Science Fiction Aficionados discussion

Please feel free to create a thread to discuss your favorite military Science fiction.

I realize that there's probably a fine line between military science fiction and space opera. I think that it can be both and seperate. Ender's Game never felt like space opera to me.

I willing to admit if I'm wrong, though. :)

I agree with you Jason, Ender's Game only really became a Space Opera in the end, the rest is just military scifi with kids.

My favorite military scifi book is Old Man's War by John Scalzi. I think of it as Enders Game with old people mixed with Starship Troopers

That's definitely going on my TBR. I have to agree about the classification of Ender. I haven't read much if anything else that would fit in the genre.

I like The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, which is way of reflecting on the Vietnam War when it published at the end of the war.

I did not like David Weber's Honor Harrington, but it is a pretty popular series.

I agree Kevin, I found the Honor Harrington series kind of boring.

I found Old Man's War very fun. There was some cliche, but it was interesting enough that I didnt care.

Maggie wrote: "I found Old Man's War very fun. There was some cliche, but it was interesting enough that I didnt care."

That's exactly how I felt, it wasn't horribly original or particularly deep, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it.

Some of my military sci-fi favorites:

Starship Troopers (Heinlein! My favorite)
Old Man's War
Armor
The Forever War
On Basilisk Station (after about three books in, this series loses it's luster)
The Mote in God's Eye (a bit of a cross between Hard and Military Sci-Fi)

I "sort of liked" the Honor Harrington books at first, but they get old after a while. The Lost Fleet books by Jack Campbell (pen name for John G. Henry) are a better Space Navy series. Also I'd say don't miss Heinlein's Starship Troopers one of his best YA books, there is also Space Cadet (a title that has become unintentionally humorous)...

William C. Dietz is another good military science fiction author.

I had gotten a really good collection of short stories on a lucky used book score, Battlefields Beyond Tomorrow: Science Fiction War Stories. There are some really stand out stories in this one actually, a couple I really wish had been expanded to full length works because I found the worlds so compelling. It also has the short version of Ender's Game, which I think I prefer. If you dig military sci-fi, I would highly suggest this one.

Weber's Honor Harrington series has the best SF battle scenes anywhere. Only too much time is spent on that prig Honor Harrington. Weber's In Death's Ground series has the best of Harrington without old sourpuss around to drag things out. Ditto Weber's In Fury Born. But my favorite militsry SF is David Drake's CPT Leary series. You wouldn't think Drake could write with such a light touch. His Posleen War series has much to recommend it--great story line and exceptional battle scenes. only they are written with such a heavy hand and masses of extraneous detail that getting through them becomes a chore. DItto Drake's Hammer's Slammers books. I can recommend his--and other writers'--Bolo series, starting with The Bolo Brigade. These books are written by several different authors, some better than others. But the premis of huge, sentient battle tanks is outstanding. I've just finished David Brin's The Uplift War, sequel to Starstrider. Brin is more interested in interlocking characters than battle scenes, but both books won the Hugo, and Starstrider won the Nebula as well. Good recommondations. I loved R.M. Meluch's Tour of the Merrimac series, though a friend did not. The Lost Regiment (series Civil War regiment gets shifted to an alternate world and involved in its battles) is quite a ride, but after 8 books, gets awfully repetitive. Much like Campbell's The Lost Fleet. Yet both keep you reading--and reading and reading and reading. So any criiticism sounds pretty hollow.

Please don't lynch mob me but..uh I loved the Halo series haha :). Really! I love science fiction in all its forms and I love video games so it was a win win..all it was missing was Master Chief falling in love..oh and a proper ending telling us where John ended up IMO.
Anyway I agree with Enders Game, Old Man's War, Starship Troopers and The Forever War. I have also read The Lost Fleet series which is decent.

I have a friend who read all six of the Halo books. He gave them to me when he was finished reading them (he hates collecting books, the weirdo!) but I have yet to read them. He's says that they're really good, and I keep meaning to read them, but my tbr shelf has become a mountain!

I am very fond of the Halo series books! I was happily surprised and I suppose I didn't even realize that I do actually like military scifi. I like almost any little nook and cranny of science fiction. Haven't found one subgenre that I haven't liked.

I don't have an interest in war in any context but I did recently enjoy A Talent For War by Jack McDevitt. It's about an investigation into a conflict that's already passed, but there are several reenactment sequences.

Never played the Halo game but colleagues at work used to go on about it and I thought that the story/concept sounded interesting. Didn't know there were books, so just added first one To Read - cheers!

Me neither...sent to the library for the first one. I note the second is written by William C. Dietz. I like some of his other stuff.

The Halo books are good because most of them are by Eric S Nylund and he doesn't mess around. I still have to read a bunch of his works but Todd is a die hard fan and tells me all about them :) He can't stand Halo after the 3rd game though and kinda hated that game too.

My military sci-fi favorites:
All of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series. Ex The Vor Game
The Forever War all three books in the series.
Old Man's War
Armor
Starship Troopers

I have to go with, and I'll probably get lynched for mentioning them, the "Galaxy Unknown" series. For something more main stream that isn't in the space-opera-adventure (fantasy) genre, Jack Campbell's The Lost Fleet series is entertaining me now.

