I thought that it might be a good idea to start a thread where we can recommend works of fiction that Mindjammer gamers might find useful and inspiring. Not all will be a perfect fit of course. While I know there are many more than this I will only recommend books I have read. hopefully others can add in their recommendations.
Ian M. Banks
Culture Series:
Consider Phlebas
Player of Games
Use of Weapons
Excession
Look to Windward
Matter
Surface Detail
The Hydrogen Sonata
Non-Culture books:
The Algebraist
Against a Dark Background
Banks’ other SF books (e.g. Feersum Indjinn, Inversions), though good have less to offer.
Neal Asher
Gridlinked. This is the only one of his books I have read. (Finished it recently.) But it seems that most of his other works definitely belong here.
That ends my list.
Shawn
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Peter F. Hamilton - The Night’s Dawn Trilogy, The Commonwealth Saga
William C. Dietz - Legion of the Damned
David Drake - Redliners
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Well you’re certainly right to mention Banks, I don’t think it would be possible to write about influences without what was so clearly the main influence for Mindjammer. Also a little disappointed that the authors didn’t include an ‘influences’ reading and media recommendation list, which used to be fairly standard for RPG books back in the day…
I guess you could definitely add Ursula LeGuin’s Hainish books and short-stories (another fairly big influence, I’m sure)
and perhaps Ken MacLeod’s Fall Revolution books (MacLeod and Banks were close friends and heavily influenced each others work)
For some out-there concepts, especially regarding the dangers of runaway memes and conceptions of the Mindscape, Charles Stross’ ‘Accelerando’ is also a very worthy read.