Please Recommend some modern Science Fiction

Thirded: Snow Crash (Stephenson).
Seconded: The Doomsday Book (Connie Wills).
Firsted: Neuromance (Gibson).

Beyond that, the best suggestons are horza66's and Skeptics':

Browse the Hugo and Nebula Award winners, and jump into The New Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
 
Truly modern (as in recent) Science Fiction is introverting and changing, because to paraphrase William Gibson, 'we are living in science fiction.'
 
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Ambrosia said:
Iain M Banks work is mostly the 'Culture Novels' they are not a series as such, they are all standalone books that are written in the same universe. "Feersum Endjinn" is older but not a culture novel and is very good. "The Algebraist" is a newer work that is also set apart from the Culture universe.

For added bonus he also writes 'normal fiction' under the name Iain Banks and the book club could possibly review one of his non sci-fi books after that.
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I used to think all the best sci-fi had been written (and I read all the classics) until I discovered Iain Banks. I'm reading his latest, "Transition" which may or may not be sci-fi, but is a great read.
 
Oh, and since I should toss something in:

Stations of the Tide - Michael Swanwick
 
Pure_Argent said:
Would the last 20 years be acceptable, rather than the last 10? Neil Stephenson's Snow Crash is one of my all-time favorite books, and was a very enjoyable technopunk novel. The opening stands as one of the greatest ever.

And if you don't agree, I'll fight you. :p
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You are a villain; I jest not:
I will make it good how you dare, with what you
dare, and when you dare. Do me right, or I will
protest your cowardice.

*slap's face with glove*

Come on. A 'race' in virtual vehicles??? Walking through virtual 'woods' as a cryptographic device? etc. Languages as code???? I was rolling my eyes through the whole thing.
 
roger said:
You are a villain; I jest not:
I will make it good how you dare, with what you
dare, and when you dare. Do me right, or I will
protest your cowardice.

*slap's face with glove*

Come on. A 'race' in virtual vehicles??? Walking through virtual 'woods' as a cryptographic device? etc. Languages as code???? I was rolling my eyes through the whole thing.
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I shall be his second and see you cast down for your bilious libel.
 
roger said:
Come on. A 'race' in virtual vehicles??? Walking through virtual 'woods' as a cryptographic device? etc. Languages as code???? I was rolling my eyes through the whole thing.
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Normally I hate the VR SF genre but Snow Crash was a bit of a giggle. The language as code was at least better handled than say Peter Hamilton's "downloading personalities via a second's flash of laser in someone's eye" in the otherwise enjoyable Greg Mandel books. Not literature but fun.
 
roger said:
You are a villain; I jest not:
I will make it good how you dare, with what you
dare, and when you dare. Do me right, or I will
protest your cowardice.

*slap's face with glove*

Come on. A 'race' in virtual vehicles??? Walking through virtual 'woods' as a cryptographic device? etc. Languages as code???? I was rolling my eyes through the whole thing.
Click to expand...

Hey, I never said that it was anywhere near realistic, just that it was a hell of a fun read.
 
May I recommend John Steakly's Armor, as well as Terry Pratchett's Johnny Maxwell trilogy?

The Ender series is also quite good, though I'm unsure of the author.
 
Arkyrion said:
May I recommend John Steakly's Armor,
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Seconded, even though it's not really on the same level as the rest.

as well as Terry Pratchett's Johnny Maxwell trilogy?
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Meh. For his science fiction work, I much preferred Strata, simply for "the lights in the sky are scenery".

The Ender series is also quite good, though I'm unsure of the author.
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Seconded, but perhaps you should start with Speaker For the Dead rather than Ender's Game. All that's really necessary to do before reading SFtD is to know the basic plot of EG, and Speaker is just flat-out a better book.
 
The Sheriff of Yrnameer by Michael Rubens is medium to mildly amusing. It starts with a Prologue - The Bad Men set off at dawn...
And then to the semihero, Cole, being threatened with an ovipositor to his eye.
Not as funny as Pratchett, but worth a shot. Think Support Your Local Sheriff on some other planet,
 
Already said but highly suggest Somers books: The Electric Church, The Digital Plague, and The Eternal Prison.

I like Stephenson and Snow Crash is probably the most accessible of his books. I really like Cryptonomicon but they may hate you for suggesting a 900 page book. Also you can't go wrong with any Philip K Dick.
 
I was going to recommend HHGG, but I suspect it might not be their cup of tea.

I hear there are some rumors going around about some Nobel prize winning paper about bee dancing language, that might qualify.... (just kidding!)
 
Hmm. I've been a big sci-fi reader for about 30 years now. Though I started out on stuff like Heinlein and back-filled with all the Hugo and Nebula award winners (the Doomsday Book, already mentioned, was one of them), it's not very difficult to come up with quality stuff produced in the last 10 - 15 years. Basically, you can't go too wrong with anything by:

Iaian M. Banks (Consider Phlebas, his first Culture novel, is probably the most accessible - but it's more than 20 years old already. Yikes!)
Alastair Reynolds (I really liked the Revelation Space novels, but my favourite is Chasm City. Probably too dark though :-\ I would recommend Pushing Ice, as others already have)
Peter F. Hamilton (probably not as accessible to people new to sci-fi as the previous 2 authors. But Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are extremely imaginative works)

For a nostalgic one that won the Hugo and would be very accessible, I could recommend Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm. Of course, if you're going to allow older works, then Frank Herbert's Dune should be considered.

I just finished Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, and consider it to be the most entertaining book I have ever read. But it's too heavy, and I don't think you could remotely class it as sci-fi.

Oh yeah, and I would second Dan Simmons' Hyperion. It's one of the few books I've read 3 times. But I liked Endymion and Rise of Endymion even more (having said that... they're more than a bit anti-Vatican. That's probably why I like them)!

MetzO'Magic
 
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metzomagic said:
Oh yeah, and I would second Dan Simmons' Hyperion. It's one of the few books I've read 3 times. But I liked Endymion and Rise of Endymion even more
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BLASPHEMY!

(having said that... they're more than a bit anti-Vatican. That's probably why I like them)!

MetzO'Magic
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Hey, Father-Captain De Soya was my favorite character!

ETA: Aside from the Shrike, of course.
 
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