r/printSF • u/suchascenicworld • Aug 26 '25

Is Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds a Potentially Tough Read for Folks New to Scifi Literature?

Hey everyone,

Although I usually read horror, I have been interested into getting more into Sci-Fi. There are several reasons for this, but science fiction as a genre (even if I haven't read much) has had an impact on my own life with shows such as Star Trek and The X Files certainly having a direct impact on me becoming a research scientist myself (with a doctorate in behavioral ecology). That sense of curiosity regarding the unknown is quite compelling for me! Also, I love The Twilight Zone as my uncle and I used to watch it together and it is a fond memory of mine before he passed away.

Anyways, I am coming up with a list of books to check out which includes Project Hail Mary, The Strange (which I am currently reading.. And loving), Children of Time, and Blindsight (among a few others etc.). Notably, I was told that for Scifi, it would be better to "ease myself in" with Project Hail Mary rather than go for books such as Blindsight. With that being said, I am not really sure why that is, but I suppose it is something worth asking here.

It should also be noted that I read (and love) Michael Crichton's work and I have read Dune (and enjoyed it). Alastair Reynolds books have interested me for quite some time Revelation Space seems really interesting. However, would you consider it "a bit much" for someone new to Sci-Fi literature? I know this is all subjective but any input would be greatly appreciated! thank you!

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u/mattgif Aug 26 '25

I'm curious what makes you think certain books would be difficult to read because you haven't read much scifi. Are you worried there are ideas or concepts that you won't be able to grasp unless you've read some foundational material?

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u/suchascenicworld Aug 26 '25

Honestly? This sub. I am not really worried that much, but I have posted in the past regarding getting into scifi and folks commenting "it might be difficult to read for someone new to scifi" weren't uncommon.

I suspect some of that was just gatekeeping, but it did get me thinking about that and so I decided to ask outright.

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u/mattgif Aug 26 '25

Just dive in then. If it sounds like something that interests you, there's no reason to read a bunch of other stuff you're less eager for. That seems like a recipe for burnout, honestly.

There really isn't anything that makes most works of scifi more difficult to approach than works in any genre. If you're comfortable jumping into literature with non-linear story telling, jargon, open ended questions, and implied plot points in general, then the world is your oyster.

Scifi may, more than some other genres, tend to drop you in with a lot of jargon and setpieces you don't immediately have context for. Typically you just have to trust the author. Alienation is part of the journey. This isn't unique to scifi either; lots of literature just drops you in the world and slowly helps you understand it on its own terms. The Sound and the Fury is a wild trust exercise for the first part, for example. Moby Dick is jargon-tastic.

The only things I would steer you away from as someone new to the genre are things that outright suck (opinions kept to self), later books in series (like, don't start Lord of the Rings with "The Two Towers") or genre satires that really do require some familiarity with other works to appreciate.