Books

Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson.

Four Ways to Forgiveness by Ursula K Le Guin.

@foofiepie continuing with sci-fi definitely check out the Monk & Robot series by Becky Chambers!
“A Psalm For the Wild Built” & “A Prayer For the Crown Shy”
Short & beautiful.

There's a lot of good stuff here but I have to throw Andromeda Strain and World War Z into the pot.

Can’t believe no one has mentioned it already but the book that got me into reading was “Enders game” by Orson Scott Card. Fairly short and has a split set of follow up books that branch off in 2 directions in you want more.

Have you read The Martian by Andy Weir?

Diamond hard sci-fi told mostly through the main character's personal log. First time I read it, I couldn't put it down, I read the whole thing in one sitting.

Nation by Terry Pratchett. It's a beautiful and introspective book that has all of STP's humor, humanity and insight but it's completely self contained. I read it recently and wanted to read it again right away.

I'm going to suggest The Murderbot Diaries. It starts off with the few short novellas before they're being a full length novel. You can finish the novellas in a few hours and you will be hungry to get into the full length novel. Get them off www.libgen.is

First one is called All Systems Red by Martha Wells Followed by: Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, Compulsory(just a super short origin story), Network Effect(full novel), Home(four short stories), Fugitive Telemetry, System Collapse (another novel)

I think this would let you break into some really good offbeat sci-fi with some novellas first. Then some full-on novels all within the same universe.

Not really sci-fi, but shirt and very good: Fictions/Ficciones and Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges. Also, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.

I think so far the Vonnegut is the best recommendation for you. And not sci-fi but Catch-22 by Joseph Heller might also be a good fit. A lot of these suggestions are really good books, but not as pithy and gripping as I think you might be looking for. But more data is needed, any favorite movies?

I know you've been recommended a lot of books.

Like you I only ever read non-fiction.

Then someone gave me a copy of Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut.

You might like a lot of his work. It's not exactly fiction and not exactly non-fiction.

Anyway, good luck on your adventure! You are doing something brave and interesting. Let us know how you get on.

Ian McDonald's River of Gods is probably the most enjoyable thing I've read in the last few years.

Tress of the Emerald Sea I think is the best gateway to Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere. It's styled after Princess Bride if she wasn't helpless. I enjoy a lot of his books, ask if you want more recommendations!

Someone else mentioned the Mistborn Trilogy which is great and has a quality sequel trilogy as well, also Sanderson Cosmere

Most of the novellas in The Murderbot Diaries are short. If you like the first one, the rest are more of the same. And if you don't, you only invested a little time.

It's definitely not short, but The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey is absolutely top notch.

The attention to detail that goes into a sci-fi series that lives within a realistic world, with actual physics is incredible - i.e:

• Ships need to calculate when to flip around midway through their journey to decelerate by burning the opposite direction.

• Torpedoes and tungsten slugs have travel time.

• Making hard accelerations or evasive maneuvers can and will crush you into your flight seat due to the intense G forces and the only way to not black out is a cocktail of stimulants, adrenaline, and blood thinners

• Communications take place at actual light speed, which means when you're dealing with distances up to several hundred million kilometers, it can take anywhere from minutes to hours for your message to be received.

But fear not! This is truly a traditional sci-fi novel, packed full with ancient alien substances that seem to reprogram human cells for their own use - but to what end? Ancient feuds between those born in space, and those born on a planet. And the answer to the age old question: why not just use asteroids as weapons?

The main characters are an extremely close knit group, who it seems at times get by on sheer willpower and a touch of luck (with some excellent planning).

The story takes turns being told from different characters' perspectives, which really helps you get to know each character intimately - how they think, and feel about the events unfolding - how their morality affects their choices.

If you're looking for a more "realistic" take on sci-fi, this series is absolutely up your alley.

The first novel is called "Leviathan's Wake" and there are 9 main books in the series, with a smattering of novellas between that expand on the world.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8855321-leviathan-wakes

I tried to go for quick reads. The top 3 recommendations (all novellas, but incredible) would be

Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman Or All Systems Red by Martha Wells (already mentioned by others too) Or A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

And 2 honorable mentions that are longer: Thief by Margaret Whalen Turner The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

I'd recommend The Martian.

It's hard sci fi and the writing style is quite similar to nonfiction so it should be a fairly fast read for you.

I'd also recommend grabbing a book of Philip K Dick short stories.

My top recommendation for 'fantastical [...] with amazing first person descriptive prose' is Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. It's beautiful and unlike anything you've ever read. I've bought it for three or four different people now and they've all loved it. Couldn't recommend it more highly, a genuine five star read.

It is fantasy but if you like hillarious and (in part) absurd stuff, read anything by Terry Pratchett. I personally would recommend starting with "Guards! Guards!". Be aware that there are over 30 books by him out there. There are multiple guides on which to read first to get the best start.

Most agree that it is not the best idea to start with the book he wrote first.

You might try some of Azimovs short stories. For a bit more meat you might try Frederik Pohls Hee Chee saga. Book 1 was great.

The Mistborn Trilogy (start with The Final Empire) by Brandon Sanderson is superb.

After that initial trilogy they are a massive struggle, but the first three are well worth reading.

Cordwainer Smith

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin.

I can't believe that **Hitchhiker's guide to the gallaxy **isn't mentioned yet!

Its more of a funny story set in the future but its a classic, and its well worth reading (all 4 books of the trillogy)

@[email protected] Iain M Banks books are always a treat, and I mean the Culture ones

Anything by Iain Banks.

Read Everworld

Anything by Octavia E. Butler.

If you also want some fantasy recommendations:

Malazan book of the fallen is one of my favorites

The King killer Chronicles if you can stand the long wait for book 3 to finally drop is also really awesome

If you like Andy Weirs novels, Tchaikowskis books are worth a try. I.e.:

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein.

The Kite Runner (beautiful)

The Stand (incredible character development)

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (hilarious)

Its not scifi, but Thieves Emporium by Max Hernandez.