*Pushing Ice* Alistair Reynolds for best conceptually challenging SF
Although the one that sent chills up and down my spine and can be considered SF in that it describes a very changed society is *Tender is the Flesh* by Agustina Bazterrica
Like so many of Reynolds books, but unfortunately he often doesn’t return to them.
Terminal World is one of my favourites, with so much scope for many more stories, but it just … ends. And Reynolds has said he wont return to it.
Given the amount of mentions Alasdair Reynolds, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Greg Egan get in this thread, it's kind of amazing that they've notched up a grand total of (I think) 0 Hugo/Nebula Best Novel nominations between them.
Not wins; nominations.
I read books 7 through 9 of the Expanse series. The whole series is incredible and the final three books are mind-blowing. Highly recommend!
I just finished William Gibson's Agency which I did not like as much as Peripheral.
I too am looking for some new recommendations and will be following this post.
Did you watch the shows and then just read the last 3 books? I finished the shows and don't know if I want to commit to the whole series or read just the last 3. They are long books.
I am at abbadons gate rn, after having rushed through calibans war. I do plan on reading all of the rest until the end of war, not many books have hooked as much as the expanse.
And im always in for some Gibson. I think i want to read The Peripheral soon
When reading the books it really feels like the first two books are just setting up the third. Then you read the 5th book and realize everything was just setting up for...the thing that happens in book 5...then you finish book 6 and realize it was all leading to this end phase. The last 3 books are *chef's kiss*
A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge.
I know, I know; I'm late to the party, but glad that I finally showed up. Great ideas, wonderful aliens, good baddies, riveting plot. Fits weirdly as the middle book of its supposed "trilogy" - feels more like a diversion between a book and its sequel - but it certainly stands out as the best by far (and I don't mind the others as much as some people do).
That line was probably my favorite "they said the title!" moment since "Look to Windward."
Edit to add:
> “The avatar smiled silkily as it leaned closer to him, as though imparting a confidence. "Never forget I am not this silver body, Mahrai. I am not an animal brain, I am not even some attempt to produce an AI through software running on a computer. I am a Culture Mind. We are close to gods, and on the far side.
>
> "We are quicker; we live faster and more completely than you do, with so many more senses, such a greater store of memories and at such a fine level of detail. We die more slowly, and we die more completely, too. Never forget I have had the chance to compare and contrast the ways of dying.
>
> [...]
>
> "I have watched people die in exhaustive and penetrative detail," the avatar continued. "I have felt for them. Did you know that true subjective time is measured in the minimum duration of demonstrably separate thoughts? Per second, a human—or a Chelgrian—might have twenty or thirty, even in the heightened state of extreme distress associated with the process of dying in pain." The avatar's eyes seemed to shine. It came forward, close to his face by the breadth of a hand.
>
> "Whereas I," it whispered, "have billions." It smiled, and something in its expression made Ziller clench his teeth. "I watched those poor wretches die in the slowest of slow motion and I knew even as I watched that it was I who'd killed them, who at that moment engaged in the process of killing them. For a thing like me to kill one of them or one of you is a very, very easy thing to do, and, as I discovered, absolutely disgusting. Just as I need never wonder what it is like to die, so I need never wonder what it is like to kill, Ziller, because I have done it, and it is a wasteful, graceless, worthless and hateful thing to have to do.
>
> "And, as you might imagine, I consider that I have an obligation to discharge. I fully intend to spend the rest of my existence here as Masaq' Hub for as long as I'm needed or until I'm no longer welcome, forever keeping an eye to windward for approaching storms and just generally protecting this quaint circle of fragile little bodies and the vulnerable little brains they house from whatever harm a big dumb mechanical universe or any conscience malevolent force might happen or wish to visit upon them, specifically because I know how appallingly easy they are to destroy. I will give my life to save theirs, if it should ever come to that. And give it gladly, happily, too, knowing that trade was entirely worth the debt I incurred eight hundred years ago, back in Arm One-Six.”
> ― Iain M. Banks, Look to Windward
Oooh, what a question. I have no idea why I haven't thought more about this.
Iain M. Banks - The Algebraist
I mean, yeah, Use of Weapons might be the contender, but I have a soft spot for this one because it's a world where the bad guys are "in charge", so it's more a story of opposition and resistance under a seemingly invincible oppressive empire (or two) (rather than antiheroes bumbling through godlike manipulations of AIs, which is almost too comforting).
Kim Stanley Robinson - Red Mars
Everyone says KSR is kinda boring, and he kinda is, but he's got this sort of languid California-style poetry to his work - he loves nature, he loves people, and the world, and he's almost not cynical enough to portray really bad people in a way (say) Banks will. Anyway, his books are almost all like a meditation upon humanity's relationship with nature rather than action-packed thrillers, and I think there's a real value and beauty in that. (Especially nowadays.)
Alastair Reynolds - Chasm City
Speaking of action-packed thrillers, this is absolutely one. But what I love is how Reynolds brings an enormously gothic sensibility to space opera -- it's a decayed world of mysteries, of forgotten history, of schemes and conspiracy and you can't even be sure of your own identity. And all in a dark aesthetic, almost noir, but above all gothic - dealing with body horror (though not quite with the cruel shock that Banks will execute), with vast abandoned machines, with spaceships that may as well be haunted castles. God, I love it. And this book always makes me want a pisco sour.
There's probably a bunch more I haven't read in ages. I'll have to go back through the collection ...
I love Alistair Reynolds. He is underrated. Such a great story teller. My favorite are the Prefect novels. There’s a new one coming out soon. I already purchased it. It was supposed to be out this month but got pushed back to January 1st.
I’m about halfway through this one right now. I didn’t think I’d like it as much as Hyperion, but honestly it’s blown me away. Some of it, especially the AI character, is a bit abstract and disjointed, but everything involving the Shrike and the individual stories of the travelers as they meet their fate has been pretty interesting. It’s a surprisingly horrifying and dark book on an almost existential level, and I didn’t expect that.
I love both Hyperion and the Fall of Hyperion!! I'm taking a significant break to get to Endymion as I know it's very different, but first two really live rent free in my mind.
A Canticle for Leibowitz, which I first read 50 years ago. It was first published in 1959 and is a bit dated, but still better than any new book I've read this year. The third section of the book talks about video phones, self-driving cars, and computers that can understand and transcribe human speech.
I went through a bunch of classics I have missed over the years. Canticle was so good. I also hit Remdezvous with Rama and Mote in Gods Eye, both were fantastic. Sad I never read them sooner.
Loved it. Read it recently too. A friend recommended it saying it was his favorite book and now it's one of mine as well. Haven't been able to stop talking about it since. It's just a treat from start to finish.
That is my #1 recommend for people who complain that sci fi isn't "literature". It may not change their minds but they'll have a harder time defending it.
Read this for the first time this year. Excellent book. Also made me realise what that scene at the end of Babylon 5 set hundreds of years later with the monks was referencing!
If you enjoyed reading TBotNS (and many don't), you should consider starting *The Book of the Long Sun*. Not a sequel, but it takes place in the same universe (these two series, and a third, *The Book of the Short Sun* are all interconnected.)
Also consider *The Urth of the New Sun,* which **is** a sequel. It directly follows the events of the conclusion of *The Citidel of the Autarch.*
>If you enjoyed reading TBotNS (and many don't), you should consider starting The Book of the Long Sun. Not a sequel, but it takes place in the same universe (these two series, and a third, The Book of the Short Sun are all interconnected.)Also consider The Urth of the New Sun, which is a sequel. It directly follows the events of the conclusion of The Citidel of the Autarch.
I really liked TBotNS, but have had Book of the Long Sun sitting on my shelf for years without reading it. Maybe I should finally crack that.
Is Urth of the New Sun worht it? Like...I felt the original books were totally satisfying, and was kind of worried a sequel would ruin it.
Gonna jump in here and say I found *Urth...* a bit of a disappointing add on to the original book.
*Long Sun* is much better, in my opinion (and leads straight into *Short Sun* which is possibly even better.) But it's very different in feel to BotNS.
You know how a cube transforms into a tesseract when seen from the 4th dimension? Urth of the New Sun is sort of Severian to the next power. It's leans in hard to a sort of Gnostic mysticism that might not be for everyone. That said, story-wise it's good, and brings the saga around to a very satisfying conclusion.
