Great Science Fiction that is Out of Print? 115
book_reader asks: "I recently came across a set of (the alas) out of print The Phoenix Legacy by M. K. Wren. This is/was an amazingly good classic space opera trilogy. So it got me thinking...what other great sci-fi books have vanished into the ether that I don't know about?"
Stars and Under (Score:2, Interesting)
CS Lewis (Score:5, Interesting)
Like all of Lewis's writing, they're fairly Christian in outlook - that is, not endlessly talking of Jesus, but rather always relating things to a greater power. But they're easy to read and interesting. They get better as the books go on.
Quick description (you'll find others online of course) bloke is taken to another planet my mad scientist (quite hackneyed, but honestly doesn't matter) and discovers a lot about mankind. Then goes to another planet, before spending a book on Earth arguing against dehumanising modernity. Yep, that about sums it up.
Re:CS Lewis (Score:1)
Re:CS Lewis (Score:1)
My other main criticism of the books is a little unfair, given they were written about 60 years ago, but he tends to ram the strange things on the other worlds down your throat - low gravity = stuff grows high. Repeat 300 times.
Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)
Hmmm... (Score:4, Interesting)
I enjoyed Sterling Lanier's Hiero's Journey [iblist.com] and Unforsaken Hiero [iblist.com]...
Most of Harry Harrison's Bill, the Galactic Hero [iblist.com] books are sadly out of print...
Most of the works of Clifford D. Simak seem to be unavailable...
I can never keep up with what Harlan Ellison is available from what publisher at any given time. There's some good stuff that I was hoping White Wolf would re-publish when they were putting together the Edgeworks editions, but that series seems to have imploded.
Bill, the Galactic Hero (Score:2)
Clifford Simak's "Way Station" leads my list of books I'd like to see made into a movie. Two reasons - because the plot is relevant today, and because I think the book could be done well as a movie. It seems that most good books suffer badly when movie-fied.
Re:Bill, the Galactic Hero (Score:1)
Are Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld, specifically "To Your Scattered Bodies Go", out of print? I saw where Sci-Fi Channle made the movie, but that book used to be hard to find.
Re:Bill, the Galactic Hero (Score:2)
_spoiler alert_
where the girl runs off with something else, and the two boys competing for her realize they're gay?
Re:Bill, the Galactic Hero (Score:1)
Vermont Cheddar cheese makes the BEST cheddite ray projector.
Re:Bill, the Galactic Hero (Score:2)
Re:Bill, the Galactic Hero (Score:1)
Sadly it is no longer out of print.
Re:Hmmm... (Score:4, Informative)
One good place I've found to get out-of-print books is at abebooks.com [abebooks.com]. They're UI isn't that great, but the selection is incredible; basically used book stores around the world load up their entire inventories.
Re:Hmmm... (Score:1)
The Dangerous Visions series, edited by Ellison, is a great collection of late 60's/early 70's speculative fiction (not necessarily SF) stories by authors whom you should know.
The series is worth a read on its own, and has been out of print for a long time, so it qualifies as an answer to the original question. The first volume was released last year in a 35th anniversary edition available in all the usual p
"The Strange Life of Ivan Osokin" (Score:2, Interesting)
Read it NOW!
Re:"The Strange Life of Ivan Osokin" (Score:2)
Isn't Ouspensky associated with the Gurdjieff cultish, religionist thingy?
Great. Just what we need, another L. Ron Hubbard.
But in Soviet Russia... (Score:2)
Perhaps when Lafayette claimed to have multiple submarine kills off Oregon, he really meant Georgia, as in the bit of Russia next to Turkey? It has Black Sea frontage, and "next to turkey" could well be a short summary of Mr Hubbard's life.
Re:"The Strange Life of Ivan Osokin" (Score:1)
If you're worried about the book being tainted by his influence, then it's not - they hadn't even met then.
There's nothing cultish about either of them, by the way. They're just a set of philosopies about how to combine eastern mystical traditions with modern western living. There's no 'charismatic leaders', money changing hands or enforced loyalty, which are what main
Pulp (Science) Fiction (Score:5, Interesting)
Iain M Banks.. (Score:1)
Re:Iain M Banks.. (Score:2)
I've been ordering used copies as I can find them, but it's a hit or miss proposition at best. A fantastic series though.
Re:Iain M Banks.. (Score:1)
Re:Iain M Banks.. (Score:1)
But, about a year ago I found a copy of Consider Phlebas in a Borders, along with 2 other titles, which I stupidly decided not to purchase. I was a bit annoyed to discover that it was only the
Daniel Keys Moran (Score:3, Interesting)
Check out some of DKM's stuff, if you like. It's not hard SF--DKM doesn't hold a candle to Vernor Vinge or Robert Forward[*]--it's definitely pretty firm SF. Just not quite hard.
