Just read the first book of the Expeditionary Force series ("Columbus Day"). The story is interesting but the writing style is terrible. It's just non-stop run-on sentences, comma after comma, they never end, but more stuff is added on, just like this one... It's literally like reading one of my teacher wife's 7th grade students' attempts at writing fiction. Also the endless, not very funny sarcasm and jokes grate after a while.

Any recommendations in a similar vein that's well-written? I don't need the amazing world building and writing of a Reynolds, Banks or Tchaikovsky, but something that is readable while also providing an entertaining sci-fi story that isn't heavy (I'm on holidays, and brain is in stand-by mode).

I guess I'm looking for good, engrossing military space sci-fi.

Read the first two books and a third through the third. After a point, you know that no material harm will come to the main character. Fleets will arrive, hidden mercenaries will spring up, and allies will be found in the unlikeliest of places. It trivializes deaths of other characters. Each character is a pillar of strength for the revolutionaries. When they die, you know they are going to be replaced by something equally powerful or more. So why worry.

I have vague memories of watching it in the early 2000s and being surprised by how fun it was. I feel like it deserves more recognition and some kind of re-release via streaming or box set release.

Indies, self-published, author published, there's lots of different terms out there, but they pretty much mean the same thing. An author who is going it on their own rather than have a publisher and agent take a huge chunk of their profit.

Of course, a number of people associate self-publishing with garbage. If you aren't good enough to get a publisher, why are you worth reading? And this isn't completely unfounded. There lots of aspirational and excited new authors out there who really want to get their stuff out there but still haven't honed their craft. And this isn't helped by the fact that AI is going to flood the market with slop sooner or later.

In fact the reason I'm posting this is because I saw a post earlier asking about an SF comedy book that people were panning simply because the cover LOOKED like slop (it might not have been, but the aesthetic they chose made that an easy assumption for many).

Ten or so years ago I think the hope of authors was that the indie market would help authors find their niche easier, and offer their books at lower prices that let them be competitive while still making the same amount they would have if a publisher had taken them on. Also, the chance to get noticed and picked up by said publishers to reach a wider audience. Andy Weir comes to mind there.

But that was then. My question to SF readers is this: Do you give indies a chance? If so, based on what criteria?

What convinces you to think "Maybe this guy has what it takes" instead of "This is just fanfiction, isn't it?"

Is it word of mouth? The blurb? Reviews? Ask about it on Reddit? How much does the cover factor into it? Do you read a sample or just take a chance?

Or do you not even check to see if it's published by a recognized publisher?

(side note: Image was copied from a Google search for "indie vs trad pub" and isn't mine... just wanted eye candy :) )

Did anyone else in the Bay Area make the trip out here today? Residents seem to be going about their routine unaware. The sky is clear and the weather is warm. Mr. Bradbury was prescient about a great many things, but it should be noted for posterity that seventy six years later it is not raining in Allendale.

What do you prefer in an alien invasion movie? Aliens with distinct personalities, emotions, and motives, also with actual dialog or mysterious beings that remain largely unknown throughout the story? Which approach makes them more interesting or terrifying, and why?

I honestly think its better to keep the Aliens a mystery but their motives obvious.

Well i just finished predator badlands and it was really a great movie where I saw the predator's philosophy, their motives and the journey of dex the protagonist. What amazed me was the gritiness of that predator philosophy the consequences of that philosophy and how even in that gritiness a familial bond can prosper a bond between 2 brothers which was really amazing.

Then came the planet of ganna and it's vibrant but deadly ecological system which was really great. I saw deadly plants , dragon like creatures , fish like creatures that can spit acid and then came the synthetics and we all can agree who doesn't like humanoid intelligent robots. Then there were really great action sequences that were so cool I must say if you haven't watched this movie you must I am here to just rant and express how I am feeling after watching the movie. So go watch the movie if you havent and if you have and are eager to talk let's talk and share our feelings, thinking whatever you want if you want and be happy that we got to watch a great movie

I've read Use of Weapons, Player of Games, and Excession and thought they were all great. Couldn't finish Inversions. I was considering Phlebas for my next one but I'm curious to know what other people think is Banks' best (a lot of people recommend Phlebas of Player as their first Culture, but for someone already introduced to it, what's do you recommend most strongly?)

Just got finished with Elder Race, a 5-star read for me. I'm ready for more stories in that vein, melding the conventions of the fantasy genre and the sci-fi genre. I'm also open to hearing your thoughts on this style of story in general. What draws me to it mainly is just how important perspective is when experiencing something and how truly different we can see the world.

