Hugonauts: The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time
Brent Gaisford and Cody Troyer host this podcast devoted to the greatest science fiction books and series. Each episode focuses on a single title from the sci-fi canon, often featuring author interviews, in-depth reviews and analysis, plus recommendations for related reading. Aimed at devoted sci-fi readers and newcomers alike, the show encourages a shared love of the genre. The tone is friendly and conversational, ending with a warm invitation to keep reading.
Episodes
Ranking the Sci-Fi greats - Books that won both the Hugo & Nebula
No spoilers at all in this episode.Join the Hugonauts book club on discordOr you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer video BOOKS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE: Doomsday Book by Connie WillisThe Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette KowalAmong Others by Jo WaltonBlackout/All Clear by Connie WillisThe Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael ChabonThe Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Cl
Flowers for Algernon - An incredible, timeless classic!
Widely considered a must-read classic, this novel uses a brilliant first-person journal format to explore the emotional and intellectual journey of Charlie Gordon as a futuristic operation slowly transforms him from intellectually disabled into a genius. We discuss the masterful writing style, the profound themes of consciousness and empathy, and why this story still resonates so deeply today.&nbs
Ranking the 2026 Hugo nominees plus the other best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of the year!
We rank all the Hugo nominees, plus tell you about seven more amazing books that deserve to be in contention for the best speculative fiction novels of the year.
No spoilers at all in this episode.
Join the Hugonauts book club on discord
Or you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer video
If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:
00:00 Intro
01:03 6 The
Accelerando absolutely blew our minds with its crazy, realistic science ideas!
Originally published as a series of novellas in Asimov’s Science Fiction before winning the 2006 Locus Award for best novel, Accelerando traces three generations of the Macx family (and one notoriously manipulative AI cat named Aineko) across a high-speed, century-long journey through future history and the looming technological singularity.
We unpack the overwhelming density of Stross’s worldbui
The Best Military Sci-Fi Books of All Time - with a legend of SF!
We cover the legendary classics like Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War, and Orson Scott Card's Ender’s Game, while exploring modern masterpieces like John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War, Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice, and the later books of The Expanse series. Whether you are a fan of high-stakes space battles or deep philosophical military themes, this ultimate sci-f
Horror & Fantasy we actually loved - 2026 Nebula books!
We are breaking down the entire short-list and ranking, review, and digging into the 2026 Nebula Novel nominees from worst to best. We dive deep into the writing styles, the structure, the highs, the frustratingly bad endings, and reveal exactly who took home the final trophy. Are these books actually masterclasses in modern sci-fi and fantasy, or did the hype train leave the tracks?
Here is our
The Best of Sci-Fi and Fantasy - YA Books so Good we Loved them as Adults
In this episode of the Hugonauts we’re breaking down what truly defines great Young Adult fiction and answering the ultimate question: do these books actually hold up when you read them for the first time as an adult? We look at the core guidelines of YA literature—from exploring the human condition through a young protagonist's eyes to (ideally) teaching profound stuff that resonates beyond teenh
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie - Monsters, the Pope, and a hell of a lot of good jokes!
In this episode we dive into The Devils by Joe Abercrombie. It’s a departure from the grim world of The First Law, leaning into a "monsters vs. monsters" heist set in a supernatural, alternate-history Europe. If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if the Vatican recruited a werewolf, a vampire, and a deathless soldier to save the world - well, you're in luck. We discuss the shift in tone,
There Is No Antimemetics Division - This Book Erases Itself From Your Mind
This is exactly the kind of philosophical sci-fi we love - something new, something fresh, and something that will make you think. We wish the second half had been as good as the premise, but there's still no doubt this is one we'll be thinking about for years to come (and weirdly it already feels like we've been thinking about it for years).
If you’ve ever fallen down an SCP Foundation wiki rabb
Project Hail Mary - Book vs Movie (plus other sci-fi book to movie recommendations)
If you thought The Martian was intense, let's just go ahead and raise the stakes.
