# Science Fiction Books from Your Childhood



## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

More and more out of print backlist novels are available now as ebooks and I find myself thinking about re-reading books I haven't read in decades.  The latest to catch my attention is Piers Anthony's Cluster series.  I absolutely LOVED them as a kid and read them around age 12 through 16 as they were published.   

I've also started wondering whether I'll love them as much - or differently - or not at all if I read them again now.  the SF top 100 thread did nothing to stop my nostalgia.  I read Fantasy as a kid, but I was way more about the Science Fiction.

So, feed my urges.  What did you love that haven't held up over the years?  What did?  What are you itching to re-read again?


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

I read just about anything that Isaac Asimov had out in the scifi arena. Roger Zelazny, especially the Amber series I loved. I still go back and read them occasionally and feel they hold up well.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Heinlein.  They take on a whole different tint when read as an adult.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

scarlet said:


> Heinlein. They take on a whole different tint when read as an adult.


I haven't re-read Heinlein. But, as a kid I kept thinking that he started with great ideas and about 2/3 through the book, the story suddenly changed to something else entirely. I wonder if I'd think the same thing today - and if I did, if it would bother me like it did then.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Geoffrey said:


> I haven't re-read Heinlein. But, as a kid I kept thinking that he started with great ideas and about 2/3 through the book, the story suddenly changed to something else entirely. I wonder if I'd think the same thing today - and if I did, if it would bother me like it did then.


I just re-read Between Planets (DTB, I don't know if it's kindled) and loved 3/4 of it, but felt he just ended it without wrapping it up.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

I absolutely loved H. Beam Piper's Little Fuzzy -- great book, silly-sounding title (I don't know what else he should have called it, though) -- and I'm thrilled it's available as an eBoook. I think it holds up quite well, a fast-moving well-written adventure story that manages to address serious philosophical questions without bogging down. 

The other book I remember fondly is Vonda McIntyre's Dreamsnake, which created a unique and vivid atmosphere. I read a bunch of Andre Norton and so forth, but don't remember them clearly.


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## J.M Pierce (May 13, 2010)

I was really big into the choose your own adventure books when I was younger. I don't recall the title of any one in particular, but the cover has stuck in my head for ever. Giant robotic spiders and the crater covered surface of an alien planet. Those were so much fun!


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## Groggy1 (Jun 21, 2010)

Bio of a Space Tyrant! (Piers Anthony) 

A Winkle in Time.  

Norton... All of them...


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## kcmay (Jul 14, 2010)

I didn't discover SF until I was in my 20s, but I started with Theodore Sturgeon.


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## Mercius (Aug 28, 2010)

My favorite was the Flight of Yiktor by Andre Norton.


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## redshift1 (Jun 20, 2009)

All of Andre Norton's early SF before her magic/fantasy period. Time Traders, Star Rangers, The Stars Are Ours, Star Born and of course Daybreak 2250.


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

I remember this series of books where the main character was named Matthew Looney (or something like that.) Titles were along the lines of 'Matthew Looney Goes to the Moon.' I remember loving these when I was a 2nd and 3rd grader!


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Groggy1 said:


> Bio of a Space Tyrant! (Piers Anthony)


I loved that also - even though it was college for me. That's one that I'm not sure will translate into my adulthood as there was some serious Ta-ran-ta-ra hero worship going on as I read those books.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

I liked Larry Niven's sci-fi. I'm going to have to recollect his stuff.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Andre Norton and Alan E. Nourse, I read everything I could find by them early on.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Between Planets is available inexpensively as an ebook from Webscriptions.net.

Lots of Andre Norton books are available inexpensively from Amazon.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

The Hooded Claw said:


> Between Planets is available inexpensively as an ebook from Webscriptions.net.
> 
> Lots of Andre Norton books are available inexpensively from Amazon.


I have started building my collection of Nourse and Norton.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

The Hooded Claw said:


> Between Planets is available inexpensively as an ebook from Webscriptions.net.


No thanks, not one I want to have another copy of .


