10 SCI-FI BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

[@josephhebert70]

Good format. "If you like Foundation"... lol, I'm listening 😆

[@WordsinTime]

Thanks Joseph! Sounds like a found a Foundation fan haha

[@ianthereader]

Great video, my friend! I have been neglecting sci-fi for too long, but having enjoyed Recursion, The Martian, Slaughterhouse-5, Ready Player One, and Red Rising, this gives me some great sci-fi to venture into next!

[@WordsinTime]

Thanks so much Ian! You can never read enough sci-fi haha. I hope you enjoy some of these recommendations!

[@johnturiano]

I loved Dark Matter and Recursion is next on my list. Currently reading The Humans by Matt Haig and it might interest others here. Thanks for sharing.

[@WordsinTime]

I’m glad you loved Dark Matter! I slightly preferred it over Recursion, but I still thought Recursion was fantastic, so I think you’ll enjoy it! I’ll have to check out The Humans. I believe my BookTuber friend ianthereader has read some books by Matt Haig and enjoyed them. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@nilulal545]

Glad your video recommendations came through!! Refreshing suggestions, I'm adding to my tbr vrs what I've read or reading📚

[@WordsinTime]

That’s great to hear, I’m glad they were helpful! Let me know your thoughts if you read any of these books!

[@jrye5]

Did not particularly care for Recursion by Crouch but did enjoy Replay. If you are really interested in time travel, I recommend reading Stephen Baxter's The Time Ships. It is a sequel to H G Wells' The Time Machine. Interesting book both concept wise and story wise. Very entertaining and also mind-blowing.

[@WordsinTime]

Thanks for the recommendation! I have read The Time Machine but not The Time Ships. I’ll have to check it out!

[@BetterChessTraining]

House of Suns is on my TBR list. Great recommendations.

[@WordsinTime]

House of Suns is one of my favourites! I’m glad you enjoyed the video!

[@Gabriela-.]

I've never heard of "Spin", I'll look for the e-book, thanks for the recommendation👍

[@WordsinTime]

I’m glad it sounded interesting! I really enjoyed it, I hope you do too!

[@thepumpkinfiles]

I love these videos!! I haven't read sci-fi in a longtime (like 100% pure sci-fi); so these recommendations come really in handy. My TBR is now wayyy longer thanks to you!

[@WordsinTime]

Thanks so much, I’m glad you enjoy them! I’m glad I can help the never ending battle with the TBR!

[@kaustubhd]

Hey man, great video. Useful and simple. The comparison format was the most useful because I was out of recommendations. I did pick up 'Spin', 'Forever War'. Keep it up

[@WordsinTime]

That’s awesome to hear, thanks so much for the feedback! Let me know your thoughts on Spin and The Forever War. I hope you enjoy them!

[@EmpressNoriko]

My Dad loves Replay. It’s one of the few books he keeps and has reread. I haven’t read Recursion yet, but it’s definitely on my TBR. I keep hearing really good things about the author. My Dad claims to loathe sci-fi, but over the years I’ve convinced him to read a few carefully selected ones. He’s retired Air Force so after reading Old Man’s War I got him to read it then Starship Troopers and The Forever War. I convinced him to read 11/22/63 even though he absolutely hates King’s politics and thought he only wrote horror. One other I got him to read is Calculating God by Robert J Sawyer. He was about 70 when he he read OMW so he got the humor. Replay & 11/22/63 were because the main characters were young in the 1960s like my Dad was. Calculating God because of the religion aspect. He was raised pretty hard core, but once he joined the AF left it, but has thought about what he believes a lot. I’ll have to read Recursion soon and see if I’ll recommend it to him. It might take until he’s 80 but maybe I’ll get him to say he likes sci-fi eventually!

[@WordsinTime]

That’s awesome that you’ve got your Dad to enjoy some sci-fi! My Dad doesn’t read a lot of sci-fi but he loved The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Maybe your Dad will too!

[@gizmobly350]

Loved Replay! Every time I find a used copy I buy it to hand out to people looking for read.

[@WordsinTime]

That’s awesome! You are a good reading friend!

[@touche5616]

I bought Spin a few years ago, haven't picked it up yet. You've inspired me to move it up my TBR.

