Bujold's "other series" is also refreshing for its optimism. It is kind of her retirement project and new novellas (and the occasional full length novel) come out every year or so
They're also one of the rare instances of religion being handled in a sympathetic way in speculative fiction. I'm an atheist but it gets tiresome seeing every single religion being somewhere between idiots and pure, mustachioed twirling evil.
"I've long believed that instead of seeing humans as having fallen from a past state of greatness or grace, we should venerate our ancestors' long, hard climb up out of the muck of animal existence."
YES! YES!
Fuck the lie of Eden. Darwinian randomness and natural selection somehow gifted Homo sapiens with unique (at least on this planet) abilities to fight back against this abusive universe, and we should be proud of how much ground we've won. And if our record is very much a mixed bag, what abuse survivor can't say the same?
I know this is really a sci-fi list, but your fantasy suggestions lean a bit classic for my taste - there's tons of great modern fantasy out there to try. A few suggestions: The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch, about a master con man robbing the rich in a fantastical version of Venice; the operatic Broken Earth Series, by N.K. Jemesin, which manages to tackle massive issues like racism, environmental degradation, slavery, and sexuality within a great (and lean) story; and of course the Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson, which many people consider to be the pinnacle of the modern genre.
This is an amazing because so many of these books are already on my all-time favorite list. If I had to pick one super-favorite from this list, it would be Anathem.
Damn - what a fantastic list this is, truly. Thank you. I'm halfway through the Vorkosigan books at the moment and they are all that you say. A note on that: if anyone has an Audible+ subscription (the monthly one, where you get one credit per month), you'll also have access to the Plus catalogue - and most of the Vorkosigan books are in it to download and listen to for free.
Wow, this is awesome! Thank you, Noah! I consider myself well read in Sci-Fi and Fantasy, but most of these are new to me. I’m super excited to make my way through your list!
A couple of my own recommendations:
* N. K. Jemison’s Broken Earth trilogy (Sci-Fi parable on racial essentialism and mother-daughter relationships)
* Every book in Joe Abercrombie’s First Law world (dark as hell fantasy and a world of magic trends into industrialization)
Zone of Thought is truly outstanding. One thing that always struck me were the "far out" aliens who kept offering very weird opinions and sort of insisting that since they were so far away from the action, they had a better take on what was really happening than the people near it. I might be misremembering those details, I need to re-read it. I have not re-read the books in a long while but whenever I do, I get a real chuckle.
A comment about the Prydain books - I too read Lloyd Alexander growing up and as a parent (of kids who are now teens) discovered they had fallen out of the rotation, so to speak. Perhaps the Potterverse or Hunger Games or Percy Jackson crowded them out? YA has been a verdant genre for a while now.
So many comments swirling around in my mind as I read that list which was incredible by the way. Let's leave it at two:
* You can't just mention "Parable of the Sower" (Octavia Butler) without also including "Parable of the Talents".
* I recently reread "Lord of LIght" (Roger Zelazny). Having reread a few other science fiction works that blew my mind in the 70s, but disappointed me, I can safely say that this was not one of them. It holds up very well to me.
Noah, you just guaranteed I will be a long term subscriber. You mentioned the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, an utterly brilliant 5 book series. I go back and read it every few years, which I have been doing for 50+ years. Thank you, and Merry Christmas.:))
Dec 24, 2023·edited Dec 24, 2023Liked by Noah Smith
Thanks, Noah. This is a great list, including many I, myself, would recommend :)
I would highly recommend you finish the third book, "Death's End", in the "Remembrance of Earth's Past" series; it is well worth the 600 page effort.
I have another series for your SF list, by an author you've already included:
Stephen R. Donaldson's, "The Gap Cycle" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gap_Cycle] — starts off a bit dark, but is a very well written story that keep's you engaged, as it unfolds.
Also, I have a very strong series recommendation for your Fantasy list:
"Malazan Book of the Fallen", by Steven Erikson [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malazan_Book_of_the_Fallen] — This is a massive story of epic proportions, spanning thousands of years, across multiple contents and 'peoples', that is so original and well written, you will not be able to put the 10 books down. I promise. _Highly_ recommended!
what? none of ian m banks "culture" novels? the archetypal description of post-scarcity future, replete with super-human ai?
Bujold's "other series" is also refreshing for its optimism. It is kind of her retirement project and new novellas (and the occasional full length novel) come out every year or so
They're also one of the rare instances of religion being handled in a sympathetic way in speculative fiction. I'm an atheist but it gets tiresome seeing every single religion being somewhere between idiots and pure, mustachioed twirling evil.
