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Comment by impostervt | Hacker News Reader

Dexter Filkins, the writer of this piece, is also the author of one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read - The Forever War (not the space war book).

The Forever War https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307279448/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_OWDy...

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You've got to be kidding me. I started reading "The Forever War" (the space war book) based on some comments I read on here and I assure you that there wasn't any warning about the space war book.

If you want a good space war book, Cixin Liu, Three Body Problem and sequels.

The Forever War (not the space war book) is excellent however.

The Forever War (the space war book) is also excellent

Haldeman's space war book "forever war" is rather good though.

Does the author typically write in such a narrative form? I had a hard time finishing this piece and normally very much enjoy descriptive writing. Perhaps it could have been more succinct.

This is common for long-form New Yorker articles, not just this author.

You really should consider reading Ian M Banks's Culture series novels if you like that. He's widely considered to be the best sci-fi author in the UK (He's scottish).

I'd certainly put the culture series close to par with Ender's Game and the Dune novels. They're most excellent.

Start with Consider Phlebas. It's the easiest to start with, but also not completely representative of what the series ends up being. I highly recommend Banks.

Most definitely. I recommend reading them in the order that they were published, which starts with Consider Phlebas. I also put Player of Games in the top 10 best Sci-fi books I've ever read I just enjoyed the ending of it so much.

Banks is an incredible author.

https://www.goodreads.com/series/49118-culture

was =(

And Alastair Reynolds. Former ESA scientist, so even his space opera feels truthy.

Also really enjoyed that book. The stories about the treatment of third country nationals (essentially contractors from countries like the Philippines and India working on US bases) were surprising and saddening.

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