Thank you for the excellent list, some of my favorite books as well. Also, I agree with your assessment of the relationship in Project Hail Mary, Rocky is an amazing character. Also def think the Ray Porter narration in the audiobook is superb. As a child, I read Flowers for Algeron many times and it affected me deeply, such a hard-hitting story. I've always tried to treat small critters well, and to this day I enjoy feeding the chipmunks that live in the woods behind my house sunflower seeds and peanuts daily. I still think about the themes and ideas from that book regularly. Thanks for sharing your list!
PHM is fabulous and glad to hear you enjoyed it too It is wonderful to hear how Flowers for Algernon has affected you and the way you view and interact with the world. This is the real magic and power of stories! I only read it as an adult and has certainly made an impact on me
The City and The City sounds so good! I've just gotten into audio books so have added Project Hail Mary to my TBR as well. I've heard people mention Flowers for Algernon in conversation for years, but I didn't realise it was sci fi. I've added it to my list as well as your description makes it so appealing.
Hitchhiker's Guide would probably make my top 10 as well. Flowers for Algernon and 1984 are also great reads, although for me they fall more in a literary category than a sci-fi category if I was going to make a list somehow. I'd probably also add a bunch of modern sci-fi to my top 10 like The Fifth Season, Ninefox Gambit, An Unkindness of Ghosts, All Systems Red, These Lifeless Things, The Vanished Birds, Light from Uncommon Stars, and Stories of Your Life and Others.
Yeah I had a long debate with myself about what counts as sci-fi and decided to go pretty broad with my interpretation. Your list has a lot of books on my want to read list, so perhaps they will make my top 10 at a future date
@@trhansen3244 Plenty of SF is literary, and plenty of literary fiction has SF elements, just like plenty of fantasy has romance, and plenty of romances have fantasy in them. Just a question of which genre they tend to be categorized in. For me, 1984 and Flowers for Algernon would fall into lit fic as their primary category, that's all.
No honorable mentions. I dig it. Pick your list. I’ve been meaning to read Flowers of Algernon for years and really need to get to it. You’ve got a lot of my favorites on here. Another favorite of mine is Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Great video! I’ve read 9 of these and I really enjoyed 8 of them (I didn’t click with The City & the City, but I’m glad you did haha) so it sounds like I’ll have to try The Humans!
Thank you for taking the time to watch. The Humans is great, I really enjoyed the exploration of what it is to be human from the view of an alien living amongst us.
Great list. So glad to see The Humans and Flowers for Algernon made the list. A few favorites of mine not on the list: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, 1984 by George Orwell, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and War of the Worlds by HG Wells.
I love your #1 and will say two things about it: 1) The hardest cry I've ever had reading came with Flowers for Algernon (and I'm unashamed to admit it), and 2) there's no doubt in my mind it belongs in the SF category. People who think a book isn't science fiction unless spaceships, other planets, and aliens are involved need to expand their definition of the genre. Again, bravo! "Brilliant" is an overused word, but not in the case of your top selection.
What an awesome list! I've heard of most of the titles, but haven't read any of them yet. I started Dune in Sept, but put it on hold because of spooky season and the upcoming holiday TBRs :) I plan to pick it back up in January. I loved the small bit I have read so far, and also really enjoyed the movie! I own 1984, so that will be good for the Read What you Own Challenge. I have heard so many Booktubers rave about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy so that sounds like a "must read" as well! Everything else, I put on "the list", lol. I'm surprised how much I really like Sci-Fi and it's becoming one of my favorite genres! I think you did a great job of explaining each book and saying why you like it, without giving too much of the plot away. Enjoyed the video!
Ahh yes the challenge of giving enough information to get others excited and explain why you love it but without spoiling it! Hitchhikers is brilliant and quite unique, I have read it several times and enjoyed it every time. I would definitely encourage you to pick up 1984, is a short one and such a great story and indictment of society I really do enjoy sci-fi, with the mix of books you get, some focussed on the exploration of ideas and others on characters in space or dystopian futures etc. So much variety, I also like that most sci-fi are standalone books rather than long series (like fantasy which I also love) as sometimes enjoy just being able to read and enjoy a self contained story
Nice work! My top ten: 10. More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon; 9. Gateway by Fredrik Pohl; 8. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card; 7. Hyperion by Dan Simmons; 6. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury; 5. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller; 4. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin; 3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley; 2. 1984 by George Orwell; 1, Dune by Frank Herbert.
The only two of these I've read are Project Hail Mary and Flowers for Algernon (I think every student in the US reads Flowers for Algernon at least once in middle school!). I'm not a huge SF reader, but your enthusiasm for these books makes me want to pick some more of them up. And I really need to read 1984!
