I loved and devoured Cyteen, even the slow start, but haven’t really found the same joy in Cherryh’s other work. I’ll read any (sub-)genre of speculative fiction but at the moment I’m particularly looking for something character-driven with complex social structures in the world-building. Other books that share the general vibe I’m seeking include: A Memory Called Empire and Ancillary Justice. Thanks in advance!

ETA: books I didn’t love even though I know some are recommended here a lot: Children of Time, Hyperion (loved the priest story in the latter, liked the scholar, hated the detective and didn’t love the disjointed / short story / Canterbury Tales structure), The Sparrow (grim, whiny). The Fifth Season was ok - couldn’t get into the rest of the series. Thanks!

Edit #2: Books I’m curious about but haven’t read include In Ascension.

I have had to write stories about the most ridiculous things, but none of them had as many paradoxes as in that period of my life, which is associated with the service of technology.

In 1929, I graduated from the Leningrad Maritime School with a diploma in merchant marine mechanics. Diesel engines had just begun to appear on our ships, there were almost no diesel engineers, and the right to control diesel installations opened up wide opportunities.

I was offered either to go to America to accept the ship built for us, or to join the Joint-Stock Kamchatka Company on one of the transports making regular flights between Kamchatka and San Francisco.
It's hard to say which offer was more tempting. However, I found a much more exciting solution: I married Lula and moved to live in Moscow... It goes without saying that the sea was finished, if not forever, then for a long time.

Now it was necessary to determine what to do.

It seemed to me that research work in the field of thermal engineering would be enough to start with. And, of course, no less than at the All-Union Thermal Engineering Institute. This institute was a fairly closed institution with many traditions of its own. One of them was that its director, Professor Ramzin, personally checked the suitability of everyone who aspired to enter there.

He was not enthusiastic about my candidacy. After a two-minute conversation, a sweeping resolution appeared on my application - "refuse".

I waited for a while and repeated the attack, again to no avail. After the third or fourth attempt, with the help of kind people, I was nevertheless hired as a junior engineer in the department of rationalization of energy use.

For a sample, I was sent to the Lysvensky Metallurgical Plant for six months as part of a group tasked with identifying the main sources of heat loss, and a month after returning, I was sent back there, but with an independent task to test a steam boiler.

I was given two interns to help me, who had already learned how to distinguish a thermocouple from a gas intake tube and dilute reagents for a gas analyzer.

As for me, I studied the boiler test manual and felt fully equipped.

However, things were not as dazzling as I thought.

At the first conversation, the director of the plant said that his boilers work without testing, which cannot be said about the enamel kilns, which produce a solid marriage. Therefore, I must switch to the furnaces.
I informed him that I knew nothing about furnaces or enamel firing. Then he picked up the phone and gave three orders:

1. To provide me and the interns with a room in the house of visitors.
   2. To place an oven at my disposal for the necessary experiments.
   3. Do not mark our travel documents before his instructions.
   I said that I would inform the institute about this. He replied: "Let the devil know, but the oven should work. I don't need any guest performers here."

I sent a panicked telegram to the institute.

Two days later, a reply came signed by the Deputy director of the economic department. It read: "Return to the primitive state."

I spent the whole night trying in vain to decipher this mysterious message. In the morning, I showed the director's telegram and said that by the primitive state, the authorities meant my stay in Moscow. He offered another interpretation, according to which he was given the right, if necessary, to keep me in a cage like a monkey.

I did not dare to apply to the institute for new instructions.

It was only a few months later, when I returned to Moscow, that I got acquainted with the real text of the telegram:
"I'll let you come back if you can't help."
There was no way out. I retired to the library with the voluminous work of Professor Grum-Grzhimailo, bearing the poetic name "Flaming Furnaces".
I found a much more pressing matter for the interns. One of them stood in line for lunch coupons in the morning, the other stood for dinner coupons after lunch. The times in the Urals were hungry.
It took at least a week until, completely stunned by reading, I decided to test the furnace.
Fortunately for me, the first gas analyses taken from various points of the chimney showed that gorenje is not going where it is needed.
I sat down in the library again and soon handed the director a sketch of the furnace alteration.
It was necessary to suspend the production of enameled tableware for several days.
If I've ever had a burning desire to die, it was while lighting a converted stove.
After waiting for the temperature to set, I said that I could load the products, and went to sleep before tomorrow's shame. I could no longer look into the eyes of these trusting people.
The interns woke me up. By that time, several batches of dishes had already been fired, and all without marriage.
Three days later, we left for Moscow, handing over heavy boxes with dishes at low speed - a gift from the factory, given to us, as it is now customary to express it, in a warm friendly atmosphere.

