Hard Science Fiction

[cwstjdenobs]

Well I just noticed people do actually talk about books here so I thought I'd ask this.

Can anyone think of any modern hard sci-fi, and also what are your opinions on it if you can.

 

[Edgedancer]

Sorry but what is Hard Sci-Fi. If you mean one that throws you into the deep and and creates a brilliant world without hand holding, I would recommend The Quantum Thief, by Hannu Rajaniemi. Brilliant book, though very confusing.

EDIT: Just realised, this is my 2500th post on the site!

 

[cwstjdenobs]

Wikipedia will do a better job than me at explaining.

EDIT: Gongrats on the 2500th post.

 

[overlord00]

isnt a lot of stuff that was written in the past few decades all catching up to now be Hard SciFi
(giving the original soft scifi classification?)

 

[xist]

Does Stephen Baxter count?

 

[cwstjdenobs]

Does Stephen Baxter count?

Sounds like it, thanks for the heads up.

 

[stefan_skellen]

Try Kim Stanley Robinson, Mars trilogy, or maybe some works of Stanislaw Lem - I believe there is one novel translated as 'The Invincible' ('Niezwyciężony') - my favourite hard sf story of all time!

 

[FAST6191]

I have not read much in the way of fiction in many years now (and then it was mostly older stuff if we are going hard scifi or fantasy) but I thought I would pop in and mention Primer as a film if you are heading down this path
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390384/

 

[cwstjdenobs]

I have not read much in the way of fiction in many years now (and then it was mostly older stuff if we are going hard scifi or fantasy)

Same here, but I only noticed I haven't read any fiction in years because a friend pointed it out. I really need to get reading again and hard sci-fi was always my favourite genre so I thought a good starting point/re-introduction. I've got a massive collection, but it doesn't have much from after 1990ish. And tbh I find I have to really want to read something again to get through it, and just re-reading my favourites won't really give me anything to get excited about. I just seem to have lost the passion of late, I'm hoping something new will re-ignite it.

So thanks for all the suggestions guys.

@FAST6191 I really will look up that movie. I don't normally trust others views on sci-fi films, down to disputing if it's actually sci-fi a lot of the time. But in this thread, and especially coming from you, I'll actually look forward to giving it a viewing.

EDIT: Lol at me, sucking up to the staff.

 

[Panzer Tacticer]

Hard core Dune fan here and the sons of Frank and Poul are still contributing to Frank Herbert's creation.

But in recent years, aside from Dune, I have been reading more in the Fantasy genre. Terry Goodkind and Terry Brooks to name two favourites.

 

[cwstjdenobs]

Dune is one book that actually changed my life. I've read them all up to Chapterhouse. And even with the magic of malange I'd still count it as sci-fi with the spice as an enabler. I'm guessing your saying Brians are worth reading?

 

[retKHAAAN]

Brian's are mostly based off of Frank's notes. They're basically written by proxy.

 

[Fel]

Have you tried Space Odyssey? That one should fit the bill, though I haven't read it yet.

 

[Buleste]

The most modern hard science fiction I read was 3001 by Arthur C Clarke which was probably the worst of the Odyssey series and also the least Hard science fiction. I'm more into reading the books that movies are made from like Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner), Make Room! Make Room! (Soylent Green) and Planet Of The Apes.