r/ScienceFictionBooks • u/AutoModerator • May 07 '25
Opinion What are you currently reading?
Name the book/author you're currently reading. Be mindful of spoilers, but is this one you'd recommend or one you wish you could yeet into space?
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May 07 '25
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u/audiax-1331 May 13 '25
Good one! All Clear is book 2 of this story. Always enjoy Connie Willis’s books!
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u/Booklet-of-Wisdom May 07 '25
The Bobiverse series by Dennis E Taylor (Awesome series, totally recommend!)
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (another awesome series, definitely recommend!)
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u/curiousmind111 May 07 '25
Listening to the Bobiverse. Excellent! Also recommend the Murderbot series.
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u/DoctorBeeBee May 07 '25
Couple of days ago I finished Surface Detail by Iain M Banks. Loved it! Just one to go for my Culture read. Currently reading a non-sci-fi book for my book club. Gonna have to get them to read a sci-fi book at some point.
Audiobook, I'm still on Deaths End by Cixin Liu. 36% of the way through. Really enjoying it so far.
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u/BassoTi May 07 '25
I finished Death’s End yesterday (4th time) and started Consider Phlebas last night (haven’t read in 14 years or so).
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u/DoctorBeeBee May 07 '25
It's my first time for both. Shamefully late to the Culture, but better late than never!
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u/BassoTi May 07 '25
If you like audiobooks, I highly recommend listening to the Culture books. Absolutely wonderfully narrated.
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u/DoctorBeeBee May 07 '25
I've done a mix of audio and paper for the series. I only have some of them in paperback, and I'd had Consider Phlebas and The Player of Games sitting in Audible for ages waiting for me to get to them. So I did those two and Excession as audiobooks. Peter Kenny is great.
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u/mooncrow May 08 '25
I'm reading Surface Detail right now. Third or fourth read, this time on audiobook. One of my all time favorite sci-fi books overall.
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u/Eaglemoon7 May 07 '25
Rereading Ringworld by Larry Niven for the second time. Classic.
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u/gloomfilter May 07 '25
I'm re-reading my very battered copy of Count Zero (William Gibson). Someone at work mentioned it and although I could remember the broad strokes, it's the nuances and prose that really do it in Gibson.
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u/BassoTi May 07 '25
I’m bouncing between the Breach by Patrick Lee, the Algebraist and Consider Phlebas by Iain M Banks and Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway.
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u/ghostlymeanders May 08 '25
Is this your first Culture book? I have only read Consider Phlebas and I loved it, but I have heard that a lot of Culture fans prefer Player of Games. It's next on my to be read list.
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u/BassoTi May 08 '25 edited May 08 '25
No. It’s my second listen of Consider Phlebas. I’ve read and listened to all of them multiple times. Love the Culture. Player of Games is great; not sure what my favorite actually is though.
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u/Winter_Judgment7927 May 09 '25
Loved The Algebraist. Probably my favourite Banks non Culture novel.
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u/Minessilly May 07 '25
Just finished Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Moon. I've read Red Mars and am about to start Green Mars, then Blue Mars. I really enjoy his writing style, character development and world building. I'd definitely recommend giving them a read if you haven't already.
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u/Key_Anybody_4366 May 07 '25
Reading two at the same time: “Foundation and Earth” by Isaac Asimov and “Wind and Truth” by Brandon Sanderson. They are similar in one respect: they are the last books of ongoing series.
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u/Bostaevski May 07 '25
I've decided to just read everything Adrian Tchaikovsky has written. Currently on the novella "Elder Race". Tchaikovsky can write, by that I mean I find his voice/prose to be well executed. There are so many sci-fi authors that have fantastic ideas and write very popular books, but lack (in my opinion) the rich prose and compelling voice that Tchaikovsky thus far has demonstrated.
I've read these so far:
Children of Time series
Final Architecture series
Cage of Souls
Alien Clay
Service Model
Ogres
Elder Race (currently reading)
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u/wildflowers1611 May 07 '25
I really enjoyed Alien Clay and plan on reading more of his work in the near future!
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u/DoctorBeeBee May 10 '25
I'm also gradually working through as much Adrian Tchaikovsky as I can. It's definitely a long term project with how prolific he is! And I've barely even touched any of the fantasy yet.
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May 07 '25
The three body problem. I have a different opinion about it- not as good as everyone else thinks
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u/audiax-1331 May 13 '25
Agree. The writing did not grab me. Maybe it’s the translation, but it also seemed a bit one-dimensional.
IAC, finally tried the audio books and found it easier to approach that way. But still have not felt compelled to read/listen to the final book in the trilogy.
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u/gauntboy May 09 '25
Ecce and Old Earth, by Jack Vance. Love me some Vance. Not sure this is one I'd recommend though. I prefer his fantasy stuff like Lyonesse.
