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In the mood for engineering / competence porn. What are your favourite novels / series?
(sh.itjust.works)
this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2025
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I checked the good reads list of top rated hard science and saw a few items I can recommend.
Altered Carbon. A fun and intense read. Future hard science. If people’s consciousness could be transmitted/used for interstellar travel kind of thing then the scenarios listed here adhere to their own crazy rules.
Three Body Problem. First book is amazing. The sequels are good enough but the translations are a little rougher but the story carries through.
Enders Game. Tactical and hard science aspects to it. Gets more metaphysical later in the series.
Contact. Absolute gem that I re-read a few years back.
Ancillary Justice. More future/hard science but worth mentioning in any list I’m willing to put Altered Carbon in. It has a viewpoint and it’s use of alternate societal perspectives (from a society that is uniform in so many ways to organic “ship” drones to questions about what is a person/identity) all wrapped in a great sci-fi story
The moon is a harsh mistress. A little dated and the way women/people are referenced shows it (much like foundation) but a solid one that is a little more hard science and may be more in line with what you’re thinking of.
Going over this list I realize how hard it is to find true hard science (Martian) that doesn’t lean into the more future tech but consistent physical laws (Expanse) to way future nano tech or consciousness transfer (Altered Carbon, etc)
+1 for Contact and A moon is a harsh mistress.
Thank you Szeth-nimi! I did enjoy Season 1 of Altered Carbon Netflix, so the books should be worth a look. I fully agree with all your other recs (though I have issues with the character writing in Three Body Problem), unfortunately I've read all of them :D
And now that you mention it, you're right about how tough it is finding modern-day hard science fiction. I think you managed to put your finger on one of the things I wanted but couldn't verbalise.
Yeah. Three body problem is a well done translation of a Chinese authors work and so I suspect there’s some things that just culturally come across easily. Nothing makes that more obvious than the sequels where it feels like it wasn’t as painstakingly done to try to convey such things like the first.
I will say I really enjoyed the paper ménagerie by Ken Liu (the aforementioned translator) and it was a unique look from a different cultural perspective.
Back on topic to sci-fi. Do you prefer singular protagonist in a limited scale of time (person/crew) fighting against some local challenge (Martian/Expanse) or larger sweeping epics spanning centuries and a lot of perspectives (Dune, Foundation)?
More human/realistic perspectives (Martian) or are you open to Alien/Non-human perspectives (ex. protomolecule perception about the gates reopening)
Eh. I loved all your examples? Lol. Especially alien perspectives if done right are always interesting. Like Blindsight, Mote in Gods Eye, and Children of Time. I love great worldbuilding and internally-consistent plots, and I usually find petty drama and politics cringey.
Different perspectives from not alien but not human (unless otherwise specified not hard sci-fi)
Klara and the Sun (story of an android coming to awareness of themselves, to their purpose as a friend for a child, to attachment and love as well as dealing with the inevitable changes and loss as the child grows up)
Several short stories by Ted Chiang
Exhalation, The Lifecycle of Software Objects (technically hard sci-fi), The Great Silence
Kind of human
Murderbot Diaries (Autonomous killing machine/human cyborg going rogue that is learning what it is to be human, and just wants to watch serials and be left alone)
Ancillary Justice (Ships with remote/linked instances in control of human bodies and what happens when one of those “remotes” is all that’s left of that consciousness. Navigating the line of human/machine/etc.). Not political per-se but resonates with various political perspectives on autonomy/society vs individualism/ etc.
Dogs of War. Bio weapons part animal human hybrids and wars, morality, doing what your meant to do and made to do vs becoming aware of your actions and what is right/wrong.
Ooh, more Tchaikovsky. How did I miss that one? I've been meaning to check out Ted Chiang, this is probably as good a time as any. I've enjoyed every one of the recs you've made so far that I've read, I'll definitely check out the rest!
Air sick low lander. How could you miss Tchaikovsky…
But seriously, he’s a great author. And Chiang is great too. I don’t think I’ve read any of his short stories and come away disappointed. I mean one of them became the basis for the movie Arrival.
They don’t always end on a happy note (most are hopeful) but they’re true to the story they tell.
Well I didn't miss all of Tchaikovsky. I think I took a break from him after finishing the Shadows of the Apt series and forgot about his other books.
Storms take it, I'm gonna cry again aren't I?
You will. The Great Silence was very poignant. But yeah, there’s a great variety of stories.
I’m just starting The Apt series (guess I’m doing Tchaikovsky in reverse) end will finally get to the children of time series when I can get it via my library or I might just bite the bullet and buy the audiobook.
I had to check i wasn't in a brandosando instance with this blatant fan interplay
What starvin' interplay, you storming voidbringer?
The term "air sickness" comes to mind