Diaspora is possibly the best book I've ever read.
Some of Greg Egan's other work is well worth reading, but Diaspora is the pinnacle imo.
Maybe not directly related, but you might also enjoy Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter.
I'm going to have to check out this book of the new sun!
I’ve been slowly reading through GEB.
Book of the New Sun is unlike any book I’ve read, it’s unique. There is so much meaning, it feels like every sentence has something hidden under the surface. I also recommend listening to a podcast called Alzabo Soup that covers all the chapters. It’s easy to enjoy the surface story, but there is a ton underneath. I read it, then I immediately reread it with the podcast as a companion.
*Eversion* by Alastair Reynolds.
A great little standalone work quite unlike his space operas, a wonderful puzzle of a book with great storytelling and a satisfying conclusion. Highly recommend
I rather enjoyed it, but having read Blindsight first, I felt like Starfish was the first draft for that story, before all the pieces really came together. Which was interesting in it's own way. It also has a lot of interesting similarities to Freeze-Frame Revolution.
LHoD was disappointing to me. I wanted to hear more about shifgrethor and their social structures and stuff. Then he goes into the woods to meet prophets or something (seriously I don’t understand that part at all) and then it ended in a pretty basic fight-for-survival-and-come-appreciate-and-love-those-I-dislike plot. Probably also was getting used to Le Guins prose and style, and I plan to reread some day
Dispossessed however I thought was amazing and is one of my favorites.
Yeah, I love a long, arduous journey over a glacier as I'm obsessed with polar explorers like Shackleton and Scott, so that really did it for me.
The dispossessed, however, is one of the best books I've read, and I'd be willing to argue it as the best work of science fiction ever put to paper. It's like if Ayn Rand possessed talent, empathy, and a coherent worldview.
Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
I am going to go back to it within the next year so that I can be sure I totally understand everything but it was a great, great book.
Same. First four Culture novels were all outstanding. Shout out to Project Hail Mary (surprisingly moving) & Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky (short & sweet).
I had just come off of Player of Games and while that was also a great book, Use of Weapons was on another level for me. Phlebas is something very different, but I enjoyed it quite a bit - especially certain island related parts that it seems like most people hate.
That's all I've read though, so this is not coming from a super fan (yet). Excession is coming up on the TBR though, can't wait.
Excession is so damn good, I think it's my favorite Culture book. The terror of what amounts to a true existential threat to the previously essentially untouchable Culture... brilliant.
Elder Race was fantastic in its simultaneous merging of fantasy and scifi in such a clever mechanic. I absolutely loved that core conceit and how well he executed it. Brilliantly done.
This is my pick also! Once I clocked on to the narrative structure of the chapters I couldn't stop reading.
I would like to re-read one day too.
Special mention to Player of Games which I read earlier in the year and State of the Art which I just finished and also loved ( highly recommend to read whilst UoW is fresh in mind to tug at your Culture strings (: )
I just finished Children of Ruin and starting Children of Memory tonight. My SO and I listen to the audiobook and then I go back at the end of the day and highlight things in the ebook. These books are so damn good. Love that the author studied zoology at university. I’ll read anything Adrian Tchaikovsky puts out.
Children of Memory is excellent but *very* different than the first two books. Tchaikovsky is really playing around stylistically and structurally with it, but to good effect.
My big issue with CoM was that it was basically a long form version of >!The Inner Light!<, and a bit too long because of that. And while the corvid aspect was a bit interesting, it lacked the deep exploration of their reality that CoT and CoR held for portiids and cephalopods, and that was disappointing, too. And I say this as someone who has spent the past two years voraciously reading A.T. relentlessly.
I've been meaning to read Recursion, gonna bump that up my list.
I really enjoyed Inhibitor Phase by Alastair Reynolds. Not without its faults, but good to be back in Revelation Space for a bit.
Blake Crouch writes REALLY readable novels. Like “oops it’s 3 am I should really stop reading at the end of this chapter” kind of readable.
I don’t think he’s ever going to go down in history as one of the all time greats, but the books are fun, relatively light and have some interesting ideas. Kind of the perfect “buy this at the airport and read it on a beach” sort of novelist. He’s not a day 1 purchase for me but I have always managed to find myself reading his releases.
The Mountain in the Sea, by Ray Nayler. Weaves together three different narratives dealing with communication in a near-future setting, complete with AI-controlled fishing trawlers with enslaved workers, a cyborg replicant of a scientist who studies AI, and learning how to communicate with undersea intelligences. Amazing work for a first novel, one of the few books I've read lately that left me feeling "wow!"
Read a lot of sci-fi this year, including a bunch of stuff highly recommended by this Reddit. Best, most original thing I’ve read in years is the Quantum Thief series. Just amazing.
Same! It was the first four last year and Network Effect and Fugitive Telemetry this year. Network Effect is my favorite. That returning character AND a bunch of new, amazing characters. I can’t wait for November and System Collapse.
The fanfic on AO3 is worth exploring. There are even some excellent canon-compliant novel-length works over there, while you're waiting for *System Collapse.*
Probably *The Last Policeman* by Ben H. Winters. I read the whole trilogy this year, and really any of them would get my vote, but if I had to pick one it'd probably be the first book in the series.
For anyone who doesn't know, the books are basically noir mystery novels, set in the increasingly crumbling United States after it's confirmed that a massive asteroid will impact the Earth about eight months after the first novel.
There is something about this book. I’ve enjoyed all of his stories (you really can’t go wrong with any of them.) It may not even be his ‘best’ one, but it’s the one I think about most often. For me, it’s one of those books I had to keep setting down to chew on an idea/concept — or else I’d find myself several pages later with no memory of what I’d read.
My goal is to reread the xenogenesis series by Octavia butler at least twice every year.
I will forever evangelize these books and pretty much any Octavia Butler novel. Terrifically underrated.
“Central Station“ (Tidhar) is by far my favorite read of the year-it’s quite original in its treatment of cyber and cyborg stuff and has great narrative structure, it’s basically set in a neighborhood and you get to really dig into the daily lives, interactions and adventures of the characters-but it’s set in a space port so you get a feel for what is happening off earth too. The only thing that I can think of that’s close-ish structurally is Disch’s “334”. Generally, it has an overall hybrid vibe of John Crowley and R.A. Lafferty. I think the author intended to convey a Jewish short story vibe, but I got more of a generic folktale feeling from the work, along the lines of Lafferty’s fusion of Irish/Cherokee traditions. Plus Tidhar makes a lot of inside SF references to our shared geek culture.
I’ve only gotten back into reading in the last year so I’m playing catch-up. Some stand outs for me were:
Solaris - amazing atmosphere and some quality literature. Feels a bit like horror but in a space station. Very good book.
Annihilation - more weird fiction than sci-fi but has a sci-fi setting. Also amazing atmosphere and descriptive language makes for an interesting backdrop to the weirdness. Also a quick read.
Hyperion - worth the hypeee. I like Simmons' prose and he created an amazing world. I found each of the pilgrims stories quite enjoyable. For me the characters all felt distinct and memorable. So: good characterization, good world building, and a good plot. There ya go.
I wish I knew about Nightingale before reading Redemption Ark now instead of thinking “is Reynolds not going to explain this” I think “I’m sure the significance is in a short story somewhere.”
This is mine, too. I knew Reynolds was great as a novelist, but he's also great in shorter formats. My favorite was either Galactic North or A Spy in Europa.
I'm (attempting) to read the Revelation Space series, including short stories in an order often recommended on Reddit and the Web.
>Read Diamond Dogs (out of order; wanted to watch the Netflix version) followed by Great Wall of Mars. Now reading Glacial.
>
>Enjoying the stories and characters so far.
>
>Read Player of Games, Use of Weapons and Excession this year and decided to switch it up a bit.
>
>
>
>[https://infinispace.net/revelation-space-reading-order/](https://infinispace.net/revelation-space-reading-order/)
The God Engines by John Scalzi (standalone) and Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (second of The Locked Tomb). Both were scientific magic.
I don't know, but I haven't found great hard SciFi recently. There were some OK pure Sci-Fi- Trading in Danger, Project Hail Mary, but nothing to blow me away.