[*] Bob Forward is a great author of hard SF. Unfortunately, his dialog and characters are
Re:Daniel Keys Moran (Score:1)
I dig these out and re-read them every couple of years, they're so good.
It looks
Re:Daniel Keys Moran (Score:2)
Last I heard, Players: the AI War had actually been sold to a Russian publisher. So if you grok Russian, you're in luck...
Re:Daniel Keys Moran (Score:2)
Armageddon Blues and Emerald Eyes are two fantastic books. I lent them to someone, they never cam
Re:Daniel Keys Moran (Score:2)
Re:Daniel Keys Moran (Score:1)
DKM is far and away my favorite sci-fi author. And, contrary to what's posted here, he hasn't stopped writing. He just published Terminal Freedom, co-authored with his sister Jodi. It's a hoot.
And if you're up for some freeware s
Re:Daniel Keys Moran (Score:1)
Re:Daniel Keys Moran (Score:1)
First I need some information... (Score:5, Funny)
witches of karres by schmitz (Score:2, Interesting)
Karres. It was out of print for years, but a small print
run occurred a few years ago. Amazon seems to
have a few (it costs $30). This seems to have produced a
glut of the older paperback copies (check bookfinder.com)
-- before the new print run, it was almost impossible to
find. This is fantastic old-school sci fi.
Re:witches of karres by schmitz (Score:2)
Thier is suppose to be a new book being up out set in this universe, hopefully next year or so. It is being written by Mercedes Lackey, David Freer, and Eric Flint.
Stanislaw Lem, 'The Invincible' (Score:1)
Most anything by Stanislaw Lem. (Score:2)
Not widely known? (Score:2)
The same Stanislaw Lem that shows up constantly in the "fortune file", and that most geeks quote (even if they don't know it)?
The same Stanislaw Lem that is the most published Polish author - ever?
Out of curiosity, what's your idea of "widely known"?
"A Song Called Youth" and Little Heroes (Score:1)
I would also recommend Norman Spinrad's Little Heroes, which is now out of print, but well worth hunting for.
Re:"A Song Called Youth" and Little Heroes (Score:1)
Sorry, gotta go tap myself a hit of the old red jack
Dennis Schmidt "Wayfarer" series (Score:1)
Also, Steve Perry, not sure if these are out of print, but, he had a series that started with "The Man Who Never Missed". It was also a great series for the martial arts enthusiast, but also laced with a lot of semi-political metaphors.
A great deal of Asimov´s books are o.o.p. (Score:1)
Just gone!!!
Re:A great deal of Asimov´s books are o.o.p. (Score:1)
(NB: This contains the short story version of Nightfall, which later grew into the novel Nightfall in collaboration with Silverberg.)
Re:A great deal of Asimov´s books are o.o.p. (Score:1)
Weinbaum, Mitchison, Hodgson (Score:1)
Stanley G. Weinbaum, most famous for the story "Martian Odyssey", a very early pulp writer who created an amazing array of alien life and worlds. Get his old "Best Of" Del Rey book (Alibris has some here [alibris.com]).
The prolific Naomi Mitchison, who wrote in many genres, wrote two of the best scifi novels - "Memoirs Of A Spacewoman", which is a catalog of alien contacts with a memorable main character, and "Solution Three", an amazingly prophetic future history novel.
Jack Vance (Score:3)
Re:Jack Vance (Score:1)
Re:Jack Vance (Score:2)
- adam
Re:Jack Vance (Score:2)
And I say this only after reading two of his stories: The Last Castle, and The DragonMasters. Got to get more.
The Complete Jack Vance is now BACK in Print! (Score:2)
Of course, at $1250 for the set, it's not exactly cheap...
Re:The Complete Jack Vance is now BACK in Print! (Score:2)
Oh my!
I can't afford it, but thanks for the info. That's good news, indeed.
John Brunner's The Shockwave Rider (Score:2)
I think it should be on everyone's list.
A.
Re:John Brunner's The Shockwave Rider (Score:1)
I'm looking at my copy right now. I still can't believe how prescient it is. Privacy, the Internet... it should be compulsory reading.
Re:John Brunner's The Shockwave Rider (Score:1)
If you want prescience, you must read Vinge's True Names.
Re:John Brunner's The Shockwave Rider (Score:1)
If it was great.... (Score:1, Troll)
Re:If it was great.... (Score:2)
You're assuming that every publisher over the last half century plus uses the same definition of "great" that we do. Not even close to true. I've been reading science fiction since the early 70s, and I can remember many books I thought were great but which disappeared after the first printing.
