I’m currently reading the Wool omnibus by Hugh Howey. It’s pretty decent I’ve been making very rapid progress as it’s been too hot to sleep here recently now the summer has arrived.

I haven’t seen the Apple show, but maybe I’ll watch it in the future when I’ve finished all the books (I had Shift and Dust as well).

  • LamerTex@lemmy.world
    6·
    2 years ago

    I’m rereading Asimov’s complete saga in “internal story chronological order”:

    1. I, Robot / The Complete Robot (except ‘Mirror Image’!) [ROBOTS]

    2. The Caves of Steel [ROBOTS]

    3. The Naked Sun [ROBOTS]

    4. Mirror Image (short story) [ROBOTS]

    5. The Robots of Dawn [ROBOTS]

    6. Robots and Empire [ROBOTS]

    7. The Stars, Like Dust-- [EMPIRE]

    8. The Currents of Space [EMPIRE]

    9. Pebble in the Sky [EMPIRE]

    10. Prelude to Foundation [FOUNDATION]

    11. Forward the Foundation [FOUNDATION]

    12. Foundation [FOUNDATION]

    13. Foundation and Empire [FOUNDATION]

    14. Second Foundation [FOUNDATION]

    15. Foundation’s Edge [FOUNDATION]

    16. Foundation and Earth [FOUNDATION]

    I’m currently on “Forward the foundation”

    • Narauko@lemmy.world
      2·
      2 years ago

      The Foundation series is absolutely amazing, and I am jealous of you if this is your first reading. One of my formative series growing up. You’re inspiring me to do the whole Asimov read through like your doing, because I don’t believe I ever read the Empire books and never read Robot beyond I, Robot.

    • FantasticFox@lemmy.worldOP
      2·
      2 years ago

      I’m surprised The Caves of Steel is so early as it seemed really futuristic compared to most of The Complete Robot, but I read it a long time ago so maybe I’m not remembering correctly.

  • FatLegTed@lemmy.world
    6·
    2 years ago

    Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. Was a recommendation on the R site.

    Complex, eon spanning, hard sci-fi. I’m loving it!

    • CylonBunny@lemmy.world
      3·
      2 years ago

      I really liked Canticle, but I really felt like it suffered from being a fix-up novel. It’s three acts are not equal and don’t totally fit together in my opinion. It really starts off strong though! Hope you like it!

      • ReallyKinda@kbin.social
        1·
        2 years ago

        I’m enjoying it! I love a solid premise and the references to modern science appearing as obscure archeological nuggets are perfect. There are some bits I’m guessing that I’m missing some symbolism or something (I’m not an expert in Catholicism).

        • RedNeedle@lemmy.world
          2·
          2 years ago

          For what it’s worth, several Catholics I know have also had to read the book with notes open on the side. Monastic culture and tradition isn’t exactly common knowledge anymore, though I’m not sure if they would have been in the 50s, or if Miller just trusts that his reader is smart enough to catch on.

          If you like Canticle, consider looking into the works of Gene Wolfe. He also writes very re-readable sci-fi that expects much of the reader, and delivers much in turn.

    • k0nserv@lemmy.world
      2·
      2 years ago

      Stick with it. I loved the series, but the first book is unfortunately the most confusing and, in my opinion, the worst of the three.

      • arcrust@lemmy.fmhy.ml
        1·
        2 years ago

        Really? I loved the first book, but felt the translator for the second had a different enough style that it was hard for me to stay engaged. Maybe I’ll have to give it a second try

    • the_best_lizard@lemmy.world
      1·
      2 years ago

      I hated it.

      The writing style felt like it was written by a high school student and the characters were really two-dimensional with no believable motivations for their actions. Also the whole premise was stupid and unrealistic. There were few interesting concepts but they were ruined by the crappy presentation.

      I don’t understand why it got the Hugo award.

  • w3dd1e@lemm.ee
    4·
    2 years ago

    Wool was great. And the show was good too. You can basically watch the first season after finishing Wool, if you’d like.

    I’m reading He Who Fights With Monsters but I’m going to dig through this thread and find a good scifi novel to read next!

    • minerva@lemmy.world
      2·
      2 years ago

      I just started HWFWM and it’s my first LitRPG. Very different from what I’m used to reading but I really like so far. Going to try and finish it before I start Brandon Sanderson secret novel #3

      • w3dd1e@lemm.ee
        1·
        2 years ago

        It was my first LitRPG too. I wasn’t sure I’d like it but I do. I’m on the 3rd book, actually.

        I haven’t read anything by Sanderson yet but I follow him on social media and I really like him.

  • allalae@orcas.enjoying.yachts
    4·
    1 year ago

    A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine.

    I really loved the first book in the series, A Memory Called Empire, but I find the second one harder to get through. The writing really gets into the protagonist’s head, and with all the stress she’s in, it gets… claustrophobic, I guess, for me. I wish there was a bit more focus on the plot about the cool mysterious aliens.

