10 Modern SciFi Reads I Can't Stop Talking About 

This is one of the best Sci fi book recommendation videos out there. It's so refreshing to see a list that doesn't just copy and past from the awards sites.

i absolutely love your editing style, it makes it so much more interesting to watch! always looking for more sci fi recs and it’s so hard to find sci fi booktubers

learned about your channel through the alliance and you've become one of my absolute favorite booktube creators. keep at it, loving the vibe

I read Remanent Population because of your recommendation. I can't express how much I LOVED it. It's the kind of book that stays with you. I often find my mind drifting over and visiting Ophelia in her world.

First time watching. I am so excited to see someone talk about Remnant Population! I have read that book at least 5 times. the first time was in my early 30s and each time I reread it as I get older, now 55, I find more to relate to. How often do we get a senior citizen protagonist in sci-fi? Not just long lived, but in her twilight years? Ophelia is such a fantastic character. If you are interested try Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon. The theme is autism and Moon does have a child (now adult) on the spectrum. When I was teaching I donated a copy to my school library for the teachers. On the fantasy side her Paksennarrion books are terrific. Dawn was the first Octavia Butler book I read as well and I was blown away. I’ve since read most of her books/stories and am sad I will soon run out. Oryx & Crake, Semiosis, Embassytown, Ninefox Gambit, Mountain in the Sea and the Culture books were all already on my TBR. I read the Wake trilogy when it first came out and though I don’t remember the details I enjoyed it a lot as I do all of Sawyer’s books. Calculating God by him is a top 10 fave that I even got my sci-fi hating Dad to read and love. Definitely subscribing as our tastes seem similar. Great video.

Man, you did it again. You made my TBR bigger! It's all good. I think it's inspiring and it makes me keep on reading. So thank you.

Your channel popped up in my feed, never seen it before and now I’ve orders two new books! The Mountain in the Sea and Dawn. Thank you for making the video.

Some solid recs here and very refreshing to see a channel where its not just the same books everybody else has already recommended a million times. Definitely subscribing.

HAHAHAH loved the dust kickup when you hit the pile! LOL!!!!🤣

So excited to talk about the rest of the Machineries Empire with you. And I really appreciate hearing about your experience with Oryx and Crake. I still haven't pulled the trigger on buying the the audio but I likely will

I've recently rekindled my interest in sci-fi and am so glad I found this channel! Subbed.

Great list. When I saw Oryx And Crake on your list I knew I had to see what else you're recommending!

Thanks :) I am beginning The Three Body Problem again. I was a bit lost the first time through, but for some reason the author's intent (but not the emerging/ hidden story line - carefully exposed as the reader keeps pace) is a bit easier to discern. Also:I have reserved China Meiville's book on your recommendation :-) I am glad I found you 🙂

Thks for the picks! Miéville’s books are just wow. Still scratchin' my head about City and the City.

Omg!!! I'm so happy i found you! Finally someone who loves the same type of books...so helpful. Thank you.

Great video…thanks for the recs!

Loved the graphics and your content.

I've read the Machineries of Empire series twice now after being stunned by Ninefox Gambit. It's honestly surprising how little I've seen about it - it's got a ton of unique ideas, and great queer rep. Great list :) Excited to explore the recs I haven't read!

Appreciate the reading recs. When I look at my completed reads list of SF, I have a huge dessert... Between Ender's Game (1986) and Ancillary Justice (2013), I can only say I've read the Harry Potter books and maybe 2-3 more books. I'm collecting more for TBR, but need to prioritize a few to fill in this huge gap and get more convinced that modern SF can bring a lot to the table.

Great video, thanks for discussing all these great books! I definitely want to pick up Semiosis

I have read most if not all of Iain Banks' books. Player of Games was my first, also. The Culture, sentient Star ships, and Orbitals is an amazing set of concepts.This is a great series. Try Consider Phlebas next.

