this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2023
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Science Fiction

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Lemmy World Rules

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I'm currently reading the Wool omnibus by Hugh Howey. It's pretty decent I've been making very rapid progress as it's been too hot to sleep here recently now the summer has arrived.

I haven't seen the Apple show, but maybe I'll watch it in the future when I've finished all the books (I had Shift and Dust as well).

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[–] FatLegTed@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (10 children)

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. Was a recommendation on the R site.

Complex, eon spanning, hard sci-fi. I'm loving it!

[–] CuriousLibrarian@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

I finished Seveneves a few weeks ago. If I wasn't reading it with a friend I wouldn't have finished. I am glad I did, I loved the last 1/4 of the book.

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[–] ReallyKinda@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Working my way through some Hugo winners past— reading A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M Miller.

[–] CylonBunny@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I really liked Canticle, but I really felt like it suffered from being a fix-up novel. It’s three acts are not equal and don’t totally fit together in my opinion. It really starts off strong though! Hope you like it!

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[–] needthosepylons@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Just finished The Dispossessed, by Ursula Le Guin and going to look for a library where I can buy the next book in the Hain cycle !

[–] CuriousLibrarian@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

I listened to the 2nd and 3rd books of the Murderbot series on a car ride recently. I had read them before, but it was the first time that he did. I really enjoyed laughing with him.

[–] paper_clip@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I've been working through The Expanse books, and have just started Leviathan Falls.

[–] Chetzemoka@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

I'm about halfway through Persepolis Rising. That prologue was one hell of a jolt!

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[–] LamerTex@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

I'm rereading Asimov's complete saga in "internal story chronological order":

  1. I, Robot / The Complete Robot (except 'Mirror Image'!) [ROBOTS]

  2. The Caves of Steel [ROBOTS]

  3. The Naked Sun [ROBOTS]

  4. Mirror Image (short story) [ROBOTS]

  5. The Robots of Dawn [ROBOTS]

  6. Robots and Empire [ROBOTS]

  7. The Stars, Like Dust-- [EMPIRE]

  8. The Currents of Space [EMPIRE]

  9. Pebble in the Sky [EMPIRE]

  10. Prelude to Foundation [FOUNDATION]

  11. Forward the Foundation [FOUNDATION]

  12. Foundation [FOUNDATION]

  13. Foundation and Empire [FOUNDATION]

  14. Second Foundation [FOUNDATION]

  15. Foundation's Edge [FOUNDATION]

  16. Foundation and Earth [FOUNDATION]

I'm currently on "Forward the foundation"

[–] Narauko@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

The Foundation series is absolutely amazing, and I am jealous of you if this is your first reading. One of my formative series growing up. You're inspiring me to do the whole Asimov read through like your doing, because I don't believe I ever read the Empire books and never read Robot beyond I, Robot.

[–] FantasticFox@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm surprised The Caves of Steel is so early as it seemed really futuristic compared to most of The Complete Robot, but I read it a long time ago so maybe I'm not remembering correctly.

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[–] jetsetdorito@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I'm really trying to read Three Body Problem, but I'm having a hard time following

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[–] rephlekt2718@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not science fiction, but I’m loving Carl Sagans “The Demon-Haunted World”. He really was a brilliant dude.

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[–] Botree@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Broken Earth Trilogy. I finished reading the entire Wool series many years back and gave it a 3.5/5. Really strong start but unfortunately the pacing for the rest of it wasn't quite to my liking.

[–] allalae@orcas.enjoying.yachts 4 points 1 year ago

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine.

I really loved the first book in the series, A Memory Called Empire, but I find the second one harder to get through. The writing really gets into the protagonist's head, and with all the stress she's in, it gets... claustrophobic, I guess, for me. I wish there was a bit more focus on the plot about the cool mysterious aliens.

[–] teft@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I just finished up a first time read of Wheel of Time series. Solid 8 months of reading but 100% worth it. Mat Cauthon is my second favorite character ever written I think.

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[–] w3dd1e@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Wool was great. And the show was good too. You can basically watch the first season after finishing Wool, if you’d like.

