Sci Fi Books to Read

A MaeBeBookClub Recommendation

For me, just like the fantasy books genre, Science Fiction is so broad and diverse. Different readers enjoy the genres for a vast range of aspects. Many love deep science reasoning and explanation, countless people love interstellar travel from inhabited planet to inhabited planet visualising what the future might one day hold. Others enjoy the interaction between different species, races, and places of origins to imagine what could be out there.

I think the ‘Sci Fi Books to Read’ recommendations above offer variety in palatable volume. My aim is to not overwhelm readers and help refine areas of stories you gravitate to the most. 

For example, The Expanse is a great option for those looking for a very futuristic story that doesn’t feel too impossible to one day achieve (this is something I love from the story). 

Politics is also often prevalent in a majority of great stories. Some people love to see the world in a terrifying dystopian place that throughout history didn’t feel or look too far away .

Why Listen To Me On Which Sci Fi Books to Read?

Frankly, I have no Sci-Fi credentials behind me. I am not a super fan of the genre. I haven’t read all the classics (please do send any recommendations my way). But I do love reading and love to see someone getting enjoyment out of a book that I recommended. 

I started both my reading and science fiction reading journey with ‘We’ by Yevgeny Zamyatin after moving across the UK for University. It was a breath of fresh air to realise how lucky I am to have the opportunity to live my own life, follow my own dream, and essentially do what pleases me. After this I picked up a handful of very different books by Andy Weir and Ernest Cline that showcased just how broad the label ‘science fiction books’ is. 

The Wonderful Space Operas 

The amazing Expanse. James S. A. Corey crafted a mastery piece that can easily be summed up as the A Song Of Ice And Fire of the Science Fiction genre. Yes that is a bold compliment but I am very confident that those who have read this series will agree. This 9 book (10 including the short story collection) is a work of art that may seem like a big commitment to many but is so worth it. I have no doubt this will become a classic and grow the cult following it already has. 

During the 9 books the time period changes so much over time that a summary of the series will almost have to include spoilers. 

In the first book we see a group of very different and not acquainted characters team up and pilot a spaceship to keep themselves and many others alive. Including politics, love interest, creative world building, life on the line action, unlikable characters (in the good way and temporarily), and lots of coffee and lab grown food, Leviathan Wakes is a must try for all science fiction and fantasy lovers in my humble opinion.

Dystopian Fictions 

The genre that everyone pretends to have read. The books you see on the table in Waterstones the second you hit the Sci Fi & Fantasy section. The Authors that have created genre agnostic books that bring lovers of different genres together. 

This fiction sub genre regularly creates a realistic world fueled by politics that often eerily feels close to home. It leaves you questioning if we can trust history as much as we actively do. It visualises what a political group gone mad with power is actually like.

I would recommend starting with Orwell’s 1984, having just finished it before writing this blog I can confirm that it has kept me up at night more than any other book before. If you feel like this is ‘your cup of tea’ my recommended next step for you is to work your way onto ‘Brave New World’ and ‘We’. 

Sciency Science Fiction…

I read The Martian by Andy Weir at the beginning of my second year in University. I had just moved back 150 miles across the country after being locked at home due to covid. What I needed was an escape and something to fill my time with until the Uni timetable kicked in.

Weir’s story of modern day mankind trying to live on Mars whilst researching the plant’s characteristics was a great escape at the time. This novel introduced me to a more scientific story that felt almost educational to read. While many argue that the science isn’t fully accurate, I still think it is the perfect taster for this sub genre.

This gut wrenching and toe curling story will let you dabble into average reader friendly science to see if that is what your preference includes. If it is the next step I recommend would be Project Hail Mary, also by Weir.

Do You Have Any Recommendations on Sci Fi Books to Read?

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