Here’s my list. 10. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress 9. Ender’s Game 8. Stranger in a Strange Land 7. I, Robot 6. A Canticle for Leibovitz 5. The Dosadi Experiment 4. A Deepness in the Sky 3. Foundation 2. Nineteen Eighty-Four 1. Dune
Pham Nuwen fan club in the house. His backstory in the "A Fire upon the Deep" is the most jaw-dropping main protagonist shit I have ever read. Hope the Prequel will be just as good.
I appreciate that your list doesn't include all the usual standard choices. It doesn't mean those "standard" picks aren't worthy, or that yours aren't worthy of a top ten, just that it's enjoyable to get a list with a different perspective, and a reminder to go and either read some of these I've missed, or go back and read them again.
Your channel is a breath of fresh air, it’s almost impossible to find book recommendations without garbage takes or lists with the most basic recommendations. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen “The Martian” or “hunger games” recommended or just these surface level books, you always have good takes and recommendations that don’t come from a Barnes and Noble new hire
I worked at a Border’s (RIP) 15 years ago as a stocker to broaden my knowledge on books. We had two booksellers who were retired and just loved to talk about books. I got many great recommendations from them. I always sent customers their way. So if you are ever in a B&N, just ask for their oldest bookseller :)
I’m with you. If I get recommended one more 20 year old telling me about the top ten fantasy or sci-fi books of the year!! It’s good to have someone who cares about books and isn’t just trying to make it as a UA-camr. The breaking point for me on most of those young channels is when they start posting one piece reviews ! And you can tell they are just chasing the algorithm.
Because nobody asked for it, this is my list. In no particular order. Blindsight / Echopraxia - Peter Watts Lord of Light -Roger Zelazny This Immortal - Roger Zelazny Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe Nightside the Long Sun - Gene Wolfe The Dragon Never Sleeps - Glen Cook Gorgon Child - Steven Barnes The Last Dancer - Daniel Keys Moran The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois Bujold The Tea Master and the Detective - Alliette do Bodard Consider Phlebas / The Algebraist - Ian Banks Deathstalker - Simon R Green Heroes Die / Blades of Tyshall - Matthew Stover
Echopraxia was nowhere near the level of Blindsight. However, I'm still waiting for the 3rd book. I read Boyung Kim's On the Origin of Species and the stories in the latter half of that book was amazing.
Eclectic list! Book of the New Sun & Blindsight are definitely on there for me. Alliette do Bodard & Lois Bujold I did not like. Zelazny and Banks I still need to read.
I have complete opposite opinion in regards to Hyperion vs Fall. Hyperion was great, don't get me wrong, loved each of the tales but man oh man The Fall was EVERYTHING for me. Tied everything together, the pilgrims, the war, EVERYTHING was just so much better haha. Great list though.
It's nice to see Klara and the Sun get some love. Criminally underrated. Neuromancer is my #1, and I completely understand people who don't like it. I like to think of the writing style as chaos. It changed the way I thought books could be written.
@@camcolt3530 - well, as I said, I completely understand. I can't even adequately explain why I like it, but I do. I know Gibson is a big fan of Delany's "Dhalgren" - and I had to quit that book before 100 pages in. The prose there was a fever dream. I might try it again in the future, but not sure.
@@camcolt3530 It's not an exceptional plot, but there were some great ideas in it. Mostly, I honestly loved it because of its style and atmosphere. Never read a book like it. But I recognized that its extreme prose could definitely be a nightmare for some people. Personally, I hated "Hail Mary" because of the attempts at humor that fell flat with me. I've never wanted to hurt a book until I picked that one up. Each of us has our cup of tea, I suppose.
Enjoyed your video and list. Have you read any Ursula Le Guin? I highly recommend The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed, and The Lathe of Heaven.
Neuromancer: I recently read it. I found myself admiring it more than actually enjoying it. You can see pretty much in every page the influence in other work I've read (or watched in movies) before, and it is amazing how many ideas are on this book. I feel like my mind would have been blown had I read it in the, say, early 90s. But oh well, reading it now, I'm glad I read it, I can see it's high value, but I have quite a few books I'd put above it, in terms of enjoyment of the reading experience.
I read in older reviews that some people read it in Literary class when it came out, and most people at the time described it as" inconceivable". I mean, you can understand why: 15 Years later the Matrix dropped and people were still too uninformed enough to grasp the concept of "Data-Storage" as opposed to the "Humans-as-batterys" stick they ended up using.
You put 3 of my favourite sci -fi books ever: Ubik, Neuromancer and Flower for Algernon. The first two I have read both translated in Italian and in English. They were both challenging, but they did blow my mind and influenced me sooo much. I keep looking for the same "feeling" when I read a novel of the genre.
So thankful for your channel! I did a "Dune June" this year where I read the first two books, and they essentially changed my brain chemistry. So I'm currently inhaling everything Dune related, but am searching for other lesser known science fiction stuff. Sci Fi is quickly becoming my favorite genre. Awesome to see Ubik as your top pick! I haven't tried any PKD yet, but I do have Man in the High Castle on my shelf, hopefully that one is a good place to start with his work.
