Anyone know any good new SF writers?

Rockimedes

The Force is Strong With This One
With the recent death of Kurt Vonnegut it seems like there are very few good science fiction-type writers left. Has anyone read anything lately that is comparable to Kurt or Philip K. Dick or Douglas Adams? It is nice to take a break form the Work every once in a while and read a really screwed up story about acid trips, time travel and talking matresses. Any help would be apreciated!
 
Rockimedes said:
It is nice to take a break form the Work every once in a while and read a really screwed up story about acid trips, time travel and talking matresses. Any help would be apreciated!
Not SF, but if you want something that is about "acid trips" and in some ways is SF and real life at the same time, and where it lead one of the leaders of that pack you might be interested in reading 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test' by Tom Wolfe. Then read 'Demon Box' by Ken Kesey to see what happens when you get on and then off the bus.

Weird and real at the same time. That's why it is recommend it.
 
Although, not Sci-Fi (I never really thought of Vonnegut as Sci-Fi), a new favourite of mine is Tom Robbins. He's close to Vonnegut, but a little more complex, sorta.

A few titles that I recommend are:

Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates (Love that Switters!)

Still Life with Woodpecker


I recommend these two, because so far they are the only ones I've read. And they have a permanent place in my book shelves (as does Vonnegut, early Heinlein and only a few others in the fiction section).


It becomes obvious when you read them, that Tom underlies a lot of the text with some concepts from the Mysteries.


Enjoy.
 
Cool, thanks guys! Yah I don't really consider Vonnegut sci-fi either, but he can be at times.
 
Azur said:
Although, not Sci-Fi (I never really thought of Vonnegut as Sci-Fi), a new favourite of mine is Tom Robbins. He's close to Vonnegut, but a little more complex, sorta.
I have read skinny legs and all by Robins, it was funny and interesting, but though it's been few years, i remember that he speaks of sex a lot and his writing is "sensual", and though he mentions the patriarchal bloodthirsty "god" instituting itself over the Goddess worship, the temple of solomon, the Israeili/Palestinian conflict, he seems to be twisting facts. After i found the cass material, i found him suspicious. I don't understand what Mysteries you talk about Azur, when you say "It becomes obvious when you read them, that Tom underlies a lot of the text with some concepts from the Mysteries." But i haven't read the books you mention, nor do i have any knowledge on "mysteries". To me it read like a more "intelligent" new agey book.
 
Dan Simmons - Hyperion/Endymion.
One of the best Sci-fi series I've ever read.
 
Irini said:
Azur said:
Although, not Sci-Fi (I never really thought of Vonnegut as Sci-Fi), a new favourite of mine is Tom Robbins. He's close to Vonnegut, but a little more complex, sorta.
I have read skinny legs and all by Robins, it was funny and interesting, but though it's been few years, i remember that he speaks of sex a lot and his writing is "sensual", and though he mentions the patriarchal bloodthirsty "god" instituting itself over the Goddess worship, the temple of solomon, the Israeili/Palestinian conflict, he seems to be twisting facts. After i found the cass material, i found him suspicious. I don't understand what Mysteries you talk about Azur, when you say "It becomes obvious when you read them, that Tom underlies a lot of the text with some concepts from the Mysteries." But i haven't read the books you mention, nor do i have any knowledge on "mysteries". To me it read like a more "intelligent" new agey book.
Irini,

Haven't read the book you mention, but you will find some sexual themes in the others (not over the top, mind you). And for the Mysteries I spoke of, there isn't any insight to be gleaned from his works, only passing references of someone who may have been exposed to "Mystery School" stuff. He does use it as a prop, but to see it is kind of fun, too.

He's nowhere near as stark, and openly (scarily) funny as Vonnegut was. Vonnegut would make it seem like you are gutting a fish, when he was speaking of society in general, and you could see it clearly, on all points, and he never used anything overt. He could put his finger on it quite well.

Robbins comes close like this, but does kinda smells "California". Veers towards being dilettante and then veers back to where Vonnegut shines.


For light reading, it is fine.

Your mileage may vary.




Cheers.
 
Keit said:
Dan Simmons - Hyperion/Endymion.
One of the best Sci-fi series I've ever read.
Yeah, I loved this series too. Also Illium and Olympus, another series by Simmons is a really great read.
 
Hey Keit, thanks for the suggetion. I'm about half-way through Hyperion and am really enjoying it. The format kind of reminds me of a futuristic Canterbury Tales, which is a very good combination if you ask me. I really like how he doesn't explain everything in full detail and leaves a lot to the imagination. Wasn't what I had in mind when I started the topic, but it suffices nonetheless!
 
