I really enjoyed the 'Foundation' series by Isaac Asimov. 'Rendezvous with Rama' by Arthur C. Clarke is a great one as well.
Asimov is my favorite author
really love all his short story collections, he even did some (light) mystery ones
I am currently reading a collection of all of Asimov's short stories. That will take a while, it's a 2339 page epub. In the beginning there are some lesser stories but they keep getting better and better.
I'm currently reading The Left Hand of Darkness, and so far enjoying it a lot.
I really enjoyed Project Hail Mary.
I ended up reading The Martian after seeing the movie and while poking a hole in the glove was mentioned in the book, I was a bit disappointed that the movie could not resist forcing to going through with it. Felt more silly and unnecessary even when originally watching the movie.
After that Project Hail Mary was a must read when I found out about it and was not disappointed. The amnesia was a bit forced, but necessary for the structure and didn't actually bother me much while reading. Also
spoiler
one of the best depictions of an alien that actually felt out of this world.
Didn't know about this, going to go out and get this one, thanks! I really enjoyed reading The Martian by the same author way back when.
I recently read Artemis by Andy Weir, but the protagonist had so much teenage angst that it was difficult to finish despite its short length. I'll have to try one of his more popular books instead.
I haven’t read Artemis but I’ve seen multiple people say that it is his weakest work. There is no teenage angst in this one.
My favourites are (still) HitchHikersGGTG and Good Omens. I just adore that writing style, I guess.
The Expanse series has done it for me. Best books I've read in a long time.
I completely agree and love The Expanse. It's more character driven than I prefer, but it is still in my top 10 for sure.
How do you feel people missed the message?
I sometimes see people saying Wade was right or that he would have saved the day or some such.
"The Book of the New Sun" by Gene Wolfe.
Tough, hard to follow or understand (deliberately so - this book and a number of the author's other books are well known for "unreliable narrator"), excellent prose, and thought provoking. I generally dislike rereading a book, with all the other books to read and new ones coming out every year, but this is an exception.
“Creatures of Light and Darkness”, and “Lord of Light” by Roger Zelazny - I love the blending of mythology and science fiction.
“Dune” though it hasn’t aged well in terms of the science of genetics.
“Cyteen” by C.J. Cherryh
“Starship Trooper” and “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” both are peak Heinlein.
Sea of Tranquility is amazing! Emily St. John Mandel just has a really great writing style and even though the main plot of this novel is very much connected to sci-fi themes it does not read like a dissertation on specific futuristic concepts.
Great list in the comments! Let me add some classics:
For me it is Foundation series because I like it's themes and how they are presented, I really like some characters like Mule and Hari Seldon and it is very interesting to read.
I'm a big fan of world building and well fleshed out settings and characters. I love getting lost in descriptive and unique imagery.
I feel like you’d really enjoy House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds. One of the most “lived-in” feeling worlds I’ve encountered since Hyperion. I’m reading Pushing Ice now and haven’t read any of Revelation Space yet, but I’m planning on it.
Anathem by Neal Stephenson.
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson is one of my most favourite science fiction books.
Just some of my favourites:
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman: Basically the vastly better Starship Troopers. Just don't read to sequel.
Old Man's War - John Scalzi: Very much feels like an modern update of The Forever War
Cities in Flight - James Blish: I just love the bonker's idea of whole cities declaring their independence from Earth and just buggering off into space
Ubik - Philip K. Dick: Hard to pick a favourite Dick, but this one just has all the mindfuckery and weirdness of that particular author in a perfect blend
I really enjoyed Stranger in A Strange Land by Heinlein.. Its a classic and even though some concepts are a bit outdated, I think overall its amazing. Actually most of Heinleins books are my go to when I just want a lazy relaxing read. I've read them all so many times, its like visiting comfy friends.
This book is still really solid ; I didn't really mind the moments of "oh this was SO written several decades ago."
“The Dispossessed” by Ursula K. Le Guin is maybe the best political sci-fi book I’ve ever read. Cory Doctorow’s “Walkaway” is also quite good and feels a bit like its spiritual successor.
I just finished The Dispossessed. I am simply in awe at how wonderful that story felt as I read it. I am about to dive into Ursula K Le Guin's catalog now.
Haven't read The Dispossessed yet, but love Le Guin's work ever since I read The Lathe of Heaven and The Word for World is Forest, can't recommend these enough. Am reading through a collection of her short stories now.
Anyone interested in a general Le Guin discussion thread, or a reading group type thing where we discuss a different book each month?
The Salvation Sequence by Peter F. Hamilton fits the bill on the technology and mystery aspects. I definitely recommend checking it out!
I haven't read Quantum Magician but certainly agreed on the Three Body Problem and Children of Time. Fantastic books.
Some others I really like:
I don't see many people recommending Ancillary Justice, but really enjoyed the series. I thought it was a pretty light read as far as Sci-fi goes, but it ticked all the right boxes for me.
I wouldn't call AJ a light read, just because you spend so much time wrapping your brain around what the narrator is doing and the cultures are so deliberately weird. All the more rewarding for it though imo.
Welcome to /c/ScienceFiction
December book club canceled. Short stories instead!
We are a community for discussing all things Science Fiction. We want this to be a place for members to discuss and share everything they love about Science Fiction, whether that be books, movies, TV shows and more. Please feel free to take part and help our community grow.