* * *

The frolic shown by me at the very beginning of my activity did not remain without consequences. When the ORGENERGO trust was established on the basis of our department, I was appointed head of the control and inspection department there.
Nominally, I was in charge of rationalization issues throughout the Union. In fact, it came down to the fact that two inspectors tried in vain to find out which of the trust's proposals were still being implemented, and I attended all sorts of meetings from morning to evening, leaving a secretary languishing in the department.
There were several meetings a day, in a wide variety of institutions with mandatory tea and sandwiches.
I remember one of these meetings at the Central Committee of the NK RCT.
It was about fuel economy in the Moscow region. I was asked to give a list of events. I gave a half-hour speech in which I outlined all the recommendations of our trust. When I had finished, the presiding R. S.
The countryman asked how old I was.
I am proud to say that I am already 21.
She shrugged her shoulders and said that she had never seen such an indelicate person in her life... As a result, it was decided to oblige enterprises to restore order in coal warehouses. This was supposed to give 10% fuel economy, twice as much as the full implementation of the utopian measures that I reported on.
Soon I was sick to hell of meetings and sandwiches. I turned to the trust manager with a request to either give me a real job or let me go on all fours. He suggested that I take up the problem of burning milled peat in steam boilers. There were no special furnaces for this purpose at that time, and someone had the idea to use peat as an additive to anthracite on conventional grates.
I willingly took up this job.
The experiments were conducted at the Trekhgorny Brewery. I was given only one assistant, and anyone who knows what a powerful steam boiler is and how many measuring points are needed to test it will understand that by the end of the day I myself was little different from an inert pile of peat piled in the corner of the boiler room.
However, this was nothing compared to the undoubted success of the experiment. Even the unequivocal threats of the stokers, who were not enthusiastic about the whole idea from the very beginning, could not extinguish my glee about this.
The new victory of technology made their work even harder.
It was a warm June evening. I was returning home from the ordeal, feeling at least like Alexander the Great.
At that time, antediluvian trams with long benches along the carriage still ran in Moscow. The passengers sitting across from me were obviously amused by my grinning face, and they began to smile too. Such friendliness on the part of strangers brought me into a completely ecstatic state. However, for some reason, the smiles of the passengers soon turned into laughter. I looked at myself mechanically and was stunned. My favorite and only trousers made of thick corduroy were burned in the most interesting place, as well as my underpants. What was on display for all to see... It's better not to continue. Obviously, during the tests, I doused myself with lye, which slowly and insidiously did its job.

I got home through the alleys, covering my shame with my hands.
Despite Liuli's best efforts, the trousers could not be saved. They died as ignominiously as the intention to burn milling peat with anthracite. It was easier to deliver coal to places remote from peat mining, and in peat areas it was easier to use peat in its pure form. The necessary furnace designs were soon created.
The next task that I was assigned was, I would say, purely detective.
When analyzing the reports of one of the Moscow factories, it was found that the boilers there operate with an unprecedented high efficiency.
The evaporative capacity of the fuel in them exceeded everything known in the literature.
I had to carry out the appropriate tests, find out how such successes were achieved, and extend the experience of this boiler house to other enterprises.
It is very easy to determine the evaporative capacity of a fuel. It is necessary to measure the consumption of coal and water. This requires a scale and a water meter. Both turned out to be in good working order. There was no doubt about their passports being checked.
I had already decided to start a full test of the boilers. But some subconscious feeling haunted me, the stoker had a painfully cunning face.
I didn't have any definite suspicions. Nevertheless, I pulled on a jumpsuit and climbed into the basement to familiarize myself with the entire water supply system.
Soon I managed to find a pipe through which some of the water that had already passed through the water meter went down into the sewer.
The secret of phenomenal achievements was revealed very simply. Stokers received a premium for the evaporative capacity of the fuel and what they could not evaporate in the boilers was drained into a ditch.

Basically finished Childhoods End and the idea of the Overmind keeps me up at night lol I know there's the computer from hitchhikers guide, but any novels or short stories that explore the idea of a super intelligence or supercomputer at the center of it all?

I hope this doesn't come off as overly political but for as long as I can remember there have been stories about sapient sea creatures living in the Oceans. Creatures such as fish men, mermaids, selkies, and shark men and those are just the ones I'm the most familiar with. But with the exception of the Aquaman movie, I have yet to see any works of fiction about said sapient sea creatures dealing with the various issues that affect the ocean. Issues such as

1. Climate Change/global warming
2. Overfishing
3. Pollution
4. Whaling and shark finning

Are there any works of fantasy where underwater people react to the various issues affecting the Oceans?