[@WordsinTime]

That’s great! Let me know your thoughts when you read it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

[@WillBReads]

I have Replay on my shelf somewhere, and totally forgot about it, glad you brought it up! This video just makes me want to read them all lol

[@WordsinTime]

I’m glad I could help haha. If you get the chance to read it, let me know what you think of Replay!

[@WillBReads]

@@WordsinTime Absolutely, I'll be sure to report back.

[@anticat900]

@Words in Time Have you read A fire apon the deep and Blindsight? I've been recommended these as good as the usual winners such as dune and necromancer that tend to win these top 10s?

[@WordsinTime]

I have read A Fire Upon the Deep. I thought the ideas were excellent but I didn’t quite connect to the story and characters as much as I hoped. I will actually be reading Blindsight next month. It seems like it either doesn’t work for people or they really love it!

[@anticat900]

@@WordsinTime I'd be interested in your take of Blindsight, it is a bit of a Marmite like 'Fire apon the deep'. Some say it is just ok, but others say it is life changing 😊.

[@Zivilin]

What would you recommend to someone that never really read much scifi but loved jules Verne's scifi novels (like From the Earth to the Moon)?

[@WordsinTime]

That’s a good question. I haven’t actually read much Verne myself but something modern that has a sense of adventure and uses science in an accessible way is Andy Weir’s books The Martian and Project Hail Mary.

[@JolienReads]

I've been wanting to try a Memory Called Empire. I haven't read Foundation yet but if I end up liking MCE I might use your recommendation in the opposite direction :D

[@WordsinTime]

Haha yes, they can go both ways. A Memory Called Empire doesn’t have a lot of action but if you like the characters and dialogue I think you’ll enjoy it!

[@EmpressNoriko]

Wow you’ve mentioned Spin by Robert Charles Wilson in both the last 2 videos of yours I’ve watched. Awesome author. I recently reread Blind Lake by him. I read Spin a long time ago and the sequels. I haven’t read everything he wrote, but I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read. I believe you are the first BookTuber I’ve heard mention him. Love your videos!

[@WordsinTime]

I love Spin and I’ve only heard it mentioned a couple of times online. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed some of his other books, I need to check them out! Thanks for the kind words and for supporting the channel Noriko!

[@jrye5]

Love Robert Charles Wilson. Enjoyed the Spin trilogy. I read one of his early books, The Harvest, this year and really enjoyed it. It is a first contact novel. I also love his book The Chronoliths but I don't think you should start reading him with that book. He doesn't spell out everything that is going on in the book. He leaves it to the reader to pick up on clues and to piece together what is going on. I enjoyed but it took me three reads to really figure it out. He is a good writer and the book isn't overly long so didn't mind having to re-read it.

[@WordsinTime]

I absolutely love Spin but that’s the only Robert Charles Wilson book I’ve read. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed his other books as well!

[@Mark-fw8pd]

Scalzi's Old Man's War is one of my favourite books. I'd say a light read, but with a lot of sci fi content to chew on. The Forever War is a must. Q: Have you done humour in sci fi? Underrated?

[@WordsinTime]

I agree with you on Old Man’s War and The Forever War! I have not made a video on comedic sci-fi or underrated sci-fi, but I might in the future. Thanks Mark!

[@St.Leibowitz]

Very good content! Thank you. ^^

[@WordsinTime]

Thanks for the kind words! I hope it helped you add some books to your TBR!

[@JaredJohnsonRocketMan]

If you liked The Martian I recommend Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear. Also a survival thriller. If you liked Leviathan Wakes I recommend Moving Mars by Greg Bear. Similar universe where human factions are vying for a particular technology. A power struggle ensues. It is told from the first person so takes a while to get used to but good.

[@WordsinTime]

Thanks for the recommendations, I need to check out more from Bear!

[@HevonCZR]

Thats some really great list to be honest!

[@WordsinTime]

Thanks Hevon, I’m glad you liked it! Let me know if you pick any of these books up!

[@Yesica1993]

I had not head of "Spin." Sounds intriguing. I love "What if?" stories. Doing an unexpected rereading of Lord of the Rings right now, so I need to focus on that. But maybe after. Thanks!