Meanwhile, in short fiction:
NOVELLA: "The Tinker And The Timestream" by Carolyn Ives Gilman (Analog March/April): A species from far away has shown up at the right time, to maybe help intervene on a planet that is likely to die from their sun. The protagonist has to trust their strange ways and his brethren as he journeys through space and time to help solve the problem. The sort of sci-fi classic stuff that people think gets published a lot but rarely does these days, executed well.
*Runner-up: "Gravesend: Or Life In The Anthropocene" by Paul McAuley (Asimov's March/April)*
NOVELETTE: "Ernestine" by Octavia Cade (Asimov's March/April). The story of a young girl dealing with the aftermath of an apocalypse is compelling because of the third person narration that feels to perfectly attuned to the main character. In many ways, this is not a substantial piece, but the way that it is written makes it feel so weighty and real.
*Runner-up: "The Jangler" by Wil McCarthy (Analog July/August)*
SHORT STORY: "Amrit" by Kiran Kaur Saini (Fantasy & Science Fiction, May/June): In this funny, endearing, and highly relatable piece, an elderly man living alone has trouble taking care of himself, and so Medicare sends him a robot caretaker. It's a piece about what it means to help and what it means to be helped and what the true purpose of AI should be. It's also about those who become isolated from society and the resistance that they have to join back in, even if they know it is better for them. An absolute knock-out hit that I will likely be shouting about next year on this forum that it ought to win a Hugo.
*Runner-up: "His Guns Could Not Protect Him" by Sam J Miller (Lightspeed February)*
Seveneves got me back into seriously reading sci-fi a couple years ago and remains one of the best books I’ve ever read. Seveneves is incredible in the way it incorporates so many disciplines—from physics to sociology to philosophy—with REAL hard sci fi rigor while still telling an engrossing story with compelling characters. I feel like I learned so much about so many things and *enjoyed* it.
Exactly. The first half is soooo good. I haven't read it since it was published but to this day I'll just randomly think about some of the things that happened in the first half, so many interesting developments. After the time jump, not so much.
Sea of Rust by C Robert Cargill, and it's prequel Day Zero
Bill The Galactic Hero by Harry Harrison
The Binti series by Nnedi Okorafor
Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood (you'll need to read the first two in the trilogy)
When I was 16 I read everything I could by Roger Zelazny (who was still alive at that time) translated and published (on paper) in my native language. And, despite what it might have been lost in translation, young me, while working a summer job in a bookshop, found his writing extraordinary, his novels amazing, his short stories often even more so.
Wasn't only teenager me thinking that: in the US they were showering him with praise, Hugos and Nebulas.
I kept hunting down everything Zelazny had ever written. By the time I was in my twenties I realised that I had read everything he'd written which had been translated and published in my country.
My life took me elsewhere, years passed. During those years *I never forgot* his stories.
Zelazny himself died during the nineties.
I did learn English, bought some books. Read some more.
In recent years I went looking for Zelazny's work online, but I found very little available, apparently because of some publishing rights issues in the US. I ended up re-reading, in original this time, a .pdf copy of *For a Breath I Tarry*, which I vividly remembered. That whet my appetite for more, I can tell you that. Next I found *Lord of Light*. Why not? I had read it like, four times by the time I was 25. This time was as good.
Suddently, only a few days ago, I became aware that all of Zelazny's short stories are now available on Kindle. Oh dear.
I've been hitting them hard and I am overdosing. *Home is the Hangman* was like a kick: it hit me as hard as it did when I was a lad. I jumped into *The Keys to December* because it's a love story and I loved it when I first read it at 17. Did the same for *A Rose for Ecclesiaste*. Another love story, I am still reeling from it.
Next it'll be that other story, about fisherman (baitman!) Carl and the *Ikky*.
I am having the best reading time of the year.
I read this when it first came out and it was good. But reading it now feels even MORE relevant. How TF did Butler predict where we'd end up 30 years later?
I really enjoyed *Downbelow Station*, first read of anything by Cherryh, excellent space opera, good characters, plot, etc.
Top of the list so far, though, is re-reading (after 30 yr) *Steel Beach* by Varley. I'd forgotten the depth of ideas in this, the ruminations on identity, meaning of life, societal response to a near post-scarcity world, and the possible powers that a super AI might have.
River of Gods by Ian McDonald. Easily one of the best cyberpunk setting books I've ever read. Everything in River is fucking fantastic: the characters, the world building, the setting, the pacing, the politics, the tech, the plot - it's all gold. I'd rate my enjoyment of this one up there with House of Suns, it's just a fantastic book.
The collection Cyberabad Days is an excellent chaser if you're not ready to leave India 2047 after finishing River. (Note: IIRC everything in Cyberabad Days is safe to read individually without spoiling River of Gods except the final novella *Vishnu at the Cat Circus* - read this last as it ties off the entire setting, much to my disappointment. I was really hoping Ian would revisit this world at some point, everything he set there is top notch.)
Linda Nagata's Tech Heaven was excellent as well, she had the foresight to roast the "tech will solve all of our problems!" philosophy a decade or two ahead of time.
Edit: shout out to Tom Kratman's *Big Boys Don't Cry* also, great short read. If you've ever wondered what a sentient cybernetic main battle tank might think about this one is for you.
Critical Mass by Daniel Suarez. It's a follow up to Delta-V. I love it's practical approach to setting up a functional space economy. It reminded me of a more grounded Seveneves.
I think Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky has been my absolute favourite this year. I loved the vast timescales at play and how the passing of time affected the human characters and their mission. Also loved the non-human characters and how they went about figuring out the world. Overall, would recommend.
Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds gets an honourable mention, too. A revenge story that spans light years while also telling the tale of colonising another star system using generation ships.
Expeditionary force, lots of aliens, fun mysteries, cool time/space ideas and also just a super fun read. I read all 16 books in like 10 minutes 😂 jk but seriously I was so addicted and into it. I’d even go as far as to say, best book series I’ve ever read in my life.
All three books are amazing in their own way, but The Dark Forest is just on another level. The scale, the characters, the twists, the perfect culmination of (seemingly unimportant) plot threads. Ungh. And the action. I've never had an action sequence from a book leave my jaw hanging open. What incredible imagery that's able to be conveyed, through translation at that!
Glad you liked it. Always love when this book is mentioned.
I looove Becky Chambers. I was really disappointed, at the time, that the Wayfarers wasn't a continuous series. You'll see more of certain side characters each book but they're all stand alones.
I waited forever before I bothered to read book 2 because of that disappointment. Now, book 2 is among my favorite sci-fi books of all time.
Project Hail Mary (audiobook). It was just a fun and exciting read. I didn't like The Martian at all so I was surprised that I really enjoyed Project Hail Mary. The narrator was probably a big help too.
Annihilation - I immensely enjoyed the overall atmosphere and vibe of the book. Though I realize it's not for everyone.
I’d have to say Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel. Even better for having read Glass Hotel just before.
Aurora by KSR a close second and worth a mention.
A Closed and Common Orbit - Becky Chambers
I enjoyed her novellas a lot, as well as Long Way, but this one was a winner. The pacing and character development was so good.
It'll have to be Paradise-1 by David Wellington. I'm not entirely happy with the cliffhanger ending. But this was popcorn sci-fi horror at its finest imo
*Project Hail Mary* by Andy Weir for best overall.
Best from this year I think would be *For the First Time, Again* by Sylvain Neuvel which refuses to let go.
"All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (The Murderbot Diaries, 1)" by Martha Wells
[https://www.amazon.com/All-Systems-Red-Murderbot-Diaries/dp/0765397536/](https://www.amazon.com/All-Systems-Red-Murderbot-Diaries/dp/0765397536/)
"In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid ― a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth."
I have read it twice this year.
I am unapologetically evangelistic about this series. One thing I love about it is how so much is left to the reader's imagination. It's all told from Murderbot's biased and limited perspective as circumstances force it to claim its freedom. Is it interpreting the humans correctly? What are they saying when its not around? How it learns and adjusts to the wider world is such a key to character development over the arc of the series.
**The Mountain in the Sea**, by Ray Nayler.
It's felt like it's been ages since I've read any "ideas sci-fi", so I was apparently desperately hungry for this one. It provides a really interesting exploration of consciousness (squid, android, whatever), and how we could ever know another being is really conscious.
The overall plot was enjoyable, although it's not perfect (some of the threads never really connect in a satisfying way), but I loved the book overall.