The last two books in the Margaret Atwood Maddaddam trilogy are absolutely fantastic. She puts the whole story together in a beautiful design. Well worth reading. One of my favorite tales, a grand trilogy.

Wow. Loving your book recommendation videos!

Nice! Definitely checking out Mountain in the Sea and Remnant Population sometime soon. You've picked some of my absolute favourites - I recently listened to the Maddaddam trilogy in audiobook format in the car, and it was one of the best audio productions I've heard yet. Highly recommended.

I love your recommendations! I added all of them to my tbr 😆

Thank you. A wonderful introduction to new books I hadn’t heard of before. You have given me a real gift, for someone who calls himself scifiron!

Oh, and thank you for introducing me to Bookpilled. I read for content and it is good to have some indepth insight into what is out there.

Consider Phlebas was the first Banks novel I read, absolutely blew me away. Brilliant work.

Great choice for number 1! That series I couldn’t stop reading and it’s been living rent free in my head for over a year now!

Hello Secret Sauce Lady, very well done reviews, this is my first video from you. I will be following you going forward, and I will check out your earlier episodes. Your definition of “modern” sci fi works for me, and it is good to focus on modern books, I don’t want to cover the classics again. Thank you!

If you are tackling the Culture novels I would highly recommend you go with “Look to Windward” next. ‘Consider Phlebas” is tough going, but Windward is Banks’ masterpiece and absolutely brilliant, hilarious and unputdownable. Edit: OMG, finally a book tuber talking about Mieville! Have you read the City and the City? And the Bas Lag trilogy is also outstanding (Iron Council is mind-blowing!). Railsea…etc etc…

I just subscribed. Thanks for the recommendations. A few there I've never heard of that I am keen to dig into. Always searching for good sci fi.

Phlebas is great and not confusing. Audiobook is also fantastic. Villain’s voice is hilarious. Use of Weapons is quite challenging though because of structure, but great

What a great list so many books I haven’t heard of! I think Consider Phlebas is a fine place to start I actually had a lot of fun with it. You just have to understand your not getting as much perspective from the Culture. It immediately gives you perspective and an idea of how other species and worlds view the Culture. I’m also biased bc Culture series is my favorite space opera of all time lol.

I totally agree with you about The Mountain in the Sea, easily my favorite new release from 2022. If you're looking for something with similar vibes about consciousness, I highly recommend Observer by Nancy Kress. It gets into quantum science, so it's a bit of a mind screw, but I really really enjoyed it. In any case, I love your channel!

Try the Binti books by Nnedi Okorafor. Her concept of sentient beings other than earthlings is really fascinating. And Binti is a character for the classics.

Perfect! Your review site is possibly the best on the web with your mix of enthusiasm, intelligent commentary, contemplative questioning and inserted "art". Most sites are, "This book is great because it was fun" or "Here's what happened." You strike that happy medium by telling us just enough to entice us. Three that sound like you. Paul Hardy's The Inquisitor's Progress (an inquisitor in a medieval kingdom dies only to discovers he is a game figure in a virtual reality game created within a virtual reality game... He climbs through realities and meets an alien intelligence who forces him into a life or death contest. Spectacular. Last Man on Earth Club is a quirky, captivative ..therapy session(!) of the last humans from various Earths in the multiverse. Sounds corny but it is such food for thought. Eversion (Reynolds) was a tour de force of writing and ideas. Two timelines intertwine, bleeding into each other, hinting at the unimaginable truth. I love all his works.

the mountain in the sea caught me by such surprise. it is so much about the nature of consciousness and i loved it so much

Great video Whitney. You always cover so many books. Most of these I had never heard of. Right now Michael has me on kind of a Greg Egan kick. I read Axiomatic, short stories, and really liked it. I decided to tackle Diaspora. Yikes lol. The first 10 to 15 pages explaining how beings in the virtual reality are born, I think lol. My head was swimming. I looked back at a page I just read and counted like 7 sentences with words I'd never seen or didn't know the meaning of(old guy, high school diploma, limited vocabulary here lol). It finally started moving pretty good then I hit another wall with explanations of worm holes and various theories about it lol. It's starting to take off again and other than the walls I'm hitting, it's been pretty good. I hope I have smooth sailing from here on in.

