I’m a science fiction junkie. I don’t remember the first science fiction book I ever read, but I do remember starting very young. My father gave me all his science fiction paperbacks, many bought during the 70s when he was on the road a lot for work. His collection included Heinlein, Simak, Clark, and tons of Asimov. As a teenager, I expanded that collection significantly by trading in my grandmother’s Harlequin Romance novels at the local used bookstore at increasingly outrageous exchange rates until they wouldn’t take any more. My choices often were anthologies. They had more pages and there seemed to be a ton of thick choices.

I’m still a science fiction aficionado although I’ve “traded” in my paperback buying habits in favour of unabridged audiobooks and e-books. To that end, I ran across the following earlier this year and I thought I’d share: Free Science Fiction, Fantasy & Dystopian Classics on the Web: Huxley, Orwell, Asimov, Gaiman, and Beyond. This lists a variety of formats, including text and audio–alas, not for every book included. You might find it worthwhile to check out. Enjoy!

As a self-confessed scifi short story junkie, the most vivid stories that have stuck with me have been short stories. For example, Sandkings by (surprising to me!) George R. R. Martin creeped me out immensely and I didn’t see the corresponding The Outer Limits episode. You’ve heard the aphorism that people resemble their pets? This story riffs on the reverse, showing what happens when our “pets”, insectoid aliens, caricaturize us, flaws and all. I wonder how much better we’d be as people if we all had our own Sandkings putting up an incontrovertible mirror?

Which science fiction stories have most stuck in your mind?

January

1. The Bad Beginning, book 1 in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
2. The Reptile Room, book 2 in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
3. The Wide Window, book 3 in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
4. The Miserable Mill, book 4 in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
5. The Austere Academy, book 5 in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
6. The Ersatz Elevator, book 6 in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
7. The Vile Village, book 7 in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
8. The Hostile Hospital, book 8 in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
9. The Carnivorous Carnival, book 9 in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
10. The Slippery Slope, book # in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unofortunate Events
11. Tides of Light, book 4 of physicist Gregory Benford’s Galactic Center series.
12. Seventh Son, book 1 of Orson Scott Card’s Alvin Maker series.
13. The Eye of the World, book 1 of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. I listened to the unabridged version as an audio book.

February

1. Red Prophet, book 2 of Orson Scott Card’s Alvin Maker series.
2. The Great Hunt, book 2 of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. I listened to the unabridged version as an audio book.
3. Zombies of the Gene Pool by Sharyn McCrumb, an unabridged audiobook.
4. Star Surgeon by James White, book 2 of his Sector General space hospital series.
5. Major Operation by James White, book 3 of his Sector General space hospital series.
6. Ambulance Ship by James White, book 4 of his Sector General space hospital series.
7. Sector General by James White, book 5 of his Sector General space hospital series.
8. Star Healer by James White, book 6 of his Sector General space hospital series.
9. The Secret Garden by Fances Hodgson Burnett.
10. Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan.
11. Southern Cross by Patricia Cornwell.

March

1. Code of Emergency by James White, book 7 of his Sector General space hospital series.
2. The Genocidal Healer by James White, book 8 of his Sector General space hospital series.
3. Final Diagnosis by James White, book 10 of his Sector General space hospital series.
4. Mind Changer by James White, book 11 of his Sector General space hospital series.
5. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, an unabridged audiobook.
6. Consider Phelbas by Ian M. Banks, one of his Culture series books.
7. Use of Weapons by Ian M. Banks, another of his Culture series books.
8. Zodiac by Neil Stephenson.

April

1. Double Contact by James White, book 12 of his Sector General space hospital series.
2. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, an unabridged audiobook version.
3. Jennifer Government by Max Barry, another unabridged audiobook.
4. The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend, the second book in her Adrian Mole series.
5. Indemity Only by Sara Paretsky, book 1 of her V.I. Warshawski novels.
6. Deadlock by Sara Paretsky, book 2 of her V.I. Warshawski novels.
7. Killing Orders by Sara Paretsky, book 3 of her V.I. Warshawski novels.

