The purpose of this list is to provide you with some recommendations of stunning works of Sci-Fi to read at least once during this lifetime. Now, I know we all have some factory settings, and we’ll all die, probably not in full sync (maybe the old lady nextdoor will live long enough to bury me), but for the sake of this article, make sure you save some of your lives for the books I’m about to tell you about.
William Gibson – Neuromancer
Ever wondered what the internet looked like in the ’80s? Neither did I, but William Gibson sure did and boy did he nail it with Neuromancer.
This book isn’t just a novel; it’s a prophecy that spat out the term ‘cyberspace’ before it was cool (or even a thing). It’s basically The Matrix without the leather trench coats and less kung-fu. And The Matrix was inspired by the book just when Gibson feared that Neuromancer would be seen as a ripoff. It is an amazing journey in terms of philosophy and aesthetics.
Follow Case, a washed-up computer hacker who gets a second shot at being a digital wizard, all thanks to some shady characters who play Marlon Brando in The Godfather and come up with an offer he’s not gonna refuse. .
And to be honest with you, I was amazed by the way in which Gibson describes everything, since for some reason my own imagination and perspective on cyberpunk have been very similar even before I heard of Neuromancer. How the hell this gentleman had such an influence on me without me being aware of his writings defies the laws of time and space.
Still, Gibson’s writings, particularly the Sprawl trilogy seem to make use of a wonderful mélange of stream of consciousness poetic romanticism.
Frank Herbert – Dune
“Dune” isn’t just a book; it’s a giant, spicy sandbox of political intrigue, environmental messages, and sand. Lots of sand. It’s…Uhhh, Game of Thrones, but with less stabbing and more mind-controlling spices.
It’s the story of young Paul Atreides, whose family takes over the desert planet Arrakis, only to find themselves in a hot mess of political and ecological drama.
This book is probably one of the best birthday gifts I’ve ever received. Plus, it’s one of those things that made me feel like I owed it to myself to experience it later rather than never (spoiler, the list is long).
It was such a fascinating and comforting experience during lockdown that I went all in and devoured all six books like there was no tomorrow. It’s a clash of huge ideas interwoven in subtle moves and dialogues, in as much as I’ve come to realize Dune is to me what Young And The Restless was to my mom and grandma. I mean, come on, it’s the reason why Warhammer 40K exists…
Remember, it’s not just about who controls the spice, but who can drink their own recycled sweat without making a face.
Adrian Tchaikovsky – Children of Time
Spiders in space and they’re smarter than you. Children of Time takes evolution, cranks it up to eleven, and throws it into a starship. This book is about what happens when humanity’s last hope to colonize a new world discovers it’s already taken by eight-legged geniuses. It’s a tale that asks, “Can spiders write Shakespeare better than us?” Spoiler: Probably, yes.
I fell in love with this author after reading this first book in a trilogy. And even though I personally sometimes find Tchaikovsky’s writing cumbersome and too complex, his ideas and worldbuilding are simply amazing.
The author has no chill, as he keeps pushing out books with a frequency reminiscent of Philip K. Dick and Stephen king. His books cover everything from fantasy and anthropomorphic insects as medieval kings and queens to incredibly detailed alien worlds that feature complex biologies written with scientific accuracy.
For that, Tchaikovsky earned my respect and utmost admiration. His works are basically the new wave of science fiction.
Philip K. Dick – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
This is the book that had everyone questioning whether their toaster has feelings. Dick takes us into a post-apocalyptic world where owning real pets is a flex, and the job you want to avoid at parties is ‘bounty hunter of rogue androids.’
It’s a spiritual trip into what makes us human and why shooting robots might make you the next existential philosopher or just a really confused gunslinger.
My bachelor thesis revolves around this novel, and I’ve become so obsessed with it that I basically forced my university professors to read it and ditch those awfully boring Victorian novels.
Dmitry Glukhovsky – Metro 2033
Ever got lost in the subway and felt like it was the end of the world? Well, Metro 2033 makes that a reality. Set in the Moscow metro system post-nuclear war, survivors face off not just against radioactive rats but political intrigue and existential dread. It’s a commuter’s worst nightmare with a philosophical twist. Remember, next time the train is delayed, it could be worse.
