Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?

#21

Post by jamesRaybould » Sun, Jul 15, 2018, 7:17 PM UTC

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

Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?

#22

Post by laretluval » Sun, Jul 15, 2018, 7:17 PM UTC

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

Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?

#23

Post by stevewillows » Sun, Jul 15, 2018, 7:19 PM UTC

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.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?

#24

Post by honestoHeminway » Sun, Jul 15, 2018, 7:19 PM UTC

joshwcomeau wrote: post #19

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...

Ive read it and to be honest found it very dissappointing. SciFi is not about characters, its about ideas and what they do with society. Characters are just for authors who secretly crave to write "real" literature, and have no intersting ideas to explore.

As always its just my opinion, but i read it and found it lacking.

Read Le Guin instead, she had ideas and a wry sort of humor, which could be best described as situational comedy for ideologys.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?

#25

Post by Jotto999 » Sun, Jul 15, 2018, 7:19 PM UTC

Greg Egan's Diaspora was very good.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?

#26

Post by tass » Sun, Jul 15, 2018, 7:19 PM UTC

I’m a big fan of the foundation series.

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

Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?

#27

Post by aresant » Sun, Jul 15, 2018, 7:19 PM UTC

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

Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?

#28

Post by gorbachev » Sun, Jul 15, 2018, 7:20 PM UTC

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.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?

#29

Post by geuis » Sun, Jul 15, 2018, 7:20 PM UTC

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

Also the Bobiverse series. https://mobile.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/We-Are-Legion-W...

Re: Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?

#30

Post by webmaven » Sun, Jul 15, 2018, 7:21 PM UTC

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

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

https://www.goodreads.com/series/49629-callahan-s