14 Science-Fiction Series I Haven't Read...Yet

Mike talks about 14 sci-fi series he hasn't read, but plans to within the next couple of years.
0:00 Introduction
1:21 Rules & Qualifications
2:16 Honorable Mentions
4:14 Series I Want to Try
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#MikesBookReviews #SciFi #ScienceFiction

[@mikesbookreviews]

Update, a year later. A lot of these were on the schedule and got delayed to 2022 due to the change in the Malazan read along schedule. But they haven't been forgotten. A Space Odyssey - chose to read Childhood's End instead Foundation - would still like to fir it in prior to the Apple TV series Bobiverse - starting book #1 next week! Murderbot - read book 1 & decided the series wasn't for me Hyperion Cantos - read the Hyperion duology, no current plans for the Endymion duology Remembrance of Earth's Past - on deck this fall if the schedule works out Expanse - continuing in 2022

[@hsffaudioblog]

No love for Endymion? Really enjoyed those two. Don't listen to the haters.

[@BacklogChaser]

Nice to see a update! I always get recommendations for some series by Neal Asher. I will pass along that recommendation to you (I didn't read it yet).

[@phinsxiii]

As someone who has read the Foundation series and is now watching the series I will say they are different stories telling the same tale with the same character names. Many things were changed for the TV show, but maybe for the better because Asimov was never known for writing deep characters. I like both for different reasons.

[@wildfire160]

Ive not read the Bobiverse,Murderbot or Remembrance series but have read all the others ...frankly its a great list you cant really go wrong with any of them(your breakdown of the synopsis of them was pretty close) If i was going to add other series then maybe the Polity series by Neal Asher...his books tend to read as a darker grimmer version of Banks Culture books ..

[@wildfire160]

@@phinsxiii As a TV series in its own right Foundation isn't awful its actually quite watchable....but it does c**p all over Asimov's books...

[@mikesbookreviews]

Hey bookworms and sci-fi geeks! Since I haven't read enough SF series to qualify for a top 10 list, I figured I'd put together this list as series I'd like to read in the next handful of years. Also, these are "ranked" by my anticipation to read them, now by how good they are. Obviously, since I haven't read them. The time stamps are in the description. What's your list look like?

[@fightingirish5755]

1) Nights Dawn Trilogy 2) Foundation (finished book #1) 3) Rama 4) Odyssey 5) The Expanse books 6) Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy 7) Neuromancer Trilogy 8) Dune 9) Ben Bova's Grand tour series 10) Warhammer 40k: Horus Heresy

[@thomaswootress-reidt101]

Don't forget about Suneater 😁

[@michaelvcelentano]

Yeah, I was just made aware of Rama recently and told that it’s another Bible of sci-fi, in the same way that you need to read Foundation

[@dongoul]

Great idea for sci-fi, got the foundation trilogy Barnes and Noble and dune has a color collectors edition out, looks fantastic! Out of the ones you named which one is b st for humans traveling space for first time?

[@timswabb]

I highly recommend the Foundation Trilogy and Remembrance of Earth’s Past. It’s fascinating to compare and contrast the two trilogies, which reflect the very different cultures of 1950s America and 2000s China. Let’s just say that Asimov is far more optimistic about the future of the human race. I also recommend a classic you did not mention serialized in the 1930s and 1940s and republished as paperbacks in the 1950s: E.E. “Doc” Smith’s Lensman series. You can start with book three in the 6-book series (Galactic Patrol), read to the end, and then read the first two books if you like. The first two books are really prequels and are not quite as good as the last four. I recommend the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. Douglas Adams does for science fiction what Terry Pratchett did for fantasy. The series is not nearly as long as Discworld, but it also doesn’t take as long to reach peak goodness (Pratchett started slow). I also want to read the Hyperion Series. I want to read a series you did not mention, perhaps because it’s science fantasy: Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun. I read the Ender Trilogy. The two sequels are okay but not at the level of the original. Ender’s Shadow is the best of the other books set in the same world, although it undermines much of what you thought you knew from Ender’s Game. The Starchild in 2001 Space Odyssey is an advanced being of pure energy. The astronaut zooms through his human life and is reborn as an advanced being of pure energy in fetal form, then sent back to the Solar System to help other humans make the same evolutionary leap.