Ever since I picked up a copy of Hyperion, I've been a fan of Dan Simmons' writing. I'm rather picky when it comes to what I read, and I find that Mr. Simmons builds both his characters and their setting exceedingly well; he seems to avoid the extremes of too much and not enough in an engaging formula that invites my imagination along for the ride. Reading the remainder of the Hyperion series was a pleasure, as I found that each novel is capable of standing on its own as an individual work.

Considering this, I picked up Ilium in the hopes that I would find more of the same in regards to style, and I was not disappointed with what I read. It's obvious that this writer does his homework in regards to forging a dynamic setting using elements of classical literature to create his own vision of a future reality. Olympos brought things together in a revealing expose of his post-humans on a terraformed Mars. It's worth reading if you enjoy stimulating science fiction. :)
 
I don't know if they would qualify as "new", but here are some more names of the authors I like: 1) Vernon Vinge -- very cerebral, sharp, oriented towards issues and big questions, and 2) Lois McMaster Bujold, my all-time favorite. Her Vorkosigan/Barrayar saga is more of a "space opera" (dealing with people's relationships rather then ideas). But the characters and their personal challenges are unforgettable, the plots always intense, and the issues are blended in seamlessly.
 
Hildegarda said:
I don't know if they would qualify as "new", but here are some more names of the authors I like: 1) Vernon Vinge -- very cerebral, sharp, oriented towards issues and big questions, and 2) Lois McMaster Bujold, my all-time favorite. Her Vorkosigan/Barrayar saga is more of a "space opera" (dealing with people's relationships rather then ideas). But the characters and their personal challenges are unforgettable, the plots always intense, and the issues are blended in seamlessly.

I really liked the book Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge. Very sharp writing indeed, and some of the plot sure reminded me of the psychopaths running things here.
 
You could check out Haruki Murakami, his works are considered very Vonnegut-esque. I especially liked "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World".
 
Not new:

The Man Who Folded Himself (can't remember author) amazing book though
Poul Anderson - Tau Zero
Peter F Hamilton - The Night's Dawn series, The Void series
Alistair Renolds - Chasm City
Neil Asher - Polity novels
Ian M Banks - they're all good
Dan Simmons - Troy
Greg Bear - not really sci-fi, more techno-thriller, but Vitals was good
Isaac Asimov - who wrote the Robot series (i, Robot was based on this)
Stephen Donaldson - The Gap Series

There is one new author, he's been around for about 9 years (which is still considered new lol)
Michael Cobley - Seeds of Earth
 
[quote author=Rockimedes]
...Any help would be apreciated!
[/quote]

Might want to look into these books or not;

Stephen Donaldson
The Gap series (1990–96)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gap_Cycle
The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story

Wagner's opera cycle - the five books below;

The Gap Into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge
The Gap Into Power: A Dark And Hungry God Arises
The Gap Into Power: A Dark And Hungry God Arises
The Gap Into Madness: Chaos And Order
The Gap Into Ruin: This Day All Gods Di

The evil party written in the book, amongst many (corporations), were called the Amnion. One reviewer hated the books and said he was cheering for the Amnion; which explains psychopathic thinking and behaviour, because the Amnion in a way, are everything 4d STS describes – pure stealthy feeders. Many 3d people are the same. too.

The Gap is the concept of crossing huge amounts of space, faster then light. DNA research was banned and the corporations took it off planet. Thinking back, much of what was described seems to mimics our reality today, politically and otherwise. The beauty and ugliness of people and what mistakenly one presumes - being trapped in and shaking programs.

Here is one description below;

http://www.reviewsbygavrielle.com/gap.shtml

Despite its small scale, The Real Story manages to introduce many new SF concepts, including the gap, the UMCP, zone implants, ore mining and ore pirates. Forbidden Knowledge’s scope widens to include the Amnion and forbidden space, Min and Warden and their essential benignity, the possibility of corruption in the UMCP. A Dark And Hungry God Arises introduces Holt and Norna, and it becomes clear that the work encompasses the clash between good and evil, order and chaos, UMC and UMCP, human and Amnion. The remaining two books work out the fate of the entire human species, both within the species in the clash between Warden and Holt and outside it in the clash between the human and the Amnion.

The Real Story is personal; Forbidden Knowledge veers between the extremes of the personal and the political, with the two threads gradually converging in the following books until by the final sequence of events they are virtually indistinguishable.
 
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