Golden Age Scifi Novels: If you Had to Name 3 Books Everyone Should Read...
- Thread starter Rhialto the Marvelous
- Start date
Yeah, I read Neutron Star and loved the entire set of stories in it. Rich Man on a grav-belt and the pirates/deserters was great. Soft Weapon another cool one.
H Beam Piper's Star Viking & Uller Uprising were nice.
Grimes was good. EC Tubbs had some gritty stuff and his Jack of Swords was close to being a "Traveller Dungeon" as it gets with a fabled planetary city. Also air rafts and psionics and those damnable Cyclan in his milieu.
Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
Agreed, but they're post Golden Age.
My 3
1. Foundation trilogy. By Issac Azimov I suspect Mark Miller was heavily influenced by Azimov and Niven. It is a great read if you like a more cerebral storyline. My favorite sci-fi read to this day.
2. Starfarers by Poul Anderson. Another great cerebral (a bit to left for my taste) story if you look deep. Great for mass psychology thinking.
3. Finity by John Barnes. Not his best work, but its a book that gets you thinking when its all done. Another good mass psychology book.
My pics for 3 reasons.
1. You can have a good sci-fi story that does not involve constant combat and conquest (I love those as well but they do get repetitive). Good teaching for those wanting to ref with more role-play.
2. All 3 of these books are good at looking at mass thinking and human psychology. Once you have read one. Think a while you might actually figure out something about your fellow man. Not just about what the book is hinting at either.
3. Great reads for players who wish to create or expand on campaigns that involve large populations. Getting basic understanding of mass psychology it makes it easier to design planets, organizations, and empires etc...or at least utilize pre-made ones better as well.
1. Foundation trilogy. By Issac Azimov I suspect Mark Miller was heavily influenced by Azimov and Niven. It is a great read if you like a more cerebral storyline. My favorite sci-fi read to this day.
2. Starfarers by Poul Anderson. Another great cerebral (a bit to left for my taste) story if you look deep. Great for mass psychology thinking.
3. Finity by John Barnes. Not his best work, but its a book that gets you thinking when its all done. Another good mass psychology book.
My pics for 3 reasons.
1. You can have a good sci-fi story that does not involve constant combat and conquest (I love those as well but they do get repetitive). Good teaching for those wanting to ref with more role-play.
2. All 3 of these books are good at looking at mass thinking and human psychology. Once you have read one. Think a while you might actually figure out something about your fellow man. Not just about what the book is hinting at either.
3. Great reads for players who wish to create or expand on campaigns that involve large populations. Getting basic understanding of mass psychology it makes it easier to design planets, organizations, and empires etc...or at least utilize pre-made ones better as well.
Rhialto the Marvelous
SOC-13
Well, I read Foundation this week, and I have to say I'm impressed. I can see how many people nowadays may find it a tad lame, but that may in part be due to the fact that some of the book's positive qualities are simply out of fashion currently.
What struck me particularly was that Asimov has a light touch. This is supposed to be a novel about a gigantic empire composed of (IIRC) millions of planets, two-miles long starships and what not, but not one of these marvels is actually described in any depth. Same goes for the protagonists, who have no depth that could be so described, and to an extent for the chronology of events, which has huge gaps. (I read somewhere that the chapters were originally indepedent stories.)
So, all this could seem to be the flaws of a sketchy, shallow and incoherent book. But they aren't flaws, not necessarily. The sketchiness and "incoherence" make the empire and its cultures feel inexhaustible. The gaps in the chronology convey a sense of the massive passage of time. And the shallowness of the characters supports what you said about the emphasis on masses rather than indivduals, on "psychohistory" rather than biographies.
And it's only with this light touch that you can write a book at all that deals with several hundred years of events in a vast empire on just under 300 pages. In a way, it's much easier to write a trilogy of 600-page door stoppers.
What struck me particularly was that Asimov has a light touch. This is supposed to be a novel about a gigantic empire composed of (IIRC) millions of planets, two-miles long starships and what not, but not one of these marvels is actually described in any depth. Same goes for the protagonists, who have no depth that could be so described, and to an extent for the chronology of events, which has huge gaps. (I read somewhere that the chapters were originally indepedent stories.)
So, all this could seem to be the flaws of a sketchy, shallow and incoherent book. But they aren't flaws, not necessarily. The sketchiness and "incoherence" make the empire and its cultures feel inexhaustible. The gaps in the chronology convey a sense of the massive passage of time. And the shallowness of the characters supports what you said about the emphasis on masses rather than indivduals, on "psychohistory" rather than biographies.
