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After reading mostly Fantasy for a while I've been meaning to get into more Sci-Fi.Are there any Sci-Fi series as awesome as TSA?Hopefully something dark, gritty, epic, and well-written.
Well, I would recommend the obvious choice of Frank Herbert's Dune epic - that is the books from Dune through Chapterhouse: Dune, which Bakker's has admitted to riffing off as much as Lord of the Rings.Honestly, I just wish Bakker would write a SF book. Bring on Semantica.
My recommendation would be the later works of M. John Harrison, mainly Light and Nova Swing with a few caveats: Bleak and cold, but not gritty. Beautiful and great, but not epic. He has a way with words that is just transcendent.
Abrahams Long Price Quartet, and his new series that starts with Dragon's Path. Mind you, Dragon's Path is a slow burn for events in the sequel.Personally I like the Malazan series but it requires a lot of close reading. The world building is incredibly though.
I have a love-hate relationship with Tales of the Malazan. There are parts where I get sucked into it and others where it's a slog. I just couldn't muster up enough Will to read past Book 5
I loved books 2 to 5, but after sixth book the whole thing jumps the shark.
I find Malazan both ambitious and interesting, but very flawed. Gave up after Reaper’s Gale (book 7).
Quote from: BorqueI find Malazan both ambitious and interesting, but very flawed. Gave up after Reaper’s Gale (book 7).Absolutely agree. The sheer scope of it is interesting but I find much of it too "shallow" for me to thoroughly enjoy. The first and second are all I'd recommend. He abuses the convergence device too much for my liking.
Sci-fi huh?Aside from Dune, there's no series quite like TSA that I can rec.Camp concentration was one novel that mindfucks you, that I liked from way back.Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan is very good - dark and gritty, but more in a noir way than the melancholy philosophical grimness I suspect you are seeking.I'm sure there's more, I'll try to remember.
Quote from: mikethegrouchHopefully something dark, gritty, epic, and well-written.!!!Stephen Donaldson - The Gap Cycle!!!
Hopefully something dark, gritty, epic, and well-written.
I'd recommend anything by Peter Watts if you like Bakker. Blindsight is a really nice scifi novella with very interesting concepts and some of the most alien aliens I've ever read.
I second 'Blindsight.' M. John Harrison was mentioned, and he's also a superb recommendation.Robert Charles Wilson has written a trilogy of books: 'Spin', 'Axis', and 'Vortex.' I've only read the first installment, but I can confidently say that it's one of the best sci-fi books I've ever read, and it scores high in both plot (which is riveting) and characterization (which is consistent and realistic). So I would recommend 'Spin.'Also, I'm a bit surprised no one has mentioned anything by China Miéville. I suppose most of his work could be classified as 'fantasy' rather than sci-fi, but his Bas-Lag trilogy is still one of the most intense and insane works of speculative fiction that I've ever read.
Yes, the Gap Cycle - this is easily the most underrated series of science fiction EVAR. Very dark, very gritty and yet strangely very touching.
William Gibson got some great novels I recommendMaybe someone remembers the rather bad movie "johnny Mnemonic",which is based on his novel by that name
I just don't think there is a series as good as the Second Apocalypse. However, some of my SF favorites:Heinlein, Asimov, PKD, Adams, Wells, Card... the dual effort under Corey (Expanse) is pretty promising.There's more... I only got introduced to Herbert late, but I think reading Frank's books is worth it.I liked Johnny Mmemonic .
