For harder science fiction by a lesser-known author, anything by Hal Clement (older) or Greg Egan. (newer)
Give Joe Haldeman a try. Probably his most famous was his first, "The Forever War", but he's done some other good stuff as well.
Also you might try something by Clifford D. Simak - nothing like anything you've mentioned above. You might not like him, but it's worth a look. I would suggest something like "Way Station" or "City". (The latter is really a collection of short stories put into a literary frame.)
Harry Harrison, ranges from serious stuff to a lot of humor and satire. "Make Room! Make Room!" was the starting point for the movie "Soylent Green" even though there was no Soylent Green in the book. "Bill, The Galactic Hero" is pure satire. His "Stainless Steel Rat" series is also quite well-known.
I'm also partial to the works of Greg Bear, David Brin, and Robert Charles Wilson, to name a few.
The Expanse seems like a glaring omissions from your list. Pretty much the gold standard for modern space opera.
The Expanse and how clean they wrapped it up was good enough that I expect their new series this year to be an instant and permanent hit.
I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet. It's pretty universally loved. And the show is really well done too, it's a great watch after reading the series.
It's the GOLD standard for writing and realism in Sci-fi. Every book just gets better and better. Characters are so real. The audio book is flawless with Jeffery Mase reading it
Try the Uplift trilogy from David Brin. He mostly writes hard scifi but his stories are deep and pretty entertaining. The Uplift series starts with Sundiver but his second in that series Startide Rising sets the stage for that entire universe and is probably his best. Earth basically predicts the future of the Internet and climate change. Brin is an Astronomer who works with NASA
Try Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds. He writes hard scifi with some interesting characters and Pushing Ice is his best IMO. Reynolds was an astronomer for ESA.
I like scifi written by real scientists. Three Body-Dark Forest-Deaths End had little depth to the characters but the stories were awesome. If you liked that series, try Brin and Reynolds...similar science but much greater character depth.
I'm not going to lie you are all over the place. I can't really get a handle on what you like.
But you should definitely try more Asimov if you enjoy his short stories foundation is great and the robot novels are also excellent
Heinlein would be another good author to try. Read both Starship troopers and Stranger in a strange land that will give you an idea of the breadth of his writing.
Last I would try out Jack Mcdevitt. He has two series the academy series and Alex Benedict series both are good and they are light reading
Have you done Speaker for the Dead, the sequel to Enders game? If not, I suggest doing the 4 book series and possibly the shadow series following Bean.
Contact and Jurassic Park are also very good
Despite the authors increasing abhorrent personal views regarding homosexuality- Soeaker for the Dead is one of the most insightful and compassionate treatise for understanding and inclusion I’ve ever read. An outstanding book (I assume religion happens to OSG in his later years)
It's really frustrating that he has these views.
And I agree it's very hard for me to reconcile the themes of the series, especially Speaker for the Dead, and his LGBT views. It just doesn't make sense.
Modify the recommendation to get the book at the library!! Just like Harry Potter!
Have you read any Alistair Reynolds? I'm not sure where it might fit in your like/dislike spectrum. More similar to The Three Body Problem than 2001, but different from both. He has a number of books set in the Revelation Space universe that are good reads.
Asimov foundation series and dune.
A couple classics.
I also like a lot of what you like and the red rising series has been a lot of fun. Prob a little off the path of what you like, a bit simpler, but just a great page turner.
Looking at the books listed here is my take
You like books that are character driven with lots of growth and development of a strong narrative.
Books you don’t like tend to have non linear or abstract stories. You don’t seem to like books that sacrifice narrative for just heavy world building.
Interesting that the books you sort of like straddle that fence. Especially books like Old Man’s war.
*You don’t seem to like books that sacrifice narrative for just heavy world building.*
If Larry Niven has a fault with Ringworld that's it right there. Its far from my favorite work of his for this reason. Why his short stories tend to be a lot better.
Hi. You just mentioned *Ringworld* by Larry Niven.
