@@cynthiaverjovskymarcotte1379 It is - The Book of the New Sun is all of the torturer books in one volume. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_New_Sun
@@ContentLitwithSimonFay It will be a sci-fi list but not for recommendations! In October I posted my first video of a new series where I try to dive more in to the adult literature realm. I chose to try horror for the first time and discuss my ideas on the genre as a whole. I'm preparing for the next one and I'm sure you can guess what the genre will be...
Not only are you suggesting amazing books and some new novels I’m excited to read but the comments section is always full of great suggestions too! Thanks Contentlit subscribers!!
Nice mixture of SF recs :) if heard of quite a few, read some, and discovered some new ones too. Plan on getting to Hyperion at some point as it's been on my TBR for ages. Ta for the tag and allowing me to find your channel!
Another option for number 5 would be book of New Sun. Its gorgeous, deep, and one of those books that continues to reward you the more you pay attention.
Yes - Gene's writing style is different and elegant. I really did not get what was happening until much later in the series - and plan on re-reading them again. I am not sure I would use this as a first exposure to the genre. It is without doubt one of my personal favorites and worth reading, but may be just too much to digest for the uninitiated.
Just found this channel and have only watched a handful of videos but enjoying the content so far and I am newly subscribed…Hyperion is one of the Top SciFi books of All-Time IMHO and Top 10 for most so I have no problem whatsoever with it being on a list for beginners but if anyone has had a whiff of the SciFi genre they have heard of this book so putting it under a title of “not the ones you’ve heard of before” is not where I would classify it…Nevertheless I was on the fence about Binti but may now give it a try and also will be adding Dhalgren to my TBR even though I have read mixed reviews on it
Great video. I am disappointed to say that of all those 5 books you recommended, I have only read Hyperion (and its sequel). I'll have to check out the other four (and some of the other also-mentioned ones!) As for great sci-fi, I would definitely put Cixin Liu's Three Body Problem/Dark Forest/Death's End way up at the top of my current sci-fi faves list. If I am allowed to stretch to fantasy, the translator of the first and third Cixin books, Ken Liu, wrote the Dandelion Chronicles (two volumes published so far) which is great. Even better is Ken Liu's Paper Menagerie collection of short stories. Another trilogy that I enjoyed was Becky Chambers'The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet. Quirky, funny, and always thought-provoking!
There is a book that deals with the issue of Faster than Light travel as in Tao Zero, but it is not the main focus. In "The Forever War" by Joe Halderman. Mandella, the main character in the book join the Military and does a tour of duty fighting against an alien race but when his tour is over and returns to Earth, he find that centuries have past since he left.
I really like the hyperion series, I actually came across it through the third book in the serious, Endymion - I'd also recommend Doors of Sleep by Tim Pratt for anyone else, quite an interesting novel.
I got introduced to SciFi by my high school teacher accidentally when he dropped a pile of books on his desk for us to pick from. Among them was "More Penguin Science Fiction" - an anthology of short stories by Brian W. Aldiss. It was ( the 2nd) part of a three vol. series . Short stories are an easy way to get a whiff of what the genre is all about as you get many aspects in one volume. Other than that, thanks for your recommendations and thanks to the others here who recommended books. So much to discover! If I were to recommend 1 book, it would be SLAN by A. E. Van Vogt. Weird but fun.
Simon have you read/considered Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner? It's a book for experienced readers, I'd say, as its format was completely novel to me -- and like its story, prescient. A blizzard of short snippets of text, the context switches are bewildering, but remind me of many novels that came later in my life (including Gibson, whose books sometimes feel like the first 50 pages were simply thrown away!). The world-building in Zanzibar is very effective. 25 years after I read it, I've forgotten lots of the plot, but the impression it made on me remains.
You know, all this time I thought I had read it, but since you mentioned it I looked up the plot to refresh myself only to realise I'd mixed it up with another title. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll put it on my to-read list.
@@ContentLitwithSimonFay thanks for your reply. completely off topic now, but have you read Light by M John Harrison? his prose is among the richest i've read by a modern writer, incredibly flavorful (if I may continue the metaphor), and challenging because of that. But so delicious...
@@alephander No I hadn't heard of him. Ironically, I read a lot less since I started making these videos. But I make sure to take a break and power through a bunch of books every now and again. I'll consider Harrison next time.
Maybe "Ringworld" and its sequels by Larry Niven, or "2001" by Arthur C. Clarke, or "Contact" by Carl Sagan. "The End of Eternity" by Isaac Asimov or "Gateway" by Frederik Pohl might appeal as well. These are all classic science fiction stories, and the science ideas are dated, but not laughable, IMO
@@alf.2929 Annihilation is my favorite. Started with the movie and loved how they played with biology in such clever ways, so I bought the book which was even better. This means I now have to take your advice on the other books. Thanks for the recommendations.
![Дон ДОН, Алаудинов и СБЕЖАВШИЕ из под Курска ахматовцы 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dEfCf5IK26Q/mqdefault.jpg)
Since we're talking about lesser known books, I'll recommend "334" and "The Genocides", both by Thomas M. Disch.
334 is amazing
The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe.
* Be prepared to read it twice.
Sounds like my kind of book.
The shadow of the torturer by him is fantastic, too.
@@cynthiaverjovskymarcotte1379 It is - The Book of the New Sun is all of the torturer books in one volume. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_New_Sun
I just found your video for my own video idea and I cannot believe I just found your channel!! I love your editing and this video was beyond great.
Cheers Christa. I look forward to seeing what books you choose if you put together a scifi list.
@@ContentLitwithSimonFay It will be a sci-fi list but not for recommendations! In October I posted my first video of a new series where I try to dive more in to the adult literature realm. I chose to try horror for the first time and discuss my ideas on the genre as a whole. I'm preparing for the next one and I'm sure you can guess what the genre will be...
