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:
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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?
Isaac Asimov is great. His stuff isnt really on project Gutenberg, but it is on the internet archive: https://archive.org/details/the-complete-asimov-by-isaac-asimov
Thanks. I did read one of his novels a while ago (not i-robot, but I forget the name of it). I was kind of bored by his novel, TBH. But if I may give it a second go at some point.
Thats fair, it might not be your thing. asimov definetly has a unique flavor to his writing.
Good luck on the search :)