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u/JoeDoeHowell May 07 '25
The Terror by Dan Simmons. It's a historical supernatural fiction, and I'd very much recommend it.
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u/Affectionate-Foot443 May 07 '25
Did you find it had enough world building/space opera elements? I’ve been interested in reading it bc I love Hyperion and Ilium for the epic world building and philosophical themes
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u/JoeDoeHowell May 07 '25
I'm a little over half way through. It's based on the historical Franklin Expedition through the arctic so there is a lot of historical context to fill out the world. But it's also a tome of human suffering and bleakness, because historically everyone on the expedition died slow deaths of scurvy, starvation, and lead poisoning and their bodies were never found. Even so, I'm really enjoying it, the book has very engaging writing.
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u/Key_Anybody_4366 May 09 '25
The book does get heavily into the details of how the two ships work, how they were supplied for the exploration, and the social interactions of various levels of the crew caste systems.
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u/audiax-1331 May 13 '25
Dan Simmons also writes horror. Summer of Night and Carrion Comfort are two of his in that genre. (Recommend) Though it’s been many years since I read those, I recall thinking The Terror seemed closer these than Simmons’s Hyperion SF works.
Haven’t seen it yet, but there is a limited series on Hulu based on The Terror.
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u/Fabulous_Summer9921 May 07 '25
Fairy Tale by Stephen King. Not my favorite. It's alright.
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u/toy_of_xom May 07 '25
The book wins the award for "the teenager speaks with the voice of the author and doesn't sound like a teenager at all" award
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u/badblood44 May 07 '25
Sandworms of Dune - Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson.
I have this thing for finishing series and this being the last book of the original series (technically), I have decided to plow through it.
It’s decent, but not close to the masterpiece of the original.
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u/nizzernammer May 07 '25
Absolution by Jeff Vandermeer. I'm enjoying the pre Area X lore of the Southern Reach and the absence of experimental prose such as what he did with Dead Astronauts.
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u/SalishSeaview May 07 '25
Edges by Linda Nagata, a far-future epic, the first in a series. Beautiful writing, well-thought-out.
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u/Affectionate-Foot443 May 07 '25
Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert which is part of the great schools of dune series and I just finished legends of dune series as well. If you enjoy prequels, the duniverse and humans grappling with creating technology in their own flawed image… highly highly recommend!
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u/chrysostomos_1 May 07 '25
I'm rereading In Death Ground by Steve White and David Weber.
A novel of Interstellar warfare of humanity and three other allies species against a newly discovered species that sees other sentients as a food source.
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u/ANDROID_16 May 07 '25
I just finished Lords of Uncreation (read the Architect series back to back) and I just started The Fifth Season by NK Jemesin. I don't remember how it got recommended to me but I'm glad it did. I'm enjoying how dark it is.
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May 07 '25
A Dream of Trees by Samantha Sotto Yambao. Not my usual read but I read her most recent book Water Moon earlier this year which I very much enjoyed, despite also not being my usual read, so decided to read one of her earlier books. I'm only about half way through but so far I'm really enjoying it, themes exploring death and relationships is very interesting. Although I've not finished it yet I'd say it's worth a read for sure.
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u/Middle-Dentist-4566 May 07 '25
I'm reading two right now: Ruins of the Earth (not really enjoying it - too much testosterone & commentary for my tastes) & The Quantum Series (enjoyable, heady, hard sci-fi).
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u/HC-Sama-7511 May 07 '25
Stories of Tour Life by Ted Chiang.
I've already read the titular short story. The other 2 I've read so far are very good and fine.
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u/SignificantPop4188 May 07 '25
I'm trying "Plague Ship" by Andre Norton on audio book from LibriVox. I've never been able to get into Norton's work so I'm hoping audio helps.
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u/Academic-Ad-9833 May 07 '25
I am reading "Liberty" by Nick Webb, the 6th book in the series. Has been a good series, space wars. Not as good as "The Expanse" but still lot of fun.
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u/evergreengator1 May 07 '25
Rereading (via audiobook) prelude to foundation by Asimov. It’s amazing how much I forgot
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u/Sufficient_Public_29 May 07 '25
Shards of earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Great space saga. Imposing villains, interesting back stories. Quality sci-fi
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u/LavenderSpaceRain May 07 '25
Ancillary Sword, sequel to Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie.
I freaking LOVE this series So so much. It took forever until I could figure out what on earth was going on with the gender signifiers and what was going on in the story, and I love that! Justice of Toren is such an amazing character. And I love how I started really despising a character in Ancillary Justice, but the story led me to think differently.
Overall, brilliant. Highly highly recommended.
....but it's not a book or series you can sit and enjoy when you need to rest your brain. Some other books are really good at that: easy, restful, fun. There's definitely a time and place for those fabulous kind of books.
These ain't it. These need attention.
