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My favorite sci-fi and fantasy books are those that come up with a world different from ours and then take that difference and explore its effects on society. I

My favorite sci-fi and fantasy books are those that come up with a world different from ours and then take that difference and explore its effects on society. I'd like to offer some examples: - "Hello Summer, Goodbye" by Michael Coney - "Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood (the first book in the Maddaddam trilogy) - "The Fifth Season" by N. K. Jemisin (the first book in the Broken Earth trilogy) - "The Mechanical" by Ian Tregillis (the first book in the Alchemy Wars trilogy) - "Nexus" by Ramez Naam (the first book in the Nexus trilogy) - "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson - "Pandora's Star" by Peter F. Hamilton (part of the Commonwealth Saga) - "Hyperion" and "Fall of Hyperion" by Dan Simmons - "Lock In" by John Scalzi - "Blindsight" by Peter Watts

Cyph0n 9y ago
Great list! I've read only a couple of them. Hyperion was intriguing but Fall of Hyperion was too slow for my tastes. Snowcrash was great. One of my favorite audiobook narrations too! You might also like Malazan Book of the Fallen and Discworld. Malazan especially is a masterpiece of world and history building. Oh, and the Ghost in the Shell series would definitely be a great fit for you. A good start would be the original animated film from the mid-90s. If you enjoy that, jump to the anime Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
- CodeMage 9y ago
  Thanks, I'm already a huge fan of Discworld, but I'll definitely give Malazan a try!
eesmith 9y ago
I thought "Pandora's Star" did a poor job of exploring the effects on society. For a culture that is 350 or so years in the future, it felt remarkably like the 20th century, and in some cases 20th century suburbia. Part of the reason is that several of the main characters are from the 20th century. I rolled my eyes when one of the characters, when starting up a plane, said something like "atomic batteries to power; turbines to speed. ... I've been waiting a long time to say that."
Abraxhas 9y ago
Thanks, great list.

Cyph0n 9y ago

Great list! I've read only a couple of them. Hyperion was intriguing but Fall of Hyperion was too slow for my tastes. Snowcrash was great. One of my favorite audiobook narrations too! You might also like Malazan Book of the Fallen and Discworld. Malazan especially is a masterpiece of world and history building. Oh, and the Ghost in the Shell series would definitely be a great fit for you. A good start would be the original animated film from the mid-90s. If you enjoy that, jump to the anime Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.

CodeMage 9y ago
Thanks, I'm already a huge fan of Discworld, but I'll definitely give Malazan a try!

eesmith 9y ago

I thought "Pandora's Star" did a poor job of exploring the effects on society. For a culture that is 350 or so years in the future, it felt remarkably like the 20th century, and in some cases 20th century suburbia. Part of the reason is that several of the main characters are from the 20th century. I rolled my eyes when one of the characters, when starting up a plane, said something like "atomic batteries to power; turbines to speed. ... I've been waiting a long time to say that."

Abraxhas 9y ago

Thanks, great list.