@MissModeler I would say The man in the high castle is a good place to start. It's an excellent book, and it reigns in some of PKD's tendencies to go full on crazy out there with his ideas. Also, it's the only book he wrote that won the hugo award.
Why all the hate on the Hyperion sequels? I think they’re all brilliantly written and beautiful stories. I just think it didn’t go in the direction fans expected, so they lash out at it
I'm rereading The Fall of Hyperion at the moment. After Hyperion it's really a big step down. The story seems to be going nowhere for hundreds of pages. I've read Endymion and the final book in the past, and they were good but not great. I liked a book like Drood more (but then, I like Dickens, too).
Fall of Hyperion was much better than Hyperion. Don't @ me. It was also written as one book, and Dan Simmons was encouraged to split it down the middle by his publisher, so if you just read Hyperion and you're not reading Fall of Hyperion, you're not getting the full story.
Actually the Book of the New Sun was written as a trilogy by Wolfe himself. But like Tolkien he wrote it all together as a single work, did two drafts and then proceeded to do additional drafts for each as he published them one per year. The original third book ("The Sword of the Autarch") was split into the third and fourth book due to its length. My source is the Castle of the Otter book where Wolfe explains how he wrote it.
I just started reading PDK this year and I love that shirt man!! Ubik was phenomenal. I read DADoES two months ago and I'm currently reading Scanner Darkly now. I'll have to give Stigmata a shot soon cause a few people have now suggested that one to me. Awesome video man. Oh and I'm currently reading Book of the New Sun.
I have just had this come up on my feed. Thank you, algorithm! I love Klara and the Sun, everything by PKD and, of course, 1984. Oh, and Dune! Everything else is new to me, and all sound fabulous. I have subscribed.😊
I just started reading Dune. This is my first venture into the literature science fiction genre. I’ve always been intrigued by the genre though. I was told that it is a hard read. But I absolutely love it! I have fallen in love with the universe and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. This video has me super excited for Dune: Messiah!
Great presentation of a great list. Inspiring. If you haven't read "Ender's Game", do that. About Ubik: Ford just patented a system that makes your car call the cops if you drive too fast. I'm not going to stand in line for one of those.
I loved the books on your list. It's great to see some different books than every other top 10 list and I enjoyed your explications of why you included each book. 👍
My list (without any order, I adore all of these books - some of these are parts of larger series): To Say Nothing of the Dog - Connie Willis Beggars in Spain - Nancy Kress Ubik - Philip K. Dick The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick The Long Earth - Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter Flashforward - Robert J. Sawyer The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clark Brave New World - Aldous Huxley Dune - Frank Herbert
1984 is so engrained in culture (big brother...) that I thought I knew what was about to read (this was perhaps 10 years ago) and then blew my mind regardless. It left my mind spinning for a few weeks. I'd put it higher.
Ubik is 100% an underrated philip k dick book. So many people call stories mind bending but ubiks plot literally breaks your brain. So many ground breaking and unique concepts blended into a detective story that unravels the world built around it. Every list has do androids dream of electric sheep which is more than valid but ubik and a scanner darkly stand above the rest IMO. If you've never read a scanner darkly you should give it a try.
Im enjoying your channel. Im a hard Heinleiner and by extension Varley, but your veiws are refreshing. If you look at lists others have placed here, you see most people tend to love variations on a theme. That is how it should be. Keep it up, perhaps when i finish mine, it will make your reading list.
Replace *1984* and *Neuromancer* with: *Daemon & Freedom* by Daniel Suarez It is a single story spanning two books. Thank you for saying that *Fall of Hyperion* was a significant step down from *Hyperion* . I don't know how many times I have told people that. Then the knock down drag out fights start.
Always like to hear different recommendations for books to try. I did try Necromancer recently and unfortunately I fell into the latter camp that found it incomprehensible. The ideas and theme of the book I found interesting but reading it felt like trying to listen to a radio channel in your car that was playing mostly static for hours. After a while it gets so grating that I had to switch channels to a different book. The author's ideas are probably better represented visually than in writing.
You can say that again! To me it was like I was zapping tv channels randomly. That book didn't make any sense to me so far. I really struggled finishing it.
Just found your channel. Absolutely blown away with the quality of the videos. The content, the lighting, the sound. Well done, man. Best videos I’ve seen on a smaller channel. Do you mind doing a video about your filming setup?
Thank you. For better or worse, I put an absolutely massive amount of effort into the production quality of my videos. Probably more than is necessary for book content. I just did a library tour, and a gear/setup tour could be fun too.
My reaction whilst watching the list. Flowers for Algernon. Yes. Neuromancer. Yesssss. Book of the New Sun. YESSSSSSSS. Dune Messiah over Dune is also the correct choice. Great list btw.
1984 has applied to every point of human civilisation. Power structures and how leaders/institutions retain control by shaping how we think is timeless and has been going on since before written history. Look at how concepts like "divine mandate" have been invented to ensure that people thought that submission to authority was the "natural order" and no right-thinking person would imagine otherwise. Suppression of access to ideas has always been a tool to retain control.