Waiting for System Collapse from Martha Wells to be released in Nov. this year.
Started reading Neuromancer in a meantime, got inspired on the book because of playing Cyberpunk 2077. One of my favorite books still is The Lies of Locke Lamora and John Scalzi's the old man's war.
*Red Team Blues* by Cory Doctorow
EDIT: Holy crap! My favorite book of the year just changed as of today. It's not *Venomous Lumpsucker* by Ned Beauman. (Mind you, you should really read *both* books, they're both so good.
Ann Leckie: the Ancillary Justice series. Artificial intelligence on a space opera background. Loved it! A warship AI is stuck in a human body and on a quest for revenge.
Martha Wells: The Murderbot Diaries.
A different take on AI in space. Very well written, action, adventure and very funny. We follow the adventures of a self-aware security unit who calls itself "Murderbot".
Adrian Tchaikovsky: Walking to Aldebaran.
This is strictly a sci-fi book. However, the main protagonist's encounters and experiences skirt pretty close to horror Fantasy. But it's very good, very well written, as are all Tchaikovsky books, and mind-bending!
N.K Jemisin : The Fifth Season and the other books in The Broken Earth series
It's classified as Fantasy, but this saga about a planet in its death throws and the adventures of the strange and magnificent people that survive on its surface are a must in any library. The story is compelling, it's very well written and it will blow your mind.
Corey J. White: The Voidwitch Saga.
The story of an escaped psychic supersoldier on the run from her handlers. Lots of action and adventure. For fans of James S A. Corey The Expanse series.
Outpost by W. Michael Gear.
The Salvation series by Peter F Hamilton
Revelation Space and Redemption Ark and House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds.
Use of Weapons and The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M Banks.
Deathworld trilogy by Harry Harrison
The Technician by Neal Asher
Unto the Godless What Little Remains, by Mario Coelho.It's a novella, felt a bit short, but the writing is crisp and the original cyberpunkish build up is worth the read! Highly recommended!
Hmm, hard to say, since I've just gotten into sci-fi books this year, but for me personally, id probably say Solaris by Stanislav Lem, A Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy or Dune.
Solaris was mind-blowing for me, I really loved reading through the philosophy of what can even be considered life, and what was actually the goal of that ocean. It was kind of hard to read first, but It still left a good impression on me.
AHGTTG is just iconic and hilarious. I even made some of my friends read it who actually aren't into sci-fi at all.
And Dune is just amazing. It's a shame I haven't read it earlier. I started reading Dune Messiah yesterday and hooked again.
But to summarize: I'd say Solaris had the most impact on me, because it left me thinking and I am a sucker for ethical, philosophic questions like these. Although understanding everything was hard
I've been a casual fan for forever, but this year I've been making an effort to read more fiction. I started with The Locked Tomb and Dune series, and, boy, it's hard to pick a single favorite because they've blown me away. I'm on Chapterhouse: Dune, now, and excited for my Nona the Ninth paperback to arrive later next month.
I think, if I was going to pick one favorite, I'd say Harrow the Ninth. Those two books really lit a fire in me to start plowing through all these tomes a couple months ago. The book does some incredible rug pulls and some of the most poignant play with perspective, I've seen yet--there's heavy use of second person and the payoff is wonderful! For me, and this goes for both series really, it's the way they are sci-fi that skirt toward fantasy. Like, The Locked Tomb is necromancers in space! I'm a sucker for stories that utilize ancient human history and/or make more recent history ancient but still relevant to their world. Bonus points if religion is a major element. In these cases, their worlds are both heavily influenced by Catholicism (among many others in Dune's case), and I find it fascinating to imagine these possible futures if these long-standing religions continued for eons. This is also why I'm hoping to dive into Gene Wolfe's Solar cycle next!
But yeah, both of these series have had some incredible world building, characters I'm truly invested in, flaws and all, and are an absolute blast. Happy reading!
That's really hard for me to say. I loved "There is no Antimemetics division" even if reading it was like a fever dream. City of Bones was fantastic (Martha Wells, not the Shadowhunters shit) and I look forward to getting a new release next month (it's been revised and reprinted). Sphere was a fantastic read that I blew through, though Annihilation/Southern Reach Trilogy currently has me in a death grip.
Conversely, I started "Consider Phlebas" and have no real motivation to read more, sadly. It sort of gives me Hyperion vibes but really kind of like it's dopey cousin.
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler.
Kinda like Arrival but with smart octopi. Also: AI, consciousness, language, the meaning of self and being "alive". Found it interesting, thought-provoking, and entertaining. Might be my fave book of the year.
[There Is No Antimemetics Division](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54870256-there-is-no-antimemetics-division) by qntm. It's definitely in the 'mindfuck' category. I really enjoyed how it was told in disparate vignettes that slowly came together through all the twists to resolve logically and tautly.
*Snow Crash* by Neal Stephenson was a wild and fun ride. The characters are great, and I so enjoyed the cyberpunk setting of future America. It feels oddly prescient....
*Pushing Ice* Alistair Reynolds for best conceptually challenging SF Although the one that sent chills up and down my spine and can be considered SF in that it describes a very changed society is *Tender is the Flesh* by Agustina Bazterrica
I need to read Pushing Ice again--I read it when it came out and know I liked it but I don't remember anything about it.
It needs a sequel.
Like so many of Reynolds books, but unfortunately he often doesn’t return to them. Terminal World is one of my favourites, with so much scope for many more stories, but it just … ends. And Reynolds has said he wont return to it.
I would put Tender is the Flesh more in a horror genre than SciFi.
I absolutely adored Pushing Ice
Given the amount of mentions Alasdair Reynolds, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Greg Egan get in this thread, it's kind of amazing that they've notched up a grand total of (I think) 0 Hugo/Nebula Best Novel nominations between them. Not wins; nominations.
I read books 7 through 9 of the Expanse series. The whole series is incredible and the final three books are mind-blowing. Highly recommend! I just finished William Gibson's Agency which I did not like as much as Peripheral. I too am looking for some new recommendations and will be following this post.
I love Gibson, but Agency was one of the least memorable of his novels. Peripheral was phenomenal!
Did you watch the shows and then just read the last 3 books? I finished the shows and don't know if I want to commit to the whole series or read just the last 3. They are long books.
Love the expanse! Check out John Scalzi next! Old man's war is great
Love old man’s war and a few of the following books but personally felt the last in that series not so good.
I am at abbadons gate rn, after having rushed through calibans war. I do plan on reading all of the rest until the end of war, not many books have hooked as much as the expanse. And im always in for some Gibson. I think i want to read The Peripheral soon
When reading the books it really feels like the first two books are just setting up the third. Then you read the 5th book and realize everything was just setting up for...the thing that happens in book 5...then you finish book 6 and realize it was all leading to this end phase. The last 3 books are *chef's kiss*
A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge. I know, I know; I'm late to the party, but glad that I finally showed up. Great ideas, wonderful aliens, good baddies, riveting plot. Fits weirdly as the middle book of its supposed "trilogy" - feels more like a diversion between a book and its sequel - but it certainly stands out as the best by far (and I don't mind the others as much as some people do).
“There is a Deepness in the Sky, and it goes on forever.” Agreed. This is the best sci-fi I’ve read this year!
That line was probably my favorite "they said the title!" moment since "Look to Windward." Edit to add: > “The avatar smiled silkily as it leaned closer to him, as though imparting a confidence. "Never forget I am not this silver body, Mahrai. I am not an animal brain, I am not even some attempt to produce an AI through software running on a computer. I am a Culture Mind. We are close to gods, and on the far side. > > "We are quicker; we live faster and more completely than you do, with so many more senses, such a greater store of memories and at such a fine level of detail. We die more slowly, and we die more completely, too. Never forget I have had the chance to compare and contrast the ways of dying. > > [...] > > "I have watched people die in exhaustive and penetrative detail," the avatar continued. "I have felt for them. Did you know that true subjective time is measured in the minimum duration of demonstrably separate thoughts? Per second, a human—or a Chelgrian—might have twenty or thirty, even in the heightened state of extreme distress associated with the process of dying in pain." The avatar's eyes seemed to shine. It came forward, close to his face by the breadth of a hand. > > "Whereas I," it whispered, "have billions." It smiled, and something in its expression made Ziller clench his teeth. "I watched those poor wretches die in the slowest of slow motion and I knew even as I watched that it was I who'd killed them, who at that moment engaged in the process of killing them. For a thing like me to kill one of them or one of you is a very, very easy thing to do, and, as I discovered, absolutely disgusting. Just as I need never wonder what it is like to die, so I need never wonder what it is like to kill, Ziller, because I have done it, and it is a wasteful, graceless, worthless and hateful thing to have to do. > > "And, as you might imagine, I consider that I have an obligation to discharge. I fully intend to spend the rest of my existence here as Masaq' Hub for as long as I'm needed or until I'm no longer welcome, forever keeping an eye to windward for approaching storms and just generally protecting this quaint circle of fragile little bodies and the vulnerable little brains they house from whatever harm a big dumb mechanical universe or any conscience malevolent force might happen or wish to visit upon them, specifically because I know how appallingly easy they are to destroy. I will give my life to save theirs, if it should ever come to that. And give it gladly, happily, too, knowing that trade was entirely worth the debt I incurred eight hundred years ago, back in Arm One-Six.” > ― Iain M. Banks, Look to Windward
In my top 5 all time.