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Between Planets isn't Heinlein's best work, but Sir Isaac Newton is certainly a memorable character.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

The first SF books I recall reading were some of the "Miss Pickerell" books and the "Danny Dunn" books when I was still in grade school (not sure what age). At that time, I don't think I thought of them as science fiction so much as adventure stories for kids that happened to have things like travel to the Moon or Mars as part of the plot.

It probably was around 7th grade that I discovered Asimov and the "Robot" books and Heinlein's _Starship Troopers_, which probably did more to get me hooked on the genre. I don't think I've read any of the Robot books since high school, but I re-read _Starship Troopers_ a few years back, and was somewhat surprised at the things I probably ignored or didn't get when I read it way back when. I now see a lot more of the sociopolitical commentary in it that probably went over my head when I was a lad.


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## toj (Aug 2, 2010)

Ray Bradbury's short story collection 'I Sing the Body Electric'. I still love that collection of stories.


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

I read a very different sci-fi book when I was a kid. It was about a game. That and something about a "piggy" were the only things that I could remember. I finally took the internet and found the book. It was _Interstellar Pig_ by William Sleator. I also found out that there is a sequel.


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## Learnmegood (Jun 20, 2009)

D. Nathan Hilliard said:


> I liked Larry Niven's sci-fi. I'm going to have to recollect his stuff.


LOVE Niven! My friends and I in high school used to have a blast discussing his short story, "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex."


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

In high school we had two free periods a day, that moved around depending on your schedule.

One period a day was lunch. Because I was a nerd, one period a day was "Sit in the library and pull something from the mass market paperback sci fi rack".

Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein [like the rest of you guys]. The Philip Jose Farmer _Riverworld_ series seemed awesome to me then - it doesn't hold up as well now. The _Dune_ books. _Earth Abides_ and _Alas, Babylon_ and _A Canticle for Leibowitz_ during my apocalyptic period. Someone mentioned H. Beam Piper - they had an anthology of his stories that included a weird short about a post-nuclear war society where a religion grows up around an old Sherlock Holmes book that made a great impression on me.

Basically they had anything old enough for a scruffy Catholic school to have picked up a worn-out paperback copy in a book drive. It was great.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

And don't laugh, but I remember as a _very_ young kid [7 or 8] picking up a copy of the novelization of _Battle for the Planet of the Apes_ that someone had left lying around. I think I wanted to read it because it had a picture on the cover of gorillas in orange suits.

And a lifelong love of cheesy sci-fi was born.

It's actually very well written - the guy they got to novelize it was determined to make it good, even though the movie is not very good.


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## Valmore Daniels (Jul 12, 2010)

If you're feeling nostalgic about Heinlein, Clarke, Asimov and others, check out Jack McDevitt. I am continually amazed by his novels. I also find Robert Sawyer something of a throwback to the golden age of SF as well, though he does trend a bit.


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## redshift1 (Jun 20, 2009)

The Hooded Claw said:


> Between Planets is available inexpensively as an ebook from Webscriptions.net.
> 
> Lots of Andre Norton books are available inexpensively from Amazon.


Strangley though some of her best unavailable for the Kindle.. go figure


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

redshift1 said:


> Strangley though some of her best unavailable for the Kindle.. go figure


I have a feeling the books we have are out of copyright. Possibly the later books are still in copyright, or the rights were only renewed on the "good stuff". Just a guess.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

NogDog said:


> The first SF books I recall reading were some of the "Miss Pickerell" books and the "Danny Dunn" books when I was still in grade school (not sure what age). At that time, I don't think I thought of them as science fiction so much as adventure stories for kids that happened to have things like travel to the Moon or Mars as part of the plot.


Ah, I remember Danny Dunn! I don't remember much, but for some reason I remember a scene where green bread was served while sitting around the house. It was explained that this was an experiment with making bread from algae, in preparation for growing food hydroponically on long interplanetary space missions. At the time I thought (and I'm sure the author of the book thought) that humans would have had a successful landing on Mars by 2010.


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## redshift1 (Jun 20, 2009)

The Hooded Claw said:


> I have a feeling the books we have are out of copyright. Possibly the later books are still in copyright, or the rights were only renewed on the "good stuff". Just a guess.