Just thinking how im probably skipping on some true gems cause of the rating system

Hello!

I was wondering if people had any suggestions for hard sci fi novels featuring highly advanced AI - benevolent or otherwise - that prominently feature in the story. Basically I’m looking for books similar to the Polity series by Neal Asher (which is one of my favouritest series, highly recommend).

I find stories with “nice” AI are very rare - I’d be interested if anyone knew of any. Otherwise any books with highly advanced artificial intelligence would be great. Ideally books released in the last couple of decades would be preferable.

If people have any suggestions, I’ll compile them in the body of this post so other people can see as well.

Edit: Suggestions: Thank you all so much for the recommendations. I've just collected all of them here if anyone else is looking for suggestions

Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect - Roger Williams (2002, novella)

Suggested by: u/xoexohexox, u/Constant-Might521

The Culture Series - Iain M. Banks (1987-2012)

Suggested by: u/beneaththeradar, u/xoexohexox

Wake, Watch, Wonder trilogy - Robert J. Sawyer (2009-2011)

Suggested by: u/Constant-Might521

The Mountain in the Sea - Ray Nayler (2022)

Suggested by: u/BridgeNumberFour

Neuromancer - William Gibson (1984)

Suggested by: u/kalevz

Singularity Sky - Charles Stross (2003)

Suggested by: u/BennyWhatever

In the Blink of an Eye - I’m assuming the one by Jo Callaghan (2023)

Suggested by: u/Azalwaysgus

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Heinlein (1966)

Suggested by: u/redvariation

Zones of Thought series - Vernon Vinge (1992-2011)

Suggested by: u/dauchande

Level Five - William Ledbetter (2018)

Suggested by: u/PickleWineBrine

Expeditionary Force series - Craig Alanson (2016 - 2024) SEVENTEEN BOOKS!!

Suggested by u/gruntbug

Crux - Ramez Naam (2013)

Suggested by u/originalone

Moving Mars - Greg Bear (1993)

Suggested by: u/3d_blunder

Queen of Angels - Greg Bear (1990)

Suggested by u/3d_blunder

When HARLIE was One - David Gerrold (1972)

Suggested by: u/practicalm

Cybernetic Samurai - Victor Milan (1985)

Suggested by: u/practicalm

Daemon series - Daniel Suarez (2006)

-Suggested by u/parker_fly

Insignia - SJ Kincaid (2012)

Suggested by u/originalalone

Catfishing on Catnet - Naomi Kritzer (2019)

Suggested by: u/BravoLimaPoppa

Pandominion - MR Carey (2023)

u/namelesspeck

Hyperion Cantos - Dan Simmons (1989-1996)

u/NoCard1571, u/crinkleintime

Diaspora - Greg Egan (1997)

u/NoCard1571

The Spiral Wars series - Joel Shepherd (2015 -)

u/ArghZombiesRun

Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie (2013)

u/crinkleintime

Artificial Wisdom - Thomas R Weaver (2023)

u/Thors_lil_Cuz

Spin Trilogy - Chris Moriarty (2003)

u/vulnavia14

Today I Am Carey - Martin L Shoemaker (2019)

u/ElricVonDaniken

Hello, after a break of almost 10 years I've started reading science fiction again, I didn't know how much I missed it. I've read the Takeshi Kovacs trilogy and the Three Body trilogy. My process is to go to the bookstore and pick up the ones that catch my attention the most. But I'd like you to recommend books that you consider necessary, if possible that have come out in the last decade. Although if you recommend older ones I'll read them anyway.

Thanks.

Book number one of a five book science fiction series. I read the well printed and well bound POD (print on demand) trade paperback that I bought new on Amazon. I have bought books two and three in the series for reading soon.

In the 25th century, humanity has solved all problems and even created machines for time travel and parallel universe travel. But, they caused a new problem, humanity is dying out as people have lost the will to live.

So the future scientists are bringing forward dying people from the 20th century, giving them new bodies, and transferring them to a parallel world going through the end of the Pleistocene ice age. With nothing but a few tools and the clothes on their backs. Survive or die in the primitive conditions of what will be the southern USA but there are lions, big cats, mammoths, bisons, dire wolves, deer, elk, short face bears, grizzlies, etc. And chest deep snow in the winters.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars (413 reviews)

https://www.amazon.com/Darwins-World-Epic-Survival/dp/1720070776/

Lynn

My tastes are slowly changing, I think. I'm kinda bored of classic futuristic settings, spaceships, lasers, robots etc. I want books with some REALLY weird worldbuilding. Universes that work completely different from ours, creatures that are almost incomprehensible, weird physics, biotechnology, extreme transhumanism, weird names and concepts that have almost nothing in common with our times and usual scifi tropes.

