Lot of great recommendations in here. The Martian by Andy Weir is my pick. Absolutely exhilarating.
Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?
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Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?
#72I'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
Love both of these. Perhaps more so "A Deepness in the Sky", with its darker tone, very thoughtful programming-related remarks, and the reversed "alien invasion" concept.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?
#73I particularly enjoyed Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson (won the Hugo Award) and Liu Cixin's collection of short stories, The Wandering Earth.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?
#74Although 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.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?
#75"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.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?
#76I 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
I always considered the HC to be Hyperion and The Dawn of Hyperion. They as entity, leaving things open but felt cohesive. Would you recommend the later Endymions?
Absolutely. The latter two books have a different feel but are as impressive as the first in different ways.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?
#77I'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
I really like how Vinge addressed the Fermi paradox by permitting that the constants of physics may not be different in different parts of the galaxy.
The first chapter (via Audiobook) was one of the best first chapters I've ever read / listened to. I was totally hooked after that.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?
#78Fun, 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.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?
#79Wool
Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?
#80I'd recommend the Vatta's War series by Elizabeth Moon. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/284658.Trading_in_Danger...
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.