Book Reviews: By Rating
View as MarkdownBelow you’ll find short reviews of the books I’ve read.
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Disco ElysiumDisco Elysium, written by et al., is a role-playing game produced by ZA/UM. It’s the story of Harrier “Harry” Du Bois, a man who wakes up with no memories and has to solve a murder while learning who he is.
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EchopraxiaEchopraxia, by , is the second book in the Firefall series, unfolding at roughly the same time as Blindsight. It follows parasitologist Daniel Brüks, who gets unwillingly dragged into a conflict between multiple transhuman factions, travels to the Icarus station orbiting the sun, and eventually back to Earth.
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BlindsightBlindsight is a hard sci-fi novel about first contact with aliens in the near future. A crew of four transhumans and a vampire are sent on a spaceship to investigate an anomaly in the solar system after a swarm of alien probes scan Earth.
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A Fire Upon The DeepA Fire Upon The Deep is a sci-fi novel by . It tells the story of the Blight—a galactic-scale, transcendent evil—and the humans racing to stop it.
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Surface DetailSurface Detail, by , is the ninth book in the Culture series. It follows Lededje Y’breq as she seeks revenge for her own murder, set against the backdrop of a galactic conflict over virtual hells.
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Use of WeaponsUse of Weapons is the third novel in the Culture series by Iain M. Banks. It tells the story of a man called Cheradenine Zakalwe, who works for the Culture’s Special Circumstances division.
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Look to WindwardLook to Windward, by , is the seventh book in the Culture series. It explores the aftermath of the Idiran–Culture War and Chelgrian civil war.
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The Player of GamesThe Player of Games, by ’s, is the second novel in the Culture series. It tells the story of Jernau Morat Gurgeh, a master game player who is recruited to play Azad, an incredibly complex game that serves as the basis for the Empire of Azad’s entire government.
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HyperionHyperion is ’s masterpiece. It is the first book in his Hyperion Cantos. It follows seven pilgrims as they travel to the Time Tombs on Hyperion to petition the Shrike. Along the way, each tells their own story, weaving together history, myth, and prophecy to tell of the impending downfall of man.
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InversionsInversions, by , is the sixth book in the Culture series, but it is very different from typical Culture novels: there are no spaceships and almost no advanced technology. Instead, it follows Culture citizens DeWar and Vosill as they manipulate a medieval society.
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The Hydrogen SonataThe Hydrogen Sonata, by , is the tenth and final book in the Culture series. It explores the last days of the Glitz people as they prepare to Sublime.
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The ColonelThe Colonel is a short story that serves as a bridge between Blindsight and Echopraxia. It follows Colonel Keaton—the father of Siri Keaton—as he investigates whether the Bicameral hivemind poses a threat to baseline humans.
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The Fall of HyperionThe Fall of Hyperion, by , is the second book in the Hyperion Cantos, but really it’s the second half of Hyperion. It brings the seven pilgrims’ story to an end and depicts the war between the TechnoCore, the Ousters, and the Hegemony.
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The TriumphantThe Triumphant is the twelfth book in the Bolo series. It’s an anthology of Bolo stories written by three different authors. They explore the emotional bond between a Bolo and the people around them, and the dangers of caring too much about a machine built for war.
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A Mote in ShadowA Mote in Shadow is ’s debut novel. It follows two down-on-their-luck outsiders dragged into a war between shadowy mercenary groups: exobiologist Chaeyoung No, whose disagreement with the scientific establishment leaves her in no position to question a too-good-to-be-true offer to fund her research expedition; and space hauler Frederik Obialo, who is more than willing to take a dangerous job if it brings him closer to his dream of giving his daughter a permanent home.
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I Sexually Identify as an Attack HelicopterI Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter, by , is a novelette about a pilot whose gender is reassigned to “attack helicopter” to make her a better soldier. It follows Barb as she bombs a high school, wrestles with what she’s become, and asks what gender even is.
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There Is No Antimemetics DivisionThere Is No Antimemetics Division, by , is a book about researchers trying to control dangerous antimemes—ideas that can’t be thought—and how you might combat a foe you can’t even remember exists.
