partly about being expected to fit in and what to do when you don't.

Peter Hamilton admits to being inspired by the Lensman series, so I guess if you like one you'd like the other. I never read Doc Smith, but I did read Edgar Rice Burroughs and I thought it was pretty silly, but fun.

Military stuff
David Weber Honor Harrington series. Though he's got a nasty habit of creating vast numbers of characters and killing them all off in one exploding spaceship. The sci-fi is definitely secondary to the stories.
Elizabeth Moon's "Serrano series". Pretty big scope too.
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkorsigan series.

though the Serranos and Vorkosigans - born to the military life - keep sneaking sideways of it and breaking all the rules, which is half the fun.

I think Vernor Vinge has had the biggest scope that I've read. In terms of how much time and space he covers in one novel.

David Weber and John Ringo "March to..." series though I find them a little bit derivative.
Too much like other stories I've read.

Marion Zimmer Bradley - darkover series
These are crossover - combining space travel and fantasy. Huge scope. start with "Darkover Landfall".

Tanya Huff's "valor's choice" is mitary sci-fi fun but the sequel is not as good as the first.

Not military...
I love the stainless steel rat series. Would love to see these made into a movie series. Very politically incorrect fun.

I also like John Wyndham though his gender roles are very old fashioned.

I love science fiction too. I'm starting to develop an addiction with Asimov. I've read Douglas Adams and Will Sleator in the past.

I was about to mention him. I'm reading H2G2(Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) now, and it is great. It's scifi, but not everything makes logical sense, making it very funny.

I loved the Hitchhiker's Guide. One of my alltime favorite books is called The Dispossessed, and I can't seem to remember the author's name although she is well known.