We break down the movie version of Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, comparing the film with the fun technical problem solving of the original novel. We take a close look at how the movie brings the "astrophage" threat and and action to life, more importantly, whether it is possible to have your hair tousled 100% of th
The Dark Tower: Unraveling Stephen King's Mid-World
We had so much fun revisiting Mid-World for this episode – it’s the first series that brought us together as book nerds twenty years ago, and it’s absolutely just as good as the first day we read it. So thankful it helped tie our friendship together, and laid the foundation for meeting all the rest of you Hugonauts all these years later!
The Dark Tower defies (or bridges) genres, with elements of
PAGE TURNERS: 15 binge-worthy Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books!
We’ve got 15 books and series here, so there should be something to love for almost every reader (although we need some traditional fantasy page turners – send us some recommendations in the comments please)! Plus, at the end of the episode we each rank our personal top 3.
We intentionally excluded YA and military sci-fi books, although those are often also page-turners - look out for episodes abo
The Best Space Operas Ever Written - the biggest stories and the best characters!
We've got 18 books and series we highly recommend, so there's something here for all kinds of readers - and at the end of the episode we rank our top 3 to bring you the best of the best. What is space opera? Books with big characters and a bigger world - they usually even come with big 'ol wordcounts. Space opera is often multi-pov, with interstellar travel and the fate of the galaxy at stake. No
Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age - Nanotech, Atom-scale 3D Printers, and a subversive Primer!
This might be the best sci-fi book out there about nanotechnology. But Stephenson has so many good ones that this one isn't his best book - some of the characters lose their way, and it drags in the middle. Oh, and one more good recommendation we forgot while we were recording - check out Blood Music by Greg Bear if you want a biological twist on nanotech!Join the Hugonauts book club on discordOr
The Myths that Inspired Fantasy and Sci-Fi
From Sumeria, to Greece, to India, to the depths of the dark ages we explore the stories that have inspired everything that came later with a professor of mythology and medieval literature. This particular professor also happens to be Cody's mom, so this is also a great episode to explore Cody's psyche, for those brave enough to explore a dark and twisted place. Join the Hugonauts book club on dis
Best Starter Science Fiction Books
Whether you like ripping page turners, incredible characters, books that make you laugh out loud, exploring unforgettable new worlds, or literary books that will make you see the world in a new way, there's a great intro to scifi out there for everyone!Join the Hugonauts book club on discord to tell us about your favorite time travel booksOr you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video
Cloud Atlas - A genre-bending book we can't stop thinking about!
With six interconnected stories (in a narrative style that broke all kinds of new ground), it's hard not to find at least a few characters you love. And even for those you don't personally love, the voices are unforgettable - it's wild that all these characters with such distinct personalities were created by a single person.Join the Hugonauts book club on discordOr you can watch the episode on Yo
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe - Full Audiobook
Really though we just wanted to do something scary for Halloween - put on a skin-tight leotard. Yes, Brent really did read this sitting next to bubbling pumpkins.
The Best Time Travel Books... of all time
There's scientifically plausible time travel, fantasy / sci fi time travel, 'traditional' time travel centered around real history, people trapped in time loops, time travel romance, and we even threw in a couple of great time travel kids books - something here for every reader to love!As we were editing the episode we realized we forgot an incredible, recent time travel book from the list that we
I Who Have Never Known Men - Review and Analysis
Seen through the eyes of a main character who can't remember anything from life before the prison, you get to explore this strange, grim world from first principles. Its an alien way to explore an alien place, and the mystery just keeps getting deeper all the way through. The ending makes this a stylistically divisive book - you're gonna love it or you're gonna hate it. Join the Hugonauts book clu
Interview with Robert Jackson Bennett - Author of The Tainted Cup!