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A Memory Called EmpireA Memory Called Empire, by , is the first book in the Teixcalaan series. It follows Mahit Dzmare, an ambassador from the space station Lsel, as she tries to save her home from being annexed by the Teixcalaanli empire.
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Artificial ConditionArtificial Condition, by , is the second book in The Murderbot Diaries. It follows Murderbot as it digs into its past and, once again, saves some scientists.
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Network EffectNetwork Effect, by , is the fifth book in The Murderbot Diaries. It’s the first full-length novel in the series and features Murderbot getting kidnapped by ART to rescue its crew.
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The Tainted CupThe Tainted Cup is a fantasy detective novel set in a world where humanity is on the brink of destruction from giant Kaiju. It follows investigators Dinios Kol and Ana Dolabra as they try to solve the murder of an engineer and uncover a conspiracy that runs far deeper.
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Exit StrategyExit Strategy, by , is the fourth book in The Murderbot Diaries. It wraps up the GrayCris storyline as Murderbot returns to save its friends.
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Explorers on the MoonExplorers on the Moon, by , is the seventeenth book in The Adventures of Tintin. It’s the second part of a two-book arc in which Tintin, Haddock, and Calculus land on the Moon.
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Childhood’s EndChildhood’s End is a classic sci-fi novel by . It is about first contact between humans and the mysterious Overlords, and the end of the human race.
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ExcessionExcession, by , is the fourth novel and fifth book in the Culture series. It follows the reaction of the Culture and other civilizations to an “excession”: an “Outside Context Problem”—something mysterious, unpredictable, and enormously powerful.
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Roadside PicnicRoadside Picnic, by brothers and , is a Soviet sci-fi novel. It’s essentially four short stories—each presented as a chapter—about the life of Redrick “Red” Schuhart, a “stalker” who illegally enters an alien-contaminated Zone to retrieve items for the black market.
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A Desolation Called PeaceA Desolation Called Peace, by , is the second book in the Teixcalaan series. It tells the story of Mahit and Three Seagrass trying to stop the war between the Teixcalaanli Empire and a mysterious alien race.
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SalamandastronSalamandastron is the fifth book in the Redwall series. It tells the story of two parallel conflicts: the siege of Salamandastron by Ferahgo the Assassin and a devastating plague at Redwall Abbey.
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MattimeoMattimeo is the third book in the Redwall series. It begins with the kidnapping of the abbey children by Slagar the cruel and follows Mathias as he tries to save them.
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Serpent ValleySerpent Valley, the third book in the War Horses series, is another quick, action-packed read—but without the flaws holding back its predecessors. Easily my favorite of the series so far!
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The Sword of the LictorThe Sword of the Lictor is the third book in ’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It follows Severian after he reaches Thrax and is exiled for a second time.
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The Citadel of the AutarchThe Citadel of the Autarch is the fourth book in ’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It follows Severian as he reaches the front in the war against the Ascians and assumes the role of Autarch.
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The Shadow of the TorturerThe Shadow of the Torturer is the first installment in ’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It follows the life of Severian, a torturer and executioner on a dying Earth. The pacing is slow, but Wolfe’s worldbuilding is fantastic, crafting a setting that pulls the reader in.
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A Canticle for LeibowitzA Canticle for Leibowitz, by , is the first book in the Saint Leibowitz series. It is a fix-up novel consisting of three parts: Fiat Homo, Fiat Lux, and Fiat Voluntas Tua. The story follows the monks of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz as they preserve the remains of humanity’s knowledge after an atomic war.
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Destination MoonDestination Moon, by , is the sixteenth book in The Adventures of Tintin. It’s the first part of a two-book story arc where Tintin, Haddock, and Calculus prepare for a mission to the moon.
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Dragon’s EggDragon’s Egg is a hard sci-fi novel by . It is the story of first contact between humans and the Cheela: beings who live on a neutron star.
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Wild SeedWild Seed, by , is the first book in the Patternist series, though it was the fourth to be published. It tells the origin story of Doro—a malevolent spirit—and Anyanwu—an immortal woman.
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The UnconquerableThe Unconquerable is the eleventh book in the Bolo series. As an anthology from seven different authors, it serves as a direct follow-up to the previous collection. The stories continue some established character arcs while also introducing new enemies, new ideas about Bolo capabilities, and the galaxy-altering conflict that would define the end of the Concordiat era.