[@WordsinTime]

I love “What if?” stories too! You can’t go wrong with LOTR. If you pick Spin up afterwards, let me know what you think!

[@brbosen]

I am interested in Ubik! I felt the same way about The Man in the High Castle and have yet to read any more PKD.

[@WordsinTime]

I hope you enjoy Ubik as much as I did! Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is on my TBR for September and I’m interested in A Scanner Darkly as well because I enjoyed the film.

[@VinyZikss]

Awesome recommendations, thank you for these. Have you read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch too? Tho it's not about time travel (multiverse) I thought it was even better than Recursion

[@WordsinTime]

Thanks, I’m glad they were helpful! And yes, I have read Dark Matter and loved it even more than Recursion. I’m glad you enjoyed it too! I also own Upgrade but haven’t read it yet.

[@LoveBombMedia]

Great list! I am going to check out 2 of them. House of Sons and Forever War! I love UBIK!!!!! Thank you!

[@WordsinTime]

Thanks so much Ray! Let me know your thoughts on those 2 after you read them!

[@JessietheSleepyKoala]

I haven’t actually read any of these yet! I’m trying to get more into scifi and have a few of these - like A Memory Called Empire, Red Rising, and The Martian - on my list.

[@WordsinTime]

I enjoy all of those, and think The Martian and Red Rising are great options for getting into sci-fi. A Memory Called Empire is definitely worth trying too, it’s just a little heavier on the sci-fi terminology.

[@JessietheSleepyKoala]

I'll keep that in mind, thanks!

[@TheMcMonster]

My copy of The Forever War has a foreword by John Scalzi, where he claims reading Forever Word only after Old Man's War was published. He also mentioned that a lot of people don't believe him about that.

[@WordsinTime]

That’s interesting! A similar thing happened with Christopher Ruocchio where he only read Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun after he wrote the first Sun Eater book, but people don’t believe him because it does feel inspired by it.

[@wasanthaoska286]

Can you recommend some short sci fi books and long sci fi books ? (2 videos)

[@WordsinTime]

That is a good idea! I will have a think about those!

[@wasanthaoska286]

@@WordsinTime Thank you

[@anticat900]

We are bob is a great series, as is the Culture novels and particularly The player of games.

[@WordsinTime]

I’m glad you enjoyed them! I plan on reading more Culture books soon!

[@liptoncherry2436]

I just read ‘The Lathe of Heaven’ by Ursula Le Guin and I couldn’t believe how similar it was to Recursion.

[@WordsinTime]

That’s interesting! I’ve only read The Left Hand of Darkness and it’s very different in style to Blake Crouch. I will have to look up The Lathe of Heaven, thanks!

[@mikesnyder1788]

@@WordsinTime "Lathe of Heaven" is an amazing novel and I have read very few stories like the one you will encounter there. After reading the book go to KZbin and watch a very fine movie adaptation that was done 20+ years ago. Feels like a made for TV movie but the themes of the novel are well covered. Enjoy.

[@wasanthaoska286]

Hello, Thank you 😊 for recommendation videos 📹 ❤ Do more ...💕

[@WordsinTime]

You’re welcome! I’m happy to help!

[@wasanthaoska286]

@@WordsinTime ❤

[@marieloweanderson350]

Super duper great recos!!

[@WordsinTime]

Thanks for the kind words Marie, I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Let me know if you pick any of these books up!

[@joodwaleed7570]

nice video. thank you so much

[@WordsinTime]

You’re welcome! I’m glad it was helpful!

[@wasanthaoska286]

Have you ever read dune messiah is it good?

[@WordsinTime]

I have read Dune and enjoyed it, but I have not yet read Dune Messiah or the other sequels. I’ve heard mixed reactions but I know some people really like them.

[@wasanthaoska286]

@@WordsinTime I am currently reading dune and I thought I wanna read sequels

[@WordsinTime]

@@wasanthaoska286 Let me know what you think of the sequels if you end up reading them!

[@wasanthaoska286]

@@WordsinTime Sure. First I wanna find it haha 😄 , that book is nkt available in my country (sri lanka)

[@WordsinTime]

@@wasanthaoska286 Hope you find it!