[@michaelhenaghan8673]

Hyperion Cantos absolutely blew my mind, I cannot recommend it enough. And Peter F Hamilton's imagination is unrivalled

[@TheLadyShips]

I'd certainly love to see more of both horror and sci-fi, like you I tend to get stuck in fantasy books a lot and then remember that I love horror and sci-fi too! Looking forward to the August read-along. Thanks for your great video's 😉

[@mikesbookreviews]

Because I know the bulk of my viewers are fantasy fans and they throw so many good recs at me.

[@josephives1312]

Brian Aldiss - The Helliconia Trilogy. The world building is phenomenal. A planet where each season lasts for generations.

[@Gregorovitch144]

Alistair Reynolds Revelation Space trilogy is amazing and benefits from him being a professor of Astrophysics IRL. Iann Banks Culture novels are nothing like Dune, at all, however they bebfit massively from Banks being a genuine top drawer literary author - sometimes the writing will leave you staring at the page in disbelief at how good it is. The storyies are exceptional. They call all be read independently, dip in and out as you like. Recommended to start with understand about the Culture (which is useful for all the other stories) are "Excession" which deals a lot with the Culture's ship minds (AIs) and "Matter" which deals mainly with the adventures of a Special Circumstances agent.

[@dpeady78]

I think I’ve referred back to this video 3 times now Mike! Good stuff as always

[@MurakamisCat]

Man, I envy anyone reading Iain Banks' books for the first time! I can confirm that you can absolutely read them in any order, though my personal tip is that you don't start with the 1st one, Consider Phlebas, which is a bit heavy going compared to some of the others. If you read these books, I would recommend starting with The Player of Games, which is a really fun entry in the series.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!

[@EthelredHardrede-nz8yv]

Player of Games and The Excession are the two I would recommend reading first. I read them in that order but my favorite is the Excession.

[@andymcnish]

@@mikesbookreviews I'd recommend the opposite. In order of publication starting with CP.

[@hurdygurdyguy1]

😆 That's the first one I started with! But, it's the one that hooked me! The eye popping SensaWunda in the world building with the Habitats, the Orbitals, the AI sentient starships etc was incredibly fun!! And, yes, Phlebus can be a bit "dense" at times but each subsequent book Banks wrote NEVER dsappointed!! My favorite non-Culture book? The Alchemist! Banks was a master of character twist endings and sleight of hand plots!

[@tasky341]

I’m currently reading the foundation trilogy, i’m really enjoying it so far ! That’s a lot of series to read, I look forward to seeing all of these on your channel ! Great vid !

[@mikesbookreviews]

I plan to read it before the TV series premieres.

[@mBulk11]

I have been binging the Three-Body Problem series this week. Halfway through book 2 and am blown away. It is a top series for me instantly. I really am amazed.

[@99kylies15]

Such a cool list - I found some new things to add to my list alongside the decent chunk that were already there. Very true about scifi being SO serious - I' love to see more lighthearted stuff out there.

[@benwilson409]

I also cosign the honor harrington series, but it is also long 16 or so books.

[@boxoffrogs9712]

Enjoyed hearing your choices and reading your comments :) I'm planning to look up some of your choices, thank you. Perfect timing too as I can't seem to connect with Fantasy at the moment and have just finished John Scalzi's Independency.

[@michaellewis1545]

Another series I would recommend is the Lost Fleet series. It is a military space opera.

[@nofunatall4094]

I liked it also, but you have to get use to hearing a few thing over and over and over and over... again. If i hear how the video conference software works I'll pull my hair out.

[@tangd4357]

You’ve got a great list of series to delve into here! I do love Murderbot...it is definitely a comfort series for me nowadays. One series that I want to tackle is the Vorkosigan series...only read the first so far and enjoyed it. But it’s another long series 😅

[@mikesbookreviews]

I just need a few years break before I start adding 10+ book series to the TBR again.

[@walterdawson7507]

I understand your trepidation on starting such a long series but the novels are episodic in nature. So you can read as few or many as you want. That being said, I would honestly recommend this as one of the best character driven sci-fi stories I've ever experienced. If you do decide to give it a shot, make sure you consult a reading order list first and start with Shards of Honor. Bujould jumped around in time a bit with the series. Especially, with the short stories she wrote. The POV characters change depending on the novel but all but 2 have a Vorkosigan in them.

[@cecilneal3287]

An excellent old time syfi series. The Giants series Novels, by James P Hogan. Inherit the Stars; The Gentle Giants of Ganymede; Giants' Star. The set of novels explains the moon the asteroid belt and us and other strange things in the solar system.