Interesting to hear that Flowers for Algernon is read in middle school as it isn't in the UK so I came to it much later. 1984 is superb and absolutely worth reading
I love this. Your choices of Top 3 are 3 of my favourite books too. I really like The Humans but I have been disappointed by the other 3 books I've read by Matt Haig. Lots of crossover with my taste here though. Our number one choices are exactly the same.
Yes! Great to hear! Love Flowers for Algernon! I have only read two of Matt Haig's, found The Humans superb but was not a big fan of The Midnight Library so I can't decide if I should read anymore of his, but from what you are saying I maybe better giving them a miss
I’ve only read two of these, but both would be in my top 10, although I feel I am very underread in sci fi, as I mainly read dystopian from this genre. I’ve been looking for where to start with some of the classics so I’ll follow up on your recommendations. Loved Project Hail Mary and I agree with it having the best relationship in sci fi. Hitchhikers Guide is great and I’ve read the whole series, they all made me laugh. 😊📚
Got to love some dystopia! Hitchhikers is so so good, I enjoy rereading it but it is one of those books/ series that I would love to be able to read again for the first time. I remember the joy of reading the first few pages for the first time, laughing out loud and thinking it was like nothing I had read before. Hope you find some classics you love
Interesting list - not much overlap with other such lists, and there's even two I haven't read (#8 is on my TBR pile waiting for its turn; for #10 I haven't even heard (that I remember)). Your #1 is absolutely brilliant, and I am puzzled that it appears on lists like this so rarely. Well done!
Great to hear that there are some unusual ones on here (don't want to always follow the crowd) and even better to hear that there is a new one to put on your radar! Yeah I'm always surprised that #1 isn't in more top 10 lists, it is so so good
Well you listed a few that I have read and feel very strongly as Must Read Sci-Fi. That Said, my all time favorite and a reason why I love the HFY genre of fiction is a book by Alan Dean Foster "A Call to Arms" it might not be the master piece of Foundation, Dune, HGTTG, and 1984 (Technically written in 1948 he inverted the year in his calendar.) But it has an emotional impact and asks a fundamental question about humanity, and then single handedly goes full HFY the rest of the trilogy is ok, but the first book is the great read.
I hadn't thought about that inverting of the year for 1984, a great piece of trivia. Thank you for the recommendation, I haven't heard of A Call to Arms so have added it to my want to read list
When I was a young teen, in 1984, the media talked a lot about that book, and so lots of dumb trivia was said. Also, the last chapter of A Call to Arms" makes the book.
some favourites of mine you didn't mention: "The Xeelee Sequence" and "The Time Ships" by Stephen Baxter, "Earth Abides" by George R. Stewart, "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson, "The Thief of Always" by Clive Barker, "Blood Music", "The Forge of God" and "The Anvil of Stars" by Greg Bear "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury "Dichronauts" by Greg Egan
Wonderful, thank you for sharing, I will add these to my list. I have I Am Legend on my shelf and want to get to it before the end of the year but some of the others I haven't heard of, so I'm delighted to have more books to go look at!
Oh yes id forgotten about earth abides. Great book. Almost the other end of the spectrum but similar backstory is a canticle for Leibowitz. Both of these regularly find their way into top tens. I havent heard of dichronauts I like egan so will check that out.
Ahh the debates I had with myself over what I was going to count as sci-fi and what I wasn't were quite protracted! 🤣 Glad to hear you enjoyed the list
Amazing list! I’ve read all the books on it except for The Humans. I may have to give it a chance at some point, even though Midnight Library was a disappointment for me. So much so, that I dnf it… I’ll put together my own Top 10 SF video at some point. I think two or three books from your list will be on it. 🙌
Nice list. I've listened to Rendezvous with Rama on audiobook, and found it very interesting. I think I would almost categorize it as political sci-fi. A lot of time the sci-fi was there, but it took a back burner. But I think the change in pace/perspective makes this one captivating, from start to finish. Glad Dune made the list. I think it is my #1 sci-fi book. I just fell in love with the world and ended up reading all six books in the Dune series. Dune Messiah and Children of Dune could be a stand alone trilogy with Dune. After Children of Dune things start to get a little....weird lol. Still really fun though. Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (which I've mentioned in comments before), and both Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain by Michael Chriton would help fill my top ten sci-fi list.
Dune is fabulous! Jurassic Park would have been an honourable mention if I had done them as I really enjoyed that book and I need to read more Crichton Annihilation is on my want to read list!