I somehow didn't stumble across Octavia Butler until last year when I read Parable of the Sower and holy hell, everyone needs to read everything she has written

To me reading Oryx and Crake felt like that scene in A Clockwork Orange which they forced Alex to watch disturbing and violent films. That book hits hard af.

Ugh. I needed this video. I just finished the Three Body Problem series and I need something to continue this existential dread that the series sent me in to.

I completely agree with everything you said about the books on your list that I have read, and intend to dive immediately into the others, beginning with Dawn.

I loved Player of Games - probably my favorite Culture book. I've ready other Sawyer (the one about the Neanderthals from a parallel universe) and that was great. Among the Culture books, i liked Consider Phlebas a lot, and Use of Weapons was really interesting. Great reviews - keep it up!

These are intriguing books to check out that I’ve never heard of before. Thanks. Not sure if Red Rising qualifies but just finished the first trilogy and it was amazing.

I love the idea of language changing the way you look at, and the way you understand the universe, as it's absolutely true. Speaking two languages and understanding two more, not so good though, really opened my mind to so many things, most important of which is language completely changing the way you look at things, so I can only imagine how an alien language could completely re-wire your brain. So hey! You got a new subscriber, truly enjoying these 👍🏻🖤🛸

Just reserved Embassytown at my library. 🙂 I love your presentation.

Elizabeth Moon has been around a while, I have read many of her books and collaborations. Thanks for mentioning this book Remnant Population. I will give it a read!

I'll be checking out the Mountain in the Sea. Great line-up, but that one stood out to me.

I think Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time would be up your alley based on your list here. It's one of the best scifi books I've read. It's got generations ships, deep space exploration, sentient spiders, evolution, tribalism, first contact, and a lot more. Check it out!

I loved remnant population. It was so different and enticing read And Dawn was amazing. Such an interesting exploration of first contact.

Melville's Perdido Street Station is so excellent, the opening prolouge describes a river and you just know its the Thames and London that he used as a point of departure, brilliantly written.

Thank you so much for this video. I’ve almost been in despair.

I like that I haven’t heard of any of these. I’m a relatively new reader and I feel I’ve already read most popular “top tens”. I knew it was an ignorant thought but I was starting to think I’ve already read all the “great” books so this was refreshing

Great list! Dawn and Embassytown are two of my all-time favorites - glad you highlighted them.

Elizabeth Moon's Speed of Dark is another soft sci-fi story told from a unique perspective.

Ninefox Gambit was such a tough read for me.. but i finished it. I do have book 2 on a wishlist because Rachel says its much better than book 1. Anyway, great video!

A lot of good suggestions. Thank you. Also, I loved Consider Phlebas, I don't know why so many people have a problem with it. I might have a few criticisms about an author, but I never say anything about a book, other than "Read it". Also, Cormac McCarthy does a real good job at bleak future. Too good a job.

For a single book I highly recommend 'prefect' by Alistair Reynolds. It is set in his universe so whilst there are other books that begin in his universe, this standalone book doesn't need you to have read any of them as it does a really good job of explaining things. It was the very first of his books I read, and it is outstanding.

Thanks for another v interesting video. I read Butler's trilogy and enjoyed as it came out in UK pb (must read it again); I also really like her last novel Fledgling. As you loved Moon's Remnant Population, I strongly recommend her other standalone novel, Speed of Dark; it won a Nebula, and is set in a near-future North America with some technological advances, one of which is a technique for identifying and curing for Autism which only works up to a certain age. The main character is adult and neuro-diverse, working for a company which relies on his data analysis skills, which are far superior to those of neurotypicals.