We got to interview Robert fresh from his Hugo win for The Tainted Cup - by far the best SFF book of last year! We couldn't be more excited to talk about it with him and get our burning questions answered - will there be more about the leviathans in the rest of the series?! Join the Hugonauts book club on discordOr you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoNext episode we'll be discu
The Culture Series by Iain M. Banks - would utopia make you happy?
The Culture is Iain M. Banks' sci fi masterpiece - a futuristic society where benevolent AI minds provide humans whatever life they choose. Across the nine books you explore the Culture through their interactions, conflicts, and meddling with other space-faring civilizations. When the series is at its best it's full of action and adventure, and once the dust settles you're left with some extremely
Ranking the 2025 Hugo nominees plus 4 more of the best sci-fi and fantasy books of the year!
In addition to ranking the six nominees, we also talk about four more amazing books that deserve to be in contention for the best speculative fiction novels of the year.Join the Hugonauts book club on discordOr you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoThis episode is sponsored by Doppelgänger: An Orphan, A Prodigy, and a Murder by Chip Walter. A computer scientist awakens in a robot
2025 Nebula winner and nominees - the best fantasy books of the year?
In addition to ranking all the nominees, we talk about why the entire shortlist this year was all fantasy, no sci-fi. This episode is sponsored by The Boy, the Cube, and the Elf by Brent Golembiewski, which is available in print or kindle edition hereJoin the Hugonauts book club on discordOr you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoIf you want to jump around, here are the timestamps
The 10 Best Fantasy Books and Series of all time!
As sci-fi lovers who are looking to read more fantasy we could not be more excited to know what's good. Thanks to all y'all Hugonauts who filled out the survey, this list rocks. And a special thank you to Gordon Burroughs for joining us as our resident expert on the books we haven't read, plus for putting the whole survey together in the first place!Join the Hugonauts book club on discord to see t
Redshirts by John Scalzi - funny, rule-breaking scifi!
As always, no spoilers until the end when we do our plot explainer and discussion.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas AdamsThe Murderbot Diaries by Martha WellsMonk and Robot series by Becky Chambers
The God's Themselves - Asimov answering the biggest question in the universe!
That said, there are some problems with this book too, which made this a fun one to talk about - Brent liked it a lot more than Cody did. Plus, love em or hate em, Asimov thought up some very alien aliens.As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. NEW THRU 2025-05-15: Fill out our listener survey to tell us your favorite fantasy novels and serie
Altered Carbon - Wild tech, visceral action, and an unhinged plot!
If you like gritty cyberpunk settings, a page-turning, action-driven plot, and a lot of visceral explorations of violence and sexuality, this one's for you. If you're looking for deep characters, a carefully crafted plot, or philosophical ideas, this might not be your next read.As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. This episode is sponsored
Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton - An Incredible Space Opera!
Solid characters, amazing worldbuilding, and an epic plot that will keep you interested all the way through (and that's no mean feat in such a long book). If you've been thinking about trying out Peter F. Hamilton this is the right place to start.As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander
Interview with Ann Leckie - author of Ancillary Justice!
Ann is also the author of Ancillary Sword, Ancillary Mercy, Translation State, Provenance (all set in her Imperial Radch universe), and the excellent stand-alone fantasy novel The Raven Tower.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoWe talked with Ann about: 1:12 Becoming a writer later in life5:06 The inspiration for the Radch and Ancillar
The 14 Best First Contact Books
We also each rank our top three first contact books at the end of the episode.This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoAll the books in the episode (with YT links to those we've got full episodes on, or search for them in
Ministry for the Future - Heatwaves, Super-Storms, and Cutting-Edge Climate Tech!
The book somehow manages to be optimistic at the same time that it realistically portrays horrific climate catastrophes - the opening chapter will stick with you forever. That said, it also suffers from some of KSR's usual writing quirks: weak characters and a pretty loosely defined plot. We talk about it all, the good, the bad, and the terrifyingly hot!As always, no spoilers until the end when we
A Clockwork Orange - the classic dystopia of crime and punishment!