[@RayBlake]

I'm on the last of the Culture books and I'm taking great care to read it slowly. In the middle of the series (the third, I think) is an exquisite novel called 'Use of Weapons', which is one of the very finest books you can read and which will stay with you for a very long time.

[@hurdygurdyguy1]

Agreed!! I also read the last one knowing there would be no more 😭 very slowly. His books introduced me to the concept "don't get too attached to a likeable character!" ...

[@beckyjohnson7675]

I absolutely love your channel!

[@kyliefitzgerald6984]

I haven’t read the rest of Enders saga or beans series but enders shadow is amazing and you have to read it as well! Also, please do more scifi videos! Hard Scifi is so neglected on booktube.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I hear ya. Besides The Expanse those videos don't do a ton of traffic.

[@slavking2797]

The Bobiverse is getting a fourth entry this September! The series is basically Harry Dresden in space!

[@mikesbookreviews]

That's the best sales job possible.

[@jellevanbreugel325]

that's an excellent sales pitch indeed :) Will check it out

[@killbotprime]

I like the Bobs, at least the first couple of books before it went kind of off the rails for me, but comparing the Bobs to Harry Dresden is comparing apples to giraffes. I have to respectfully ask you: what the hell were you thinking when you wrote that? Please don't destroy the trust relationship we share with Mike by misleading him about the nature of your suggestions.

[@UNIDiver]

@@killbotprime I agree that Bobiverse is not Harry Dresden in space, as there are zero fantasy elements. However, the Bobs are similar to the Dresden books, in that they are quick, light reads, that have similar humor and are chock-full of a pop culture references, that I'm more than positive Mike would enjoy.

[@nataliaweronikapetersson3425]

I have had Children of Time on my TBR for AGES. I really need to get to it. I am also excited about your reading Martha Wells! Great treat with a relatively small time commitment!

[@mikesbookreviews]

I’ve heard many great things

[@ianhall7861]

@@mikesbookreviews Add some more great things from me 😁

[@elizaearhart4533]

Murderbot was one of my favorite series of the year. I read all four novellas and the novels within about two weeks and I’m already planning a reread soon. That said, I definitely have some work to do on Foundation before it comes out. I enjoyed Asimov’s I, Robot this year so I’m hoping for a new favorite in Foundation as well.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I've been kicking the can on Asimov since high school. No idea why.

[@timphelps3556]

@@mikesbookreviews I finally read all 7 Foundation books last year and have been asking myself why I waited so long. Asimov has become my favorite author.

[@epiphoney]

For Peter F. Hamilton I would read Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained instead. Great alien, and not a lot of non-scifi tangents like the other series. For Hyperion, book one is so much better than book two.

[@sj-hughes3989]

Old Man's War is my next read! Excited to start it in the next week or so :)

[@hsffaudioblog]

Love your list. Have read some, but not all of these. Very inspirtational channel.

[@eadie13]

I only found your channel a few weeks ago and been flicking through your videos since. Was strangely enough wondering if you had read the Culture novels then clicked this video. I genuinely love Iain Banks' works and always feel saddened by his death when I look at my book shelves. I love both his sci fi and his more standard fiction. I read the Culture Novels in published order and loved them from the word go. Use of Weapons in particular is something very special.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I've heard mostly great things.

[@JARHuygebaert]

Old Man's War is by far my favorite sci-fi book (John Scalzi)

[@thomaswootress-reidt101]

I couldn't get through the first one. Didn't like how episodic it felt.

[@alanjenkins1508]

Redneck Heinlein. Easy read but stupid. The lack of any apparent political control or limits on the military worried me.

[@pookypoo1169]

I thought it was pretty meh

[@Jane-w]

Great video! I have a couple of these on my TBR also. Have you read Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?

[@mikesbookreviews]

About 3-4 times.

[@anyaconda3155]

I read the Bobiverse back to back. Omg it's so underrated but so incredibly good. The audiobooks are fantastic as well. I can highly recommend it.

[@WolfNCyote]

If you liked that be sure to try the Expenitionairy Force. The bobiverse makes a reference to this book series with the "Skippy" faction.

[@TheEternalElir]

This was cool, I'm thinking of starting sci-fi - I haven't even watched Star Wars yet - and in terms of fantasy, we have the same taste so cool

[@BigDaddy13515]

Some real bangers on this list! Gap Cycle is my favorite series Donaldson is a fucking legend!! And man if you like Hamilton there’s so much awesome reading material his Commonwealth Saga and Salvation Sequence series are amazing.Same thing with Alastair Reynolds after Revelation Soace he wrote a bunch of novels from the same universe that are all top tier sci-fi with a gritty feel. Moid is having a read along for both Hamilton and Reynolds this year you should check it out.