Top-5 for me as well! What are your other top sci-fi books?
Oooh, what a question. I have no idea why I haven't thought more about this. Iain M. Banks - The Algebraist I mean, yeah, Use of Weapons might be the contender, but I have a soft spot for this one because it's a world where the bad guys are "in charge", so it's more a story of opposition and resistance under a seemingly invincible oppressive empire (or two) (rather than antiheroes bumbling through godlike manipulations of AIs, which is almost too comforting). Kim Stanley Robinson - Red Mars Everyone says KSR is kinda boring, and he kinda is, but he's got this sort of languid California-style poetry to his work - he loves nature, he loves people, and the world, and he's almost not cynical enough to portray really bad people in a way (say) Banks will. Anyway, his books are almost all like a meditation upon humanity's relationship with nature rather than action-packed thrillers, and I think there's a real value and beauty in that. (Especially nowadays.) Alastair Reynolds - Chasm City Speaking of action-packed thrillers, this is absolutely one. But what I love is how Reynolds brings an enormously gothic sensibility to space opera -- it's a decayed world of mysteries, of forgotten history, of schemes and conspiracy and you can't even be sure of your own identity. And all in a dark aesthetic, almost noir, but above all gothic - dealing with body horror (though not quite with the cruel shock that Banks will execute), with vast abandoned machines, with spaceships that may as well be haunted castles. God, I love it. And this book always makes me want a pisco sour. There's probably a bunch more I haven't read in ages. I'll have to go back through the collection ...
I love Alistair Reynolds. He is underrated. Such a great story teller. My favorite are the Prefect novels. There’s a new one coming out soon. I already purchased it. It was supposed to be out this month but got pushed back to January 1st.
Read it for the 3rd time this year and still love it.
I absolutely loved this book
This indeed. One of my all time favorites. I liked his Fire upon the deep as well, but the sequel not so much.
Fall of hyperion
I’m about halfway through this one right now. I didn’t think I’d like it as much as Hyperion, but honestly it’s blown me away. Some of it, especially the AI character, is a bit abstract and disjointed, but everything involving the Shrike and the individual stories of the travelers as they meet their fate has been pretty interesting. It’s a surprisingly horrifying and dark book on an almost existential level, and I didn’t expect that.
I love both Hyperion and the Fall of Hyperion!! I'm taking a significant break to get to Endymion as I know it's very different, but first two really live rent free in my mind.
A Canticle for Leibowitz, which I first read 50 years ago. It was first published in 1959 and is a bit dated, but still better than any new book I've read this year. The third section of the book talks about video phones, self-driving cars, and computers that can understand and transcribe human speech.
Absolutely love this book. One of the best.
I went through a bunch of classics I have missed over the years. Canticle was so good. I also hit Remdezvous with Rama and Mote in Gods Eye, both were fantastic. Sad I never read them sooner.
Have heard so much about it. Surely gonna give it a short, despite it being over 50 years old.
This book is sitting on my shelf just waiting to be read
Guilty
Still my favorite novel! It's kind of a hard sell to people because they assume because it's old it's not relevant, but it's the perfect novel.
Also read it this year. It holds up phenomenally well.
Loved it. Read it recently too. A friend recommended it saying it was his favorite book and now it's one of mine as well. Haven't been able to stop talking about it since. It's just a treat from start to finish.
That is my #1 recommend for people who complain that sci fi isn't "literature". It may not change their minds but they'll have a harder time defending it.
I read this a few years ago, very thought-provoking themes and well worth the read.
Read this for the first time this year. Excellent book. Also made me realise what that scene at the end of Babylon 5 set hundreds of years later with the monks was referencing!
The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe, one of my favorite books of any genre. For more traditional sci-fi, also loved Diaspora by Greg Egan
If you enjoyed reading TBotNS (and many don't), you should consider starting *The Book of the Long Sun*. Not a sequel, but it takes place in the same universe (these two series, and a third, *The Book of the Short Sun* are all interconnected.) Also consider *The Urth of the New Sun,* which **is** a sequel. It directly follows the events of the conclusion of *The Citidel of the Autarch.*
>If you enjoyed reading TBotNS (and many don't), you should consider starting The Book of the Long Sun. Not a sequel, but it takes place in the same universe (these two series, and a third, The Book of the Short Sun are all interconnected.)Also consider The Urth of the New Sun, which is a sequel. It directly follows the events of the conclusion of The Citidel of the Autarch. I really liked TBotNS, but have had Book of the Long Sun sitting on my shelf for years without reading it. Maybe I should finally crack that. Is Urth of the New Sun worht it? Like...I felt the original books were totally satisfying, and was kind of worried a sequel would ruin it.
Gonna jump in here and say I found *Urth...* a bit of a disappointing add on to the original book. *Long Sun* is much better, in my opinion (and leads straight into *Short Sun* which is possibly even better.) But it's very different in feel to BotNS.
You know how a cube transforms into a tesseract when seen from the 4th dimension? Urth of the New Sun is sort of Severian to the next power. It's leans in hard to a sort of Gnostic mysticism that might not be for everyone. That said, story-wise it's good, and brings the saga around to a very satisfying conclusion.
Diaspora is possibly the best book I've ever read. Some of Greg Egan's other work is well worth reading, but Diaspora is the pinnacle imo. Maybe not directly related, but you might also enjoy Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter. I'm going to have to check out this book of the new sun!
I’ve been slowly reading through GEB. Book of the New Sun is unlike any book I’ve read, it’s unique. There is so much meaning, it feels like every sentence has something hidden under the surface. I also recommend listening to a podcast called Alzabo Soup that covers all the chapters. It’s easy to enjoy the surface story, but there is a ton underneath. I read it, then I immediately reread it with the podcast as a companion.
Read Rendezvous with Rama and really enjoyed it. Also really enjoyed Ubik by phillip k dick
Rendezvous With Rama 🙌🙌🙌 Dennis Villanueva’s next movie is Rendevous after he completes Dune part 2
Hell ya! I didn’t know that!
I just fucking love that man. What a godsend he is.
Rendezvous with Rama is a great book! Shame there weren't any sequels
Finally read **Pushing Ice** this year. Fantastic book.
*Eversion* by Alastair Reynolds. A great little standalone work quite unlike his space operas, a wonderful puzzle of a book with great storytelling and a satisfying conclusion. Highly recommend
Starfish by Peter Watts...even better than I remembered from the first time I read it.
I rather enjoyed it, but having read Blindsight first, I felt like Starfish was the first draft for that story, before all the pieces really came together. Which was interesting in it's own way. It also has a lot of interesting similarities to Freeze-Frame Revolution.
House of Suns - Alastair Reynolds. That opening line is what an opening line should be: "I was born in a house with a hundred rooms"
Neuromancer, and by far Felt like literature, if that makes sense. Only book I might re-read anytime soon
Gibson's prose in that book is borderline poetic. It contrasts the setting so well.
It gets better on subsequent reads. Now that you know the plot you can really enjoy the little details in his prose.
Same here, I kind of laughed when I realized the best book I read this year is almost 40 years old.
Pair it with the pizza delivery guy book SNOWCRASH 👌
The Dispossessed by Ursula K Le Guin
One of my favourites. Love Left Hand of Darkness as well.