The book is shocking, disturbing, entertaining, and unbelievably thought provoking all at once - no wonder Stanley Kubrick decided to turn the book into a movie (which is a must-watch classic in its own right). It's also an unforgettable masterwork of language, as the narrator, Alex, and his droogs speak in slang that is somehow entirely novel and comprehensible at the same time.As always, no spoi
Neuromancer by William Gibson - an unforgettable world of sleek techno-criminals, AI, and body mods!
Neuromancer is an incredible science fiction classic, a page turner full of gripping action sequences, wild futuristic ideas, and a unique, techno-criminal world populated by wildly imaginative characters. As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. This episode is sponsored by Mythos: The Origin of Gods by A.A., which is available on print, audi
The Silo Series by Hugh Howey - Wool, Shift, and Dust
As always, no spoilers until the end when we clearly call it out before getting into the full plot explanation and discussion.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoThis episode is sponsored by The Song of Immaru: Earth's Door by PJ Dudek, which you can get on print, audiobook, or kindle here.Similar media we recommend:Fallout: New Vegas
The Best Dystopian Books of All Time
This episode is sponsored by The Dawn series by Ray N. Kuili, which you can get on print, audiobook, or kindle here.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoAll the books in the episode (with YT links to those we've got full episodes on, or search for them in your podcast app): The Hunger GamesRed RisingReady Player OneThe GiverNever Let Me
The Mercy of Gods - Reviewing James S. A. Corey's new book
The Mercy of Gods follows a team of research scientists trying to survive an alien invasion. The Carryx are ruthless - killing 1/8 of the population immediately as they arrive to encourage the survivors to cooperate. Our team, along with many others, are then abducted and brought to a Carryx planet, where they are set loose in an open-air prison populated by hundreds of other alien races. They’re
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell - A doomed mission to an alien planet!
A radio astronomer discovers a signal coming from Alpha Centauri - strange, beautiful alien voices, singing. While the rest of the world is transfixed by the broadcast, a catholic order, the Jesuits, take action and launch a mission to the planet of Rakhat. But from the outset we know the mission is doomed to tragedy, because a second storyline follows Emilio Sandoz after his return to Earth. The
Starship Troopers: the deeply Philosophical classic of Military Sci-Fi!
In the 23rd century Johnny Rico enlists in the Mobile Infantry, the heart of the human military. As he nears completion of an intensely rigorous training program to learn how to fight and use his power armor, war breaks out between humanity and the bugs. The bugs are aliens with a hive mind, who attack and destroy Buenos Aires, and Johnny and his friends must strive to survive and defend humanity
12 Books - the best of last year! Ranking the Hugos plus Six More
We rank the nominees for the 2024 Hugo award, plus 6 more from last year!Join the book club on discord and read The Sparrow! https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2Video version of the show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@hugonautspodThe books:The Witch King - Martha WellsThe Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi - Shannon ChakrabortySome Desperate Glory - Emily TeshThe Saint of Bright Doors - Vajra ChandrasekeraSt
7 Amazing, Short Sci-Fi Books for when you need a quick read!
Over the years we've built up a pretty big backlog of short novels that we really liked but hadn't had a chance to cover on the show - so today we're bursting that dam.Join the book club on discord (and vote for our next book club book!): https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2Video version of the show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@hugonautspod The seven books we recommend in this ep:This is how you Lose
Embassytown - Aliens who are truly alien and a wild, techno-organic world!
There is only one human settlement on the planet of Arieka. There, in Embassytown, a young woman named Avice grows up in a strange world between worlds, where all that is human and all that is alien collide without ever really coming together. That's not much of a summary, but this is a book that really benefits from going in mostly blind, so we made sure to keep things really clean in the pre-spo
Your top 20 sci-fi books - listener survey results!
If you want to see the complete survey results, including all the top books, favorite authors, and short stories come find them on the discord.Video version of this episode available on YouTube.