Orwell was writing about what he was seeing happening at the time. He just added technology and took it to an extreme. It’s nothing new, just worsening as technology catches up to the book. 😢
Love the list. Unabashedly original. I love some of these entries (Wolfe, PKD and Ishiguro) and cant wait to tuck into the ones I haven’t read. Keep up the great work.
We had to read Flowers for Algernon in high school, and to this day, I dislike this book, but it stays with you 30 years later. I find I like a nice combination of science fiction and fantasy or just fantasy vs. straight science fiction.
Awww Ubik was actually the first ever SF book I read, at the age of twelve. Loved it then. I sometimes wonder if it is actually good. Looks like it might be ;) Time to reread.
maybe it’s recency bias but Tiamat’s Wrath was one of the most exciting reads and listens (paper twice, audio once) in my life, it also helped that The Expanse series pretty much got me through the dredges and fallout of COVID-19 but yeah, i love this book / series way too much by the way thanks for the recs, The Book if the New Sun looks so fascinating, it’s added to my shopping cart!
Dude! Neuromancer is not a hard read. It’s not weirdly styled. It’s a noir detective novel in sci fi form. I guess you shouldn’t read Raymond Chandler or George Alec Effinger. That being said, I would recommend listening to the Neuromancer audio books read by Jonathan Davis. He nails the noir tone! Absolutely fantastic! The second book has one of my favorite openings of any book ever. Davis delivers it so perfectly, I literally get goosebumps. Effinger’s “When Gravity Fails” is another amazing sci fi book that I would recommend to anyone that likes Neuromancer. Marid Audran Trilogy is one of my top ten sci fi books of all time. Also, expertly narrated by Jonathan Davis. Weirdly missing from this list of great sci fi is anything by Peter F. Hamilton, but I suppose if Neuromancer is too hard to read, you’ll be 1000% lost with anything Hamilton writes.
I was surprised that Hyperion was only an honorable mention. I was also surprised that you said The Fall of Hyperion was a step-down. I really loved both of those. If I'm being honest, I liked "Fall" better. However, I enjoyed hearing about your list. I look forward to hearing about different sci-fi titles from you.
Hey nice rankin! I was wondering if you had ever read anything by Ursula k le Guin and if so what are your thoughts on her? I read The Dispossessed a couple of months ago and it really blew me away with its prose and ways of explaining and making realistic the world le Guin creates. I'm going to read Earthsea next (not Sci-FI) and then The Left Hand of Darkness, which may be the most influential sci-fi novel in terms of creating a paradigm shift.
@spotmotion7452 I have not read the disposessed. I have read the left hand of darkness. It is excellent and was actually on the short list to be in this video, but it just didn't quite make it.
Great list! PKD is one of my all time favs, along with Murakami. Here are some sci-fi books that top my lists and they all blew my mind in one way or another: Babel-17 by Samuel R Delaney (the way the story unfolded... rocked my world!) Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke (Legendary) The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle (The most brilliant first contact story I've ever read barring Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu) "-And He Built a Crooked House" - story by Robert A Heinlein - still sticks out to me Eon by Greg Bear (It's bigger on the inside ... and the book that lead me to studying physics) Ringworld by Larry Niven (Dyson rings - utterly fascinating - I was enthralled) Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (Author had cojones to name the MC Hiro Protagonist!)
Interesting list! My list would have Fire Upon the Deep, Solaris, Hyperion, House of Suns, maybe Children of Time. Ubik is a great choice for the top spot. 🙌
I like this list, it makes sense. I've never read past the first two Hyperion, but I think the first book is top 10 worthy and that it didn't need a sequel. But it's a solid 11 on your list technically, so that's not bad.
1Q84 is absolutely incredible. As huge as it is, I recently set aside all my other listening time to go through the audiobook (which is incredibly well done) for the second time.
It's a meme for a reason. And reason is that WE LIVE IN 1984 WORLD. Great list. Hyperion is my #3 cause I've hacked reality. I Iove FoH and haven't read Endymion yet.
@kurtgoldstein3254 I tend to go in pretty hard on the Endymion books because I was disappointed in them. Some people love them, though, so I say read them, decide for yourself, and don't listen to my negativity lol
Enjoyed your list but as you suspected I think you're criminally insane for ranking Dune Messiah over Dune... AND for Ender's Game not being on the list. Thanks for the video!
Still have to search for someone with my books on his list...😺but nice and partially unique list. Always hard to get much out of it if one doesnt know if the beloved books havent been read or just rated lower. Some explanations look like "stand on zanzibar" could be here too. But still have to search for someone who could stand the Mars Trilogie and give it a spot 🙂↔️
Great list. Very pleased to see mentioned some of my all-time favourite books: BotNS (and you have the Folio edition!!), 1Q84, Neuromancer (I personally don't think the style is difficult or weird; I found it highly accessible) and Cloud Atlas, along with Hyperion (happy to consider this on its own without the ... fall). Those are all some of the most influential reads for me. I'd potentially put Solenoid on here if you're including the likes of 1Q84 and Cloud Atlas. Dune massively overrated. Frank's prose is a hot mess and I simply don't understand how it's so lauded (yes, it's a cool story, but it's not amazing).
