Science Fiction book reviews, courtesy of the author of Schlock Mercenary, the daily sci-fi web-comic.
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Howard's SF Library
What on earth is a science fiction library doing sitting on a comic strip website? Well, Schlock Mercenary is (in my opinion) good science fiction, and I should know, because I've read quite a bit of the stuff. I even worked as an about.com guide to science fiction for a year or so, and have a pretty extensive library of the stuff. So I present for your perusal a list of the titles in my collection. If you see links in this list, they probably lead to brief, very informal reviews of mine, but there are a few links to other SF fan's pages, or to official pages for the authors. I haven't been through here in a while... there may be 404s and assorted other flavors of link rot in here. Feel free to call bad links to my attention.

If there is a book here that you would like to know more about, email me and ask about the book. I'll tell you what I thought of it, and why. At your request I may even spoil it for you, but I really do try to avoid that. Anyway, the review will then be included in this document for others to enjoy.

The list is loosely organized alphabetically by author, and includes a mix of Fantasy and Science Fiction titles, with a little Horror thrown in to liven things up. I have placed books in a series in the order in which they should be read, but please keep in mind that this is not a comprehensive list of books by these authors.

Douglas Adams
The Hitchhiker Trilogy
  • The HitchHiker's Guide To The Galaxy - ©1979
  • The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - ©1980
  • Life, the Universe, and Everything - ©1982
  • So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish - ©1984
  • Mostly Harmless - ©1992

    The Dirk Gently Books

  • Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
  • The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
    Roger MacBride Allen
    The Hunted Earth
  • The Ring of Charon - ©1990
  • The Shattered Sphere - ©1994
    Steve Alten
  • Meg - ©1997
    Kevin Anderson (with Doug Beason)
  • Fallout - ©1997
    Poul Anderson
  • The Broken Sword - ©1971
    Piers Anthony
  • Split Infinity - ©1980
  • Blue Adept -©1981
  • Juxtaposition - ©1982
  • Ox -1976
    Catherine Asaro
    Skolian Empire Novels
  • Primary Inversion - ©1995
  • The Radiant Seas - ©1999
     Asimov - Issac

    The Foundation Novels

  • Foundation - ©1951
  • Foundation and Empire - ©1952
  • Second Foundation - ©1953
  • Foundation's Edge - ©1982
  • Prelude to Foundation - ©1988
  • Foundation and Earth - ©1986
  • Forward the Foundation - ©1993
    The Robot Novels
  • The Caves of Steel - ©1953
  • The Naked Sun - ©1957
  • The Robots of Dawn - ©1983
  • Robots and Empire - ©1985
    The Galactic Empire Novels
  • The Stars, Like Dust - ©1951
  • The Currents of Space - ©1952
  • Invasions (ed)1990
  • The Norby Chronicles (with Janet Asimov) - ©1983
  • The End of Eternity - ©1955
  • I, Robot - ©1950
  • Opus 200 - ©1979
  • Nemesis - ©1989
  • Isaac Asimov's Robot City: Odyssey - ©1987
    Robert Aspirin
  • The Cold Cash War - ©1977
  • The Bug Wars - ©1979
  • Phule's Company - ©1990? (somebody lost my copy)
  • Phule's Paradise - ©1992
    Iain Banks (Fan pages here, here, and here that should keep you plenty busy.)

    Culture Novels

  • Consider Phlebas - ©1987
  • The Player of Games - ©1989
  • Use of Weapons - ©1990
  • Against a Dark Background - ©1993
  • Excession - ©1996

