Kabluey Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 So I'm starting up a new Star Hero campaign, sort of Firefly and Traveller-esque, and was wanting to read some books for inspiration and feel. I have some books on my list to read (currently in the midst of the Honor Harrington series), but figured I'd see if anyone had any good suggestions I hadn't heard of already. Basically I'm looking for books with a specific feel. Not necessarily military sci-fi like Harrington, but certainly something where starships play an important role. I generally don't read spinoff books, (i.e., books based on TV series or movies, like Star Trek, Star Wars, B5), but if people know of specific books of this type that are good, feel free to mention them. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Obvious Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? David Drake's Lt. Leary books have been good so far... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? By Andre Norton: Sargassos of Space Plague Ship Voodoo Planet Postmarked The Stars By John Maddox Roberts Space Angel Spacer: Window of the Mind By Glen Cook Passage At Arms By Robert Heinlein Space Cadet By William Tedford Silent Galaxy By Joan Vinge The Outcasts of Heaven's Belt (collected in The Heaven Chronicles) By Jack Williamson The Legion of Space (collected in Three From The Legion) By Larry Niven World of Ptavvs Protector Tales of Known Space The Mote in God's Eye (with Jerry Pournelle) Many of these are out of print, but can be found at http://www.bookfinder.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? I second most of Nyrath's suggestions. (The one's I've read so far.) I hesitate to recommend Stephen Donaldson's "Gap" series. Like everything Donaldson writes, it's beyond dark -- rape, torture, general nastiness. But it also has a very interesting and original vision of space travel and combat. First book is called "The Real Story." I'm not a big fan of Saberhagen's Berzerker Wars, but I know a lot of people who swear by it. And though it's mostly about the ground pounders, definitely give Heinlein's Starship Troopers a read if you haven't already. bigdamnhero “I use the word “man†in its broadest possible sense. For as we all know, God made man in his own image. It’d be a sad lookout for Christians throughout the globe if God looked anything like you.†Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? The Mageworld series by Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald. There are seven books so far: The Price of the Stars Stapilot's Grave By Honor Betray'd The Gathering Flame The Long Hunt The Stars Asunder A Working Of Stars Written like it had a roleplaying game in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? Sargassos of Space, Plague Ship, Voodoo Planet, Postmarked The Stars, Space Angel and Spacer: Window of the Mind are all "free trader" novels, about the adventures of a tramp interstellar freighter. Passage At Arms is life aboard a military starship during a war. It is sort of like "Das Boat" in outer space. Space Cadet shows what a young man goes through to be trained as a member of the interplanetary patrol. Silent Galaxy is sort of odd, but has lots of Larry Niven like spacecraft. The Outcasts of Heaven's Belt is about a Belter civilization in an asteroid belt around a far star. It seems there's been a civil war... The Legion of Space is a swashbuckling space opera about the heroic members of the Legion of Space. World of Ptavvs Protector and Tales of Known Space are the books that inspired TRAVELLER. The Mote in God's Eye is the best "First Contact" novel ever written. Aliens, interstellar battles, titanic battleships, what's not to like? Since you are interested in a Firefly like campaign, one might find some inspiration in James Blish's Cities In Flight novels A Life For The Stars and Earthman Come Home (collected in the omnibus edition "Cities in Flight"). They are also tramp freighter novels, except the freighter is Manhatten Island, uprooted and turned into a starship by gravity generators. The other two novels in the series do not work with your campaign. Thinking about it, Andre Norton's The Zero Stone and Uncharted Stars apply as well. The main character is the son of an interstellar gem trader, but he travels with free traders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlHazred Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? Hmmm... Military sci-fi or Firefly-like... I recommend Poul Anderson's Technic League stories, if you can find them (I believe many of them are out of print). Some concern the character Ensign Flandry of Terra, who grows throughout the series from a fairly wide-eyed heroic Navy pilot to a cynical, devious spy. My preferences are for Nicholas van Rijn and David Falkayn, who are super-competent space merchants. One of my favorites is The Trouble Twisters, a Falkayn book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross_winn Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? Nothing compares to H. Beam Piper for that style of SF (in my humble opinion). http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0441777848/qid=1125408552/sr=8-15/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i13_xgl14/104-4010618-4194324?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? Nothing compares to H. Beam Piper for that style of SF (in my humble opinion). http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0441777848/qid=1125408552/sr=8-15/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i13_xgl14/104-4010618-4194324?