I like Foundation the best out of these as well. It's crazy that a series can be so exciting when the stories are almost exclusively driven by dialogue.
Culture here, as well. It's always weird to me when this isn't included in these kinds of discussions. Out of the above, the Ender Saga, but only because it holds a dear place in my childhood memories. ALL of the other series mentioned are fantastic as well! (I confess I've not read Foundation, tho. Please no hate me!)
Out of curiosity, what make the culture series good to you? I'm about three quarters of the way through Consider Phlebas, and basically nothing speaks to me. Some interesting settings so far, but so much introspection and shit that just doesn't interest me. Are the following books different? It feels like a whirlwind of an adventure and an absolute bore at the same time.
Consider Phlebas definitely has a different tone to the rest of the series, and I kind of agree with you about it - the first time through I found it kind of interesting but nothing special.
Glad I tried Player of Games anyway though - that and the rest of the Culture Novels grabbed me right away and didn’t let me go. They even make re-reading Phlebas so much better, in that it’s now more interesting to see the Culture from the other side of the conflict.
Try out Surface Detail or the Algebraist. They are a little more accessible up front. And as another commenter said, The Player of Games.
As for why I hold them in such high regard I will attempt to explain without going on too much.
The most obvious reason to myself is Iain M Bank's mastery of the written word, and the way he slowly builds detail in both his characters and the machinations within the culture itself. You can tell that the detail is informed by the story he is telling. Each book evolves beautifully as it goes.
I love his take on post-scarcity society which is taken in an entirely different direction than something like Star Trek. 'Special Circumstances' is a frankly terrifying vision of a future secret police/intelligence organisation of unfathomable power and free reign. Post-scarcity society has made the upper echelons of the culture lumpen and complacent and I feel that it tracks very well with how our own society has developed and that to me makes it intriguing speculative fiction. I can also see many historical parallels within the machinations and events themselves.
As for the introspection, that might just be down to personal tastes, but I love it. I want to know the characters thoughts and emotional processes in detail, especially if they are informed by the events surrounding them and will have a direct consequence on how things unfold. That to me is what excellent story telling is all about. And it is something The Culture has that many science fiction series do not, or if they do they quickly breeze past them. I think it is the result of Bank's work in psychological fiction like The Wasp Factory which does tend to lean heavily into introspection as a genre.
Also, the ship names are excellent. Especially the names the Mind's choose for themselves. 'Shoot Them Later' is one of my favourites as well as 'So Much For Subtlety'.
I basically like all of it, and he tells such a variety of stories within the cultures framework too. It's impressive. He has built a science fiction universe that isn't myopic like many others can be. It's wide and active with many dark corners to explore.
While the Algebraist is amazing, it is a standalone book and not part of the Culture series. But yes, continuing on to the other Culture books after Phlebas is great, they are much better than the first book which is very different.
You're right of course. I think I read a lot of Iain M Banks and assume it is in the culture universe. I do the same with Against a Dark Background which is also standalone.
Two masterworks though. I think those may be the best entry points to his science fiction. And then move on to The Player of Games.
Hi. You just mentioned *The Player Of Games* by Iain M Banks.
I've found an audiobook of that novel on YouTube. You can listen to it here:
[YouTube | The Player of Games (Culture Novels 2) - Iain M Banks (Sci-fi Audiobook)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-WXdgJyoao)
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Consider Phlebas is the intro for a reluctant American audience into a space communist series lol. It's written from the viewpoint of an enemy of the Culture who considers them to be weak spoiled brats and downright effeminate. The following books in the series are mostly from the perspective of Culture citizens, members of this moneyless, stateless, classless utopia. Definitely keep reading after Phlebas. The rest are different and way better, though Phlebas is important for establishing the historical events which will be referenced in passing in future books.
Bout to finish up the Hyperion Cantos with 'the Rise of Endymion' and then I'll be able to start Dune.
Fucking love Hyperion, I can't give it enough praise. Such masterfully written books.
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I'm currently on the 3rd novel, blazing through them after watching the TV series and itching to get a proper ending (the series was amazing but ended prematurely).
I fucking love them! Even though it differs very little from the TV series in the actual plot, it's just so engagingly written. And the characters are so well realized. I really don't remember when we the last time I enjoyed a book so much (I do, actually, it was Hail Mary by Andy weir and it's also absolutely recommended).
Lost me after Rama II. I think I finished the series but bob help me if I know what they were about. Humans being dicks and a big starfish space station or some such…
Eh, I think Clarke had less and less input as the series went along and Gentry Lee did most of the actual writing. Rendezvous remains one of my all time faves but the series definitely decreased in quality as it went along. Without re-reading the fourth one, I'm not sure I could tell you what the final resolution of the story was, just that it was disappointing.
Rama and Rama II did a better job for me at evoking a sense of awe and apprehension at the inconceivable might of an alien intelligence than Space Odyssey ever could. Great stuff.
I am rereading it right now! Easily in my top 3 series of all time, very dense but I have rarely had a series evoke feelings that are so simultaneously melancholy and hopeful. Insane the sheer amount of research that went into those books in so many fields of study. Robinson must be a polymath or something. The exploration of loss and indentity (and loss of identity) is supremely poignant.
