Fiction. What are you reading?

Eugene2011-02-01 00:45:05

Books

Eugene, 2011-02-01 00:45:05

Just in one of the QA questions there was a comment about the Strugatskys.
What do you read from fiction ?

Although my question would be more correct:
" How popular is science fiction in the IT environment, and which authors are preferred? ".

Golovachev's theory of the universe
erudition and tactical thinking in Zvyagintsev (mainly in old novels)
social reflections of the Strugatskys
unique literary skill and ability to look into the future of such giants as Bradbury, Herbert, Azimov, Zelazny

… are all these people still popular?

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52 answer(s)

artyomst, 2011-02-01
@artyomst

From the last: in the first place "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes - I liked it very much, then I liked "The Last Secret" by Werber Bernard, I recently read "Planet of Men" and "Military Pilot" by Antoine De Saint-Exupery, but somehow for me , probably difficult, now I’m reading “The Life and Times of Michael K.” J. M. Coetzee - read 1/3 - like it.

Vitaly Zheltyakov, 2011-02-01
@VitaZheltyakov

I recently finished reading Zamyatin's "WE".

Nicolette, 2011-02-01
@Nicolette

All in a row, but I prefer not so much science fiction as fantasy.

Andrey, 2011-02-01
@AndreyMorozov

Akunin, Strugatsky, Dyachenko, Lukyanenko. From foreign - Simak and Zelazny.

dima_eam, 2011-02-01
@dima_eam

I specially bought several books by Pelevin V.O. for reading in the subway. The main thing is not to miss the stop!

Antelle, 2011-02-01
@Antelle

For the last month I have been reading W. Gibson

Certik, 2011-02-01
@Certik

I try to read in English. Lately I've read The Hobbit, I'm reading The Lord of the Rings (all in the original), next in line is Pratchet (sorry if I lied my last name), The Silmarillion, Bradbury, Zelazny, Sheckley and Silverberg.
Of the favorites - Dyachenko, Semenova, Olga Grigorieva (a little-known author, which is a pity). In general, I prefer fantasy, my favorite author from science fiction is Capek.

WildZero, 2011-02-01
@WildZero

Lately I've been hooked on Haruki Murakami.

timo4ey, 2011-02-01
@timo4ey

I try to read not only science fiction, this year I read "Shantaram" - Gregory David Roberts was very impressed, pleased that at the end of the year the film will be released based on the book, "Ferris Wheel" by Ray Bradbury, "American Gods" by Gaiman, now I am re-reading my favorites in As a child, O. Henry's novels, I especially like the Leader of the Redskins, the Trust that burst
p / s with the advent of the Kindle, reading moved to a completely different level :)

sev, 2011-02-01
@sev

I asked a similar question on aadvark and got the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold as one of the recommendations.
In general, I read almost everything mentioned above, but the Saga is something special. I am finishing the 16th book of the cycle, the last one, released in October.
Yes, from the above, “Tiger! Tiger!" Bester, I advise you to read Gibson's Neuromancer - a classic. Favorites include Strugatsky's Roadside Picnic, Wyndham's Day of the Triffids, Clark's Star Kings, Pavlov's Moonlight Rainbow, and of course The Lord of the Rings.

demoded, 2011-02-02
@demoded

Now I am reading P. Hamilton “The Dysfunction of Reality” 6 volumes - very interesting
before that I read popular science:
Feynman “Of course you are joking Mr. Feynman”
Kaku “Physics of the Impossible”
quite a few years before that Stephen King series “The Dark Tower” 8 volumes seems very interesting .

Alexander, 2011-02-03
@ncix

I recently re-read Hyperion by Dan Simmons for the third time. For myself, I put this series as the best in SF of all time. Purely IMHO of course. recommend.
Now I'm reading Alex Orlov. Detective such space fiction. Dull, and a lot of just enchanting blunders, but the brain relaxes great, easy to read. There are 20 pieces in a series of books.
For fans of cyber- and nano-punks, Neil Stevenson definitely. Vernor Vinge too.