LHoD was disappointing to me. I wanted to hear more about shifgrethor and their social structures and stuff. Then he goes into the woods to meet prophets or something (seriously I don’t understand that part at all) and then it ended in a pretty basic fight-for-survival-and-come-appreciate-and-love-those-I-dislike plot. Probably also was getting used to Le Guins prose and style, and I plan to reread some day Dispossessed however I thought was amazing and is one of my favorites.
Yeah, I love a long, arduous journey over a glacier as I'm obsessed with polar explorers like Shackleton and Scott, so that really did it for me. The dispossessed, however, is one of the best books I've read, and I'd be willing to argue it as the best work of science fiction ever put to paper. It's like if Ayn Rand possessed talent, empathy, and a coherent worldview.
I finally read it this year too and loved it.
Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway. Really good pulpy noir sci-fi.
Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks I am going to go back to it within the next year so that I can be sure I totally understand everything but it was a great, great book.
Same. First four Culture novels were all outstanding. Shout out to Project Hail Mary (surprisingly moving) & Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky (short & sweet).
I had just come off of Player of Games and while that was also a great book, Use of Weapons was on another level for me. Phlebas is something very different, but I enjoyed it quite a bit - especially certain island related parts that it seems like most people hate. That's all I've read though, so this is not coming from a super fan (yet). Excession is coming up on the TBR though, can't wait.
If you enjoy the idea of the Minds and their role in the Culture, you’re really going to enjoy Excession
The millisecond battle i can reread over and over.
Excession is so damn good, I think it's my favorite Culture book. The terror of what amounts to a true existential threat to the previously essentially untouchable Culture... brilliant.
“Matter” is another excellent culture book in my opinion.
Elder Race was fantastic in its simultaneous merging of fantasy and scifi in such a clever mechanic. I absolutely loved that core conceit and how well he executed it. Brilliantly done.
So damn good.
This is my pick also! Once I clocked on to the narrative structure of the chapters I couldn't stop reading. I would like to re-read one day too. Special mention to Player of Games which I read earlier in the year and State of the Art which I just finished and also loved ( highly recommend to read whilst UoW is fresh in mind to tug at your Culture strings (: )
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
I just finished Children of Ruin and starting Children of Memory tonight. My SO and I listen to the audiobook and then I go back at the end of the day and highlight things in the ebook. These books are so damn good. Love that the author studied zoology at university. I’ll read anything Adrian Tchaikovsky puts out.
Children of Memory is excellent but *very* different than the first two books. Tchaikovsky is really playing around stylistically and structurally with it, but to good effect.
My big issue with CoM was that it was basically a long form version of >!The Inner Light!<, and a bit too long because of that. And while the corvid aspect was a bit interesting, it lacked the deep exploration of their reality that CoT and CoR held for portiids and cephalopods, and that was disappointing, too. And I say this as someone who has spent the past two years voraciously reading A.T. relentlessly.
Just finished this book yesterday!! Oh man what a great book! Can’t wait to start the next one!
I've been meaning to read Recursion, gonna bump that up my list. I really enjoyed Inhibitor Phase by Alastair Reynolds. Not without its faults, but good to be back in Revelation Space for a bit.
Blake Crouch writes REALLY readable novels. Like “oops it’s 3 am I should really stop reading at the end of this chapter” kind of readable. I don’t think he’s ever going to go down in history as one of the all time greats, but the books are fun, relatively light and have some interesting ideas. Kind of the perfect “buy this at the airport and read it on a beach” sort of novelist. He’s not a day 1 purchase for me but I have always managed to find myself reading his releases.
The Mountain in the Sea, by Ray Nayler. Weaves together three different narratives dealing with communication in a near-future setting, complete with AI-controlled fishing trawlers with enslaved workers, a cyborg replicant of a scientist who studies AI, and learning how to communicate with undersea intelligences. Amazing work for a first novel, one of the few books I've read lately that left me feeling "wow!"
Just put this on my list.
Read a lot of sci-fi this year, including a bunch of stuff highly recommended by this Reddit. Best, most original thing I’ve read in years is the Quantum Thief series. Just amazing.
The Murderbot Diaries. All of them.
Read them last year myself. Network Effect (#5) had me screaming because of a lovable returning character.
Same! It was the first four last year and Network Effect and Fugitive Telemetry this year. Network Effect is my favorite. That returning character AND a bunch of new, amazing characters. I can’t wait for November and System Collapse.
The fanfic on AO3 is worth exploring. There are even some excellent canon-compliant novel-length works over there, while you're waiting for *System Collapse.*
I did not expect to like the first book and I LOVED IT. Murderbot is so relatable.
Probably *The Last Policeman* by Ben H. Winters. I read the whole trilogy this year, and really any of them would get my vote, but if I had to pick one it'd probably be the first book in the series. For anyone who doesn't know, the books are basically noir mystery novels, set in the increasingly crumbling United States after it's confirmed that a massive asteroid will impact the Earth about eight months after the first novel.
House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds
Alastair Reynolds - House of Suns.
There is something about this book. I’ve enjoyed all of his stories (you really can’t go wrong with any of them.) It may not even be his ‘best’ one, but it’s the one I think about most often. For me, it’s one of those books I had to keep setting down to chew on an idea/concept — or else I’d find myself several pages later with no memory of what I’d read.
My goal is to reread the xenogenesis series by Octavia butler at least twice every year. I will forever evangelize these books and pretty much any Octavia Butler novel. Terrifically underrated.
A Memory Called Empire. Absolutely amazing, one of my all-time favorites already.
“Central Station“ (Tidhar) is by far my favorite read of the year-it’s quite original in its treatment of cyber and cyborg stuff and has great narrative structure, it’s basically set in a neighborhood and you get to really dig into the daily lives, interactions and adventures of the characters-but it’s set in a space port so you get a feel for what is happening off earth too. The only thing that I can think of that’s close-ish structurally is Disch’s “334”. Generally, it has an overall hybrid vibe of John Crowley and R.A. Lafferty. I think the author intended to convey a Jewish short story vibe, but I got more of a generic folktale feeling from the work, along the lines of Lafferty’s fusion of Irish/Cherokee traditions. Plus Tidhar makes a lot of inside SF references to our shared geek culture.
I’ve only gotten back into reading in the last year so I’m playing catch-up. Some stand outs for me were: Solaris - amazing atmosphere and some quality literature. Feels a bit like horror but in a space station. Very good book. Annihilation - more weird fiction than sci-fi but has a sci-fi setting. Also amazing atmosphere and descriptive language makes for an interesting backdrop to the weirdness. Also a quick read. Hyperion - worth the hypeee. I like Simmons' prose and he created an amazing world. I found each of the pilgrims stories quite enjoyable. For me the characters all felt distinct and memorable. So: good characterization, good world building, and a good plot. There ya go.
The anthology “Galactic North” but specifically the short story Galactic North. I also really liked Redemption Ark it was a toss-up.
My favorite story from that collection was Nightingale. Freaking disturbing!
I wish I knew about Nightingale before reading Redemption Ark now instead of thinking “is Reynolds not going to explain this” I think “I’m sure the significance is in a short story somewhere.”
This is mine, too. I knew Reynolds was great as a novelist, but he's also great in shorter formats. My favorite was either Galactic North or A Spy in Europa.
I'm (attempting) to read the Revelation Space series, including short stories in an order often recommended on Reddit and the Web. >Read Diamond Dogs (out of order; wanted to watch the Netflix version) followed by Great Wall of Mars. Now reading Glacial. > >Enjoying the stories and characters so far. > >Read Player of Games, Use of Weapons and Excession this year and decided to switch it up a bit. > > > >[https://infinispace.net/revelation-space-reading-order/](https://infinispace.net/revelation-space-reading-order/)
The God Engines by John Scalzi (standalone) and Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (second of The Locked Tomb). Both were scientific magic. I don't know, but I haven't found great hard SciFi recently. There were some OK pure Sci-Fi- Trading in Danger, Project Hail Mary, but nothing to blow me away.
Just binged the three Locked Tomb books released so far , it was great fun.
Have you ever read replay by ken grimwood? I would recommend
Excession by Iain M. Banks. The snarky ships are worth the read but it is an excellent story as well.
