Golden Age Scifi Novels: If you Had to Name 3 Books Everyone Should Read...
- Thread starter Rhialto the Marvelous
- Start date
Asimov Foundation Series (sorry it is many book long not 3)
Simon Green, Death Walker series (not golden age but very very high tech galaxy large)
Ray Bradbury, Martin Chronicles (out of date due on Mars but very good about frontier, dreaming of colonization of the era.)
Or David Drake's Hammer Slammer Series (if you want action combat in large pocket empire)
Or Gordon Dickson's Dorasi series if you like both political, combat and lots of different worlds (no aliens though)
Dave Chase
Simon Green, Death Walker series (not golden age but very very high tech galaxy large)
Ray Bradbury, Martin Chronicles (out of date due on Mars but very good about frontier, dreaming of colonization of the era.)
Or David Drake's Hammer Slammer Series (if you want action combat in large pocket empire)
Or Gordon Dickson's Dorasi series if you like both political, combat and lots of different worlds (no aliens though)
Dave Chase
Rhialto the Marvelous
SOC-13
I love them dearly, but Golden Age scifi is a North American phenomenon,* and these writers are as non-American as it gets.
That said, funnily enough Lem's Pirx stories (and some of the Tichy stories as well IIRC) have a sort of Warsaw Pact Traveller feel. As in, ploughing the space lanes in a rusty Vostok Unfree Trader.
*Not in the sense that you need to hold the passport to be part of the movement, but that the work clearly emerged at a specific moment from a specific culture. I mean, being a libertarian seems to have been almost a job requirement.
Take a look at the 2nd post.
Thunderbolt
SOC-12
Another hands up for C.J. Cherryh:
Heavy Time, Hellburner, Down Below Station, Tripoint, etc...
Heavy Time, Hellburner, Down Below Station, Tripoint, etc...
As commented by several others, there is too much variety to be covered by just 3 books. Let me give 3 categories.
Hard Sci Fiction/Sci Fact: Pournelle collections like Endless Frontier, and the There Will Be War series. These contain both hard science essays and excerpts from published papers and reports and excellent short stories by a wide range of authors.
Soft SciFi/Fantasy: Alan Dean Foster's Flinx novels have been mentioned as have Andre Norton's Solar Queen novels. This type tends to ignore reality and set a good story in a factually impossible universe. However, Norton's social/political universe would be a good one to use with a hard science physical universe.
Classic/Golden era SciFi: Again several have been mentioned - Heinlein's juvenile works, E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman and Skylark of Space series, and the "pulp" ficton of a by gone era. Much of this seems like fantasy just because we have advanced our level of scienctific knowledge, but a lot of it was based on the hard science of that era.
Personal favorites: Even though I don't like a lot of Poul Anderson's work, I think his The High Crusade is a great story. Aramis is dead on about the Lensman series. Andre Norton's Solar Queen stories are what free traders are all about in my book.
Hard Sci Fiction/Sci Fact: Pournelle collections like Endless Frontier, and the There Will Be War series. These contain both hard science essays and excerpts from published papers and reports and excellent short stories by a wide range of authors.
Soft SciFi/Fantasy: Alan Dean Foster's Flinx novels have been mentioned as have Andre Norton's Solar Queen novels. This type tends to ignore reality and set a good story in a factually impossible universe. However, Norton's social/political universe would be a good one to use with a hard science physical universe.
Classic/Golden era SciFi: Again several have been mentioned - Heinlein's juvenile works, E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman and Skylark of Space series, and the "pulp" ficton of a by gone era. Much of this seems like fantasy just because we have advanced our level of scienctific knowledge, but a lot of it was based on the hard science of that era.
Personal favorites: Even though I don't like a lot of Poul Anderson's work, I think his The High Crusade is a great story. Aramis is dead on about the Lensman series. Andre Norton's Solar Queen stories are what free traders are all about in my book.
