SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Recommendations for not well-known Sci-Fi books from the Asimov, Heinlein, Clark days.

I just read Joe Haldeman's "All My Sins Remembered".

Michelle wrote: "I just read Joe Haldeman's "All My Sins Remembered"."

That was a superb book and I second the recommendation. (view spoiler)[The ending did leave me with a hollow and sad feeling, however. (hide spoiler)]

The Dosadi Experiment by Herbert.

Michelle wrote: "I just read Joe Haldeman's "All My Sins Remembered"."

Exactly what I am looking for. It reminds me of "Tales of Pirx the Pilot" by Stanisław Lem.

Colin wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I just read Joe Haldeman's "All My Sins Remembered"."

That was a superb book and I second the recommendation. [spoilers removed]"

Yes- I was upset.

I'll put in three, a couple of them from very long ago:
1) "Last and First Men" by Olaf Stapledon (1931)
2) "The City and the Stars"/"Against the Fall of Night" (two rather different version of the same story) by Arthur C. Clarke (1956 for the longer, revised one)
3) "Lord Valentine's Castle" by Robert Silverberg (1980)

Oh yeah! I just read Lord Valentine's Castle last year.

Me too! I really enjoyed Lord Valentine’s castle!

Lord Valentine’s Castle is one of my favorite books.
Robert Silverberg's book "The Man in the Maze" is similar to "All My Sins Remembered".

I came up with one: (sorry no link - I’m on the app) The Death of Grass by John Christopher.

Also, Thrice Upon a Time, by Peter Hogan. A time travel story, in which no one actually travels. Hard SF with lots of math.

Andre Norton's SF books
Leigh Bracket's SF books

both by women who had to use male names to get published

And for clarification, how long ago do you consider yesteryear? Pre 1980? 1970? 1960? Or even 2000?

Leigh Brackett was her real name. Although getting into print may have been eased by its ambiguity.

CBRetriever wrote: "Andre Norton's SF books
Leigh Bracket's SF books

both by women who had to use male names to get published"

Along a similar line, please consider Rosel George Brown who wrote Sybil Sue Blue (also published as Galactic Sybil Sue Blue), a spacefaring female detective, and co-authored "Earthbood" with Keith Laumer. That is a fabulous old space opera. Both of these books were first published in 1966. Brown died in 1967. She was still relatively young (41) at her death and her output was limited for that reason. It seems that few people remember her or her work.

Have you already read the Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny?

Alice Norton chose to write adventure books aimed at boys under the slightly ambiguous pen name of Andre (not really French, as it has no accent.) But this was not a well-kept secret, and some of her early science fiction was first published as “by Andrew North” for the same reason. Publishers soon learned to put “Andre Norton” on the cover and title page.

She eventually legally changed her name to Andre. This may have helped with signing contracts and especially cashing advances and royalty checks. I know one SF author who was faithful to an inconveniently located bank branch just because it never made problems for her over that kind of issue.

Fredric Brown
I love everything by this first author. Even the detective stories, which normally I don't read at all. There's just something about his writing. Some of you might have read Arena, probably his most famous short.

The following are a bit uneven, but still very worth reading. Follow or friend me to see which I've enjoyed so you can skip the weaker ones, if you like.

Clifford D. Simak - most of his short stories are better than some of his novels.
Chad Oliver - author was an anthropologist; ideas a bit dated now but still worth considering.
Murray Leinster - charming & fascinating short stories that are still fun to read all these years later.
John Wyndham - more famous in the UK, look for alternative titles.
Lester del Rey - very uneven, but try Early Del Rey.

Don't overlook the woman James Tiptree Jr., I'm pretty sure some of her work is still in print.

These are just off the top of my head. I love the 'golden age' works (except I've been totally disenchanted with Heinlein).

C.L. Moore (also a woman) is good too

Northwest Smith
Jirel of Joiry
The Best of C.L. Moore

are just some I liked

DivaDiane wrote: "And for clarification, how long ago do you consider yesteryear? Pre 1980? 1970? 1960? Or even 2000?"

Space Opera Sci-Fi. It doesn't matter much when it was written.

Young Rissa
and
The Long View
or
other F.M. Busby books might qualify but they're from the 70s

caveat: rape is a bit common

Here's one that fell into the "dustbin" of history.

