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Decent Book Clubs for Sci-Fi Fans?

Posted by Soulskill on from the signal-to-noise dept.

willyhill writes "I'm a Sci-Fi and Fantasy book nut, but in the last few years I've found it more and more difficult to find the time to read. Contrary to what most people would think, I actually have a hard time finding books, rather than cuddling up with them. In reality, I don't have time to mess around at my local Barnes & Noble and browse books, and I find it dicey and expensive to do the same at Amazon or other online retailers. I was looking at a magazine the other day and I found an advert for the Science Fiction Book Club. While my experience with CD clubs and the like in the past has not been entirely positive, I was prepared to give it a shot given the fact that it would be less expensive than Amazon in the long run. The problem was that their selection is not exactly grand. Having read the Simmons Hyperion Cantos, for example, I was ready to give Ilium a go, but I could only find its sequel. How do other readers get their hands on Sci-Fi books? I tried Googling for book clubs and the like, but there's too much static out there, mostly caused by Oprah. Any suggestions would be appreciated!"

69 of 406 comments (clear)

  1. The library. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Check your city library. I know, it's not as fancy as a book club or a CD, but that's where most people used to go to find books.

    1. Re:The library. by montyzooooma · · Score: 4, Informative

      I'd second (or third) the library idea and join a SF community forum to ask for book recommendations (eg http://www.sf-fandom.com/ ).

    2. Re:The library. by maceilean · · Score: 4, Funny

      The only problem I have with libraries is that they expect you to actually RETURN the books.

    3. Re:The library. by h4rm0ny · · Score: 4, Informative


      Or you could subscribe to a Science Fiction magazine. They usually have good review sections as well as some good short sci fi for the busy reader. My personal recommendation is Interzone magazine. It's pretty good, British but I think you can get it everywhere and it also has the best film reviews I've ever read (albeit always arriving long after I've seen the film). Definitely worth it for people who don't have the time to work their way through a bookshop looking for the occasional good sci fi.

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    4. Re:The library. by JasterBobaMereel · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The problem with your answer is that the bookstore only has "popular" titles ... ...Amazon had many more, but so many you are swamped ...at a book club he would get lots of "if you liked that then try this ..." recommendations from people who actually read the books ...

      --
      Puteulanus fenestra mortis
    5. Re:The library. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The "real" problem is that people like you are so quick to condemn other people or put labels on them like 'lazy'. Whether or not you can believe it, there are people in this world who are too busy to kill an hour wasting time in a book store. That person would rather spend the free hour actually reading a good book. Just answer the question or ignore it. I'm sick of little twirps like you insulting the premise of the questioner because his question is about a problem that you personally don't have.

      Your comment shouldn't be marked insightful, it should be marked ignorant.

      Laziness is an inherent human attribute that has caused all kinds of great innovation. Have you ever used a microwave? Well gawlly! You're lazy! Everyone knows that anything worth eating is worth spending at least an hour to cook!

    6. Re:The library. by kalirion · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Unless you do what I do and buy books at library sales. At $0.50 a title, you can afford to take a risk on an unfamiliar author/novel and don't feel bad if you don't like it and stop reading after a chapter or two.

    7. Re:The library. by NarcolepticPenguin · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Not always - I don't know about your local library, but here they have a monthly book sale at the main city library. They sell off surplus copies of titles they already have at ridiculously cheap prices - I picked up Asimov's collected Foundation Series for something like $1.50 - hardback, dust jacket and everything.

      Sure, some are in horrible shape, but for $0.75 to $2.00 you can't really complain. I've found some remarkable (to me) treasures - old Time-Life publications like "Great Ages of Man" and such that I'd never be able to find at most traditional book stores.

      I highly recommend checking it out if your local library has a sale like this. There can be some serious crowds there but in general it's a great way to get some good literature, as well as support your library system.

    8. Re:The library. by chaim79 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Go to a book store and count the number of SF/FF books they carry, now figure myself, I go through 60 to 80 books a year right now, and the bookstore has what, 500? 1000? 5000 SF/FF books? I don't have the time to read through all of them, the descriptions on the back aren't very good at telling you how good the book is or if it matches with what you are interested in... This is a problem even for serious readers, not for the lazy.

      --
      DEMETRIUS: Villain, what hast thou done?
      AARON: Villain, I have done thy mother.
      Shakespeare invents 'your mom'
    9. Re:The library. by budcub · · Score: 2, Informative

      My local library (Fairfax County, VA) allows you to search for books on their website, even reserve them for pickup. You can even renew your books online too. They have a decent selection of scifi/fantasy books, graphic novels, and other things.

