Sci-Fi Sunday

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maxresdefaulI am a huge Science Fiction fan, but I have been such a slacker. I have not read any Science Fiction novels, for quite some time now. I have a To-Be-Read list that stretches far and wide, many of which  are Sci-Fi books.

Here is a little taste of my Sci-Fi TBR List:

“1984” by George Orwell
A warning about the menaces of totalitarianism. The novel is set in an imaginary future world that is dominated by three perpetually warring totalitarian police states. The book’s hero, Winston Smith, is a minor party functionary in one of these states. His longing for truth and decency leads him to secretly rebel against the government. (via amazon)

Rated 4.5 on amazon.com

 


“The Martian” by Andy Weir
[Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there]

I am so very intrigued by this novel, it’s Sci-Fi, it’s extraordinarily well reviewed, and it just sounds awesome!

Rated 4.6 on amazon.com

 

“Cloud Atlas: A Novel” by David Mitchell
I saw the movie and absolutely LOVED it. I recently discovered that it was based on this book. I’m a little shocked because the movie was peculiar, as far as time-lapse and multiple stories etc. I’m interested to see how it plays out in the novel.

Rated 4.0 on amazon.com

 

Here is a Sci-Fi book I’ve read and love:

“Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card
This is one of my favorite Sci-Fi books. It was written I believe for a younger audience, but you know me, I don’t really pay attention to those distinctions. Ender’s Game is a fantastic book, it is so well written, and a must read for any Sci-Fi (or book for that matter) fan. The story is catchy and interesting, the characters are great, and the twist will entertain even the wisest of readers. I have not read any of the books in the series because I fear it will dilute my experience, I’m probably wrong, but a bit paranoid anyway.

Rated 4.6 on amazon.com


Book Bean: Milky Way Mocha
Malt, Chocolate, Espresso, Steamed almond milk (if you like your drinks sweet add caramel in the liquid, I don’t.) Top it off with whip and a swirl of caramel.

What is you’re favorite Science Fiction book?
Do you have any on your tbr list?

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121 thoughts on “Sci-Fi Sunday”

  1. I’m a bit obsessed with this 1930s book called Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon, which details the future history of humanity’s descendants. Cultural movements and subspecies are the real characters in the book, its timescale being so titanic that individuals become microscopic. This means there’s very little dialogue, which along with the novel’s occasional sentimentality and outright colonial attitude means that it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

    There’s this Russian series called Alice The Girl From The Future that I’m very curious about. From what I’ve read, it’s basically Soviet Pippi Longstocking in space.

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  3. OOH i’ve been meaning to read Ender’s Game – definitely a classic in sci-fi. There’s a book / trilogy called 1Q84 that I LOVED – it was a genre bending book, between sci-fi and fantasy, alternate reality. Really cool. xox Trace

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  4. Roger Zelazny was a god
    I have collected everything he wrote
    He pre-dated cyber-punk
    Wrote science fiction like it was literature
    and i had the honour to meet him at a few cons

    my favourite was Lord of Light
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_Light

    i also like Ender’s Game
    Orson Scott Card was the only author to successfully upgrade a short story into a novel

    Other authors
    Neil Gaiman ~ Fragile Things
    Larry Niven ~ Protector
    and
    Jim Butcher ~ the Dresden Files (kinda)

    Pax
    Bill

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  6. If you like 1984, have you tried Day of the Triffids, War of the Worlds, The Time Machine or how about Journey to the Centre of the Earth – I know they are all oldies, but still great reads, or download them as audio to keep you company doing exercise. I walk every morning around 6.00 am and listen to books – the streets are quieter :-o) .

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  7. I have Issac Asimov’s books on my TBR. I haven’t gotten around to them even though I’ve wanted to read them for ages. Esp Foundation. I’m only getting started on the genre so I’ll copy half your list onto my TBR

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  8. I don’t usually read sci-fi, but I somehow managed to read three sci-fi books last year and loved them all: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Martian by Andy Weir, and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. All great books and I appreciated that they were all pretty different. I finally realized how diverse sci-fi books can be 🙂

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  9. In the age of reason, science fiction has replaced in some ways the myths and legends we grew up with…..the more we know, or think we know the further out we have to set our sights to the mysteries of the universe….have a nice day….

    P.S. If you liked the Martian, try some of the classic sci-fi….Stranger in a strange land, or childhoods end……Heinlein and clark I believe…even the foundation series….