Great list... subscribed!
Binti sounds very cool. TBR and to be recommended to my friends.
Not only are you suggesting amazing books and some new novels I’m excited to read but the comments section is always full of great suggestions too! Thanks Contentlit subscribers!!
Nice mixture of SF recs :) if heard of quite a few, read some, and discovered some new ones too.
Plan on getting to Hyperion at some point as it's been on my TBR for ages.
Ta for the tag and allowing me to find your channel!
I would recommend “Beggars in Spain” by Nancy Kress.
Bought your book, looking forward to reading it when I'm finished with Circe by Madeline Miller and The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu!
Tis cool to be on a reading list with those other writers :)
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury is a fun sci-fi read
I love it !
Another option for number 5 would be book of New Sun. Its gorgeous, deep, and one of those books that continues to reward you the more you pay attention.
Yes - Gene's writing style is different and elegant. I really did not get what was happening until much later in the series - and plan on re-reading them again. I am not sure I would use this as a first exposure to the genre. It is without doubt one of my personal favorites and worth reading, but may be just too much to digest for the uninitiated.
Amazing recommendations Simon! Except for Binti and Hyperion, the remaining three are new to me. I'll be adding them to my TBR list.
Nice video mate!
Cheers!
What a great list. I’ve read most of the books on your list and loved them. I’ll add the ones I haven’t read to my “to read” list.
I read binti and i really loved it
Just found this channel and have only watched a handful of videos but enjoying the content so far and I am newly subscribed…Hyperion is one of the Top SciFi books of All-Time IMHO and Top 10 for most so I have no problem whatsoever with it being on a list for beginners but if anyone has had a whiff of the SciFi genre they have heard of this book so putting it under a title of “not the ones you’ve heard of before” is not where I would classify it…Nevertheless I was on the fence about Binti but may now give it a try and also will be adding Dhalgren to my TBR even though I have read mixed reviews on it
Great video. I am disappointed to say that of all those 5 books you recommended, I have only read Hyperion (and its sequel). I'll have to check out the other four (and some of the other also-mentioned ones!)
As for great sci-fi, I would definitely put Cixin Liu's Three Body Problem/Dark Forest/Death's End way up at the top of my current sci-fi faves list. If I am allowed to stretch to fantasy, the translator of the first and third Cixin books, Ken Liu, wrote the Dandelion Chronicles (two volumes published so far) which is great. Even better is Ken Liu's Paper Menagerie collection of short stories.
Another trilogy that I enjoyed was Becky Chambers'The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet. Quirky, funny, and always thought-provoking!
There is a book that deals with the issue of Faster than Light travel as in Tao Zero, but it is not the main focus. In "The Forever War" by Joe Halderman. Mandella, the main character in the book join the Military and does a tour of duty fighting against an alien race but when his tour is over and returns to Earth, he find that centuries have past since he left.
I really like the hyperion series, I actually came across it through the third book in the serious, Endymion - I'd also recommend Doors of Sleep by Tim Pratt for anyone else, quite an interesting novel.
Permutation City, it's not that well written but it's conceptually unsettling and difficult to resolve. Almost reminds me of Akira.
I got introduced to SciFi by my high school teacher accidentally when he dropped a pile of books on his desk for us to pick from. Among them was "More Penguin Science Fiction" - an anthology of short stories by Brian W. Aldiss. It was ( the 2nd) part of a three vol. series . Short stories are an easy way to get a whiff of what the genre is all about as you get many aspects in one volume.
Other than that, thanks for your recommendations and thanks to the others here who recommended books. So much to discover!
If I were to recommend 1 book, it would be SLAN by A. E. Van Vogt. Weird but fun.
I should really make a video for great scifi short stories.
I say try "The Power" by Naomi Alderman.
House of Suns By Alastair Reynolds.
Simon have you read/considered Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner? It's a book for experienced readers, I'd say, as its format was completely novel to me -- and like its story, prescient. A blizzard of short snippets of text, the context switches are bewildering, but remind me of many novels that came later in my life (including Gibson, whose books sometimes feel like the first 50 pages were simply thrown away!). The world-building in Zanzibar is very effective. 25 years after I read it, I've forgotten lots of the plot, but the impression it made on me remains.
You know, all this time I thought I had read it, but since you mentioned it I looked up the plot to refresh myself only to realise I'd mixed it up with another title. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll put it on my to-read list.
@@ContentLitwithSimonFay thanks for your reply. completely off topic now, but have you read Light by M John Harrison? his prose is among the richest i've read by a modern writer, incredibly flavorful (if I may continue the metaphor), and challenging because of that. But so delicious...
@@alephander No I hadn't heard of him. Ironically, I read a lot less since I started making these videos. But I make sure to take a break and power through a bunch of books every now and again. I'll consider Harrison next time.
The star diaries by stanislaw lem
Macroscope by Piers Anthony. Written in the 60's, it predicts the internet albeit on the galactic scale.
WHY would you suggest Dhalgren for BEGINNERS?????
Can anyone recommend scifi books that a scientist can enjoy (biologist)?
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky comes to mind.
Maybe "Ringworld" and its sequels by Larry Niven, or "2001" by Arthur C. Clarke, or "Contact" by Carl Sagan. "The End of Eternity" by Isaac Asimov or "Gateway" by Frederik Pohl might appeal as well. These are all classic science fiction stories, and the science ideas are dated, but not laughable, IMO
Semiosis
The Book of Koli by M. R. Carey
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Eden by Tim Lebbon
@@alf.2929 Annihilation is my favorite. Started with the movie and loved how they played with biology in such clever ways, so I bought the book which was even better. This means I now have to take your advice on the other books. Thanks for the recommendations.
I hate that they taken scfi and turned into horror