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 Absolutely. SPACE VIKING is a must-read for military/rome-falling-to-the-barbarians science fiction. Also not to be missed is THE COSMIC COMPUTER (aka JUNKYARD PLANET). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanguard00 Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? Prior to Firefly, the only sci-fi author I'd read who I thought captured the whole "Wild West In Space" feel was Mike Resnick. Books like "Santiago", "Widowmaker", "Oracle", and "Outpost" are rich with characters of all types, and the sci-fi tech is only a background to it. I pretty much buy anything by Resnick without even looking at the summary because chances are it's gonna be a darn good tale. I'd also recommend Simon Greene's "Deathstalker" series for good sci-fi adventure romp. Joel Rosenberg's "Emile and the Flying Dutchman" is good fun in the tradition of Han Solo-type adventure. For military sci-fi, I have yet to come across better than David Drake and John Ringo (writing together or separately). Jerry Pournelle ranks up there, as well. Harry Harrison's "Stainless Steel Rat" books could lend some flavor, as could Keith Laumer's "Retief" books. I know there's more but I'm blankin' on author names right now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanguard00 Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? David Weber's "Voyage of the Star Wolf" is one I was thinkin' of (couldn't get past his Honor Harrington books) There's a series of books--of which I can remember neither the author nor any titles--that followed the exploits of an ensign as he rose through the ranks of the 'space navy' to become an admiral. There were at least half-a-dozen books, and after a while they became somewhat formulaic. However, they dealt with life aboard a starship (a variety of 'em, actually) and 'space navy' combat, and might provide good flavor. Unfortunately, unless someone knows of which I speak, you might have to wait for the titles. I might have one or two books in the series, but if I do they're in storage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? David Weber's "Voyage of the Star Wolf" is one I was thinkin' of (couldn't get past his Honor Harrington books) There's a series of books--of which I can remember neither the author nor any titles--that followed the exploits of an ensign as he rose through the ranks of the 'space navy' to become an admiral. There were at least half-a-dozen books, and after a while they became somewhat formulaic. However, they dealt with life aboard a starship (a variety of 'em, actually) and 'space navy' combat, and might provide good flavor. For the STAR WOLF, I think you are thinking about David Gerrolds. There are about three books in the series, depending how you define the series. I'm not sure, but your other series sounds like THE HELMSMAN series by Bill Baldwin. http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Bill%20Baldwin Great fun, and written very visually. You can almost see the scenes in your mind's eye, Star Wars like. The novels are a thinly disguised re-telling of the end of World War I and the start of World War II, with the Battle of Britain, the Dunkirk Miracle, and everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanguard00 Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? For the STAR WOLF' date=' I think you are thinking about David [b']Gerrolds[/b]. There are about three books in the series, depending how you define the series. Yeah, Gerrold, not Weber. Thanks. I'm not sure, but your other series sounds like THE HELMSMAN series by Bill Baldwin. http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Bill%20Baldwin Great fun, and written very visually. You can almost see the scenes in your mind's eye, Star Wars like. The novels are a thinly disguised re-telling of the end of World War I and the start of World War II, with the Battle of Britain, the Dunkirk Miracle, and everything. It wasn't The Helmsman series, but it's similar. The Helmsman series was better, I think. Crap. I'm gonna have to do some digging for those books now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanguard00 Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? The Nicholas Seafort series! Ha! David Feintuch wrote 'em, and they have names like "Midshipman's Hope", "Challenger's Hope", etc. whew! Like I said, not as good as Helmsman, IIRC, but not bad. Okay, time to go rest my brain. Too many friggin' 'Davids' writin' books these days... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series You can start with Miles' parents in Cordelia's Honour. But the first Miles book is Warrior's Apprentice. All wonderfully melodramatic - war, intrigue, romance, politics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? Nothing compares to H. Beam Piper for that style of SF (in my humble opinion). http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0441777848/qid=1125408552/sr=8-15/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i13_xgl14/104-4010618-4194324?