free SCI-FI ebooks

[Stu Jackson]

I've read the HH series twice now. Great stuff. Mercedes Lackey, also with Baen, does great work.

Baen makes reading so easy, I'm surprised more publishers don't do it. Business models, from the 1800s, no doubt.

[Rhapsody-NS27]

when it comes to TV shows, I'm a sci-fi nut. I never really got into reading sci-fi books but there are plenty of shows that I enjoy watching. I haven't heard of Baen.com so I'll look into some books to read.

Thanks to sarafina for mentioning some authors. I'm not sure of who is good when it comes to sci-fi books.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by sarafina

Shifting into cyberpunk sf... I loved Gibson's Pattern Recognition...

I liked it-sort of. I think it marked the decline of his work, everything after that was different, and not for the better IMO. Still much better than the average author, but just not as good as his revolutionary early work. Can't even put Pattern Recognition and Neuromancer in the same realm. Have you read Spook Country and Zero History as well?

Anybody else a China Mieville fan? His work is stunningly good, particularly the Bas-Lag series. Much more current than most sci-fi authors, he churns them out regularly. Bacigalupi is also a newer up and comer. Mievilles "The Scar" ought to appeal to the cruiser set, as much of the action takes place on the water (though one must really start with "Perdido Street Station"). Bacigalupi's "The Windup Girl" is an extremely modern take on the dystopian future. It is set in Thailand and has some boatiness that multi hullers would really appreciate, as would anyone who has spent time in Thailand. His "Ship Breaker" is also fairly nautical. These two are serious contenders for the best sci-fi around right now IMHO.


Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs series has finally moved past just being optioned and is actually being made into a series of movies by Hollywood. I'm sure they'll find a way to ruin it. "Market Forces" was awesome too, especially for anyone who operates in the business world.


And Neal Stephenson would have to be my favorite SF author ever, for countless reasons. From his early classics (Snow Crash, Diamond Age, Zodiac, etc. ) to his most recent work (Reamde), he is consistently just freakin awesome. I'm pretty sure he wrote all 3000 pages of the Baroque Cycle just for me...

[sarafina]

OK, Neal Stephenson is the bomb; prolly loved Zodiac the best of all! But I don't think I have ever read any Stephenson I didn't like.

I really enjoyed the main character in Pattern Recognition, Cayce, but I admit the story itself was not his strongest effort. I just snickered thru so much of it it left a really positive impression on me. The Spouse says I am eerily like her. Our wardrobes have some definite similarities... ; -)

I have read many of Gibsons other works and really enjoyed his early stuff in particular. I remember reading Neuromancer when it came out and just gobbling it down.

His short stories have merit as well I think.

Meiville and Morgan are on the shelves but I have yet to crack one open. So many books, so little time.

Older Cherryh and Dickinson have been appealing to me lately.

[tartansail]

Originally Posted by minaret

And Neal Stephenson would have to be my favorite SF author ever, for countless reasons. From his early classics (Snow Crash, Diamond Age, Zodiac, etc. ) to his most recent work (Reamde), he is consistently just freakin awesome. I'm pretty sure he wrote all 3000 pages of the Baroque Cycle just for me...

Thanks for this thread and the info about Baen. However, I have to disagree with your comment on Stephenson. The Baroque Cycle was written for me. I spent a wonderful day in the Tower of London just after finishing the Cycle. One of the best tourist days ever. All those people looking for the Crown Jewels. Meanwhile, I haunted the backwaters looking for all the places mentioned in the trilogy. Highly recommended for any Baroque Cycle fans.

The boggling thing about Snow Crash is that it was written before there was such a thing as the World Wide Web. One of my geekier colleagues wondered if Stephenson was plugged into the research at Xerox Parc given some of the ideas he puts out in the Diamond Age and Snow Crash.

[colemj]

Yep, Stephenson is the bomb for me also. "Snow Crash" is mind blowing, particularly when put in perspective of when it was written, and "Cryptonomicon" may be the best book ever written in that genre. Personally, I thought "Zodiac" was pretty weak, although "Big U" was the weakest. I also thought his newest book "Reamde" was pretty weak, but a good easy read. The Baroque Cycle trilogy will leave you scratching your head over how any writer could have pulled that off. "Anathem" was OK the first read and much better the second read. The others by him were interesting in a way only Stephenson could do - very good reads, and can only be faulted when compared to other Stephenson books. They are certainly top gun compared to other authors.