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The Short Victorious WarThe Short Victorious War, by , is the third book in the Honor Harrington series. Harrington takes command of the battlecruiser Nike as the People’s Republic of Haven makes its move and a revolution brews in Nouveau Paris.
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Pandora’s StarI couldn’t put Pandora’s Star down! It is a sci-fi book that reads more like a thriller. There were always new mysteries that just a few more pages promised the answers to.
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Judas UnchainedThe sequel to Pandora’s Star, Judas Unchained continues right where the last one left off, but with the action ramped up to 11. The various storylines and loose threads come together one by one until it’s the good guys racing against the bad guys for the fate of the universe.
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MetropolitanMetropolitan, by , is the first book in the Metropolitan series. It is the story of Aiah, a young woman who discovers an illegal source of magical plasm, and how it draws her into conflict with the world.
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EaterEater is a hard sci-fi novel by . It follows a group of astrophysicists who discover a sentient black hole that is headed straight towards Earth.
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Night Without StarsNight Without Stars is the second book in The Chronicle of the Fallers. It is action packed, with great pacing, and complex characters. It is my new favorite book.
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Field of DishonorField of Dishonor, by , is the fourth book in the Honor Harrington series. It reduces the scale of the narrative, trading fleet battles for political maneuvering and personal grudges.
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On Basilisk StationOn Basilisk Station by is the first book in the long-running military science fiction epic, the Honor Harrington series. It introduces Commander Honor Harrington, a brilliant naval officer exiled to a remote star system with an aging ship and a demoralized crew. There, she must enforce the law and uncover a smuggling plot that proves to be the opening move in an interstellar war.
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Rogue ProtocolRogue Protocol, by , is the third book in The Murderbot Diaries. It follows Murderbot as it investigates a GrayCris terraforming station and, you guessed it, ends up saving a group of humans.
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A Drop of CorruptionA Drop of Corruption, by , is the second book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series. This time, Din and Ana track down a murderer in the northern Kingdom of Yarrow whose brilliance is almost a match for Ana’s own.
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The Honor of the QueenThe Honor of the Queen, by , is the second book in the Honor Harrington series. Harrington must forge an alliance with Grayson, a planet of religious conservatives who don’t believe women belong in uniform, while Haven plots to stop her.
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StarquakeStarquake is the second book in the Cheela series by . It follows the Cheela as they rescue the humans and rebuild after a devastating starquake.
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The Abyss Beyond DreamsThe Abyss Beyond Dreams starts off The Chronicle of the Fallers, another series in ’s Commonwealth universe. Though billed as space opera, it often reads more as urban fantasy since most of the story occurs on the planet Bienvenido inside the Void where steam engines are their most advanced technology.
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The Dreaming VoidThe Dreaming Void, by , is set in the same universe as the Commonwealth Saga, but saying that isn’t quite strong enough: it is really a sequel. You pretty much must read the Commonwealth Saga first because half of the characters return, and every major plot point from the earlier books is spoiled in this one.
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RedwallRedwall, by , is the first book in the Redwall series. It tells the story of Mathias, a mouse who follows his destiny to become the warrior of Redwall Abbey and defeat the evil rat Cluny the Scourge.
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The Rise of EndymionThe Rise of Endymion, by , is the fourth and final book in the Hyperion Cantos. It concludes the journey of Aenea and Raul as they race to unlock the secret of the Void Which Binds before the Pax can silence them. It resolves the mysteries of the Shrike and the TechnoCore while arguing that the Church’s immortality is a trap: to truly live, humanity must be willing to die.
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EndymionEndymion, by , is the third book in the Hyperion Cantos. It follows a new cast of characters—Aenea, Raul, and Bettik—as they flee the oppressive forces of the Pax via a raft on the River Tethys. Set centuries after the earlier books, the story reveals a galaxy reshaped by the Church and its dark covenant of immortality.
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Grand MeleeGrand Melee, by , is the fifth book in the War Horses series. In it, the Chevaliers take a break from wartime contracts to participate in a massive mech tournament.
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PatternmasterPatternmaster, by , is the fourth and final book in the Patternist series. It follows the Patternist brothers, Teray and Coransee, as they fight each other to become the new Patternmaster.
