Science Fiction

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December book club canceled. Short stories instead!

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Lemmy World Rules

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Tenthrow

Looking for a good Sci Fi Novel available on Project Gutenberg (self.sciencefiction)

submitted 1 year ago by PlanetOfOrd to c/sciencefiction

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Been out of work for a while so buying books is out the question (yeah, I get there's always the library, but I don't like it for a lot of reasons).

I like how PG has free books. I realize I'm not going to find top-tier modern writers on PG, but I'm open to suggestions of good reads.

What I look for in sci fi:

An idea to chew on; something that stays with me even after I turn the last page.
Some emotional intrigue; I want to feel what the characters feel.

What I like to avoid:

Technobabble. I like a good story; I don't want to spend half the book understanding how the ship works. (I found Frank Herbet was good with avoiding technobabble...he often obeyed the rule of "show don't tell")
Stock characters. Gimme some depth.

A few I've read so far that I'd consider "passable" are Off on a Comet by Jules Vern (I only listen to about 2/3 of this on librivox) and Space Prison by Tom Godwin (although the plot is pretty simplistic).

I just finished Frankenstein. A lot of people think its The Greatest Novel. It was kinda meh. I see why people would get excited about it, but it didn't grab me like it does other people.

Any suggestions?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

A book I really enjoyed was Space Prison

Looks like it was published in 1958. The title sounds pulpy but it is more then that.

[–] PlanetOfOrd 1 points 1 year ago

Yes, thank you. I mentioned it above as one that I read. Technically, it was on audio book. Wasn't that in-depth but I was entertained. I was actually working a full-time job at the time. I listened to the entire book during my shift. After walking out for the day I had to remember, "oh yeah, a millennium didn't pass, only 8 hours. 😆"