sci-fi books?

[wisvuze]

Hey, as you might know, some scientists ( or studiers of science ) gain some sort of inspiration from certain sci-fi books ( such as asimov? ). I'm a math student, but I've never *really* been into sci-fi ( especially not the "technobabbley" kind ), but I have to say that I've been reading a sci-fi book at the moment, and it's very inspiring to me! (inspiring my math passion )
If you haven't heard, the two Jurassic park novels by Michael Crichton borrow ideas from math (chaos theory, dynamical systems ) and the second novel even "stars" a mathematician ( Ian malcolm ). I've finished the second one, and now I'm starting the first ( they don't really go in order, and besides, I've seen the movie like a hundred times). I'm already almost done the first so I've been wondering about what I should read next.
Any recommendations? Thanks! :)

( P.S. and remember, I'm not a physics student, I study mathematics )

[FrancisZ]

...I'm already almost done the first so I've been wondering about what I should read next.

Any recommendations? Thanks! :)

( P.S. and remember, I'm not a physics student, I study mathematics )


You don't have to be a scientist to enjoy reading sci-fiction (nor a physicist in particular). Still, if you are looking for a...uh...sort of "Math-fiction-esque" book, well then I highly recommend...

FLATLAND

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51aKUXoMhPL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg


and


FLATTERLAND

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41MFerd2wIL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

[Math Jeans]

I've spent a lot of time reading sci-fi books lately, so here are the author's who's books I've read:

Iain M. Banks (Culture novels)
Alistair Reynolds (Revelation Space books)
David Louis Edelman (Jump 225 Trilogy)
Iain M. Banks (Altered Carbon and the other two in that series if you're interested)
Neal Asher (Polity Novels)
Peter F. Hamilton (Commonwealth books)

They're all fundamentally different in writing styles and setting type so here's a small tidbit of information on what kind of books they write (you can look them up too):
Iain M. Banks: The books are based in a utopia society run by AIs. Each book has a self contained story but, as always, references previous novels based in the same universe. He tried to mix up the kind of story each book focuses on, so you get quite a bit of variety throughout his novels. He has a really artistic writing style, which I tend to enjoy.
Alastair Reynolds: He writes really hard sci-fi. His books tend to be kind of gritty in their feel, and have built in limitations to the story such as the impossibility of FTL travel. I believe he's an astrophysicist and from what I gathered out of his books, he likes to incorporate M-theory into the story (I don't 100% support that, but it works).
David Louis Edelman: He is a relatively new author and I believe that currently his only books available on Amazon are his Jump 225 trilogy. They have a much different feel than many other sci-fi books as they are in a corporate setting. I thoroughly enjoyed his books and would highly recommend checking him out.
Neal Asher: I'm still in the process of reading his books (I'm on the second book of the Spatterjay series). The books are set in another society run by AIs, and I would have trouble explaining the basis of his writing, so you should just read up on him.
Peter F. Hamilton: He writes sort of generic sci-fi books. I don't feel like a lot of his concepts have very plausible scientific basis, but if you want something that is thoroughly entertaining, and will use a lot of your time, I would recommend him. He writes really really long books, in that he will create a story out of two 1000 page books, without any real separation between them.

As you may have noticed, I choose my authors based on their ability to kill time. I tend to lean towards authors with multiple books set in the same universe because if I really enjoy one of their books, I find comfort in the fact that there are more of them.

I don't know if that's the kind of thing you're aiming for, but I hope this helps.

[mind]

Here's a short story:

http://www.fantasticmetropolis.com/i/division/full/

[Borek]

Check "His Master's Voice" by Stanisław Lem.

[wisvuze]

thanks guys! :)

Check "His Master's Voice" by Stanisław Lem.

This looks sweet! I'll totally check it out aha -- thanks

[PhDorBust]

For hard sci fi, I'd recommend you start with the big three: Robert Heinlein, Issac Asimov, and Arthur Clarke.

[Altai]

As a boy, I did like Jules Verne's books. And I still do, to say the truth. :)

[Altai]

I also like the books written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (the Strugatsky Brothers) - two Russian sci-fi authors whose books have been translated to English.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkady_and_Boris_Strugatsky

[ThomasEdison]

I've spent a lot of time reading sci-fi books lately, so here are the author's who's books I've read:

Iain M. Banks (Culture novels)
Alistair Reynolds (Revelation Space books)
David Louis Edelman (Jump 225 Trilogy)
Iain M. Banks (Altered Carbon and the other two in that series if you're interested)
Neal Asher (Polity Novels)
Peter F. Hamilton (Commonwealth books)






Richard K. Morgan (Altered Carbon and the other two in that series if you're interested)

I've read most books by those authors (in some cases all) excluding David and Peter Hamilton.


I might have enjoyed the Neal Asher books the most consistently. When Iain Banks is good ; he's great (second to none,) but he is hit or miss for me. I don't like his recent Culture Novels ; I prefer the older ones like "Player of Games."

I would also recommend :
Stephen Baxter (for hard sci-fi)
Peter Watts
John Varley
Ben Bova
Robert Charles Wilson
David Marusek (lesser known but really fun futuristic books)
Frederick Pohl's Gateway is also excellent.
Rudy Rucker

I don't consider any listed as Hard Sci-fi except maybe Stephen Baxter or Ben Bova. Maybe Rudy Rucker is; I'm not sure. Rudy Rucker wrote an unauthorized sequel to Flatland called Sphereland which I enjoyed. I loved the original Flatland but I can't get anyone else to read it because they think it's sexist (which it is not.)

There is also Philip K Dick.

There are many others too.