Even coming from a physics background, Death’s End blew my mind. There are so many creative, unique solutions to common sci-fi problems. The scale of the story is just so immense. I also think it’s the best written book in the trilogy. Liu’s character work is much better in this volume, something that’s always been the weakest part of the story.
As a reader I feel empathy for depressed SciFi writers after finishing the Three Body trilogy. Where can they go now? 😅 (I am on my third reread and Deaths End is indeed the best)
One book that totally blew my mind (another Arthur C. Clarke) was 2001: A Space Odyssey. I still remember reading it for the first time and getting to that one line, "My God, it's ____." (I don't want to spoil it for anyone!) It's been decades since I first read it and though I can't remember any details of where I was or how old I was or anything, I remember the feeling of my heart skipping a beat and just kinda freaking out when I read that part. It's one of those moments you wish you could erase from your mind so you could experience for the first time, all over again.
The idea was to read the book then see the movie but the movie came out first and there was a rift between Clark and Kubrik. The book and movie have different endings, but Clark went with the move ending for his next book 2010. I try and try to get people to read the book (it's easy to read and short) and then watch the movie with me, but to no avail. The last book in the series, 3001, is terrible. As much as I like 2001, I dislike 3001. The only cool thing is they find Peter's body in space. Clark is a hard science kinda writer, but not in this one. Another movie like that is "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". If you read the book it makes the movie even better. Rare event in this world.
I used to work in a bookstore and Spin was one of my staff picks. I sold many a copy of that book and many of those people who bought it came back to tell me how much they loved it. If you like Spin, there is a book with a similar premise called Quarantine by Greg Egan. It's more a cyberpunk novel, but takes the idea of a vast enclosed bubble suddenly surrounding the Earth, put there by unknowns, in completely different directions from Spin.
I TOTALLY agree with your review of Liu's Remembrance of Earth's Past. Had the exact same thoughts. 3 body blew my mind, the dark forest was an exciting great read that is probably my favourite among the 3. But Death's End was way beyond anything I've ever read.. I took a while to recover from it that I didnt' feel the same as compared to the other 2. Splendid review
Because of how long ago it is since I started reading sci-fi, its hard for me to remember which ones really blew my mind. Except for one, which made me a fan in the first place. I remember picking up an anthology of short stories by Isaac Asimov, and reading Nightfall. Such as a simple premise, but it literally made me think of how we perceive the world around us , and how hard it was to imagine a different reality. Early Clarke books were great for some science and engineering concepts that were way ahead of their time. But the first of the classic authors that blew my mind was Alfred Bester, especially The Stars My Destination. Such a timeless writing style, and the amount of ideas he just casually throws out there in such a short book is astonishing. And another odd one, is Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon. It was published in 1937, and so I expected it to be rather quaint, but it is a very strange beast. Its so long since I read it, that I can't remember the details but I do remember being in awe of the scale of it.
Thanks for the recommendations Gearoid! I have read The Stars My Destination and remember being impressed by the ideas. The concept of jaunting was really cool. I will check out Nightfall and Star Maker!
@@WordsinTime When it comes to Nightfall I'd say just read the short story. I think there was a later version expanded out to be novel length, but I don't see the point.
The Stars my Destination is one of my favorite books and my brother's all time favorite! Gully is such a great antihero and example of a man driven by one singular purpose. The ending is also absolutely bonkers. I think that's the first book I've read that did interesting things with the actual lines/words of the story to add to what was being conveyed. Also the anti-jaunting jail he goes to was a very cool idea. Also can't fail to mention the self track laying space train! Damn I honestly need to re-read it.
Great to see Robert Charles Wilson getting some attention. I’ve read several of his including Spin and they are fantastic. Blind Lake really stuck with me. Probably read it 20+ years ago and I still think of it. I still need to read books 2 & 3 of The Three Body Problem. House of Suns and Ubik have both been on my TBR for a while. I’m in the middle of a HUMONGOUS move so I haven’t been reading complex sci-fi lately as I’m absolutely exhausted by the end of the day. I keep finding books I want to both read and reread as we move our vast collection.
I don’t hear Robert Charles Wilson talked about regularly but Spin is awesome! I need to add Blind Lake to my TBR. If you liked The Three-Body Problem I think you will enjoy The Dark Forest and Death’s End, although they are somewhat complex so you might want to read them after you finish your move. Best of luck with it!
My own list: A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge. Use Of Weapons, by Iain M Banks. Hardwired, by Walter Jon Williams. Startide Rising, by David Brin. The Vang: The Military Form, by Christopher Rowley. If you are a prolific reader of science fiction, you may have read all of these. If you haven't, read them now.
Awesome list! I have read A Fire Upon the Deep and Use of Weapons. I own Startide Rising but haven’t read it yet. I will check out Hardwired and The Vang!
Yeah Childhood’s end left me saying “wow” once it was done and while I love most scifi I read, that’s not a reaction I often have. Ubik has been on my tbr for some time but I’m adding house of suns as well
Glad to see comments about Greg Bear. For whatever reason his books have a profound effect on me. RIP Mr. Bear. Several of his books blew my mind. Eon and Eternity, Anvil of Stars, Moving Mars, and Blood Music. Also, Poseidon's Wake by Reynolds definitely blew my mind. Epic concepts! I suggest you read the whole Poseidon's Children series. Very good.
So awesome to see someone who loved Childhood's End as much as me! I had to read it for a high school literature class, and almost 20 years later I still think about it, and have reread it multiple times!
Awesome video man!! Yes I totally agree! Deaths End totally blew my mind! Still in awe of everything that was covered in that book lol I’ve been meaning to check out Alastair Reynolds and House of Suns sounds like a great one to pick up! Great list man!
Thanks Alex! I’ve only read 2 books by Alastair Reynolds but I think House of Suns is a great place to start. I’ve got Eversion and Pushing Ice on the TBR and then I’ll jump into Revelation Space.
@@WordsinTime That probably won’t ever go away :) Btw, SyFy Channel had a fairly decent 3 part miniseries adaptation of the book a while ago. It was reasonably faithful to the book, which is impressive considering the highly abstract concepts involved. I don’t think it was that popular for the same reason, so you may never have heard of it. It’s worth watching if you’ve already read the book, if you can somewhere to watch it
I loved the first two books of Remembrance of Earth’s Past; hearing you say that Cixin Liu upped the ante with the final installment has me super excited. I love the fact that I haven’t the slightest idea what’s going to happen! 💥 😆
Somehow I knew you were going to cover Childhood's End. It really is a unique book. You're never really sure how to think of the aliens. And yes, the ending is sad and comforting at the same time.
I have been reading SciFi since I was 11 and at 76 thought that I had covered all of the great books by the great authors of the Golden Age of SciFi. And yet, I have heard about Clarke's Childhood's End in the last couple of weeks by several of the BookTubers and got the Kindle edition and don't know how I missed it in the last 65 years. Keep up the great work! I am still processing how I felt about the ending.;
@@geeceediam4566 Yes, the ending was difficult. But I thought it was interesting that all along the story doesn't go the way you might think at the outset. It was clever and intriguing.
If you want really mind bending Sci-Fi I'd recommend Wind Up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, NineFox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee, Palimpsest (novela) by Charles Stross, and Fifth Season by NK Jemisin. The whole genre of speculative fiction has really entered a fantastic place in the last decade where the ideas and premises of the stories are so much more creative and imaginative, while the writing is rich and varied with many voices.
LoL Such an arrogant and condescending way to recomend books. None of these works you mention would be "mind beending" without the classics that preceed them, those first language and fiction explorers of sci fi who remain timeless. From Asimov to PKD, M J Harrison, Ursula Le Guin and Jack Vance.
I read "Ninefox Gambit" last year, and was deeply impressed. In my notes afterwards, I wrote: "By his use of poetic and mysterious terms for military horrors, the author seems to have dug claws deep into my brain, and this book is with me at odd moments throughout the day even when I'm not thinking about it. I don't think any book has ever affected me like this before. [...] I didn't realise it was the start of a series! [...] But it certainly felt that way, almost as if the entire adventure were one long set-up. I look forward (with trepidation!) to reading more. From Amazon's web page for the book: "Yoon’s hobbies include composing music, art, and destroying the reader." I love it! Perfectly apposite. You have been warned."