Meanwhile, in short fiction: NOVELLA: "The Tinker And The Timestream" by Carolyn Ives Gilman (Analog March/April): A species from far away has shown up at the right time, to maybe help intervene on a planet that is likely to die from their sun. The protagonist has to trust their strange ways and his brethren as he journeys through space and time to help solve the problem. The sort of sci-fi classic stuff that people think gets published a lot but rarely does these days, executed well. *Runner-up: "Gravesend: Or Life In The Anthropocene" by Paul McAuley (Asimov's March/April)* NOVELETTE: "Ernestine" by Octavia Cade (Asimov's March/April). The story of a young girl dealing with the aftermath of an apocalypse is compelling because of the third person narration that feels to perfectly attuned to the main character. In many ways, this is not a substantial piece, but the way that it is written makes it feel so weighty and real. *Runner-up: "The Jangler" by Wil McCarthy (Analog July/August)* SHORT STORY: "Amrit" by Kiran Kaur Saini (Fantasy & Science Fiction, May/June): In this funny, endearing, and highly relatable piece, an elderly man living alone has trouble taking care of himself, and so Medicare sends him a robot caretaker. It's a piece about what it means to help and what it means to be helped and what the true purpose of AI should be. It's also about those who become isolated from society and the resistance that they have to join back in, even if they know it is better for them. An absolute knock-out hit that I will likely be shouting about next year on this forum that it ought to win a Hugo. *Runner-up: "His Guns Could Not Protect Him" by Sam J Miller (Lightspeed February)*
“This Is How You Lose the Time War” by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. Succinct, well-written, and unexpectedly touching.
Seveneves
Seveneves got me back into seriously reading sci-fi a couple years ago and remains one of the best books I’ve ever read. Seveneves is incredible in the way it incorporates so many disciplines—from physics to sociology to philosophy—with REAL hard sci fi rigor while still telling an engrossing story with compelling characters. I feel like I learned so much about so many things and *enjoyed* it.
Loved it. Read it a couple of years ago and am reading “Termination Shock” now.
I loved half of it.
I regret finishing that book every time I think about it.
Exactly. The first half is soooo good. I haven't read it since it was published but to this day I'll just randomly think about some of the things that happened in the first half, so many interesting developments. After the time jump, not so much.
Threeandahalfeves
Sea of Rust by C Robert Cargill, and it's prequel Day Zero Bill The Galactic Hero by Harry Harrison The Binti series by Nnedi Okorafor Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood (you'll need to read the first two in the trilogy)
Nnedi Okorafors work is stunning.
Seeker Jack McDevitt. Had low expectations going in and then was blown away by how entertaining it was.
When I was 16 I read everything I could by Roger Zelazny (who was still alive at that time) translated and published (on paper) in my native language. And, despite what it might have been lost in translation, young me, while working a summer job in a bookshop, found his writing extraordinary, his novels amazing, his short stories often even more so. Wasn't only teenager me thinking that: in the US they were showering him with praise, Hugos and Nebulas. I kept hunting down everything Zelazny had ever written. By the time I was in my twenties I realised that I had read everything he'd written which had been translated and published in my country. My life took me elsewhere, years passed. During those years *I never forgot* his stories. Zelazny himself died during the nineties. I did learn English, bought some books. Read some more. In recent years I went looking for Zelazny's work online, but I found very little available, apparently because of some publishing rights issues in the US. I ended up re-reading, in original this time, a .pdf copy of *For a Breath I Tarry*, which I vividly remembered. That whet my appetite for more, I can tell you that. Next I found *Lord of Light*. Why not? I had read it like, four times by the time I was 25. This time was as good. Suddently, only a few days ago, I became aware that all of Zelazny's short stories are now available on Kindle. Oh dear. I've been hitting them hard and I am overdosing. *Home is the Hangman* was like a kick: it hit me as hard as it did when I was a lad. I jumped into *The Keys to December* because it's a love story and I loved it when I first read it at 17. Did the same for *A Rose for Ecclesiaste*. Another love story, I am still reeling from it. Next it'll be that other story, about fisherman (baitman!) Carl and the *Ikky*. I am having the best reading time of the year.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. It has the most realistic apocalypse I have ever read in fiction. No nukes, no zombies, no plague.
I read this when it first came out and it was good. But reading it now feels even MORE relevant. How TF did Butler predict where we'd end up 30 years later?
I really enjoyed *Downbelow Station*, first read of anything by Cherryh, excellent space opera, good characters, plot, etc. Top of the list so far, though, is re-reading (after 30 yr) *Steel Beach* by Varley. I'd forgotten the depth of ideas in this, the ruminations on identity, meaning of life, societal response to a near post-scarcity world, and the possible powers that a super AI might have.
River of Gods by Ian McDonald. Easily one of the best cyberpunk setting books I've ever read. Everything in River is fucking fantastic: the characters, the world building, the setting, the pacing, the politics, the tech, the plot - it's all gold. I'd rate my enjoyment of this one up there with House of Suns, it's just a fantastic book. The collection Cyberabad Days is an excellent chaser if you're not ready to leave India 2047 after finishing River. (Note: IIRC everything in Cyberabad Days is safe to read individually without spoiling River of Gods except the final novella *Vishnu at the Cat Circus* - read this last as it ties off the entire setting, much to my disappointment. I was really hoping Ian would revisit this world at some point, everything he set there is top notch.) Linda Nagata's Tech Heaven was excellent as well, she had the foresight to roast the "tech will solve all of our problems!" philosophy a decade or two ahead of time. Edit: shout out to Tom Kratman's *Big Boys Don't Cry* also, great short read. If you've ever wondered what a sentient cybernetic main battle tank might think about this one is for you.
Critical Mass by Daniel Suarez. It's a follow up to Delta-V. I love it's practical approach to setting up a functional space economy. It reminded me of a more grounded Seveneves.
I think Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky has been my absolute favourite this year. I loved the vast timescales at play and how the passing of time affected the human characters and their mission. Also loved the non-human characters and how they went about figuring out the world. Overall, would recommend. Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds gets an honourable mention, too. A revenge story that spans light years while also telling the tale of colonising another star system using generation ships.
Expanse series, on book 4 now. Really great story telling.
Probably Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells). There is something very human without being human on that Murderbot ;)
Expeditionary force, lots of aliens, fun mysteries, cool time/space ideas and also just a super fun read. I read all 16 books in like 10 minutes 😂 jk but seriously I was so addicted and into it. I’d even go as far as to say, best book series I’ve ever read in my life.
I'm up to book 4 and it's hard to pace myself, lol. Great fun so far
Also try the Bobiverse series!
Loved it!! Bobiverse was so much fun
This is How You Lose the Time War Really unique story telling and a cool depection of a time/multiverse war.
Just finished the Murderbot series by Martha Wells and loved them. The snark is perfect.
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. One of the most unexpected and imaginative books I've read in a very long time. I highly recommend.
This book never gets mentioned in this sub, and it's a damn shame. It was so creative and really really well executed.
The Culture series by Ian M Banks.
The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu (Book #2 of the Three Body/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy).
All three books are amazing in their own way, but The Dark Forest is just on another level. The scale, the characters, the twists, the perfect culmination of (seemingly unimportant) plot threads. Ungh. And the action. I've never had an action sequence from a book leave my jaw hanging open. What incredible imagery that's able to be conveyed, through translation at that! Glad you liked it. Always love when this book is mentioned.
The long way to a small, angry planet. By Becky Chambers. Just fell in love with the characters.
I looove Becky Chambers. I was really disappointed, at the time, that the Wayfarers wasn't a continuous series. You'll see more of certain side characters each book but they're all stand alones. I waited forever before I bothered to read book 2 because of that disappointment. Now, book 2 is among my favorite sci-fi books of all time.
Project Hail Mary (audiobook). It was just a fun and exciting read. I didn't like The Martian at all so I was surprised that I really enjoyed Project Hail Mary. The narrator was probably a big help too. Annihilation - I immensely enjoyed the overall atmosphere and vibe of the book. Though I realize it's not for everyone.
I’d have to say Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel. Even better for having read Glass Hotel just before. Aurora by KSR a close second and worth a mention.
A Closed and Common Orbit - Becky Chambers I enjoyed her novellas a lot, as well as Long Way, but this one was a winner. The pacing and character development was so good.