Hi
Oops,missed that listing for Andre Norton. One book of short stories you might like is
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, 1929-1964
edited by Robert Silverberg
it has a lot of must read sci-fi short stories.
Oops,missed that listing for Andre Norton. One book of short stories you might like is
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, 1929-1964
edited by Robert Silverberg
it has a lot of must read sci-fi short stories.
captainjack
SOC-13
Hmmmm. None has mentioned the Anthony Villiers novels (Alexi Panshin) ... Rereading those, I am stunned by the travelleresque feel of them -the idea of travellers, as opposed to merchants, mercenaries or scouts....granted, Tony is a noble, but there is clearly a whole subculture of travellers here: and whats not to like about a six foot tall green furry frog-oid warrior turned poet riding a tricyle ? Choose one of the books ? Star Well. Even has rifts, a casino, merchants, con artists, spies, damsels in distress,a vague underinvolved but ultra powerful empire....and a six foot furry frog. I can't help it. The Trogs are great.
Note, they were specifically referenced in.....1001 characters ? 101 Patrons ? One of the "guess who this is" write ups. I suspect they may have had serious influence on the initial development of the OTU - and absolutely predate it.
What else. Well, for sheer traveller variety of themes and archetypes, the foundation trilogy. After that ? Well a pre-thick book Heinlein: "Citizen of the Galaxy", "between planets" or "Have space suit will travel". All present variations on the theme of "a normal person having a surprisingly bad day a long way from home......"
Note, they were specifically referenced in.....1001 characters ? 101 Patrons ? One of the "guess who this is" write ups. I suspect they may have had serious influence on the initial development of the OTU - and absolutely predate it.
What else. Well, for sheer traveller variety of themes and archetypes, the foundation trilogy. After that ? Well a pre-thick book Heinlein: "Citizen of the Galaxy", "between planets" or "Have space suit will travel". All present variations on the theme of "a normal person having a surprisingly bad day a long way from home......"
Rhialto the Marvelous
SOC-13
Just to let you guys know I'm taking this little project seriously: in order to further my scifi education I just returned home with some loot:
Vance, Demon Princes
Van Vogt, The World of Null-A
Asimov, Foundation
C.A. Smith, Lost Worlds
Doc Smith, First Lensman
It helps that I live within walking distance of one of the mostest awesomerest scifi/fantasy stores of the country:
http://www.borderlands-books.com/
Check out the photo gallery for pics of David Drake and of couse of Ripley, the world's creepiest cat.
http://www.borderlands-books.com/about_photos.html
http://www.borderlands-books.com/about_ripley.html
Vance, Demon Princes
Van Vogt, The World of Null-A
Asimov, Foundation
C.A. Smith, Lost Worlds
Doc Smith, First Lensman
It helps that I live within walking distance of one of the mostest awesomerest scifi/fantasy stores of the country:
http://www.borderlands-books.com/
Check out the photo gallery for pics of David Drake and of couse of Ripley, the world's creepiest cat.
http://www.borderlands-books.com/about_photos.html
http://www.borderlands-books.com/about_ripley.html
As others said, three? Too many of these are the same as previous lists, but then they are classics
Free Trader stories
Robert A Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy
Andre Norton's Solar Queen series
A Bertram Chandler's John Grime series
James H Schmitz's The Witches of Karres
C J Cherryh's The Company Wars series
Poul Anderson's Polesotechnic League series
space marines
Robert A Heinlein's Starship Trooper
H Beam Piper's Space Viking and Uller Uprising
Jerry Pournelle's Falkenberg's Legion series
Starship Troopers is iconic of course but Piper's and Pournelle's story are very mercenary ticket Traveller like.
Space naval stories
Poul Anderson's Flandry series
David Weber's Honor Harrington series
Weber's not really golden age by any means, but his books seem to read like that to me. I don't like the last several Honor books but some of the others in the same universe are fine and the early ones are great.
Pournelle's also not golden age but the Falkenberg read like them.
