Any fiction suggestions for a somewhat picky reader? The Expanse lasted me a long while but I’m finishing up the novellas now and need to start looking for something new. Not necessarily in the same genre.
I don’t have a lot of books under my belt as an adult, but some of my favorites have been Stoner by John Williams, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, East of Eden, Catch 22, Flowers for Algernon, and Harry Potter. Kind of all over the place I guess. 😅
I’ve also enjoyed John Williams’ other novels, Piranesi, The Things They Carried, House of Leaves, and Ender’s Game and the sequel.
Some books I didn’t really care for include Hitchhiker’s Guide (although I loved the first half), Lolita, Sharp Objects, Turtles All the Way Down, The Stand, The Road, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451.
I’m always overwhelmed trying to find something new, so thanks for any suggestions!
EDIT: Thank you all! It’ll be a bit daunting exploring all these new books but not nearly as daunting as if I had no guidance, so I really appreciate it!
I’m on book 6 of the Expanse and love it! My suggestions:
The Culture series - Iain M Banks. Space opera that gave us luxury gay space communism. You can pick up any book as a starting point - they’re set in the same universe spanning millennia and have very little interconnection. Explores themes of humanity in an AI world (choice, war, deceit, love, etc)
Revelation Space series - Alastair Reynolds. Closest in terms of style and sweeping scope to The Expanse. Same dry humour that can get a bit much at times.
Three Body Problem trilogy - Liu Cixin. Leans a lot heavier into the Science of sci-fi and can be very dense, but one of my favourite trilogies. What happens when you finally get a signal back from space?
Monk & Robot series (novellas) - Becky Chambers. Pure hope punk and absolutely delightful (without any of the incredibly distateful and harmful tropes found in Midnight Library). There are only two out so far, and you’ll be able to read them in a day. Of all of the recommendations I’ve listed, I implore you to read this one.
I second Monk & Robot. In fact, a lot of Becky Chambers books are good. Too much of the sci-fi genre is doom and gloom nowadays.
To Be Taught, if Fortunate (novellas) - Becky Chambers
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (trilogy) - Beck Chambers
Right!?! I even found my own writing spiraling into “and everybody dies” endings recently, so Becky Chambers was a breath of fresh air!
Not patronising, not naive, but utterly hopeful.
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Any authors or books you would recommend in the genre?
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Oh come on. The Three Body Problem is absolute trash. I’m tired of pretending the Emperor’s clothes are beautiful. I slogged through the first book as a kind of challenge to myself and regret it. I want those hours of my life back.
It’s only redeeming aspects are the brief discussion of the Chinese cultural revolution.
Go look at the negative reviews of it on goodreads. I agree with all of them.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it. I, personally, did (as did many, many other people). I thought the second book in particular was fantastic. I enjoy a lot of Chinese SFF, but I do get that it isn’t for everyone.
Maybe phrasing an opinion as a fact, and then backing it up with other people’s opinions, isn’t the best way to dissuade someone from their own opinion
EDIT: had to go back and check my original comment. I do mention that it is a bit of a slog to read. However, the ideas and presentation were worth it for me.
We’re talking about a work of fiction. Opinion is all you’re going to get.
I do think that more science fiction should be translated, and I applaud the fact that it’s been done. And as I said, I appreciated the parts about the cultural revolution, but the characters and ideas are stiff and lifeless with little motivation.
And as for many, many people liking it, you can say that about a lot of things that are objectively bad.
I guess I’ll back-peddle to “It wasnt for me.”
I get what you’re saying, though I can’t recommend Ender’s Game because your money goes to supporting gay conversion therapy. Plus, once you get into the second book, the similarities with Ender’s Game becomes a lot more dubious, and by the third book disappears entirely.
However, “Opinion is all you’re going to get” and “objectively bad” is kinda oxymoronic 😉 Are there objectively bad books? God yes, I have read enough hopeful author’s in my life to say that basic cause & effect or the notion of “story” as something apart from “series of events” are not always understood. However, I think you’re right that this is a case of opinions based on style.
TBP (the trilogy, not just the first book) is a lot more to do with societal responsibility than a single hero (though individual failings are also a theme, though usually in how they impact society/humanity as a whole). It focuses on our place in the universe from a cultural point of view starkly different to the rugged individualism of the West (most Chinese SFF doesn’t have a single protagonist), and TBP requires an enjoyment of playing with theoretical physics and geopolitics that is rather different from how they are used in contemporary Western sci-fi. So I 100% get it.
It definitely isn’t for everyone, and Chinese fiction in particular can cause a lot of headaches because of this difference in how the world is perceived between Western and Eastern cultures (Legend of the Condor Heroes - another Chinese series I love - is a great example of this), so it really isn’t your “fault” (I hesitate to use that word) for it not being your cup of tea!
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My wife is an author and I was trying to explain this to her the other day. Pirated copies aren’t “lost customers” but were statistically unlikely to ever be customers in the first place.
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Cool opinion, and I don’t fault you for it… but I loved it. 🤷♂️
Id recommend anything by Becky chambers. I just adore her writings.
I gravitate toward dark and depressing media so much. I could probably stand to fit more hopeful stories into my life so I’ll check out Monk & Robot. Thanks!