Working my way through some Hugo winners past— reading A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M Miller.
Science Fiction
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December book club canceled. Short stories instead!
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I really liked Canticle, but I really felt like it suffered from being a fix-up novel. It’s three acts are not equal and don’t totally fit together in my opinion. It really starts off strong though! Hope you like it!
I've been working through The Expanse books, and have just started Leviathan Falls.
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. Was a recommendation on the R site.
Complex, eon spanning, hard sci-fi. I'm loving it!
I love that book. Very ambitious and enjoyable.
I'm rereading Asimov's complete saga in "internal story chronological order":
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I, Robot / The Complete Robot (except 'Mirror Image'!) [ROBOTS]
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The Caves of Steel [ROBOTS]
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The Naked Sun [ROBOTS]
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Mirror Image (short story) [ROBOTS]
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The Robots of Dawn [ROBOTS]
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Robots and Empire [ROBOTS]
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The Stars, Like Dust-- [EMPIRE]
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The Currents of Space [EMPIRE]
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Pebble in the Sky [EMPIRE]
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Prelude to Foundation [FOUNDATION]
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Forward the Foundation [FOUNDATION]
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Foundation [FOUNDATION]
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Foundation and Empire [FOUNDATION]
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Second Foundation [FOUNDATION]
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Foundation's Edge [FOUNDATION]
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Foundation and Earth [FOUNDATION]
I'm currently on "Forward the foundation"
The Foundation series is absolutely amazing, and I am jealous of you if this is your first reading. One of my formative series growing up. You're inspiring me to do the whole Asimov read through like your doing, because I don't believe I ever read the Empire books and never read Robot beyond I, Robot.
I'm surprised The Caves of Steel is so early as it seemed really futuristic compared to most of The Complete Robot, but I read it a long time ago so maybe I'm not remembering correctly.
I'm currently reading Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, which is the first book of the Expanse series. I haven't watched the TV series, since I wanted to dive into the books without previous knowledge.
I've read all of them. The TV series is incredible as well and had the full involvement of the authors. Some stuff is done better in the books (like the stuff that doesn't translate so well to screen such as the lanky belters and zero-gravity) and some stuff is done better in the TV show (they had an incredibly good cast of actors, all of whom really added to the roles - Krisjen, Ashford and Drummer in particular were amazing).
It was a really really good adaptation and it's quite rare you see that.
I'm really trying to read Three Body Problem, but I'm having a hard time following
I listened to the 2nd and 3rd books of the Murderbot series on a car ride recently. I had read them before, but it was the first time that he did. I really enjoyed laughing with him.
I just finished up a first time read of Wheel of Time series. Solid 8 months of reading but 100% worth it. Mat Cauthon is my second favorite character ever written I think.
I am currently reading "Wool - Silo, book 1" by Hugh Howey. It's an incredible post-apocalyptic story about a fully functioning society that resides inside a massive silo. Nobody can venture outside due to the toxic environment outside that make survival impossible, even with protective clothing.
"The complete robot" by Isaac Asimov.
Those are some of my favourite stories. Although if I remember correctly, it contains the short story version of The Bicentennial Man and you may wish to read the novella version instead which he wrote later, having developed the story some more.
Just finished The Dispossessed, by Ursula Le Guin and going to look for a library where I can buy the next book in the Hain cycle !
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine.
I really loved the first book in the series, A Memory Called Empire, but I find the second one harder to get through. The writing really gets into the protagonist's head, and with all the stress she's in, it gets... claustrophobic, I guess, for me. I wish there was a bit more focus on the plot about the cool mysterious aliens.
Wool was great. And the show was good too. You can basically watch the first season after finishing Wool, if you’d like.
I’m reading He Who Fights With Monsters but I’m going to dig through this thread and find a good scifi novel to read next!
Based on the posts in this thread, I see a lot of overlap between urban fantasy fans and science fiction fans. With the exception of Lord of the Rings, I've never cared much for high fantasy, but I've really enjoyed the urban fantasy series I've read. If anyone is interested, I've enjoyed...
- The Laundry Files by Charles Stross
- The City We Became and The World We Make by MK Jemisin
- The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
- The Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey
- The Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch
- The Stranger Times series by C.K. McDonnell
Currently reading Foundation and Earth by Asimov, I absolutely loved the original trilogy so I’ve been reading through the sequels and plan on going back to the prequels after. In my opinion the sequels have a big shift in pacing and sort of the way that the plot develops… not sure how I feel about that. On one hand it is easier to keep up with with less characters, but on the other it feels like the scale of things is much smaller. Trying to not spoil anything. The series is a fantastic read nevertheless!