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  15. LOVE Ender’s Game! I assumed it was written for adults. Did you see the movie? If so, what did you think?

    And have you read any of the other books in the series? If so, what did you think? (They’re on my TBR list, but it’s been a while since I read Ender’s Game, so I might reread it first.)

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      • I agree. Probably fine for people who didn’t read the book. But there was some stuff just missing. And I didn’t like that they aged the kids, though I’m sure it’s harder to cast younger actors, plus the general non-reading crowd would have probably struggled with it. Does that sound book-snobby??

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  16. I loved The Martian. And The Ender’s Game, too, though I have my issues with the author as a person, the book is great.

    I recommend Brave New World by Aldous Huxley if you haven’t read it. It belongs to the classics of dystopian science fiction and the plot is not pleasant, but it’s an interesting read for fans of the genre.

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  17. I can absolutely vouch for both The Martian and Ender’s Game being worth a read (although Orson Scott Card has some unfortunate politics). I love a good bit of Sci-Fi. I think my favourites are Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Pattern Recognition and Never Let me Go (which everyone says it lit fic, not genre fic but come on, it’s got human cloning, it totally counts).

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  20. I’ve a big soft spot for scifi – these days it feels like I read more spec fic and SF than fantasy (my first love, but I got a bit bored, so we’re having a time-out). I jumped on board with a SF challenge on Goodreads recently, and realised how many classics I have read – but still lots to catch up on! I’ll echo previous commenters in singing John Wyndham’s praises – it’s all ‘terribly jolly old chap but I think it might mean we’re done as a species, you know’ – but I’d also add Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. It’s a classic and yet still horrifyingly timely, much like 1984.

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    • I agree, but a lot of “distopia” books also or originally fall under Sci-Fi. I guess mainly because they usually take place in the future, and usually have advanced technology. I hadn’t read this one so I wasn’t sure if it did or not. I’ll have to share my “distopia” TBR list. 🙂

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    • I agree, but a lot of “distopia” books also or originally fall under Sci-Fi. I guess mainly because they usually take place in the future, and usually have advanced technology. I hadn’t read this one so I wasn’t sure if it did or not. I’ll have to share my “distopia” TBR list. 🙂

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  24. You have a nice list here. I’ve read Ender’s Game and it was definitely good. I’d love to get around to all the others you have. If you like dark sci-fi I can recommend Ship of Fools by Richard Paul Russo. Best of luck getting to everything on your list!

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  25. Right now, I am reading Dune by Frank Herbert. This physical monstrosity is one of the best books I have ever read (but not one of the longest books I own). I do recommend it if you have not already read it.

    On my ‘to be read’ list, there is Time Enough for Love by Robert A. Heinlein and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card.

    Ender’s Game was a delightful book when I read it a few years ago, but I have not seen the movie adaptation. I do have my hesitations.

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    • I have read Dune… You are right to hesitate on the movie adaptation of “Ender’s Game,” it does not do the book justice. However, those who have not read the book seemed entertained enough.

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  27. Read “1984” and “Ender’s Game” which I LOVED (though I heard the sequels weren’t as good). I think the movie really did the book justice. Have you read “Wool” by Hugh Howey yet? Scifi with an interesting twist. Loved it. There are sequels but haven’t read them yet. Hear they’re making a movie out of that one as well. It kind of reminded me of “City of Ember” by Jeane DuPrau. Even though that one was a younger reader book, I enjoyed it immensely. The movie, on the other hand, sucked, imo. I’d LOVE to be able to write like her.

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  29. Interesting list. I would not consider 1984 to be sci-fi, but that’s me. Cloud Atlas was amazing. The two big sci-fi books that come to mind for me are “Stranger in a Strange Land” and “Dune.” Also, I do love the classic H.G. Wells sci-fi stuff.

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  30. I tried to read Cloud Atlas and was never carried thru to the finish. I loved the concept. I could recommend “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, which offers a perspective on the future that seems frighteningly possible. (I may have to go back and try Cloud again.) Thanks, Debra

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  32. I LOVED “Cloud Atlas.” I heard about it from the hype leading up to the film. I wanted to see the film until after I had read the book, and I’m glad I did. Reading the book was a great experience. I took copious notes as I read so that I could keep things straight, and I’m glad I did that, too. Since I share the basic belief that everything is interconnected, this book blew me away. I have recently finished Mitchell’s first book, “Ghostwritten,” which also uses multiple point-of-view characters, and liked it very much as well. I have two more of his novels on my TBR shelf.

