Ask HN: Recommend a Good Sci-Fi Book
12 comments
"Schild's Ladder" by Greg Egan
Really, anything by him is good but Schild's Ladder is the best.
"Story of Your Life" By Ted Chiang (source for the movie "Arrival")
Neal Stephenson: Cryptonomicon
For me, Snow Crash was awesome, but like early Gibson, it's lost a little with the passage of time.
His middle-period work did nothing for me at all. Just overdone, to my taste.
I haven't read anything after the Baroque Cycle put me off.
His middle-period work did nothing for me at all. Just overdone, to my taste.
I haven't read anything after the Baroque Cycle put me off.
I enjoyed the Baroque Cycle, but at the end was left with little sense of resolution. I have enjoyed Anathem since.
Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash
CJ Cherryh, Cyteen (and then the rest of the Merchanter universe).
Iain M Banks, Player of Games (and then everything else)
For cyberpunk, Neuromancer and the sprawl trilogy have not aged terribly well. I still like them, but they're from a certain context.
Try Greg Egan's Permutation City; Bruce Sterling's Heavy Weather, Islands in the Net, or Holy Fire.
Lauren Beukes, Zoo City.
There are so, so many ... ;-)
Iain M Banks, Player of Games (and then everything else)
For cyberpunk, Neuromancer and the sprawl trilogy have not aged terribly well. I still like them, but they're from a certain context.
Try Greg Egan's Permutation City; Bruce Sterling's Heavy Weather, Islands in the Net, or Holy Fire.
Lauren Beukes, Zoo City.
There are so, so many ... ;-)
Blindsight, Peter Watts [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blindsight_(Watts_novel)]. Avaliable free in a number of formats from his website: https://rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
- The Gods Themselves, Asimov: The second story is brilliant. The other two are meh.
- Neuromancer, Gibson: So disappointing I couldn't finish it. Is there a better cyberpunk book out there?
- Ready Player One, Cline: Loved the book, loved the movie.
- Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut: Not a pure Sci-Fi book, but loved it nonetheless.