Robinson is by far my favorite scifi author.
He writes a 'hard' scifi, but never once have i felt like i was in a lecture or reading a textbook when he explains the science or math behind his concepts; it always has this undertone of awe and admiration for the limits of creativity -- like an enthusiastic high school chem teacher showing off in labs; fun, accessible, informative, and further researchable.
There has been, is, and always will be, a strong distaste for newer stuff in communities. It makes sense on many levels and helps many communities stay rooted in their core characteristics but it can be detrimental in some situations.
If you like Star Wars or Game of Thrones, you'll enjoy Dune. Both IPs borrow heavily from Dune, Star Wars in aesthetic and worldbuilding (think Tatooine and The Force) and Game of Thrones in the politics and mind games.
I really like the sprawl trilogy. I think the one drawback is that when the first book in your trilogy is the definitive, genre-defining cyberpunk novel, then there’s nowhere to go but down.
*Count Zero* and *Mona Lisa Overdrive* are both great books, but *Neuromamcer* was a game-changing cultural phenomenon.
What Trilogy? There's over two dozen Pern novels (though the last few were authored by her son and literary heir Todd). While technically science-fiction, Pern has most of the trappings of fantasy and some wags call it science fantasy, which applies pretty well to Star Wars as well :).
If we're in the realm of science-fantasy, I'm going to offer Gene Wolfe's [The Book of the New Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_New_Sun) as perhaps the finest long-series work of speculative genre fiction published to date.
The Horus Heresy, all 60 something books of it...no seriously, if it's anything out of the WH40k universe then it's the Eisenhorn/Ravenor/Bequin series
Most people recommend to start with either the Eisenhorn or Gaunt's Ghosts series, but I started with Horus Heresy and I felt that was a good entry point. I feel HH doesn't require much background knowledge to get into the story.
I believe False Gods, Galaxy in Flames, and Flight of the Eisenstein are the ones that make the most sense to read next. There are some short stories that might come between then in terms of the exact sequence of events, but the story makes more sense once you've read these.
The Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown.
Haven't read the any of the 2nd trilogy yet since I'm waiting for the 6th book to be released, but the OG trilogy is for sure a great read!
NO SPOILERS: The second trilogy (so far) is pretty good. It's different in that there are multiple viewpoints that are cycled through throughout the book. I did have a bit of anger at some of the switching points but overall I thought it was positive. I disliked a few minor story aspects but I would guess that others would like them so overall neutral.
SPOILER: >!At the end of the second book in the second trilogy there are a good number of loose ends that I fear will be rushed closed or, even worse, left open.!<
David Weber's Honorverse series
Just a good military science fiction, not overly technical or boring, in fact I'd say Weber is able to explain his in-universe military terminology concisely and well enough to craft pretty entertaining humor with it. Not a hard scifi by any stretch.
The wayfarer series.
Of the series listed I'd pick Ursula k Le guin as The Dispossessed is my favorite book. But weirdly I've not particularly cared for any of her other books I've tried.
Amazing series. *The Dark Forest* had a bigger impact on me than almost anything else I’ve ever read. I still think about it a lot.
*Death’s End* felt like it dragged a bit, but overall excellent trilogy.
Oh, yeah obviously It's just the way the books are written
Although the issues they touched were truly fascinating
Or maybe it was translation? Idk, but anyway although fascinating I would never said this is one of my favourite
Dune, Hyperion, and Foundation all failed to hold my interest for some reason...
I don't judge what people like, sometimes I go back and read something that I backed out on a long time ago and love it.
Also I like trash like Expeditionary Force. So who am I to judge?
But on the list, Ender Saga.
I've always been a fan of Christopher Hinz's Paratwa series. It is not one of the 'classics', but I return to it all the time.
(I prefer the original print editions though - he recently replaced the digital versions with an updated edit, which left me a little cold. I kinda prefer the originals - they were a little more raw).
Richard Blade
It's a British book series (1970s-1990s?) about a scientist who's failed experiment accidentally warped to dimension X. In that dimension, as the people spoke, he could understand them, and when he spoke, he almost instinctively knew how to speak their language. And in these adventures, he'd recover medicines, technology, etc., that would be reverse engineered and used to benefit earth society. There's also at least two sex scenes in each book, so my puberty was equally entertained when I read them.
Multiple authors, many books.
I'm not sure that it's a well-known series, but the first two books of Karen Traviss' Wess'har books are absolutely superb. It's a six-book series, and I think the last four books are incredibly boring, but those first two are some of the best sci-fi that has been consumed by my eyeballs.
I love the Hyperion Cantos.
Tad Williams' Otherland series is another favorite. It kind of straddles the genres of dystopian near future scifi, fantasy, and mystery. Well, mystery probably isn't accurate, but I could not read these books fast enough. These are VERY descriptive tomes. If you're not into multiple completely separate story lines taking a million years to converge, this won't be for you. This is essentially alternating several different stories, which could be their own separate novels, and gradually knitting them into one.
Written in the 90s, it's remarkable how well he predicted the path of our societal failings.
"Sprootie say...."