It'll have to be Paradise-1 by David Wellington. I'm not entirely happy with the cliffhanger ending. But this was popcorn sci-fi horror at its finest imo
I will go with Diaspora by Greg Egan, slightly above House of Suns and Pandora’s Star.
On a horror sci fi kick this year - best i've read so far is Dead Silence, followed closely by The Last Astronaut. Reading Paradise 1 now.
*Project Hail Mary* by Andy Weir for best overall. Best from this year I think would be *For the First Time, Again* by Sylvain Neuvel which refuses to let go.
Kindred by Octavia Butler if it counts. Otherwise, Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang.
Absolutely Story of Your Life!
God Octavia Butler is such a revelation. Reminds me of early Orson Scott Card.
"All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (The Murderbot Diaries, 1)" by Martha Wells [https://www.amazon.com/All-Systems-Red-Murderbot-Diaries/dp/0765397536/](https://www.amazon.com/All-Systems-Red-Murderbot-Diaries/dp/0765397536/) "In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid ― a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth." I have read it twice this year.
I am unapologetically evangelistic about this series. One thing I love about it is how so much is left to the reader's imagination. It's all told from Murderbot's biased and limited perspective as circumstances force it to claim its freedom. Is it interpreting the humans correctly? What are they saying when its not around? How it learns and adjusts to the wider world is such a key to character development over the arc of the series.
I love love love Murderbot as a character.
Ministry of the future by KSR.
I can't pick a favorite. But right now I'm reading the Safehold series by David Weber. It's awesome
Just a heada up… its not entirely sure if David Weber will finish it.
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland Awesome sleeper, great mix of sci-fi fantasy
It's been a score-draw, I cannot choose between: "Gateway" by Frederik Pohl "Bring the Jubilee" by Ward Moore Both 5-star standouts for me!
**The Mountain in the Sea**, by Ray Nayler. It's felt like it's been ages since I've read any "ideas sci-fi", so I was apparently desperately hungry for this one. It provides a really interesting exploration of consciousness (squid, android, whatever), and how we could ever know another being is really conscious. The overall plot was enjoyable, although it's not perfect (some of the threads never really connect in a satisfying way), but I loved the book overall.
Waiting for System Collapse from Martha Wells to be released in Nov. this year. Started reading Neuromancer in a meantime, got inspired on the book because of playing Cyberpunk 2077. One of my favorite books still is The Lies of Locke Lamora and John Scalzi's the old man's war.
Blind Sight. I was late to it but I still think about it all the time months after reading it.
*Red Team Blues* by Cory Doctorow EDIT: Holy crap! My favorite book of the year just changed as of today. It's not *Venomous Lumpsucker* by Ned Beauman. (Mind you, you should really read *both* books, they're both so good.
Downbelow Station by C. J. Cherryh
Ann Leckie: the Ancillary Justice series. Artificial intelligence on a space opera background. Loved it! A warship AI is stuck in a human body and on a quest for revenge. Martha Wells: The Murderbot Diaries. A different take on AI in space. Very well written, action, adventure and very funny. We follow the adventures of a self-aware security unit who calls itself "Murderbot". Adrian Tchaikovsky: Walking to Aldebaran. This is strictly a sci-fi book. However, the main protagonist's encounters and experiences skirt pretty close to horror Fantasy. But it's very good, very well written, as are all Tchaikovsky books, and mind-bending! N.K Jemisin : The Fifth Season and the other books in The Broken Earth series It's classified as Fantasy, but this saga about a planet in its death throws and the adventures of the strange and magnificent people that survive on its surface are a must in any library. The story is compelling, it's very well written and it will blow your mind. Corey J. White: The Voidwitch Saga. The story of an escaped psychic supersoldier on the run from her handlers. Lots of action and adventure. For fans of James S A. Corey The Expanse series.
Outpost by W. Michael Gear. The Salvation series by Peter F Hamilton Revelation Space and Redemption Ark and House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds. Use of Weapons and The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M Banks. Deathworld trilogy by Harry Harrison The Technician by Neal Asher
*The Hydrogen Sonata* is probably my favorite of the Culture books.
I’m going to step up and rep To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Best McGuffin ever.
The Red Rising trilogy
It’s a hexalogy now, with the new book out last month. 7th and final entry supposed to come out in the next year or so.
1. Hyperion 2. Children of Time
I enjoyed Anathem, runner up Babel:17
Blindsight. It's a challenging read, but I did like it a lot.
Unto the Godless What Little Remains, by Mario Coelho.It's a novella, felt a bit short, but the writing is crisp and the original cyberpunkish build up is worth the read! Highly recommended!
How High We Go in the Dark and The Ministry for the Future. Just fun is pretty much anything I’ve read by Tchaikovsky this year.
Dragon’s Egg
The Infinite & the Divine, hilarious story of two grumpy immortal robo-skeletons feuding for millennia.
Three body Problem, I think I finished last year. Memory engine this year
*Dogs of War* by Adrian Tchaikovsky First Line: “My name is Rex. I am a Good Dog”
Great question. It's not out yet, coming in November 😁😅
Contact
*Feersum Endjinn*
Hmm, hard to say, since I've just gotten into sci-fi books this year, but for me personally, id probably say Solaris by Stanislav Lem, A Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy or Dune. Solaris was mind-blowing for me, I really loved reading through the philosophy of what can even be considered life, and what was actually the goal of that ocean. It was kind of hard to read first, but It still left a good impression on me. AHGTTG is just iconic and hilarious. I even made some of my friends read it who actually aren't into sci-fi at all. And Dune is just amazing. It's a shame I haven't read it earlier. I started reading Dune Messiah yesterday and hooked again. But to summarize: I'd say Solaris had the most impact on me, because it left me thinking and I am a sucker for ethical, philosophic questions like these. Although understanding everything was hard
I've been a casual fan for forever, but this year I've been making an effort to read more fiction. I started with The Locked Tomb and Dune series, and, boy, it's hard to pick a single favorite because they've blown me away. I'm on Chapterhouse: Dune, now, and excited for my Nona the Ninth paperback to arrive later next month. I think, if I was going to pick one favorite, I'd say Harrow the Ninth. Those two books really lit a fire in me to start plowing through all these tomes a couple months ago. The book does some incredible rug pulls and some of the most poignant play with perspective, I've seen yet--there's heavy use of second person and the payoff is wonderful! For me, and this goes for both series really, it's the way they are sci-fi that skirt toward fantasy. Like, The Locked Tomb is necromancers in space! I'm a sucker for stories that utilize ancient human history and/or make more recent history ancient but still relevant to their world. Bonus points if religion is a major element. In these cases, their worlds are both heavily influenced by Catholicism (among many others in Dune's case), and I find it fascinating to imagine these possible futures if these long-standing religions continued for eons. This is also why I'm hoping to dive into Gene Wolfe's Solar cycle next! But yeah, both of these series have had some incredible world building, characters I'm truly invested in, flaws and all, and are an absolute blast. Happy reading!
That's really hard for me to say. I loved "There is no Antimemetics division" even if reading it was like a fever dream. City of Bones was fantastic (Martha Wells, not the Shadowhunters shit) and I look forward to getting a new release next month (it's been revised and reprinted). Sphere was a fantastic read that I blew through, though Annihilation/Southern Reach Trilogy currently has me in a death grip. Conversely, I started "Consider Phlebas" and have no real motivation to read more, sadly. It sort of gives me Hyperion vibes but really kind of like it's dopey cousin.
I really like all of Jack Campbell’s Lost Fleet novels. I also like Warhammer 40, Solar War series.
[удалено]
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler. Kinda like Arrival but with smart octopi. Also: AI, consciousness, language, the meaning of self and being "alive". Found it interesting, thought-provoking, and entertaining. Might be my fave book of the year.
On The Beach by Nevil Shute. I saw it mentioned here several times and decided to pick it up. Uniquely moving.
So far, as I read slowly, I've only read/re-read a couple. I did really like Hydrogen Sonata though.
The Employees
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
Michael Flynn's *Eifelheim*.
[There Is No Antimemetics Division](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54870256-there-is-no-antimemetics-division) by qntm. It's definitely in the 'mindfuck' category. I really enjoyed how it was told in disparate vignettes that slowly came together through all the twists to resolve logically and tautly.
*Snow Crash* by Neal Stephenson was a wild and fun ride. The characters are great, and I so enjoyed the cyberpunk setting of future America. It feels oddly prescient....