The Metro trilogy is the main source of inspiration for the popular eponymous game series. A fairly underground writer has thus become a mainstream addition to the post-apocalyptic genre. In a good way.
It’s good soviet aesthetics (trendy, to be honest) and conflicting emotions about whether you’d like to enjoy your morning coffee through your gas mask as radioactive rain caresses your body or understand the doomed (and perhaps redeemable) nature of humankind on a Dostoyevski level.
Neal Stephenson – Some Remarks
This collection of essays and short stories is a concoction of stream of consciousness with a bit of everything for the tech-savvy and the philosophically inclined. Stephenson slices through topics like swordplay, cable laying (more exciting than it sounds), and why books are long (probably because of writers like him).
After a second read, you’ll come out smarter or at least with more trivia to annoy people with at parties, because Some Remarks is quite complex and diverse, ranging from ramblings about why sitting while working through your 9-to-5 modern curse really sucks to Leibniz’s monads and the very fabric of existence itself.
Arthur C. Clarke – The City and The Stars
Imagine living in a city where everything is perfect, and you never have to leave. Sounds great until you’re the one guy who says, “Yeah, but what’s outside?” The City and The Stars is about breaking the ultimate routine and discovering that the universe is pretty big, and yes, you should definitely get out more. It’s a story about curiosity and why it’s the best way to ruin a perfectly lazy eternity.
‘But, Carol, where is 2001: A Space Odyssey’?
Not a particular reason, it’s just that I find The City and The Stars with more aesthetic sensibility and a more philosophical perspective. And it also feels quite ethereal.
Neal Asher – Gridlinked
James Bond in space but with less martini and more artificial intelligence oversight. Gridlinked is for those who like their spies with cybernetic enhancements and their action non-stop. Agent Cormac is not just fighting terrorists and alien conspiracies; he’s also grappling with a mandatory job performance review after being too machine-like. Talk about a bad day at the office.
Neal Asher is yet another author who keeps writing on an insane level. He’s an unstoppable machine, and from his hands come more and more books set in the Polity universe. The books are usually known as…Uhh…post-cyberpunk works of fiction, and they include pretty much anything genocide-related: aliens, deadly viruses, murderous AIs, gigantic space ships that are actually sentient life forms, deadly gunslingers, deadly secret agents, deadly bugs, did I mention anything out there is deadly?
I recommend going through Neal’s website for a better understanding of his works: reading order, timelines, suggestions, etc. Chances are you’d get hooked immediately, but the books still need some sort of commitment.
Greg Egan – Quarantine
What if the universe was actually customizable and someone decided to lock us out from the settings panel? Quarantine explores just that after the solar system gets bubble-wrapped by mysterious alien forces.
It’s a mind-bending trip into quantum mechanics, with a side of detective noir. Perfect for when you want to think about life, the universe, and everything—or why you can’t even change your own reality settings.
This should appeal to all the science nerds out there. The book is gritty and incredibly complex, so you need to have some background knowledge, or at least a basic idea of quantum theory and mathematical interpretations.
The author wrote an essay on this topic, and has since become some sort of a ‘prequel’ or ‘tie-in’ to Quarantine. It explains related concepts and formulas, so even if it will probably give you brain damage, it’s a satisfying read on the toilet.
Richard Morgan – Altered Carbon
Take a trip to a future where your body is just another outfit you can change. Altered Carbon mixes classic detective noir with a sci-fi twist, featuring Takeshi Kovacs, who gets hired to solve a murder in a world where death is more inconvenient than terminal. It’s like having a closet for bodies, and all of them are in style. Perfect for those who hate committing to one look—or life.
Another first entry in another trilogy, Altered Carbon was adapted by Netflix into a pretty cool show…Until its cancellation…
My advice: read the books first. They offer more of that hardboiled thriller vibe and are quite immersive, which you can’t get out of the show, even though the latter looks absolutely gorgeous and cuts straight to the action (and naked bodies).
To Be Continued
There are many other novels that have had a great impact on me, and I keep discovering more and more works I should have read long ago.
Given this, I’ll update not only these tops with additional entries, but, if necessary, I’ll address each book individually and strive to discuss it spoiler-free.
See you on the next part of this series.