SB
Re:If it was great.... (Score:1)
Gateway series... (Score:2)
For a long time, at least according to my local bookseller, the second book in the great "Gateway [amazon.ca]" series, "Beyond the Blue Event Horizon [amazon.ca]," was out-of-print.
It took me over a year to track down a copy (in the pre-Internet world I was living). I could never figure out why all the other ones were still be printed when the second one wasn't. Curiouser and curiouser.
More John Brunner (Score:1)
Goodness gracious- Used Bookstores! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Goodness gracious- Used Bookstores! (Score:2)
One wish of mine is that once a book has been out of print for years, and it doesn't look like it will ever be in print again, that the author would release it to the public domain, so it can be read and enjoyed again and again. This would also help preserve a l
Re:Goodness gracious- Used Bookstores! (Score:1)
http://tinyurl.com/be6i Online Bookseller Directory
http://tinyurl.com/be6q Steve Trussels site-lots of book links
www.ioba.org Independent Online Booksellers Assoc/look for members list
And for SF&F in general:
http://www.locusmag.com/index//0start.h
Regards,
Michelle
THe problme is, few sell the GOOD stuff (Score:2)
The Wonderland Gambit (Score:1)
It's a VR-universe-jumping setup (predates the Matrix as a movie, but pays some homage to Gibsons stuff while adding a lot of it's
"Wasp" by Eric Frank Russell (Score:3, Informative)
- adam
Re:"Wasp" by Eric Frank Russell (Score:2)
Seconded. It's not exactly a deep book, but it's highly entertaining and moves at a cracking pace.
And, luckily it's not out of print (well, not in the UK anyway). Gollancz republished it recently as part of their SF Collector's series, complete with classic yellow cover.
Re:"Wasp" by Eric Frank Russell (Score:2, Informative)
Re:"Wasp" by Eric Frank Russell (Score:1)
The Past Through Tomorrow (Score:1)
Patricia McKillip (Score:3, Informative)
Mckillip's "Riddle of Stars" trilogy (Riddlemaster of Hed, Heir of Sea and Fire and Harpist in the Wind) is terrific. Partly because it came out when fantasy was dominated by LOTR ripoffs (e.g. Shannara), but it holds up well after 20+ years. Or anything else by her. It's fantasy, rather than SF, but that's okay, since others have already referenced the CS Lewis trilogy.
Re:Patricia McKillip (Score:1)
Re:Patricia McKillip (Score:1)
McKillip also wrote three science fiction books, all out of print: the standalone Fool's Run, and the "duology" Moon-Flash and The Moon and The Face. Fool's Run is quite good; very cleverly plotted. I've always liked her writing, but McKillip is a bit surreal for some.
Sincerely yours,
Jeffrey Boulier
Re:Patricia McKillip (Score:2)
Good to hear that the Riddle-Master is back in print. I've got Fool's Run, but had never heard of the other two, thanks for the pointer.
I can't think of a McKillip that I thought was less than "pretty good".
Rudy Rucker (Score:2)
I really liked them, but as one other poster noted, if they were great, they wouldn't be out of print.
out.
Rudy Rucker, back in print!!! (Score:2)
I can't recommend him enough. Buy them all while you can!!
Ruh-roh. (Score:1)
Try this one... (Score:1)
Re:Try this one... (Score:2, Informative)
Yes it's very very good! And no, it's not out of print! [amazon.com]
Best quote: "No, you don't have a soul. You are a soul; you have a body."
But I must admit, I did check to see if John Varley's The Ophiuchi Hotline [amazon.com], Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men and Star Maker [amazon.com] and Ursula LeGuin's The Lathe of Heaven [amazon.com] and Stanislaw Lem's Imaginary Magnitude [amazon.com] were still in print!
They are. Whew!
Jack of Shadows (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Without a doubt... (Score:1)
Re:Without a doubt... (Score:1)
Cordwainer Smith (Score:1)
Cordwainer Smith is IN PRINT! (Score:1)
Title: The Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith
ISBN: 0-915368-56-0
It has all the stories in the insturmentality series, except Norstrilia. It also has a few of his other stories; the original version of War No. 81-Q (which was not written for the Insturmentality setting); Western Science is So Wonderful; Nancy; The Fife of Bodidharma; Angerhelm; The Good Friends. I really reccomend CS for anyone w
Re:Cordwainer Smith is IN PRINT! (Score:1)
The Stainless Steel Rat... (Score:2, Informative)
Have fun!
OldFart
The Warlock in Spite of Himself... (Score:1)
Have fun!