      They use a library software package called Sirsi, that other libraries may use too. You (I'm talking to the person who posted the question) might want to look into it.

    10. Re:The library. by bob_herrick · · Score: 2, Informative

      I apologize that I don't have time to read the rest of the comments to see if this is redundant or not, but I recommend www.locusmag.com as a source of reviews and inspiration for new SF to read.

    11. Re:The library. by Sonri · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I've found that the Inter-Library Loan System is your best friend if your library doesn't have the book in question. If the book exists in a library that is part of the system, they can get it to your hands. I love it! The only downside is that it takes a little bit of time to get the book. I've had books come from across the nation just for my reading pleasure.

  2. yahoo, orkut by William+Robinson · · Score: 3, Informative
    Dunno whether it is useful or not, why not join some online groups (yahoo?) or some special communities in Orkut? Orkut there is a community for Sci-Fi book club http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=34191

    Orkut has recently added some features related to reviews on books and you could find some leads.

    BTW, FP?

    --
    hilarious
  3. If you don't mind Audio books by thermian · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'd recommend Audible.

    They have a decent selection of SF books (including some first rate cast based unabridged versions of the Dune books that I'm currently enjoying).

    I've been using it for about eight months, and I like it.

    Also, they let you convert the books to mp3. It's a bit long winded, you have to export to cd/virtual cd using a version of nero they supply, then convert them. I use mediamonkey to do that, then mp3 tag tools to sort out the tags/rename the files.

    Or you can leave them as .aa files.

    --
    A learning experience is one of those things that say, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.' - D. Adams
  4. Library by SomethingOrOther · · Score: 4, Insightful


    Join a bloody library!
    Most (free!) librarys have a decent SF section and will cary SF periodicals if you ask nicely.
    Lots of fellow geeks will be hovering around the Fantesy/SF section also, so you can meet a few people.

    It isn't rocket science dude.

    --
    Anyone quoted by a reporter knows how little they understand
    Don't believe what you read is the truth.
    1. Re:Library by yog · · Score: 4, Informative

      Libraries are good. Also, used bookstores, the kind where they can afford to stuff the stacks with old books, not just the selective boutiques that need to pay high rents and wages and can't afford to have lots of stuff. I found about 20 old Clifford Simak novels in the basement of this wonderful old (and now closed) used bookstore in Arlington, Mass. Classic and great stuff, cheap, and out of print.

      Also, join forces with a fellow science fiction lover. Reviews and fancy cover art are no substitute for the impressions you can get from a trusted friend. A buddy and I used to trade books and it was so wonderful to discuss the stories, their strengths and weaknesses, the author's visions and values.

      I think what the OP wants is something along the lines of the Quality Paperback Book Club, which I used to belong to many years ago. They attempted to live up to their name by vetting the books and providing sophisticated reviews, and the books were pretty good, but after a while it got tedious sending the stupid form back every two weeks. New bookstores that have decent sci-fi collections are pretty good, too; you can browse the books before buying.

      One problem is that books are becoming a niche item in the U.S. (don't know about Europe). People read on the Web, or watch multimedia/video/TV, and the reading of old fashioned books is getting to be almost a lost art form. Bookstores are dropping away, and browsing at Amazon.com is just not the same. Anyway, I'm glad when someone asks this kind of question because occasionally you can get some useful information. Not that I have enough time to read... :(

      --
      it's = "it is"; its = possessive. E.g., it's flapping its wings.
    2. Re:Library by fuzzlost · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The other great thing about used book stores, and especially local, non-chain, mom 'n pop book stores are that the people who run them generally love books (and read them often). There is a local bookstore by my house, and when I am in a hurry for a book, or don't know what to get, I ask the owner there what she recommends. It works pretty well, and happens to be that she really likes sci-fi/fantasy. Might be worth a shot.

    3. Re:Library by DThorne · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Exactly. I'm not even really clear on what the original question is. Do you want books cheap? Do you want people's opinions on what is good and what isn't? What's so terrible about 'messing around' B&N? Forget SF, the way I buy *books* is to 'mess around' a good bookstore, sometimes one simply jumps out at me based on my taste, more often there are ones that *might* be good. Note them, go home and research it on the net - the largest book club in the world. Arguing there's too many opinions isn't worthwhile - would you rather trust 5 people that hang out in a coffee shop?

      Best of all, take a chance. If spending money worries you, then take a chance at the library.

      Book/movie/CD clubs are just ways of separating you from your money while trying to appear cheap. Avoid.

