35 Sci-Fi Books I'm Going to Read 

Woah, that’s big news! Thanks for sharing, I’ll have to look it up!

@@WordsinTime 6 is called Light Bringer and 7 is called Red God. Red God may be the coolest title ever haha

@@dinocollins720 Haha yes Red God goes hard

That’s awesome that you met Joan Vinge! I have since read The Demolished Man and Snow Queen and quite enjoyed both. I look forward to Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog!

Thanks Owen! I think I’ll have fun with it!

The best introduction to Hitchikers Guide is to listen to a recording of the original BBC Radio broadcast.

That’s what I get for using Goodreads! But thanks so much Moid, I’m looking forward to it!

Thanks for all the awesome info Gearoid! I’m looking forward to discussing them more soon!

Awesome! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed those two Frankie!

That's great to hear Dominic, thanks for the info!

Read like a trilogy? Interesting. Does that mean you can just read them? After seeing the show I just can't read the whole series because the spoilers are ruined for me.

@@mrgauth they’re acts 1-2-3 of the conflict with Laconia, but it’s a direct continuation, after a significant time jump, of the first six books. There’s no major obstacle that would stop you from reading them with just the series as background, though personally I wouldn’t do that. The handful of really major plot points that matter were done the same in way the show, and reached the same stop points. The details of how they got there are often very different, so you’ve got to be ready for a lot of jarring moments, for characterizations that seem to have shifted (but it’s just differences between book and show versions of the characters), for events being referred to that you “remember” differently or have never heard of, etc. For e.g. Holden in the books was more political, while the show gave most of his connections to the OPA to Naomi, Alex didn’t die, remarried, got another kid, divorced again, Naomi and Drummer aren’t friends, Drummer is married but it wasn’t her in the books who was in a polyamorous union (it’s another character they merged with her for the show) nor was she anything but Tycho’s head of security before she was made President of the Transport Union (but she wasn’t the first one, it’s again another character they merged with her who was, but by the time of book 7 it is Drummer like on the show) etc. As far as exposition goes, the series always knew they’d stop at the sixth book and if they ever did the last arc it would be as a separate project. In that context, they did enough of the set up for the last arc for the storylines of s4-5-6 to make sense, but they skipped a lot of details they didn’t need for that part of the plot, mostly details and clues about the alien civilization. But it’s not quite enough that you wouldn’t be able to follow the developments in books 7-8-9, but the revelations might feel less fun and to come a bit more out of nowhere.

Nice! I’m looking forward to that one soon!

I bumped Pandora’s Star off my 2021 TBR but I’m committing to reading it this September! I don’t think Consider Phlebas is typically a favourite in the Culture series but I still see people speak highly of it.

Michael is great! Welcome to the channel!

Thanks so much Lisa! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed a number of books on the list. I’ll let you know which of those I enjoy as well!

Thanks so much! I’m looking forward to talking about those with you. Lots of great sci-fi ahead!

@@WordsinTime and, of course, A Desolation Called Peace.

Thanks so much Curt! I appreciate the info. I’ll let you know what I think of Do Androids!

Haha Charlie is a reader’s best friend!

Thanks so much Michael, I hope you enjoyed the 4 you read!

It will take me a while to get through! Thanks for the recommendations, I’m glad you enjoyed Snow Crash and Hitchhiker’s Guide!

Thanks so much for sharing Jim! Everyone has a different journey with reading. I always enjoyed it but read more often at times than others. For me, it was discovering Kurt Vonnegut at university that sparked my love of sci-fi!

That’s great to hear, thanks Lidens!

One of a few books that are actually enhanced by the TV show. I was lacking some visuals in the book. On the other side the background knowledge and story are better. Read and watch it

@@CHMichael agreed

It will take me a while to get through, but it will be worth it!

@@WordsinTime got a couple years still! I believe in you haha

I’m glad you liked that one, the ending was pretty crazy!

Thanks!

Cheers Liam! I’m excited for those, I’ll let you know what I think of them!

Thanks for the suggestion Richard! I’ll have a think about some of the best sci-fi detective novels I’ve read!

Thanks for the info! I’ll look that one up!

Haha it sounds bizarre in the best way!

Thanks for all the great info Mathew! I loved The Thing film so I will have to look up the short story! That’s an awesome description of Neverness, I can’t wait to read it!

Thanks! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed Consider Phlebas and Wool. I really liked 2001: A Space Odyssey but haven’t read past that as I heard mixed things about the sequels. Are you enjoying 2010?

Nice, me too! Hopefully I helped add some books to your TBR!

Pandora’s Star is on my schedule for September. I can’t wait! I don’t think I’ve ever been emotionally invested in another video game storyline as much as Detroit: Become Human. I cared about those characters so much!