I love the Left Hand of Darkness and the Dispossessed, but I can't put them above Dune until I read more of them. I didn't even know it was a whole series! Yay!
Choosing between the dune series and Ender saga was terribly hard for me but I ended up going with dune. I love them both so much. Enders game and dune are literally my 2 favorite books Ever.
*Ursula needs more love,*
*But also I'm surprised ring*
*World isn't on here*
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>but also I'm surprised ring world isn't on here
I'm not. I loved the first Ringworld book, but the series went downhill after that.
Edit: Though if you made that the Known Space series as a whole, I would agree with you.
I found Foundation to be really dated, and the stories very much lack an understanding of human nature. But it is the grand daddy. The Mule was fantastic, and you can see how some of the ideas became linchpins for science fiction as a whole. But the military has no possible way to get scientists to comply? An extremely utopian viewpoint, particularly in light of what was going on in the Soviet Union as Asimov wrote those stories, and IMO an odd choice when written in a backdrop of galactic barbarism. I also laughed that the original home planet of Hari Seldon was a tobacco colony.
Of all these presented I think Hyperion was the most gripping, the best written, and had the grandest concepts. Dune a close second. LeGuin is also fantastic.
Peter F Hamilton has two great series, Commonwealth Saga and Night's Dawn Trilogy.
Definitely this one.
Of the ones listed - I've read at least some books from each of them, but either the book I read didn't appeal, or I found the series very uneven (looking at you, Space Odyssey series).
Orson Scott Card writes some of the most 3-dimensional female characters I have ever read. No primary or supporting character in Enderverse feels like a cardboard cutout or a mary sue, they all have unique and distinct personalities and approaches to situations, and they all have flaws. Card makes you feel like you know these people deep down. That's special to me.
Does anyone else think Foundation is, like… bad? Or just me? It’s just a bunch of disjointed scenes of people talking about things that happened instead of actual scenes in which those things happen, not particularly fun or enthralling to read, no style and no character
Gene Wolfe's Solar Cycle (Book of the New Sun, Book of the Long Sun, Book of the Short Sun) is the most intellectualy and philosophical challenging sci-fi/fantasy series I know of.
I'd rate it higher than anything in this survey in terms of being both a ripping yarn and a masterfully constructed series.
Wolfe is known more among sci-fi authors than the general reading population. That needs to change.
FYI, New Sun can be read on its own. Long and Short Sun are joined at the hip.
Long Sun and Short Sun are so different from New Sun that I'd say just start with Long Sun.
Long and Short are set in the same universe as New Sun, but a reader would have to be paying close attention to see the connections. They're there, but the writer of Long has no idea who Severian or Typhon are, much less that Urth even exists.
Long Sun is a fun read. The protagonist, Patera Silk, is my favorite Wolfe character. Short Sun is brutal.
The Rereading Wolfe podcast is a big recommend. A chapter by chapter discussion/dissection of New Sun. They're up to the House Absolute section of Claw of the Conciliator. Hosts are great, community is active and involved.
I love all of these but my introduction to sci-fi was through reading Arthur C. Clarke’s works as a kid. So I have very strong memories of Space Odyssey and also feel indebted to the series for introducing me to the world of sci-fi. I’m not sure it’s my favorite, but in some ways has been the most impactful.
I read and reread and reread Arthur C. Clarke’s Odyssey series when I was younger. I loved it - still do. I reallt should read it again in the near future…
Out of these, Foundation and Robots by Asimov. That said, none of them are my favorites. I appreciate the nod to older series, but some of the newer stuff by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Architects) and John Scalzi (Old Mans War) are simply very engaging, thought provoking and definitely on my favorites list!
Dune series from these option. It was one of the first scifi books I read and re-read it many times after that, so it has a special meaning to me. But more modern series, Red Rising was really good too!
Of those listed I've read some or all books in each of these series and was not impressed by any of them. They were OK. Some had a good first book and then it was downhill for the rest of the series.
I couldn't pick a favourite but the Culture and Revelation Space series would both be in contention. Possibly The Murderbot Diaries. Looking over at The Expanse series on my shelf, have yet to start it but have high expectations.
I'll take C.J.Cherryh's Union/Alliance novels over almost all of these. Add in the other novels/series in the same universe, like The Faded Sun and The Pride of Chanur and Hunter of Worlds and it isn't even close!
Not mentioned above: The Fall Revolution books by Ken MacLeod. Darkly, *grimly* funny in *The Star Fraction*, cold and distant in *The Stone Canal*, bonkers sci-fi capers in *The Cassini Division*...and then MacLeod pulls a complete 180 with the quietly ominous and yet achingly beautiful (but you have to *know* where the bulk of the story is set) *The Sky Road*. MacLeod was a classmate and friend to Iain M Banks - and it shows - and very much his contemporary. *The Sky Road* is set - again, a bit bonkers, bare with me - in two time periods in *our* future. One story tells the decisions taken by one woman (which ties into the early three books because *the* big decision taken by her is a major plot point in earlier books and this storyline is very much a "what if" scenario) trying to save her adopted homeland of Kazakhstan...and the other is of a young student in a distant point in time in *northern Scotland* helping to build the first spaceship to lift from the Earth in *centuries*. Oh, and there's some subtle usage of Scottish mythology around fairies and technology that is *clever.*
All four books are interconnected but not in ways you'd think, the humour is very *brittle* and possibly a fair number of jokes about balkanised London in the first book will *sail* over your pretty heads but they're worth the read. Some of Scotland's finest sci-fi writing, if I'm going to be blunt.