In no particular order: 1. The Paper Menagerie 2. The Dark Forest 3. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou 4. Children of Time 5. God Emperor of Dune or Dune 6. Ender's Game 7. Blindsight -Eagerly waiting for Ted Chiang's next collection of short stories....
I tried to love Klara and the Sun but it was just OK for me. I keep hoping to find a way to recreate the love I have for Never Let Me Go, but I have come to the conclusion that it's a one-off.
Thanks for the different list! It’s tiring to see the same books over and over. I’m looking forward to checking out 1Q84, which will be my 1st Murakami. Thank you!
I’ve never been a classic sci-fi fan…I like Earth centric, military hard sci-fi…and especially stories that are more strategic. I’ve never liked books or movies similar to a dude on the run from a bad guy group. I want the big picture. With that said that Phillip K Dick post apocalyptic book sounds good and I’ll check it out!
I’ll forgive your criminal failure to recognize the brilliance of the 3 books that followed Hyperion - because of your appreciation of PK Dick. Clans of the Alphane Moon is my favorite (not his best, but my favorite). Might I recommend the Neal Asher Polity novels?
Hyperion's still my personal fave and I think Fall really benefitted from a reread (and a little extra research on Keats - highly recommend that before reading). The Endymion books feel like bloated fan fiction by comparison.
Fun list. I haven't read Ubik 😳 on the list 🙌🏻 Ender's Game was my favorite for decades and got bumped for The Windup Girl. My favorite scifi offering of any kind is still a short story entitled The Sand Kings by George R.R. Martin which is weird since I don't like the GoT books 😝 Great to see the books I (mostly 😬) grew up with 🙌🏻🤓👀
@@rammelbroadcasting have you read Sand Kings? It's probably my favorite because of my interest in social philosophy bit it's so good. It has had two celluloid representations but neither did it justice 😐
@currangill430 Yeah, I have gotten that comment a lot on this video. She was on the short list leading up to the video but just didn't make the cut. And let me tell ya, that was a hard cut to make.
![The 15 Best Sci-Fi Books I've Ever Read [Updated]](/img/n.gif)
Here’s my list.
10. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
9. Ender’s Game
8. Stranger in a Strange Land
7. I, Robot
6. A Canticle for Leibovitz
5. The Dosadi Experiment
4. A Deepness in the Sky
3. Foundation
2. Nineteen Eighty-Four
1. Dune
Pham Nuwen fan club in the house. His backstory in the "A Fire upon the Deep" is the most jaw-dropping main protagonist shit I have ever read. Hope the Prequel will be just as good.
I like Enders shadow series for myself.
Number 6…really interesting book only read twice but liked it!
I appreciate that your list doesn't include all the usual standard choices. It doesn't mean those "standard" picks aren't worthy, or that yours aren't worthy of a top ten, just that it's enjoyable to get a list with a different perspective, and a reminder to go and either read some of these I've missed, or go back and read them again.
Your channel is a breath of fresh air, it’s almost impossible to find book recommendations without garbage takes or lists with the most basic recommendations. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen “The Martian” or “hunger games” recommended or just these surface level books, you always have good takes and recommendations that don’t come from a Barnes and Noble new hire
@@SteveJobbed thank you!
I worked at a Border’s (RIP) 15 years ago as a stocker to broaden my knowledge on books. We had two booksellers who were retired and just loved to talk about books. I got many great recommendations from them. I always sent customers their way. So if you are ever in a B&N, just ask for their oldest bookseller :)
I’m with you. If I get recommended one more 20 year old telling me about the top ten fantasy or sci-fi books of the year!! It’s good to have someone who cares about books and isn’t just trying to make it as a UA-camr. The breaking point for me on most of those young channels is when they start posting one piece reviews ! And you can tell they are just chasing the algorithm.
Don't diss the Hunger Games.
Because nobody asked for it, this is my list. In no particular order.
Blindsight / Echopraxia - Peter Watts
Lord of Light -Roger Zelazny
This Immortal - Roger Zelazny
Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
Nightside the Long Sun - Gene Wolfe
The Dragon Never Sleeps - Glen Cook
Gorgon Child - Steven Barnes
The Last Dancer - Daniel Keys Moran
The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois Bujold
The Tea Master and the Detective - Alliette do Bodard
Consider Phlebas / The Algebraist - Ian Banks
Deathstalker - Simon R Green
Heroes Die / Blades of Tyshall - Matthew Stover
Echopraxia was nowhere near the level of Blindsight. However, I'm still waiting for the 3rd book. I read Boyung Kim's On the Origin of Species and the stories in the latter half of that book was amazing.
Eclectic list! Book of the New Sun & Blindsight are definitely on there for me.
Alliette do Bodard & Lois Bujold I did not like.
Zelazny and Banks I still need to read.
Thank you for putting Gene Wolfe on you list. he is known as the best science fiction author you've never hear of.
I have complete opposite opinion in regards to Hyperion vs Fall. Hyperion was great, don't get me wrong, loved each of the tales but man oh man The Fall was EVERYTHING for me. Tied everything together, the pilgrims, the war, EVERYTHING was just so much better haha. Great list though.