      You're living in an age of endless power when it comes to getting people's thoughts on what's good and what isn't. This question would have seemed more practical back when I was a kid and there almost wasn't a science fiction section at the bookstore.

      DT

  5. Hugo Awards by Misanthrope · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This might seem obvious, but the yearly Hugo awards usually give a good selection of new books. Even the runners up are usually worthwhile.

    1. Re:Hugo Awards by halifamous · · Score: 3, Informative
      I wanted to agree with you, but after checking their list of winners I found they completely missed some of the best books from the last five years: Oryx and Crake, by M Atwood; Never Let Me Go, by K Ishiguro; The Time Traveler's Wife, A Niffenegger; The Book of Dave, by W Self. The Book of Dave is only tangentially sci-fi, I admit. The Nebula Awards overlooked these, too.

      I recognize that these are not hard sci-fi/tech driven stories, of course, so I think I want to restate the question: Where do you find good sci-fi that's also a good book?

    2. Re:Hugo Awards by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Where do you find good sci-fi that's also a good book?

      Kurt Vonnegut. *

  6. Very vague terms by IICV · · Score: 4, Informative

    I looked through the website, and they're very, very vague about what you really have to pay. For one thing, it's 5 books for a dollar each (and one free), but you also pay $13.70 in S&H. That's a pretty good price for six hardcover books, but then you're committed to buying four books from them - and it seems like the books they have mostly aren't new. I tried looking some of them up on Amazon for comparison with their "member prices", but most of the ones I chose apparently weren't for sale any more - except Spook Country, which I knew was new. It's about a dollar more expensive there. The one thing I can't seem to find without becoming a member is the S&H on the further books you purchase. I wouldn't be surprised if that's a ripoff. Anyway, it seems like their strategy is to get various interesting-sounding novels for cheap when they stop selling well, and then seed somewhat slightly more popular books in to that.

  7. Quality on the decline by jimmyhat3939 · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Personally, i think the quality of sci fi works has declined rather steeply in the past 20 years. My guess is this has a lot to do with the rise of multiplayer video games and the like. Alternately, it could just be me getting old.

    I'd recommend going to a good used book store and looking for some older titles. Should be cheaper, and you'll probably find better quality too.

    --
    Free Conference Call -- No Spam, High Quality
    1. Re:Quality on the decline by oDDmON+oUT · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'd like to add:

                Peter Watts (Rifters Triology, dark, twisted, but quite good)
                Scott Westerfeld (Risen Empire was a great space opera, but he seems to have abandoned it for his more lucrative juvenile line)

      I've noticed that the preponderance of decent, new, SF is coming from British authors.
      Perhaps growing up with the longest running SF serial on the planet helps inspire them.

      --
      Some days it's just not worth
      chewing through my restraints.
    2. Re:Quality on the decline by StarvingSE · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Just go for the classics...Philip K. Dick, Issac Asimov, etc.

      I know it's in the fantasy genre, but A Song of Ice and Fire has been holding my interests for a while.

      --
      I got nothin'
    3. Re:Quality on the decline by Lord+Apathy · · Score: 4, Informative

      I think I'm going to have to disagree with you on this. The quality of some authors has declined as they got older. If I see one more Ender book I think I'll barf. I'll give you that the quality of Star Trek and Star Wars books has gone down in the last few years. There are some really good authors out there that don't have name recognition though. I just finished John Scalzi Old Man's War and found it to be great. Never heard of him before.

      Now here is a strange place to find book recommendations but I Wikipedia. If you type in a few key words you can usually find a list of books and subjects that you are interested in. Then you can look them up on Amazon. Strange but it works for me.

      --

      Supporting World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification

    4. Re:Quality on the decline by inactionman2 · · Score: 2, Informative
      Richard Morgan is really good, start with Altered Carbon, but avoid Market Forces.

      Charles Stross has already been suggested, and you'd be best starting with Halting State, particularly if you are into MMO's.

      Tried David Brin? His uplift stuff is particularly good.

    5. Re:Quality on the decline by rjstanford · · Score: 2, Interesting

      As long as we're tossing recommendations out there, how about Cherryh? She often seems to get overlooked in these kind of lists, but has a pretty solid writing style and, more to the point, wonderful characterization while maintaining the first rule of sci-fi - pick a universe with rules, and stick to them.

      Actually, even though its heavier on elves (not the kind you're thinking of) than spaceships (although its had a couple of those too), the Discworld series by Pratchett is far closer to sci-fi than fantasy in the way that it treats the universe. Damn good writing, too, especially the latter half of the series.

