
Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read? - rayalez
I&#x27;ve been reading non-fiction almost exclusively, and now I&#x27;m looking to get into reading more fiction. Can you recommend something awesome?<p>I&#x27;d love to read something fun, lighthearted, and enjoyable (as opposed to gritty dystopias or super hardcore hard scifi). To relax, explore cool worlds and likable characters, and encounter some cool ideas. I&#x27;ll be extra happy if it&#x27;s available on audible.<p>Things I liked: Harry Potter and The Methods of Rationality, The Martian, Ready Player One, Mistborn.
======
aresant
I am just finishing reading the Hyperion Cantos which is an absolutely
inspired masterwork by Dan Simmons.

I can’t stand rereading / rewatching anything, this series is so rich that it
feels like reading fresh material all over again.

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos)

~~~
baal80spam
Came here to say that Hyperion to me is a SF masterpiece.

~~~
thetruepickle5
Another recommendation from me too. This series takes you to some magical
places and ideas.

------
mattnewton
Dune. Definitely Dune. The most epic sci-fi world that is so far in the future
it feels like it could be middle earth. Politics, mysticism, prescience,
intergalactic travel build an amazing world that feels utterly alien but still
relatable.

It’s like reading about modern battles between oil, culture and money, but in
countless years and star system into the future.

Honorable mentions for Hyperion and Neuromancer for my favorites :)

~~~
baal80spam
Dune - enough said.

~~~
ckyony
DUNE

~~~
mud_dauber
DUNE

~~~
cheza
Dune!

------
spapas82
Here are a couple I like :

\- Seveneves: A really great hard sci-fi. Very thought provoking ideas and
excellent plot! Warning this is a heavy themed book. Also keep in mind that at
about 3/4 in the novel there's a conclusion to the main story; the rest of the
novel feels rushed and doesnt keep up; you won't miss anything if you just
skip it.

\- The Expanse series (starting with Leviathan wakes). A very good series. It
has a light tone and mainly focuses on characters. Some books are better than
the others. If you liked the 1st one then you wont regret reading the others.
Not much philosofy of hard sci-fi ideas so probably near to your liking.

\- Rendezvous with Rama: Probably my favorite Arthur Clarke novel. The plot
may not be so interesting but the ideas presented make up for it.

\- Red rising series: This is a great read, the plot feels something like a
GoT of scifi; although the setting could also be considered a fantasy one.
This is a plot intensive series but not many scifi philosophical ideas.
Probably good for your linking.

\- The three body problem trilogy: This is not so light-hearted; it is serious
sci-fi presenting some excellent ideas that would blow your mind. Especially
after I read the 2nd one (The Dark Forest) I kept it in my mind for a long
time; thinking over the things presented there. This is sci-fi at its best.

------
jamesRaybould
I'm fond of "A Fire Upon the Deep" by Vernor Vinge, and its kind of prequel "A
Deepness in the Sky", they both contain some great ideas and I love the fact
they have some very alien aliens!

Oh and if you haven't read any Douglas Adams "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy" is fantastic

~~~
magicbuzz
Just about to chime in about Vernor Vinge myself - awesome conceptuals and
well written

~~~
bhouston
His books are great, I loved both "fire upon deep" and a "deepness in the
sky". It is unfortunate he inspired the Singularity movement which I find full
of bullshit and religious overtones.

------
thedoops
The Star's My Destination by Alfred Bester (also known as Tiger Tiger). Really
great Count of Monte Cristo type plot with teleportation and a great antihero.
I'm surprised it hasn't been adapted to film or long form series yet.

Anathem by Neal Stephenson is superb and I recommend you carve out some time
to really let it soak in. Anything by Neal is phenomenal, but Anathem stands
out for me.

Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson is my favorite sci-fi book I've read in a
while. Generation ships, AI, and a fascinating narrative perspective. I'm a
sucker for realistic/hard scifi with well-researched technical explanations,
and KSR is among the best.

~~~
rektide
The Stars My Destination was great. It might just be me but I'd like to see
what folks who liked it thought of Robert Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy.

------
physicsyogi
Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash were great. Others you might:

\- The Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang (superb short story that Arrival was
based on) \- The Three Body-Problem (Cixin Liu) \- Dune (Frank Herbert) \- The
Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler) \- Lucifer's Hammer (Larry Niven) \- The
Kundalini Equation (Steven Barnes)

~~~
darthlucio
The Ted Chiang anthology is sooo good. Every story's premise was so unique -
it blows my mind that one person can come up with so many out there ideas.

I know OP wasn't looking for dystopias, but if you like Parable of the Sower,
I recently read two excellent new scifi/dystopia books: Station Eleven by
Emily St. John Mandel, and American War by Omar El Akkad. American War was
really cool - it's by a journalist who covered military trials at Guantanamo
Bay and the Arab Spring, who transposes the stories/atrocities he witnessed as
a reporter onto the future US.

------
bostik
Asimov's original "Foundation" \- it's effectively a collection of 4,5 short
stories. I recommend to remain at a discreet distance from the rest of the
series. While good within the universe, they are ... different.

"Ender's Game" and "Speaker for the Dead" by O.S.Card. (Do not touch Xenocide
without a hazmat suit. And if you do, burn it before reading.)

"Snow Crash" by Neil Stephenson.

"Rendez-vouz with Rama" by Arthur C. Clarke.

If you're up for some thought-provoking stuff, "Stranger in a Strange Land" by
Heinlein. Not the easiest read but your carve-out basically rules out "The
Moon is a Harsh Mistress".

"Embassytown" by China Mieville.

EDIT: I forgot "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons.

~~~
facorreia
Rendez-vouz with Rama is in my top 10 favorite books but I wouldn't say it's
fun and lighthearted.

~~~
flukus
One of my favorites is based on a similar premise, Pushing Ice by Alastair
Reynolds. I like most of his work but for short stand-alone stories this one
stands out. Reynolds works are hard sci-fi, mostly sticking within the known
laws of physics which present some interesting problems for the characters.

------
NeedMoreTea
_The Mote in God 's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle._

First read it as a teen in the 80s and still rate it as one of the best SF
books ever written. Well paced and enormous fun.

 _The Player of Games by Iain M Banks._

Probably the most self-contained of the Culture series and the least heavy SF
of them. Which makes it a great starting point.

------
dsr_
1\. The Liaden books, by Steve Miller and Sharon Lee. Space Opera covering the
death of a universe and migration into a new one; dastardly villains,
reluctant heros, gripping plots, sentient tree.

2\. The tales of Vlad Taltos, by Steven Brust. Gods, swords, elves, humans,
cooking, and one of the best snarky first-person narrators ever. Has a side
series of five books pastiching Alexander Dumas.

3\. The Vorkosigan universe, by Lois McMaster Bujold. Best characters; you'll
care about their fates.

4\. Seanan McGuire's Incryptid series. There are monsters hiding among us; the
Covenant of St. George was founded to find them and kill them. The Covenant
are the bad guys.

~~~
jimmahoney
Lois McMaster Bujold is just the best - almost everything she's written.

------
Tomte
"Use of Weapons" by Iain M. Banks.

Edit: Overlooked the "fun" and "lighthearted" part. Let me change my answer to
"Excession", same author.

~~~
mft_
I'd recommend "The Player of Games".

Not light-hearted, but definitely pretty fun in places. And a cracking story -
I go back to it and dip in randomly every few months.

------
ArtWomb
Just a short story, but Asimov's The Last Question keeps popping up. FermiLab
Cosmologist Dan Hooper recently posted to Arxiv a few conjectures on what it
would take to survive expansion. And I can't help but think that looking for
signs of Dyson Spheres and other star harvesting mega-structures may be key in
detecting signs of intelligent extra-terrestrial life ;)

Another thing that really holds up over time is the Lawrence Lasker and Walter
F. Parkes screenplay to the hit 1980s movie War Games. Not only does it talk
about meta-learning and game theory. Its just a really great script!

------
joshwcomeau
The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1), by Becky Chambers.

Really touching story, great character development, and some interesting
questions about AI and sentience.