Researching the unavailability of some of her works I found reference to litigation regarding her will so therein lies the problem. Litigants are fighting over rights, appeals filed. I did find some 50 year old Norton paperbacks at a used bookstore for a buck each I guess that can tide me over.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

tbrookside said:


> _Earth Abides_ and _Alas, Babylon_ and _A Canticle for Leibowitz_ during my apocalyptic period. Someone mentioned H. Beam Piper - they had an anthology of his stories that included a weird short about a post-nuclear war society where a religion grows up around an old Sherlock Holmes book that made a great impression on me.


My Apocalyptic period started in the late 70's and has continued into 2010. I love a good mass destruction as well as a good post-apocalyptic world. Just to add to your list of books I loved as a kid: _Malevil_, _The Forge of God_, _The Stand _and _The Postman_ .... of course, later came _The Parable of the Sower_, _Dies the Fire_, _Swan Song_, _Year Zero_ ...

I am just fascinated by the entire sub-genre ...


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## Lynn Hardy (Sep 12, 2010)

Some of my first SF books were the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books... anyone else remember these gems?


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

tbrookside said:


> And don't laugh, but I remember as a _very_ young kid [7 or 8] picking up a copy of the novelization of _Battle for the Planet of the Apes_ that someone had left lying around. I think I wanted to read it because it had a picture on the cover of gorillas in orange suits.
> 
> And a lifelong love of cheesy sci-fi was born.
> 
> It's actually very well written - the guy they got to novelize it was determined to make it good, even though the movie is not very good.


Are you daring to imply that Planet of the Apes movies weren't good? My brother and I *loved* Planet of the Apes. I will admit that none were as good as the first one. I'd still watch the original one some late weekend night.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

drenfrow said:


> Are you daring to imply that Planet of the Apes movies weren't good? My brother and I *loved* Planet of the Apes. I will admit that none were as good as the first one. I'd still watch the original one some late weekend night.


Some of them are still pretty fun. Planet, Beneath and Conquest are my favorites - in that order. I never realized the other movies were made into books but I read the original in french and english in high school and thought it was fantastic .... I even loved the TV show .... I guess I was just an Ape fan.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

drenfrow said:


> Are you daring to imply that Planet of the Apes movies weren't good? My brother and I *loved* Planet of the Apes. I will admit that none were as good as the first one. I'd still watch the original one some late weekend night.


As far as the movies, I think the original one is good, and "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" is a lot of fun. The rest are stinkers (though I would have disagreed when I was about fifteen!).

A long time ago, I visited a science fiction convention in town where Jerry Pournelle was Guest of Honor. It wasn't till I arrived that it occurred to me that I should have brought one of my extensive collection of his books for him to sign! (I never think of that). I visited the vendor's booths, looking for something, and the only Pournelle book I could find was the novelization he had done early in his career of "Escape from the Planet of the Apes"!

I bought it, but didn't have the nerve to present it to him and ask him to sign it!


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

Some Asimov and Vonnegut (if you can count him as sci-fi) then into Heinlein. I am usually about 20 years behidn the times anyway...

Scott


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## Jon King (Sep 10, 2010)

Arthur C. Clarke's "2001" is the first title I clearly remember, though my 11-year-old self was pretty flumoxed by the ending.  The ever-expanding series of Star Wars novels consumed a lot of my spending money in high school (not great "literature" really, but hard to give up once you're in).  Lots and lots of random garage sale and flea market paperbacks for a quarter that apparently didn't leave much of an impression on me, because I can't remember a single one.

Keith Phipps at avclub.com actually writes a semi-regular column called "The Box of Paperbacks Book Club".  He bought a big box of old paperbacks, mostly pulp sci-fi and spy novels, at a garage sale, and reads and blogs each one.  It's a fun way to kill an afternoon, and sometimes you recognize one.


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## bvlarson (May 16, 2010)

Roger Zelazny is one of the ones I'm looking for, and some of the Niven/Pournelle books. Gordon Dickson?
Lots of them!