      --
      You're special forces then? That's great! I just love your olympics!
    6. Re:Quality on the decline by Lord+Apathy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Holy Shit! Someone feels almost the same way as I do about the same books. I read all the Dune books right up to God Emperor. I got halfway through it and put it down. I didn't hate it, I just didn't like it.

      Rendezvous with Rama is on my all time favorite reading lists. Anything after Rama in that series I wouldn't give the honor of lining my bird cage with. The three squeals to have the honor of being the only books that I've ever went out of my way to destroy. Problem I see with some of these old time authors is they just stop giving a shit after so long. If someone wants to write a piece of crap and stamp their name on it they have no problem as long as they get some $$$ off of it.

      I don't know what OSC is smoking but he should have stopped Speaker for the Dead. Michael Crichton, I can take him or leave him. Jurassic Park I liked. Didn't care for the sequel. His other books I can read but don't feel I miss anything if I don't finish them.

      I gave up on SFBC a long time ago. I thought their books where cheaply made and just didn't stand up. I had more than one totally fall apart in my hands as I was reading it. The glue just wasn't holding it together.

      --

      Supporting World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification

  8. google minus oprah by sonamchauhan · · Score: 5, Interesting

    > too much static out there, mostly caused by Oprah.

    http://www.google.com/search?q=book+club+-oprah

  9. Look to the british... by tcdk · · Score: 3, Informative

    Firstly, let me warn you about the Illum books. The first one is okay, but the last one is really bad. Simmons gets lost in the quantum magic of the story and never really finds his way back again...

    I can't tell you about SFBC as they don't do the rest of the world outside of the US...

    Amazons recommendation system seems to work okay.

    Looking at who wins the Hugo or Nebula, can work, but should be taken without a grain of salt.

    Forums and news groups like rec.arts.sf.written can be a really good source of inspiration, but can consume so much time that you will not have time to read books.

    But if you are ready for something different I'll recommend you the "new" wave of authors from Britain. People like Charles Stross (he has a few free e-books out), Peter F. Hamilton (Nights Dawns trilogy is not a good place to start), Ken MacLeod.

    Read up on them on wikipedia.

    --
    TC - My Photos..
  10. No Time? by Vectronic · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "I don't have time to mess around at my local Barnes & Noble and browse books..."

    I suggest you re-prioritize your life if your life doesnt allow an hour or so spent in a bookstore, then worry about finding books.

    1. Re:No Time? by jdawgnoonan · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I was going to comment about that same line: "I don't have time to mess around at my local Barnes & Noble and browse books..." It sounds like you need to fix your life first if you can't make an hour sometime during the course of your week to go to the bookstore. It doesn't take any more time than does Amazon. You have time to read magazines, make time for the bookstore. I also do not understand: "Less expensive than Amazon in the long run." The clubs are only less expensive for a short while. They give you free books and then require that you buy their more expensive and generally cut-rate, cheaply bound editions. Book club books are not built of the same quality as what are at the store and they charge you the same or more. Also, last time that I checked Amazon is pretty cheap. You are a whiner.

    2. Re:No Time? by Lumpy · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yup. and if the sticker shock at B&N is what is keeping you away. go to a used book store. there are at least 30 of them in every mid to large town and most better ones will have newer books that are cast off from B&N and Borders and for sale at 50% of the cover price. Honestly if you cant wait a year to read that new book, then you dont have enough books to read. I'm 3 years behind on my reading Que and I consume 1 per month.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    3. Re:No Time? by paleo2002 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I actually agree with the OP's feeling about B&N. No matter how gigantic the store is, the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section of the typical B&N consists of a half-dozen shelves off in a corner next to the Teen Readers section. The books are in order by author, rather than genre, which makes it difficult to find a particular type of book if you don't have an author in mind.

      Unless, of course, you're looking for a vampire book or a generic medieval fantasy. Just throw a dart at the shelves and you're likely to hit one. If you happen to ask a salesperson about a title not in stock, they direct you to their web site.

      A useful piece of advice that I haven't seen posted yet is to check the personal web sites of some favorite authors. They sometimes recommend books or authors that influenced their writing and may point you in a new direction.

  11. Trade em' or visit a used book store by stupidflanders · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I have seen some forums where fantasy readers will trade/share their used copies of books (eg, The Dragonlance forums, among others). This could help you track down copies, plus would be another good resource for asking that specific group of fans where to find more of them.

    I have had some luck increasing my fantasy library through used bookstores such as Half Price Books.