I'm struggling a bit to think of an example, but I want something that feels like:

• Beksinski paintings
• Blame!
• GodHusk
• Scorn
• Annihilation
• existenz
• Embassytown
• Humanity Lost
• Inverted World

Anyone knows any books with these vibes and concepts?

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson and Childhood's End by Clarke are two particularly are strong examples of this.

Anything else that keep me guessing?

I’m always surprised when science fiction novels written as recently as the 80s and 90s always assume smoking will be everywhere in public. It seems so obvious now that people wouldnt always be ok inhaling smoke everywhere they go.

Pollution seems fairly obvious. I could easily see developed countries ban pollution, where 100% of polluting molecules must be trapped or destroyed. What else? Insurance? Plastic? Hand shakes?

Hi all, looking for something as described in the title. I read The Genocides by Thomas Disch a few months ago and thought it was amazing. The dark, bleak atmosphere and the fact that humanity has been devastated established early on was a really interesting angle for me. Finishing up Moderan which is sort of cut from the same cloth. I have Forge of God and The Killing Star sitting in my bookshelf that I plan on reading next. Anything else like this in a similar vein? Bonus pts if it's not a story where someone saves the day i.e the ending doesn't have things change for the better. Thanks and happy holidays!

Ho, I'm a great fan of Bruce Sterling, I like his political view of the future. I don't mind Gibson and I love very much the fast pacing of Snow Crash of Stephenson... Any suggestions of what I can read more? 🙏

Looking for my last read of the year. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis would be a good example.

Conversely, what are your "anti-litmus" tests. ie: someone likes book Y (a book that I don't like), so I'm unlikely to vibe with this person's other recommendations.

For myself, i find “The Three Body Problem” series to be the perfect litmus test for further recommendations. And others who like it share my preference for “big ideas” SF. The lack of “memorable characters” is not a deal breaker for them and it isn’t for me either.

My anti-litmus tests are: Ready Player One and Dark Matter. I did not vibe with these books at all. So if I see them on anyone’s list, I know that their tastes don’t align with mine.

What are some of your litmus tests?

We had just instituted a new reading program in my sophomore year (1980) and everyone had to have a book to read in study hall or they got in trouble. I went to the library and didn’t even know what I was interested in. So, seeing me looking lost, the librarian gave me several books to try out. After several false starts I started reading about a simple guy in England whose house was going to be destroyed by Vogons. Arthur and I embarked on a years long journey. I absolutely loved reading The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and all six books in the trilogy! To this day, I still pick up my treasured leather bound copy of the anthology and giggle all day or night. Thanks Douglas!

So I just finished Children of Time (absolutely loved it). Children of Ruin is on hold at my library but I rented Children of Memory. I've heard the last book is quite a bit different than the first two.

Is it different enough that I could skip Children of Ruin for now and go straight to Memory? Or will I be completely lost?

Thanks

I know this is a tall task. Things can be like a film in many ways.

The first way they can be similar is vibes. What are some stories that make you feel the way watching Everything, Everywhere, All at Once makes you feel? What matches the tone?

Another way is with similar plot elements. Most multiverse stories and many time-travel stories will share story elements with EEAAO.

Another way is themes. EEAAO has lots of themes, including:

• What it feels like to be online, bombarded by too much media
• Inter-generational trauma
• Diaspora, language barriers, and the immigrant experience
• The second-generation immigrant experience
• Nihilism vs humanism

Lastly, there's post-post-modernism. This is the big one, in my opinion. Allow me to explain what I mean by this big term (and drastically over-simplify two other definitions for the sake of context).

• Modernism is characterized by a fundamental belief that science and technology bring unyielding forward progress to a better future, and any setbacks along the way are temporary. It places faith in modern institutions (e.g. universities and modern governments, not religions and monarchies) and individual kind actions have meaning. It is deeply sincere. Star Trek is peak modernism in this way.
• Post-modernism is characterized by nihilism, detachment, and irony. It is a complete rejection of modernism. Post-modernism believes that progress is an illusion. It believes that people are selfish, modern institutions to be corrupt and wasteful and untrustworthy, and caring is a waste of effort. It is insincere to its core. Seinfeld and South Park and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia are peak post-modernism.
• Post-post-modernism is, as I define it, characterized by saying "you post-modernists aren't wrong, but I'm going to care anyway." It's deeply sincere, in spite of everything. The best example of this trend is probably Everything, Everywhere, All at Once with >!Evelyn first embracing Jobu's nihilism, then changing her mind and learning that Waymond's empathy is a strength not a weakness!<.