[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22733729-the-long-way-
to...](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22733729-the-long-way-to-a-small-
angry-planet)

------
laurentl
Fun, light-hearted and enjoyable === Terry Pratchett. Strata and the Dark Side
of the Sun if you’re looking specifically for Sci-fi. But if you haven’t read
the Diskworld series, I envy you! I’d give anything to re-live the sheer
ecstasy of reading Pratchett for the first time.

Already mentioned: H2G2 (ditto, would love to be able to read it again for the
first time); Ender’s game and sequels; Rama (maybe more thought-provoking than
light reading though); basically any Clarke book; basically any Stephenson
book.

Another not-quite Sci-fi I’ll put out there is Stross’ Laundry files series:
the love child of BOFH and Lovecraft, a really fun read with quite a few hat
tips to IT.

~~~
nataz
Lots of good stuff in this thread, but for fun and light-hearted (which lots
of people are ignoring), Terry Pratchett takes the cake. I probably read over
50 books a year, and TP is one of the best authors I have ever had the
pleasure of reading.

~~~
anilgulecha
I keep trying to get into terry pratchett, but maybe I started with the wrong
book.

Can you recommend the first book for someone coming from a mid-to-hard scifi?
Something that stands on it's own, is funny, and does not need prior knowledge
of his work.

~~~
laurentl
Well, if you want stand-alone + sci-fi, try "the Dark Side of the Sun".

Otherwise, you can pick up any first book from one of the Discworld story
arks. Personally, I'd go with "Wyrd Sisters" (witches story ark) and the City
Watch story ark. Although the first book in that series is "Guards! Guards!",
I'd recommend starting with the Second book, "Men at Arms", which is more
representative of the rest of the series, and just more fun AFAIC.

~~~
nataz
Agree, with the city watch arc as the discworld introduction. I'd even go so
far as to say start with nightwatch and then go back to the beginning.

------
aequitas
Wool aka Silo series
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silo_(series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silo_\(series\))

A dystopian future where people live in a Silo (a skyscraper but underground).
What I found especially nice is how the author tried to make it realistic and
portray people and work fields (machinist, IT, etc) as they really are without
to much buffing.

The IT department in this story plays a really big role and it is portrayed as
I've seen real IT departments, with the old, stubborn, autistic 'this is my
kingdom' sysadmin boss down to the 'stupid' intern. It's just to real.

The first chapters are a little off compared to the rest of the books as it
was released as novella's at first via Kindle and later written into 3 books.
But every bit is as awesome as the other.

Edit: I think this mismatches on your fun/non-dystopian critaria that I just
now read. But a good read anyways. Otherwise definitely Hyperion cantos as
already mentioned. Although also not without drama it sure is a hell lot of
mindboggling world's to plunge into!

------
geuis
I highly recommend Off to be the Wizard, [https://audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-
Fantasy/Off-to-Be-the-Wizard-A...](https://audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Off-
to-Be-the-Wizard-Audiobook/B00IIS32NI). It’s fun and lighthearted.

Also the Bobiverse series. [https://mobile.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/We-
Are-Legion-W...](https://mobile.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/We-Are-Legion-
We-Are-Bob-Audiobook/B01L082HJ2)

------
marenkay
Read "Neuromancer" by William Gibson, also "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson.

Both offer something beyond just being Sci-Fi.

~~~
gtdthrow
+1

Anything Gibson, especially Sprawl Trilogy Anything Stephenson, though I
particularly liked Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, and Snow Crash, In the
beginning was the command line.. oh, I like everything by him.

Seriously though, In the beginning was the command line and Cryptonomicon are
basically an ode to 90s hacker culture, the true neckbeard type of CS. Love
that aesthetic, culture and ethics.

------
manojlds
Blindsight by Peter Watts

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blindsight_(Watts_novel)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blindsight_\(Watts_novel\))

~~~
dsr_
OP said "fun, lighthearted and enjoyable".

Noted reviewer James Nicoll on Peter Watts: "When­ever I find my will to live
be­com­ing too strong, I read Peter Watts."

Which Dr. Watts put at the top of his About the Author page.