So glad you did mountain in the sea. Loved that book. A great read and very cool world building and certainly cuts close. Got a few on your list I am keen to read. I’m new to the channel so you may have covered it but I just finished reading The Three Body Problem series and it’s very cool, very epic and certainly got me thinking.

"It was more of an eye-opening for me". That was awesome.

📚 So many interesting sounding books in here! I’ve read a few (Oryx! Oh, and Semiosis is a 5⭐️ read 😍), many are sat on my shelves already (Luna! Ninefox Gambit!!), and a few are on a wishlist already (Mountain in the Sea!). I’ve read quite a few Elizabeth Moon, but not that “Remnant Population” for some reason 🤔

I thought Luna was good too once it got going. Remnant Population is a favorite of mine. It's such a unique story and Ophelia is just great. Wake sounds interesting. I've found that with Sawyer I love his first books but any sequels are weaker. I think I'll read the first one. I have a question about the Culture series. I bounced hard off the first one. Are the books fairly standalone? Is there an overarcing story? Thank you again for your eclectic recommendations. I find that we have similar tastes. I read Mountain in the Sea on your rec and it was great!

“The characters are really spoiled, terrible people.” Wuthering Heights in space, got it

Great video. So many of these are on my TBR. Really enjoyed Player of Games.Sadly it's the only Culture book I've enjoyed so far. DNFed Consider Phlebas and Excession. Did manage to finish Use of Weapons, but it was a bit of a chore. But don't take my word for it - I am very much in the minority it seems.

I can agree, that Consider Phlebas is a bad start into the Culture novel's. Player of Games and Use of Weapon are the best to get a first insight of the Culture. I may take a look into two or three books you recommended, but I have a huge backlog of books atm. Reading SciFi for nearly 50 years, I always enjoy something new.

Thank You!

I also call them audible books 😂 I’ve seen Luna around but seeing that Kim Stanley Robinson blurb on the top makes me want to pick it up even more!

Embassytown is a fantastic intellectual read, but my favourites are Mieville’s earlier works - Perdido Street Station and The Scar in particular. Yes his later works add depth and better frameworks for him to work with - but his early days showcase his raw talent and breadth of imagination

Angela from Literature Science Alliance really loves Ninefox Gambit. She’s why it’s on my tbr..

great list ; joined the discord =]

Becky Chambers is awesome. 5 books in the Wayfarers Series and 2 books in the Monk and Robot series (waiting for a third?) also a stand alone To be Taught if Fortunate. She is writing a new book not related to any of her previous books. can't wait!

That’s a really good list, I’d try to add a McDevitt in there somewhere, as well.

To add another book to this (that I guarantee that a lot of other people would agree with): Project Hail Mary. It’s the book that initially got me into sci-fi (yes, I’m new to the genre) and it’s currently my favorite book I’ve ever read. The characters are charming, yet relatable, the story doesn’t feel like the reader is getting left behind yet still giving accurate science as well as theories. It was also written by Andy Wier, same person who made the Martian (also an awesome book) but I think it was a bit stronger, with a bit kore of an enticing story. TLDR; Project Hail Mary is a great book, you should read it.

With the Remant Population I think the author might have been inspired by current situation. In many countries the villages are abandoned with younger people moving to the city to work any only the old ones staying behind in a formerly lively places. The same goes for various industrial ghost towns or even cities where thousands used to live and now there is just a handful of residents.

I read Remnant Population a long time ago, I would be lying if I said I remember much! She has written other books I love though, especially Once a Hero (book 4 of Serrano Legacy, though it's not essential to read the first three to read that one) which I've reread countless times over the years. Ninefox Gambit and The Mountain in the Sea are both on the list of books I would like to read in April. Whether I will get through very much of that list in the 10 days remaining is another matter 😂

I found "EmbassyTown" to be an engaging read, although I don't know if I'd call it a First Contact strory. It has an interesting, underlying concept dealing with communication between species, and what unforseen consequences that may have.