    Non-Culture

  • The Bridge - ©1986
  • Feersum Endjinn - ©1995
    John Barnes
  • Mother of Storms - ©1995
  • Orbital Resonance - ©1991
  • Finity - ©1999
    Steven Barnes
  • Blood Brothers - ©1996
    William Barton
  • Dark Sky Legion - ©1992
  • When Heaven Fell - ©1995
    Stephen Baxter
  • Raft - ©1991
  • Flux
  • Anti-Ice
  • Ring - ©1994
  • Moonseed - ©1998
    Greg Bear
  • Psychlone - ©1979
  • The Strength of Stones - ©1981
  • Heads - ©1990
  • Anvil of Stars -©1992
  • Moving Mars - ©1993
  • Slant - ©1997
  • Darwin's Radio - ©1999
    Doug Beason (with Kevin Anderson)
  • Fallout - ©1997
    Gregory Benford
  • Shiva Descending - ©1980
  • Heart of the Comet (with David Brin) - ©1986
    James Blish
  • Cities In Flight: vol 1 - © 1991
  • Cities in Flight: vol 2 - ©1991
    Ray Bradbury
  • Fahrenheit 451 - ©1953
  • The Illustrated Man - ©1951
  • Something Wicked This Way Comes - ©1962
    David Brin (Here is a nice David Brin page.)

    The Uplift Novels

  • Sundiver - ©1980
  • Startide Rising - ©1983
  • The Uplift War - ©1987
  • Brightness Reef - ©1995
  • Infinity's Shore - ©1996
  • Heaven's Reach - ©1998

    Short Story collections

  • The River of Time - ©1986
  • Otherness
  • The Practice Effect - ©
  • Heart of the Comet (with Gregory Benford) - ©1986
  • Earth - ©1990
  • Glory Season - ©1993
    Ben Bova
  • Orion - ©1984
  • The Alien Within - ©1986
  • Star Brothers - ©1990
    Lois McMaster Bujold

    Miles Vorkosigan Novels

  • Falling Free (200 years pre-Miles)
  • Shards of Honor - ©1986 (Miles' parents)
  • Barrayar - ©1991 (Miles' birth)
  • The Warrior's Apprentice - ©1986
  • The Vor Game - ©1990
  • Ethan of Athos - ©1986 (one of Miles' officers)
  • Brothers in Arms - ©1989
  • Borders of Infinity - ©1989
  • Mirror Dance - ©1993
  • Cetaganda - ©1995
  • Memory - ©1996
  • Komarr - ©1998
  • A Civil Campaign - ©1999
    Short Stories
  • Dreamweaver's Dilemma - ©1997
  • Free Lancers - 1987 (short stories with Orson Scott Card and David Drake)
    Non-serial
  • The Spirit Ring - ©1992
    Octavia Butler
  • The Parable of the Sower - ©1993
    Orson Scott Card

    Ender's Game series (for lack of a better name)

  • Ender's Game - ©1977
  • Speaker for the Dead - ©1986
  • Xenocide - ©1991
  • Children of the Mind - ©1996

    The Homecoming series

  • The Call of Earth - ©1991
  • The Memory of Earth - ©1992
  • The Ships of Earth - ©1994
  • Earthfall - ©1995
  • Earthborn - ©1995

    The Tales of Alvin Maker

  • Seventh Son - ©1987
  • Red Prophet - ©1988
  • Prentice Alvin - ©1989
  • Alvin Journeyman - ©1995

    Short Story Collections

  • Flux - ©1992
  • Cruel Miracles - ©1990
  • Monkey Sonatas - ©1992
  • The Changed Man - ©1992

    Assorted Novels

  • The Worthing Saga - ©1990
  • Treason - ©1979
  • The Folk of the Fringe - ©1989
  • Eye for Eye - ©1987
  • Hart's Hope - ©1983
  • Wyrms - ©1987
  • Songmaster - ©1978
  • Lost Boys - ©1992
  • Saints - ©1984
    Jack L. Chalker
    The Quintara Marathon
  • The Demons at Rainbow Bridge - ©1989
  • The Run to Chaos Keep - ©1991
  • Ninety Trillion Fausts - ©1991
    The Wonderland Gambit
  • The Cybernetic Walrus - ©1995
  • The March Hare Network - ©1996
  • the Hot-Wired Dodo - ©1997
    C. J. Cherryh
    The Faded Sun novels
  • The Faded Sun: Kesrith - ©1978
  • The Faded Sun: Shon'jir - ©1978
  • The Faded Sun: Kutath - ©1979
    The Chanur novels
  • The Pride of Chanur - ©1982
  • Chanur's Venture - ©1984
  • The Kif Strike Back - ©1985
  • Chanur's Homecoming - ©1986
  • Chanur's Legacy - ©1992

