Out of Pod Experience

It's fine. Just don't say its name 3 times.

Hmmm are the Dresden Files that good? ... Seen so many nice reviews on them ... but then again, I will trust if people here say they good reading. Been a while since I read something enticing.

Are the Dresden Files funny? The synopsis seems quite amusing.

I still recommend the Ciaphas Cain series. Good solid military SF with laughs.

This is also the series I want on.... Sandy Mitchell needs to move his arse!

There are many funny parts to the Dresden Files books but the books themselves are not comedies. The books are written first-person and as such the main character has a sometimes painful awareness of himself and his limitations. There are also some genuine laugh-out-loud moments (Toot Toot: "All hail the ...!" I won't spoil that one.)

In general, though, there's lots of action, lots of emotion (you come to really care about the characters), and lots of Crowning Moments of Awesome.

The most awesome of awesome moments in The Dresden Files: http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1248964599329.jpg

A line that really sums up Harry Dresden: 'For the sake of one soul. For one loved one. For one life. The way I see it, there's nothing else worth fighting a war for.'

As for some recommendations:

The Clone Series: Starts with The Clone Republic. Stephen L Kent.
Set in the future, where all the soldiers are clones, and if they realise that they are, they'll self destruct (Mental conditioning makes them see themselves as different. The one regular person there). Some interesting social discussion, and a good military story.

Stark's War - John G. Hemry, who also writes as Jack Campbell (Lost Fleet)
Soldiers fighting, on the moon!

The Moon is a harsh Mistress - Heinlein
Australia, on the moon! If someone tells you he was a fascist because he wrote starship troopers, have them read this one.

The Kris Longknife series - Mike Shepherd
Another 'how much crap can happen to one person' in space series.

Dies the Fire - S M Stirling
What happens when you take away electricity. When engines stop working. This examines it.

Spinward Fringe - Randolph Lalonde
Ebook series. Pretty good. 'Military' sci-fi.

um... first of all, to the OP, AWESOME topic!

I will throw in my 2centavos and a little explanation for each, as some have been mentioned i saw, but i don't just wanna quote.

Obviously, the classics can never do you wrong:

Heinlein, Robert A: His books are fun and quick reads usually. Starship Troopers and others, like Citizen of the Galaxy, Podkayne of Mars and other shorts are almost novellas. Great and fast fun reads. For a more in depth look at what he was going for at times, i suggest Stranger in a Strange Land. From there, you will have to explore some of his more eccentric stuff.

Bradbury, Ray: The Martian Chronicles are good prep to any sci fi mood, his shorts are eerie and well done.

Clark, Arthur C: Also a classicist, but never as flighty as Heinlein, look for his 2001 series of novels if you want to go in depth, but the Rama series are a fun romp through first contact.

Pohl, Frederick: Check out his works, he gets theological sometimes, not as abstractly as Hubbard, but many of his stand alones are just fun. His black hole series about event horizons was fun as well, and a fairly well drawn out concept for the day, still a fun series.

Adams, Douglas: Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy and its accompanying novels are all fine and witty. Don't Panic, your towel is near!

Asimov, Isaac: The Foundation Series. If you read nothing else by him, read this. Like Heinlein, he is a great. His novels in this vein are incredible, taking the reader through an almost EVE-esque timeline of "future history" that will leave you breathless in its depth, a pure joy to be a part of. Yay, Trantor!

Gibson, William: While a briefcase of RAM is silly today, in the '80s, who knew? A fantastic read, paced a bit like blade runner for the literary community.

Slog through these, and you will have an appreciation for what they saw in Jules Verne, they aren't always as fun as more recent hard sci-fi, but most of their works are well done enough that they have a timeless feel and the people and issues still ring true throughout.

Newer Sci-Fi relies on the old standbys, but also incorporates much more fleshed ideas that science has brought us, as well as greater understanding of how computers and nature will interact as we explore space and fight aliens, here are some i enjoy (again, in no particular order)...

Reynolds, Alistair: His Revelation Space novels are incredibly in depth, and explore a path of humanity's future that is a bit distopian as well as being phenomenal in scope. His ideas are as massive as you can imagine and often farther. Great characters and a true feel for long histories, his novels spring ideas in very creative ways.

Asher, Neal: Space James Bond. His Polity Universe is another "future history", they read quickly and often triumph in modern wit and depth into the merging of man and machine.

Simmons, Dan: The Hyperion Series, as someone earlier mentions 4 books, that breathe a fresh breath of religion into yet another wonderfully flushed future history. Unlike most novels which start in a period, Simmons classic novels bring you kicking and screaming theology and myth... through 2 defining epochs of human history.

Herbert, Frank: The Dune Series. Effin' phenomenal exploration of middle eastern oil theory. Enjoy it in movie format by David Lynch, with soundtrack by Toto. A truly wonderful novel of colonialization, complete with jump freightors. His son doesn't do a terrible follow up with the deep histories, either. Think of this as the LotR of space.

Williams, Tad: A near future look into Gaming online, and what it might mean for future generations, follow the River in his Riverworld (iirc) series, warning they are loooong, but his characters are pretty interesting.

I am very glad this thread is here, i have already gotten a few new ideas from here that i, too, was looking for. Time to hit the bookstore!, its been a while since i uploaded some sci-fi in my kindle. Need to take a weekend vacation by train =)


on edit: hmmm i just realized how sexist my post seems, i also love Ursala K LeGuinn and CJ Cherryh. Anne McCaffrey is also a pro, but gets into fantasy a bit too.

Basically anything written by Iain M. Banks. All the more important as he announced this morning that he is dying of gall bladder cancer and likely doesn't have more than a few months left to him.

Seconded, all of the Culture series books are well worth reading, as is the normal fiction he's written under the Iain Banks name. If you haven't already done so, read his books.

I'd also recommend pretty much anything written by Terry Pratchett, the discworld novels are hilarious, and even his childrens books have a lot in them for adults. Douglas Adams is also well worth reading, because his books are the answer to life, the universe and everything.

I actually enjoyed his Dirk Gently books more so than the Hitchhiker's stuff.