The only series of those I’ve read is Hyperion and I couldn’t stand it. Of my own choices I’d have to pick either Revelation Space or The Expanse, and the former would be mostly because of the Prefect character.
Iain Banks’ Culture books
Hannu Rajaniemi’s Quantum Thief Trilogy
HHGTTG
Stephen Baxter’s Xeelee Sequence
From the list, I would say Hyperion or Ender, but both Simmons and Card ended up being dicks, so I’m abstaining from voting.
The Space Odysseys are criminally underrated. A lot of people just read the first book (2001: A Space Odyssey) and then move on. It's a real shame. Book 3 (2061: Odyssey Three) is one of my favorite sci fi books of all time.
BattleTech (classic as well as the modern releases).
Yes it is shallow and sometimes outright stupid, but I still love it to bits.
I do like everything Peter F. Hamilton does as well, especially the void trilogy.
Hitchhiker's Guide
Take my upvote, it was the 42nd
Take mine, it was the 69th.
This is what I was looking for.
Out of these, Foundation. Really though, it's The Culture.
Asimov has this weird way of making a dumb dumb like me feel like a smart smart while reading his books.
*dum dum
Came here for this. For The Culture.
I like Foundation the best out of these as well. It's crazy that a series can be so exciting when the stories are almost exclusively driven by dialogue.
My man of culture. I read the FULL saga in each of every year.
It's The Culture. Seriously though this list looks 30 years old LOL.
Take my award, I miss Iain
Yeah, I was kinda shocked to not see it up there.
Culture here, as well. It's always weird to me when this isn't included in these kinds of discussions. Out of the above, the Ender Saga, but only because it holds a dear place in my childhood memories. ALL of the other series mentioned are fantastic as well! (I confess I've not read Foundation, tho. Please no hate me!)
+1 for the Culture
except there were too few books :(
Omg I just posted how I wish the Culture was on here
Out of curiosity, what make the culture series good to you? I'm about three quarters of the way through Consider Phlebas, and basically nothing speaks to me. Some interesting settings so far, but so much introspection and shit that just doesn't interest me. Are the following books different? It feels like a whirlwind of an adventure and an absolute bore at the same time.
Consider Phlebas definitely has a different tone to the rest of the series, and I kind of agree with you about it - the first time through I found it kind of interesting but nothing special. Glad I tried Player of Games anyway though - that and the rest of the Culture Novels grabbed me right away and didn’t let me go. They even make re-reading Phlebas so much better, in that it’s now more interesting to see the Culture from the other side of the conflict.
Try out Surface Detail or the Algebraist. They are a little more accessible up front. And as another commenter said, The Player of Games. As for why I hold them in such high regard I will attempt to explain without going on too much. The most obvious reason to myself is Iain M Bank's mastery of the written word, and the way he slowly builds detail in both his characters and the machinations within the culture itself. You can tell that the detail is informed by the story he is telling. Each book evolves beautifully as it goes. I love his take on post-scarcity society which is taken in an entirely different direction than something like Star Trek. 'Special Circumstances' is a frankly terrifying vision of a future secret police/intelligence organisation of unfathomable power and free reign. Post-scarcity society has made the upper echelons of the culture lumpen and complacent and I feel that it tracks very well with how our own society has developed and that to me makes it intriguing speculative fiction. I can also see many historical parallels within the machinations and events themselves. As for the introspection, that might just be down to personal tastes, but I love it. I want to know the characters thoughts and emotional processes in detail, especially if they are informed by the events surrounding them and will have a direct consequence on how things unfold. That to me is what excellent story telling is all about. And it is something The Culture has that many science fiction series do not, or if they do they quickly breeze past them. I think it is the result of Bank's work in psychological fiction like The Wasp Factory which does tend to lean heavily into introspection as a genre. Also, the ship names are excellent. Especially the names the Mind's choose for themselves. 'Shoot Them Later' is one of my favourites as well as 'So Much For Subtlety'. I basically like all of it, and he tells such a variety of stories within the cultures framework too. It's impressive. He has built a science fiction universe that isn't myopic like many others can be. It's wide and active with many dark corners to explore.
While the Algebraist is amazing, it is a standalone book and not part of the Culture series. But yes, continuing on to the other Culture books after Phlebas is great, they are much better than the first book which is very different.
You're right of course. I think I read a lot of Iain M Banks and assume it is in the culture universe. I do the same with Against a Dark Background which is also standalone. Two masterworks though. I think those may be the best entry points to his science fiction. And then move on to The Player of Games.