@baskinthestory Chriton's great. Enough science to make it into the Sci-Fi genre, but also so fast-paced, entertaining, and easy to read. Lost World, Micro, and Sphere by him are all great. Sphere is CREEPY. Very unsettling.
A great video of your top 10. I've jotted down a few of these that I haven't read as they sound fantastic. Agree Dune is great and although I wouldn't have put 1984 in a sci-fi list, I do think it's a cracking story. Douglas Adams in brilliant, I've read the series and you are right the first is the best, 'anyone for Vogon Poetry'. There was a t.v. adaptation of the city and the city which was ok but I would love to read the book too; thank you for the reminder. The only book I've read that disappointed me was Project Hail Mary, but the last 3rd definitely made up for the shortcomings in the rest. Thanks for posting. I've sub'd your channel and look forward to more content.
Thank you for watching, I really went back and forth on what books to include in this list and what I would count as sci-fi. Ah yes the magnificence of Vogon poetry! 🤣 I haven't watched the TV series of The City and The City though I am now curious as to how that could be done effectively on the screen. Maybe I will have to check out an episode and see
in no particular order my top 10 sci fi i have read so far; red dwarf books (audiobook/ear read, 1st is 'infinity welcomes careful drivers'), 'the stars my destination' (eye read), 'the dreaming jewels' (audiobook), 'flowers for algernon' (audiobook), the bobiverse books (eye read but i hear the audiobooks are good too, 1st is 'we are legion (we are bob)'), the murderbot diary books (eye read and audiobook, the 1st is 'all systems red'), klara and the sun, the forever war, galactic pot-healer, the war of the worlds...and number 11 just because i couldn't leave it off 'the other end of time' by frederik pohl.
i can read and watch about space all day. I went down a rabbit hole last night about Galaxy--it was hours! i love sci fi. i bout a series just bcz the covers had different planets on them --its great!!!
It is such a fascinating subject, so much to explore and so much unknown, I have also lost myself for many an hour reading and watching stuff on various topics related to space and the universe!
Thanks for the video and I will read flower for algeron per your suggestion. 1 book that had a tremendous impact on me as you described for flowers of algeron is “the forever war” by Joe haldeman. Maybe you have read it, but if not, that would be my number 1 pick.
The forever war is excellent and one I need to reread I think as I remember parts but didn't have the same impact on me on my first reading (quite a few years ago now) so definitely worth a revisit
Great list, a lot of interesting titles here, some of which are also my favourites. The Dark Forest is full of fantastic ideas as you say, and 1984 is a visionary masterpiece. I haven't read Flowers for Algernon yet but it's in the TBR pile! Have you read any of Le Guin's science fiction? The Lathe of Heaven and The Left Hand of Darkness are other favourites of mine.
I hope you enjoy Flowers for Algernon, it is such a moving story. I have not read any Le Guin yet but I did pick up The Lathe of Heaven a couple of days ago so have that in my pile to read and am very much looking forward to it
thanks, you gave me two books to try, Hail Mary and Flowers for Algernon, the rest ive read and enjoyed allot, just recently read the fear series by stephen moss, worth an go if you havent alread read them
I have not read the Fear series and just looked it up and am intrigued so thank you for the recommendation. Hail Mary and Flowers for Algernon are both superb, I hope you enjoy
Chrysalids by John Wyndham one of the first Sci-Fi I read looking at a future world and evolution and how we view people that are different, short but amazing. The Reality Disfunction by Peter F Hamilton, a massive tome of a book and part of a set some stereo types for hero's but still a fantastic read especially as disparate characters come together.
Peter F Hamilton is a name I have seen in the bookstores but haven't heard many people talk about so thank you for the recommendation. I will have to check it out
Quite a compelling list - at least judging from the titles i have read myself. Have you read anything from the Culture series by Ian M. Banks? It is one of my personal favorite scifi series. Edit - i just watched your video "10 INTIMIDATINGLY BIG Book Series I Want to Read" - Please don´t be too intimidated by the culture series - The books themselves are only really connected by the culture itself and not really by a continuous story line. You could read them even out of order and it would not detract from the experience that much. But if you would start i agree that starting with the second book "player of games" is an excellent starting point. And since every book has it´s own self contained story, you can stop whenever you want without having the need to continue to see where it all end up. That said put off reading the last book for some time, because i knew it would be the end of the series, since the author died in 2013.
Thanks for this, I'm certainly leaning towards starting with the Player of Games rather than Consider Phlebas. So many series to read though I do like this idea that I can pick up a book at the time and don't need to read them all close together (unless I want to of course)!