  12. Locus Magazine by jhoug · · Score: 4, Informative

    Locus Magazine is a real magazine put together by Science Fiction Fans (notably Charlie Brown who has received many Hugo awards for it). Contains lots of reviews, you'll learn which reviewers have the same taste as you. Yeah, it's not a book club.
    The Young Adult section of the library (don't sneer - the quality of the Science Fiction there is very high) shouldn't be forgotten. Cory's Little Brother is a must-read, and is a YA novel.

    --
    Recursion: To curse repeatedly.
  13. Tor Books by bball99 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Tor regular sends me free SciFi/Fantasy books for free (you have to register but Tor doesn't spam you)...

    kudos to another /. poster for cluing me in on this deal...

  14. Marc Andreessen by buccaneer9 · · Score: 5, Informative

    The best list I've seen in the past year was the one published by Marc Andreessen. I've worked my way through almost all of these now and, aside from one or two clunkers, its a stellar list of books and authors I had not heard of. http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/06/top_10_science_.html

  15. The ABC by johannesg · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I visit the American Book Centre in either The Hague or Amsterdam. Either one is a comfortable half hour by train from my house, and it has the widest selection of F&SF books you will encounter anywhere in the world - including the large bookshops in the US.

    Online here: http://www.abc.nl/

    And before you protest that travelling to the Netherlands might not be any easier or cheaper than joining an online club, you never mentioned what country you were in so I have no reason to assume you are an american ;-)

  16. Amazon is expensive? by Bashae · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Here in Portugal it's next to impossible to find good sci-fi. My local bookstore (which is pretty big) has had practically the same books for years. They're hidden under a shelf, less than 30 books and many are sequels without first volumes. I think I'm one of the few people who ever bought from that shelf. However, fortunately, I can order from Amazon UK. Not only are they cheap (certainly cheaper than local retailers), and have second-hand books for sale, but they're also REALLY fast - books arrive in a couple of days through the normal, inexpensive shipping method, and no customs to pay since they're within the EU. Also, I know there are many horror stories about Amazon going around, but whenever I had trouble, I was always treated with courtesy and my problem solved in a manner satisfactory to me, even when that resulted in a loss for Amazon. I'm not affiliated with Amazon in any way. I don't work for them, none of my relatives of friends works for them, I have no reason to be defending them here other than my own experience as a customer. Buying from them has never been dicey or expensive to me.

  17. When will it stop ? by dbcad7 · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I absolutely hate it that Science Fiction and Fantasy are lumped together.. now although a reader of one or the other may have the imagination to appreciate the other genera why are they so intertwined ?.. You don't find Mysteries and Westerns mixed in the bookstore like Sci-Fi and Fantasy are... They are different things !!!

    --
    waiting for ad.doubleclick.net
    1. Re:When will it stop ? by zoney_ie · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Perhaps, although there is plenty of "sci-fi" that in reality is just fantasy in a futuristic setting (or galaxy far far away etc.). Probably hard-core sci-fi fans have the most to grumble about. Apart from finding some pure sci-fi tough going, I think the mixed shelving arrangement probably suits fantasy fans.

      --
      -- *~()____) This message will self-destruct in 5 seconds...
    2. Re:When will it stop ? by malilo · · Score: 2, Informative

      I think the main problem is that your average book store person, or even Amazon worker classifying the novel would have a hard time classifying some books as one or the other. Even most "hard sci-fi" books that I have read have a LOT of hand-waiving and I think you could be justified in calling that fantasy.

      I was at one time (in my teens) very like-minded: I loved sci-fi but I hated ANYTHING in my local library with dragons on it, i.e. fantasy. A lot of these seemed like romance novels to me, just totally ridiculous and childish and most importantly not asking the right questions, which is what makes speculative fiction or sci-fi so interesting. HOWEVER, I found out once I got to college that I was just reading the wrong books. Just as I had discovered, sadly, that about 90% of sci-fi is crap, that same rule applies to fantasy. A few that changed my opinion: Lord of the Rings (obviously), Dune, the Sword of Truth series before it got lame, some of the books by Sheri S. Tepper. These all share the characteristics of creating multi-dimensional, interesting characters, asking questions which could reasonably be relevant to today's society, etc.

      --
      "sometimes he felt that his whole life was a dream, and he wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it."
  18. Ask Shashdot! by zwei2stein · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think it is obvious. Just make bi-monthly "What new SF/F book do you recommend"

    I am sure a LOT of people would find that useful. (hint: not a sarcasm)

    Tapping large geek pool of shashdot should be enough to get good recommendations.

    Other than that, geeky literature majoring friends are great source of recommendations, i suggest making one!