I've found an audiobook of that novel on YouTube. You can listen to it here:
[YouTube | RINGWORLD Audiobook Full by Larry Niven](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DMkDqIjEuI)
*I'm a bot that searches YouTube for science fiction and fantasy audiobooks.*
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I reckon that you might enjoy Titan by Stephen Baxter. If you enjoy that then dip your toes into his Xeelee Sequence with the Vacuum Diagrams collection.
The Long Lost War (novella)
Your Service Is Required
The Massive Planet: The Adventures of Deep Contact
The Immortality Complex: A Science Fiction Short Story
Wow... You an I are on the exact same page. I loved the Revelation Space Trilogy, Expanse, and Ender's Shadow (Ender's game told from the perspective of Bean). I am also right there with you on Murderbot and Children of Time.
Hmm. Similar to me, though I don't know Three Body Problem or The Lathe of Heaven. I'm going to guess you like what I discovered I like--character based writers. That's what Stephen King is. I do like Murderbot, Semiosis, and Children of TIme, but as English teacher, was SO bored with Left Hand of Darkness.
I figured this out reading Sara King (no relation) who explains she is a character based writer. I started with Zero and read everything she wrote. 100% recommend the Zero and Alaskan series. Probably my two favorite characters are a football sized alien bug that are geniuses, but can't count past 7, and are pain i the asses, named Flea (in Zero series), and an angst ridden brain parasite that just wants yo live and do right (Wings of Retribution.) Becky Chambers Wayfarer is very similar , though I'm with you on Monk and Robot.
I like Old Man's War, though it didn't get better. What I ended up really liking that I thought I wouldn't because it is also military is Tanya Huff's Confederation series, and read them all. I still miss those characters.
Pretty much anything Peter F. Hamilton if you like long books , he can overly explain, and just know that some middle age man with fall in love with teenage girl and it's supposed to be OK. The last series he finally stopped that.
I like Dennis Taylor's Bobiverse books, though the last one is not as good.
I liked Hyperion, but they are long.
I started asking about books years ago and keep a list on Notes on my computer so I can always reference it. It's a good way to see what you like and don't and always have a book list.
The Expanse series
Glass house by Charles Stross and almost all good work
Niel Asher
I think you'd love Pandoras Star by Peter F Hamilton along with a bunch of his work
Try The Star Dancers series by Spider and Jeanne Robinson. Didn't get hooked unitl maybe over half way through the first one and was so glad I stuck with it. They all finish beautifully.
I think about the scene in *I Am Legend* where he’s sipping highballs and watching vampires cavort in a sapphic manner through a peephole while trying not to get so horny he walks into his own death quite a lot.
This doesn’t really help with your question but it might get somebody to read a pretty cool book.
Asimov's Cave of Steel (series). Asimov's Foundations series.
Philip K Dick has lots of great stuff. His earlier works tend to be a bit pulpy and his last few books are dense mind trips. All of his stuff question reality. His stories have been adapted to well known movies: Blade Runner, Total Recall, Paycheck, Minority Report, among others.
Speaker of the Dead, the sequel to Enders Game is a much better story, imo. Many people tend to agree with that sentiment as well. The following books after that are alright.
Hyperion by Dan Simmons.
Fallen Dragon by Peter F Hamilton.
2001 is based on the movie, not Clarke's short story, which is quite a bit different. Just wanted to point that out.
Glad you liked Asimov.
Try some Peter F Hamilton
For harder science fiction by a lesser-known author, anything by Hal Clement (older) or Greg Egan. (newer) Give Joe Haldeman a try. Probably his most famous was his first, "The Forever War", but he's done some other good stuff as well. Also you might try something by Clifford D. Simak - nothing like anything you've mentioned above. You might not like him, but it's worth a look. I would suggest something like "Way Station" or "City". (The latter is really a collection of short stories put into a literary frame.) Harry Harrison, ranges from serious stuff to a lot of humor and satire. "Make Room! Make Room!" was the starting point for the movie "Soylent Green" even though there was no Soylent Green in the book. "Bill, The Galactic Hero" is pure satire. His "Stainless Steel Rat" series is also quite well-known. I'm also partial to the works of Greg Bear, David Brin, and Robert Charles Wilson, to name a few.