So yeah. What books are like Everything Everywhere All at Once, in your opinion?

Hi everyone! I know it's not *quite* the end of the year yet, what with three weeks still to go, but I was wondering what everyone's favorite read from this year was. This can include short stories, manga, etc.

I'll go first: I read the Fountains of Paradise (Arthur C Clarke) and I think I laid on the floor for 20 minutes after finishing it.

Just picked up a nice copy from BookPeople in Austin (shoutout). Seems like a long one, wanted some info on what I'm wading in to. 

People keep calling Dhalgren science fiction online because Delaney is nominally an SF author but when I flip through the paperback what I'm seeing seems more post-modern, like I'm flipping through Pynchon or DeLillo. I know there's a lot of overlap there and hey, what's the point of strict genre boundaries anyway. But I'd like to know what I'm getting in to so I can kind of plan how to approach the book.

I'd love to foster a general spoiler-lite discussion of the book, its place in the genre and your experience reading it. This is the only good subreddit and I trust your opinions. 

I’ve done some digging on this sub-genre and seen stuff like Star Surgeon, but is there anything maybe a little more modern? She’s not a big classic SF head.

Obviously my first thought was Diaspora but I’m worried it will be too difficult and just frustrate him. Same with Blindsight and Quantum Thief. So I was thinking something by Reynolds…maybe House of Suns? I’ve actually never read that one (been meaning to) but would that fit the bill? Or should I just say screw it and get him Diaspora?

Sorry for that long caption but that mostly sums up the vibe I am looking for.

The thought came to my mind during a visit to an oil rig, I could picture multiple machines extracting oil / other minerals over a vast landscape be it on land or water and it will be hellish.

So it need not be exactly that ( oil extraction) but I hope I gave you the idea!! It can be anything- completely deforested, over cultivated, drab dystopian cities covering earth, grey hell high tech but low life. A rich few have lavish life with high tech and they control the rest.

I am fine if story is not set on earth. Colony/ different planet / spaceship works fine for me. I prefer stories leaning towards hard sf and not fantasy.

By the way, is there a name for this genre?

Thanks again for this wonderful community.

Below links are their choices for best SF and popsci of 2024. But are behind paywalls. If anyone can provide the list i would be grateful

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26435190-400-the-best-new-science-fiction-books-of-2024/

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26435190-300-the-best-new-popular-science-books-of-2024/

I've been looking at my yearly wrap-up on Storygraph (a great reading app if you like graphs and data) and found that the vast majority of SF that I read is slow-paced and usually more skewed towards character than plot. This surprised me at first, because 2 years ago I would never have guessed this would've been the case. But looking at my top reads this year, they've been:

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

City by Clifford D. Simak

The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner

Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard (not an SF novel per se, but you can't ignore his background in the New Wave movement when talking about its style)

The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke

The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg

Anyone who's read all or some of those titles will know they're not exactly fast-paced or heavy on plot, and tend to prioritise character over it and have quite a small cast.

What books have do you enjoy now that you would never have guessed you'd have enjoyed say, 3-4 years ago? Any complete pivots in taste?

I've been noticing that Science Fiction is noticeably absent whenever I see Amazon's "First Reads" email every month.

But then this morning, I got my annual email from Goodreads on the reader's choice books of 2024 and Science Fiction doesn't even make the front page - you have to click through to find it.

And then the reader's choice book for this year has 74k reviews and an average review score of 3.6...higher rated books are further down the list.

And I'm just thinking to myself - can't we do better? It just seems like there isn't a lot of excitement about Science Fiction in print these days.

Yesterday the CEO of an insurance company was killed and I'm wondering if anyone else has read Doctorow's 4 story collection called Radicalized? One of the stories is about an online rage/support group for people whose loved ones have died after being denied coverage by insurance companies and then someone starts attacking insurance company CEOs....

Do you have idea which of his stories/novels this cover art is depicting

https://preview.redd.it/8xpf8xg0nz4e1.png?width=983&format=png&auto=webp&s=4278ee93b2ee0c5807bda3d9b65782c0e215c2f6