@@Twirlip2 The start of the book just throws you into the deep end of the premise of the entire universe and DARES you to keep up. It's a gambit to make your reader work so hard from the first sentence, but it instantly hooked me. That this book particularly, and the series as a whole isn't more widely recognized is a shame IMO
Definetly going to be starting Ubik. Sounds like an in depth philosophical work that takes one outside of their perception of reality. From the outset a new approach to reform systemattic theology can really be taken on in a new light especially John Brown's single volume systemattic theology. Seems simular to what reform Presbyterian circles mention concerning a theoretical conception of reality.
Great list! I've read all 5 books and love all of them. Each book has very unique concepts. But Death's End left a very special feeling in me. I'm already impressed with the first book (The Three Body Problem), but somehow the next two books keep getting better and better with wild ideas.
Wow this was awesome Jonathan. Sorry to hear you were under the weather but glad to see you are on the mend. I think the sci-fi book that blew my mind was Jurassic Park and how creative Crichton was with how extinct dna was extracted to clone dinosaurs.
Thanks Dan! I’m slowly getting better haha. I’m looking forward to reading Sphere, which is on my rough schedule for November, and then I’ll read Jurassic Park next year!
I've been REALLY wanting to read the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy - like, frothing at the mouth - but i told myself i have to finish the Revelation Space trilogy first. Redemption Ark has been really good so far. Feels a lot more focused than book one. Have you read that trilogy?
I’ve only read House of Suns and Chasm City by Reynolds. I plan on reading Eversion and Pushing Ice then starting Revelation Space. Let me know your thoughts when you finish the trilogy!
I’m glad you also loved Ubik Kristopher! I’ll have to read Three Stigmata as well! I somewhat liked The Demolished Man, and I liked The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester quite a lot.
Tried House of Suns per your recommendation and was really floored, thanks will be trying the others (already read Childhood's End many years back), and more Reynolds for sure.
@@WordsinTime Yes, but I was more impressed by his overall presentation, his plotting and characterization. I guess this would be characterized as a hard sf space opera but I think it's on another level than than Vernor Vinge at his best.
Childhoods End is one of my favorite sci-fi books. I belong to a book club where we play round robin on who gets to choose the next book of any subject, and last summer I choose Childhoods End, all the other readers loved it and we had great discussions about it.
That’s awesome Clyde, I’m glad your book club enjoyed it as well! One of my friends recently read it and didn’t like the ending. He is now an ex-friend. Just kidding haha.
You recommending House of Suns really is spot on. I subverted all my expectations. It wasn't easy getting into it and I was almost ready to put it down when it started becoming intense and had me at the edge of my seat just like you say till the end. Also I thought that the main character's love relationship was kinda dull as per his writing for quite some time but I was near tears at the end. Powerful stuff.
The Prefect , Chasm City, and Revelation Space were my favorite by Allister Reynolds Whipping Star, Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert Hellstroms Hive by Herbert Matter and Hegemony by Iain Banks Enders Game by Card Mote in God's Eye by Pournelle Rendezvous with Rama Flash by Modesitt Hero series by Modesitt Shockwave Rider by Brunner Postman by Brin Lost Fleet by Cambell Velocity series by O' Keefe Foundation Trilogy & the Robot series by Azimov Midshipmans Hope series by Fentuch
@Words in Time Lost Fleet is Primetime FLASH by Modesitt is a future Lee Childs "Reacher" ...friggen interesting But O'KEEFE Velocity series ....what a great, great story.
Wonderful list! I'm reading 3BP now! Also, I do not know Alastair's work so I dove into it online and am considering buying House of Suns and perhaps also Chasm City and Pushing Ice. They sound very interesting!
Thanks! I hope you like The Three-Body Problem! I liked Chasm City and loved House of Suns. I own Pushing Ice but haven’t read it yet. And I also really liked Eversion. I hope you enjoy Reynolds as much as I do!
Ooo.! I have House Of Suns on my Kindle! Got side tracked from reading it a while back. Definitely need to get back into it.....after I finish The Three Body Problem, that is.😊
Everything I've read from Alastair Reynolds has been gold. I've read every story in the Revelation Space universe in order as well as many of his standalone novels and every one of them becomes my favorite story the minute I pick the story up. He's a remarkable writer.
@@WordsinTime When you do read Revelation Space, do yourself a favor and look up the list of short stories, novellas and novels on Wiki, and read them in internal timeline chronological order. That's what I did and it really helped immerse me into the universe completely.
Im new to sci fi books and recently came across your channel. Thanks to you i found some interesting books to start off with! And also love your excitement and explanations. New sub! 🤞🏼
The mind-blowing series I recommend is David Brin's Uplift trilogy. The first, Sundiver, is the weakest of the three and merely serves to establish the universe and core ideas. The second, Startide Rising is the best and really pushes the ideas forward (it won two major awards.) The third, Uplift War, is good but not great. There is a second Uplift series which is alright with the third book being one of the strangest things I've ever read or even encountered.
THIS WAS REALLY GREAT -- NEVER HEARD OF THE FIRST TWO AND VERY GOOD TAKES ON THE OTHERS. I HAVE READ ALL KINDS OF AC CLARKE BUT NOT CHILDHOODS END FOR SOME REASON NOW I WANT TO GET CRACKIN ON IT HA. ALSO SUNS AND SPIN TOO OF COURSE. THX!
Honestly, I want to read The Dark Forest (and Death's End) book because although I like the first book the plot is sooo slow at times and the writing style is not that appealing to me, but the ideas are very interesting
Speaking of blowing minds , being born -65 , I grew up in the classic marvel and Dc superhero comics era. By chance , I stumbled across one of my sons books on the living room table , ten years ago ; Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson. Read the back and just HAD to start reading. Ka-boom !!! Mind blown. Hahaha , a 48 year old man reads a book that overthrows his childhood. My oh my.
Excellent reviews. I'm picky with what I watch but you had PKD and he is my favourite author so I tuned in. Have read all these books except for Death's End, I've read Three Body Problem and the other 2 are on my Kindle. Agree with thoughts they are all mind blowing books.
Thanks so much Sam! I’m glad you also enjoyed these books! I have since read more books by PKD and Ubik is still my favourite but I have enjoyed them all!
Thanks for the suggestion! I focus on reading sci-fi myself, but sometimes I bring on other BookTubers for a collaboration where I talk about sci-fi and they can share their fantasy knowledge.
One book that blew my mind when I read it for the first time was Eon by Greg Bear. But Cixin Liu's trilogy is the most mind blowing SF I have ever read. This author singlehandedly revived the Big Concept SF genre, I'm so totally in awe of these books !
It’s great to hear that was your reaction to Eon. I haven’t read it yet, but it’s on my list. I love other modern sci-fi authors, but Cixin Liu has a style all of his own!
Think it'll get House of Suns, I've never read Alistair Reynolds before so this might be a good place to start, i hope it's not too hard for me to understand, great video!
I liked "Blindsight" by Peter Watts and would recommend it. I had read the first two by Cixin Liu and really enjoyed them. I started on "Death's End" and gave up after a few pages in having trouble connecting with or caring about the opening. It's been sometime, I'll take another crack at it after this recommendation. Reading "A Fire Upon the Deep" now and not really enjoying the whole psychopathic dog packs portions but the ideas about dividing up galactic space is interesting and the book moves along well, so I'll finish it.
I read Blindsight earlier this year and thought the ideas were brilliant and chilling. I liked some of the concepts in A Fire Upon the Deep but didn’t connect with the story and characters as much as I hoped to.
Arthur C Clark must have an uncanny ability to blow minds. I think if 2001 as being pretty jaw dropping. Childhoods End had me on the edge of my seat. I can appreciate him not leaving many loose ends. I’m currently reading Spin and enjoying it. It’s an intriguing read. I’ve not read any PKD but would like to soon. Great list!