    --
    -- Technology for the sake of technology is as pathetic as eschewing technology because it's technology.
  19. Mysterious Galaxy by ShakaUVM · · Score: 2, Informative

    I love Mysterious Galaxy (http://mysteriousgalaxy.booksense.com/). The staff there are awesome, and can find books for whatever your personal tastes are.

    They're great people, and I think F&SF specialty stores like that deserve our support.

  20. Book sale at local libraries? by Two99Point80 · · Score: 3, Informative

    My wife works at a county library branch, where the vast majority of donated books are sold very cheaply for fundraising (only a few are suitable for adding to the library's collection). She recently snagged two SF anthologies for a total of forty US cents.

  21. Its because you exhausted the pool of good books by mcdg · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Imagine a pile of 100 best sci-fi books ever, and a new one is out once every 3 years or so. When you are just getting into sci-fi as a teenager, you can be assured to have a big pile of great sci-fi to read ahead of you.

    As you finish it all, it becomes harder and harder to find new good ones, which gives the impression that "today sci-fi is not as good as the years past". Its only the impression, because you wen't thru 50 years best sci-fi in maybe 5-6 years.

    Now you have to wait 2-3 years to discover another gem, while before you could have just went to any "best 100 list" and picked any one up.

    My recent great finds: The bright of the sky: Entire and the Rose (can't even begin to describe it), Alastair Reynolds Revelation Space universe, Commonwealth Saga + Dreaming Void by Peter Hamilton.

    My recent disappointments: Neal Asher. Tried to read Gridlinked, could not even finish.

  22. Baen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Don't forget the Baen Free Library - they also sell ebooks with NO drm.

    http://www.baen.com/library/

    http://www.webscription.net/

  23. Re:Have someone else pick your books? by julesh · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you let someone else select your books, you'll get books that are to someone else's taste.

    Yes, but if you find somebody whose taste overlaps yours well enough, this isn't an issue. The problem is finding that person.

    That being said, I'd have to agree with bball99 - Tor has sent me about 10 books for free and so far I've read (and liked) the first 3.

    From what I've read about the offer, I suspect those books are being picked by Patrick Nielsen Hayden. Just so you know.

  24. Why Amazon? by maceilean · · Score: 2, Informative

    Once you've found the authors and/or titles you want to read (google 'top 10 SF 2008' or something) head on over to addall.com or bookfinder.com Not only will these sites show you the amazon and b&n books but they will also lead you to the independent book search services like biblio.com and abebooks.com There is no reason why anyone should pay retail for mass market paperbacks. There are also many more out-of-print SF books than in-print.

  25. Use your library ! by soundman32 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Here in the UK at least, the local library is free, and you can get (almost) any book delivered there for free (used to be 30p I think!).
    Although my library is very small (probably 1000 books), the staff are more than helpful and will be able to get the book you want from some other library.
    I haven't bought a book for years. What's the point when a good quality, hardbacked version can be borrowed for free.

    Have I said free enough :-)

    --
    No sharp objects, I'm a programmer!
  26. SF Masterworks series by Herr+Brush · · Score: 2, Informative

    On amazon or similar, search for SF masterworks. This is collection of some of the best sci-fi ever written and you're sure to find a few you haven't heard of. Also if you're buying on the cheap, "The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke" is good value for money (almost 1000 pages of SF goodness by one of the greats for £10). Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with amazon except as a customer.

  27. Baen books & Webscriptions by Knightman · · Score: 4, Informative

    You can always check out http://baen.com/ they have an online library of free books and sample chapters for new books. They also have the webscription site where you can read e-Arc (advance reader copy) books yet to be published and other books for a monthly fee.

    Also, check out http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/ which have all the CD's Baen has published. The CD's are free to copy for non-commercial use and contains alot of books in digital format.

    None of the books you get in digital format from Baen is encumbered with DRM in any way.

    --
    --- Reality doesn't care about your opinions, it happens anyway and if you are in the way you'll get squished.
  28. Re:Hugo Awards ... and the Nebulas by zoward · · Score: 4, Informative

    The Hugos are voted on by SF readers. The Nebulas are voted by SF authors. Occasionally the same title will win both honors.

    --
    "Can't you see that everyone is buying station wagons?"
  29. Used book stores. End of Story. by PontifexMaximus · · Score: 2, Informative

    I'm am a rabid collector of books, especially Sci-Fi and Fantasy (along with almost everything else EXCEPT romance.) I have over 5K books in my personal library. Finding good books online is nice, but hit the local used book stores. Yeah, I know it requires you to get off your ass and do some walking, but you'll find what you want more often than not there. Hit up library book sales.

    Again, it requires actual physical activity, so this may not work for you it seems.