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  33. Bonsoir

    Tiens,tiens
    Mais que fais-je par ici
    Me serais-je perdu
    Mais non ça y est je me rappelle
    Je venais te dire bonsoir
    Te souhaiter une belle soirée
    Après une petite halte chez toi
    Je vais continuer mon trajet
    Je te fais une bise d’amitié
    Bernard

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  35. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller and To Our Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer are two of my all time favorites. I also have to add Harlan Ellison’s Dangerous Visions as a favorite. Ellison’s anthology was a real breakthrough for science fiction writers to boldly go where science fiction writers had not gone before.

    I started The Martian. Got twenty or thirty pages and put it down. Way too much technology and not enough story. At the time, I thought that this will make a good movie and it did. But all the science bogged me down.

    I don’t really consider Cloud Atlas and 1984 as science fiction works. 1984 is more of a dystopian novel. But that seems to be all the rage in young adult novels these days with The Hunger Games, Divergent and The Maze Runner.

    I didn’t read Ender’s Game. I saw the movie and give it a big thumbs down. Way too much training and not enough of putting the training into action. The climax seemed way too duh.

    Just a word of warning. Hard core science fiction aficionado do not like science fiction to be referred to as sci fi.

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  36. Since MyBookJacket had already suggested Issac Asimov, who has some amazing works, I suggest John Carter of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. If you haven’t yet, Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and The Illustrated Man, all by Ray Bradbury [he also has a lot more to offer to read as well].

    A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy [along with: The Restaurant at The End of The Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, and Mostly Harmless] by Douglas Adams.

    Since you are on 1984 and Orwell, also check out Animal Farm—that is if you haven’t yet. 😉

    Cheers! Enjoy your reading. . .and your coffee!

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  37. Have read 1984. Though I’m not sure if it qualifies as Sci-fi. Heard about the Martian, wanted to buy it last time I was in the US. No dice. I do recommend Robert Silverberg, Roger Zelazny, Moorcock, Philip K. Dick, among others. And, above all: Frank Herbert’s Dune. Just completed and reread it last year. A must. 🙂

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  39. I’m not sure if anybody has suggested these, but my all time SF favourites (and I’ve read a lot) are:
    2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
    The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
    Bothe are just one step from the world as it is (or was at the time of their writing.) The Martian comes very close; I think the film was great too, but not quite up to the book.

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    • I haven’t read “A Space Odyssey” yet. Thank you for the suggestion, I need to read it. I’ve been hearing very mixed things about “The Martian.” It seems like it is only for the hard core Science Fiction lovers, or those who can handle really technical/scientific writing. I can’t, so I’m a bit torn…

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  40. Quite a few on my favourites list, but the top 3 (although, as with music and films, it changes regularly) would be:

    Flowers for Algernon – a man with learning difficulties is the subject of an experiment that increases his IQ to genius levels. The writing style changes with his transformation and it becomes apparent that being smarter isn’t always what it seems.

    Canticle for Liebowicz – a post apocalyptic world where monks retain all humanity’s lost knowledge, even if they don’t understand it.

    The Ship Who Sang – a future where the physically disabled are connected to spaceships and become not much more than intelligent machines. But one of these ships retains her humanity and love of music.

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  41. I write some sci-fi myself, but I still favor Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’ Trilogy highest among my science fiction reads – especially the first two books. Arthur C. Clarke’s ‘Rendezvous with Rama’ and ‘The Fountains of Paradise’ are also worth a read. I am intrigued by the way all Clarke’s work links up to a common theme.

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  44. I have The Martian =D but I have trouble with time planning to sit down and read because I’m concerned with work and school.
    But I did finish the first chapter and I like it so far. It really wants you to know what’s going to happen

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  45. Pingback: The Versatile Blogger Award (#2 & #3) – Stealing Quiet Time In Noisy Disorder

  46. For anyone thinking about getting into Sci-Fi novels 1984 is a must read. The society that Orwell depicts when this was published in 1949 has many similarities to today’s society. Nationalism, Surveillance ad censorship are all themes that we are experiencing in the government today. This futurology, if you will, is thrilling and action packed. Winston is the unintended revolutionary that gets sucked in corrupt government. Read this novel if you want an excellent Sci-Fi experience.

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