Yes, Clarke is masterful! I’m looking forward to reading The City and the Stars next. I’m glad you’re enjoying Spin, let me know your thoughts when you finish. I need to read more PKD as well, I have DADOES? and A Scanner Darkly on my list.
@@LenoxSpartanFitness So far I have only read The Man in the High Castle and Ubik but of those two I definitely preferred Ubik. It got me excited to read more of his books.
Hm, I may have to try House of Suns. I need something to get me out of this world right now! And, as always, I do love me some Childhood's End. Thanks for bringing it back to my attention. I'd read it years ago and then you mentioning it a while back made me want to read it again last (?) year. It may end up being a comfort read. You're right, it's weird how it's kinda scary but it's one you want to keep going back to. I hope you get to feeling 100% soon. I'm an amateur singer and I always hated when I'd get sick and my voice would stay messed up for weeks, even long after I was feeling fine.
Let me know if you read House of Suns, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! It must be tough taking care of your voice as a singer. I was able to push through this video, not as easy to do with a song!
Great choices, all of them. Other equally great novels: "Solaris" by S. Lem, "Timelike Infinity" , "Ring" and " Raft" by S. Baxter, "Ringworld" by L. Niven, "The Left Hand of Darkness " by U. Le Guin, "The three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" by P. K. Dick, "2001" by A. Clarke, " Bug Jack Barron" and "The Agents of Chaos " by N. Spinrad, " Star Maker" by O. Stapledon...
Just finished the The Saints Of Salvation trilogy by Peter F. Hamiliton, very fun and huge scope. I'm not working much as I used to so looking to see what great books I've missed out on over the last 30 years or so. Thanks for some new, sort of, options!
I just read 10 Billion Days and 100 Billion Nights by Mitsuse (supposedly the greatest Japanese SF novel ever). Are you familiar? It has Plato, Siddhartha and Jesus in it, so you can imagine how strange it is. Thanks for the video.
Very interesting books you cover in your video. I read none of them yet, but the last three are more or less on my "to read" list for some time now. "House of Suns" and "Spin" are new for me, but especially the first sounds intriguing. Some of my favorites are: Hyperion. More like a collection of short stories, but they really hit hard. An absolute must read. The murderbot diaries. An artificial being, made as an obedient security-unit with outstanding abilities, develops its own free will. Somehow like a coming-of-age story from the viewpoint of a cyborg. Lots of action and fun to read. The Bobiverse trilogy. (although there are more than 3 books now) A very funny story about a nerd from our time becomes an immortal artificial intelligence with the ability to duplicate himself and his (their) journey to the stars.
Let me know what you think of them if you read them! I also really like Hyperion and Bobiverse, but I haven’t read Murderbot yet. Thanks for the recommendation!
Two of those I already read, and I agree the had some fantastic concepts! Two of the others I've added to my TBR list. The only one left was Deaths End. I started The Three Body Problem and I just could not get into it so I don't know if I'll ever go back and read the whole trilogy. 🤷♂️
I’m glad you enjoyed a couple of them! Let me know what you think of the other two when you get to them on your TBR! I think the sequels are better than The Three-Body Problem but they are somewhat similar in style so if you didn’t enjoy the first one at all then the series might not be for you, and that’s okay!
Forced my husband to listen to 3 body problem with me recently, and for the first like 2 hours he was complaining about the book, and then he started to get really interested. If you have up really early, I would recommend giving it another try
I gave up on 3 body the first time I tried to read it. The second time I got into it. Having the same reaction with the second book. Will try it again sometime. Being super-busy can make a complicated story more difficult.
If you’re interested in identity, consciousness, free will, artificial intelligence, neurology and game theory as well as evolution and biology then Blindsight by Peter Watts is amazing.
Death's end is sci fi epic After reading it, i needed a week to get myself back together, so much to unload. The sophon robot, dimensional warfare, the short story of Constantinople girl, the encrypted fairytale....there's more! Wow, just wow!!! I don't think there will be another book like that in my lifetime.
I don't know exactly why, but one of the books that kind of blew my mind was The beetle in the anthill by Strugatsky brothers. Not a read for everyone as it is mostly a psychological book and slow paced, but it was a book that I was thinking of long after I finished.
Specific concepts in thr Manifold Trilogy by Baxter blew my mind. But if you like character driven stories this trilogy is not for you. Ring as well, that book blew my brain. Flux was very "okay" up until the very end. The ending was fantastic! (I know I gush about this author in every comment, sorry) I'm on The Dark Forest now, and my copy of the 3rd book just arrived. I love this story so far! Some of Crichton's books can make you go "oh wow!" Like Sphere and Andromeda Strain.
I loved Ring so I’m looking forward to reading more Baxter. I hope you enjoy the rest of The Remembrance of Earth’s Past, I’ll be interested to hear your reactions. I own Sphere but haven’t read it yet, so I’m looking forward to that one!
Seedling Stars James Blish..... Incredible story of seeding the cosmos with genetically modified humans....Chapter "Surface Tension" is the story of microscopic humans living in a pond building their first spaceship- to get to the next pond.
If you haven't yet, you should read Phillip K Dick's "Valis". It's pretty out there as well. Another one that's a bit... out there maybe is "Illuminatus Trilogy" by Robert Anton Wilson & Bob Shea.
I have a copy of A Scanner Darkly, which I’m reading soon. I’ll have to add Valis to the TBR and I’ll look up Illuminatus as well. Thanks for the recommendations!
Death's End is the sort of raw sci-fi that I didn't know I needed until I read it. I believe true Sci-fi should be about mind blowing ideas, not character development.
Philipp K. Dick died far to young. He had so many strange ideas. Death's End was the hardest to read book of the three, but like you said, it's the way he explains how the universe in his books work, the sheer complexity of physics. I read Childhood's End two weeks ago. It's one of the Clark books I completly overlooked. I figured out very fast, how the overlords probably look like, but I loved how he played with this cliche. And that it isn't clear for a long time, what the plan is. If you like a way of "social" challenging SF books, I can recommend three books from Norman Spinrad. He wrote them between 1969 and 1972. "The Men in the Jungle", "Bug Jack Barrow" and "The Iron Dream". Nothing for the faint of heart.
Philip K. Dick was definitely very creative, I’m looking forward to reading more of his books. Every time I thought I knew where Childhood’s End was going, Clarke took it in an even more ambitious direction. I’m not familiar with Spinrad so I will look him up. Thanks for the recommendation!
I recommend Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter, it's a good entry into the Xeelee Sequence, yet it can also stand alone as well. Second rec: Diaspora by Greg Egan
@@WordsinTime In hindsight, I believe it was your video on Permutation City ("The BEST Science Fiction Book YOU HAVEN'T READ") which encouraged me to get back into Greg Egan's writing. Therefore you're indirectly responsible for encouraging me to read Diaspora, which I'm grateful for!
There was a book I don't remember author or title but he premise was humanity was at war with this ever evolving interdimensional entity, that could slow down time in order to like hyper evolve, at one point they were like a colony of rats and then like a space dragon. The main character was some thing of a detective if i remember correctly but it was really all over the place and if any one knew wtf i was talking about that would be great.
I bought Childhood's End and House of the Suns after watching this video. I just finished Childhood's End and honestly don't get why its in here and also in many "best/favourite SF books" lists. What don't I get there? The first third is quite interesting, though copied so many times in other books and movies, that it's nothing new in our time. The rest of the book is neither interesting nor thought-provoking. It's just "fantastical things happening". If you like "2001: A Space Oddyssey", than you might like this book also. Since it's practically the same idea, only executed VERY differently. But I don't see it being special in any way. Though since I seem to be alone with that impression, there must be something I don't get. Any thoughts?
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it that much. I really enjoyed the ideas of genetic premonition of the overlords and our consciousness being uplifted and amalgamated with the overmind.