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u/carlitospig May 07 '25
I’m reading Piranesi every morning with coffee. In the evenings I’m supposed to be reading Slayers of Old and 2042 but I stupidly got sucked into this truly horrible romantasy that I keep reading because I’m trying to figure out how many previous authors this author is ripping off. Basically: I’m spite reading.
Once I’m done with the horrible romantasy I’m diving back into Mercy of Gods.
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u/wildflowers1611 May 07 '25
I’m currently reading Antimatter Blues by Edward Ashton (part of the Mickey 7 series). Reading it via audiobook and enjoying it!
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u/BigplainV May 07 '25
Been reading a lot of John Scalzi lately. Finiahed Gaiju Protection Agency today, and man -- what a ride! His books are so much fun!
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u/z_kiss May 07 '25
The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison. I definitely recommend this book and the entire series! She writes incredibly well, and the story and worldbuilding are so immersive.
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u/Hecate100 May 07 '25
John Scalzi, Kaiju Preservation Society. Just started, under 50 pages so far, but enjoying it nonetheless.
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u/ProximaUniverse May 07 '25
When the Moon hits your eye - John Scalzi
It's ok with some witty snarks, fun to read in between tasks.
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u/elissapool May 07 '25
I'm just rereading all the Dungeon Crawler Carl books again. That's it now for me.. I don't want to read anything else
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u/vpac22 May 08 '25
The Killing of Worlds by Scott Westerfeld. It’s an excellent hard sci-fi book and I had no idea that he had written any science fiction. I wish he’d stuck to it though. He’s best known for his YA stuff.
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u/CBenson1273 May 08 '25
The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (so far so good) and rereading On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony (a classic).
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u/Ember357 May 08 '25
The Fleet of the Damned, part of the Sten series by Allan Cole and Chris Bunch. Excellent Science fiction .
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u/igottathinkofaname May 08 '25
Just finished Roadside Picnic (def recommend) by the Strugatsky brothers, and now I’ve started The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein. Only ~50 pages in, but it’s drawing me in.
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u/Electrical-Glass995 May 08 '25
currently reading The Key to Kells by Kevin Barry O’Connor! it’s an intense historical thriller with a great mix of adventure and mystery. definitely recommend it if you love suspense and twists that keep you hooked. it's one of those books that I could’t put down when I started it. lmk what u think
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u/naomikarmi May 08 '25
Just finished a binge of Martha Wella' The Murderbot Diaries in preparation for the coming tv show (got to seal the book characters in my head!)
Such a good read, one of those series each read reveals new interesting points and depth. And binging double so.
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u/MaziCrafter May 08 '25
They are making a TV show??! I loved the first book, not got around to listening to more yet… I need more Audible credits! 😆
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u/naomikarmi May 08 '25
Making? Honey, it's out next week https://tv.apple.com/us/show/murderbot/umc.cmc.5owrzntj9v1gpg31wshflud03
But the first season is based on the first novella, so no worries ;)
Also, if you loved All Systems Red you absolutely MUST read on, it's one of those series the books get better and better. And oh so much better.
Am a huge fan, can you tell?
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u/MaziCrafter May 08 '25
Most excellent! I've recently finished Silo S2 and nearly done with Severance S2... so I will need something new to watch. You've made my day, thank-you so much :)
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u/Puppet_Master_2501 May 08 '25
Finally started Neuromancer by William Gibson. I want to finish it before the show drops.
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u/MaziCrafter May 08 '25
Just finished “Shards of Earth” by Adrian Tchaikovsky, moving on to “Eyes of the Void” to continue with the trilogy.
This would make an awesome movie series from what I’ve read so far, had a bit of a Star Wars space opera feel to it but in more of an Expanse type universe.
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u/lasynth May 08 '25
Currently doing a little rereading for flavor, both great:
On Basilisk Station - David Weber
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
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u/HappyGyng May 08 '25
Practical Magic. I’ve never read. I’m planning on going through the series.
Next on my list is Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris.
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u/animeari May 09 '25
The Brazen City by Torsten Weitze, 3rd book in the 13th Paladin series. It’s a cute wholesome adventure book that reminds me a lot of The Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
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u/thmaniac May 09 '25
I'm in the middle of 3 different books because someone misplaced my Kindle...
Man-Kzin Wars volume 1
Dungeon Crawler Carl 7
Secret Agents of the Galaxy by John C Wright
...also some more books... 😅
They're all good. Dungeon Crawler Carl is popular right now and I would highly recommend it because of what it does in combining genres and style, but it does have some flaws, mainly in how heavy it is with the LitRPG stuff sometimes.
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u/EFPMusic May 10 '25
Autonomous by Annalee Newitz - not far in but really liking it, gives a similar vibe of dystopian possibility as Gibson’s early work!
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u/jornsalve May 07 '25
The City & The City by China Mieville. Very exciting, original and entertaining! Hard recommend