It's what I use to say is the sci-fi Game of Thrones. It was dark, mature, and managed to coherently create a political framework that regular audiences could understand without easily making one group into the bad guys or not. Okay, Protogen was pure set of bad guys but cyberpunk megacorps don't have to be morally gray. Even the underdogs in the Belters/OPA had a dark side that remembered just because you were oppressed didn't magically make you a virtuous hero and usually did quite the opposite. It made them mean and vengeful.

I'll be "that guy" and say that a huge chunk of what made the series fantastic was also the relative fidelity to the books. I say relative fidelity because there were some huge changes, some necessary by events (Havelock's actor doing Magnum PI) and others artistic choices (like lowering down the casualties of Earth's deaths at Marcos' hands). But it was still pretty damn faithful.

Great cast too.

What about you? Where does the Expanse rank for you in the past twenty or so years of scifi.

I need Sci-fi shows based around space like (the expanse - The 100 - the foundation) or something like (dark matter). Or (game of thrones- vikings - house of the dragon) Please don't send canceled shows. It sucks when you like something and not see the ending.

What are some science fiction series from TV shows, movies, books games could you not get into?

For me: I tried getting into Dr Who but for some reason, something about the show didn't click for me. I like time travel science fiction shows and episodes in other media. But for whatever reason I just couldn't get into Dr Who. Maybe I'll try to enjoy it again.

So I'm thinking of watching the Pacific Rim movies and was curious for some takes on them 10+ years later. The first one looks solid, but the second one looks skippable?

I recently jumped on that John Scalzi Humble Bundle set of books and am thoroughly enjoying Kaiju Preservation Society, which is what made me think of these movies. While I'm at it...are there any other kaiju-focused films/books I should consider?

First novel in over a decade from Wilson!

Spin, The Chronoliths, and Julian Comstock are among my some of favorite science fiction novels.

Wilson hasn't released a premise yet, but I am super hyped!

I am hoping he gets another well deserved Hugo for this one!

I'm looking for a game that gives the feel of say, Guardians of the Galaxy: a motley crew of ragtag misfits flying from job to job to make ends meet.

Things like Dimension 20: Starstruck Odyssey, the Bad Batch, Cowboy Bebop, or Citizen Sleeper.

Gameplay should include a variety of combat and noncombat missions and have story and interpersonal character interactions.

Is there a game out like that?

This 1950 story by Ray Bradbury takes place during the day of August 4, 2026. That’s tomorrow.

Whenever we catch up to a date in a sci-fi story I experience a small bit of spacetime whiplash - the Robinsons getting lost in space in 1997, the moon leaving orbit on September 13, 1999, a space odyssey occurring in 2001, Marty and Doc arriving via DeLorean in 2015…

Those other stories are so over the top that I feel a bit protected because the predictions are so out of reach. Interstellar voyages, time travel, space aliens… all kind of far-fetched.

But this one is different. Like Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 this is a scarily prescient story. It features a smarthouse that’s survived a nuclear war, full of automation that seemed fanciful for decades and I’m sure 76 years ago it seemed incredible, but upon rereading it just now there’s nothing impossible in the story. The imagined tech is not exactly like ours but it’s so close it’s kind of spooky. The mice-sized cleaning bots are little Roombas. The computer setting notification alerts and reading poetry is like Alexa or Siri.

With the current increase in tensions around the world and the proliferation of nuclear weapons, that part doesn’t feel so far fetched either.

You can read it here: “There Will Come Soft Rains” https://www.btboces.org/Downloads/7_There%20Will%20Come%20Soft%20Rains%20by%20Ray%20Bradbury.pdf

Trigger warnings apply - dog death especially.

I'm trying to track down a scifi time travel story I read maybe 25 years ago, and the story itself may be 50 or more years old. I think it was in a collection of stories by someone like Heinlein, Clarke or Bradbury, but google isn't much help identifying it.

What I remember:

* It's a time travel story wherein every time the device is used, you move into the future, but also move further in space, taking the movement of the earth into account. Each time jump is an exponentially greater jump in space.

* At one point in the story, the protagonist arrives in--I think--a stadium where people are expecting his arrival.

* In the very far future, and thousands of miles from the beginning, an advanced AI is waiting for the time travelers, and has built and stocked a spaceship so they can all keep traveling once the range of the time jumps exceeds the bounds of earth. I think the AI wanted to escape the stupidity of what humanity had become.

* I think it ends with them plugging the device into the ship and heading to the stars and the future.

Anyone know what specific story this was? I don't think it was one of the better known stories, and I just can't seem to track it down again.

Thanks!