@@WordsinTime Ah, ok. So it's not that I don't get it, but just "not my cup of tea" :) I liked his "Rendesvous with Rama" trilogy. They probably could have been trimmed a bit, but otherwise quite interesting.
New subscriber here :) Great video, I've only read remembrance of earth's past trilogy and I loved the scifi part but the characters! ugh! specially the way he writes female characters frustrated me a lot, it makes me wonder if he has ever met a woman hah. I still enjoyed the books and recieved the brain massage of trying to understand the huge scale of everything but that made the other thing even more frustrating haha. I added the rest of your list to my TBR, thanks.
I hope multiple comments on the same year-old video still helps the algorhythm :) Anyway. I just finished House of Suns. And first of: I liked this book very much. It is an interesting story with interesting concepts and it is absolutely SciFi in the sense, that you could not tell the same story in a non-SciFi setting. BUT :) you have to power-through the first ~100 pages - which are absolutely aweful. Very gimmicky, intentionally written in a way that you have no idea what is going on, who is talking/thinking or who is in the room even. I was about to just throw this book away. Fortunately, after a while you get it and from then on (as long as you can appreciate or at least stomach the ridiculous gigantism) it becomes more and more interesting and the second half is an absolute page turner. I can imagine re-reading this book in 5 or 10 years :) There are some major parts of the story that go absolutely nowhere and could have been cut out of the book completely without affecting the story in any way (I won't say more because people might read this comment) - and the book is missing an epilogue, but other than that, very enjoyable. So thank you for the recommendation. If you don't know what parts I meant above, shift the following words on your keyboard one key to the right for every letter: "niesz" and "nirgwe"
Haha thanks for coming back! I’m glad you enjoyed House of Suns even if you had to power through the opening. Personally, I enjoyed the weirdness, but agree there is a bit of a shift back towards Reynold’s more typical style of space opera after the opening.
I read Childhood’s End only a few weeks after finishing the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. It occurred to me that Jordan must have loved/been influenced by Clarke no doubt!!!
My favourite scify series that totally blew my mind was the akasha pushpa series. Sadly will never be translated. The only english review of it in goodreads says clearly it would gad won the nebula if the authors were english.
Childhood's end started my journey into science fiction. Amazing book.
That’s awesome! It really captures the imagination!
Even coming from a physics background, Death’s End blew my mind. There are so many creative, unique solutions to common sci-fi problems. The scale of the story is just so immense. I also think it’s the best written book in the trilogy. Liu’s character work is much better in this volume, something that’s always been the weakest part of the story.
I agree, the scope of the concepts was mind boggling and there were a few nice character moments as well.
Is this the kind of book one can just pick up and read, or should one read the first two books in the trilogy first? Thanks
@@lilmoe4364 you’ll have to read the trilogy in order
As a reader I feel empathy for depressed SciFi writers after finishing the Three Body trilogy. Where can they go now? 😅 (I am on my third reread and Deaths End is indeed the best)
@@lilmoe4364 no you can't
'Ubik' and 'Childhood's End' are two of my all time favorites. Never heard of the other three authors but will be checking them out for sure.
Awesome Tony, I’m glad you loved those 2 as well! Let me know if you read any of the others. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
One book that totally blew my mind (another Arthur C. Clarke) was 2001: A Space Odyssey. I still remember reading it for the first time and getting to that one line, "My God, it's ____." (I don't want to spoil it for anyone!) It's been decades since I first read it and though I can't remember any details of where I was or how old I was or anything, I remember the feeling of my heart skipping a beat and just kinda freaking out when I read that part. It's one of those moments you wish you could erase from your mind so you could experience for the first time, all over again.
I totally agree with you on 2001! There were a couple of similar moments in the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy that shook me to my core!
The idea was to read the book then see the movie but the movie came out first and there was a rift between Clark and Kubrik. The book and movie have different endings, but Clark went with the move ending for his next book 2010. I try and try to get people to read the book (it's easy to read and short) and then watch the movie with me, but to no avail.
The last book in the series, 3001, is terrible. As much as I like 2001, I dislike 3001. The only cool thing is they find Peter's body in space. Clark is a hard science kinda writer, but not in this one.
Another movie like that is "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". If you read the book it makes the movie even better. Rare event in this world.
I love the book and the movie but the movie ended so terribly. The book is sooo much better!
Brilliant video! Thank you
Thanks for kind word Emily, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I used to work in a bookstore and Spin was one of my staff picks. I sold many a copy of that book and many of those people who bought it came back to tell me how much they loved it. If you like Spin, there is a book with a similar premise called Quarantine by Greg Egan. It's more a cyberpunk novel, but takes the idea of a vast enclosed bubble suddenly surrounding the Earth, put there by unknowns, in completely different directions from Spin.
Ooohhh that sounds cool! Thanks for the recommendation!
Loved Ubik. I’ve read all but House of Sun - just got it in audio from the library. Thank you for this fun video.
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy House of Suns as much as I did!
I TOTALLY agree with your review of Liu's Remembrance of Earth's Past.
Had the exact same thoughts. 3 body blew my mind, the dark forest was an exciting great read that is probably my favourite among the 3. But Death's End was way beyond anything I've ever read.. I took a while to recover from it that I didnt' feel the same as compared to the other 2. Splendid review
Thanks Kean, I’m glad you enjoyed them too! They blew me away and I still think about them all the time!
Because of how long ago it is since I started reading sci-fi, its hard for me to remember which ones really blew my mind. Except for one, which made me a fan in the first place. I remember picking up an anthology of short stories by Isaac Asimov, and reading Nightfall. Such as a simple premise, but it literally made me think of how we perceive the world around us , and how hard it was to imagine a different reality.
Early Clarke books were great for some science and engineering concepts that were way ahead of their time. But the first of the classic authors that blew my mind was Alfred Bester, especially The Stars My Destination. Such a timeless writing style, and the amount of ideas he just casually throws out there in such a short book is astonishing.
And another odd one, is Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon. It was published in 1937, and so I expected it to be rather quaint, but it is a very strange beast. Its so long since I read it, that I can't remember the details but I do remember being in awe of the scale of it.
Thanks for the recommendations Gearoid! I have read The Stars My Destination and remember being impressed by the ideas. The concept of jaunting was really cool. I will check out Nightfall and Star Maker!
@@WordsinTime When it comes to Nightfall I'd say just read the short story. I think there was a later version expanded out to be novel length, but I don't see the point.
The Stars my Destination is one of my favorite books and my brother's all time favorite! Gully is such a great antihero and example of a man driven by one singular purpose. The ending is also absolutely bonkers. I think that's the first book I've read that did interesting things with the actual lines/words of the story to add to what was being conveyed. Also the anti-jaunting jail he goes to was a very cool idea. Also can't fail to mention the self track laying space train! Damn I honestly need to re-read it.
Great to see Robert Charles Wilson getting some attention. I’ve read several of his including Spin and they are fantastic. Blind Lake really stuck with me. Probably read it 20+ years ago and I still think of it. I still need to read books 2 & 3 of The Three Body Problem. House of Suns and Ubik have both been on my TBR for a while. I’m in the middle of a HUMONGOUS move so I haven’t been reading complex sci-fi lately as I’m absolutely exhausted by the end of the day. I keep finding books I want to both read and reread as we move our vast collection.
I don’t hear Robert Charles Wilson talked about regularly but Spin is awesome! I need to add Blind Lake to my TBR. If you liked The Three-Body Problem I think you will enjoy The Dark Forest and Death’s End, although they are somewhat complex so you might want to read them after you finish your move. Best of luck with it!
My own list:
A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge.
Use Of Weapons, by Iain M Banks.
Hardwired, by Walter Jon Williams.
Startide Rising, by David Brin.
The Vang: The Military Form, by Christopher Rowley.
If you are a prolific reader of science fiction, you may have read all of these. If you haven't, read them now.
Awesome list! I have read A Fire Upon the Deep and Use of Weapons. I own Startide Rising but haven’t read it yet. I will check out Hardwired and The Vang!