Watts is really, really good. And really, really bleak.

~~~
manojlds
You're right. Didn't read the request fully.

------
rumcajz
Try Stanislaw Lem's "His Master's Voice".

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Master%27s_Voice_(novel)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Master%27s_Voice_\(novel\))

~~~
charlesism
"Golem XIV" is pretty great, if you're a fan of HAL 9000.

------
thetruepickle5
I would recommend Ubik by Phillip K Dick.

It reads like a thriller and a mind bender. It sort of has the feel of the
movie Inception if you liked that. It's not too long or hard to read, and it's
completely self contained. The more I read by Phillip K Dick the more I
appreciate his ideas.

I also second a recommendation for A Player of Games someone noted above.

~~~
amorphous
Yes, even my better half liked it who is not into SF at all. I'm not a huge
fan of SF either, but I love Philip K Dick, and Ubik is probably the best book
to get started with his work as it is quite funny.

------
xteze
For fun and/or lighthearted, I enjoyed: Stanislaw Lem: Cyberiad, The
Futurological Congress, Tales of Pirx the Pilot; Steven Paul Leiva: Traveling
in Space; Ted Chiang: Stories of your Life; John Scalzi: Old Man's War (and
sequels)

~~~
mud_dauber
Old Man's War is my perennial favorite. Truly an awesome story.

------
DuskStar
Wait, HPMOR was lighthearted? That's not quite how I'd describe it. But in the
same vein, try Worm [0]: A take on superpowers that tries to include changes
to the world it's set in. Highly recommended by the author of HPMOR - "The
characters in Worm use their powers so intelligently I didn’t even notice
until something like the 10th volume that the alleged geniuses were behaving
like actual geniuses". Also now has a sequel, Ward [1]. But be warned -
"people who get powers continuing to act like people" does not a happy world
make. (Also, it's really remarkably long. Like, current length of the ASOIAF
series long.) Goodreads: [2]

Following a slightly more conventional definition of lighthearted, I think I'd
recommend Larry Niven's Ringworld. When it comes to "moderately plausible
megastructures", the ringworld concept is by far my favorite. Much less
complicated than a Dyson Swarm, after all! Story is ok, and the sequels
expanded things well enough. Not exactly the biggest fan of his female
characters. Still worth it. Triple Crown (Hugo/Nebula/Locus) winner.
Goodreads: [3]

0: [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/](https://parahumans.wordpress.com/) 1:
[https://www.parahumans.net/about/](https://www.parahumans.net/about/) 2:
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18713259-worm](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18713259-worm)
3:
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61179.Ringworld](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61179.Ringworld)

------
pasbesoin
"Contact", by Carl Sagan. It's not "light" and "easy", but it ties our current
world to future promise. And it has some wonderful storytelling and writing
putting this into context.

The main character, Ellie, is a superb and rich portrayal. Friends to whom
I've recommended the book agree on this.

If you've seen the movie, it's an ok Hollywood production. The book is much,
much more.

------
dejawu
Seveneves. The first sentence is, "The moon blew up suddenly and without
warning." Everything is near-future sci-fi and as grounded and accurate as
possible. If you liked The Martian, this will scratch the same itch.

Snow Crash is great too. Probably a bit problematic now, but fantastic world
building. A bit more gritty and dystopia though.

Both are by Neal Stephenson.

------
ghaff
This is a pretty old list I put together--so nothing in the past 15 years or
so. It does tend toward hard SF but it's a fairly broad mix.

[http://www.bitmasons.com/docs/sf.html](http://www.bitmasons.com/docs/sf.html)