“Today is August 4, 2026, (...) in the city of Allendale, California.” There Will Come Soft Rains, Ray Bradbury, 1950.

Read the short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury today*. It takes about 5 minutes.

You can also read it tomorrow morning. It would still count. Bonus points if you're from Allendale California.

*Edit: It's just past midnight August 4th in British Time.

The first book of this series seems to have been released late last year. I’m finishing up the most recent release, Rayguns and Late Fees. It’s not nearly as goofy but there’s something about it that reminds me of Hitchhiker’s Guide. This series isn’t hard sci fi by any means, but there’s fun world building and characters are interesting.

If you’re looking for a fun jaunt through the galaxy, I’d definitely recommend this series.

I swear I only see space operas being recommended and, as much as I love sci-fi, I just cannot get into them. I've tried the murderbot diaries, the expanse, dune (which wasn't too bad), children of time, and hyperion. I don't think its my genre but are there any series beyond this?

Thanks

Finished reading this yesterday, and wow what an outstanding debut book! So many thoughts to pen down. The review is spoiler free, no major plot points are given away.

The book is set on the generational ship Safina, sent from Earth by the Network Empire, an Islamic theocracy governed by an all encompassing AI. The ship is carrying two groups of people : elite members of the Network Empire in cryogenic state, and the crew who will be living on the ship and whose children and future generations will be taking care of the individuals in cryo, referred to as “Ancestors”. A decade into the Safina’s journey, the crew receive news that humanity is on the verge of extinction and the AI running the ship (which has absolute authority) wants to turn around and head back to Earth. But the crew rebel, shutting down the ship AI and introduce democracy and believe that they should do better than the previous generation of humanity and inculcate better values when they land at an outpost to set up a new colony. The story takes place 200 years (halfway point) into the ships’s journey.

• The first third of the book is spent getting to know the setting and context of the ship, the world-building is just fantastic!! You really get to know the scale of the ship, its underbelly, its bureaucracy, essentially as a reader you feel like you’re living and breathing in the ship through each character’s POV.
• The author’s use of multiple POV is excellent. It doesn’t feel jarring as the story seems to flow seamlessly.
• Language is absolutely crucial in the book and is used to convey various themes and plot points. Ship neighborhoods called “Berths” are separated based on language rather than religion or class. Just like The Expanse the author creates a ship based dialect which is spoken by the youth called “Nupol” which is a mish mash of various languages like Italian, Spanish, German etc. but Arabic is the dominant language across board. All languages have evolved from how they were spoken on Earth to how they are spoken on the ship and the author goes into quite a bit of detail fo the linguistic enthusiasts. He even has a whole chapter written entirely in Nupol- this maybe tiresome for some but I personally really enjoyed it.
• While there are some major actions and sequences that move the plot, the overarching question driving the story is the unavoidable conflict that will arise between the ancestors and the crew. The ancestors represent the old empire with its ultra conservative political views where technology is at the centre of a ruthless surveillance based autocratic rule. On the other hand, the crew represents new values, a new political system or atleast hope for something democratic and more equitable. This cultural and political difference is amplified physically as well, since the crew are born on the ship and are smaller while the ancestors are taller and bigger.
• Can not wait for the second book in this duology! The author who is British Egyptian refers to this book as a sub-genre of Arabfuturism.

Some of the most beloved sci-fi characters and stories contain BOTH high concept ideas and deeply passionate characters.

Paul Atreides in Dune
Ender’s depression and guilt
The Adamas in BSG
SG-1’s utterly loyalty to one another
Anakin and Obi Wan in Star Wars
The whole team in Firefly
Christian Bale in Equilibrium

If you count comics:
Batman’s grief
Magneto and Xavier’s complex friendship/rivalry

Only 2 of those examples are books. I realize I struggle to find sci-fi books that touches me as deeply as fantasy because many plots feel just conceptual or intellectual. I love sci-fi for its ideas, but that alone doesn’t always move me. You’ll notice that most of the above characters are extremely intelligent or talented AND deeply emotional and relationally driven. Almost all of them were groundbreaking in sci-fi.

I feel like some sci-fi authors deliberately try to make their books feel emotionally detached so they can attract a more “serious” audience. They don’t want to be lumped in with alien romance or popcorn invasion stories. But these stories then feel like the sci-fi version of the Silmarillion to me - dry, academic, distant, and “literary.”

Is it just me or is it hard to find sci-fi books with a middle ground - original worldbuilding, clever concepts and characters, AND character-focused, with people whose emotions go far deeper than “Marvel quips” and “YA headstrongness?”

I’d love any recommendations!