@@baskinthestory Thanks for the reply. No, but I met Ian Banks years ago and got a signed copy. I tried reading it, however I really loved his non-scifi books. I'll have another go at it.
I’ve been wanting to read the Cinxin Lu series for so long - as it’s made the top 10 I guess I should bump it up my priority list! The Foundation trilogy are my dad’s favourite’s - I have also been meaning to read those for many years… I loved Project Hail Mary!! Rocky!!! 😍😍😍 I’ve also been meaning to read We - if you fancy buddy reading it next year give me a shout. I have only read 2/10!! Do I even read sci-fi?! 😬
Yeah the Cixin Liu series is very good, some fabulous ideas explored well and differently to a lot of sci-fi books I have read. I'm definitely up for a buddy read of We, that would be amazing! Will have a think about when and get back to you Rocky 🥰 Only 2/10 - sounds like plenty more for you to read! This is why I love top 10s, I'm always finding books I haven't read yet to go and check out
Enjoyed Rama, but then read Eon by Greg Bear and can never go back to Rama again. It felt like going from a plain hamburger(buns and meat) to a cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, onions, mayo and cheese. Very similar ideas, just done better by Bear imo.
The two groups of citizens being unable to see eachother leads me to suspect that it was inspired by one of Cugel the Clever's adventures on the Dying Earth series by Jack Vance. I thoght maybe he was inspired by Northern Ireland, or by the Shiavites and Vishnavites in India.
I have not been able to find any specific reference to what his inspirations were but it is interesting to think about the number of groups that could fit into this
Impossible task. Good luck looking forward to it .......writing this as you talk .... OK i hated The Humans so thats not a good start lol. Three body ..A DNF for me but i know I'm in a minority....The city and the city id say is fantasy ..ahah SF i like, RWR somewhat old fashioned i think a film is rumoured. Wouldn't put it in my top 10...Foundation hmmmm to quote Shania Twain that dont impress me much ......PHM i loved this book i agree superb fits the description i love the way its written the story the back story everything about it. Dune again I'm in a minority got bored with all the politicking. 1984 yes i agree though i dont really consider ut as SF but i suppose it is. Amd yes very disturbing .Hitchiker? Funny a good read but wouldn't put it in my top ten. Very timely choice though since Elon Musks recent AI announcement. Flowers. Yes. Quite heart breaking. Whats missing that would be in my top ten you ask (perhaps?) Ringworld. Hyperion (and sequels ) House of Suns. Accelerando . The Diamond Age. Diaspora. Player of Games or maybe Matter or something else by Banks depending what day if the week it is
Love this commentary! 🤣 And quoting Shania Twain is excellent! 🤣 Glad to see there were a few on the list that you enjoy! I had a lot of back and forth with myself while making this list on what I was counting as sci-fi and what wasn't. Thank you for the recommendations as well, Iain Banks' culture series is one I want to get into as I haven't read any of his yet.
Thank you for the excellent list, some of my favorite books as well.
Also, I agree with your assessment of the relationship in Project Hail Mary, Rocky is an amazing character. Also def think the Ray Porter narration in the audiobook is superb.
As a child, I read Flowers for Algeron many times and it affected me deeply, such a hard-hitting story. I've always tried to treat small critters well, and to this day I enjoy feeding the chipmunks that live in the woods behind my house sunflower seeds and peanuts daily. I still think about the themes and ideas from that book regularly.
Thanks for sharing your list!
PHM is fabulous and glad to hear you enjoyed it too
It is wonderful to hear how Flowers for Algernon has affected you and the way you view and interact with the world. This is the real magic and power of stories! I only read it as an adult and has certainly made an impact on me
Fantastic video and I love the concept of no honourable mentions
It was tough to leave books out, but had to be strict with myself 🤣
Great list! And a nice mix of classic and modern books.
Thanks Kevin, I think that's what made the list so difficult, the range of sci-fi I enjoy makes it difficult to compare but such fun to do
The City and The City sounds so good! I've just gotten into audio books so have added Project Hail Mary to my TBR as well. I've heard people mention Flowers for Algernon in conversation for years, but I didn't realise it was sci fi. I've added it to my list as well as your description makes it so appealing.
They are all so good, all three are very different but all excellent. I hope you enjoy!
Hitchhiker's Guide would probably make my top 10 as well. Flowers for Algernon and 1984 are also great reads, although for me they fall more in a literary category than a sci-fi category if I was going to make a list somehow. I'd probably also add a bunch of modern sci-fi to my top 10 like The Fifth Season, Ninefox Gambit, An Unkindness of Ghosts, All Systems Red, These Lifeless Things, The Vanished Birds, Light from Uncommon Stars, and Stories of Your Life and Others.