I’m right there with you; Fall made Hyperion feel like a protracted setup in my read
Agree 100%
Loved the list... but also, those editions!! My word! I've never had so much envy, they all just popped so much lol
I can't help myself sometimes when it comes to the folio society lol. I try to buy at least one or two every year.
It's nice to see Klara and the Sun get some love. Criminally underrated.
Neuromancer is my #1, and I completely understand people who don't like it. I like to think of the writing style as chaos. It changed the way I thought books could be written.
The prose in Neuromancer is so criminally bad it makes me angry. Tried twice and gave up both times. How it got past the editing room is beyond me.
@@camcolt3530 - well, as I said, I completely understand.
I can't even adequately explain why I like it, but I do.
I know Gibson is a big fan of Delany's "Dhalgren" - and I had to quit that book before 100 pages in. The prose there was a fever dream. I might try it again in the future, but not sure.
@@antistition I know there is a good story burried in Neuromancer, but the prose is like a barrier from me enjoying it lol
@@camcolt3530 It's not an exceptional plot, but there were some great ideas in it. Mostly, I honestly loved it because of its style and atmosphere. Never read a book like it.
But I recognized that its extreme prose could definitely be a nightmare for some people. Personally, I hated "Hail Mary" because of the attempts at humor that fell flat with me. I've never wanted to hurt a book until I picked that one up.
Each of us has our cup of tea, I suppose.
Murakami finally makes a list! His writing is so amazing.
Enjoyed your video and list. Have you read any Ursula Le Guin? I highly recommend The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed, and The Lathe of Heaven.
I think it’s time I finally pick up Ubik.
Great video as always. Glad to see the usual set again.
@CrimeFighterFrog yes it's definitely time to pick up Ubik 😁
Neuromancer: I recently read it. I found myself admiring it more than actually enjoying it. You can see pretty much in every page the influence in other work I've read (or watched in movies) before, and it is amazing how many ideas are on this book. I feel like my mind would have been blown had I read it in the, say, early 90s. But oh well, reading it now, I'm glad I read it, I can see it's high value, but I have quite a few books I'd put above it, in terms of enjoyment of the reading experience.
I read in older reviews that some people read it in Literary class when it came out, and most people at the time described it as" inconceivable". I mean, you can understand why: 15 Years later the Matrix dropped and people were still too uninformed enough to grasp the concept of "Data-Storage" as opposed to the "Humans-as-batterys" stick they ended up using.
You put 3 of my favourite sci -fi books ever: Ubik, Neuromancer and Flower for Algernon. The first two I have read both translated in Italian and in English. They were both challenging, but they did blow my mind and influenced me sooo much. I keep looking for the same "feeling" when I read a novel of the genre.
So thankful for your channel! I did a "Dune June" this year where I read the first two books, and they essentially changed my brain chemistry. So I'm currently inhaling everything Dune related, but am searching for other lesser known science fiction stuff. Sci Fi is quickly becoming my favorite genre. Awesome to see Ubik as your top pick! I haven't tried any PKD yet, but I do have Man in the High Castle on my shelf, hopefully that one is a good place to start with his work.
@MissModeler I would say The man in the high castle is a good place to start. It's an excellent book, and it reigns in some of PKD's tendencies to go full on crazy out there with his ideas. Also, it's the only book he wrote that won the hugo award.
if you like dune you'd probably like the suneater series.
Dune is such low tier trash lmao. Herbert's writing is atrocious, barely got through the third book before getting rid of them.
@@Digger-Nick what did you think of the ender's saga? Could you recommend a series?
Give The Dosadi Experiment a run.
Why all the hate on the Hyperion sequels? I think they’re all brilliantly written and beautiful stories. I just think it didn’t go in the direction fans expected, so they lash out at it
I'm rereading The Fall of Hyperion at the moment. After Hyperion it's really a big step down. The story seems to be going nowhere for hundreds of pages. I've read Endymion and the final book in the past, and they were good but not great. I liked a book like Drood more (but then, I like Dickens, too).
Fall of Hyperion was much better than Hyperion. Don't @ me. It was also written as one book, and Dan Simmons was encouraged to split it down the middle by his publisher, so if you just read Hyperion and you're not reading Fall of Hyperion, you're not getting the full story.
Can confirm, The Fall of Hyperion is better than the first book
Actually the Book of the New Sun was written as a trilogy by Wolfe himself. But like Tolkien he wrote it all together as a single work, did two drafts and then proceeded to do additional drafts for each as he published them one per year. The original third book ("The Sword of the Autarch") was split into the third and fourth book due to its length. My source is the Castle of the Otter book where Wolfe explains how he wrote it.
I just started reading PDK this year and I love that shirt man!! Ubik was phenomenal. I read DADoES two months ago and I'm currently reading Scanner Darkly now. I'll have to give Stigmata a shot soon cause a few people have now suggested that one to me. Awesome video man. Oh and I'm currently reading Book of the New Sun.
I have just had this come up on my feed. Thank you, algorithm! I love Klara and the Sun, everything by PKD and, of course, 1984. Oh, and Dune! Everything else is new to me, and all sound fabulous. I have subscribed.😊
Thank you for a wonderful commentary. It was intelligent and descriptive. I really love your style.
