Give me Sci-Fi…

[BeGoneSpoon]

I haven’t read much sci fi and have found it intimidating in the past, but I loved The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. Can anyone recommend something similar? Spaceships, new worlds, new species, but with decent relationships and social commentary? Thank you.

I have got the second book in the series but haven’t read it yet. The long Way to a small angry planet was my first sci fi and it was fab.

My dh is more of the sci fi hound here (and does like hard sci fi where the science is more accurate). He likes alastair reynolds and ian banks writing as iain m banks for sci. Also a Chinese author- can't remember his name off top.of my head, but wrote "the wandering earth" trilogy. Think these authors also have social commentary, and what it means to be human. Also strong female characters.

Cixin Liu was the Chinese author.

Try the Ransom trilogy by C. S. Lewis. He wrote three science fiction novels between (I think) the 1930s and 1950s. The first is called Out of the Silent Planet. It's beautifully written and very entertaining.

Try the Rosewater trilogy by Tade Thompson. I guarantee you will have read nothing like it before.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosewater-Winner-Nommo-Wormwood-Trilogy/dp/0356511367/ref=nodl_?dplnkId=549907cc-bb61-487b-901d-9f49aeb21bb9

It might be useful to seek out lists of SciFi literature prize winners; this is the most well known:

https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2023-hugo-awards/

Thank you all. Yes, @Topbird29 i need strong female characters. I love that the Becky Chambers novels are more modern in their treatment of gender etc. Probably should have titled the thread ‘Give me woke sci fi…’ 😅

Have a look at N K Jemisin and Cory Doctorow.

All time classic is Ursula LeGuin.

Another old one you might like is Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy.

Asimov

I'm a life long SF geek and have to say I really enjoyed the Becky Chambers books. Of more recent authors you could you could try the World Ship Humility by RR Hayward or
Dennis E Taylor's We Are Legion both excellent books or carry on with Becky Chambers as there are sequels

Oh, Embassytown by China Mieville has a great female character, and is also very good.

Yes to China Mieville. Try Vonda MacIntyre’s Dreamsnake which has a very strong female lead.

Here's a few ideas

Childhood's End - Arthur C Clarke. A real classic from the 50s.

Anything by John Wyndham, particularly Day of the Triffids.

For something newer, the Red Rising books by Pierce Brown. A sort of dystopia on Mars.

Anything by Ursula K Le Guin

Aurora by KSR.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aurora-Kim-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0356500462

Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series has a fair bit about relationships/character development/social mores/culture clash.

Oh this is good timing - I'm on the last of Becky Chambers Wayfarers series and absolutely loved them. Amazing world building. Need something similar too.

Has anyone ready her monk & robot series? I've not tried it but wasn't sure if it would be as good as Wayfarers....?

Under the Skin by Michel Faber, it's absolutely nothing like the film at all, and it's brilliant. Disturbing and stays with you a long time.

If you want to try something more contemporary try the Backyard Starship series. Reasonable characters and both make and female ones seem quite strong charactes.

Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

New worlds, new species, social commentary, female lead.

Everything Adrian Tchaikovsky, I’ve recently discovered him and he’s excellent.

I haven’t read Monk and Robot but her stand alone novella, To Be Taught if Fortunate is fab.

Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Lady Astronaut series is great too.

I've loved Becky Chambers books so far and I'd recommend Anne Leckie's Imperial Radch series - start with Ancillary Justice

Sheri S Tepper was one of my favourite SF authors, she writes excellent women characters

Under the Skin, as posted above. I really can't understand why it's not better known.
The CS Lewis trilogy is a completely different kettle of fish, but still great
I would strongly recommend Phillip K Dick's short stories. Not the novels (which, despite many of them being adapted as films, I don't think are very good).
There's loads of them, and you can quickly see whether he suits you.

NewYear (it won't let me quote you) - I'm just reading 'To be Taught, If Fortunate' now, I'm getting withdrawals already as I'm halfway through. Lovely book.

I second Sheri S Tepper. Early on she wrote a great set of fantasy novels - Mavin Manyshaped if I remember correctly. She then wrote the Marianne trilogy: strong female lead. Highly recommended. Since then she's written a number of stand-alone novels with a very strong feminist slant, of which my great favourite is 'The Gate to Women's Country'.