Yeah Childhood’s end left me saying “wow” once it was done and while I love most scifi I read, that’s not a reaction I often have. Ubik has been on my tbr for some time but I’m adding house of suns as well
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed Childhood’s End like I did! I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Ubik and House of Suns!
House of Suns was pretty disappointing, characters actions made little sense and the ending was very anticlimatic
Glad to see comments about Greg Bear. For whatever reason his books have a profound effect on me. RIP Mr. Bear. Several of his books blew my mind. Eon and Eternity, Anvil of Stars, Moving Mars, and Blood Music. Also, Poseidon's Wake by Reynolds definitely blew my mind. Epic concepts! I suggest you read the whole Poseidon's Children series. Very good.
Thanks for the info Jared! Eon and Blood Music are on my TBR!
You do an excellent job of telling me why I might like a book without giving in to excessive plot summary. Bravo!
That’s much appreciated Paul, I’m glad I was able to share my love for these books in a non-spoiler way. I hope you enjoy them too!
Anne Leckie's "Ancillary " series was truly mind blowing. Some similarities with the first book shown here, and so rich in invention.
I enjoyed the first book and need to get around to finishing the series at some point!
The first book is the best in the series.
So awesome to see someone who loved Childhood's End as much as me! I had to read it for a high school literature class, and almost 20 years later I still think about it, and have reread it multiple times!
That’s awesome Kenny! It was such an impactful books, one I will definitely re-read!
Awesome video man!! Yes I totally agree! Deaths End totally blew my mind! Still in awe of everything that was covered in that book lol
I’ve been meaning to check out Alastair Reynolds and House of Suns sounds like a great one to pick up! Great list man!
Thanks Alex! I’ve only read 2 books by Alastair Reynolds but I think House of Suns is a great place to start. I’ve got Eversion and Pushing Ice on the TBR and then I’ll jump into Revelation Space.
Childhood’s End irrevocably changed me. It’s been over 20 years now, and I’m still affected by it.
That’s amazing Alex, it’s also one of my all-time favourites. I only read it 2 years ago but I think about it all the time!
@@WordsinTime That probably won’t ever go away :)
Btw, SyFy Channel had a fairly decent 3 part miniseries adaptation of the book a while ago. It was reasonably faithful to the book, which is impressive considering the highly abstract concepts involved. I don’t think it was that popular for the same reason, so you may never have heard of it. It’s worth watching if you’ve already read the book, if you can somewhere to watch it
@@encyclopath Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll check it out!
I first read Childhood's End 35 years ago and I still think about it regularly.
I loved the first two books of Remembrance of Earth’s Past; hearing you say that Cixin Liu upped the ante with the final installment has me super excited. I love the fact that I haven’t the slightest idea what’s going to happen! 💥 😆
I will look forward to your reactions! It’s nuts!
All of these sound really good. I’ve never even heard of Ubik. Rememberance of Earth’s Past is on my list to read for sure.
Thanks Chas! If you don’t mind the concepts being the focus rather than the characters, you might enjoy Remembrance of Earth’s Past!
OH BOY HAVE YOU GOT A WORLD OF PDK TO CHECK OUT. HE IS NOT FOR EVERYONE THOUGH YOU MAY NOT LIKE HIS STYLE BUT WELL WORTH A DIVE TO SEE FOR YOURSELF.
Somehow I knew you were going to cover Childhood's End. It really is a unique book. You're never really sure how to think of the aliens. And yes, the ending is sad and comforting at the same time.
I’m glad you connected with it as well! I was so intrigued by the aliens!
I have been reading SciFi since I was 11 and at 76 thought that I had covered all of the great books by the great authors of the Golden Age of SciFi. And yet, I have heard about Clarke's Childhood's End in the last couple of weeks by several of the BookTubers and got the Kindle edition and don't know how I missed it in the last 65 years. Keep up the great work! I am still processing how I felt about the ending.;
@@geeceediam4566 That is awesome that you have enjoyed sci-fi for so long and you’re still finding new great books to read!
@@geeceediam4566 Yes, the ending was difficult. But I thought it was interesting that all along the story doesn't go the way you might think at the outset. It was clever and intriguing.
If you want really mind bending Sci-Fi I'd recommend Wind Up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, NineFox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee, Palimpsest (novela) by Charles Stross, and Fifth Season by NK Jemisin. The whole genre of speculative fiction has really entered a fantastic place in the last decade where the ideas and premises of the stories are so much more creative and imaginative, while the writing is rich and varied with many voices.
That’s awesome Eric! I’ve read The Fifth Season and will have to check out the others, thanks for the recommendations!
LoL Such an arrogant and condescending way to recomend books. None of these works you mention would be "mind beending" without the classics that preceed them, those first language and fiction explorers of sci fi who remain timeless. From Asimov to PKD, M J Harrison, Ursula Le Guin and Jack Vance.
I read "Ninefox Gambit" last year, and was deeply impressed. In my notes afterwards, I wrote: "By his use of poetic and mysterious terms for military horrors, the author seems to have dug claws deep into my brain, and this book is with me at odd moments throughout the day even when I'm not thinking about it. I don't think any book has ever affected me like this before. [...] I didn't realise it was the start of a series! [...] But it certainly felt that way, almost as if the entire adventure were one long set-up. I look forward (with trepidation!) to reading more. From Amazon's web page for the book: "Yoon’s hobbies include composing music, art, and destroying the reader." I love it! Perfectly apposite. You have been warned."
@@Twirlip2 The start of the book just throws you into the deep end of the premise of the entire universe and DARES you to keep up. It's a gambit to make your reader work so hard from the first sentence, but it instantly hooked me. That this book particularly, and the series as a whole isn't more widely recognized is a shame IMO
Still haven’t been able to stop thinking about Death’s End which I finished at that start of the year. Childhood’s End is on my list.
Me too, Death’s End is crazy! I hope you enjoy Childhood’s End as much as I did!
Definetly going to be starting Ubik. Sounds like an in depth philosophical work that takes one outside of their perception of reality. From the outset a new approach to reform systemattic theology can really be taken on in a new light especially John Brown's single volume systemattic theology. Seems simular to what reform Presbyterian circles mention concerning a theoretical conception of reality.
Well said! I hope you find it as entertaining and thought-provoking as I did!
Great list! I've read all 5 books and love all of them. Each book has very unique concepts. But Death's End left a very special feeling in me. I'm already impressed with the first book (The Three Body Problem), but somehow the next two books keep getting better and better with wild ideas.
Yes, it just gets even bigger and crazier!
I love the energy and info in your videos. I really enjoy them! Keep up the great work!!
Thank you for the kind words! Welcome to the channel!
Wow this was awesome Jonathan. Sorry to hear you were under the weather but glad to see you are on the mend.
I think the sci-fi book that blew my mind was Jurassic Park and how creative Crichton was with how extinct dna was extracted to clone dinosaurs.
Thanks Dan! I’m slowly getting better haha. I’m looking forward to reading Sphere, which is on my rough schedule for November, and then I’ll read Jurassic Park next year!
I've been REALLY wanting to read the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy - like, frothing at the mouth - but i told myself i have to finish the Revelation Space trilogy first. Redemption Ark has been really good so far. Feels a lot more focused than book one. Have you read that trilogy?
I’ve only read House of Suns and Chasm City by Reynolds. I plan on reading Eversion and Pushing Ice then starting Revelation Space. Let me know your thoughts when you finish the trilogy!
Loved Ubik. If you like that you’ll probably like PKD’s Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch as well as Alfred Bester’s work.
I’m glad you also loved Ubik Kristopher! I’ll have to read Three Stigmata as well! I somewhat liked The Demolished Man, and I liked The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester quite a lot.
Tried House of Suns per your recommendation and was really floored, thanks will be trying the others (already read Childhood's End many years back), and more Reynolds for sure.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! So many cool ideas packed into one book!
@@WordsinTime Yes, but I was more impressed by his overall presentation, his plotting and characterization. I guess this would be characterized as a hard sf space opera but I think it's on another level than than Vernor Vinge at his best.