I just started reading Dune. This is my first venture into the literature science fiction genre. I’ve always been intrigued by the genre though. I was told that it is a hard read. But I absolutely love it! I have fallen in love with the universe and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. This video has me super excited for Dune: Messiah!
Great presentation of a great list. Inspiring. If you haven't read "Ender's Game", do that. About Ubik: Ford just patented a system that makes your car call the cops if you drive too fast. I'm not going to stand in line for one of those.
I loved the books on your list. It's great to see some different books than every other top 10 list and I enjoyed your explications of why you included each book. 👍
Enders Game, Meetings with Rama and Foundation and Empire would have been on my own list.
Love the inclusion of Murakami on the list, I've been a fan for years now, and Wind-Up Bird Chronicle blew my mind just out of high school.
I’d say this is quite a fresh take on a top sci-fi books list. I appreciate it. Thanks for sharing and thanks for saying that “your mileage may vary “
My list (without any order, I adore all of these books - some of these are parts of larger series):
To Say Nothing of the Dog - Connie Willis
Beggars in Spain - Nancy Kress
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick
The Long Earth - Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
Flashforward - Robert J. Sawyer
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clark
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Dune - Frank Herbert
1984 is so engrained in culture (big brother...) that I thought I knew what was about to read (this was perhaps 10 years ago) and then blew my mind regardless. It left my mind spinning for a few weeks. I'd put it higher.
Ubik is 100% an underrated philip k dick book. So many people call stories mind bending but ubiks plot literally breaks your brain. So many ground breaking and unique concepts blended into a detective story that unravels the world built around it. Every list has do androids dream of electric sheep which is more than valid but ubik and a scanner darkly stand above the rest IMO. If you've never read a scanner darkly you should give it a try.
Oh yes, I have read a scanner darkly. It's wonderful
Im enjoying your channel. Im a hard Heinleiner and by extension Varley, but your veiws are refreshing. If you look at lists others have placed here, you see most people tend to love variations on a theme. That is how it should be. Keep it up, perhaps when i finish mine, it will make your reading list.
Asimov's Foundation trilogy. And for a juvie (now called YA), Heinlein's Have Spacesuit Will Travel.
Love you for saying this - Have Spacesuit Will Travel got me into science fiction over 60 years ago.
Replace *1984* and *Neuromancer* with:
*Daemon & Freedom* by Daniel Suarez
It is a single story spanning two books.
Thank you for saying that *Fall of Hyperion* was a significant step down from *Hyperion* . I don't know how many times I have told people that. Then the knock down drag out fights start.
How dare you, it explains the whole shrike thing.
You heathen!
Great list (especially because it's yours). Great review and insights into your experiences. Thanks RB!
Always like to hear different recommendations for books to try. I did try Necromancer recently and unfortunately I fell into the latter camp that found it incomprehensible. The ideas and theme of the book I found interesting but reading it felt like trying to listen to a radio channel in your car that was playing mostly static for hours. After a while it gets so grating that I had to switch channels to a different book.
The author's ideas are probably better represented visually than in writing.
@larkwyll7351 Yep, this is why I say I have a love-hate relationship with that book lol
You can say that again!
To me it was like I was zapping tv channels randomly. That book didn't make any sense to me so far. I really struggled finishing it.
Just found your channel. Absolutely blown away with the quality of the videos.
The content, the lighting, the sound. Well done, man. Best videos I’ve seen on a smaller channel.
Do you mind doing a video about your filming setup?
Thank you. For better or worse, I put an absolutely massive amount of effort into the production quality of my videos. Probably more than is necessary for book content. I just did a library tour, and a gear/setup tour could be fun too.
My reaction whilst watching the list. Flowers for Algernon. Yes. Neuromancer. Yesssss. Book of the New Sun. YESSSSSSSS. Dune Messiah over Dune is also the correct choice. Great list btw.
I loved *Klara and the Sun* as well. Sad ending.
I'm not much of a sci-fi reader, but I subbed because it's nice to find another book bro with top notch video production and presentation.
Thanks, I appreciate that.
does anyone else think 1984 is kind of unravelling before our eyes??
mmmm...in some places....sure
I mean yes..capitalism, communism, totalitarianism they all control the people
1984 has applied to every point of human civilisation. Power structures and how leaders/institutions retain control by shaping how we think is timeless and has been going on since before written history. Look at how concepts like "divine mandate" have been invented to ensure that people thought that submission to authority was the "natural order" and no right-thinking person would imagine otherwise. Suppression of access to ideas has always been a tool to retain control.
Orwell was writing about what he was seeing happening at the time. He just added technology and took it to an extreme. It’s nothing new, just worsening as technology catches up to the book. 😢
i think frankenstein and wild seed deserve honorable mentions!
Was so happy to see UBIK at one. What an amazing book.
I feel similarly about Neuromancer… not sure I like it, but I definitely appreciate it!
Love the list. Unabashedly original. I love some of these entries (Wolfe, PKD and Ishiguro) and cant wait to tuck into the ones I haven’t read. Keep up the great work.