May

1. The Dragon Reborn, book 3 of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. I listened to the unabridged audiobook version
2. Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat, book 2 of Victor Appleton’s classic Tom Swift series.
3. Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
4. Diamonds Are Forever by Ian Fleming
5. Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming
6. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson, about his adventures in travelling around England.
7. The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. I listened to the unabridged audiobook version.
8. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, book 1 in his Ender trilogy. I listened to unabridged audio book version.
9. God Stalk by P.C. Hodgell

June

1. Holy Fire by Bruce Sterling
2. Moonraker, by Ian Fleming

Now that the first fifty are out of the way and I’ve read another 29 since then, I’m switched my goal to reading 100 books by the end of 2005. With only 21 to go and three months left, will I be able to do it? Of course! And you can, too, so get reading!

See more progress on: Read 50 books in 2005

The Time Traveler’s Wife (I have trouble typing that without doubling the ell in traveller) is a great title for a book and, for a first book, it’s great. I’ve just finished off the unabridged Audible version and I can highly recommend it. The male/female dual narration is particularly compelling in the audio version. You can, by the way, purchase Audible books through the iTunes Music Store or through Audible on an individual basis. I think, for the most part, it’s cheaper per item to have a subscription if you’re going to regularly purchase audio books. Anyway, I highly encourage others to have a go at The Time Traveler’s Wife, in whatever format. It’s full of interesting ideas, but it’s not too fantastical or so far from reality that it’s hard to get into it.

On my handheld, I’ve finished the Baen omnibus release of Andre Norton’s The Time Traders and then powered through Larry Niven’s Ringworld Engineers, the sequel to his well-known Ringworld (which I listened to via Audible, too!). The sequel has most of the original characters back visiting the Ringworld, but we don’t spend as much time in descriptive narration of their travels as in exploring some of the underlying physics that shape a world that large. Interesting for the engineers and hardcore sci-fi buffs amongst us, but we can probably live quite happily without it. Both of these books take place in Niven’s “Known Space” universe, populated by sentient plant-like beings, humans, and cat-like warriors.

Also on my handheld, I’ve made the mistake of starting again on Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon. This is a mistake because I always have a problem putting this book down. It kept me up until past three the other night when I had to finally reluctantly put it down because I was too tired to read anymore and I was only 30% through the book. If you haven’t read it before, it’s based around Arthurian legend, heavily interlaced with goddess worship and strong female characters, with the whole story mostly related from the viewpoint of a high priestess of the goddess. Maybe I’m just sucker for a book about mostly male things related mostly from a female point of view (like Anita Diamont’s The Red Tent). There is magic, but it’s mostly in the realm of practical rather fantastic magic, so if you’re not fantasy lover, you still might find the story appealing. I have about 30% left to go on my re-read. There are some sequels to it, written later, but I’ve never tried those. Some of her other books, like The Firebrand (with Cassandra of future prediction fame), are also based on myths/legends and are pretty good reads.

Finally, from Audible, I’m listening to the unabridged version of Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers. I’ve read the book many times before and, of course, seen the movie version. Perhaps if more people read books like this and paid attention to the themes running throughout, they’d have a stronger sense of personal responsibility in a democracy (or any other form of body politic). While you might not agree with some of Heinlein’s ideas, at least it gives you something to think about and fodder to compare your own beliefs and underlying rationale for them. The basic story follows the adventures of a young man, just come of age, who has used his first free, legal choice to enlist in military service. In his society, military service is one of (the only?) way to gain the right to become a voting citizen in the society. The society is currently at peace and many civilians, such as his father, see military service as being a parasite upon the blood of society, serving no useful purpose. Does violence in fact solve issues? What is the difference between a civilian and an enfranchised member of society? What is personal responsibility? All of these themes appear as war and death come to Johnny (our young man) and his companions from school.

Further Info/Purchasing Info:

• The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies: Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
• The Time Traders by Andre Norton: Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
• The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
• Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven: Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
• Ringworld by Larry Niven: Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
• Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein: Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
• The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley: Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
• The Firebrand: A Novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley: Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
• The Red Tent by Anita Diamant: Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Disclosure: Amazon links have a referrrer program link in them that generates revenue for an international discussion-based virtual community to which I belong. Your cost is not affected.