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## nikdfish (Sep 8, 2010)

I'm a life long SF reader, but when I tried to remember the _first_ SF I ever read, what I remembered was a (golden books?) copy of "Tom Corbett Space Cadet" from primary school days. Probably the most memorable early read was when I got ahold of my dad's copy of Heinlen's "Stranger in a Strange Land" in 5th grade. All the "old" masters: Heinlen, Norton, Asimov, Clark ... too many to mention.

Nick


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

nikdfish said:


> Probably the most memorable early read was when I got ahold of my dad's copy of Heinlen's "Stranger in a Strange Land" in 5th grade. All the "old" masters: Heinlen, Norton, Asimov, Clark ... too many to mention.
> 
> Nick


I think I first read Stranger about the same age and I loved it but I really didn't grok it until I reread it in college.


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## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

I don't really recall which ones I started with, other than the various "choose your own adventure" series, particularly the ones from TSR. Also read a lot of Tom Swift, one of the series where he was actually in space. Lots of sci-fi movie novelizations. My childhood was mostly spent with G.I. Joe comics though


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## Groggy1 (Jun 21, 2010)

Geoffrey said:


> I think I first read Stranger about the same age and I loved it but I really didn't grok it until I reread it in college.


booohisss for lit-pun!!


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## erin22 (Jul 7, 2010)

My Teacher is an Alien and it's sequels.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

My first was _Blue World_ by Jack Vance in sixth grade. I remember picking it out from the SF section at the bookstore because it had a sea monster. I reread in 2001, some 22 years later, and it was OK. But sea monsters are still cool.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I should re-read some of the Heinlein juveniles. One that was meant more for grownups was "Glory Road," but it does turn from an adventure into a discussion about how to run a government about 2/3 of the way through.

I read a lot of Norton, but don't remember many details.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

My first books were Asimov's Lucky Starr novels and Burroughs' Barsooms novels - and I started reading them around 3rd or 4th grade.  But, I don't think I really started going insane for Science Fiction until I was in 5th grade though and then I started devouring the Golden Age Masters and all the newer mid/late '70's stuff ...


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## Violet (Jun 17, 2010)

My first science fiction books were all by Heinlein, Arthur C Clarke and Asimov (in that order) and initially I would just look for books by them.  Then some Frank Herbert books.  And one I just picked myself from browsing them all, Floating Worlds by Cecelia Holland (I believe this was the only science fiction book she ever wrote).


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

The first SF books I clearly remember reading are _Born Leader_ by J. T.McIntosh, _Wild Talent_ by Wilson Tucker, and _Costigan's Needle_, by Jerry Sohl. This was in 1954, when I was 11 years old.

I'd read some of the Oz books and some Tom Swift, Jr. books prior to that.

Mike


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

I loved Robert Heinlein, "Tunnel In the Sky" was a favorite, also "Starship Troopers." A.E. Van Vogt, Alfred Bester, Arthur Clarke, Burroughs and Barsoom, Issac Asimov, Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles" and Richard Matheson's stuff, Andre Norton, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Those two-sided Ace paperbacks, two books for the price of one? Priceless.


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## kcmay (Jul 14, 2010)

OH! The Martian Chronicles! I'd forgotten about that. I _loved_ Bradbury.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Harry Shannon said:


> Those two-sided Ace paperbacks, two books for the price of one? Priceless.


I still have dozens of those stored in several boxes. I'm afraid to touch them, they are on the point of disintegrating, the paper is so yellow and brittle. There was some really good SF published in that format.

Mike


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## Melonhead (Jan 1, 2010)

My first was an actual honest to goodness for children novel:

_The wonderful flight to the Mushroom Planet_


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Melonhead said:


> My first was an actual honest to goodness for children novel:
> 
> _The wonderful flight to the Mushroom Planet_


I so forgot about that book!!!!


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Oh yes, the Mushroom Planet books. I knew a kid who wanted to build a cardboard spaceship like the one in the books. Unfortunately, he didn't have the alien-supplied engine or plastic coating that could be cover the ship and make it spaceworthy.