And it's only with this light touch that you can write a book at all that deals with several hundred years of events in a vast empire on just under 300 pages. In a way, it's much easier to write a trilogy of 600-page door stoppers.
The goal of his of light touch
His main reason for being light is to be timeless. The idea is to allow the reader to put in his own knowledge. So when he says they used a computation device to plot the course different people will understand it. For example someone from the 1800's would say oh.. an abacus. Someone from the early 1900's would say oh.. a slide rule. Someone from the 1970's would say a calculator and someone from today would say ah.. a computer. The idea is to make the reader input his knowledge into the writing. This was Azimovs greatest skill, but it does make his books seem dry to those with less overall scientific understanding. His books would be a little better if he just refined the vagueness a tad bit.
If you want more action and adventure read his "Caves of Steel" trilogy. They are also among my favorites.
Mondo
His main reason for being light is to be timeless. The idea is to allow the reader to put in his own knowledge. So when he says they used a computation device to plot the course different people will understand it. For example someone from the 1800's would say oh.. an abacus. Someone from the early 1900's would say oh.. a slide rule. Someone from the 1970's would say a calculator and someone from today would say ah.. a computer. The idea is to make the reader input his knowledge into the writing. This was Azimovs greatest skill, but it does make his books seem dry to those with less overall scientific understanding. His books would be a little better if he just refined the vagueness a tad bit.
If you want more action and adventure read his "Caves of Steel" trilogy. They are also among my favorites.
Mondo
I skipped reading all the thread pages for this so I didn't see if anyone mentioned these:
the mote in god's eye
the gripping hand (sequal to above)
not really 'golden age' but I liked them and though not exactly a book (but five) but taken as a whole:
The Fleet series (Total war, Crisis, Break through, Counter Attack, Sworn allies) edited by david Drake and Bill Fawcett--Anthology of short stories Humans vs. Weasels.
the mote in god's eye
the gripping hand (sequal to above)
not really 'golden age' but I liked them and though not exactly a book (but five) but taken as a whole:
The Fleet series (Total war, Crisis, Break through, Counter Attack, Sworn allies) edited by david Drake and Bill Fawcett--Anthology of short stories Humans vs. Weasels.
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beowulf2044
SOC-12
Three Books?
Poul Anderson covered it quite well for me with his League Series (for Merchant Adventurers) and the Flandry Series (Imperial Government and political conflict on a galactic scale).
But then again, I also have an abiding love for Doc Smith's Lensman series.
"I played the Firefly RPG back in 1979. Of course, back then we just called it Traveller."
Poul Anderson covered it quite well for me with his League Series (for Merchant Adventurers) and the Flandry Series (Imperial Government and political conflict on a galactic scale).
But then again, I also have an abiding love for Doc Smith's Lensman series.
"I played the Firefly RPG back in 1979. Of course, back then we just called it Traveller."
RockyMountainNavy
SOC-12
Not All Golden but...
Definately Asimov's Foundation Trilogy.
Second would be Starship Troopers.
Next(though not Golden Age) is David Drake's Hammer's Slammer's series, though mostly for the HUMAN aspects and not necessarily the technology.
More recently, I would point you all to John Scalzi's Old Man's War. In many ways a new version of Starship Troopers but that's too simple a description and very unfair to Mr. Scalzi who wrote a superb first book.
Definately Asimov's Foundation Trilogy.
Second would be Starship Troopers.
Next(though not Golden Age) is David Drake's Hammer's Slammer's series, though mostly for the HUMAN aspects and not necessarily the technology.
More recently, I would point you all to John Scalzi's Old Man's War. In many ways a new version of Starship Troopers but that's too simple a description and very unfair to Mr. Scalzi who wrote a superb first book.
Gallowglacht
SOC-12
Asimov; Foundation trilogy.
Heinlein; Starship Troopers (or one of his others).
Olaf Stapledon; Starmaker (or first and last men).
Heinlein; Starship Troopers (or one of his others).
Olaf Stapledon; Starmaker (or first and last men).
casquilho
SOC-13
Man this is a hard question. I find the idea of limiting myself to three 'books" is just not something I can do. So...
Isaac Asimov's Foundation series
Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles
Anything by Poul Anderson
I was going to include Clark but many of the books I draw from are his later works and thus fall outside the 1930-1950 time frame used.
Daniel
Isaac Asimov's Foundation series
Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles
Anything by Poul Anderson
I was going to include Clark but many of the books I draw from are his later works and thus fall outside the 1930-1950 time frame used.
Daniel
Timerover51
SOC-14 5K
This is an old thread, but I think that I am justified in bumping it because is has a lot of good reads mentioned.