I’m reading He Who Fights With Monsters but I’m going to dig through this thread and find a good scifi novel to read next!

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[–] lawrence@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I am currently reading "Wool - Silo, book 1" by Hugh Howey. It's an incredible post-apocalyptic story about a fully functioning society that resides inside a massive silo. Nobody can venture outside due to the toxic environment outside that make survival impossible, even with protective clothing.

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[–] fl3tching101@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Currently reading Foundation and Earth by Asimov, I absolutely loved the original trilogy so I’ve been reading through the sequels and plan on going back to the prequels after. In my opinion the sequels have a big shift in pacing and sort of the way that the plot develops… not sure how I feel about that. On one hand it is easier to keep up with with less characters, but on the other it feels like the scale of things is much smaller. Trying to not spoil anything. The series is a fantastic read nevertheless!

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[–] ANuStart@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm on Tiamats Wake in the Expanse series, love it

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[–] szczur@szmer.info 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Roadside Picnic by brothers Strugatsky.

It's really fun, with a cool premise. It's a classic though. Basically: Aliens come to Earth for a fraction of second and dump their garbage there. The places of impact are basically turned into paranormal zones and people are actively trying to scavenge the wonders of the civilisation so alien to us we couldn't even catch a glimpse of what they are.

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[–] cetvrti_magi@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

"The complete robot" by Isaac Asimov.

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[–] VAparicio@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Currently I'm reading the Space Odyssey series by Arthur C. Clark

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[–] MagpieRhymes@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I’m working my way through both the Murderbot Diaries (just started Network Effect) and the Rivers of London series (just finished Broken Homes, though this series is more urban fantasy). Both and very enjoyable!

[–] OldFartPhil@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The murderbot stories get so much praise but I was never able to get into them. I binge read (well, actually binge listened) to the Rivers of London books a few months ago and thought they were first-rate.

I just finished the new Ann Leckie book, Translation State, which I liked very much. If you couldn't get enough of the the Imperial Radch universe it's a must read.

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[–] AWizard_ATrueStar@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

Currently reading “The Exiled Fleet” by J. S. Dewes. This is the second in her “The Divide” series. It is pretty good. I picked up the first book because she did a release event with Scalzi during that time we were all locked in our homes and the story sounded interesting. The first one was compelling enough for me to see the series through although she has not announced the publication of the third book yet and has just released a standalone novel unrelated to the series.

[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Currently on The Hydrogen Sonata of a The Culture marathon.

[–] varjen@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

I'm currently nostalgia-reading Robert Rankin's Dance Of The Voodoo Handbag but that's more far fetched fiction than sci-fi. Silly, entertaining and lots of tall tales. I'm also reading The Quantum Magician by Derek Künsken. I was hoping for it to be the start of a good series of books to read over the summer but it's not very good. I will probably not bother with the rest of the series.

[–] BloodyFable@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

My girlfriend and I are listening to The Foundation right now, it's wild how much material is based directly on that book.

@FantasticFox@lemmy.world Wool is really good, I read the first few and it stuck with me as a decent sci-fi setting. Unfortunately it's YA roots show the longer into the series you get.

[–] Z_ford_prefect@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Wool was great! The rest of the series too. I've been watching the show and I think they did a pretty good adaptation with it.

Currently reading "This is How you Lose the Time-war". Just started it but it's an interesting concept and different from my usual sci-fi reads

[–] OldFartPhil@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Based on the posts in this thread, I see a lot of overlap between urban fantasy fans and science fiction fans. With the exception of Lord of the Rings, I've never cared much for high fantasy, but I've really enjoyed the urban fantasy series I've read. If anyone is interested, I've enjoyed...

  1. The Laundry Files by Charles Stross
  2. The City We Became and The World We Make by MK Jemisin
  3. The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
  4. The Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey
  5. The Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch
  6. The Stranger Times series by C.K. McDonnell
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[–] Walop@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 year ago

I am reading currently Snow Crash. A great example how pioneers of a genre seem to lose their originality over time, but the book hasn't changed, everyone else has just copied it to death.

Previously I read some if the Culture series and got surprised by the genuine atrocities popping up in them. The books were interesting and the horrible things had a reason to be there, but I just became overwhelmed.