2024 Nebula nominees - 3 great books on this short list!
The 2024 Nebula awards are coming up, so we read and ranked all the books for ya. And we've got good news, this was a great year for fantasy and sci-fi!Join the book club on discord: https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2Video version of the show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@hugonautspod The short listed books:Translation State by Ann LeckieShigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole TalabiThe Water
Metro 2033 - The book that inspired the hugely popular video games!
The year is 2033. The world has been reduced to rubble. Humanity is nearly extinct. The survivors live in the Moscow Metro - the biggest air-raid shelter ever built. It is humanity's last refuge. Stations have become mini-statelets, their people uniting around ideas, religions, water-filters - or the simple need to repulse an enemy incursion. VDNKh is the northernmost inhabited station on its line
The Martian - Poop, Taters, and Tenacity
Six days ago astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone. But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills — and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit — he steadf
Roadside Picnic - the book that inspired Stalker and Metro 2033!
Red Schuhart is a stalker, one of the young rebels who venture illegally into the Zone, one of six areas on Earth that have been profoundly changed by the visitation of aliens to Earth. But when he and his friend Kirill go into the Zone together to pick up a “full empty,” something goes wrong. And despite the danger, the news he gets from his girlfriend upon his return makes it inevitable that he’
The Expanse - Full series review!
Space ships whip across the solar system, ice haulers burn in from the gas giants, stolen Martian corvettes sneak behind enemy lines, and very human characters tie it all together and make the incredible journey worth the ride. Miraculously all 9 books (plus a collection of short stories) are fun, well-done adventures that will keep you turning the pages and racing to find out what happens next. S
We - The book banned by the Soviets that inspired 1984!
In the One State of the great Benefactor, there are no individuals, only numbers. Life is an ongoing process of mathematical precision, a perfectly balanced equation. Primitive passions and instincts have been subdued. Even nature has been defeated, banished behind the Green Wall. But one frontier remains: outer space. Now, with the creation of the spaceship Integral, that frontier -- and whatever
Beyond Lies the Wub by Philip K. Dick - complete short story audiobook!
A starship is taking off from Mars, and just before it does one of the crewman arrives with a strange new creature. What will the Wub bring to those on board, and the headstrong captain who can't stop thinking with his stomach?Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!PS We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is still coming soon, but Brent had a family emergency, so Cody stepped up to bring y'all this gem in the m
The Mountain in the Sea - Octopuses, AI, and the struggle to communicate!
Rumors are swirling about a species of super-intelligent octopus living off the coast of Vietnam. As corporations and other non-state actors begin to investigate, it becomes clear that we are not alone in the universe - alien life has evolved right here on earth. DIANIMA, a giant tech company known for its machine learning prowess, buys the islands to study the octopuses and try to monopolize thei
The Top 15 Sci-Fi Books of All Time!
Ranking our top 15 sci fi books of all time:15 - Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu 14 - The Road by Cormac McCarthy13 - Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold12 - Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie11 - Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein10 - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood9 - The Forever War by Joe Haldeman8 - Hyperion by Dan Simmons7 - A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick 6 - Exhalation by Ted Chiang5
Permutation City - A mind-bending look at the singularity, consciousness, and immortality!
Paul Durham has begun experimenting on his own mind. He uploaded a copy of his neural patterns - everything that makes him who he is - into a computer simulation. The more he experiments, the more the lines between the real person and the virtual person begin to blur. What he discovers there, out at the edge of consciousness and the pattern that defines him, give him an impossible idea. A permutat
Interview with Peter Watts - Author of Blindsight!
We talked with Peter about:Why he quit science to write fictionThe real-world science that inspired BlindsightWhy vampires?!Blindsight movie(s) in the worksWhat's coming next (the sequel to Echopraxia!)Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video, or join the Hugonauts book club on discord!And if you haven't listened to our episode about Blindsight, check it out here.
Spin - A first contact book that starts with a bang (and the stars going out)!