Yeah I had a long debate with myself about what counts as sci-fi and decided to go pretty broad with my interpretation.
Your list has a lot of books on my want to read list, so perhaps they will make my top 10 at a future date
I loved the Unlindness of Ghosts, great book.
You mean SF can't be 'literary'?
@@trhansen3244 Plenty of SF is literary, and plenty of literary fiction has SF elements, just like plenty of fantasy has romance, and plenty of romances have fantasy in them. Just a question of which genre they tend to be categorized in. For me, 1984 and Flowers for Algernon would fall into lit fic as their primary category, that's all.
@@ThatsSoPoe That's pure nonsense.
No honorable mentions. I dig it. Pick your list.
I’ve been meaning to read Flowers of Algernon for years and really need to get to it. You’ve got a lot of my favorites on here. Another favorite of mine is Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Thanks for watching, I need to read Hyperion. Flowers for Algernon is so good, I hope you enjoy when you get to it
Great video! I’ve read 9 of these and I really enjoyed 8 of them (I didn’t click with The City & the City, but I’m glad you did haha) so it sounds like I’ll have to try The Humans!
Thank you for taking the time to watch. The Humans is great, I really enjoyed the exploration of what it is to be human from the view of an alien living amongst us.
Great list. So glad to see The Humans and Flowers for Algernon made the list. A few favorites of mine not on the list: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, 1984 by George Orwell, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and War of the Worlds by HG Wells.
I love your #1 and will say two things about it: 1) The hardest cry I've ever had reading came with Flowers for Algernon (and I'm unashamed to admit it), and 2) there's no doubt in my mind it belongs in the SF category. People who think a book isn't science fiction unless spaceships, other planets, and aliens are involved need to expand their definition of the genre. Again, bravo! "Brilliant" is an overused word, but not in the case of your top selection.
Been looking for more sci fi and definitely adding these to the list
Great to hear Usman, hope you find some that you really love
Of those you mentioned, I love Rendezvous with Rama, The Dark Forest, and Project Hail Mary so much. Great picks for the others as well.
Thanks Dan, so many great sci-fi books out there that I'm sure this list will be changing over the coming years
What an awesome list! I've heard of most of the titles, but haven't read any of them yet. I started Dune in Sept, but put it on hold because of spooky season and the upcoming holiday TBRs :) I plan to pick it back up in January. I loved the small bit I have read so far, and also really enjoyed the movie! I own 1984, so that will be good for the Read What you Own Challenge. I have heard so many Booktubers rave about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy so that sounds like a "must read" as well! Everything else, I put on "the list", lol. I'm surprised how much I really like Sci-Fi and it's becoming one of my favorite genres! I think you did a great job of explaining each book and saying why you like it, without giving too much of the plot away. Enjoyed the video!
Ahh yes the challenge of giving enough information to get others excited and explain why you love it but without spoiling it!
Hitchhikers is brilliant and quite unique, I have read it several times and enjoyed it every time.
I would definitely encourage you to pick up 1984, is a short one and such a great story and indictment of society
I really do enjoy sci-fi, with the mix of books you get, some focussed on the exploration of ideas and others on characters in space or dystopian futures etc. So much variety, I also like that most sci-fi are standalone books rather than long series (like fantasy which I also love) as sometimes enjoy just being able to read and enjoy a self contained story
@@baskinthestory yes! 💯 agree about the benefit of a standalone vs a more intimidating series to commit to (even though I love them too). 👍
Nice work! My top ten: 10. More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon; 9. Gateway by Fredrik Pohl; 8. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card; 7. Hyperion by Dan Simmons; 6. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury; 5. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller; 4. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin; 3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley; 2. 1984 by George Orwell; 1, Dune by Frank Herbert.
Your excitement is stirring my curiosity especially for CHINA MIEVILLE. Thank you for so many recs and the spoiler free synopsis.
Thank you for watching and I'm delighted to hear that I have sparked your curiosity. Hopefully you will find some new favourites to enjoy
The only two of these I've read are Project Hail Mary and Flowers for Algernon (I think every student in the US reads Flowers for Algernon at least once in middle school!). I'm not a huge SF reader, but your enthusiasm for these books makes me want to pick some more of them up. And I really need to read 1984!
Interesting to hear that Flowers for Algernon is read in middle school as it isn't in the UK so I came to it much later. 1984 is superb and absolutely worth reading
I love this. Your choices of Top 3 are 3 of my favourite books too. I really like The Humans but I have been disappointed by the other 3 books I've read by Matt Haig. Lots of crossover with my taste here though. Our number one choices are exactly the same.
