Friday Break: Book Recs, Science Fiction

This post is for newsletter subscribers, to recommend a few science fiction books. These are all entertaining and thought provoking. Also, each of them engages with themes are directly relevant today with regards to social structures such as politics and economics, and/or AI technologies.

I was fortunate to study writing with the late SF Grand Master, James Gunn. He often made two points: that science fiction might save the world (by letting us explore hypotheticals to avoid and plan potential responses), and that all fiction should be entertaining (otherwise what is the point?)

To Gunn's points, each of these books is entertaining — and maybe each is helpful to save the world. All of these authors offer more to read if you like them. Several of the titles anchor series with 3+ books.

I’ll also acknowledge the counter-narrative to Gunn’s positive claims for SF: it also contributes to expectations and fantasies — such as those about AI — that are destructive when we absorb them uncritically. (IMO this is usually due to lack of understanding, when readers don’t understand that SF is not about predicting the future; it’s about exploring themes that are happening now.)

Jemisin's and Scalzi's books are reportedly filming as TV series (Corey's and Chiang's already have been filmed). Read the books first!

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Ted Chiang. Stories of Your Life and Others. One of the best short story collections I've read. The title story is an astounding look at the limits of human experience. Read it first and then watch the movie adaptation, Arrival. Amazon, Powells.

James S.A. Corey. Leviathan Wakes. First in a series filmed as The Expanse. A great look at a future that feels much more probable than than those often portrayed much of SF, with battling factions, politics, economies, billionaires, and solar system conflict. Read and then watch The Expanse. Amazon, Powells.

N.K. Jemisin. The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth Trilogy). It takes a while — perhaps 100 pages — to "learn how to read" this book. Stick with it! Is it fantasy or science fiction? Either way the entire series deserves its 3-in-a-row Hugo awards. Amazon, Powells.

Stephen Markley. The Deluge. This title is not genre SciFi; it is literary fiction set in the near future, but it is close enough for me to include it. A sprawling book about climate change, societal breakdown, power, and political action in the near term US, with multiple story lines that converge dramatically. Amazon, Powells.

John Scalzi. Old Man's War. This has one of the best and most memorable opening pages of any book. It is military style SF, but even if that's not your thing, you'll likely enjoy it. It is a fun read that maxes out on the factors of fast plot and entertainment in SF. Amazon, Powells.

Adrian Tchaikovsky. Children of Time. Besides being great space opera, this series has outstanding portrayals of non-human cognition. For those interested in AI and AGI, I recommend reading the series and considering what those themes tell us about AI. Amazon, Powells.

Robert Charles Wilson. Spin. I love Wilson's books for their portrayal of near-future society. Even more, his writing is especially humane in its focus on people. Spin is a great tale that starts one night when the stars all go dark. Amazon, Powells.

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Read them already? How about ... ?

If you like the books above, try some of these authors, according to similarities I see:

Octavia Butler ... may appeal if you like Wilson or Jemisin. At least read Parable of the Sower.
David Louis Edelman ...may appeal if you like Tchaikovsky
Greg Egan... may appeal if you like Chiang (nb, Egan is sometimes very technical)
Ann Leckie ...may appeal if you like Corey
Alaistair Reynolds... may appeal if you like Corey or Tchaikovsky
Kim Stanley Robinson... may appeal if you like Wilson. Great mix of hard science and human themes.
Neal Stephenson ... no near neighbor. Uneven IMO, suggest starting with Snow Crash or Cryptonomicon
Peter Watts ... may appeal if you like Tchaikovsky (although Watts’s worlds are substantially darker)
Martha Wells ... may appeal if you like Scalzi. The first Murderbot book has filmed & aired on Apple TV.
Connie Willis ... may appeal if you like Wilson

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My Science Fiction Short List, to Read Soon

R.F. Kuang: Babel. Have heard superlatives; saving it for the right time to read.
Arkady Martine: A Memory Called Empire. Said to be a space opera plus and diplomacy SciFi.

Happy reading!

P.S. I've also recommended literary fiction. Sometime I'll recommend mysteries, too!

Finally, as always, this post was …