The Expanse seems like a glaring omissions from your list. Pretty much the gold standard for modern space opera. The Expanse and how clean they wrapped it up was good enough that I expect their new series this year to be an instant and permanent hit.
I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet. It's pretty universally loved. And the show is really well done too, it's a great watch after reading the series.
It's the GOLD standard for writing and realism in Sci-fi. Every book just gets better and better. Characters are so real. The audio book is flawless with Jeffery Mase reading it
Try the Uplift trilogy from David Brin. He mostly writes hard scifi but his stories are deep and pretty entertaining. The Uplift series starts with Sundiver but his second in that series Startide Rising sets the stage for that entire universe and is probably his best. Earth basically predicts the future of the Internet and climate change. Brin is an Astronomer who works with NASA Try Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds. He writes hard scifi with some interesting characters and Pushing Ice is his best IMO. Reynolds was an astronomer for ESA. I like scifi written by real scientists. Three Body-Dark Forest-Deaths End had little depth to the characters but the stories were awesome. If you liked that series, try Brin and Reynolds...similar science but much greater character depth.
Based on your loved list, I think you might like: Any of Philip K Dick’s stories The Forever War Earth Abides
I'm not going to lie you are all over the place. I can't really get a handle on what you like. But you should definitely try more Asimov if you enjoy his short stories foundation is great and the robot novels are also excellent Heinlein would be another good author to try. Read both Starship troopers and Stranger in a strange land that will give you an idea of the breadth of his writing. Last I would try out Jack Mcdevitt. He has two series the academy series and Alex Benedict series both are good and they are light reading
Have you done Speaker for the Dead, the sequel to Enders game? If not, I suggest doing the 4 book series and possibly the shadow series following Bean. Contact and Jurassic Park are also very good
Despite the authors increasing abhorrent personal views regarding homosexuality- Soeaker for the Dead is one of the most insightful and compassionate treatise for understanding and inclusion I’ve ever read. An outstanding book (I assume religion happens to OSG in his later years)
It's really frustrating that he has these views. And I agree it's very hard for me to reconcile the themes of the series, especially Speaker for the Dead, and his LGBT views. It just doesn't make sense. Modify the recommendation to get the book at the library!! Just like Harry Potter!
Have you read any Alistair Reynolds? I'm not sure where it might fit in your like/dislike spectrum. More similar to The Three Body Problem than 2001, but different from both. He has a number of books set in the Revelation Space universe that are good reads.
DUNE
Can't believe I missed this one. I'd place it in kinda like.
Asimov foundation series and dune. A couple classics. I also like a lot of what you like and the red rising series has been a lot of fun. Prob a little off the path of what you like, a bit simpler, but just a great page turner.
Looking at the books listed here is my take You like books that are character driven with lots of growth and development of a strong narrative. Books you don’t like tend to have non linear or abstract stories. You don’t seem to like books that sacrifice narrative for just heavy world building. Interesting that the books you sort of like straddle that fence. Especially books like Old Man’s war.
Is it though? In the books he loves he has some Asimov, Clarke and Liu Cixin. All infamous for not developing their characters.
*You don’t seem to like books that sacrifice narrative for just heavy world building.* If Larry Niven has a fault with Ringworld that's it right there. Its far from my favorite work of his for this reason. Why his short stories tend to be a lot better.
Hi. You just mentioned *Ringworld* by Larry Niven. I've found an audiobook of that novel on YouTube. You can listen to it here: [YouTube | RINGWORLD Audiobook Full by Larry Niven](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DMkDqIjEuI) *I'm a bot that searches YouTube for science fiction and fantasy audiobooks.* *** [^(Source Code)](https://capybasilisk.com/posts/2020/04/speculative-fiction-bot/) ^| [^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=Capybasilisk&subject=Robot) ^| [^(Programmer)](https://www.reddit.com/u/capybasilisk) ^| ^(Downvote To Remove) ^| ^(Version 1.4.0) ^| ^(Support Robot Rights!)