Tyler, Jason, and Diane are growing up together in the suburbs of Washington, DC. One night, as they are outside looking up at the sky, something shocking happens - all the stars go out at once. The 'Hypotheticals' have wrapped the earth in a spin membrane that isolates the Earth, making time move millions of times slower inside the barrier than outside. In Tyler, Diane, and Jason's lifetime the s
1984 - The techno-surveillance dystopia that keeps coming true!
Winston Smith is a Party member living in London. He, like every other member of the Party, is under constant surveillance. Despite the risk, he dares to buy a blank book and begin to write down his thoughts. From the first moment he writes “down with Big Brother” he believes he is doomed to die in the torture chambers below the Ministry of Love. Will his deviance be caught, or will Winston succee
2023 Hugo Nominees - plus 3 great SF books that should have made the list!
Ranking the 2023 Hugo nominees: N/A: Nona the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir #5: Spare Man - Mary Robinette Kowal #4: Daughter of Doctor Moreau - Silvia Moreno-Garcia #3: Nettle and Bone - T Kingfisher #2: Kaiju Preservation Society - John Scalzi #1: Legends and Lattes - Travis Baldry And three amazing sci-fi books that should have made the list: The Mountain and the Sea - Ray Nayler Sea of Tranquility - Emi
The Dispossessed - Anarchy, capitalism, and fighting for freedom across two planets!
Shevek is a brilliant physicist, working on a new theory that may be as transformative and foundational as the work of Einstein. In pursuing his theory, he discovers that his dry homeworld of Anarres is not as free as he believed it to be. His society of anarchists has grown rigid, bureaucratic, and resistant to change in the years since the revolution. In order to pursue his work, he must leave A
The Road - the best post-apocalyptic book ever written?!
The bombs fell, and the world ended. A man and his pregnant wife survived the blasts. Their son would be born into a world changed entire. It grew darker, and colder, and more violent. The new world was grim and grey and relentless, and the wife could not bear to live in it. The man and his young son had to set out on the road, alone, heading south. The road, though, is dangerous. Cannibals and sl
Solaris - An intensely creative, mind-blowing first contact book!
Kris Kelvin is traveling to the ocean world of Solaris. For more than 100 years, scientists have been trying to understand and communicate with alien life. But Solaris is truly alien - the entire planet-wide ocean is a single living organism. As Kelvin arrives, he finds that things are going wrong. The science station is disturbing and nearly abandoned. Will he be able to unravel the mystery of So
The Expanse - Books 1 thru 3 - the biggest space opera of the modern era!
Jim Holden is XO of an ice hauler making runs from the rings of Saturn to the asteroid cities of the Belt. Out in the darkness, they detect a distress signal, and move to investigate. Holden leads the away team to check on the signal, and they find a dead ship called the Scopuli that seems to have been boarded with military precision. Moments later, a stealth ship fires nuclear torpedoes at the ic
Fahrenheit 451 - book propaganda or flamethrower celebration?
Guy Montag is a fireman - one whose job is to burn books, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag and his wife, Mildred (who spends all day with her television ‘family’) had never questioned his life as a fireman, until he meets his eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse. Clarisse introduces him to a bigger world and new ideas, and Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.
A Scanner Darkly - Philip K. Dick's best book?
Substance D is a new drug sweeping the nation and slowly destroying the minds of its users. As the connection between the two halves of their brains degrades, they grow increasingly disoriented and confused before suffering irreversible brain damage. Fred is an undercover narcotics agent working to uncover where the new drug is coming from. But to find the source he has to pose as Bob Arctor, a us
Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2022: Part 1 - The Nebula Nominees
For all six of the nominated books we'll give you a quick summary (with no spoilers), a review, and a rundown of what kind of reader is likely to love (and who might hate) each book.Featuring: The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler Babel by R.F. Kuang Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree Spear by Nicola Griffith Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn MuirAnd join us for our next ep
Brave New World - Sex, Drugs, and Dystopia
Set in a futuristic, unified World State, Brave New World tells the story of a very different kind of dystopia. The population is not tightly controlled in the traditional sense - instead they are free to do what they choose, and live phenomenally happy lives. However, people are born in test tubes and modified in-vitro to fulfill their role in the caste system, to love their work, and to love the
Providence by Max Barry - an AI battleship, a hapless crew, and black-hole spewing aliens!