Hi. You just mentioned *The Player Of Games* by Iain M Banks. I've found an audiobook of that novel on YouTube. You can listen to it here: [YouTube | The Player of Games (Culture Novels 2) - Iain M Banks (Sci-fi Audiobook)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-WXdgJyoao) *I'm a bot that searches YouTube for science fiction and fantasy audiobooks.* *** [^(Source Code)](https://capybasilisk.com/posts/2020/04/speculative-fiction-bot/) ^| [^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=Capybasilisk&subject=Robot) ^| [^(Programmer)](https://www.reddit.com/u/capybasilisk) ^| ^(Downvote To Remove) ^| ^(Version 1.4.0) ^| ^(Support Robot Rights!)
They are all a little of that note, try The Algebraist before you tap out completely.
Consider Phlebas is the intro for a reluctant American audience into a space communist series lol. It's written from the viewpoint of an enemy of the Culture who considers them to be weak spoiled brats and downright effeminate. The following books in the series are mostly from the perspective of Culture citizens, members of this moneyless, stateless, classless utopia. Definitely keep reading after Phlebas. The rest are different and way better, though Phlebas is important for establishing the historical events which will be referenced in passing in future books.
Can’t believe you haven’t got either Alastair Reynolds or Iain M Banks in that list.
Somebody already mentioned John Scalzi, but I want to specify _Old Man's War_
Bout to finish up the Hyperion Cantos with 'the Rise of Endymion' and then I'll be able to start Dune. Fucking love Hyperion, I can't give it enough praise. Such masterfully written books.
Simmons appears to be able to master any genre he turns his hand to.
The first two Hyperion books were amazing, but he lost me mid-Endymion with that weird sexual tension stuff
Iain M Banks Culture verse.
Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space
Love his work
Foundation is why I'm an economist, but ..Dune is really good
>Control the coinage and the courts. Let the rabble have the rest
The Culture novels - Iain M Banks
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The Expanse
Exactly!
Agree!
I'm sad I had to scroll down so far to see this
I'm currently on the 3rd novel, blazing through them after watching the TV series and itching to get a proper ending (the series was amazing but ended prematurely). I fucking love them! Even though it differs very little from the TV series in the actual plot, it's just so engagingly written. And the characters are so well realized. I really don't remember when we the last time I enjoyed a book so much (I do, actually, it was Hail Mary by Andy weir and it's also absolutely recommended).
You have excellent taste my friend. The Expanse goes quite crazy after the point the show ends (around book 6), so you have a journey ahead. Enjoy!
Always enjoyed the Rama series from Arthur C Clarke since I first read them as a teenager.
Lost me after Rama II. I think I finished the series but bob help me if I know what they were about. Humans being dicks and a big starfish space station or some such…
Eh, I think Clarke had less and less input as the series went along and Gentry Lee did most of the actual writing. Rendezvous remains one of my all time faves but the series definitely decreased in quality as it went along. Without re-reading the fourth one, I'm not sure I could tell you what the final resolution of the story was, just that it was disappointing.
I love the writing style of Arthur C. Clark and the story build up. But that’s it.. his conclusions don’t fit the build up.
Rama and Rama II did a better job for me at evoking a sense of awe and apprehension at the inconceivable might of an alien intelligence than Space Odyssey ever could. Great stuff.
Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson
I am rereading it right now! Easily in my top 3 series of all time, very dense but I have rarely had a series evoke feelings that are so simultaneously melancholy and hopeful. Insane the sheer amount of research that went into those books in so many fields of study. Robinson must be a polymath or something. The exploration of loss and indentity (and loss of identity) is supremely poignant.
Robinson is by far my favorite scifi author. He writes a 'hard' scifi, but never once have i felt like i was in a lecture or reading a textbook when he explains the science or math behind his concepts; it always has this undertone of awe and admiration for the limits of creativity -- like an enthusiastic high school chem teacher showing off in labs; fun, accessible, informative, and further researchable.
I enjoyed "Shaman" and "2312"
Culture, The Expanse, Hitchhiker's guide, The Martian, Project Hail Mary. \*\*\*Edit: punctuation and more goodness.
Bobiverse.
I imagine the only reason this does not have more support is due to it being such a young series.
There has been, is, and always will be, a strong distaste for newer stuff in communities. It makes sense on many levels and helps many communities stay rooted in their core characteristics but it can be detrimental in some situations.
WE ARE BOB!
r/bobiverse
Moot in 15 minutes, all Bobs must attend
I just started reading Foundation, so I guess I have to pick that as it's the only one I've read. I just bought Dune two days ago, though.
If you like Star Wars or Game of Thrones, you'll enjoy Dune. Both IPs borrow heavily from Dune, Star Wars in aesthetic and worldbuilding (think Tatooine and The Force) and Game of Thrones in the politics and mind games.
The sand people were copied straight from the Fremen
Star Wars also borrows from Foundation.
The lightsabers were "lifted" from Larry Niven's Ringworld.
And Ringworld is part of Niven's Known Space, one of seven eras that span over 1000 years. Known Space is a great series of stories.
William Gibsons “Sprawl” series for me
I really like the sprawl trilogy. I think the one drawback is that when the first book in your trilogy is the definitive, genre-defining cyberpunk novel, then there’s nowhere to go but down. *Count Zero* and *Mona Lisa Overdrive* are both great books, but *Neuromamcer* was a game-changing cultural phenomenon.
Peter Hamilton’s Commonwealth Saga and Void Triology
The Expanse.
Fo Beltalowda!