So glad you chose to include 1984. It's so good, so relevant, and ultimately so heartbreaking. Thanks for giving me more recs to add to my TBR.
Ubik is the right answer always - great list dude!
We had to read Flowers for Algernon in high school, and to this day, I dislike this book, but it stays with you 30 years later. I find I like a nice combination of science fiction and fantasy or just fantasy vs. straight science fiction.
The Hyperion Cantos (Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion) is the greatest Sci-fi book ever written, and I will not accept anyone telling me otherwise.
I liked God Emperor of Dune the best out of the series. But I'm weird I guess.
Interesting list! I also have that fancy Folio edition of Ubik, haven't read it yet though! Now I feel compelled to do so.
I like the variety of books on this list. I have not heard of many of them and you caught my interest. Hopefully I can get some on my TBR.
Awww Ubik was actually the first ever SF book I read, at the age of twelve. Loved it then. I sometimes wonder if it is actually good. Looks like it might be ;) Time to reread.
That is the best description of Ubik i have heard... i agree its in a class of its own and should be at the top of any SF list
maybe it’s recency bias but Tiamat’s Wrath was one of the most exciting reads and listens (paper twice, audio once) in my life, it also helped that The Expanse series pretty much got me through the dredges and fallout of COVID-19 but yeah, i love this book / series way too much
by the way thanks for the recs, The Book if the New Sun looks so fascinating, it’s added to my shopping cart!
Your favorite book is Ubik? WOW, I really, really loved it and most people don’t even know it :)
Dude! Neuromancer is not a hard read. It’s not weirdly styled. It’s a noir detective novel in sci fi form. I guess you shouldn’t read Raymond Chandler or George Alec Effinger.
That being said, I would recommend listening to the Neuromancer audio books read by Jonathan Davis. He nails the noir tone! Absolutely fantastic! The second book has one of my favorite openings of any book ever. Davis delivers it so perfectly, I literally get goosebumps.
Effinger’s “When Gravity Fails” is another amazing sci fi book that I would recommend to anyone that likes Neuromancer. Marid Audran Trilogy is one of my top ten sci fi books of all time. Also, expertly narrated by Jonathan Davis.
Weirdly missing from this list of great sci fi is anything by Peter F. Hamilton, but I suppose if Neuromancer is too hard to read, you’ll be 1000% lost with anything Hamilton writes.
I would love to know what your criteria are for ranking these? Just how much you love them, or what qualifies as "good" in your book (pun intended)?
I was surprised that Hyperion was only an honorable mention. I was also surprised that you said The Fall of Hyperion was a step-down. I really loved both of those. If I'm being honest, I liked "Fall" better. However, I enjoyed hearing about your list. I look forward to hearing about different sci-fi titles from you.
Top taste as ususal 🎉❤
Hey nice rankin! I was wondering if you had ever read anything by Ursula k le Guin and if so what are your thoughts on her? I read The Dispossessed a couple of months ago and it really blew me away with its prose and ways of explaining and making realistic the world le Guin creates. I'm going to read Earthsea next (not Sci-FI) and then The Left Hand of Darkness, which may be the most influential sci-fi novel in terms of creating a paradigm shift.
@spotmotion7452 I have not read the disposessed. I have read the left hand of darkness. It is excellent and was actually on the short list to be in this video, but it just didn't quite make it.
Great list! PKD is one of my all time favs, along with Murakami. Here are some sci-fi books that top my lists and they all blew my mind in one way or another:
Babel-17 by Samuel R Delaney (the way the story unfolded... rocked my world!)
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke (Legendary)
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle (The most brilliant first contact story I've ever read barring Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu)
"-And He Built a Crooked House" - story by Robert A Heinlein - still sticks out to me
Eon by Greg Bear (It's bigger on the inside ... and the book that lead me to studying physics)
Ringworld by Larry Niven (Dyson rings - utterly fascinating - I was enthralled)
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (Author had cojones to name the MC Hiro Protagonist!)
my english teacher recommended flowers for algernon to me in 8th grade, it's been my favorite book ever since and i have read it countless times.
I love Ishiguro. They are such slow burns that sink into you and stay there. I will have to read Klara and the Sun soon.
Interesting list!
My list would have Fire Upon the Deep, Solaris, Hyperion, House of Suns, maybe Children of Time.
Ubik is a great choice for the top spot. 🙌
I like this list, it makes sense. I've never read past the first two Hyperion, but I think the first book is top 10 worthy and that it didn't need a sequel. But it's a solid 11 on your list technically, so that's not bad.
Clara and the Sun is definitely a great choice! Such a beautiful science fiction fairytale. Reminds me of Spielberg's AI
1Q84 is absolutely incredible. As huge as it is, I recently set aside all my other listening time to go through the audiobook (which is incredibly well done) for the second time.
It's a meme for a reason. And reason is that WE LIVE IN 1984 WORLD.
Great list. Hyperion is my #3 cause I've hacked reality. I Iove FoH and haven't read Endymion yet.
@kurtgoldstein3254 I tend to go in pretty hard on the Endymion books because I was disappointed in them. Some people love them, though, so I say read them, decide for yourself, and don't listen to my negativity lol
Why does this channel not have 200k subscribers by now?