@@praguestepchild Yes, it was a really exciting story and I enjoyed Campion, Purslane and Hesperus as characters!
Childhoods End is one of my favorite sci-fi books. I belong to a book club where we play round robin on who gets to choose the next book of any subject, and last summer I choose Childhoods End, all the other readers loved it and we had great discussions about it.
That’s awesome Clyde, I’m glad your book club enjoyed it as well! One of my friends recently read it and didn’t like the ending. He is now an ex-friend. Just kidding haha.
Great choices. Childhood's End floored me ages ago, when I was a kid. I discovered Clarke, Asimov, and then Ellison. Whoa.
I’m glad it had an impact on you too Gene! I am a fan of Clarke and Asimov as well. I’ll have to check out Ellison!
You recommending House of Suns really is spot on. I subverted all my expectations. It wasn't easy getting into it and I was almost ready to put it down when it started becoming intense and had me at the edge of my seat just like you say till the end. Also I thought that the main character's love relationship was kinda dull as per his writing for quite some time but I was near tears at the end. Powerful stuff.
I’m so glad you connected with it as well!
The Prefect , Chasm City, and Revelation Space were my favorite by Allister Reynolds
Whipping Star, Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert
Hellstroms Hive by Herbert
Matter and Hegemony by Iain Banks
Enders Game by Card
Mote in God's Eye by Pournelle
Rendezvous with Rama
Flash by Modesitt
Hero series by Modesitt
Shockwave Rider by Brunner
Postman by Brin
Lost Fleet by Cambell
Velocity series by O' Keefe
Foundation Trilogy
& the Robot series by Azimov
Midshipmans Hope series by Fentuch
This is an awesome list! I’m a fan of Reynolds, Herbert, Banks, Card, Clarke, and Asimov. I’ll have to check out some of the others!
@Words in Time
Lost Fleet is Primetime
FLASH by Modesitt is a future Lee Childs "Reacher" ...friggen interesting
But O'KEEFE Velocity series ....what a great, great story.
Wonderful list! I'm reading 3BP now! Also, I do not know Alastair's work so I dove into it online and am considering buying House of Suns and perhaps also Chasm City and Pushing Ice. They sound very interesting!
Thanks! I hope you like The Three-Body Problem! I liked Chasm City and loved House of Suns. I own Pushing Ice but haven’t read it yet. And I also really liked Eversion. I hope you enjoy Reynolds as much as I do!
@@WordsinTime I ordered House of Suns, among a few others! Looking forward to it. :)
@@SidBarnhoorn Awesome! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Ooo.! I have House Of Suns on my Kindle! Got side tracked from reading it a while back. Definitely need to get back into it.....after I finish The Three Body Problem, that is.😊
Nice Bryan! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
"House of suns" sounds a lot like "we are the universe (we are Bob)"
And I loved it, so I might give this one a try 😂
Bobiverse is more comedic but it does share some similar sci-fi concepts. I hope you enjoy it!
Everything I've read from Alastair Reynolds has been gold. I've read every story in the Revelation Space universe in order as well as many of his standalone novels and every one of them becomes my favorite story the minute I pick the story up. He's a remarkable writer.
That’s awesome Bob, he’s one of my favourites as well! I’ve read 3 standalones now and will be starting Revelation Space next year!
@@WordsinTime When you do read Revelation Space, do yourself a favor and look up the list of short stories, novellas and novels on Wiki, and read them in internal timeline chronological order. That's what I did and it really helped immerse me into the universe completely.
Childhood's End is on my TBR for Mostly Sci-Fi September, along with Rendezvous with Rama. Thanks for the list!
Awesome! Let me know if you enjoy them!
@@WordsinTime will do!
Im new to sci fi books and recently came across your channel. Thanks to you i found some interesting books to start off with! And also love your excitement and explanations. New sub! 🤞🏼
That’s awesome, I hope you enjoy them! And welcome to the channel!
The mind-blowing series I recommend is David Brin's Uplift trilogy. The first, Sundiver, is the weakest of the three and merely serves to establish the universe and core ideas. The second, Startide Rising is the best and really pushes the ideas forward (it won two major awards.) The third, Uplift War, is good but not great. There is a second Uplift series which is alright with the third book being one of the strangest things I've ever read or even encountered.
Thanks for the recommendation Douglas! I own Startide Rising and should get it to it later this year or early next year. Looking forward to it!
THIS WAS REALLY GREAT -- NEVER HEARD OF THE FIRST TWO AND VERY GOOD TAKES ON THE OTHERS. I HAVE READ ALL KINDS OF AC CLARKE BUT NOT CHILDHOODS END FOR SOME REASON NOW I WANT TO GET CRACKIN ON IT HA. ALSO SUNS AND SPIN TOO OF COURSE. THX!
You’re very welcome! I hope you enjoy!
House of Suns is just incredible. It's one of those books that sticks with you.
Yes! I’m glad you found it impactful as well!
Honestly, I want to read The Dark Forest (and Death's End) book because although I like the first book the plot is sooo slow at times and the writing style is not that appealing to me, but the ideas are very interesting
I feel like the pacing is a little faster in book 2 than book 1 but yes, overall the books focus on the ideas.
Loved Childhood’s End. Moving Mars by Greg Bear is also a great one and so underrated.
I’m glad you also enjoyed Childhood’s End! I’ve heard good things about Greg Bear, I’ll add Moving Mars to my list. Thanks for the recommendation!
Speaking of blowing minds , being born -65 , I grew up in the classic marvel and Dc superhero comics era. By chance , I stumbled across one of my sons books on the living room table , ten years ago ; Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson. Read the back and just HAD to start reading. Ka-boom !!! Mind blown. Hahaha , a 48 year old man reads a book that overthrows his childhood. My oh my.
Haha that’s awesome
Speaker For The Dead has remained with me as one of the mindblowing stories. Really unexpected!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! It was unexpectedly different from Ender’s Game.
Excellent reviews. I'm picky with what I watch but you had PKD and he is my favourite author so I tuned in. Have read all these books except for Death's End, I've read Three Body Problem and the other 2 are on my Kindle. Agree with thoughts they are all mind blowing books.
Thanks so much Sam! I’m glad you also enjoyed these books! I have since read more books by PKD and Ubik is still my favourite but I have enjoyed them all!
Would love to see this same title but with fantasy (for scifi lovers)
Thanks for the suggestion! I focus on reading sci-fi myself, but sometimes I bring on other BookTubers for a collaboration where I talk about sci-fi and they can share their fantasy knowledge.
One book that blew my mind when I read it for the first time was Eon by Greg Bear. But Cixin Liu's trilogy is the most mind blowing SF I have ever read. This author singlehandedly revived the Big Concept SF genre, I'm so totally in awe of these books !
It’s great to hear that was your reaction to Eon. I haven’t read it yet, but it’s on my list. I love other modern sci-fi authors, but Cixin Liu has a style all of his own!
Indeed. I have Eon and might start it withing a month or two.
Think it'll get House of Suns, I've never read Alistair Reynolds before so this might be a good place to start, i hope it's not too hard for me to understand, great video!
I think House of Suns is a great place to start. It was my first Reynolds book and I got into it quite quickly. Hope you enjoy!
The Prefect
...is my personal favorite by Reynolds.
Great video, hopefully you feel better!!!
Haha thanks! Nothing a good book can't cure!
I liked "Blindsight" by Peter Watts and would recommend it. I had read the first two by Cixin Liu and really enjoyed them. I started on "Death's End" and gave up after a few pages in having trouble connecting with or caring about the opening. It's been sometime, I'll take another crack at it after this recommendation. Reading "A Fire Upon the Deep" now and not really enjoying the whole psychopathic dog packs portions but the ideas about dividing up galactic space is interesting and the book moves along well, so I'll finish it.
I read Blindsight earlier this year and thought the ideas were brilliant and chilling. I liked some of the concepts in A Fire Upon the Deep but didn’t connect with the story and characters as much as I hoped to.
@@WordsinTime Glad it's not just me being lukewarm on AFUtheD.