Yes! Great to hear! Love Flowers for Algernon!
I have only read two of Matt Haig's, found The Humans superb but was not a big fan of The Midnight Library so I can't decide if I should read anymore of his, but from what you are saying I maybe better giving them a miss
@@baskinthestory yeah it’s a shame because like you I think The Humans is so good!
I’ve only read two of these, but both would be in my top 10, although I feel I am very underread in sci fi, as I mainly read dystopian from this genre. I’ve been looking for where to start with some of the classics so I’ll follow up on your recommendations. Loved Project Hail Mary and I agree with it having the best relationship in sci fi. Hitchhikers Guide is great and I’ve read the whole series, they all made me laugh. 😊📚
Got to love some dystopia!
Hitchhikers is so so good, I enjoy rereading it but it is one of those books/ series that I would love to be able to read again for the first time. I remember the joy of reading the first few pages for the first time, laughing out loud and thinking it was like nothing I had read before.
Hope you find some classics you love
Good list overall. Love the Flowers for Algernon pick. Excellent book.
Not sure it makes my top 10 but it was superb and often overlooked.
Thank you, I do love that book and I agree that it does seem to be a bit overlooked
7:28 - Rendezvous with Rama, one of the all time greats!
Yes! So good!
Interesting list - not much overlap with other such lists, and there's even two I haven't read (#8 is on my TBR pile waiting for its turn; for #10 I haven't even heard (that I remember)). Your #1 is absolutely brilliant, and I am puzzled that it appears on lists like this so rarely.
Well done!
Great to hear that there are some unusual ones on here (don't want to always follow the crowd) and even better to hear that there is a new one to put on your radar!
Yeah I'm always surprised that #1 isn't in more top 10 lists, it is so so good
Well you listed a few that I have read and feel very strongly as Must Read Sci-Fi. That Said, my all time favorite and a reason why I love the HFY genre of fiction is a book by Alan Dean Foster "A Call to Arms" it might not be the master piece of Foundation, Dune, HGTTG, and 1984 (Technically written in 1948 he inverted the year in his calendar.) But it has an emotional impact and asks a fundamental question about humanity, and then single handedly goes full HFY the rest of the trilogy is ok, but the first book is the great read.
I hadn't thought about that inverting of the year for 1984, a great piece of trivia.
Thank you for the recommendation, I haven't heard of A Call to Arms so have added it to my want to read list
When I was a young teen, in 1984, the media talked a lot about that book, and so lots of dumb trivia was said.
Also, the last chapter of A Call to Arms" makes the book.
some favourites of mine you didn't mention:
"The Xeelee Sequence" and "The Time Ships" by Stephen Baxter,
"Earth Abides" by George R. Stewart,
"I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson,
"The Thief of Always" by Clive Barker,
"Blood Music", "The Forge of God" and "The Anvil of Stars" by Greg Bear
"The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury
"Dichronauts" by Greg Egan
Wonderful, thank you for sharing, I will add these to my list. I have I Am Legend on my shelf and want to get to it before the end of the year but some of the others I haven't heard of, so I'm delighted to have more books to go look at!
Oh yes id forgotten about earth abides. Great book. Almost the other end of the spectrum but similar backstory is a canticle for Leibowitz. Both of these regularly find their way into top tens. I havent heard of dichronauts I like egan so will check that out.
Great list. My only quibble is that 1984 isn't sci-fi, but it's still a must read book regardless.
Ahh the debates I had with myself over what I was going to count as sci-fi and what I wasn't were quite protracted! 🤣 Glad to hear you enjoyed the list
Amazing list! I’ve read all the books on it except for The Humans. I may have to give it a chance at some point, even though Midnight Library was a disappointment for me. So much so, that I dnf it… I’ll put together my own Top 10 SF video at some point. I think two or three books from your list will be on it. 🙌
Midnight Library was not my favourite either and I felt The Humans was much more enjoyable.
Look forward to seeing your top 10
You are making me want to go and reread Project Hail Mary and Flowers for Algernon. I appreciate Dune and also thought the latest film was enjoyable.
Me too, I want to reread these soon too
Nice list. I've listened to Rendezvous with Rama on audiobook, and found it very interesting. I think I would almost categorize it as political sci-fi. A lot of time the sci-fi was there, but it took a back burner. But I think the change in pace/perspective makes this one captivating, from start to finish.
Glad Dune made the list. I think it is my #1 sci-fi book. I just fell in love with the world and ended up reading all six books in the Dune series. Dune Messiah and Children of Dune could be a stand alone trilogy with Dune. After Children of Dune things start to get a little....weird lol. Still really fun though.