------
Ancalagon
Olaf Stapledon's "Star Maker" Is one of my favorite books of all time. Its
pretty much a grand exploration of this universe and every other universe to
ever exist, through the eyes of the main character. I'm rereading it right now
again.

~~~
RBerenguel
Agreed. I read it in one sitting and sits very up on my sci-fi hall of fame

------
bsenftner
Read Philip K Dick, specifically his Valis "trilogy": combine drugs, God's 2nd
coming, it's marketing campaign competing against junk food, time travel, and
God changing it's multiple minds mind way through. There's Sci Fi and then
there's Mind fuck Sci Fi, which PKD is the master, after perhaps William S.
Bourroughs and Stanisław Lem, both startling writers requiring one to suspend
conventional thinking of expectations of reality to comprehend where they are
taking you.

------
Mankhool
Iain M. Banks: [https://www.iain-banks.net/books/](https://www.iain-
banks.net/books/)

Peter F. Hamilton: [https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/peter-f-
hamilton](https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/peter-f-hamilton)

And while not strictly sci-fi, Peter Higgins:
[http://www.wolfhoundcentury.com/](http://www.wolfhoundcentury.com/)

------
mrzool
Lot of great recommendations in here. The Martian by Andy Weir is my pick.
Absolutely exhilarating.

------
CrazedGeek
John Scalzi's Old Man's War series is really enjoyable.

------
kmarc
I absolutely loved "Children of time" [1] - you can tell the writer is a
scientist, or at least very seasoned in natural sciences, mainly biology. The
story is not the best but how Tchaikovsky reasons shows how much he is able to
think outside the box.

[1]: [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-
tim...](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)

------
gorbachev
I thought the Dune series was most excellent.

Also any Asimov books.

I also quite enjoyed Hal Clement's Mission of Gravity.

As for lighthearted...you can't go wrong with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy.

------
pablode
I particularly enjoyed _Diamond Age_ by Neal Stephenson (won the Hugo Award)
and Liu Cixin's collection of short stories, _The Wandering Earth_.

------
maksa
Foundation (Isaac Asimov), Hyperion (Dan Simmons) and Three Body Problem (Liu
Cixin) stand out from all the SF I've read, and I've read a ton.

~~~
thomas-melville
I thoroughly enjoyed the Three Body Problem!

------
facorreia
I heartily recommend Destiny Rising[1] by M. D. Cooper -- free on Kindle
Unlimited. It's the first 2 books of the "Intrepid Saga", which in turn is
part of a growing collection of series in the "Aeon 14" universe[2]. It's
really fun and also engrossing.

Some of the related series, like "Perseus Gate"[3] are hilarious. All of these
stories have a lighthearted tone and have great character development. They
are based on "hard" sci-fi (i.e. plausible inventions) and touch on deeper
topics like the meaning of sentience, and of freedom, but they never get
heavy.

[1] [https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Rising-Military-Space-
Intrepi...](https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Rising-Military-Space-Intrepid-
ebook/dp/B06VXRKKNP) [2] [http://www.aeon14.com](http://www.aeon14.com) [3]
[http://www.aeon14.com/series/perseus-gate-season-1-orion-
spa...](http://www.aeon14.com/series/perseus-gate-season-1-orion-space)

------
alanning
For something humorous and a bit off the beaten path, I'd recommend the Retief
series by Keith Laumer. [1]

For the best SciFi in general, I'd actually suggest you check out assorted
collections of short story. I don't have a specific anthology to recommend but
I have yet to find a published collection at my library that was less than
thought-provoking.

For the classics, you can't go wrong with Hugo Award winners. [2] Your local
library probably has most of them; try starting with the old ones and working
your way through.

1\.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jame_Retief](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jame_Retief)
2\. [http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-
history/](http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/)