  • Cadenza@lemmy.world
    3·
    2 years ago

    Just finished The Dispossessed, by Ursula Le Guin and going to look for a library where I can buy the next book in the Hain cycle !

  • OogieBoogieMan@lemmy.world
    3·
    2 years ago

    Currently reading The Frugal Wizard’s Guidebook to Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson. Interesting mix of Sci-Fi and Fantasy

  • fl3tching101@lemmy.world
    3·
    2 years ago

    Currently reading Foundation and Earth by Asimov, I absolutely loved the original trilogy so I’ve been reading through the sequels and plan on going back to the prequels after. In my opinion the sequels have a big shift in pacing and sort of the way that the plot develops… not sure how I feel about that. On one hand it is easier to keep up with with less characters, but on the other it feels like the scale of things is much smaller. Trying to not spoil anything. The series is a fantastic read nevertheless!

      • laurelinae@lemmy.world
        2·
        2 years ago

        Difficult to say. If you keep in mind, that he wrote the sequels 30 years or so later and acknowledge that one’s views change over such a period, then go ahead. If you, however, expect the same flavor as the trilogy, then I wouldn’t recommend reading foundation’s edge and foundation and earth. And although these are meant as an introduction to the men behind time, that one makes no reference to the foundation trilogy. So it’s fine to just read the end of eternity on its own.

      • lawrence@lemmy.world
        1·
        2 years ago

        I am a fan of Isaac Asimov. I definitely suggest the books The End of Eternity and Nightfall.

      • fl3tching101@lemmy.world
        1·
        2 years ago

        I can only comment on the sequels so far since I haven’t gotten to the prequels, but I’d say if you are open to a bit of a change in pace then it’s definitely worth it. But it’s definitely a bit different, it was written like 30 years later as someone else mentioned. So definitely worth taking that into consideration.

  • cdipierr@lemmy.world
    3·
    2 years ago

    I have a couple things on deck:

    • Light from Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki - I’ve seen this one recommended several times, and finally decided to give it a spin.
    • 36 Streets - T.R. Napper - A more niche title, but something to hopefully give me a bit of a noir fix.
    • OldFartPhil@kbin.social
      1·
      2 years ago

      Light From Uncommon Stars is the most memorable book I’ve read in years. It’s a beautifully-written, extremely ambitious novel about demons, found family, donuts, Asian cuisine, interstellar war, gender identity, the violin, loyalty, good and evil, beauty, fear and love. Plus, it takes place in the San Gabriel Valley, which is my old stomping ground. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but I absolutely loved it.

      • cdipierr@lemmy.world
        1·
        2 years ago

        There you go, another strong recommendation! I just have to wrap up Mexican Gothica and then I’m all in.

  • OldFartPhil@kbin.social
    3·
    2 years ago

    Based on the posts in this thread, I see a lot of overlap between urban fantasy fans and science fiction fans. With the exception of Lord of the Rings, I’ve never cared much for high fantasy, but I’ve really enjoyed the urban fantasy series I’ve read. If anyone is interested, I’ve enjoyed…

    1. The Laundry Files by Charles Stross
    2. The City We Became and The World We Make by MK Jemisin
    3. The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
    4. The Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey
    5. The Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch
    6. The Stranger Times series by C.K. McDonnell
    • arensb@lemmy.world
      2·
      2 years ago

      undefined> I see a lot of overlap between urban fantasy fans and science fiction fans.

      This makes a certain amount of sense, I think: to me, the defining line between science and magic is that, at core, scientific phenomena have an explanation, while magic ones don’t. You may not understand how Star Trek phasers work, but the premise is that in-universe, there’s a good explanation that someone understands. Whereas the reason Harry Potter can wave his wand and make an object levitate is Just Because. There’s no ultimate explanation.

      I’m simplifying to make the distinction clear, but of course human literature is vast and varied. And urban fantasy, in particular, tends to straddle the line between SF and fantasy: the action doesn’t take place in A Land Far, Far Away, where the rules are different; it’s London, or Chicago, or Mogadishu, where guns and cars obey Boyle’s law, and carpets don’t just hover in the air without a really good reason.

      I’m not familiar with all of the worlds you cite, but in The Dresden Files, for instance, magic obeys certain rules, so that if you know how a spell works, but you don’t have all the components, you can figure out a substitution. Or in The Laundry Files, you start with the premise that there are Lovecraftian horrors out there and work out the consequences, in the finest tradition of SF, and come to the conclusion that there will be paperwork.

  • varjen@lemmy.world
    3·
    2 years ago

    I’m currently nostalgia-reading Robert Rankin’s Dance Of The Voodoo Handbag but that’s more far fetched fiction than sci-fi. Silly, entertaining and lots of tall tales. I’m also reading The Quantum Magician by Derek Künsken. I was hoping for it to be the start of a good series of books to read over the summer but it’s not very good. I will probably not bother with the rest of the series.