    Merchanter Novels

  • Downbelow Station - ©1981
  • Rimrunners - ©1989
  • Heavy Time - ©1991
  • Hellburner - ©1992

    The Foreigner Series

  • Foreigner - ©1994
  • Invader - ©1995
  • Inheritor - ©1996

    Cyteen

  • Cyteen: The Betrayal - ©1988
  • Cyteen: The Rebirth - ©1988
  • Cyteen: The Vindication - ©1988
    Arthur C. Clarke
  • 2001 A Space Odyssey - ©1968
  • 2010: Odyssey Two - ©1982
  • 2061: Odyssey Three - ©1987
  • 3001: The Final Odyssey - ©1997
  • The Trigger - ©1999 (with Michael Kube-McDowell)
  • The Songs of Distant Earth - ©1986
    Hal Clement
  • Half Life - ©1999
    Robin Cook
  • Invasion - ©1997
  • Chromosome 6 - ©1997
    Michael Crichton
  • The Andromeda Strain - ©1969
  • Jurassic Park - ©1990
  • The Lost World - ©1995
  • Congo - ©1980
  • Airframe - ©1996
  • Eaters of the Dead - ©1976
  • Timeline - ©1999
    Clive Cussler
  • Atlantis Found - ©1999
    John Darnton
  • Neanderthal - ©1996
  • The Experiment - ©1999
    Charles de Lint
  • Memory & Dream - ©1994
    Emily Devenport
  • Larissa - ©1993
    Philip K. Dick
  • A Maze of Death - ©1970
  • Galactic Pot-Healer - ©1969
  • The World Jones Made - ©1956
  • The Man in the High Castle - ©1962
  • We Can Build You - ©1972
    Robert Doherty
  • Area 51 - ©1997
    Stephen R. Donaldson
    The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever
  • Lord Foul's Bane - ©1977
  • The Illearth War - ©1977
  • The Power That Preserves - ©1977
    The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
  • The Wounded Land - ©1980
  • The One Tree - ©1982
  • White Gold Wielder - ©1983

    The Gap Saga

  • The Real Story - ©1991
  • Forbidden Knowledge - ©1991
  • A Dark and Hungry God Arises - ©1992
  • Chaos and Order - ©1994
  • This Day All Gods Die - ©1996
    David Eddings
    The Belgariad
  • Pawn of Prophecy - ©1982
  • Queen of Sorcery - ©1982
  • Magician's Gambit - ©1983
  • Castle Of Wizardry - ©1984
  • Enchanters' End Game - ©1984

    The Mallorean

  • Guardians of the West - ©1987
  • King of the Murgos - ©1988
  • Demon Lord of Karanda - ©1988
  • Sorceress of Darshiva - ©1989
  • The Seeress of Kell - ©1991
    George Alec Effinger
  • The ZORK Chronicles - ©1990
    Rose Estes
  • The Hunter - ©1990
  • The Hunter on Arena - ©1991
    Michaeal Flynn
  • Rogue Star - ©1998
    Robert L. Forward
  • Camelot 30k - ©1993
    Alan Dean Foster
  • A Call To Arms - ©1991
  • The Metrognome & Other Stories - ©1990
  • Cat-A-Lyst - ©1991
  • Betcha Can't Read Just One - ©1993 (ed.)
  • Design For Great Day - ©1995
  • Phylogenesis - ©1999
    George Foy
  • The Shift - ©1996
    Leo Frankowski
  • A Boy and His Tank - ©1999
    William Gibson (Here is an interesting little blurb about William Gibson)
  • The Difference Engine (with Bruce Sterling) - ©1991
  • Neuromancer - ©1984
  • Mona Lisa Overdrive - ©1988
  • Burning Chrome - ©1986
  • Virtual Light - ©1993
    William Goldman
  • The Princess Bride - ©1973
    Kathleen Ann Goonan
  • Queen City Jazz - ©1994
    Steven Gould
  • Jumper - ©1992
  • Wildside - ©1996
    Charles Grant
  • Jackals - ©1994
    Isidore Haiblum
  • Out of Sync - ©1990
    Joe Haldeman
  • The Forever War - ©1974
  • Forever Peace - ©1997
    Barbara Hambly
  • Dragonsbane - ©1985
  • The Ladies of Mandrigyn - ©1987
  • The Witches of Wenshar - ©1987
    Peter F. Hamilton

