The Fantasy Review’s list of 10 Hard Science Fiction Books to Read This Summer.
Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
From the blurb:
Our voyage from Earth began generations ago.
Now, we approach our new home.
AURORA.
The Quantum Thief (Jean le Flambeur, #1) by Hannu Rajaniemi
From the blurb:
Jean le Flambeur is a post-human criminal, mind burglar, confidence artist, and trickster. His origins are shrouded in mystery, but his exploits are known throughout the Heterarchy- from breaking into the vast Zeusbrains of the Inner System to stealing rare Earth antiques from the aristocrats of Mars. Now he’s confined inside the Dilemma Prison, where every day he has to get up and kill himself before his other self can kill him…
Red Mars (Mars Trilogy, #1) by Kim Stanley Robinson
From the blurb:
For centuries, the barren, desolate landscape of the red planet has beckoned to humankind. Now a group of one hundred colonists begins a mission whose ultimate goal is to transform Mars into a more Earthlike planet. They will place giant satellite mirrors in Martian orbit to reflect light onto its surface. Black dust sprinkled on the polar caps will capture warmth and melt the ice…
Starfish (Rifters, #1) by Peter Watts
From the blurb:
Civilization rests on the backs of its outcasts.
So when civilization needs someone to run generating stations three kilometers below the surface of the Pacific, it seeks out a special sort of person for its Rifters program. It recruits those whose histories have preadapted them to dangerous environments, people so used to broken bodies and chronic stress that life on the edge of an undersea volcano would actually be a step up…
2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson
From the blurb:
The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. Earth is no longer humanity’s only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, 2312, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future…
Ender’s Game (Ender’s Saga, #1) by Orson Scott Card
From the blurb:
In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race’s next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn’t make the cut―young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training…
Delta-v (Delta-v, #1) by Daniel Suarez
From the blurb:
When itinerant cave diver James Tighe receives an invitation to billionaire Nathan Joyce’s private island, he thinks it must be a mistake. But Tighe’s unique skill set makes him a prime candidate for Joyce’s high-risk venture to mine a near-earth asteroid–with the goal of kick-starting an entire off-world economy. The potential rewards and personal risks are staggering, but the competition is fierce and the stakes couldn’t be higher…
I, Robot (Robot, #0.1) by Isaac Asimov
From the blurb:
“I, Robot” is a classic science fiction novel written by Isaac Asimov. Set in a future world where robots are commonplace, the book explores the relationships between humans and robots, and the ethical dilemmas that arise from their interactions. Through a series of interconnected short stories, Asimov delves into the three laws of robotics and how they impact the behavior of robots in society. This thought-provoking and engaging book is a must-read for fans of science fiction and anyone interested in exploring the potential consequences of advanced technology. Order your copy of “I, Robot” today and immerse yourself in Asimov’s brilliant vision of the future.
Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement
From the blurb:
Mesklin is a vast, inhospitable, disc-shaped planet, so cold that its oceans are liquid methane and its snows are frozen ammonia. It is a world spinning dizzyingly, a world where gravity can be a crushing 700 times greater than Earth’s, a world too hostile for human explorers. But the planet holds secrets of inestimable value, and an unmanned probe that has crashed close to one of its poles must be recovered. Only the Mesklinites, the small creatures so bizarrely adapted to their harsh environment, can help…
Accelerando by Charles Stross
From the blurb:
The Singularity. It is the era of the posthuman. Artificial intelligences have surpassed the limits of human intellect. Biotechnological beings have rendered people all but extinct. Molecular nanotechnology runs rampant, replicating and reprogramming at will. Contact with extraterrestrial life grows more imminent with each new day…
