Ask HN: Favorite Fiction Books of 2018? - jaytaylor
======
lalaithion
Martha Wells' _The Murderbot Diaries_ (a series of four novellas) was
completed this year. It's about an AI which figures out how to break out of
it's control module, and decides to not go on a stereotypical murderous
rampage, and instead just do their job well enough that no one notices they're
watching soap operas in their free time.

~~~
bretthowell
+1 Existential, thought provoking, yet fast-paced and a over far too soon. A
must read for anyone interested in contemplating a near future where all the
power of our smartphones is in our head, always available. Yes it’s about AI,
but the humanity of the bot makes it easy to see we don’t need artificial
general intelligence to start seeing a universe like this one.

------
Zanni
_Elevation_ by Stephen King. I'd count King among my favorite authors. I
regularly go back to reread classics like _Salem 's Lot_ and _The Stand_. But
I've fallen out of the habit of reading him lately because his output is so
prodigious, and his books have taken on a sameness that I find wearying. In
that context, _Elevation_ , which is sweet-natured and short, is a refreshing
change of pace and probably my favorite King book of the last 20 years.

And another vote for the Murderbot Diaries. Not groundbreaking, but fast and
fun with an interesting POV character.

------
keiferski
_Bartleby the Scrivener_ by Herman Melville (of Moby Dick fame.) Incredibly
well-written and hilarious short story about an apathetic office worker.

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartleby,_the_Scrivener](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartleby,_the_Scrivener)

[http://moglen.law.columbia.edu/LCS/bartleby.pdf](http://moglen.law.columbia.edu/LCS/bartleby.pdf)

------
Crazyontap
Kind of OT but since this is a thread about fiction books, I read a very
interesting short story on HN but can't remember the author or the title. It
was about a person who meets god and then finally realizes that every person
he has met on earth is his past self (or incarnation?). Anyone know that one?
Also any good recommendations for similar short scifi stories?

------
mindcrime
_Past Tense_ \- Lee Child

 _The Forbidden Door_ \- Dean Koontz

 _The Crooked Staircase_ \- Dean Koontz

 _The Outsider_ \- Stephen King

 _Sleeping Beauties_ \- Stephen King & Owen King

 _The Fallen_ \- David Baldacci

 _Zeroes_ \- Chuck Wendig

 _The Supernatural Enhancements_ \- Edgar Cantero

 _A Canticle for Leibowitz_ \- Walter M. Miller Jr.

 _A Wrinkle in Time_ \- Madeleine L'Engle

------
amorphous
I enjoyed Lake Success a lot.