As soon as a channel hits that many subscribers, authors and publishers start calling, and the channel can no longer be trusted.
I respect your list. I'm surprised Neal Stephenson didn't make it. SevenEves, Cryptonomicon and The Diamond Age are all incredible IMO.
I totally disagree with you on Ubik, but I 100% understand why you selected it. The joy of books.
Great list
Totally agree with you on Ubik.
Sounds like I need to go read Ubik!
Yes! Finally someone on internet is talking about how good is Ubik!🎉
Enjoyed your list but as you suspected I think you're criminally insane for ranking Dune Messiah over Dune... AND for Ender's Game not being on the list.
Thanks for the video!
Still have to search for someone with my books on his list...😺but nice and partially unique list. Always hard to get much out of it if one doesnt know if the beloved books havent been read or just rated lower. Some explanations look like "stand on zanzibar" could be here too. But still have to search for someone who could stand the Mars Trilogie and give it a spot 🙂↔️
Flowers for Algernon is goated. Absolutely love it
Great list. Very pleased to see mentioned some of my all-time favourite books: BotNS (and you have the Folio edition!!), 1Q84, Neuromancer (I personally don't think the style is difficult or weird; I found it highly accessible) and Cloud Atlas, along with Hyperion (happy to consider this on its own without the ... fall). Those are all some of the most influential reads for me.
I'd potentially put Solenoid on here if you're including the likes of 1Q84 and Cloud Atlas.
Dune massively overrated. Frank's prose is a hot mess and I simply don't understand how it's so lauded (yes, it's a cool story, but it's not amazing).
In no particular order:
1. The Paper Menagerie
2. The Dark Forest
3. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou
4. Children of Time
5. God Emperor of Dune or Dune
6. Ender's Game
7. Blindsight
-Eagerly waiting for Ted Chiang's next collection of short stories....
I tried to love Klara and the Sun but it was just OK for me. I keep hoping to find a way to recreate the love I have for Never Let Me Go, but I have come to the conclusion that it's a one-off.
Thanks for the different list! It’s tiring to see the same books over and over. I’m looking forward to checking out 1Q84, which will be my 1st Murakami. Thank you!
Your comment on Murakami and Neuromancer just made me trust you 100%
No. 3 reminds me of Doctor Who episode "The Face of Evil"
I’ve never been a classic sci-fi fan…I like Earth centric, military hard sci-fi…and especially stories that are more strategic. I’ve never liked books or movies similar to a dude on the run from a bad guy group. I want the big picture.
With that said that Phillip K Dick post apocalyptic book sounds good and I’ll check it out!
Love the video and your others man!
1984, we’re getting there folks.
Julia is a really good book. It's from the perspective of the character Julia from 1984
Neuromancer made my brain melt. An intense ride.
Have you ever read "This Perfect Day" by Ira Levin? A short but compelling story!
only F man, this is the best recommendation i seen so far, thanks you really pick my interested in some of those book.
I’ll forgive your criminal failure to recognize the brilliance of the 3 books that followed Hyperion - because of your appreciation of PK Dick. Clans of the Alphane Moon is my favorite (not his best, but my favorite).
Might I recommend the Neal Asher Polity novels?
Actually, out of the 20 odd PKD books I've read, I haven't gotten to that one yet. I'll have to move it up on the TBR
If you say Dune, I’m quitting you. Ok, you get a pass. Great list!! Creative and not expected. ❤
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester is the best SF book ever written
Hyperion's still my personal fave and I think Fall really benefitted from a reread (and a little extra research on Keats - highly recommend that before reading). The Endymion books feel like bloated fan fiction by comparison.
Ok, you sold me on, "you need a quarter to get in your house."
Please read the suneater series by Christopher rucchio and then re edit this list after you finish Demon in White which is book 3 in that series.
Fun list. I haven't read Ubik 😳 on the list 🙌🏻 Ender's Game was my favorite for decades and got bumped for The Windup Girl.
My favorite scifi offering of any kind is still a short story entitled The Sand Kings by George R.R. Martin which is weird since I don't like the GoT books 😝
Great to see the books I (mostly 😬) grew up with
🙌🏻🤓👀
@ithrahmunchswallow468 Even though they didn't make the list, I really enjoyed both enders game and the wind-up girl.
@@rammelbroadcasting have you read Sand Kings? It's probably my favorite because of my interest in social philosophy bit it's so good. It has had two celluloid representations but neither did it justice 😐
@ithrahmunchswallow468 No, I haven't.
Solid list. I agree with many of your picks, but I don’t think 1Q84 is really SF-I think it’s magical realism.
I'm surprised you didn't have Le Guin on there though. Also I subbed
@currangill430 Yeah, I have gotten that comment a lot on this video. She was on the short list leading up to the video but just didn't make the cut. And let me tell ya, that was a hard cut to make.
Love the Inuyasha collection
I don't think there will be as many people wondering why "Ubik" is number 1 so much as why "Frankenstein" didn't make the top ten.
Trigun is #1 for me in enjoyment, world and characters. Dune is the best imo.
Yes you are insane. 😁 Ubik? No enders game?