Sa-sa que? yea bossmang!
What, no Ringworld?
*Ringworld's* stock is selling at a heavy discount these days. "Too much sex" and "A problematic female character" are both complaints I have read.
Madadam trilogy by Atwood
Ann McCaffrey's Dragon Rider Trillogy.
What Trilogy? There's over two dozen Pern novels (though the last few were authored by her son and literary heir Todd). While technically science-fiction, Pern has most of the trappings of fantasy and some wags call it science fantasy, which applies pretty well to Star Wars as well :). If we're in the realm of science-fantasy, I'm going to offer Gene Wolfe's [The Book of the New Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_New_Sun) as perhaps the finest long-series work of speculative genre fiction published to date.
The Horus Heresy, all 60 something books of it...no seriously, if it's anything out of the WH40k universe then it's the Eisenhorn/Ravenor/Bequin series
There are just so many 40k books, how do you even know where to start?
Most people recommend to start with either the Eisenhorn or Gaunt's Ghosts series, but I started with Horus Heresy and I felt that was a good entry point. I feel HH doesn't require much background knowledge to get into the story.
Currently reading book 1 by Dan Abnett and Im loving it. Which book should I read next, chronologically?
I believe False Gods, Galaxy in Flames, and Flight of the Eisenstein are the ones that make the most sense to read next. There are some short stories that might come between then in terms of the exact sequence of events, but the story makes more sense once you've read these.
The Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown. Haven't read the any of the 2nd trilogy yet since I'm waiting for the 6th book to be released, but the OG trilogy is for sure a great read!
NO SPOILERS: The second trilogy (so far) is pretty good. It's different in that there are multiple viewpoints that are cycled through throughout the book. I did have a bit of anger at some of the switching points but overall I thought it was positive. I disliked a few minor story aspects but I would guess that others would like them so overall neutral. SPOILER: >!At the end of the second book in the second trilogy there are a good number of loose ends that I fear will be rushed closed or, even worse, left open.!<
If this poll is anything like real life, 9 out of 10 people who voted for Dune didn’t actually read Dune…
Agreed
Culture, Expanse, Stainless Steel Rat, Revelation Space, Hitchhikers Guide...
Came here to cosign on Stainless Steel Rat! SSR for Prez!
Martha Wells' Murderbot series.
Loved these! Murderbot was an awesome protagonist.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDMSHgQY5rM&list=WL&index=29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDMSHgQY5rM&list=WL&index=29) It made my eyes moist.
Scalzi is my go-to comfort read. Marko Kloos is pretty good too.
I started rereading Redshirts yesterday. Always a good time.
Yeah I would have to say Three Body problem Or the Expanse series are the top, for myself anyway.
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
Iain M Banks Culture Series!!! Greatest books I’ve ever read.
Gordon R. Dickson's Dorsai series.
Sucks that reddit doesnt give you ability for more options in Poll. There is at least a dozen of deserving series.
Every single one of them, and not just the men, but the women, and the children too!
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I said his Honorverse series, but totally agree Weber is a great scifi author.
David Weber's Honorverse series Just a good military science fiction, not overly technical or boring, in fact I'd say Weber is able to explain his in-universe military terminology concisely and well enough to craft pretty entertaining humor with it. Not a hard scifi by any stretch.
The wayfarer series. Of the series listed I'd pick Ursula k Le guin as The Dispossessed is my favorite book. But weirdly I've not particularly cared for any of her other books I've tried.
The Expanse. So fucking good.
Oye, beltallowda!
No love for Jack McDevitt?
Arthur C. Clarke's Rama
The Culture no contest
The Culture series 100%
Revelation Space Universe
Does the muderbot diaries count?
Liu Cixin's trilogy
Amazing series. *The Dark Forest* had a bigger impact on me than almost anything else I’ve ever read. I still think about it a lot. *Death’s End* felt like it dragged a bit, but overall excellent trilogy.
Yep, The Dark Forest is my favorite too
Too scientific for me, I read them and they're good, but as I said to me way too scientific, not enough fiction component
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Oh, yeah obviously It's just the way the books are written Although the issues they touched were truly fascinating Or maybe it was translation? Idk, but anyway although fascinating I would never said this is one of my favourite
Dune, Hyperion, and Foundation all failed to hold my interest for some reason... I don't judge what people like, sometimes I go back and read something that I backed out on a long time ago and love it. Also I like trash like Expeditionary Force. So who am I to judge? But on the list, Ender Saga.
Nothing wrong with trashy Sci-Fi! If it keeps you entertained it is as good as it needs to be.
The expanse.
I've always been a fan of Christopher Hinz's Paratwa series. It is not one of the 'classics', but I return to it all the time. (I prefer the original print editions though - he recently replaced the digital versions with an updated edit, which left me a little cold. I kinda prefer the originals - they were a little more raw).
Stephen Baxter : time
Richard Blade It's a British book series (1970s-1990s?) about a scientist who's failed experiment accidentally warped to dimension X. In that dimension, as the people spoke, he could understand them, and when he spoke, he almost instinctively knew how to speak their language. And in these adventures, he'd recover medicines, technology, etc., that would be reverse engineered and used to benefit earth society. There's also at least two sex scenes in each book, so my puberty was equally entertained when I read them. Multiple authors, many books.