The original poster asked the question, Golden Age Sci-Fi Novels: If you had to name 3 books everyone should read.
There is no requirement that they be related to Traveller, and I would put the cut-off for Golden Age at around 1965. Others may have a different date.
A. E. Van Vogt: The Voyage of the Space Beagle, 1950. Aside from having a couple of the most memorable aliens, at least to me, in any book that I have read, it covers the flight of a large exploration ship going "Where No Man Has Gone Before".
Andre Norton: Sargasso of Space/Plague Ship, the first two books of the "Solar Queen" series. Introduced me to the whole idea of Free Traders in space, speculating on cargos and hoping for a profit. Plague Ship looks at exactly how hard it might be to establish trading relations with an alien race, along with how do you deal with a dangerous infestation on a star ship. Honorable Mention: Storm Over Warlock.
H. Beam Piper: Space Viking I read it before I was a teenager, and still read it. Ditto for Little Fuzzy and The Cosmic Computer. None of these are long, so I would group them into a single read.
Except for Voyage of the Space Beagle and Sargasso of Space, all of these are available for download at Project Gutenberg.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Three books by the same author - Olaf Stapledon;
Last and First Men - "it describes the history of humanity from the present onwards across two billion years and eighteen distinct human species, of which our own is the first"
Odd John - "The novel explores the theme of the Übermensch (superman) in the character of John Wainwright, whose supernormal human mentality inevitably leads to conflict with normal human society and to the destruction of the utopian colony founded by John and other superhumans." It involves psionics in a major way.
Starmaker - "The book describes a history of life in the universe, dwarfing in scale Stapledon's previous book, Last and First Men (1930), a history of the human species over two billion years. Star Maker tackles philosophical themes such as the essence of life, of birth, decay and death, and the relationship between creation and creator. A pervading theme is that of progressive unity within and between different civilizations."
Last and First Men - "it describes the history of humanity from the present onwards across two billion years and eighteen distinct human species, of which our own is the first"
Odd John - "The novel explores the theme of the Übermensch (superman) in the character of John Wainwright, whose supernormal human mentality inevitably leads to conflict with normal human society and to the destruction of the utopian colony founded by John and other superhumans." It involves psionics in a major way.
Starmaker - "The book describes a history of life in the universe, dwarfing in scale Stapledon's previous book, Last and First Men (1930), a history of the human species over two billion years. Star Maker tackles philosophical themes such as the essence of life, of birth, decay and death, and the relationship between creation and creator. A pervading theme is that of progressive unity within and between different civilizations."
SpaceBadger
SOC-14 1K
Space Viking by H.Beam Piper (also Uller Uprising and Cosmic Computer)
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein (also Citizen of the Galaxy and Tunnel in the Sky)
The Man Who Counts by Poul Anderson (also The Trouble Twisters and Ensign Flandry)
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein (also Citizen of the Galaxy and Tunnel in the Sky)
The Man Who Counts by Poul Anderson (also The Trouble Twisters and Ensign Flandry)
Timerover51
SOC-14 5K
I thought hard about Heinlein, but Van Vogt won out as no one had mentioned Voyage of the Space Beagle. Citizen of the Galaxy and Tunnel in the Sky are both worth being on the list.
I have read maybe a quarter of what was listed, although beyond the classics listed over and over, most were far from "golden age"
Actually just read a book of Phillp K Dick shorts. Very... unique... Yeah, thats the word. And if you only know him by the movies, they share nothing but titles and a few plot points with his actual work.
Personally I liked James Hogan for hard S-f, from the 70s into the 80s, and I drifted into Cyberpunk for a while.
Lots of good novels out there, but tons of shorts, by both names, and not so well know authors. (anyone remember Omni magazine for example?)
Of course devourer books for the better part of the almost 60 years I have been around I remember lots of stories and even authors that I could not name if if I had to.
Even Allen Dean Foster had his moments. (when not writing bug eyed monsters or Star Wars.)
Actually just read a book of Phillp K Dick shorts. Very... unique... Yeah, thats the word. And if you only know him by the movies, they share nothing but titles and a few plot points with his actual work.
Personally I liked James Hogan for hard S-f, from the 70s into the 80s, and I drifted into Cyberpunk for a while.
Lots of good novels out there, but tons of shorts, by both names, and not so well know authors. (anyone remember Omni magazine for example?)
Of course devourer books for the better part of the almost 60 years I have been around I remember lots of stories and even authors that I could not name if if I had to.
Even Allen Dean Foster had his moments. (when not writing bug eyed monsters or Star Wars.)
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