I'd like to say Keith Laumer's Retief series but it's not really in the same vein. His Bolo series would seem to lie in space marine saga's but it not by any means Golden Age in sentiment.
Alexei Panshin's Anthony Villers series. It's almost canon as the characters were in a Traveller supplement. His Rite of Passage is very Heinlein like and is a good Free Trader right of passage story.
Sorry, wandered off the reservation...
Free Trader stories
Robert A Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy
Andre Norton's Solar Queen series
A Bertram Chandler's John Grime series
James H Schmitz's The Witches of Karres
C J Cherryh's The Company Wars series
Poul Anderson's Polesotechnic League series
space marines
Robert A Heinlein's Starship Trooper
H Beam Piper's Space Viking and Uller Uprising
Jerry Pournelle's Falkenberg's Legion series
Starship Troopers is iconic of course but Piper's and Pournelle's story are very mercenary ticket Traveller like.
Space naval stories
Poul Anderson's Flandry series
David Weber's Honor Harrington series
Weber's not really golden age by any means, but his books seem to read like that to me. I don't like the last several Honor books but some of the others in the same universe are fine and the early ones are great.
Pournelle's also not golden age but the Falkenberg read like them.
I'd like to say Keith Laumer's Retief series but it's not really in the same vein. His Bolo series would seem to lie in space marine saga's but it not by any means Golden Age in sentiment.
Alexei Panshin's Anthony Villers series. It's almost canon as the characters were in a Traveller supplement. His Rite of Passage is very Heinlein like and is a good Free Trader right of passage story.
Sorry, wandered off the reservation...
Jetrock
SOC-8
A lot of Sixties/Seventies SF fits better into Traveller flavor than Golden Age SF, partially because the characters tend to ring a little more "real" than Golden Age (at least to those of us who grew up with flawed Seventies type heroes.)
I'll back Laumer's Retief series, at least for those dream parties that don't try to shoot their way out of every situation.
David Drake's "Hammer's Slammers" series fits the Traveller archetype of an armored mercenary company.
One series that gives at least some ideas for Traveller campaigns are Marion Zimmer Bradley's "Darkover" novels, especially the stories set after recontact by the Terran Empire. The culture clashes give an idea of what life in a starport on a low-tech world is like, say TL 2-4, with an A starport plopped on it! Darkover's psionics are a bit powerful for the Traveller universe, but the idea of psi-focusing crystals kind of appeals to the Traveller GM with a taste for psi-oriented campaigns.
I'll back Laumer's Retief series, at least for those dream parties that don't try to shoot their way out of every situation.
David Drake's "Hammer's Slammers" series fits the Traveller archetype of an armored mercenary company.
One series that gives at least some ideas for Traveller campaigns are Marion Zimmer Bradley's "Darkover" novels, especially the stories set after recontact by the Terran Empire. The culture clashes give an idea of what life in a starport on a low-tech world is like, say TL 2-4, with an A starport plopped on it! Darkover's psionics are a bit powerful for the Traveller universe, but the idea of psi-focusing crystals kind of appeals to the Traveller GM with a taste for psi-oriented campaigns.
No.
Stop with the trilogy.
Things go downhill fast when Asimov's overthick follow-ups knit Foundation, Galactic Empire, and Robot stories into one giant continuity. (The Foundation has to take a back seat to some lame robot characters....) Brin did manage to clean some of this up in his Foundation novel; also, I must admit that Asimov's last Foundation novel actually made me cry. Nevertheless, the meme overload poisoned the series; I wish it could have been resolved in it's own continuity.
While, I do agree that the original Foundation is the best read for Traveller and the other novels leave much to be desired. There is also the theory that Asimov only wrote one novel...and that one novel was all the other novels interconnected to create one story. Therefore, if you are an avid fan of Asimov's style (not everyone is) then figure out where to begin and read from there. It is sort of the Lord of the Rings purists who like to read only Christopher Tolkien's reconnect of his father's work. Mind you in Asimov will have a lot of repetition, for all his genius, he was still essentially a hack (as he proclaimed himself in one of his biographies).