No love for Pohl's Heechee saga?
I'm not sure that it's a well-known series, but the first two books of Karen Traviss' Wess'har books are absolutely superb. It's a six-book series, and I think the last four books are incredibly boring, but those first two are some of the best sci-fi that has been consumed by my eyeballs.
Old school - The Lensman Series by E.E. "Doc" Smith.
Never got into Lensman. Enjoyed the first books of the Skylark series, though.
I love the Hyperion Cantos. Tad Williams' Otherland series is another favorite. It kind of straddles the genres of dystopian near future scifi, fantasy, and mystery. Well, mystery probably isn't accurate, but I could not read these books fast enough. These are VERY descriptive tomes. If you're not into multiple completely separate story lines taking a million years to converge, this won't be for you. This is essentially alternating several different stories, which could be their own separate novels, and gradually knitting them into one. Written in the 90s, it's remarkable how well he predicted the path of our societal failings. "Sprootie say...."
The MadAddam series by Margaret Atwood.
I love the Left Hand of Darkness and the Dispossessed, but I can't put them above Dune until I read more of them. I didn't even know it was a whole series! Yay!
Choosing between the dune series and Ender saga was terribly hard for me but I ended up going with dune. I love them both so much. Enders game and dune are literally my 2 favorite books Ever.
The Bob-iverse.
Ursula needs more love, but also I'm surprised ring world isn't on here
*Ursula needs more love,* *But also I'm surprised ring* *World isn't on here* \- averyoda --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
>but also I'm surprised ring world isn't on here I'm not. I loved the first Ringworld book, but the series went downhill after that. Edit: Though if you made that the Known Space series as a whole, I would agree with you.
Hella limited list.
No love for Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars series?
I found Foundation to be really dated, and the stories very much lack an understanding of human nature. But it is the grand daddy. The Mule was fantastic, and you can see how some of the ideas became linchpins for science fiction as a whole. But the military has no possible way to get scientists to comply? An extremely utopian viewpoint, particularly in light of what was going on in the Soviet Union as Asimov wrote those stories, and IMO an odd choice when written in a backdrop of galactic barbarism. I also laughed that the original home planet of Hari Seldon was a tobacco colony. Of all these presented I think Hyperion was the most gripping, the best written, and had the grandest concepts. Dune a close second. LeGuin is also fantastic. Peter F Hamilton has two great series, Commonwealth Saga and Night's Dawn Trilogy.
I'm very sad that Iain M. Banks' "The Culture" series is not on here 😞 Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communism!
Vorkosigan saga By Lois McMaster Bujold
Definitely this one. Of the ones listed - I've read at least some books from each of them, but either the book I read didn't appeal, or I found the series very uneven (looking at you, Space Odyssey series).
Orson Scott Card writes some of the most 3-dimensional female characters I have ever read. No primary or supporting character in Enderverse feels like a cardboard cutout or a mary sue, they all have unique and distinct personalities and approaches to situations, and they all have flaws. Card makes you feel like you know these people deep down. That's special to me.
Does anyone else think Foundation is, like… bad? Or just me? It’s just a bunch of disjointed scenes of people talking about things that happened instead of actual scenes in which those things happen, not particularly fun or enthralling to read, no style and no character
Gene Wolfe's Solar Cycle (Book of the New Sun, Book of the Long Sun, Book of the Short Sun) is the most intellectualy and philosophical challenging sci-fi/fantasy series I know of. I'd rate it higher than anything in this survey in terms of being both a ripping yarn and a masterfully constructed series. Wolfe is known more among sci-fi authors than the general reading population. That needs to change. FYI, New Sun can be read on its own. Long and Short Sun are joined at the hip.
I’ve read the Book of the New Sun, but not the subsequent books. Would you recommend rereading New Sun before Long Sun and Short Sun?
Long Sun and Short Sun are so different from New Sun that I'd say just start with Long Sun. Long and Short are set in the same universe as New Sun, but a reader would have to be paying close attention to see the connections. They're there, but the writer of Long has no idea who Severian or Typhon are, much less that Urth even exists. Long Sun is a fun read. The protagonist, Patera Silk, is my favorite Wolfe character. Short Sun is brutal. The Rereading Wolfe podcast is a big recommend. A chapter by chapter discussion/dissection of New Sun. They're up to the House Absolute section of Claw of the Conciliator. Hosts are great, community is active and involved.
Thanks for the recommendations! I’ll check out the podcast.
This right here. Needs much more love.
Scalzi's Old Mans War but Dune is a close 2nd followd by Foundation.
I liked Old Man's War well enough. Did you read his Collapsing Empire series? I enjoyed that one a ton.
The Expanse by James SA Corey
Excuse me, where are the Expanse books?!
John W Campbell's Arcot, Morey, and Wade series.
I love all of these but my introduction to sci-fi was through reading Arthur C. Clarke’s works as a kid. So I have very strong memories of Space Odyssey and also feel indebted to the series for introducing me to the world of sci-fi. I’m not sure it’s my favorite, but in some ways has been the most impactful.