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 Absolutely! And while I don't like his work in general, I was going to recommend Resnick (selected titles), but someone beat me to it! In particular I'd recommend Santiago, which for a 'frontier' feel absolutely cannot be missed. While I don't care for him, what he does well, he does _very_ well, and Santiago, Oracle, and a handful of others he did very well indeed! And, while I am already preparing for the hail of hard, sharp, and pointy things that will be hurled this way, two excellent looks at 'aboriginal' cultures (that could be also viewed as low-tech frontier cultures) are Foster's (hey, I swear; he was good once!) Icerigger and Mary Gentle's Ancient Light (and whatever the prequel to that was called). Both beautifully crafted stories, Gentle's work in particular. Have fun with your campaign, and _please_ tell us about it when you've decided on where to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? The Nicholas Seafort series! Ha! David Feintuch wrote 'em, and they have names like "Midshipman's Hope", "Challenger's Hope", etc. whew! Like I said, not as good as Helmsman, IIRC, but not bad. YMMV. For me, I found them not quite to my taste. A bit too grim and depressing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? YMMV. For me' date=' I found them not quite to my taste. A bit too grim and depressing.[/quote'] Indeed. While I found them to be good reads, I felt that the 'Hope' part of the title was a bit misleading..... As you say, YMMV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? The Rolling Stones Heinlein, Robert. A brilliant but eccentric family seeks their fortune among the rock rats in the Asteroid belt. Citizens of the Galaxy Heinlein, Robert. Adventures with free traders. Bullard of the Space Patrol Jameson, Malcolm. The adventures of John Bullard as he rises through the ranks of the Space Patrol. Star Rangers (aka The Last Planet) Norton, Andre. Also collected in the omnibus volume Star Soldiers. Adventures of the Patrol during the decline and fall of the Galactic Empire. High Justice Pournelle, Jerry. The story of a visionary corporation attempting to expand into space despite sabotage from decadent governments. Exiles to Glory Pournelle, Jerry. A semi-sequel to High Justice. An outcast from a decadent Earth finds opportunity in the asteroid colonies. The Star Fox Anderson, Poul. To meet an alien menace, the custom of privateers is resurrected. The Lucky Starr series Asimov, Isaac (aka Paul French). The adventures of David Starr of the Council of Science. Startide Rising Brin, David. An earth ship makes a critical discovery, and all the alien races of the galaxy want it. Merchanter's Luck Cherryh, C. J. Adventures of a free trader. The Flinx series Foster, Alan Dean. A rogueish young man with psionics adventures in a Traveller like universe. The Retief series Laumer, Keith. The adventures of a James Bond like Terran diplomat. The Antares series McCollum, Michael. A military starship explores when the warp gates re-open after a hundred years. Life Probe and Procyon's Promise McCollum, Michael. Bringing the secret of FTL travel back to the Makers. Northwest Smith Moore, C.L. The adventures of a Han Solo like interplanetary rogue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agemegos Posted August 31, 2005 Report Share Posted August 31, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? You might like to try Poul Anderson's Flandry series, about a naval officer who becomes an intelligence agent in a decadent interstellar empire. Ensign Flandry, Flandry of Terra, Agent of the Terran Empire, A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanguard00 Posted August 31, 2005 Report Share Posted August 31, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? Jerry Pournelle CoDominion Series #1 King David's Spaceship #2 West of Honor #3 The Mercenary Falkenberg's Legions Series w/S.M. Stirling #1 Prince of Mercenaries #2 Falkenberg's Legions #3 Go Tell the Spartans #4 Prince of Sparta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kabluey Posted August 31, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. A lot I had heard of, some I had read, and many are completely new to me. I've already ordered some of the more interesting sounding ones. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey777 Posted August 31, 2005 Report Share Posted August 31, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. Start with Consider Phlebas and then either Use of Weapons or The Player of Games. If you're buying the books I recomend the English versions for better covers and larger sized TBPs. AI-run ships that get to name themselves, gravbots done right, and a Far Future culture that acts like it actually has high technology. Oh and good writing to boot. Excession has lots of great AI ship names but also a lot of ship to ship conversation which grates a bit on an organic mind. It also works best after having read at least one Culture novel. EDIT: Oh and E.C. Tubb's Dumarest of Terra series. This is where Traveller got Slow/Fast Drug and Low Berth from. Very gritty pulp in a good sort of way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lethosos Posted August 31, 2005 Report Share Posted August 31, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? Might want to peep at Med Ship by Murray Leinster--it's a reprint collection of his novellas involving a traveling doctor and his lone animal companion as they travel from colony planet to another, checking up on their medical conditions and whatnot. Interesting read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Jim Posted August 31, 2005 Report Share Posted August 31, 2005 Re: Book suggestions? Robert Buettner's "Orphanage" (ISBN 0446614297) and "Orphan's Destiny" (ISBN 0446614300) are near future, alien invasion, non-powered armor infantry based stories. I really liked them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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