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sci-fi series recommendation (lemmy.world)
submitted 4 months ago by to c/books@lemmy.world
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I've finished the "Old Man's War" series from John Scalzi. It was great!

Can you recommend any other good sci-fi series playing in space for my next read?

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[–] 3 points 4 months ago (6 children)

Not necessarily. I loved OMW but something about the Culture novels just rubbed me the wrong way. I read the first two books and gave up. They were okay, but I didn't enjoy them enough to want to read any more.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago (5 children)

    I found that Banks’ writing can be… boring? There is a certain simplicity in it that can rub me the wrong way.

    This should not be a reason NOT to read the books, as I found them to be simple reads with amazing concepts.

    Consider Phlebas is a great read as it’s told from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with the Culture and is exposed to it at a distance.

    Other books in the series put you front and centre in the Culture and it can be overwhelming.

    Some of his books don’t even mention the culture, but you know it’s operating under a veil in front of the reader the entire time.

    It’s all really quite genius.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago (4 children)

    I didn't find Banks' writing to be particularly boring. The plot in Consider Phlebas was interesting enough for me to finish the book, at least.

    The Player of Games was a big letdown, though. Similarly to the first book, the plot was interesting enough. But by time I got to the end, I realized: I just wasn't having fun. I didn't particularly care about the protagonist, and I wasn't impressed with the way he was characterized. Just, overall...meh. It doesn't resonate for me.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago (3 children)

    I’ve read most of the series and I would say this is my experience with half of it.

    Some books are bangers others are flops. But overall the entire thing is worth reading for the universe he presents.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago (2 children)

    Hmm, it has been a while since I read them. Maybe I should put the next one in the series on hold at the library.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago* (1 child)

    So. To save you some time, none of them need to be read in order (although Consider Phlebas is the best starting point), the books I recommend are:

    Use of Weapons, Excession, Look to Windward, Matter, Surface Detail

    …. Wait. You know, I just looked at a list of the Culture novels and realized I HAVE read them all except Surface Detail(which I am currently reading and enjoy) and honestly Player of Games is the weakest of the lot followed by Hydrogen Sonata.

    You really did stop reading right as it gets really good. Use of Weapons and Excession especially open up the world and really start pushing cool concepts.

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