John Ringo: Vorpal Blade

[Stainless]

I've just been reading John Ringo's "Vorpal Blade" novel. The first three quarters of the book is kind of tedious mainly due to his regular contrived and condescending science lessons. However, once they get to the bug crunching and the low tech planet, it picked up. It was particularly the encounter with the low tech planet that got me wondering.

What other sci-fi books are there where the story centres around a high tech culture encountering a low tech culture?

I thought I'd ask here, as many of you are certainly much better read in sci-fi than I am.

 

[mattman]

"March Up Country" by er.. John Ringo and David Weber - very Travelleresque and more operatic in style. Idle young noble crash lands on a backwards jungle hell-world with a detachment of the Empress' Own. They must march half way across the world to the little imperial outpost. He grows up, etc.

Many of the excellent Culture novels by Ian M. Banks are about this subject, but are from an ultratech (TL20?) perspective, not so much a "fusion age" perspective. "Inversions" however would possibly fit what you're looking for if I get you right.

 

[mattman]

I also recall "King David's Spaceship" by Jerry Pournelle, 1980. Great story from the perspective of a WW1 tech-level human culture encountered by a resurgent Empire Of Man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_David%27s_Spaceship

Also check out "Matter" by Ian M. Banks. A steam-era society trying to make their pathetic mark in a galaxy ruled by technological Gods.

 

[mattman]

Also, there's the very first Asimov's "Foundation" novel, 1951 if you want the grand sweep. It has a good bit of this in it.

 

[FreeTrav]

The Worldwar series by Harry Turtledove. Humanity is on the short end, this time...

The 1632 series by Eric Flint et multae alia.

The Troy Rising series (Live Free or Die, Citadel, [forthcoming] The Hot Gate) by... well, by John Ringo... Humanity is on the short end on this one, too.

 

[Chernobyl]

was just about to mention Harry Turtledove's Worldwar series. Great books. Really made me a fan of the "Alternate History" genre.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Any Star Trek novel that deals with the "Prime Directive" though I stopped reading Star Trek almost 20 years ago.

 

[gloomhound]

The High Crusade by Poul Anderson

Belisarius series by Eric Flint and David Drake

Janissaries by Jerry Pournelle

To name a few.

 

[Stainless]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will be investigating each one.

 

[BenTOGS]

Hey, another classic is a very early Harry Turtledove, "Non-interference". A human Survey (scouts) ship discovers a Babylon type river culture. Someone on the Survey ship does something against the rules (i.e. breaks the 'prime directive') gets caught. The Surveyship leaves. Then the story jumps 1500 years to the Resurvey and then consequences of the first Surveys actions.

Very good with surprising conspiracy overtones. Perfect for a Trav scenario