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (which I've mentioned in comments before), and both Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain by Michael Chriton would help fill my top ten sci-fi list.
Dune is fabulous!
Jurassic Park would have been an honourable mention if I had done them as I really enjoyed that book and I need to read more Crichton
Annihilation is on my want to read list!
@baskinthestory Chriton's great. Enough science to make it into the Sci-Fi genre, but also so fast-paced, entertaining, and easy to read. Lost World, Micro, and Sphere by him are all great. Sphere is CREEPY. Very unsettling.
A great video of your top 10. I've jotted down a few of these that I haven't read as they sound fantastic. Agree Dune is great and although I wouldn't have put 1984 in a sci-fi list, I do think it's a cracking story. Douglas Adams in brilliant, I've read the series and you are right the first is the best, 'anyone for Vogon Poetry'. There was a t.v. adaptation of the city and the city which was ok but I would love to read the book too; thank you for the reminder. The only book I've read that disappointed me was Project Hail Mary, but the last 3rd definitely made up for the shortcomings in the rest. Thanks for posting. I've sub'd your channel and look forward to more content.
Thank you for watching, I really went back and forth on what books to include in this list and what I would count as sci-fi.
Ah yes the magnificence of Vogon poetry! 🤣
I haven't watched the TV series of The City and The City though I am now curious as to how that could be done effectively on the screen. Maybe I will have to check out an episode and see
@@baskinthestory You might have to get a couple of the episodes of the city and the city out to see the effect they used.
in no particular order my top 10 sci fi i have read so far; red dwarf books (audiobook/ear read, 1st is 'infinity welcomes careful drivers'), 'the stars my destination' (eye read), 'the dreaming jewels' (audiobook), 'flowers for algernon' (audiobook), the bobiverse books (eye read but i hear the audiobooks are good too, 1st is 'we are legion (we are bob)'), the murderbot diary books (eye read and audiobook, the 1st is 'all systems red'), klara and the sun, the forever war, galactic pot-healer, the war of the worlds...and number 11 just because i couldn't leave it off 'the other end of time' by frederik pohl.
Some great books there, the Bobiverse audiobooks are great and the 5th book is on its way
Your taste seems to comport with my own. If you haven’t read it, I recommend The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the recommendation, I have only read Jurassic Park which I did enjoy and I do need to pick up some more Michael Crichton
i can read and watch about space all day. I went down a rabbit hole last night about Galaxy--it was hours! i love sci fi. i bout a series just bcz the covers had different planets on them --its great!!!
It is such a fascinating subject, so much to explore and so much unknown, I have also lost myself for many an hour reading and watching stuff on various topics related to space and the universe!
Thanks for the video and I will read flower for algeron per your suggestion. 1 book that had a tremendous impact on me as you described for flowers of algeron is “the forever war” by Joe haldeman. Maybe you have read it, but if not, that would be my number 1 pick.
The forever war is excellent and one I need to reread I think as I remember parts but didn't have the same impact on me on my first reading (quite a few years ago now) so definitely worth a revisit
Great list, a lot of interesting titles here, some of which are also my favourites. The Dark Forest is full of fantastic ideas as you say, and 1984 is a visionary masterpiece. I haven't read Flowers for Algernon yet but it's in the TBR pile!
Have you read any of Le Guin's science fiction? The Lathe of Heaven and The Left Hand of Darkness are other favourites of mine.
I hope you enjoy Flowers for Algernon, it is such a moving story.
I have not read any Le Guin yet but I did pick up The Lathe of Heaven a couple of days ago so have that in my pile to read and am very much looking forward to it
@@baskinthestoryThe Lathe of heaven is page turner. A fantastic read. Don’t delay I think you will like/love it.
I am going to try and read it before the end of the year!
thanks, you gave me two books to try, Hail Mary and Flowers for Algernon, the rest ive read and enjoyed allot, just recently read the fear series by stephen moss, worth an go if you havent alread read them
I have not read the Fear series and just looked it up and am intrigued so thank you for the recommendation.
Hail Mary and Flowers for Algernon are both superb, I hope you enjoy
Chrysalids by John Wyndham one of the first Sci-Fi I read looking at a future world and evolution and how we view people that are different, short but amazing. The Reality Disfunction by Peter F Hamilton, a massive tome of a book and part of a set some stereo types for hero's but still a fantastic read especially as disparate characters come together.