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Valuable Humans in Transit and Other StoriesValuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by .
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Dog SoldierDog Soldier, by , is the fourth book in the War Horses series. It concludes the Cinto DaSelva campaign and further develops the setting’s backstory.
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Honor of the RegimentHonor of the Regiment is the tenth book in the Bolo series. It’s an anthology of Bolo stories written by ten different authors. The stories range from high-action military tales to more thoughtful pieces on the role of sentient war machines in society, all while treating the Bolos as central characters.
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Mariel of RedwallMariel of Redwall is the fourth book in the Redwall series. It follows Mariel as she plots her revenge against the searat pirate Gabool, who attempted to kill her and her father, Joseph the Bellmaker.
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We Are Legion (We Are Bob)We Are Legion (We Are Bob) is a pop sci-fi book, the first in the Bobiverse series. It follows Bob Johansson, who dies, gets his brain frozen, and awakens to find himself press-ganged into piloting a von Neumann probe.
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All Systems RedAll Systems Red, by , is the first book in The Murderbot Diaries. It introduces us to Murderbot as it saves a team of scientists.
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MossflowerMossflower is the second book in the Redwall series. It chronicles the arrival of Martin the Warrior in Mossflower Woods and how he saves the woodlanders from the evil wildcat queen, Tsarmina.
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MatterMatter, by , is the eighth book in the Culture series. It begins with a tale of betrayal in an early-industrial kingdom housed within a shellworld, and ends with the unleashing of a cosmic horror.
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The Claw of the ConciliatorThe Claw of the Conciliator is the second book in ’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It picks up right where The Shadow of the Torturer leaves off, following Severian as he makes his way towards Thrax.
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Not Till We Are LostNot Till We Are Lost, by , is the fifth book in the Bobiverse series. It sets up the Quiniverse, introduces a Skippy AI, and explores the discovery of wormhole travel.
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For We Are ManyFor We Are Many is the second book in the Bobiverse series. It focuses on the Others storyline while also continuing many of the side stories begun in We Are Legion (We Are Bob).
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Sunstone ImperativeSunstone Imperative, by , is the sixth book in the War Horses series. Returning to the action-packed roots of the earlier books, it drops the Chevaliers into the middle of a raid against a Wyking stronghold to open the gates for a full-scale invasion.
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All These WorldsAll These Worlds is the third book in the Bobiverse series. It continues the story of the war with the genocidal Others started in For We Are Many.
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Last StandLast Stand is the thirteenth book in the Bolo series. It features ten stories by eleven authors, many of whom are new. Their stories explore themes of Bolos going rogue, the distant future of the setting, and new details about the Final War with the Melconians.
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Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, TerritoryHome: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory, by , is a short story from The Murderbot Diaries, set between Exit Strategy and Network Effect. It shows us Murderbot and Mensah adjusting to their new situation after the GrayCris storyline.
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The Moon Is a Harsh MistressThe Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, by , is a Hugo Award-winning classic of libertarian science fiction. It chronicles the revolt of a lunar penal colony against its terrestrial rulers, a revolution orchestrated by a small group of rebels and their self-aware computer.
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The Left Hand of DarknessThe Left Hand of Darkness, by , is her Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel about the planet of Winter. It follows Genly Ai, an envoy from the Ekumen, as he attempts to bring this androgynous world into galactic civilization.
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The War of the WorldsThe War of the Worlds, by , is a landmark science fiction novel. It takes place in late Victorian England as an unnamed narrator witnesses a terrifying invasion by Martians with advanced weaponry.
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The DarfstellerThe Darfsteller, by , is a Hugo Award-winning novelette about the obsolescence of the human artist. It follows Ryan Thornier, a former stage idol reduced to working as a janitor in a theater now run entirely by robots and an AI director, as he schemes to take the stage one last time.
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Rogue BoloRogue Bolo, by , is the second book in the Bolo series. It’s a collection of two novellas featuring the sentient tanks.
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The Last PolicemanThe Last Policeman by is an apocalyptic detective novel set in Concord, New Hampshire. It follows Detective Palace as he tries to solve a murder six months before an asteroid is set to wipe out civilization.