Alexander, 2011-02-03
@ncix

Yes, and Stephen Hawking of course. For those who are interested in modern science, but do not like matan

mikhanoid, 2011-02-03
@mikhanoid

And I'm reading Model for Assembly: I listen to another random story from the collection of transmission recordings, if I like it, then I go to look for books by this author. This is how I discovered Paolo Bacigalupi and Paula di Filippo - chic, imho, modern philosophical science fiction writers. Rudy Rucker, Alexander Tyurin, Jorge Luis Borges, Leonid Kaganov - I also learned about them from the IBC. So, Vlad Koppu and DJ Incognito - great, powerful, public respect.

Anatoly, 2011-02-01
@taliban

And I love King and Brown, I have read almost all of their books, I recently read Crichton's dinosaurs, I am also a fan of Zelazny, Lem and co. In general, I love science fiction (I don’t know how Brown got in there).

4NATIC, 2011-02-01
@4NATIC

At one time I re-read almost all the classics of foreign fiction, so now I am trying to fill in the gaps in other classics - Kafka, etc.
But if I see something from science fiction that I have not read, then I also throw it on my book.

Pavel, 2011-02-01
@Mansiper

Dmitry Glukhovsky, STALKER series, HG Wells.
The last of the foreign ones: "The Godfather", "451 degrees Fahrenheit", "1984".
And, of course, Russian classics!

Stalker_RED, 2011-02-01
@Stalker_RED

At first I tried to structure the list, but then I gave up and left it as is.
In addition to the giants you listed, I would mention Heinlein, Simak, Sheckley (by the way, he has wonderful stories),
Silverberg's Stories ("Tru-ru-ru-ru" for example), Lukyanenko's stories.
Raymond Jones. Noise level.
Oldie, Gibson, Max Fry, Diachenki, Pekhov, Vasiliev. They have a lot of good works, I will not list them.
some of Lukyanenko's works (a labyrinth of reflections, stars - cold toys, a line of dreams, a spectrum, a draft).
socio-psychological fiction by Alexander Gromov, "Macroscope" by Anthony Pierce (and possibly chthon and fluorine).
Farmer's "Pyramid/Tiered World" and "River World".
Discworld by Terry Pratchett (preferably in English).
"Light of the Past", "A Crown of Stars" by Bob Shaw
"The Hobbit, or There and Back Again" and "The Lord of the Rings".
"Foundation", "The Gods Themselves" by Asimov.
“Hour of the Bull” by Efremov, “Star of the KEC” and “Lord of the World” by Belyaev.
Golovachev's early works are a "relic", "the scourge of the times" (but Golovachev is gradually turning into "combat fiction", so to speak. This one is his kumpol, and that one is his teapot, and so volumes 5-7.)
Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle"
"Enclaves" and "Moscow Club" Panova
Obruchev "Plutonia"
Dean Koontz "Midnight".
This list could go on and on, but we must stop at something.

Renat Ibragimov, 2011-02-01
@MpaK999

Now I am reading Chuck Palahniuk's "Fantastic than Fiction" in Russian from the iPad, in parallel in paper and in the original language of his Fight Club. I love palanica...

Leeb, 2011-02-01
@Leeb

I set a goal to read all of Lem. I have read quite a lot (the last was "Invincible"), but it is still far from completion. I dilute it in different ways. From Alfred Bester's last "Tiger! Tiger!". I am currently reading Cryptonomicon by Neil Stevenson. Well, apart from, mostly sci-fi classics: Ray Bradbury (his non-fiction works are no less profound), Philip Dick. Thousands of them. Therefore, I gladly rested my brain on Hugh Laurie's Gun Dealer.

AStek, 2011-02-01
@AStek

I advise you to read Alexander Chubaryan.
writes interestingly about the computer and near-computer environment (http://habrahabr.ru/blogs/books/92592/).
I also liked Lukyanenko's "Labyrinth of Reflections" and "Atomic Dream".
but in general I like something philosophical ...