    The Reality Dysfunction

  • Part 1:Emergence - ©1996
  • Part 2:Expansion - ©1996

    The Neutronium Alchemist

  • Part 1:Consolidation - ©1997
  • Part 2:Conflict - ©1997

    Greg Mandel Series

  • Mindstar Rising - ©1993
  • A Quantum Murder - ©1994
  • The Nano Flower - ©1995
    Tara K Harper

    Tsia Series

  • Cat Scratch Fever - ©1994
  • Cataract - ©1995
    Harry Harrison
  • The Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat - ©1972
    Robert A. Heinlein
  • The Past Through Tomorrow - ©1967
  • The Number of the Beast - ©1980
  • The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - ©1967
  • Stranger in a Strange Land - ©1961
    Frank Herbert
  • The Green Brain - ©1966
    The Dune Novels
  • Dune - ©1965
  • Dune Messiah - ©1969
  • Children Of Dune - ©1976
  • God Emperor of Dune - ©1981
  • Heretics of Dune - ©1984
    James P. Hogan

    The Giants Novels

  • Inherit the Stars - ©1977
  • The Gentle Giants of Ganymede - ©1978
  • Giant's Star - ©1981
  • Entoverse - ©1991

    Short Story Collections

  • Minds, Machines, and Evolution - ©1988
  • Rockets, Redheads, and Revolution - ©1999
    Tom Holt
  • Expecting Someone Taller - ©1987
    L. Ron Hubbard
  • Writers of the Future: Volume 2 - ©1986
  • Writers of the Future: Volume 3 - ©1987
    Dean Ing
  • Cathouse - ©1990
    Alexander Jablokov
  • Nimbus - ©1993
    Brian Jacques
  • Redwall - ©1986
    L. Dean James
  • Mojave Wells - ©1994
    Judith Kaye Jones
  • Obelisk - ©1996
    Michael Kandel
  • In Between Dragons - ©1990
    Kay Kenyon
  • The Seeds of Time - ©1997
    Katharine Kerr
  • Freeze Frames - ©1995
    Stephen King
  • Pet Sematary - ©1983
  • The Bachman Books - ©1977-1985
  • Skeleton Crew - ©1985
  • It - ©1986
    Dean R. Koontz
  • Watchers - ©1987
  • Cold Fire - ©1991
  • Phantoms - ©1983
  • Intensity - ©1995
    Michael P. Kube-McDowell
  • Empery - ©1987
    Keith Laumer
  • Retief: Emissary to the Stars - ©1975
    Stephen Leigh
  • Alien Tongue - ©1991
    Ursula K. Le Guin
  • Title - ©1969
    C.S. Lewis
  • Out of the Silent Planet - ©1965
    Roger Allen MacBride
  • The Modular Man - ©1992
    Ann McCaffrey
  • The White Dragon - ©1978
  • Killashandra - ©1989
  • The Girl Who Heard Dragons - ©1994
    Jack McDevitt
  • The Engines of God - ©1994
  • Moonfall - ©1998
  • Ancient Shores - ©1996
    Ian McDonald
  • Evolution's Shore - ©1995
    Thomas R. McDonough
  • The Missing Matter - ©1991
    Robin McKinley
  • The Blue Sword - ©1982
  • The Hero and the Crown - ©1984
  • Deerskin - ©1993
  • Rose Daughter - ©1997
    Susan R. Matthews
  • An Exchange of Hostages - ©1997
  • Prisoner of Conscience - ©1998
    Elizabeth Moon

    Familias Regnant Books

  • Hunting Party - ©1993
  • Sporting Chance - ©1994
  • Winning Colors - ©1995
  • Once A Hero - ©1997
  • Rules of Engagement - ©1998

    Other Books

  • Phases - ©1997
  • Remnant Population - ©1996
    Leonard Nimoy series creator, Author Steve Perry

    Primortals

  • Target Earth - ©1997
    Larry Niven (Here is a cool page devoted to Larry Niven.)