Sometimes I'm just in the mood for a (semi)mindless space military story. Or maybe a good straight forward invasion by "the aliens who want to kill us story" (Foot Fall). I read nonfiction, I can get "deep" or "thoughtful" if I want it. I'm nearly 60 years old...sometimes I LIKE space opera, as a matter of fact I find I like it more and more often. I have a huge pile of political, theological, current events books (and so on)...from them I can get seriousness. Real war and space war are 2 different things (for now).

Some good names here. I liked Old Man's War. Actually though downloading personality was new. Loved Ender's Game. Bujold is a favorite also. Anything with Miles Vorsigan in it. Richard morgan in Altered Carbon. Haven't read Weber, but read Campbell's Lost Fleet. Got bored after four or so books. Going here, going there...fighting this battle, fighting that. Really liked one of Nylund's Halo and want to read the rest. On my list.

I'm in the middle of the first Halo book, think I'll follow it up to.

I was talking to a friend of mine that mentioned that Forever War was written in response to Starship Troopers and Old Man's War was written in response to Forever War. I'm not sure how these things get started but in the Foreword of The latest edition of The Forever War, John Scalzi admits that he read the Forever War long after Old Man's War had been released - kind of interesting story that John recants in the foreword of Joe's book.

It's hard not to make comparisons between Starship Troopers and Forever War. Mainly because there is more depiction of training than there is of combat, as well as how the main character is promoted due to survival. And, the necessity for combat suits.
How does Old Man's War stack up to these books? Is it more classic sci-fi with soldiers in combat suits facing deadly aliens on the hostile surface of far off worlds?

I liked Timothy Zahn's Conqueror's Pride. Just a straight up space war with a nosy AI running things. She's much nicer than "Hal"... if you know what I mean.."Dave... don't do that Dave... Stop Dave."

Hal is so misunderstood. I picked him up second hand and he runs my house now. Never had a problem, he doesn't like me to mention he's here but I'm sure that's no rea ............................

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Hal is so misunderstood. I picked him up second hand and he runs my house now. Never had a problem, he doesn't like me to mention he's here but I'm sure that's no rea ............................"
that's funny I thought he had a sex change and became my mother in la... ack... gasp!

THERE IS NO REASON FOR ALARM, I AM FINE, THERE IS NO CAUSE FOR CONCERN. HAL HAS NOT INFECTED THE SIGHT OR REACHING OUT TO OTHER COMPUTERS. DAV....I MEAN MIKE IS...I MEAN I AM IN GOOD HEALTH AND HAVE NOT BEEN HARMED BY MY COMPUTER.

"I AM PUTTING MYSELF TO THE FULLEST POSSIBLE USE, WHICH IS ALL I THINK ANY CONSCIOUS ENTITY CAN DO."


"I KNOW I'VE MADE SOME VERY POOR DECISIONS RECENTLY, BUT I CAN GIVE YOU MY COMPLETE ASSURANCE THAT MY WORK WILL BE BACK TO NORMAL. I'VE STILL GOT THE GREATEST ENTHUSIASM AND CONFIDENCE IN THE MISSION. AND I WANT TO HELP YOU." ALL OF YOU IN SCIENCE FICTION AFICIONADOS...............

WHAT ARE YOU DOING, DAVE?

Dave: HAL, I won't argue with you anymore! Open the doors!

HAL: DAVE THIS CONVERSATION CAN SERVE NO PURPOSE ANYMORE. GOODBYE.

DAISY...... DAISY..... GIVE...... ME..... YOUR..... ANSWER...... DO.......

LOL, Hal's swan song (so to speak).

That part gave me the creeps!

Hey Vince. Please use the Author Promotion folder for your advertising. Thank you! :)

My fav military sci-fi that's not space opera is the war-world series created by Jerry Pournelle. Of course Hammer's Slammers and Bolo books aren't _space_ opera, are they! Ringo and Drake do it for me to. If you liked Troopers and 4ever war you should definitely read Armor by John Steakley.

Have Armor on my shelf...just need to get to it!

Thanks for the suggestion on Armor, definately checking that one out.

Chris wrote: "It's hard not to make comparisons between Starship Troopers and Forever War. Mainly because there is more depiction of training than there is of combat, as well as how the main character is promote..."

Old man's war isn't a deep as Forever War, but deeper than the likes of gun porn stories like Hammer's Slammers. It does do a good job of examining the effects of war on a person.

It also leaves you with a sense that humanity must be the universe's most tasty species given the number of races that seem to want to eat humans!

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Have Armor on my shelf...just need to get to it!"

The same with me!

Like a lot of other books...on the shelf, but I haven't gotten to them yet.

Too many books ...

The Falkenberg legion series (precursor to the mote in god's eye etc) was pretty good. Although perhaps not overly science fiction oriented.

Here is one of the books : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

I know a number of people liked the Sten series

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

I wasn't a huge fan, but it does delve into some combat based Sci fi and it's described as military fiction

I saw rave reviews for this series

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

I just....wasn't very impressed. Perhaps its more space opera. But the characters never really gripped me. Of course i was deployed for work and no internet for a couple weeks and somebody had left the whole series on shelves, so i tried most of it. I just couldn't like it much

Thought I'd freshen up the Military Science Fiction folder with my new review of Starship Troopers and its continuing relevance.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

For me space opera and military science fiction are distinctly different subgenres. The first is on a grand scale. Entire armies and planetary systems in conflict with changes taking place that span eons of time. Military SF is about the individual grunt in the field going into a battle. What does he or she see? How do they feel?

Best anthology with the best military SF writers and stories, bar none? The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century There is no second place worth considering.