@@WordsinTime Exactly, and it has such replayability. A friend of mine played it herself first without me, then wanted to watch me play it and see what choices I made without her input. We ended up with totally different story lines. She took the peaceful route, me, not so much. Plus, I’m from Detroit so that made it just that much cooler.

@@phronze1 That’s awesome! I was mostly pleased with my outcomes. I was talking to a friend and theirs sounded much more traumatic haha

That’s great to hear some of those are your favourites! Dark Matter and Recursion set a high bar so I’m sure Upgrade is still worth the read. Thanks for the info!

@@WordsinTime oh and Long Way to a Small Angry Planet was a great read. There's a lot on your TBR that are also on mine. So many books; so little time.

@@JohnG225 I’m glad I have someone to join me in the never ending battle with the TBR haha

@@WordsinTime it's a good battle to have :)

Thanks for the info, it would be interesting to read both and compare!

Haha the fight against the TBR is never ending! I did end up buying Upgrade but I think I got it for $15. I agree, $25 is a bit pricey for a paperback!

@@WordsinTime glad you found a cheaper copy

I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for the heads up on Tau Zero. That’s a great list, House of Suns and Remembrance of Earth’s Past are also favourites of mine and Dune and Foundation are deserved classics.

Thanks for all the great info Andreas! I’m especially looking forward to Doomsday Book!

@@WordsinTime It's something for the patiently read. If people complain about the book, it's that the sory starts later for their tast. Lot's of world building happen till then. And showing how difficult time travel would be, even if you prepare yourself.

Woah, you are a Greg Egan Robin Hood. Respect!

Thanks so much Dino, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

@@WordsinTime love all your videos!!!

@@dinocollins720 That’s much appreciated Dino!

Haha it is number 1 on my list of shame. I own a copy and will be reading it in the next couple of months. And that’s cool that you went to the same college as Clarke!

I hear great things about Blish. Looking forward to reading him!

Thanks for the helpful info, looking forward to those two!

@@WordsinTime at some point read Connie Willis “To say Nothing of the Dog”. A silly/very funny book.

That’s awesome to hear! I think Dan Simmons is fantastic so I have faith Ilium will be great too!

I attempted it but it seemed to me unless you had a classical greek education it was deliberately very hard going. Too hard for me anyway im not sure if simmons was being clever and showing off or just thought of course everyone knows all the greek gods, their stories and classical greek literature. (I once took The Odyssey on a greek holiday but it didn't make it any easier to read unfortunately )

Simmons is a great writer, but a very literary one. I loved Hyperion cantos (all 4 books) but my classical education is not sufficient to understand all the parts about Keats in that series (book 2?). I felt my education even more lacking to sufficiently appreciate ilium/Olympos, though I did kinda like the first book.

@@Joe-lb8qn just the way he writes, doubt showing off.

Thanks Krishna! I’ve read Neuromancer and it was a complex read. I’m looking forward to trying more cyberpunk!

@@WordsinTime That's great to know, I'll be looking forward for your review of Snow Crash. Have you made review on Neuromancer?

@@muttineni03 l have talked about it in some videos but I haven’t recorded a full review as I read it a while ago. I found it a tough read but appreciated it as I read more about it afterwards. It’s quite hard to follow but there’s lots of interesting ideas.

Pandora’s Star is the next book I’m reading! Can’t wait for it! The Culture does seem a bit hit or miss for some people. I also enjoyed The Player of Games and was mixed on Use of Weapons. I plan on reading Consider Phlebas and Excession and then I’ll decide whether to continue.

Haha you have a good eye spotting the spine in the thumbnail! I will be reading Otherland fairly soon and Hitchhiker’s Guide is on my TBR as well. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed them so much!

Thanks so much Alex! I'm pumped for DADOES? so I'll let you know what I think of it!

I have heard that Terra Ignota is dense. I hope it is rewarding. Spiral Wars sounds a bit like Deathstalker in that if you buy into it you will have fun. I read The Fifth Season and was mixed on it but I see the appeal. I might try The Inheritance Cycle at some point.

addendum - the section is part 2 of the Asimov book. Doesn't startout form an alien standpoint.

That sounds very good indeed haha. Can’t wait!

I’ve heard mixed things about Consider Phlebas. I think I’ll try that one and Excession then decide whether to continue.

I also DNF Consider Phlebas, but I might revisit at some point. Loved Players of Games, but didn't really enjoy Use of Weapons.

Haha those are quite the collections! My wife and I recently moved and I am looking forward to getting a new bookshelf and organizing it!

Haha I agree, I think Charlie chose well!

I’ll be reading more of the Culture series soon. I’m looking forward to Look to Windward!