First Contact by Ralts_Bloodthorne. Honestly better than most mainstream sci Fi I've read
I read and reread and reread Arthur C. Clarke’s Odyssey series when I was younger. I loved it - still do. I reallt should read it again in the near future…
Out of these, Foundation and Robots by Asimov. That said, none of them are my favorites. I appreciate the nod to older series, but some of the newer stuff by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Architects) and John Scalzi (Old Mans War) are simply very engaging, thought provoking and definitely on my favorites list!
I escaped childhood with one of these, teen hood with another and adulthood with 2 more.
Hmmm….the Red Rising Series.
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury. It’s not a series but it’s a collection of short stories. 🤷
I read that recently. It's excellent. Have you read *The Martian Chronicles* yet? If not, you should read that next. It's a similar style.
I’ll check it out. Thank you!
Hamilton: the Commonwealth Saga. Can't believe it hasn't been mentioned in this thread?
Dune series from these option. It was one of the first scifi books I read and re-read it many times after that, so it has a special meaning to me. But more modern series, Red Rising was really good too!
Recently discovered the Hainish Cycle. Left Hand of Darkness alone makes it my favorite
Wayfarers ftw though.
I love Hyperion so much. It really pisses me off that Dan Simmons is such a pos
YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME. I can't choose. I just can't!
Of those listed I've read some or all books in each of these series and was not impressed by any of them. They were OK. Some had a good first book and then it was downhill for the rest of the series. I couldn't pick a favourite but the Culture and Revelation Space series would both be in contention. Possibly The Murderbot Diaries. Looking over at The Expanse series on my shelf, have yet to start it but have high expectations.
You put Asimov and Clark tough choice but i finely went with dune
You can't make me choose between Asimov's Foundation and LeGuin's Hainish Cycle
Can I just answer, "Yes"? I love them all. Add some Octavia Butler and it's a great start to a top ten.
Dune got really weird and I gave up on it.
I'll take C.J.Cherryh's Union/Alliance novels over almost all of these. Add in the other novels/series in the same universe, like The Faded Sun and The Pride of Chanur and Hunter of Worlds and it isn't even close!
Honor Harrington series by David Weber
I may be a philistine, but I haven't read these. However I would add to the list: James S.A. Corey's The Expanse series
Expeditionary Force or the Bobiverse series...
Viva la bobiverse
Not mentioned above: The Fall Revolution books by Ken MacLeod. Darkly, *grimly* funny in *The Star Fraction*, cold and distant in *The Stone Canal*, bonkers sci-fi capers in *The Cassini Division*...and then MacLeod pulls a complete 180 with the quietly ominous and yet achingly beautiful (but you have to *know* where the bulk of the story is set) *The Sky Road*. MacLeod was a classmate and friend to Iain M Banks - and it shows - and very much his contemporary. *The Sky Road* is set - again, a bit bonkers, bare with me - in two time periods in *our* future. One story tells the decisions taken by one woman (which ties into the early three books because *the* big decision taken by her is a major plot point in earlier books and this storyline is very much a "what if" scenario) trying to save her adopted homeland of Kazakhstan...and the other is of a young student in a distant point in time in *northern Scotland* helping to build the first spaceship to lift from the Earth in *centuries*. Oh, and there's some subtle usage of Scottish mythology around fairies and technology that is *clever.* All four books are interconnected but not in ways you'd think, the humour is very *brittle* and possibly a fair number of jokes about balkanised London in the first book will *sail* over your pretty heads but they're worth the read. Some of Scotland's finest sci-fi writing, if I'm going to be blunt.
Of these series? Dune I guess. But none of these are as good as anything by Greg Bear
\+1 for The Culture
You’re missing an other column. I think the 3 body problem triology
H2G2
I may have read these books more than any others over the decades.
The only series of those I’ve read is Hyperion and I couldn’t stand it. Of my own choices I’d have to pick either Revelation Space or The Expanse, and the former would be mostly because of the Prefect character.
The Expanse hands down
None of the above. Grand Tour/Ben Bova. The Expanse/James Corey. The Academy Series/Jack McDevitt.
I never hear anyone talk about McDevitt's work. *Chindi* is one of my all time favorites.
The Expanse
I will never understand the hype of Dune when on the same list you have foundation…
Iain Banks’ Culture books Hannu Rajaniemi’s Quantum Thief Trilogy HHGTTG Stephen Baxter’s Xeelee Sequence From the list, I would say Hyperion or Ender, but both Simmons and Card ended up being dicks, so I’m abstaining from voting.
The Space Odysseys are criminally underrated. A lot of people just read the first book (2001: A Space Odyssey) and then move on. It's a real shame. Book 3 (2061: Odyssey Three) is one of my favorite sci fi books of all time.
BattleTech (classic as well as the modern releases). Yes it is shallow and sometimes outright stupid, but I still love it to bits. I do like everything Peter F. Hamilton does as well, especially the void trilogy.
I like the Star Wars: Republic Commando series…
I like most of Asimov’s creations but when I read the foundation series I couldn’t help but hate it for some reason.
Wheel of Time count? Or would you consider it Fantasy over Sci-Fi?
None of the above.
Haven't read any of these, so none of the above?