    Novels of Known Space

  • World of Ptavvs - ©1966
  • The Long Arm of Gil Hamilton - ©1976
  • Protector - ©1973
  • A Gift From Earth - ©1968
  • Crashlander - ©1994
  • Ringworld - ©1970
  • The Ringworld Engineers - ©1980
  • The Ringworld Throne - ©1996

    Short Story collections in Known Space

  • Neutron Star - 1968
  • Tales of Known Space: The Universe of Larry Niven - ©1975
  • A Hole in Space - ©1974
  • Flatlander - ©1995
  • Crashlander - ©1994

    The Man Kzin Wars
    (other authors writing in Niven's Known Space)

  • Man-Kzin Wars - ©1988
  • Man-Kzin Wars II - ©1989
  • Man-Kzin Wars III - ©1990
  • Man-Kzin Wars IV - ©1991
  • Man-Kzin Wars V - ©1992
  • Man-Kzin Wars VI - ©1994
  • Man-Kzin Wars VII - ©1995
  • Man-Kzin Wars VIII - ©1998

    Other Books

  • The Flight of the Horse - ©1973
  • Convergent Series - ©1979
  • Integral Trees - ©1983
  • Limits - ©1985
  • A World Out of Time - ©1976
  • The Descent of Anansi - ©1982
  • Rainbow Mars - ©1999
  • Destiny's Road - ©1997
  • Inferno - ©1976
  • The Magic Goes Away - ©1978
  • The Magic May Return - ©1981

    Dream Park Novels (with Steven Barnes)

  • Dream Park - ©1981
  • The Barsoom Project - ©1989
  • California Voodoo Game - ©1992
  • Achilles' Choice (also with Steven Barnes) - ©1991

    Novels with Jerry Pournelle

  • The Mote in God's Eye - ©1974
  • The Gripping Hand - ©1993
  • Lucifer's Hammer - ©1977
  • Oath of Fealty - ©1981
  • Footfall - ©1985

    Novels with Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes

  • The Legacy of Heorot - ©1987
  • Beowulf's Children - ©1995

    Novels with Jerry Pournelle and Michal Flynn

  • Fallen Angels - ©1991
    Andre Norton
  • Catfantastic - ©1989 (ed.)
  • Catfantastic III - ©1994 (ed.)
    Steve Perry

    The Matador novels

  • The Man Who Never Missed - ©1985
  • Matadora - ©1986
  • The Machiavelli Interface - ©1986
  • The 97th Step - ©1989
  • The Albino Knife - ©1991
  • Black Steel - ©1992
  • Brother Death - ©1992

  • The Trinity Vector - ©1996
    H. Beam Piper
  • Little Fuzzy - ©1962
  • Fuzzy Sapiens - ©1964
  • Fuzzies and other people - ©1984
  • Federation - ©1981
    Frederick Pohl
  • Black Star Rising - ©1985
    Jerry Pournelle
  • Falkenberg's Legion - © 1990
    Terry Pratchett

    Discworld

  • The Colour of Magic - ©1983
  • The Light fantastic - ©1986
  • Equal Rites - ©1987
  • Mort - ©1987
  • Sourcery - ©1988
  • Wyrd Sisters - ©1988
  • Pyramids - ©1989
  • Guards, Guards (we don't have) - ©1990
  • Eric (with Josh Kirby)(We don't have) - ©1990
  • Moving Pictures - ©1990
  • Reaper Man - ©1991
  • Witches Abroad - ©1991
  • Small Gods - ©1992
  • Lords and Ladies - ©1992
  • Men At Arms - ©1993
  • Soul Music - ©1995
  • Feet of Clay - ©1996
  • Interesting Times - ©1994
  • Maskerade - ©1995
  • Hogfather - ©1996
  • Jingo - ©1997
  • The Last Continent - ©1998
  • Carpe Jugulum (we don't have) - ©1999?
  • The Fifth Elephant (we don't have) - ©1999?
  • The Truth (we don't have) - ©2000

