I was listening to Coast to Coast AM on the radio last night, and the guy was interviewing Ray Bradbury.
He was reading excerpts from his books, and it sounds like the kind of stuff I would like...
I also really liked the 2001 and 2010 movies.... althought I have never read the books.
So with these themes in mind, can you guys recommend me some good sci fi reading?
Nothing like Star Trek novels... something more headdy, or advanced.
OK thanks.

Star Wars: Jedi Academy Trilogy (3 books in one)

(That book got me into reading big time, about 12 years ago)...

If not a star wars fan, then Isaac Asimov

(Think computers, robots, and AI)

Best thing is the books are usually found free online.

Here's the first thing I read of his:

A short story called The Last Question

(about the rundown of the universe)

Ray Bradbury really is an amazing author. He tends to write in a short story format - even his novels are more like tightly connected short stories. His stuff isn't always science fiction, but it's usually brilliant, whatever it is.

Read: The Martian Chronicles (science fiction, in the Bradbury way), The October Country (short story collection, a mix of fantasy, horror, and I-don't-know-what), and I Sing The Body Electric (short story collection, mix of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, ect.)

As for other sci-fi, I'm a really big fan of Kim Stanley Robinson. His masterwork is the Mars Trilogy. It's pretty huge (three books, coming somewhere around 2000 pages in paperback) but it is all necessary, and crammed with great stuff. His science is very accurate, his characterisation is brilliant, and he's even very good at writing the aspects of subjective life that are hard to even explain.

Enders Game - Orson Scott Card.
If you dig it there are a lot of other books centered around it.

In Conquest Born- C.S Friedman
Really hit and miss.

Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
Dune by Frank Herbert
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I suggest you check out more of Authur C Clark's work. My favorite book of his by far is Childhood's End.

Of course, there's the other two of the Big Three of Science Fiction - Heinlein and Asimov. Both are first rate writers. Try the Foundation series of Asimov's and both Stranger in a Strange Land and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlien.

Other notable authors are Frank Hubert (of Dune fame), Fritz Leiber (The Wanderer is a good one to start with) and if you want to try some earlier science fiction, HG Wells.

Worldwar by Harry Turtledove.

battlefield earth

and the orson card and asimov shit mentured earlier

there's a series called rama , the first book was great but 2 was like pretty good and then 3 bored the shit out of me but i read it anyway so i guess it wasn't that bad

A. E. vanVogt, especially Weapon Shops of Isher and Voyage of the Space Beagle.

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"In what concerns divine things, belief is not appropriate. Only certainty will do. Anything less than certainty is unworthy of God." -- Simone Weil

Anything by John Wyndham, especially Chocky and The Midwich Cuckoos.