Four soldiers are serving a four year tour of duty as the only crew members on a super-advanced AI battleship, dispatched to fight the alien Salamanders who have been spewing black holes everywhere and killing humans in space. The ship is fully controlled by AI, and as the mission goes on our heroes feel more and more like window dressing - they sure are killing a lot of aliens, but are they anyth
Interview with Becky Chambers - author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet!
All of Becky's writing is excellent, but if you haven't read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet it's a great place to start. It's a wonderful, warm, and character-driven space opera that follows the tight-knit crew of a wormhole-drilling starship working their way across the galaxy. We talked with Becky about:Growing up in a 'space' familyGoing from self-publishing to winning a Hugo Her proces
Contact by Carl Sagan - a scientifically grounded and totally ground-breaking first-contact story!
Ellie is a brilliant radio astronomer who has often felt alone in the world. When she detects an indisputably intelligent signal emanating from the Vega system, that all changes - for her and for the entire human race. The nations and people of the world begin to come together in the face of the alien intelligence, and humanity faces a simultaneous revival and crisis of faith. Ellie works with an
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - The wildly entertaining book that invented the Metaverse!
Hiro Protagonist is a self-described hacker working as a pizza-delivery driver and living in a storage unit at LAX. He lives in a US that has been fully corporatized - from Judge Bob’s Judicial System to Pastor Wayne’s Pearly Gates. To get away, Hiro spends much of his free-time in the Metaverse, where he wrote many of the subroutines that underpin the virtual world. One of his hacker friends, Da5
The Andromeda Strain - A scientific thriller about an alien virus!
Michael Crichton was fresh out of Harvard Medical School when he wrote the Andromeda Strain - and we're so glad he did! The book that launched his literary career and all that followed, from Jurassic Park to Sphere.Here's the setup:A US government program is sending satellites with scoops into orbit, looking for alien organisms that can survive the void of space. When one of the scoops comes down
The Handmaid's Tale - A chilling, theocratic dystopian classic!
The story is told via the diary of a Handmaid - a young woman living in Gilead, an extremely repressive, patriarchal society that has taken over the United States. We explore the dark world through her eyes, and follow her struggle to express herself, escape, or just take control back over any part of her life. What are the rules of this brutal society? And will the Handmaid ever see the people sh
Dark Matter - A sci-fi thriller that is way too fun to put down!
Jason Dessen is walking home one night when he realizes he is being followed. A strange man in a geisha mask abducts him at gunpoint, drives him to an abandoned building, takes his phone and clothes, and injects him with a strange drug. When Jason wakes up, he’s surrounded by strangers congratulating him for something he’s supposed to have achieved. In this world he’s not a college professor - the
Double Star - A hilarious, lighthearted book that is a perfect introduction to Robert Heinlein!
The story is told from the first person perspective of Laurence Smith—the self-styled “The Great Lorenzo”—a down-and-out actor who spends most of his time in bars. He's approached by a space-pilot who offers him a drink and, despite some trepidation about Lorenzo’s high opinion of himself, offers him a dangerous job at a very high pay rate. One of the solar system's most important politicians has
Parable of the Sower - A very real dystopia that helped launch Afrofuturism!
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The vast majority of the world's fossil fuels have been expended, leading to a climate and economic catastrophe. In the aftermath, calories from food become the world's most important energy source, not only for human consumption, but also to power industry and technology. A few mega-corporations produce almost all the world's food, and have become the most powerful entities on earth, thriving by
Ancillary Justice – A unique take on AI and a sprawling, complex galactic empire!
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