[–] CitizenKong@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I bought the two Asimov sets of the Robot books and Foundation books, but still need to finish The Stranger Times (Urban fantasy) before delving into that. Read The Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky before that.

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[–] clockwork_octopus@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Just started The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel, too early to see if I like it yet. I’ve got some pretty high hopes though, Station Eleven was absolutely fantastic!

I just finished the Watchmaker of Filigree Street series, and loved that as well! IMO, the second was better than the first, but don’t read the second without reading the first since you need the context.

[–] Leap@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Just finished Inversions by Iain M Banks. Classic series. Stupendous world building.

[–] skeswo320@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I'm currently reading Chibola Burn, the forth book in The Expanse series. Really enjoying it, specially since the third one was my least favorite of the first three. So it feels good to be loving a book in the series again.

I would recommend the series to fans of somewhat believable sci-fi.

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[–] The_one_and_only@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm on the last book of the riftwat-series by Raymond E Feist. Truly a masterpiece, even some 30-odd books into it.

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[–] rizo@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Just ended with 'Children of Time' by Adrian Tchaikovsky and will now start 'Children of Ruin' (the second in the series). I liked it a lot,... the gist of it:

  • Humans terraform planets
  • Humans want 'crispr' intelligent apes
  • Humans kill each other
  • Crispr can't find apes,.. uses spiders instead
  • Other Humans come eons later and find intelligent spiders

The story is told through the eyes of the spiders and the surviving humans and how they try to communicate, think in different terms, fight for the last habitable planet,....

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[–] OogieBoogieMan@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Currently reading The Frugal Wizard’s Guidebook to Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson. Interesting mix of Sci-Fi and Fantasy

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[–] DarthVi@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I'm currently reading Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, which is the first book of the Expanse series. I haven't watched the TV series, since I wanted to dive into the books without previous knowledge.

[–] FantasticFox@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

I've read all of them. The TV series is incredible as well and had the full involvement of the authors. Some stuff is done better in the books (like the stuff that doesn't translate so well to screen such as the lanky belters and zero-gravity) and some stuff is done better in the TV show (they had an incredibly good cast of actors, all of whom really added to the roles - Krisjen, Ashford and Drummer in particular were amazing).

It was a really really good adaptation and it's quite rare you see that.

[–] FatLegTed@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And they are magnificent.

So is the TV series ; -)

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[–] Ranolden@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Surface Detail, and The State of the Art by Iain M Banks. Been on a Culture bend recently. Excession is next on my list

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[–] nachof@feddit.cl 2 points 1 year ago

State Tectonics, third book of the Centenal Cycle by Malka Older. It's not bad so far, but it feels like too artificial. Like the setting doesn't make much sense, the author just wanted to play with it. Yes, same applies to the first two books. I liked the first one much more to be honest.

[–] grady77@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I’m currently hooked on the Dresden Files, by no means perfect literary master pieces but damn if I’m not completely hooked. I’m averaging one-two books of the series a week right now lol

Also just finished Revival by Stephen King as an audio book. I’m a big Stephen King fan, but I have to say I did not find this book to be that scary and the build up was looooong even by his standards.

[–] CuriousLibrarian@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I use the Dresden files books as a palate cleanser between more difficult reads. So much fun. I listen to the audiobooks read by James Marsters.

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[–] GadolElohai@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I just started reading "The Curse of Chalion" bu Lois McMaster Bujold, following a rather specific fantasy itch that was most recently scratched by "The Goblin Emperor" (by Sarah Monette) and before that by the Valdemar series, particularly the Arrows of the Queen and Winds of Fate series. I hope it delivers!

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[–] dominiquec@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I DNFed Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. I had high hopes because the concept was reminiscent of Philip K Dick's stories but I found the book to be a confusing slog with characters seemingly pulled from nowhere and with the plot muddling along with coincidences and revelations. There are a few gems of ideas in there, just takes too long to unpack.

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[–] Izzy@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm almost done the Lords of Uncreation which is book 3 of The Final Architecture. Quite the epic space opera. Then I will pick up Wool as season 1 of the TV series will be concluded.

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