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## Melonhead (Jan 1, 2010)

Yeah, back in those days big cardboard boxes became forts before we girls could get a chance at them. After the fort crumbled, then the cardboard was used for "sledding" (in Florida down a grassy hill). We never even got to the engine shortage problem. Sigh.

I enjoyed children's science fiction, but I can't remember most of the titles. Does _A Wrinkle in Time_ count?


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2010)

_*Enders Game*_ fascinated me. I never read further into the series, but to this day the idea that a third son might be seen as a burden has nerved me.


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## MmmmBalf (Sep 11, 2010)

One of my early Sci-Fi loves was the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov.  I recently re-read it (just last month in fact) and was disappointed!  I haven't read it for probably 30 years or more, and I guess times have changed.  What really let me down was the lack of future technology!  It didn't occur to me that I wouldn't be able to overlook this and just enjoy the story before I started to read it.  But I couldn't help it, I found the lack of technology annoying.  And some really simple things, such as aging.  They were 50 years old complaining of old age and if a chapter started 50 years later on, all the previous characters would be dead...  I couldn't help but feeling that was unrealistic for over 10,000 years in the future.  It's hardly realistic now just 60 odd years later, lol.  And paper!  When they'd roll out a paper map on a desk, my inner voice would just sigh.    Even all the characters smoking bugged me, lol.

Perhaps it's just me, but I couldn't look past it.  I still read through them all, and would say they were ok, but definitely dated.

Michael


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

MmmmBalf said:


> One of my early Sci-Fi loves was the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. I recently re-read it (just last month in fact) and was disappointed! I haven't read it for probably 30 years or more, and I guess times have changed. What really let me down was the lack of future technology!


Now that's kinda interesting as I've recent re-read H.G. Wells and I found it was written far enough in the past that the lack of technology gave it an almost steampunk charm.


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## Jubercat (May 3, 2010)

Like _Melonhead_, my first SF book was a Mushroom Planet book, when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. It was Stowaway to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron. I vividly remember coming upon it in the school library when I was browsing, and sitting down among the stacks to read it. I had found most books to be somewhat bland, so this book was a revelation to me. It was so engrossing that I lost track of time, and the next thing I knew the librarian was pulling me up and telling me sternly that everyone had been searching for me for 45 minutes! I got in trouble for that, but it was worth it!


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## Lorem Ipsum (Sep 16, 2010)

I read a lot of Robert Silverberg's books when I was young. Also those nebula anthologies. I've been meaning to re-read them again. But with Kindle, the problem is there are always a lot of other books to read


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

The ones that spring immediately to mind are

ERB's Barsoom series
EE Doc Smith's Skylarks series  ( never got into Lensmen)


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## Rhiathame (Mar 12, 2009)

Lynn Hardy said:


> Some of my first SF books were the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books... anyone else remember these gems?


I loved those. I have been collecting them in the last few years but they are not always easy to find. The ones put out by TSR were some of the best.


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## Joe Flood (Sep 26, 2010)

I read a lot of Phillip K. Dick when I was in high school. My favorite (and I think his best book) is The Man in the High Castle. It's a dystopian fantasy about a world where the Nazis won the war. But it's a lot more than that and delves into what's real and what's fake, with a bit of 60s-era mysticism thrown in.


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## Lee (Nov 7, 2008)

Geoffrey said:


> The latest to catch my attention is Piers Anthony's Cluster series. I absolutely LOVED them as a kid and read them around age 12 through 16 as they were published.


Me too! I read them when I was around 16. I'd read them now on Kindle, but at 9.99 each it's a bit steep. You and I have similar tastes! 



The Hooded Claw said:


> As far as the movies, I think the original one is good, and "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" is a lot of fun. The rest are stinkers.


I completely agree. "Escape" uses its low budget to good advantage and is very clever and fun to watch. The final film is atrocious. The original towers above them all.

I too remember Danny Dunn, which I read as a kid. The one scene I remember is when he and his friends are shrunk to miniature size and are walking on a drop of water (because at that size the tension of the water surface is able to support their weight).


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