Artyom Zubkov, 2011-02-01
@artzub

Now I'm reading Kira Bulychev's "Chronos River", the first impression is still chewing gum and toffee, a lot of social and little sci-fi, but so far, it's written very pleasantly audibly =)
Vladimir Vasiliev recently finished everything that is in the audio. I would especially like to note the cycle "Death or Glory" and "The Witcher from Big Kyiv".
In general, for me, IT is so directly related to science fiction/fantasy fiction that the mindset of most IT people is like that. And for myself, I notice that if I go to or from work, and do not listen to books or, in general, a week without a book, the world seems to grow dim - I feel hungry.

Artyom Zubkov, 2011-02-01
@artzub

Recommended sites:

www.fantlab.ru/ is like an alphabetical index with only descriptions, biographies and discussions, plus it can give recommendations.
abook-club.ru is a forum for audiobook lovers, there are sections with reviews, which is very useful, you can also ask for a recommendation, and there is a torrent tracker where audiobooks are posted by samizdam, and most of them are read at the request of members of the forum.

Eugene, 2011-02-01
@Agent_J

Tell me, friends, many of you list the classics and contemporary authors. And did someone read the same Golovochev and Zvyagintsev?

047, 2011-02-02
@047

Recently, for some reason, I got hooked on books that I read as a child. Some kind of nostalgia, right? For example, Brian Jakes and his "Two from the Flying Dutchman".

andreycha, 2011-02-02
@andreycha

I love books by Weller, Kunin, Grishkovets.

Ilya Malanin, 2011-02-02
@malanin

I have collected an almost complete collection of works by Isaac Asimov, of course I have already re-read everything and read it to holes.
Bob Shaw, Roger Zelazny, Robert Silverberg, Harry Harrison, HG Wells, Clifford Simak and other wonderful science fiction writers are not forgotten, and from modern Russian-speaking Sergey Lukyanenko, from not quite modern brothers Strugatsky.

DanXai, 2011-02-03
@DanXai

After work, tired, I usually re-read Max Fry - light reading, not straining the brain at all :)
I love the work of two Ukrainian writers, acting under the pseudonym G.L. Oldie. It is possible that it was the hero of the work "The Messiah Clears the Disk" - a programmer, who predetermined my choice of profession.
L.M. Bujold also writes very good novels. The Barrayar cycle is a wonderful thing, it's a pity that it seems to be over.

Nordvind, 2011-02-04
@Nordvind

Dan Abnett, Titanicus. Next up is "Sons of Fenris" by Lee Lightner.

Nevod, 2011-02-04
@Nevod

Peter Watts, False Blindness. Dark, realistic, very solid science fiction, there is something to think about and think about. In English, it is officially available for free.
Three more of his books from the Behemoth series are available only in English, and are also available for free. But they do not differ in such depth of thought.

Viktor Kuznetsov, 2011-02-04
@janitor

And I love about pirates. And in general about the sea. Sabbatini is generally a favorite author, I re-read everything about Blood about 5 times.
I don't like fantasy, the only thing I liked was the A Song of Fire and Ice series by George Martin. But there's more like a romance going on, in my opinion.

Alexander, 2011-03-18
@ncix

I remember reading the Dragon Lance fantasy series in my youth. Definitely recommend for fans of this genre.

barker, 2011-02-01
@barker

From what I'm reading. Literature 90% - science fiction classics, well, just science fiction / thrillers (King fan, yes), etc. I read quite a lot, almost everything from paper, I can’t - I like that and that’s it :(
For the last six months I have been reading / re-reading Harrison. Before that, I read Efremov. Even before that, Simak had several books and Sheckley. I re-read half of the Strugatskys that year. Well, something like this Well, Bradbury, J. Verna, etc., re-read everyone in childhood, I still have to read my favorites, I like it.

javax, 2011-02-01
@javax

It's hard to find good science fiction. Switched to historical detectives. I recommend Master Chen's books
www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/3079794/

kirushik, 2011-02-01
@kirushik

It is very strange that Vernor Vinge and Alexey Andreev have not yet been mentioned here .
Absolutely goosebumps creep through the body from their future.

