If you want to lose yourself in a good book, escape reality with these 6 science fiction books!
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
From the blurb:
For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future–to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save humankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire–both scientists and scholars–and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.
Foundation was one of the first classic science fiction books I read a few years ago and I loved it! I was sorely dissapointed with the TV adaptation, so I reread the first book again recently and fell in love all over again.
It is the scope of these books that really hooks you, and the depth the author explores some awesome concept.
Read by full review of Foundation by Isaac Asimov here.
Dune by Frank Herbert
From the blurb:
Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for…
When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.
Aruguably the greatest science fiction of its time, Dune has influenced basically all science fiction you love today. It can be a bit hard to get into, but once you’ve dealt with the steep learning curve, you’ll be having a great time! If you don’t want to “power through” the first few chapters of the book, watch the Dune: Part 1 movie first so you know who all the characters are.
Beyond the Hallowed Sky by Ken MacLeod
From the blurb:
When a brilliant scientist gets a letter from herself about faster-than-light travel, she doesn’t know what to believe. The equations work, but her paper is discredited – and soon the criticism is more than scientific. Exiled by the establishment, she gets an offer to build her starship from an unlikely source. But in the heights of Venus and on a planet of another star, a secret is already being uncovered that will shake humanity to its foundations.
Beyond the Hallowed Sky marks the start of a very exciting space opera trilogy you will want to begin immediately! It has everything I loved about the classics while feeling fresh and modern, with a definite modern style.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
From the blurb:
Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.
If you want to escape reality with a science fiction book, there surely is nothing better than some absurdism? The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is hilarious and thought-provoking, making you both laugh and question your existence at the same time.
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey
From the blurb:
Humanity has colonized the solar system—Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond—but the stars are still out of our reach.
Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, the Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for—and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.
Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.
Paired with the fantastic TV adaptation, Leviathan Wakes is a fantastic modern science fiction book and series. If you love political intriugue, cowboys in space, and strange mysteries that might scare the hell out of you, this is the series for you! Also, the charactersation in this book is incredible; you’ll have these people swimming about in your brain long after you put the book down.
Pandora’s Star by Peter F. Hamilton
From the blurb:
The year is 2380. The Intersolar Commonwealth, a sphere of stars some four hundred light-years in diameter, contains more than six hundred worlds, interconnected by a web of transport “tunnels” known as wormholes. At the farthest edge of the Commonwealth, astronomer Dudley Bose observes the impossible: Over one thousand light-years away, a star… vanishes. It does not go supernova. It does not collapse into a black hole. It simply disappears...
On the same wavelength as Leviathan Wakes, Pandora’s Star, has all the mystery, political/religious conflict, and exploration you could ask for from a science fiction book!