Please look into the "The Dark Is Rising" fantasy series by Susan Cooper. It is especially fun to read at the time of the Winter Solstice.
"I've long believed that instead of seeing humans as having fallen from a past state of greatness or grace, we should venerate our ancestors' long, hard climb up out of the muck of animal existence."
YES! YES!
Fuck the lie of Eden. Darwinian randomness and natural selection somehow gifted Homo sapiens with unique (at least on this planet) abilities to fight back against this abusive universe, and we should be proud of how much ground we've won. And if our record is very much a mixed bag, what abuse survivor can't say the same?
This is such a great list, Noah. Thanks!
I know this is really a sci-fi list, but your fantasy suggestions lean a bit classic for my taste - there's tons of great modern fantasy out there to try. A few suggestions: The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch, about a master con man robbing the rich in a fantastical version of Venice; the operatic Broken Earth Series, by N.K. Jemesin, which manages to tackle massive issues like racism, environmental degradation, slavery, and sexuality within a great (and lean) story; and of course the Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson, which many people consider to be the pinnacle of the modern genre.
Happy reading!
I loved Nexus, have you read Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton? That is some of my all-time fav sci-fi.
Side note, I asked ~1400 authors for their fav books they read in 2023, here were the sci-fi results -> https://shepherd.com/bboy/2023/science-fiction
This is an amazing because so many of these books are already on my all-time favorite list. If I had to pick one super-favorite from this list, it would be Anathem.
Damn - what a fantastic list this is, truly. Thank you. I'm halfway through the Vorkosigan books at the moment and they are all that you say. A note on that: if anyone has an Audible+ subscription (the monthly one, where you get one credit per month), you'll also have access to the Plus catalogue - and most of the Vorkosigan books are in it to download and listen to for free.
Wow, this is awesome! Thank you, Noah! I consider myself well read in Sci-Fi and Fantasy, but most of these are new to me. I’m super excited to make my way through your list!
A couple of my own recommendations:
* N. K. Jemison’s Broken Earth trilogy (Sci-Fi parable on racial essentialism and mother-daughter relationships)
* Every book in Joe Abercrombie’s First Law world (dark as hell fantasy and a world of magic trends into industrialization)
Zone of Thought is truly outstanding. One thing that always struck me were the "far out" aliens who kept offering very weird opinions and sort of insisting that since they were so far away from the action, they had a better take on what was really happening than the people near it. I might be misremembering those details, I need to re-read it. I have not re-read the books in a long while but whenever I do, I get a real chuckle.
Thanks Noah
Please add Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Another hard sci-fi best listened to on audio as sound is an important component of the plot
How did A Canticle for Leibowitz not make your list at all? Seems right up your alley. Also, it's fantastic.
Very thoughtful and gracious. Thank you.
A comment about the Prydain books - I too read Lloyd Alexander growing up and as a parent (of kids who are now teens) discovered they had fallen out of the rotation, so to speak. Perhaps the Potterverse or Hunger Games or Percy Jackson crowded them out? YA has been a verdant genre for a while now.
So many comments swirling around in my mind as I read that list which was incredible by the way. Let's leave it at two:
* You can't just mention "Parable of the Sower" (Octavia Butler) without also including "Parable of the Talents".
* I recently reread "Lord of LIght" (Roger Zelazny). Having reread a few other science fiction works that blew my mind in the 70s, but disappointed me, I can safely say that this was not one of them. It holds up very well to me.
Noah, you just guaranteed I will be a long term subscriber. You mentioned the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, an utterly brilliant 5 book series. I go back and read it every few years, which I have been doing for 50+ years. Thank you, and Merry Christmas.:))
Thanks, Noah. This is a great list, including many I, myself, would recommend :)
I would highly recommend you finish the third book, "Death's End", in the "Remembrance of Earth's Past" series; it is well worth the 600 page effort.
I have another series for your SF list, by an author you've already included:
Stephen R. Donaldson's, "The Gap Cycle" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gap_Cycle] — starts off a bit dark, but is a very well written story that keep's you engaged, as it unfolds.
Also, I have a very strong series recommendation for your Fantasy list:
"Malazan Book of the Fallen", by Steven Erikson [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malazan_Book_of_the_Fallen] — This is a massive story of epic proportions, spanning thousands of years, across multiple contents and 'peoples', that is so original and well written, you will not be able to put the 10 books down. I promise. _Highly_ recommended!
And, again, thanks for this list.