Sorry to hear it didn’t work for you Mathias. It sounds cool but it may or may not work for me as well.

However Doomsday Book was amazing :), hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Thanks for the info William!

I have read The Player of Games and Use of Weapons. Perhaps I should read Excession before Consider Phlebas. Blindsight sounds pretty out there in a good way!

@@WordsinTime yea, the thing about the Culture is it's subtlety. he shifts the vantage point in different novels. i loved Excession but wanted much more. there is another one 'Inversions' that is case in point. if you read it you will see what i mean. i would read Solaris before Watts just to adhere to history of publication and they need to be read carefully. Blindsight is told by the vantage point of the 'Synthesist' which , as you will see accounts for the vivid prose. this is not a spoiler.

It is on there but I had the same trouble as for some reason it doesn’t come up in the search bar. Try Googling it, or just searching for the author David Zindell.

That’s high praise! Can’t wait to dive into it!

@@WordsinTime The Expanse is good as well started reading them all this year got only book 9 and a couple novellas to finish now . Would agree with you about book 1 defiantly the strongest tightest story but with book 8 we start getting some physic bending stuff in it so will be interesting to see were book 9 concludes it

@@Kenji-Tsuyoi That sounds cool! I like the series when it’s more ambitious with its sci-fi concepts.

Nice! I’m looking forward to continuing the series with Consider Phlebas!

That is on my TBR so I’m glad to hear you think highly of it. I might have to bump it higher up the list!

@@WordsinTime I really suggested this book because I'm an arsehole. It is the best military Sci-fi series ever written, but it is so good you will want to read all 30 books in the series. They average 650 pages long.

@@SIXPACFISH Wow, that’s an epic series!

I read through the first 6 or so. Good main character and, let's say, interesting challenges she has to face. You may like the Ian Cormac series from Neal Asher. A kind of "How James Bond works in a ultra hightech society"

@@andreaslermen2008 That sounds pretty cool, I’ll check it out!

Haha I haven’t seen it but it does sound like they based the character on the author!

@@WordsinTime Best scifi show EVER. I promise.

I agree it is important to read a diverse range of writers. Arkady Martine is one of my favourites and I’d like to add more female sci-fi writers to my TBR. The Divide by J.S. Dewes is another series I want to read.

I will read the first two books in The Dark Tower then decide whether to continue. I’m also interested in 11/22/63 and The Stand.

@@WordsinTime 11/22/63 is a great read, lauded as one of his best in the last decade or so. The Stand is great, and long of course. IT and Pet Sematary are my favourites. And a short read, The Long Walk (on The Bachman Books) captures what's great about his storytelling I feel. Cheers, and hello from Galway, Ireland. Love the channel!!

@@OurRawHeart Thanks for the recommendations! I grew up in Australia but live in the US now. I appreciate you watching in Ireland!

Yourself, Moid and Fit 2B Read utterly rekindled my love of sci-fi during the lockdowns. I now have a science fiction pile in the sitting room akin to Bookpilled's! 🤣

@@OurRawHeart That’s awesome! A goal of the channel was to find readers to discuss books with and inspire people to read more sci-fi books. I’m glad you’re enjoying my videos and those other great channels too!

Nice! It does sound like an interesting mix of genres!

Haha I hope I feel the same way!

@@WordsinTime if you post a bad review I'll be unsubscribing ;)

will make u want to read the follow up series - Requiem for Homo Sapiens

Awesome, it sounds cool!

I read The Shadow of the Torturer and it didn’t work for me, but I see the appeal. It’s definitely unique.

That’s good to know, thanks John!

@@WordsinTime Humour is British though, so whether it funny or not is heavily dependent on the reader’s background. My spelling of the first word here says about me all that’s needed: Caribbean native, post-colonial British education, so I found Hitchhiker’s a riot.

@@johnpaulcolthrust8207 I am Australian, my parents are British, and I live in America, so I’m used to different types of humour!

Bummer! Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it!

No worries, thanks for sharing! It might not work for me either but hopefully it does!

The only book iI have ever gave up was Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun". Phlebas is very hard if you hav no idea how the Culture works. That's why people usually recommend reading Player of Games and Use of Weapon first.

@@andreaslermen2008 I read The Shadow of the Torturer but decided not to continue as it just wasn’t for me. Hopefully I have better luck with the rest of the Culture series!

Thanks for the info! My friend Baron from Your Brain on Books was a big fan of Perdido. At least The City & the City is short, so I’ll get a quick taste for Mieville.

That’s a bummer! I haven’t read it yet. Hopefully I find something to enjoy in it.

I recently bought it and will be reading it in 2023!

Hopefully I like the books more!

I have heard mixed things. I will try 1 or 2 more books and find out whether the series works for me.