[@muttineni03]

Great video!

[@WordsinTime]

Thanks so much, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@elizabetha8565]

I want to know what other books like The Martian or Hail Mary Project.

[@WordsinTime]

If you like Andy Weir’s books I would recommend trying We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor or Dark Matter by Blake Crouch!

[@John-qy5rq]

This was a needed video

[@WordsinTime]

Thanks John, I’m glad it was helpful!

[@AndrewsWizardlyReads]

I’m just here lurking…. Need some sci-fi in my life

[@WordsinTime]

Haha I got you Andrew

[@LenoxSpartanFitness]

Oof, Three Body Problem. Not a fan. Otherwise, great list! I’ve got some reading to do.

[@WordsinTime]

3BP is polarizing, so I understand it won’t work for everyone, but I’m glad you enjoyed the rest of the list! Let me know if you read any of them!

[@LenoxSpartanFitness]

Old man’s War wasn’t too bad. I love the culture series, and Player of Games was great! I loved the idea of Foundation but I kinda got cold on it. I’m very interested in Red Rising but haven’t committed yet because I’m worried about how predictable and tropy it may be. Childhoods End was great too. And I loved 2001.

[@WordsinTime]

@@LenoxSpartanFitness Old Man’s War had some funny moments and a few interesting concepts. I’ve only read 2 books in the Culture series but I plan on reading more. I enjoyed Foundation, but it didn’t quite live up to what I hoped for. Red Rising relies on quite a few tropes in the first book, but grows into a fuller space opera in the second book. Arthur C. Clarke is one of my favourite authors!

[@ianonymous3524]

Forever war was good. but I preferred starship troopers to be honest.

[@WordsinTime]

I know Starship Troopers is another classic in the military sci-fi genre but I haven’t actually read it yet. I should get around to it eventually. I’m glad you enjoyed it as well as The Forever War!

[@ianonymous3524]

@@WordsinTime its a good one though not my favorite classic scifi that honor goes to a little read novella called high opp by frank herbert. probably his best work. But perhaps because of how relevant it seems to our modern world.

[@WordsinTime]

@@ianonymous3524 Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll check it out!

[@ianonymous3524]

@@WordsinTime its a short read but its spooky to read today. its sortof a 1984 retelling but with two differences A) the MC is a much stronger character, and B) rather than a big brother system its a world with a social credit system were your position in the society is determined by how many likes or dislikes you get... and how those likes are manipulated by those in power. spooky given it was written what 40 years ago.

[@Rogue_VI]

Starship Troopers is greatness.

[@matt984]

House of suns ruined all other sci fi books for me. It’s just perfect.

[@WordsinTime]

@@matt984 Haha it’s so good!

[@AndrewsWizardlyReads]

I do have the first 3 bobiverse books….

[@WordsinTime]

Nice! I’ve only read the first one, but it was pretty enjoyable.

[@cosmicjustice4139]

If I liked A Fire Upon the Deep, I might enjoy..... please help

[@WordsinTime]

Good question! You might enjoy Alastair Reynolds, Peter F. Hamilton, or Iain M. Banks!

[@cosmicjustice4139]

@@WordsinTime I recently finished House of Suns which was a good read, but I've still never found anything that compares to FUTD....except perhaps the Banks Culture series. FUTD was just tooooo good.

[@cosmicjustice4139]

@@WordsinTime and thanks for the reply and suggestions

[@WordsinTime]

@@cosmicjustice4139 Yes, there’s nothing quite like it! I recently read Ring by Stephen Baxter and loved it. If you like hard sci-fi, you might enjoy that too because it dives deep into the science. It’s book 4 of the Xelee sequence but can be read as a standalone.

[@cosmicjustice4139]

@@WordsinTime Awesome! I'll give Ring a try. Thanks!

[@wasanthaoska286]

Hey, Don't misundrrstan me. Are you earning some money from youtube?

[@WordsinTime]

I am not currently earning money. KZbin enables creators to monetize their channel after they reach 1000 subscribers.

[@wasanthaoska286]

@@WordsinTime ah I hope you will get it soon