My entry for this category would probably be Stephen Baxter's “Ring.”
Thanks for the recommendation Tufty, I’ll have to check that one out!
Arthur C Clark must have an uncanny ability to blow minds. I think if 2001 as being pretty jaw dropping. Childhoods End had me on the edge of my seat. I can appreciate him not leaving many loose ends. I’m currently reading Spin and enjoying it. It’s an intriguing read. I’ve not read any PKD but would like to soon. Great list!
Yes, Clarke is masterful! I’m looking forward to reading The City and the Stars next. I’m glad you’re enjoying Spin, let me know your thoughts when you finish. I need to read more PKD as well, I have DADOES? and A Scanner Darkly on my list.
@@WordsinTime great! What would you recommend as a good, juicy start to PKD?
@@LenoxSpartanFitness So far I have only read The Man in the High Castle and Ubik but of those two I definitely preferred Ubik. It got me excited to read more of his books.
Hm, I may have to try House of Suns. I need something to get me out of this world right now! And, as always, I do love me some Childhood's End. Thanks for bringing it back to my attention. I'd read it years ago and then you mentioning it a while back made me want to read it again last (?) year. It may end up being a comfort read. You're right, it's weird how it's kinda scary but it's one you want to keep going back to.
I hope you get to feeling 100% soon. I'm an amateur singer and I always hated when I'd get sick and my voice would stay messed up for weeks, even long after I was feeling fine.
Let me know if you read House of Suns, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! It must be tough taking care of your voice as a singer. I was able to push through this video, not as easy to do with a song!
@@WordsinTime Don't ever try whispering. That makes things worse. I didn't know that until I started taking voice lessons. Just FYI!
@@Yesica1993 That’s good to know, thanks!
Great choices, all of them.
Other equally great novels: "Solaris" by S. Lem, "Timelike Infinity" , "Ring" and " Raft" by S. Baxter, "Ringworld" by L. Niven, "The Left Hand of Darkness " by U. Le Guin, "The three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" by P. K. Dick, "2001" by A. Clarke, " Bug Jack Barron" and "The Agents of Chaos " by N. Spinrad, " Star Maker" by O. Stapledon...
Thanks for all the recommendations! I recently bought Solaris and Ring. I’m a big fan of PKD and Clarke. I’ll have to check out all the others!
Just finished the The Saints Of Salvation trilogy by Peter F. Hamiliton, very fun and huge scope. I'm not working much as I used to so looking to see what great books I've missed out on over the last 30 years or so. Thanks for some new, sort of, options!
I’m glad you’re enjoying Hamilton, he has some big worlds and ideas to explore!
I just read 10 Billion Days and 100 Billion Nights by Mitsuse (supposedly the greatest Japanese SF novel ever). Are you familiar? It has Plato, Siddhartha and Jesus in it, so you can imagine how strange it is. Thanks for the video.
I haven’t read it but it sounds interesting, I’ll check it out!
Thank you for this, I'm on deployment and I've been looking for new audio books.
Thank you for your service Josh, I hope you enjoy these books!
Very interesting books you cover in your video. I read none of them yet, but the last three are more or less on my "to read" list for some time now. "House of Suns" and "Spin" are new for me, but especially the first sounds intriguing.
Some of my favorites are:
Hyperion. More like a collection of short stories, but they really hit hard. An absolute must read.
The murderbot diaries. An artificial being, made as an obedient security-unit with outstanding abilities, develops its own free will. Somehow like a coming-of-age story from the viewpoint of a cyborg. Lots of action and fun to read.
The Bobiverse trilogy. (although there are more than 3 books now) A very funny story about a nerd from our time becomes an immortal artificial intelligence with the ability to duplicate himself and his (their) journey to the stars.
Let me know what you think of them if you read them! I also really like Hyperion and Bobiverse, but I haven’t read Murderbot yet. Thanks for the recommendation!
Two of those I already read, and I agree the had some fantastic concepts! Two of the others I've added to my TBR list. The only one left was Deaths End. I started The Three Body Problem and I just could not get into it so I don't know if I'll ever go back and read the whole trilogy. 🤷♂️
I’m glad you enjoyed a couple of them! Let me know what you think of the other two when you get to them on your TBR! I think the sequels are better than The Three-Body Problem but they are somewhat similar in style so if you didn’t enjoy the first one at all then the series might not be for you, and that’s okay!
Forced my husband to listen to 3 body problem with me recently, and for the first like 2 hours he was complaining about the book, and then he started to get really interested. If you have up really early, I would recommend giving it another try
@@Nikki-tx1wd I’m glad he ended up enjoying it!
I gave up on 3 body the first time I tried to read it. The second time I got into it.
Having the same reaction with the second book. Will try it again sometime.
Being super-busy can make a complicated story more difficult.
@@anthonymorris615 It is a series that requires your attention. I think if you ended up enjoying book 1, you’ll also end up enjoying book 2.
great video adding to my tbr!!!
Thanks Dino! I’m glad you enjoyed the video and that I could contribute to the never ending battle with the TBR haha
@@WordsinTime haha that's right and right now I'm definitely being defeated haha
I discovered a series you have to check out called the 224-Verse by Jason Russell. Would love to hear your take in a future vid. Really enjoyed it.
Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll look it up!
I kinda like the new term you invented - "mind bendeling"! Awesome video! How have I missed "House of Suns"?
Haha thanks! House of Suns is incredible, I hope you enjoy it too!
haha yeah can`t stop thinking about Death`s End ... even a year later after I've finished
Me too! It’s nuts haha
If you’re interested in identity, consciousness, free will, artificial intelligence, neurology and game theory as well as evolution and biology then Blindsight by Peter Watts is amazing.
This is an amazing pitch Mark! Blindsight is at the top of my TBR for 2023!
@@WordsinTime
So glad someone recommended Blindsight. An awesome mind-blowing read (it also has...space vampires!).
@@tomschinaman6568 I’m excited to read Blindsight!
Death's end is sci fi epic
After reading it, i needed a week to get myself back together, so much to unload.
The sophon robot, dimensional warfare, the short story of Constantinople girl, the encrypted fairytale....there's more!
Wow, just wow!!!
I don't think there will be another book like that in my lifetime.
Haha yes it’s epic!
I had to stop reading that comment, because it looked like it might contain spoilers. (I hope I'm wrong.)
Haha. I commented about “Three Body Problem” on your video about most challenging sci-fi.
Haha, it’s a crazy series!
I don't know exactly why, but one of the books that kind of blew my mind was The beetle in the anthill by Strugatsky brothers. Not a read for everyone as it is mostly a psychological book and slow paced, but it was a book that I was thinking of long after I finished.
I’ve read Roadside Picnic and I enjoyed it. I’ll have to check out The Beetle in the Anthill!
Specific concepts in thr Manifold Trilogy by Baxter blew my mind. But if you like character driven stories this trilogy is not for you. Ring as well, that book blew my brain. Flux was very "okay" up until the very end. The ending was fantastic! (I know I gush about this author in every comment, sorry)
I'm on The Dark Forest now, and my copy of the 3rd book just arrived. I love this story so far!
Some of Crichton's books can make you go "oh wow!" Like Sphere and Andromeda Strain.
I loved Ring so I’m looking forward to reading more Baxter. I hope you enjoy the rest of The Remembrance of Earth’s Past, I’ll be interested to hear your reactions. I own Sphere but haven’t read it yet, so I’m looking forward to that one!
Man Death's End!!! The last 150 pages contain 3 books worth of material, plus those stuff can get into your nightmares!!! Thumbs up (Y)
Yes! This book had so many ideas that had me questioning everything haha. Brain officially melted haha
Love your reccomendations.
Appreciate it Johan!
Have you read Diaspora by Greg Egan? I don’t think my brain has melted quite as hard as with this one.
I haven’t read anything by Greg Egan yet but I’ve heard great things so I definitely need to add him to my TBR!
Seedling Stars James Blish..... Incredible story of seeding the cosmos with genetically modified humans....Chapter "Surface Tension" is the story of microscopic humans living in a pond building their first spaceship- to get to the next pond.