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The State of the ArtThe State of the Art is a collection of short stories by . It contains some stories related to the Culture universe and some general science fiction tales. Although it has been considered utopian fiction, it comes across as rather bleak.
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The Blue LotusThe Blue Lotus, by , is the fifth book in The Adventures of Tintin. It continues the story started in Cigars of the Pharaoh, ending with Tintin busting an opium ring in China.
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The Nameless CityThe Nameless City is a short story by set in the Cthulhu Mythos. It follows an unnamed narrator who discovers a mysterious ancient city and ventures deep beneath its surface.
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Flatland: A Romance of Many DimensionsFlatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is a satirical short novel by , critiquing the rigid class hierarchy of Victorian England through the lens of geometry.
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Bolo: Annals of the Dinochrome BrigadeBolo: Annals of the Dinochrome Brigade, by , is the first book in the Bolo series. It is a collection of seven novellas and short stories, all featuring Bolos.
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There Is No Antimemetics Division (Original Edition)There Is No Antimemetics Division is a book based in the SCP universe. It explores the idea of anti-memes—ideas that either can’t be thought, quickly drop out of your memory when you stop focusing on them, or are dangerous to think—and how you might contain a force you literally can’t remember.
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Red RisingRed Rising, by , is the first book in the Red Rising Trilogy. It follows Darrow, a Red miner on Mars who discovers his entire caste has been enslaved, and joins a revolution by infiltrating the Gold ruling class.
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Monday Begins on SaturdayMonday Begins on Saturday, by brothers and , is a Soviet sci-fi novel about scientist-magicians working at the National Institute for the Technology of Witchcraft and Thaumaturgy (NITWITT), where they study fairy-tale creatures and magic items.
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This Is How You Lose the Time WarThis Is How You Lose the Time War, by and , is a story about two agents—Red and Blue—working for opposite factions from the far future, changing the past in an attempt to wipe out the other side.
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The Temporal VoidThe second book in ’s The Void Trilogy, The Temporal Void, continues to advance the story, but like many middle books in a trilogy, it does so slowly. Much of this slowness is due to multiple, massive, 200-page chapters following Edeard in the Void.
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The Evolutionary VoidThe final book in ’s The Void Trilogy, The Evolutionary Void, wraps up the series well, but a little too quickly. All the characters and storylines arrive where they’re needed and then the story is over.
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ChevalierChevalier is a modern reimagining of 1980’s mech sci-fi like Battletech, Gundam, and Macross. It’s a quick, action-packed read—not very deep but highly entertaining—that focuses on making mechs feel like realistic battlefield tech, not magic.
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City on FireCity on Fire, by , is the second book in the Metropolitan series. It picks up right as the smoke clears in Caraqui after the revolution, leaving Aiah and Constantine to figure out how to govern.
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Mission of GravityMission of Gravity is a sci-fi adventure story set on the planet Mesklin—a massive, rapidly rotating world with gravity much higher than Earth’s. It follows Barlennan, a Mesklinite, as he sails the Bree across the planet in search of a lost human rocket ship.
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Martin the WarriorMartin the Warrior is the sixth book in the Redwall series. It’s Martin’s origin story, following him as he’s enslaved by—and eventually leads an uprising against—the tyrant Badrang.
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The Fractal PrinceThe Fractal Prince is the second book in the Jean le Flambeur series. While the first book, The Quantum Thief, left me underwhelmed, the second book more than lived up to the hype.
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The Dragon’s BankerThe Dragon’s Banker is a standalone novel by . It tells the story of Sailor Kelstern, a banker in a fantasy world who, as the title suggests, is hired by a dragon.
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Heaven’s RiverHeaven’s River is the fourth book in the Bobiverse series. It starts a new storyline and changes the way the stories are told.
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AccelerandoAccelerando, by , is a hard sci-fi fix-up novel. Originally published as 9 separate stories, it follows 3 generations of the Macx family as they upload, fork, merge, and scatter across a solar system slowly being converted into computronium.
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Gun, with Occasional MusicGun, with Occasional Music is a sci-fi, hardboiled detective novel set in near-future Oakland, California. It follows Conrad Metcalf, a private inquisitor, as he tries to solve the murder of Maynard Stanhunt.