I'm pained to say this, but I think Stephenson is more gifted than Gibson.

Mark

[john540]

When I read Cryptonomicon, I was angry, because I wouldn't be the one to write the best novel of the 20th century. When I finished the Baroque Cycle, I almost cried, because it was over. Reamde was an easy read, but good. My opinion is that it was a backlash against all the criticism he got for Anathem, which I enjoyed, but found a bit difficult at first.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by tartansail

Thanks for this thread and the info about Baen. However, I have to disagree with your comment on Stephenson. The Baroque Cycle was written for me. I spent a wonderful day in the Tower of London just after finishing the Cycle. One of the best tourist days ever. All those people looking for the Crown Jewels. Meanwhile, I haunted the backwaters looking for all the places mentioned in the trilogy. Highly recommended for any Baroque Cycle fans.

The boggling thing about Snow Crash is that it was written before there was such a thing as the World Wide Web. One of my geekier colleagues wondered if Stephenson was plugged into the research at Xerox Parc given some of the ideas he puts out in the Diamond Age and Snow Crash.

I have always wanted to do a Cycle oriented tour of London; I'm green with envy. Someday. The series turned me on to so many authors from classical to very modern, it's a real eye-opener. If the chance ever presents itself go and see the original manuscript, Paul Allen (who is a huge fan) keeps it in the sci-fi section of EMP. It's amazing, entirely hand written.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by tartansail

Thanks for this thread and the info about Baen.

Please thank Sara, it's her thread.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by sarafina

OK, Neal Stephenson is the bomb; prolly loved Zodiac the best of all! But I don't think I have ever read any Stephenson I didn't like.

I really enjoyed the main character in Pattern Recognition, Cayce, but I admit the story itself was not his strongest effort. I just snickered thru so much of it it left a really positive impression on me. The Spouse says I am eerily like her. Our wardrobes have some definite similarities... ; -)

I have read many of Gibsons other works and really enjoyed his early stuff in particular. I remember reading Neuromancer when it came out and just gobbling it down.

His short stories have merit as well I think.

Meiville and Morgan are on the shelves but I have yet to crack one open. So many books, so little time.

Older Cherryh and Dickinson have been appealing to me lately.

Great to see several have read the more obscure earlier work; I love Zodiac too. Sangamon is just a great hero (right up there with Hiro Protagonist). It's such a period work to re-read, reeks of the 80's.

Which Mieville do you have? Consider giving him a whirl, he has some really great stuff. I recommend starting with Perdido Street. If you jump right in to his later stuff you won't be sufficiently blown away to stick with some of it.

You can never go wrong with PKD. Every time I re-read A Scanner Darkly it blows my mind how modern it feels. Cherryh-meh. Though there is a certain nostalgia appeal.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by minaret

Please thank Sara, it's her thread.

Uh, scroll all the way up to post #1...

Mark

[minaret]

Originally Posted by colemj

Uh, scroll all the way up to post #1...

Mark

Wow, I'm a moron. Sorry sailorchic.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

Well they have dragons etc too. But Baen does the best hard sci fi around... Not enough for sure. Though I enjoy a good sword and dragon book too

Oh same here. Have nothing against fantasy, dragons, warriors shooting magic arrows and women with big swords

But do like a dose of hard sci-fi as well. Seems like the fantasy genre has really taken over and I have trouble finding new, real sci-fi in the last few years. As soon as I have a free day or so I plan to spend a few hours checking out the web site.

Thanks again for posting that.

[tartansail]

Originally Posted by minaret

Please thank Sara, it's her thread.

Originally Posted by colemj

Uh, scroll all the way up to post #1...

Mark

Originally Posted by minaret

Wow, I'm a moron. Sorry sailorchic.

Actually, I wanted to thank everyone who's contributed. Lots of e-reading for the long winter and next season.

I can't think of any Stephenson I didn't enjoy though Big U was pretty weak. What amazes me is how he can do the research to get very strong in new domains -- Cryptonomicon, The Baroque Cycle most notably -- and then churn out thousand page volumes in longhand every two to three years.

IMHO, when Snow Crash came out, it was reasonable to compare Gibson and Stephenson. After Cryptonomicon and the Cycle, the only recent authors I consider on a par are Thomas Pynchon and Cormac McCarthy.

[colemj]

I read recently that Pynchon's books were finally going to be released in ebook formats.

Mark