    --
    Pax Vobiscum
  30. Look for Authors by N8F8 · · Score: 2, Informative
    Aside from searching Amazon.com for highly rated books, I often try to fins the more popular authors and then find their more popular works:
    --
    "God fights on the side with the best artillery." - Napoleon, Marshal of France - speaking truth to power
  31. Dozois's "Year's Best Science Fiction" by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Informative
    Of course, it depends largely on the kind of science fiction you like ("hard" vs. "soft," literary vs. pulp, etc.) but, as a big fan of serious science fiction (no pulp or Star Trek books for me, thanks), I've found that the best place to start is Gardner Dozois's Year's Best Science Fiction anthology. First of all, if will give you some great reading itself. But, more importantly, it will give you a great introductory essay on some of the year's best science fiction novels, and a great list of quality authors to look for (if you like their short story).

    I've been a long-time science fiction fan and this has been THE book for me each year, in filtering out the diamonds from the shit.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  32. Go to Baen.com or Tor.com by pillageplunder · · Score: 2, Informative

    Go out to http://www.baen.com./ They have the Baen Free Library project, links to many Authors web-sites, a very good online "baens Bar" where you can interact with authors, and the right approach (IMO) on how to deal with free content.

    Do some leg-work! As others have pointed out, go visit a local book-store, and not just one of the chains. Find a used book-store, or two.

    --
    "Work is the curse of the drinking class" Oscar Wilde
  33. Real SF Problem by WED+Fan · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The problem with your answer is that the bookstore only has "popular" titles ... ...Amazon had many more, but so many you are swamped ...at a book club he would get lots of "if you liked that then try this ..." recommendations from people who actually read the books ...

    The real problem is finding quality authors and stories. Back in the early 70's, I was growing tired of cookie cutter Edgar Rice Burroughs stories; "modern man put in a savage environment, finds pretty girl, and becomes king of all he surveys" was just too templated for me whether it was Tarzan or John Carter. I was introduced to Heinlein through "Door into Summer" and followed that with "Stranger in a Strange Land", heavy reading for a 12 year old but Heinlein forever changed my political, social, and religious views. (No, I was more into the "Jubal Harshaw" school of thought.) That was followed by discovering Tolkien in 1974 through a friend, and then joining the SF book club (back then we consided the term "Sci Fi" to be a perjorative) and quickly found Stephen Donaldson. From there, I found and fell in love with Zelazny. In between was a host of others, Asimov and Clark. By the time "Blade Runner" came out, I was ready to try PKD. Moving onto Niven I discovered more.

    I took a break from SF and tried Higgens, Clancy, Griffen, Pope, and others. Lately, I've tried to pick up more recent SF only to be sadly disappointed in the quality. None of the current authors seem to rise to even half the level of authors I've mentioned.

    When you go to BN or Borders, the SF aisle seems to be burdened with Star Trek, Star Wars, and other TV series related books. The shelves are stocked with Tolkien knock offs, and I was never able to get past Bowser not being in the Sword of Shanana series. Some of the "what if" titles sound good but after awhile, even that gets tiring when they really stretch to provide alternate pasts and futures.

    Where are and who are the great visionaries?

    --
    Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
    1. Re:Real SF Problem by Grendel70 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I couldn't agree more regarding the state of modern science fiction. Entirely too many knock-offs and sub-par imitators. Having said that, one author I recently discovered that I highly recommend is Robert J. Sawyer. Rollback and Calculating God in particular were both good reads.

      --
      Perhaps you mean a different thing than I do when you say "science."
    2. Re:Real SF Problem by ppanon · · Score: 2, Informative

      I'll second GospelHead821's opinion. I find Sawyer almost to be the hard SF Piers Anthony. He'll take an idea or two that's good for a novelette and pad it out into a novel. The result feels drawn out with little life.

      For more recent SF writers, I quite like Vernor Vinge, John Varley, and Wil McCarthy. Currently, I think they would be my personal candidates for future grandmasters, although other people would probably argue in favour of Kim Stanley Robinson.

      David R. Palmer has finally (after a 25 year hiatus) written the sequel to Emergence - Tracking is first coming out in serialized version in Analog. Unlike the somewhat disappointing (and unrelated) Threshold from 1985, so far Tracking's mostly up to the level of Emergence. This week, my wife has been chortling her way through my pb copy of Emergence when she saw how enthused I was to see DRP's name on the July/August Analog cover. I hope I'll see more coming from DRP after this novel.