OldFart 8-)
Re:The Warlock in Spite of Himself... (Score:1)
Used books on the web/Richard McKenna (Score:2)
When I go looking for an out-of-print Science Fiction title, I often end up with a volume discarded from a public library. Sometimes I remember seeing the very volume in my own public library, and passing it by. Gives one pause.
More ontopic: of all the SF writers I've read, the one who most deserves b
Alexander Key (Score:2)
Eric Frank Russell (Score:2)
OP Books on my Recommended Reading List (Score:3, Interesting)
Novels
Rats & Gargoyles - Mary Gentle
The Werewolves of London - Brian Stableford
Blood Music - Greg Bear
Eon - Greg Bear
The Glass Hammer - K.W. Jeter
Moving Mars - Greg Bear
Bridge of Birds, The Story of the Stone, Eight Skilled Gentlemen - Barry Hughart
The Hereafter Gang - Neal Barrett Jr.
The Light at the End - John Skipp & Craig Spector
Crucifax Autumn - Ray Garton
The Child Garden - Geoff Ryman
The Bridge - Iain Banks
Evolution's Shore (a.k.a. Chaga) - Ian McDonald
Holy Fire - Bruce Sterling
Geek Love - Katherine Dunn
Terminal Cafe (a.k.a. Necroville) - Ian McDonald
The Night Watch - Sean Stewart
Nifft the Lean - Michael Shea
Fevre Dream - George R. R. Martin
The Magic Wagon - Joe R. Lansdale
Perfume - Patrick Süskind
The Difference Engine - William Gibson & Bruce Sterling
Synners - Pat Cadigan
Lord of the Hollow Dark - Russell Kirk
Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Door Number Three - Patrick O'Leary
The Paratawa Trilogy - Christopher Hinz
The Paper Grail - James P. Blaylock
Firelord - Parke Godwin
The Shaft - David J. Schow
Empire of the East - Fred Saberhagen
Collections & Anthologies
The Hugo Winners (Volumes I & II)- Isaac Asimov, editor
Strange Things in Close Up - Howard Waldrop
Songs the Dead Men Sing (Dark Harvest version) - George R. R. Martin
Vacuum Diagrams - Stephen Baxter
San Diego Lightfoot Sue & Other Stories - Tom Reamy
Night of the Cooters - Howard Waldrop
By Bizarre Hands - Joe Lansdale
Think Like a Dinosaur - James Patrick Kelley
Dark Gods - T.E.D. Klein
The Fire When It Comes - Parke Godwin
Portraits of His Children - George R. R. Martin
Book of the Dead - John Skipp & Craig Spector, editors
Watchers at the Straight Gate - Russell Kirk
The Last Defender of Camelot - Roger Zelazny
Mirrorshades - Bruce Sterling, editor
Slow Dancing Through Time - Gardner Dozois, et al.
Seeing Red - David J. Schow
Heatseeker - John Shirley
Empire Dreams - Ian McDonald
Patterns - Pat Cadigan
Crystal Express - Bruce Sterling
Before the Golden Age - Isaac Asimov, Editor
Many of these are still available on the used book market. In fact I have many available at The Lame Excuse Books Web Page [io.com]
My favorites (Score:2)
"Waiting for the Galactic Bus" by Parke Godwin
"Dark Star" by Alan Dean foster
"The Damned" trilogy by Alan Dean Foster
ARMOR!! (Score:1)
Re:ARMOR!! (Score:1)
You are what you do when it counts - The Masao.
Brian Aldiss (Score:2)
Galaxies Like Grains of Sand is an utter classic. It's a series of short stories that chronicle the next few million years of human galactic history, including one in which archaeologists finally locate the ruins of the original Earth, which has been lost for eons, but are discredited as crackpots.
No Time Like Tomorrow is another great one, but I only h
M.A. Foster (Score:2)
Two trilogies:
The Gameplayers of Zan
The Warriors of Dawn
The Day of the Klesh
The Morphodite
Transformer
Preserver
Waves (a standalone novel in th
Walter Jon Williams (Score:2)
"Aristoi"
"Hardwired"
"Angel Station"
"Voice of the Whirlwind"
"Facets", short story collection
I think all of these have gone out of print now.
It's hard to resist (Score:1)
The Worm Ouroborous by E.R.Eddison is an amazing story, though I suppose it leans a little more toward fantasy than science fiction.
Anything by Philip K. Dick is good, I include him only because it's sort of hit-or-miss whether or not you'll see his books in a "new book" bookstore.
Jack Vance has already been mentioned, but he deserves to be flogged again. If you are a fan
Chung Kuo Series by David Wingrove (Score:2)
I learned of the series after a copy of the first novel fell into the hands of my father from a colleague, while on a family vacation over a decade ago. Each day, before his daily nap, my father would pick up the book and attempt to get past the 5+ page long ch