The Sword and Laser discussion

I just finished most of Old Mans war series. I have not read much Laser because I have found it dry in the past. I would love to read more Laser (sci fi) that feels like scalzis writing. What do you recommend?

Thanks!

RedshirtsIs a great one also by Scalzi.
Remnant PopulationBy Elizabeth Moon, or really any of her Sci Fi is great.
Shards of Honour. These are just some of my suggestions. I loved the Old Man's War series, and these all have much the same feel to me.

Thanks! I will look into them. In the meantime Ancillary Justice just caught my eye. Intriguing premise.

You can also try Tanya Huff's Confederation series, which starts with Valor's Choice.

Thank you Joe!

Have you read any Heinlein? Old Man's war is a homage to him.

I read that one famous heinlein. It was good. But I'm not sure I want that at this stage. I like drama, fun, relatable, with a little social commentary but not a manifesto.

If you went to comics, Brian K. Vaughan writes funny dialog. The science fantasy Saga would be a great example, if you don't mind some adult and weird content.

Based on the writing style, you might enjoy the Expanse books by James S.A. Corey. The first is Leviathan Wakes and was an S&L pick last year I think.

Yeah, my first thought was to recommend Leviathan Wakes. If you want something leaning a little heavier on the comedy, I'd also recommend Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

As for writers in other genres who can tell a rollicking good story with intelligence and a lot of humor, I'd recommend:

For fantasy, Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind, The Wise Man's Fear)
For horror, David Wong (John Dies At The End, This Book Is Full Of Spiders)
For urban fantasy/supernatural, Rob Thurman (Nightlife series)

If you mean Stranger in a Strange Land, well...I would not judge Heinlein by that one at all. Try Friday, Starship Troopers or Glory Road maybe. I like Heinlein, even his later stuff, but I think Stranger is not the best intro to his work.

Also, what is it about Scalzi that you liked? The snarky characters, the military stuff, the space opera-ness?

Barclayreads wrote: "I just finished most of Old Mans war series. I have not read much Laser because I have found it dry in the past. I would love to read more Laser (sci fi) that feels like scalzis writing. What do..."

If you like Scalzi, you can't go wrong with Niven's early stuff.

Try Protector first, then give Ringworld a go. (Although the sequel, The Ringworld Engineers, is a bit better in my opinion.)

I would also add Sten, which, if you like it, has 5 or 6 sequels.

For something that's widescreen but a bit cynical, try Jack Chalker's Well World Saga. The first one is Midnight at the Well of Souls.

For something more Earthbound, give Jennifer Government a try.

None of the ones I've listed can be described as "dry."

David Weber's Honor Harrington series are great if you like the space opera parts with a fair amount of action.

Robert Sheckleys Dimension of Miracles. Neil Gaiman released an audio version narrated by John Hodgeman. It's a fantastic use of an audible credit. It's definitely in the same vein as Douglas Adams and Scalzi in terms of humour.

Michele wrote: "Also, what is it about Scalzi that you liked? The snarky characters, the military stuff, the space opera-ness?"

If what Michele is asking turns out to be true (and thank you for asking), then you might consider trying the "Orphan" series by Robert Buettner. They're well stocked on those three elements.

I'm also a fan of R. M. Meluch's series, "Tour of the Merrimack". I don't think you can go wrong with either.

Agree also with the callout on Tanya Huff's "Confederation" series (although the last one left me cold), and I would respectuflly suggest that only commonality between the Honor Harrington books and Scalzi's "Old Man's War" books is that they take all take place in space.

A Darkling Sea seems similar, from the beginning that I've read.