------
Simulacra
DAEMON by Daniel Suarez.

~~~
hazard
Suarez's books are so underrated. The buddhism / sci-fi thing is great

------
gmuslera
Is not exactly science fiction (fits more into the fantasy category), but
Perdido Street Station, from China Mieville, is very intense, and if you like
it, there are a few more books in the same universe to keep exploring.

------
diffuzed
Robert Heinlein “the moon is a harsh mistress”. A 1966 masterpiece about
sentient computer, politics and the making of a revolution to create a new
free country. I’ve reread this one 3 times in a row, better every time.

------
webmaven
Rick Cook's "Wiz" series (SV programmer transported to a fantasy realm,
invents programming language for magic, hijinks ensue) meets your criteria
(fun, lighthearted, new ideas), I think:

[https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz](https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz)

Spider Robinson's "Callahan's" series is also great, especially if you like
puns:

[https://www.goodreads.com/series/49629-callahan-s](https://www.goodreads.com/series/49629-callahan-s)

------
lionradio
Asimov. Pretty much anything he has written.

------
laretluval
It sounds like The Expanse is what you want. The TV show is also very good.

------
kevinofe
Wow, I can’t believe I just found this thread and not one mention of Jack
Vance. His "Planet of Adventure" series, Alastor series or Demon Princes
novels are classics. His command of language and dialogue is unparalleled.
Every modern sci-fi author cites him as an influence.

Gateway by Frederik Pohl is another underrated one from the 70s although the
sequels are disappointing.

The Forever War Joe Haldeman and Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers are also
indispensable.

------
zblesk
I'd recommend the Vatta's War series by Elizabeth Moon.
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/284658.Trading_in_Danger...](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/284658.Trading_in_Danger?from_search=true)

It's a space adventure with a likable heroine and plenty humour, but also some
interesting character exploration.

Also has a good audio version by GraphicAudio.

~~~
dnnrly
This is an excellent series that has suspense and yet easy to digest. If you
like the military SF sub genre you should also look at the Honor Harrington
series by David Weber followed by the Safehold series and the March To The Sea
series. Actually most stuff by David Weber is pretty good.

------
stevewillows
I'm halfway through Lilith's Brood / the Xenogenesis series from Octavia E.
Butler, and I'm loving it. Despite the sci-fi angle, it feels like this is how
things could play out if we were introduced to a mostly well-intended alien
species.

The first book is mostly conversation in interview form, but I was drawn in
tight and didn't want to put it down.

The audiobook performance for this series is fantastic.

------
corbet
The Shockwave Rider, by John Brunner. Read it, compare it to the Internet we
have today, and marvel at all he was able to foresee back in 1975.

~~~
IronBacon
This is one of my favorite books and I could not recommend it enough, not only
for the story but the style it was written.

I'm ashamed to admit I haven't yet found the time to read Stand on Zanzibar
and The Sheep Look Up from the same author.

------
cjensen
Ender's Game

But if you just want light fun, the Expanse Series

------
jger15
"Chocky" by John Wyndham was quick/fun. A little uneven but enjoyed "All Our
Wrongs Today" by Elan Mastai. Tough to get thru for me but many seem high on
"The Three Body Problem" books by Cixin Liu.

Some others that are not scifi but enjoyed this year:

"Trick" by Domenico Starnone

"Such Small Hands" by Andres Barba

"Convenience Store Woman" by Sayaka Murata

------
garyklinecc
You might also try Dream Park by David Niven and Steve Barnes. I've only read
the first book, but apparently there are two sequels as well. A detective
joins a LARP group when he suspects one of the guests of being a thief and
murderer. The bulk of the story takes place in an amusement park that's a
cross between Westworld and a holodeck.

------
elFarto
I enjoyed the Expeditionary Force audio books (there are 5 of them so far),
read by R. C. Bray. Very funny, one of the few books to make laugh out loud
while listening to it.

My other favourites are Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained by Peter F Hamilton
(and the rest of the books in the Commonwealth series).

------
sumitgs
Remembrance of earth's past trilogy. There are three books in the series: 1)
The Three Body Problem, 2) The Dark Forest, and 3) Death's end. It talks about
the ongoing tension between humanity and the alien race. It explores many
facets of human nature and humanity. Must read.

------
minhazm423
Hey unfortunately I have nothing to add but I'd like to make a request for sci
fi books

w/ these themes:

finance currency economics math money power

Some common reccomendations I've seen are

anything by Neal Stephenson

The other recommendations Ive seen are fantasy like

The Traitor Baru Cormorant The Dagger and Coin series Making Money Going
Postal

Does anyone have any similar recommendations?

------
420justblaze
The "Remembrance of Earth's Past" trilogy (Three Body Problem) pretty much
ruined all other sci-fi for me. The original text is in Chinese, and I think
that's occasionally apparent in the translation, but that hardly detracts from
the incredible story.

------
tmaly
Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series is one of my all time favorites.

Larry Niven’d Ringworld is a close second.

Philip K Dick has some great stuff.

I really enjoyed William Gibson’s Neuromancer and all of his other books.

I just picked up a 1961 copy of Stanger in a Strange Land but I cannot comment
on it yet.

------
runjake
I am not your traditional sci-fi fan, so while the books below may not be
considered masterpieces or even "true" sci-fi, they may be a good "gateway
drug" for others like me:

\- The Postman by David Brin

\- The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

\- I am Legend by Richard Matheson

------
giaour
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis is a fun time-travel novel. It’s
the middle volume of a trilogy but works as a standalone novel.

The Ancillary series by Anne Leckie is also pretty great. It’s a bit of
dystopia but isn’t narrated as one.

------
nataz
Lots of good stuff in this thread. Two books I haven't seen are Bone Clocks
and Cloud Atlas. The only thing is, you can't Google them, for risk of
spoilers.

Also, the movie based on Cloud Atlas is not great.

------
nepalez
"Blindsight" by Peter Watts "Solaris" and "Summa Technologiae" by Stanislav
Lem "Dune" by Frank Herbert "The Diamond Age" by Neal Stephenson

------
matt_the_bass
The barsoom series by edgar rice burrows

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barsoom](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barsoom)

------
HoppyHaus
Although very loosely Sci-Fi, there is the Russian classic of Roadside Picnic.
One of my favorite books, and spawned some amazing derivative works down the
line.

------
inthekitch8n
Saturn's Children. It's a neat idea for a story(humans have died off and
robots have colonized the solar system) and it's pretty well written.

------
thisone
I'm going to stick to recent stuff that was like no sci-fi I'd ever read
before:

Ninefox Gambit - Yoon Ha Lee

A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - Becky Chambers

The Broken Earth series - N.K. Jemisin

------
RBerenguel
Give a shot to Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber (fantasy, not sci-fi). From his
sci-fi, the one I’ve read most times (so far) is Lord of Light.

------
jcubic
My Favorite Sci-Fi book is Neuromancer by William Gibson. Also Philip K. Dick
books like Ubik or his short stories are awesome.

------
gakos
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick - plus, after you can
re-watch Blade Runner with a new perspective.

------
Jotto999
Greg Egan's Diaspora was very good.