That sounds cool! I need to read some James Blish!
Childhood's End is one i intend to pick up - i might start there
It’s a great one for getting into classic sci-fi!
@@WordsinTime oh no, the dreaded word "classic" 🤣
@@CD287- Haha if you don’t like Childhood’s End then I can’t help you with classics because that’s about as good as it gets!
I'm trying to learn Chinese on a whim to read Cixin in the original. I'll probably be reading the 25th anniversary edition when i get there
It would be interesting to see how it reads differently between the original Chinese and the English translation!
The Dark Forest is a chilling concept
Yes, it shook me!
Just reread House of Suns and it's still so good. That ending still haunts me.
I’m glad you loved it too!
In the Ocean of Night, Gregory Benford.
Thanks for the recommendation, I’ve heard good things about Benford!
If you haven't yet, you should read Phillip K Dick's "Valis". It's pretty out there as well.
Another one that's a bit... out there maybe is "Illuminatus Trilogy" by Robert Anton Wilson & Bob Shea.
I have a copy of A Scanner Darkly, which I’m reading soon. I’ll have to add Valis to the TBR and I’ll look up Illuminatus as well. Thanks for the recommendations!
Death's End is the sort of raw sci-fi that I didn't know I needed until I read it. I believe true Sci-fi should be about mind blowing ideas, not character development.
Agreed! I enjoy character development but mind blowing ideas are why I read sci-fi!
Kewl list of excellent books! -- David (chopped liver ;-) Brin
Hahaha my wife is a fan of that expression “What am I, chopped liver?” I recently bought Startide Rising and plan to read it soon!
Philipp K. Dick died far to young. He had so many strange ideas.
Death's End was the hardest to read book of the three, but like you said, it's the way he explains how the universe in his books work, the sheer complexity of physics.
I read Childhood's End two weeks ago. It's one of the Clark books I completly overlooked. I figured out very fast, how the overlords probably look like, but I loved how he played with this cliche. And that it isn't clear for a long time, what the plan is.
If you like a way of "social" challenging SF books, I can recommend three books from Norman Spinrad. He wrote them between 1969 and 1972. "The Men in the Jungle", "Bug Jack Barrow" and "The Iron Dream". Nothing for the faint of heart.
Philip K. Dick was definitely very creative, I’m looking forward to reading more of his books. Every time I thought I knew where Childhood’s End was going, Clarke took it in an even more ambitious direction. I’m not familiar with Spinrad so I will look him up. Thanks for the recommendation!
@@WordsinTime Also from Spinrad: The Agents of Chaos
Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany was a game-changer for me.
@@WordsinTime he is correct!!
I recommend Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter, it's a good entry into the Xeelee Sequence, yet it can also stand alone as well.
Second rec: Diaspora by Greg Egan
I have since read Ring by Stephen Baxter and Diaspora. Both great books!
@@WordsinTime In hindsight, I believe it was your video on Permutation City ("The BEST Science Fiction Book YOU HAVEN'T READ") which encouraged me to get back into Greg Egan's writing. Therefore you're indirectly responsible for encouraging me to read Diaspora, which I'm grateful for!
@@reidmock2165 Haha awesome! I’m glad you enjoyed Egan as well!
There was a book I don't remember author or title but he premise was humanity was at war with this ever evolving interdimensional entity, that could slow down time in order to like hyper evolve, at one point they were like a colony of rats and then like a space dragon. The main character was some thing of a detective if i remember correctly but it was really all over the place and if any one knew wtf i was talking about that would be great.
Woah, that sounds awesome!
Blindsight by Peter Watts?
Check Dragon's E by Robert L Forward......or The Seedling Stars by James Blish.....
I read Dragon’s Egg and enjoyed it, especially the ending. I’ll check out The Seedling Stars!
I bought Childhood's End and House of the Suns after watching this video.
I just finished Childhood's End and honestly don't get why its in here and also in many "best/favourite SF books" lists. What don't I get there?
The first third is quite interesting, though copied so many times in other books and movies, that it's nothing new in our time.
The rest of the book is neither interesting nor thought-provoking. It's just "fantastical things happening".
If you like "2001: A Space Oddyssey", than you might like this book also. Since it's practically the same idea, only executed VERY differently.
But I don't see it being special in any way. Though since I seem to be alone with that impression, there must be something I don't get.
Any thoughts?
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it that much. I really enjoyed the ideas of genetic premonition of the overlords and our consciousness being uplifted and amalgamated with the overmind.
@@WordsinTime Ah, ok. So it's not that I don't get it, but just "not my cup of tea" :)
I liked his "Rendesvous with Rama" trilogy. They probably could have been trimmed a bit, but otherwise quite interesting.
Some of greg egan early books were for me totally wow.
I haven’t read anything from Egan yet but I own Permutation City and I’m looking forward to reading it soon. It sounds crazy!
7:50 First book mindblowing, second exponentially better, third even more mind blowing. I appreciate enthusiasm, but that's just not possible.
Haha that series does the impossible
New subscriber here :) Great video, I've only read remembrance of earth's past trilogy and I loved the scifi part but the characters! ugh! specially the way he writes female characters frustrated me a lot, it makes me wonder if he has ever met a woman hah. I still enjoyed the books and recieved the brain massage of trying to understand the huge scale of everything but that made the other thing even more frustrating haha. I added the rest of your list to my TBR, thanks.
Welcome to the channel! I loved the series but I agree the characters were a weaker aspect. I hope you enjoy the other books on the list!
I hope multiple comments on the same year-old video still helps the algorhythm :)
Anyway. I just finished House of Suns. And first of: I liked this book very much. It is an interesting story with interesting concepts and it is absolutely SciFi in the sense, that you could not tell the same story in a non-SciFi setting.
BUT :) you have to power-through the first ~100 pages - which are absolutely aweful. Very gimmicky, intentionally written in a way that you have no idea what is going on, who is talking/thinking or who is in the room even. I was about to just throw this book away. Fortunately, after a while you get it and from then on (as long as you can appreciate or at least stomach the ridiculous gigantism) it becomes more and more interesting and the second half is an absolute page turner. I can imagine re-reading this book in 5 or 10 years :)
There are some major parts of the story that go absolutely nowhere and could have been cut out of the book completely without affecting the story in any way (I won't say more because people might read this comment) - and the book is missing an epilogue, but other than that, very enjoyable.
So thank you for the recommendation.
If you don't know what parts I meant above, shift the following words on your keyboard one key to the right for every letter: "niesz" and "nirgwe"
Haha thanks for coming back!
I’m glad you enjoyed House of Suns even if you had to power through the opening. Personally, I enjoyed the weirdness, but agree there is a bit of a shift back towards Reynold’s more typical style of space opera after the opening.
I read Childhood’s End only a few weeks after finishing the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. It occurred to me that Jordan must have loved/been influenced by Clarke no doubt!!!
That’s interesting! I haven’t heard those two compared before.
@@WordsinTime I may be the only one who sees the connection!🤪
My favourite scify series that totally blew my mind was the akasha pushpa series.
Sadly will never be translated.
The only english review of it in goodreads says clearly it would gad won the nebula if the authors were english.
I’ll have to look it up. I haven’t heard of it before but it sounds interesting. I hope it does get a translation at some point!
Alright, I will read House of Suns.
Awesome! Welcome to the team haha
Love PKD. Thank you.
Awesome! I have since read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and enjoyed that too. Looking forward to A Scanner Darkly next!
@@WordsinTime I would suggest adding Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said to the list.
@@HankBukowski Thanks Joe! I’ll add that to the TBR as well!
To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Phillip Jose Farmer
I own a copy but haven’t read it yet. I’m looking forward to it!
Can you make a "Books with Great Movies" video?
More like "Books that make Movies Better", something like that
Thanks for the suggestion! I will have a think about a take on this kind of video!
@@WordsinTime That's cool. Glad you've taken to the suggestion. You've got two good ones to get you going.
The Hyperion Cantos
Yes! It’s my favourite completed series!