Inherit The Stars by James Hogan.

Great Sci/Fi, thought provoking, and a killer twist at the end. I loved the book and highly recommend it.

David wrote: "The Dosadi Experiment by Herbert."

The Santaroga Barrier was another good read from Frank Herbert. Much shorter than his famous Dune. Completely different style of book, but I remember liking it and its intriguing premise. (view spoiler)[Jaspers! (hide spoiler)]

Grass by Sheri S. Tepper (1989)

I also enjoyed John Wyndham in the past, but not sure how dated the books might feel now. Classics such as The Day of the Triffids, The Chrysalids etc

Jason wrote: "Here's one that fell into the "dustbin" of history.

Inherit The Stars by James Hogan.

Great Sci/Fi, thought provoking, and a killer twist at the end. I loved the book and highly recommend it."

Fun book as were the next few in that series.

David Gemmell's work has a certain old-timey feel, although his first book was published in the early eighties: Legend.

Just finished The Word For World Is Forest. Thought it was brilliant. Villain is a little one-dimensional, but I think that's kinda the point.

And holy hell, books that came out when I was 10 are "yesteryear"?!

Jason wrote: "Here's one that fell into the "dustbin" of history.

Inherit The Stars by James Hogan. ...

The extremely evocative cover for the initial printing of Inherit the Stars popped up in my mind when I saw this mention. Dusty, but still there. I read the book when it first came out. I bought it from the author at a DEC computer event back when he was still working for them. That was in the late '70s. It clearly made a very long-lasting impression.

I was wondering recently what had happened to the series and to the author. I do remember thinking at the time that Inherit the Stars and The Gentle Giants of Ganymede were among my favorite (then) contemporary SF books.

I really enjoyed Hogans earlier novels and even the Giants series, his later work is unfortunately too influenced by some of his problematic world views and when I also realised he was a holocaust denier I had to drop further books by him.

Thanks for that warning. Sigh. Just as well that I stopped when I did.

Thank you for the info., Lars. I'd like to think that a work should stand apart from an author's views etc., but esp. in SF that is seldom the case.

California Sorcery is still on the newish side of the "yesteryear" description, being released in 1999, but it's one of my favorite collections featuring some of the greats:
Ray Bradbury
Richard Matheson
Harlan Ellison
Ray Russell
Charles Beaumont
George Clayton Johnson
Robert Bloch
John Tomerlin
Chad Oliver
Charles E. Fritch
William F. Nolan
Jerry Sohl

Lars wrote: "I really enjoyed Hogans earlier novels and even the Giants series, his later work is unfortunately too influenced by some of his problematic world views and when I also realised he was a holocaust ..."

One of those morons?

Check out the work of Larry Niven
Short stories by Robert Sheckley
The Genocides by Thomas M. Disch
Last, but not least, Philip K Dick

Even older stuff:
A Voyage to Arcturus
The King in Yellow and Other Horrors: The Best Weird Fiction & Ghost Stories of Robert W. Chambers
Lord of the World
A Plunge Into Space
The House on the Borderland: A Horror Trilogy
After London: or, Wild England
The Purple Cloud
Rossum's Universal Replicas: Karel Capek's "R.U.R." Reimagined
The Blue Peril

Hard to believe no one has recommended Jack Vance yet. One of my faves of his is The Star King...

Phil wrote: "Hard to believe no one has recommended Jack Vance yet. One of my faves of his is The Star King..."

Oh yeah! I now feel kind of sheepish.

Some other oldies I haven't seen (or missed) in this thread:
Eric Frank Russell - Wasp
Cordwainer Smith - Nostrillia and his shorter works

Si, limiting myself to the 40’s and 50’s, which is when Asimov and Heinlein’s most influential works were published, there’s quite a few great authors and books worth delving into:

Theodore Sturgeon, More than Human (SFFBC group read)
Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon
Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 andThe Martian Chronicals
George Orwell, 1984 and Animal Farm
Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
Walter Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz
John Wyndham, Day of the Triffids
Richard Matheson, I am Legend
Clifford Simak, Way Station (SFFBC group read)
Philip K. Dick, short stories like The Minority Report and novels like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner)

There are more, I’m sure.