      I quite enjoyed Kathleen Goonan's musical cities series but not everyone does. I think the closest description I can think of for her writing style is Impressionistic with a hint of Surrealism, and it's not for everyone but I really like it. I haven't checked out her In War Times yet. I love Kingbury's stuff but he doesn't write anywhere near enough, though he is keeping ahead of DRP so far.

      I think an interesting thing is that, for most of the above authors, writing is a sideline and not the day job, so they'll never have the output of Heinlein, Clarke, or any of the other great SF writers from the 40s-60s.

      Actually, I quite recommend subscribing to Analog. Or if you prefer your SF a little more mushy, IASFM. It's a good way to evaluate a number of different (and new) writers, although some of them are short story specialists who don't write novels. It's also quite nice, in a busy schedule, to have standalone stories you can read completely in an hour or less. You sometimes can get a good discount on three-year subscriptions at their booths during Worldcons.

      --
      Laissez lire, et laissez danser; ces deux amusements ne feront jamais de mal au monde. - Voltaire
  34. Bookmooch! by Bhrian · · Score: 2, Insightful

    At Bookmooch, you can trade books with many, many others. The only cost is postage for mailing out books. With Media Mail, that's under $3 for several books.

  35. Private Library Development...[and LibraryThing] by rootrot · · Score: 4, Interesting

    One alternative is to work with a good book dealer to build whatever sort of collection you might be interested in creating. Most of my business is in collection/library development, most often for people in the situation you describe...people who love books, want to read what comes into their collection, but lack the time to properly track down material.

    Several of my favorite clients are on personal "book of the month club" programs, where I send them a random book within their interest area(s) each month. Thus far, I've never had anyone complain about a choice.

    I strongly encourage you to find a good book dealer and have a chat. In the alternative, drop me a line *g*...my personal collecting is in hard spec. fiction and cryptography.

    Good luck. .ijk
    --
    Ian J. Kahn
    Lux Mentis, Booksellers
    Antiquarian & Fine First Editions
    211 Marginal Way, #777
    Portland, ME, 04101
    http://www.luxmentis.com/
    Member ABAA/ILAB

    p.s. You should also check out the SF comm. at www.librarything.com.

  36. Re:Private Library Development...[and LibraryThing by pretygrrl · · Score: 4, Informative

    p.s. You should also check out the SF comm. at www.librarything.com. I was about to write that, but here it is already!
    I agree, of the many websites that organize/recommend content, I think the librarything.com does a great, great job! excellent use of tags, you can input several of your favourite titles and see who else picked them and what their OTHER favourite titles are. I personally am not into fantasy, more sci fi, but thelibrarything.com helped me discover asher, and also Ian Banks.
    enjoy!
    --
    Contemplate the marvel that is existence, and rejoice that you are able to do so.
  37. Ebay! by Antifuse · · Score: 2, Informative

    Seriously... Ebay is a FANTASTIC place to pick up used books on the cheap. I'll usually just buy a "lot" of like 20-30 books... with Media Mail (if you're in the States), it is MEGA cheap to get them shipped to you. You usually average around 2 bucks a book if you do it this way... often times even cheaper.

  38. Seconded! by Tmack · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I have used it to get several books Ive had a hard time finding anywhere else. Its a great way to get rid of the ones you have already read and are just taking up shelf space, and for exploring new authors. The only down sides are you have to wait for the other user to mail it, which can take a few days, and some high demand books can be hard to come by (ie: Ender's Game might take a while to catch a copy not already mooched).

    tm

    --
    Support TBI Research: http://www.raisinhope.org
  39. Use a specialist bookstore by dubl-u · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Go with a specialist sci-fi bookstore. I use Borderlands Books. I just walk in and ask them what's good; after some discussion over my particular standards of good, they'll happily drag me to some favorite they have. They are awesome.

    Even if you're not in the area, that's fine; they have a newsletter, and do mail order. And I'm sure that you could call them up, give them a credit card number, and just ask them to ship you a good book every month. Or if you can find a bookstore in your area like that, try them!

  40. SF vs non-SF writers by geek2k5 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If M Atwood is Margaret Atwood, then many people wouldn't consider her to be a science fiction writer.

    Of course, some people who write 'speculative fiction', like Atwood, don't want to be called SF writers because the public would reject them. Their books meet the criteria of SF, whether it be science fiction or speculative fiction, but they stay clear of the genre because of the 'taint'.

    When you get down to it, there are a number of very popular writers, like Tom Clancy, that write SF involving technology but market them under 'action adventure'.

    I suspect that the reason that these, and others, don't make the Nebula Award lists is that the authors wouldn't consider accepting a Nebula because they don't write SF&F from their points of view.