~~~
RBerenguel
Haven’t read anything more hard-sci-fi than Egan myself (Clockwork Rocket,
quite good). From comments from the OP Egan may not suit (but very
recommendable nevertheless)

~~~
Jotto999
You're right, it's the wrong book for the OP. Let them be warned:

Greg Egan's Diaspora is diamond-hard scifi. If you aren't well-read in a
variety of scientific concepts, aren't comfortable doing on-the-fly physics
thought experiments while reading a novel, or won't be comfortable reading an
extremely high vocabulary, then Greg Egan is not a good fit.

But if you can read it, the reward is great. Magnificent, alien, profound. It
made me realize I don't like soft-scifi.

------
prawnosaurus
More or less anything by Howard Waldrop. Night of The Cooters and A Dozen
Tough Jobs are great.

------
kisstheblade
Excession by Iain M Banks. The other culture novels are also good but not as
fun as Excession.

------
jimmahoney
lighthearted and fun : "The Crown Jewels" by Walter John Williams. Definitely.

See
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_Maijstral](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_Maijstral)

~~~
wurp
Aristoi is my favorite of Walter Jon Williams's work. I reread it every few
years, just like Diamond Age, Stranger in a Strange Land, and Fire Upon the
Deep.

------
senectus1
Charles Stross' Accelerando

~~~
brensmith
Accelerando available online. [http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-
static/fiction/accelera...](http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-
static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)

------
Automatic_Jack
Martian Chronicles, Crystal Express+Cysmatrix, Neuromancer,Hyperion,
Portico...