I never like the 3Bs Foundation series, as they were purposefully dotting all the "i" and crossing all the "t"s. When Asimov did it, it was sometimes by serendipity that he would add a new thread, whereas, the Bs were trying to be completists.
I never like the 3Bs Foundation series, as they were purposefully dotting all the "i" and crossing all the "t"s. When Asimov did it, it was sometimes by serendipity that he would add a new thread, whereas, the Bs were trying to be completists.
Rhialto the Marvelous
SOC-13
I'm half-way through van Vogt's Null-A. Nothing remotely to do with Traveller, but it's a great book. The writing style is sparse and tight like a Chandler novel, but the subject matter makes you realize why Philip Dick admired him so much.
Is early Heinlein less boot-stompin' than Starship Troopers?
Is early Heinlein less boot-stompin' than Starship Troopers?
Much less so.
Especially his early SF for young readers is totally different.
navywarlord
SOC-9
Try any of the Sam McCade Novels by William C Dietz.
Very Travellerish
(His Drifter series does well too)
Very Travellerish
(His Drifter series does well too)
I'll second this - the trilogy is the high-water mark for Asimov's Foundation.
And I've seen H. Beam Piper's name mentioned a few times, his works are a good inspiration for Traveller.
I can't pick three, so I'll mention some my Traveller influences. James Schmidt's Hub series, Andre Norton's Solar Queen & Beast Master stories, Keith Laumer's Retief, Murray Leinster's Med Ship stories, James White's Sector General series, H. Beam Piper(The Fuzzy trilogy, Uller Uprising, Junkyard Planet, Space Viking), Edmond Hamilton (Doomstar, the Starwolf trilogy), A. Bertram Chandler's John Grimes series, & of course, Jack Vance(Big Planet, Blue World, Planet of Adventure, Demon Princes, The Gray Prince, Languages of Pao, etal).
All other Heinlein is less boot-stompin' than Starship Troopers, early and late. Beyond This Horizon is socialist (Social Credit Theory, to be precise), The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is anarchist, Stranger in a Strange Land is hippie, Time Enough For Love is about polyamory, Methuselah's Children tries democracy, benevolent dictatorship, and collectivism and finds all have failures. Between Planets and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress are revolutionary, Beyond This Horizon is counter-revolutionary....
GypsyComet
SOC-14 1K
Limiting the list to three means you are using a narrower brush than the Traveller authors were.
Most of Andre Norton's space books have the right feel. That's at least a couple dozen books.
Poul Anderson had three cycles, comprising two dozen plus novels and more short stories.
Alan Dean Foster's Flinx/Commonwealth books are up over a dozen.
Chandler's Grimes stories ran to five or six volumes recollected recently.
Tubb's Dumarest cycle went to what, 30 books?
Heinlein's juveniles (which technically include Starship Troopers, as it is yet another "coming of age" story) and a handful of his "adult" works are generally good sources for story ideas and bits.
Jack Vance's "Planet of Adventure" tetralogy.
Herbert's Dune.
Del Rey's space operas.
Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles".
The list goes on. And on. Limit yourself to three and you will miss a lot.
Most of Andre Norton's space books have the right feel. That's at least a couple dozen books.
Poul Anderson had three cycles, comprising two dozen plus novels and more short stories.
Alan Dean Foster's Flinx/Commonwealth books are up over a dozen.
Chandler's Grimes stories ran to five or six volumes recollected recently.
Tubb's Dumarest cycle went to what, 30 books?
Heinlein's juveniles (which technically include Starship Troopers, as it is yet another "coming of age" story) and a handful of his "adult" works are generally good sources for story ideas and bits.
Jack Vance's "Planet of Adventure" tetralogy.
Herbert's Dune.
Del Rey's space operas.
Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles".
The list goes on. And on. Limit yourself to three and you will miss a lot.