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Clay’s ArkClay’s Ark, by , is the third book in the Patternist series. It follows Eli Doyle, an astronaut, after he has returned to earth with an alien infection and attempts to contain it.
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Cigars of the PharaohCigars of the Pharaoh, by , is the fourth book in The Adventures of Tintin. It follows Tintin as he explores Egypt and India and uncovers an opium-smuggling ring.
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Flowers for AlgernonFlowers for Algernon is a Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel about Charlie Gordon, a man with intellectual disabilities who undergoes surgery to enhance his cognitive abilities. While it is a beautifully crafted narrative, it failed to hold my attention.
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Close to CriticalClose to Critical is the second book in the Mesklin series. It tells the story of a spaceship carrying the children of two ambassadors that crashes on an inhospitable planet, forcing humans to collaborate with the primitive native aliens to rescue them.
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Star LightStar Light is the sequel to Mission of Gravity, and continues the theme of Human–Mesklinite exploration, this time focusing on a large star-like planet.
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The Causal AngelThe Causal Angel is the last book in the Jean le Flambeur series trilogy. We finally learn le Flambeur was hired to steal the Kaminari Jewel, a Zoku gem with the power to alter reality.
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Consider PhlebasI’ve been meaning to read ’s the Culture series for more than two decades, so I was excited to finally get started. Unfortunately, Consider Phlebas was not a great introduction.
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Countdown CityCountdown City, by , is the second novel in The Last Policeman series. In it, Detective Palace searches for a missing person as the world continues to deteriorate.
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World of TroubleWorld of Trouble, by , is the third and final novel in The Last Policeman series. It follows Detective Palace as he uncovers his sister’s involvement in a mysterious plot just days before the world’s end.
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The Sirens of TitanThe Sirens of Titan, by , is a satirical science fiction novel about the richest man in America, Malachi Constant. It follows his unwilling and absurd journey from Earth to Mars, Mercury, and finally Titan, exploring questions about free will, the purpose of human history, and the nature of religion along the way.
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The Urth of the New SunThe Urth of the New Sun is the fifth and final book in ’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It follows Severian as he leaves Urth to save mankind and returns to witness its destruction and rebirth.
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UbikUbik, by , is a 1969 science fiction novel about a prudence organization that hires out anti-psis and anti-precogs to protect people’s and corporations’ privacy. Everything begins to fall apart when they’re lured into a too-good-to-be-true job where their boss is murdered. Suddenly, reality starts deteriorating, with objects reverting to older versions, and the characters start dying one by one.
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Stand on ZanzibarStand on Zanzibar, by , is a Hugo-winning, New Wave science fiction novel that explores overpopulation, corporate power, and societal collapse.
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Lords of UncreationLords of Uncreation, by , is the third and final book in The Final Architecture series. In it, humanity takes the war into Unspace to destroy the Architects and their Originator masters.
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Eyes of the VoidEyes of the Void, by , is the second book in The Final Architecture series. It takes place during the new war with the Architects, as Idris and the crew of the Vulture God discover where the Architects come from.
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Shards of EarthShards of Earth, by , is the first book in The Final Architecture series. It follows Idris, Solace, and the crew of the Vulture God as the Architects return and restart their genocidal campaign against humanity.
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The Quantum ThiefThe Quantum Thief is a sci-fi novel following the adventures of the gentleman thief Jean le Flambeur as he navigates a futuristic solar system to reclaim his lost memories and pull off an impossible heist.
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Mind of My MindMind of My Mind, by , is the second book in the Patternist series. It tells the origin story of the Patternists.
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House of SunsHouse of Suns is a standalone hard sci-fi book by . It tells the story of the Gentian Line, a family of clones who are betrayed, nearly wiped out, and must unravel what happened.
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Tintin in the CongoTintin in the Congo, by , is the second book in The Adventures of Tintin. In it, Tintin travels to the Belgian Congo and uncovers a diamond-smuggling ring.
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The Three-Body ProblemThe Three-Body Problem was recommended as a exciting, hard-scifi book full of new ideas. I was eager to read it, having just gotten back into fiction. I bought it for my flight from Melbourne to San Francisco and I threw it in the airport trash as I got off the plane.