~~~
mud_dauber
+1 for the Martian Chronicles.

~~~
nataz
\+ another 1 for Martian Chronicles. It's Hienlin at his best (poingint short
stories linking into a lather narrative), without the baggage of Laz Long that
ties together his more famous works (which I love, but aren't exactly light
hearted).

------
tass
I’m a big fan of the foundation series.

Another book which I recently enjoyed was Dragon’s Egg.

------
stevenhuang
The Humans by Matt Haig was a very fun read, I think you'll enjoy it.

------
rektide
_Central Station_ by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world
deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It
is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.

 _Spin_ by Robert Charles Wilson. "Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a
storyteller," said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and
space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.

 _The Quantum Thief_ series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so
vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so
much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is
enchanting.

 _Infoquake_ series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a
star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an
already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in
seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some
suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.

 _Lathe of Heaven_ by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the
best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This
world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is
incredible. See also the rest of the _Hainish_ cycle.

 _Left Hand of Darkness_ also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic
shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. "Well, I did it through dreams. Phil
would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right."
\- [https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-
guin/a...](https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)

 _Fallen Dragon_ is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's
leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad
guys, bigger ships, and action. There is _A LOT_ going on, all the time, &
violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, &
telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for
most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.

 _Diamond Age_ by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a
counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is
much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious
primer for a young lady.

 _Sirens of Titan_ by Kurt Vonnegut.

 _All Systems Red_ series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping
robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet
trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main
character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out
attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.

 _Lords of Light_ by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I
feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-
singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.

 _Illium /Olympos_ by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far
above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world
they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible
worldbuilding here.

 _Rainbow 's End_ by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE _A Fire Upon the
Deep_. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge
has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and
annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity.
And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in
the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at
a coming of age story.

 _Medusa Chronicles_ by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen
Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a
guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local
area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that
our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of
exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of
space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic,
set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history

Other's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My
Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the
best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky
and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style),
Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple
direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)

------
dochtman
Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the
robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire
Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh,
and The End of Eternity!

At some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available
online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've
read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In
particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as
they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-
over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.

In terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like
Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch
of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves
fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines
through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various
ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it
is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.

I got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats.
Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his
stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde
and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me
longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it
in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was
Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of
D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.

William Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I
read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting
expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant
trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.

More in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my
all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in
interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The
Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side.
I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the
Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel
Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and
easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The
Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I
still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity
and liked it okay.

Hope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!

------
sleepydog
Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun series is great

------
itronitron
Memories of the Space Age by J G Ballard.

------
axplusb
Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

Permutation City by Greg Egan

Ubik by Philip K. Dick

~~~
facorreia
I love Solaris. I think it's deep and thought-provoking, and more than a bit
unsettling. I wouldn't say it's lighthearted and fun, though.

------
colinprince
Half Past Human, T. J. Bass, 1971

------
soufron
20000 lieux sous les mers !

~~~
troebr
Vingt mille lieues sous les mers. I was a huge Jules Verne fan when I was a
kid.

------
anotherevan
Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein [1]

The Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov [2]

The Wrong Unit [3] wasn't a bad little humorous tale.

Pretty much anything by Timothy Zahn (sans Star Wars novelisations) [4] or
Robert Sawyer [5] floats my boat.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North [6]

Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen [7] made me care about
sentient elephants.

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi [8] is very funny. Audiobook version narrated by
Wil Wheaton.

Of ones already mentioned:

The Bobiverse was surprisingly good (including the audiobook version).

The Expanse is good.

With regards to Dune, there are some like myself who only ever liked the first
book in the series. (Also there is a good audiobook version out there.)

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and sequels are great world building and
characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much
purpose.

The Martian is great.

[1]
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky)

[2]
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50091.The_Complete_Robot](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50091.The_Complete_Robot)

[3] [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30959279-the-wrong-
unit](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30959279-the-wrong-unit)

[4]
[https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12479.Timothy_Zahn](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12479.Timothy_Zahn)

[5]
[https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25883.Robert_J_Sawyer](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25883.Robert_J_Sawyer)

[6] [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-
fifte...](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-
lives-of-harry-august)

[7]
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk)

[8] [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11167622-fuzzy-
nation](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11167622-fuzzy-nation)

~~~
someotheridiot
2nd for The Bobiverse, it has some humour and had some fresh ideas in it.

------
tastyham
Wool