Peter F Hamilton is a name I have seen in the bookstores but haven't heard many people talk about so thank you for the recommendation. I will have to check it out
What a voice! You should become a voice actor, especially; villains living in dark castles / far away planets plotting the demise of humanity huh
🤣🤣 thanks, I'm pretty sure that I don't have the range to be a voice actor though playing a villain would definitely be a lot of fun! 🤣
Quite a compelling list - at least judging from the titles i have read myself.
Have you read anything from the Culture series by Ian M. Banks? It is one of my personal favorite scifi series.
Edit - i just watched your video "10 INTIMIDATINGLY BIG Book Series I Want to Read" - Please don´t be too intimidated by the culture series - The books themselves are only really connected by the culture itself and not really by a continuous story line. You could read them even out of order and it would not detract from the experience that much. But if you would start i agree that starting with the second book "player of games" is an excellent starting point. And since every book has it´s own self contained story, you can stop whenever you want without having the need to continue to see where it all end up. That said put off reading the last book for some time, because i knew it would be the end of the series, since the author died in 2013.
Thanks for this, I'm certainly leaning towards starting with the Player of Games rather than Consider Phlebas. So many series to read though I do like this idea that I can pick up a book at the time and don't need to read them all close together (unless I want to of course)!
Is Excession in that series?
Yes it is, have you read it?
@@baskinthestory Thanks for the reply. No, but I met Ian Banks years ago and got a signed copy. I tried reading it, however I really loved his non-scifi books. I'll have another go at it.
@@angelacraw2907 cool that you got to meet him
I’ve been wanting to read the Cinxin Lu series for so long - as it’s made the top 10 I guess I should bump it up my priority list!
The Foundation trilogy are my dad’s favourite’s - I have also been meaning to read those for many years…
I loved Project Hail Mary!! Rocky!!! 😍😍😍
I’ve also been meaning to read We - if you fancy buddy reading it next year give me a shout.
I have only read 2/10!! Do I even read sci-fi?! 😬
Yeah the Cixin Liu series is very good, some fabulous ideas explored well and differently to a lot of sci-fi books I have read.
I'm definitely up for a buddy read of We, that would be amazing! Will have a think about when and get back to you
Rocky 🥰
Only 2/10 - sounds like plenty more for you to read! This is why I love top 10s, I'm always finding books I haven't read yet to go and check out
@@baskinthestory fab!! Let me know (Jan is a bit of a disaster for me though, so if we could avoid that it would be great 😂)
@@GemofBooks no problem, will have a look and come back with a plan
Enjoyed Rama, but then read Eon by Greg Bear and can never go back to Rama again. It felt like going from a plain hamburger(buns and meat) to a cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, onions, mayo and cheese. Very similar ideas, just done better by Bear imo.
Thank you for the recommendation, someone else mentioned Greg Bear to me as well. I'm definitely going to have to check out his work
The two groups of citizens being unable to see eachother leads me to suspect that it was inspired by one of Cugel the Clever's adventures on the Dying Earth series by Jack Vance. I thoght maybe he was inspired by Northern Ireland, or by the Shiavites and Vishnavites in India.
I have not been able to find any specific reference to what his inspirations were but it is interesting to think about the number of groups that could fit into this
1984 as a year was picked for the title because it's a flip of 1948
Any list that has Dune anywhere in the top 10 is good by me
Love it!
Impossible task. Good luck looking forward to it .......writing this as you talk .... OK i hated The Humans so thats not a good start lol. Three body ..A DNF for me but i know I'm in a minority....The city and the city id say is fantasy ..ahah SF i like, RWR somewhat old fashioned i think a film is rumoured. Wouldn't put it in my top 10...Foundation hmmmm to quote Shania Twain that dont impress me much ......PHM i loved this book i agree superb fits the description i love the way its written the story the back story everything about it.
Dune again I'm in a minority got bored with all the politicking. 1984 yes i agree though i dont really consider ut as SF but i suppose it is. Amd yes very disturbing .Hitchiker? Funny a good read but wouldn't put it in my top ten. Very timely choice though since Elon Musks recent AI announcement. Flowers. Yes. Quite heart breaking.
Whats missing that would be in my top ten you ask (perhaps?) Ringworld. Hyperion (and sequels ) House of Suns. Accelerando . The Diamond Age. Diaspora. Player of Games or maybe Matter or something else by Banks depending what day if the week it is
Love this commentary! 🤣 And quoting Shania Twain is excellent! 🤣
Glad to see there were a few on the list that you enjoy! I had a lot of back and forth with myself while making this list on what I was counting as sci-fi and what wasn't.
Thank you for the recommendations as well, Iain Banks' culture series is one I want to get into as I haven't read any of his yet.