I've only read the original Foundation trilogy, would you recommend the others?
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. Book 3 in the Words of Radiance series.
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. First forray into his books. So far very enjoyable.
I'm currently nostalgia-reading Robert Rankin's Dance Of The Voodoo Handbag but that's more far fetched fiction than sci-fi. Silly, entertaining and lots of tall tales. I'm also reading The Quantum Magician by Derek Künsken. I was hoping for it to be the start of a good series of books to read over the summer but it's not very good. I will probably not bother with the rest of the series.
Terry Pratchett's books on Discworld 📖
Reading Noor right now. Very enjoyable and it will be quick read.
I am reading currently Snow Crash. A great example how pioneers of a genre seem to lose their originality over time, but the book hasn't changed, everyone else has just copied it to death.
Previously I read some if the Culture series and got surprised by the genuine atrocities popping up in them. The books were interesting and the horrible things had a reason to be there, but I just became overwhelmed.
Just ended with 'Children of Time' by Adrian Tchaikovsky and will now start 'Children of Ruin' (the second in the series). I liked it a lot,... the gist of it:
- Humans terraform planets
- Humans want 'crispr' intelligent apes
- Humans kill each other
- Crispr can't find apes,.. uses spiders instead
- Other Humans come eons later and find intelligent spiders
The story is told through the eyes of the spiders and the surviving humans and how they try to communicate, think in different terms, fight for the last habitable planet,....
Broken Earth Trilogy. I finished reading the entire Wool series many years back and gave it a 3.5/5. Really strong start but unfortunately the pacing for the rest of it wasn't quite to my liking.
I recently finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and Wool by Hugh Howey, currently reading Shift. We had the Silo trilogy in our bookshelf for years, but it was only after watching the Apple TV show I decided to read it.
I have a somewhat newfound low for hard sci-fi and would love any recommendations folks have.
Currently on The Hydrogen Sonata of a The Culture marathon.
Just finished Inversions by Iain M Banks. Classic series. Stupendous world building.
I’m working my way through both the Murderbot Diaries (just started Network Effect) and the Rivers of London series (just finished Broken Homes, though this series is more urban fantasy). Both and very enjoyable!
The murderbot stories get so much praise but I was never able to get into them. I binge read (well, actually binge listened) to the Rivers of London books a few months ago and thought they were first-rate.
I just finished the new Ann Leckie book, Translation State, which I liked very much. If you couldn't get enough of the the Imperial Radch universe it's a must read.
Currently reading “The Exiled Fleet” by J. S. Dewes. This is the second in her “The Divide” series. It is pretty good. I picked up the first book because she did a release event with Scalzi during that time we were all locked in our homes and the story sounded interesting. The first one was compelling enough for me to see the series through although she has not announced the publication of the third book yet and has just released a standalone novel unrelated to the series.
Wool was great! The rest of the series too. I've been watching the show and I think they did a pretty good adaptation with it.
Currently reading "This is How you Lose the Time-war". Just started it but it's an interesting concept and different from my usual sci-fi reads
Surface Detail, and The State of the Art by Iain M Banks. Been on a Culture bend recently. Excession is next on my list
I DNFed Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. I had high hopes because the concept was reminiscent of Philip K Dick's stories but I found the book to be a confusing slog with characters seemingly pulled from nowhere and with the plot muddling along with coincidences and revelations. There are a few gems of ideas in there, just takes too long to unpack.
My girlfriend and I are listening to The Foundation right now, it's wild how much material is based directly on that book.
@FantasticFox@lemmy.world Wool is really good, I read the first few and it stuck with me as a decent sci-fi setting. Unfortunately it's YA roots show the longer into the series you get.
House of Leaves. Although I'm struggling because I haven't read a physical book in years and I can't bring it everywhere like I can my Leaf 2.
lol started this book like three time, I’ll finish it someday! Premise is amazing
Man, I read that and all the crazy notes in all different directions. Quite a trip. I personally think it could have been a bit shorter and deliver the same effect, but it really is pretty neat and original. I hope they make it into a film or show someday - it deserves the treatment and the author deserves the $$.
More fantasy, but reading the Abhorson series by Garth Nix. Excellent series.
Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Wild book. 3rd in the series. Not finished yet but the first two were incredible.