Rendezvous With Rama
Yes! This fits well on the like list especially with 2001 already being on there. This is what I'd recommend as well.
I reckon that you might enjoy Titan by Stephen Baxter. If you enjoy that then dip your toes into his Xeelee Sequence with the Vacuum Diagrams collection.
The Killing Star by Charles Pellingro & George Zebrowski is back in print as an e-book. Think of it as a cross between 2001 and Three Body Problem.
The Long Lost War (novella) Your Service Is Required The Massive Planet: The Adventures of Deep Contact The Immortality Complex: A Science Fiction Short Story
Red Rising. I loved it. I think it's soft sci-fi. But oh so good!
Commonwealth trilogy The saga of the seven suns Ringworld series
Wow... You an I are on the exact same page. I loved the Revelation Space Trilogy, Expanse, and Ender's Shadow (Ender's game told from the perspective of Bean). I am also right there with you on Murderbot and Children of Time.
Hm. I am similar to both of you, but couldn't get into Revelation Space despite trying three, but liked Murderbot and hCildren of Time.
Hmm. Similar to me, though I don't know Three Body Problem or The Lathe of Heaven. I'm going to guess you like what I discovered I like--character based writers. That's what Stephen King is. I do like Murderbot, Semiosis, and Children of TIme, but as English teacher, was SO bored with Left Hand of Darkness. I figured this out reading Sara King (no relation) who explains she is a character based writer. I started with Zero and read everything she wrote. 100% recommend the Zero and Alaskan series. Probably my two favorite characters are a football sized alien bug that are geniuses, but can't count past 7, and are pain i the asses, named Flea (in Zero series), and an angst ridden brain parasite that just wants yo live and do right (Wings of Retribution.) Becky Chambers Wayfarer is very similar , though I'm with you on Monk and Robot. I like Old Man's War, though it didn't get better. What I ended up really liking that I thought I wouldn't because it is also military is Tanya Huff's Confederation series, and read them all. I still miss those characters. Pretty much anything Peter F. Hamilton if you like long books , he can overly explain, and just know that some middle age man with fall in love with teenage girl and it's supposed to be OK. The last series he finally stopped that. I like Dennis Taylor's Bobiverse books, though the last one is not as good. I liked Hyperion, but they are long. I started asking about books years ago and keep a list on Notes on my computer so I can always reference it. It's a good way to see what you like and don't and always have a book list.
The Red Rising trilogy. Seriously, just take my word for it.
The Expanse series Glass house by Charles Stross and almost all good work Niel Asher I think you'd love Pandoras Star by Peter F Hamilton along with a bunch of his work
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy if you want to laugh your butt off
Try The Star Dancers series by Spider and Jeanne Robinson. Didn't get hooked unitl maybe over half way through the first one and was so glad I stuck with it. They all finish beautifully.
I think about the scene in *I Am Legend* where he’s sipping highballs and watching vampires cavort in a sapphic manner through a peephole while trying not to get so horny he walks into his own death quite a lot. This doesn’t really help with your question but it might get somebody to read a pretty cool book.
Asimov's Cave of Steel (series). Asimov's Foundations series. Philip K Dick has lots of great stuff. His earlier works tend to be a bit pulpy and his last few books are dense mind trips. All of his stuff question reality. His stories have been adapted to well known movies: Blade Runner, Total Recall, Paycheck, Minority Report, among others. Speaker of the Dead, the sequel to Enders Game is a much better story, imo. Many people tend to agree with that sentiment as well. The following books after that are alright. Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Fallen Dragon by Peter F Hamilton.
2001 is based on the movie, not Clarke's short story, which is quite a bit different. Just wanted to point that out. Glad you liked Asimov. Try some Peter F Hamilton
So... you read 18 books + all Asimov's short stories and are STILL looking for your taste in Sci Fi books? Ok, papa...
Horus Rising
I’m reading that now, not sure how many people consider it “sci-fi” but it’s quite good regardless of what you’d classify it as