ZaiSL, 2011-02-01
@ZaiSL

Recent results: I am currently re-reading the Strugatskys (currently in the reader "It's hard to be a god"). Before the Strugatskys there was Bulgakov, and a little before Pekhov's Chronicle of Siala. If I read something artistic, in most cases it is science fiction, a little less often it is a classic. And quite occasionally something from the new-popular.

bagyr, 2011-02-02
@bagyr

The last thing that hurt Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men.
Right now I'm reading Le Morte d'Arthur.

Katido, 2011-02-02
@Katido

Bernard Werber is very interesting. It cannot be attributed to science fiction, but there is enough fantasy in his books. I really liked "Empire of Angels", as well as "Ants" - in which the description of the life of ants turned into an exciting novel :)

Katido, 2011-02-02
@Katido

And from a more exotic one, I can advise, unfortunately, the book of Anufriev and Pepperstein, little known in wide circles, “The Mythogenic Love of Castes” (in 2 volumes). The interweaving of myths and fairy tales against the backdrop of the Great Patriotic War, however, is very "mushroom", but no less interesting for that. I am simply delighted with the boundless imagination and ingenuity of the authors.

Alexey Pomogaev, 2011-02-02
@Foror

Technocosm - I liked the last one. Shantaram (not fiction) is quite an interesting reading (they promise a film based on the book with Johnny Depp in 2011). I tried to read Transman from Nikitan - it didn’t work, ideas are repeated. Before that, I read Troy from the Forest, where they got into space ...
And of course, I read a lot of popular science fiction and fantasy - Strugatsky, Azimov, Lem, Asprin, Lukyanenko, etc.

rasa, 2011-02-03
@rasa

Cycle "3 laws of robotics" by Asimov.

Alan_d, 2011-02-03
@Alan_d

hmm ... But no one seems to remember Herbert's Dune)
Now I'm not reading fiction ("One-story America" by Ilf and Petrov). But in general I really liked Metro 2033, I remember Divov's "Culling", Lukyanenko really likes it. "We" Zamyatin until I finished reading it. I put it aside. Not an easy book for me turned out to be.

deactivatedtheelephant, 2011-02-03
@deactivatedtheelephant

I read google.com, recommend.

Alexander, 2011-02-03
@akalend

not anymore.
I mostly listen.

Konstantin, 2011-02-03
@Simplevolk

I have a question - tell me the name of the book in which the plot takes place in virtual reality, I remember an excerpt from the book - the name of cyber motorcycles coincides with the name of the Barracuda hard drive manufacturer.
plus the movement goes through thin channels, and hackers can “cut” them and just go beyond these limits.
I would be very grateful if someone could tell me the name of this book)

Mikhail Shevtsov, 2011-02-03
@mshewzov

Arthur Clarke's Space Odyssey - all 4 volumes are just the standard of science fiction for me! I'm thinking of re-reading everything. And so I love the Strugatskys, as well as Ivan Efremov. In general, I love Soviet science fiction about a bright communist future and the conquest of space. Somehow this is cute, although utopian.)

Dmitry, 2011-02-04
@StraNNikk

+1 to Sitven King! For the last two years I have been reading it. True, he does not have as much to do with science fiction as, for example, the Strugatskys ...

pietrovich, 2011-02-04
@pietrovich

I remembered that Berkem Al Atomi liked the Marauder, and in the same style, Cruz and Jacks. As I wrote above, it is absolutely impossible to let more than two books in one series, so by the end all the authors are blown away, some in the second, some in the third book, but the first very worthy representatives of the genre. And while drinking, I remembered that Kornev also had good reading in a similar genre. Ice, Slippery and something else like that.

zizop, 2011-03-18
@zizop

Warhammer 40K. Tech-priests of the Machine God, Space Marines. Sci-Fi is very happy. Although there is not so much Sci in it :-)

xabk, 2011-03-18
@xabk

A lot of good advice was given;) Even I, with my habit of reading science fiction in tons, found something new.
So right away, I can also advise Weber (Honor Harrington), although, they say, a matter of taste and, of course, Orson Card (Ender's Game, the whole tetralogy, the books are different, but all are good in their own way).

Oleg Dzinkovich, 2015-02-20
@DarkTempteition

Once I read Edgar Alan Poe very much!
Here is the book: bwbooks.net/index.php?id1=4&category=fiction&autho...