    The Bromeliad

  • Truckers - ©1989
  • Diggers - ©1990
  • Wings - ©1990
    Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  • Mount Dragon - ©1996
  • Thunderhead - ©1999
    Richard Preston
  • The Cobra Event - ©1997
    W. T. Quick
  • Systems - ©1989
    Robert Reed
  • The Remarkables - ©1992
    Mike Resnick
  • Whatdunits - ©1992
  • Stalking the Unicorn: A Fable of Tonight - © 1987
    Karen Ripley
  • Prisoner of Dreams - ©1989
  • The Tenth Class - ©1990
    Kim Stanley Robinson
  • Icehenge - ©1984

    Mars Series

  • Red Mars - ©1993
  • Green Mars - ©1994
  • Blue Mars - ©1996
    Spider Robinson

    Callahan Books

  • The Callahan Chronicals - ©1997
  • Lady Slings the Booze - ©1992
  • The Callahan Touch - ©1993
  • Callahan's Legacy - ©1996

    Other books

  • User Friendly - ©1998
    Carol Serling (editor)
  • Journeys to the Twilight Zone - ©1993
    Charles Sheffield
  • Proteus Combined - ©1978, ©1988
  • Convergence - ©1997
    Dan Simmons
  • Hyperion - ©1989
  • The Fall of Hyperion - ©1990
  • The Rise of Endymion - ©1997
  • Prayers to Broken Stones - ©1990
  • The Hollow Man - ©1992
    David Alexander Smith
  • In The Cube - ©1993
    Nancy Springer
  • The White Hart - ©1979
    Bruce Sterling (Here is a short blurb about Bruce Sterling and a link to a free electronic book that he has published.)
  • Islands in the Net - ©1988

  • The Difference Engine (with William Gibson) - ©1991
  • Heavy Weather - ©1994
  • Distraction - ©1998
    Neal Stephenson
  • Snow Crash - ©1992
  • Zodiac - ©1988
    S. Andrew Swann

    The Morey Novels

  • Forests of the Night - ©1993
  • Emperors of the Twilight - ©1994
  • Spectres of the Dawn - ©1994
  • Fearful Symmetries - ©1999

    The Hostile Takeover trilogy

  • Hostile Takeover #1: Profiteer - ©1995
  • Hostile Takeover #2: Partisan - ©1995
  • Hostile Takeover #3: Revolutionary - ©1996

    Other books

  • Zimmerman's Algorithm - ©2000
    S. C. Sykes
  • Red Genesis - ©1991
    Sheri S. Tepper
  • The Family Tree - ©1997
    Diann Thornley
  • Ganwold's Child - ©1995
    J. R. R. Tolkien
  • The Hobbit - ©1937, 1938, 1966
  • The Tolkien Reader - ©1966

    The Lord of The Rings

  • The Fellowship of The Ring - ©1965
  • The Two Towers - ©1965
  • The Return of The King - ©1965
    George Turner
  • Brain Child - ©1991
  • Drowning Towers - ©1996
    Harry Turtledove

    The Worldwar Series

  • Worldwar: In The Balance - ©1994
  • Worldwar: Tilting The Balance - ©1995
  • Worldwar: Upsetting The Balance - ©1996
  • Worldwar: Striking The Balance - ©1996
    David Weber
  • The Apocalypse Troll - ©1999
    Tad Williams
  • Tailchaser's Song - ©1985
    Walter Jon Williams
  • Facets - ©1990
    Gene Wolfe
  • Castleview - ©1990
    Donald A. Wollheim (editor)
  • The 1990 Annual World's Best SF - ©1990
    Jane Yolen
  • Sister Light, Sister Dark - ©1988
  • White Jenna - ©1989
    Last updated: December 19th, 2000
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