Scan barcode
Hard Science Fiction/Sci-Fi ( list from Vancouver Public Library)
22 participants (17 books)
Overview
I was looking for a good list of “hard” sci-fi and found this: https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/list/share/2237124549/2298660199
What makes some science fiction 'hard' science fiction? A strict definition is elusive, but hard SF is usually classified by readers and critics as science fiction which seeks "to provide natural rather than supernatural or transcendental explanations for the events and phenomena it describes" (SF Encyclopedia). Hard SF is associated with the sciences and mechanical systems which underpin or affect events in a novel: computers, AI, weapons, spaceships, physics, black holes and technology are just a few of the subjects which hard SF readers might expect to encounter as they read. Well-known hard SF author Ben Bova described this type of writing as "historical novels that haven't happened yet." Below is a selection of both classic works and recent additions to this ever-changing SF literature, selected by a VPL reading specialist and ardent fan. If you would like a personalized reading list, please use our Books Just for You service at www.vpl.ca/readnext.
Hard Science Fiction/Sci-Fi ( list from Vancouver Public Library)
22 participants (17 books)
Overview
I was looking for a good list of “hard” sci-fi and found this: https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/list/share/2237124549/2298660199
What makes some science fiction 'hard' science fiction? A strict definition is elusive, but hard SF is usually classified by readers and critics as science fiction which seeks "to provide natural rather than supernatural or transcendental explanations for the events and phenomena it describes" (SF Encyclopedia). Hard SF is associated with the sciences and mechanical systems which underpin or affect events in a novel: computers, AI, weapons, spaceships, physics, black holes and technology are just a few of the subjects which hard SF readers might expect to encounter as they read. Well-known hard SF author Ben Bova described this type of writing as "historical novels that haven't happened yet." Below is a selection of both classic works and recent additions to this ever-changing SF literature, selected by a VPL reading specialist and ardent fan. If you would like a personalized reading list, please use our Books Just for You service at www.vpl.ca/readnext.
Challenge Books
Autonomous
Annalee Newitz
In a future controlled by Big Pharma, Judith "Jack" Chen, is a pharmaceutical pirate, reverse engineering popular drugs to provide them for the poor. But when one of the drugs starts causing lethal overdoses, Jack must race to develop an antidote and expose the truth about the company behind the original product.
All Systems Red
Martha Wells
Told through the artificial eyes of self-named Murderbot, a security robot that has succeeded in hacking its own programming to gain autonomy from the government systems that control it. Murderbot's strongest desire is to be left in peace. Some careful worldbuilding here and the start of a series of Diaries.
Waste Tide
Chen Qiufan
Silicon Isle is an electronic trash sorting site on China's southeast coast, where thousands of people scrape out a living separating components for resale or recycling, ruled over by three exploitative clans. Mimi is at the bottom of the hierarchy and this is her story, one of transformation from powerless 'waste girl' to something completely new.
The Martian
Andy Weir
Weir's intricately detailed novel describing one astronaut's efforts to survive when he finds himself suddenly stranded and alone on Mars hit the big time after starting off life as a self-published free online serial. It's the minutiae of Watney's days on Mars and the solutions the mission engineer rigs together that satisfy hard SF readers.
Termination Shock
Neal Stephenson
A sweeping climate-change SF thriller set in the all-too-near future, in which an eccentric billionaire devises a master plan for reversing global warming. This is another plausible contemplation by the author credited with anticipating both the metaverse and Bitcoin in previous novels.