Neal Stephenson - Anathem. Academic monks tackle 4th contact… Alastair Reynolds - Chasm City. Never has a tale spanning hundreds of years seemed so immediate; also an excellent entry to a whole universe. Second others with Mielville's City and the City and agree with Player of Games, but Excession is my Banks #1. I'd love to know where you place William Gibson given his overall longevity and recent successes…

I read The One by John Marrs this month and it was such a fun fast-paced sci-fi thriller! If you haven't read it yet and are a fan of Black Mirror, I can highly recommend it!

More for my massive TBR list! 😅

Semiosis! Heavens! The Bamboo character! What a bloody awesome novel! I hope the second part can compete..... I haven't heard yet.

I ordered REMNANT POPULATION and NINEFOX GAMBIT after hearing your synopsis. Thank you.

Consider Phoebus is fantastic, I have read it multiple times. But Use of Weapons is my favourite culture novel, closely followed by Excession.

Some great recommendations there, what do you think of The Martian if you've read it

Oh, these sound like good recommendation -- especially Dawn. BTW, what did you think of the three body problem?

I read the Octavia Butler books in the late 80s. There is a compilation of the three called Xenogenesis.

I loved Use of Weapons and Surface Detail in Th Culture series!

20:00 - I agree about _Lilith's Brood_ series, but a novice reader would perhaps be well advised to start with Butler's only short fiction and essay collection, _Bloodchild and Other Stories_ and proceed if they "click" with it. I did.

I've read the Dawn trilogy, and it was excellent. Highly recommend...

china mieville is really something. it got a little bit sad about not seeing any charless stross scifi books on the list cause GODAMN charles stross scifi

I think Excession is the best Culture novel - but that's because it is my favourite novel. Player of Games was what got me into the series. My read was we never got much description of the game, because Gurgeh spent 70 years studying it; it was too broad a scope to compress into the novel.

Subbed. It was then a surprise to see that this channel has JUST 5410 subs. p.s.: are You a med doc? (If You wanna say). bybye

Every review of Semiosis makes me think of 40,000 In Gehenna by CJ Cherryh. Probably because I'm a huge Cherryh fan but the similarities are striking. Give it a read sometime. I'd like to hear an unbiased opinion. It's a stand alone in the Alliance/Union universe Elizabeth Moon often has, ahhhh, older women in her books. Great-aunt Grace in the Vatta's War series is my favorite.

You should check out Snow Crash and SevenEves by Neal Stephenson. Former is cyberpunk and latter is celestial catastrophe survival sci-fi.

The Luna trilogy! Why don't more people talk about the Luna trilogy! I got so invested that by the end of the third book I had to design my own Corta Hélio t-shirt. I recognise what you said about the start being hard to get into though - the first couple of chapters just felt like a soap opera with bitchy power maneuvering and spoiled teenagers. Then it grabbed me :)

I have to thank you for introducing me to Semiosis. One of the marks of a great author is the ability to accurately depict the opposite sex. I'm in the middle of Higgins' story and I'm having a blast. The author has me feeling all kinds of secondhand emotion and I was rolling laughing at Higgins' underhanded comments about Beck, the man married to the woman he loves.

Many books that were new to me. I've seen ninefox in library and I dnf's Phlebas and Embsssytown. But i loved Player of Games and the city and the city. Probably because those are more palatable. Player of games has one of the coolest beginnings ever: this story starts with a battle that is not a battle, and ends with a game that is not a game. 😊 Happy to see Sawyer's wake there too. I've read the trilogy twice, and was always wondering if this is higher lit and or ya or not. Also I pondered that it's interesting to read a book about a disabled protagonist, and how accurate it could be. My recommendation which us not usually on lists is Max Barry's Lexikon. It's about the power of words and manipulation. It's a page turner and horrifying and exciting at the same time.

This video is still kicking butt.👍

Oryx and Crank was a great read. Need to get back to the trilogy