[@jesseriggan1693]

You should try E.E. Smith and his Lensman and Skylark series. They are out of print so they may be hard to find but they got me started into scifi back in the 70's. Wonderful space opera! Loved your list.

[@ROBNOB9X]

For Hyperion, books 3 and 4, the Endymion series I actually preferred by miles. They were very different in the way that they were fast paced whilst books 1 and 2 were slower and more world building. Books 3 and 4 though blow the whole story wide open and you learn everything about the world (or galaxy should I say) compared to the 1st 2 which mostly leave you with more questions than answers. the connection with the characters I found to be so strong also and was one of those where I couldn't read anything else for a couple of days because I couldn't stop thinking about this series.

[@joecourtney8552]

Silo Series(trilogy) is one of my all time favorites. i read it a long time ago so unsure how it holds up. but theres a ton of fan fiction that spawned off of it so that should tell you something. Its also unique the structure and timeline of it.

[@colburn0004]

I'm half way through the first Bob-Iverse book right now and loving it more than I thought I would. Great bit of humor and sci-fi nerdiness. Not the most hard hitting stuff so far, but it's definitely good.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Not everything has to be epic. I look forward to it.

[@kylemallard738]

@@mikesbookreviews your book reviews are great, as they don't spoil anything but give me enough information to make a good decision. You've done well! You should treat yourself and dive into the Bobiverse. They're relatively short, but some of my favorite books in SciFi I've read. The Bobiverse world opens up into more and more and more as the series goes along.

[@JamesI88]

Just found the first two hyperion books in a goodwill for $1 each. Went and ordered the other two cheap on ebay to complete the set. Really looking forward to having a sci fi series to read

[@joejackson5708]

you can find some real gems in charity shops like the goodwill and value village

[@joejackson5708]

you can find some real gems in charity shops like the goodwill and value village

[@joejackson5708]

you can find some real gems there and other places like that

[@bradkrick8254]

Old mans war series is great fun. Collapsing empire from Scalzi is great too but just about to read the third one!

[@MrAlzhammer]

This channel caught my attention when it got on the Dresden Files train. I cannot advise you read Scalzi enough. The guy lives up the road from me, and while I don't know him personally, can't fan boy him strongly enough.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I just got the first 6 books. Not sure when it’s happening, but looking forward to it

[@laughandgrowfat7424]

I went through the Altered Carbon trilogy and loved it. If you have seen the tv show first, this will not put you off as it adds so much more character depth and the world is devilishly cyberpunk. Richard Morgan points out that at times, during the action sequences, he thrust all of his anger into Takeshi Kovacs. its brutally slick and I'm jealous you're going through it soon.

[@noiceman]

You're going to love the Night's Dawn Trilogy. I'm a quarter of the way through book 3 right now (it's actually broken up into two different books). The Gap Cycle is waaay better then the Thomas Covenant series, so definitely read that before. The Hyperion Cantos is one of my favorite series of all times. The first book is one of the only novels I've actually cried reading (man tears). One book you really need to read, which is a hybrid of sci-fi and fantasy is the Caine's Law series by Matthew Woodring Stover. It's my second favorite series of all time (behind Conan the Cimmerian Barbarian).

[@paulharvey5505]

Mike, have you ever got around to reading the Gap series yet? I recently finished it and was blown away. I’ve read a lot of sci fi (but not everything on your list) and I put it up there with the best. The Foundation books are great. Asimov came back to it in the 1980s, and added some connections to his (nearer future) Robot novels. I’d recommend the Foundation and Robot ovens from the 50s first, then order of publication for what came out in the 80s, such as Foundations Edge, the Robots of Dawn, etc

[@j.p.lovecraft1826]

Revelation Space needs to get bumped way up in your list! It’s a must!

[@RICHIEV333]

Interesting list. You should try David Weber: If you read "On Basilisk Station" the first in the Honor series, you will know if you will enjoy David Weber's writing style. (Lots of action and math lol) It is an amazing book that encapsulates who David Weber is as a writer. However, if you are hesitant to start such a long series, You should read "In Fury Born" also by David Weber, you may say it is only one book and you are looking for a series but it is, in essence, a two-book series put into one book. David took his original book "Path of the Fury" and added a 450-page prequel, wrapped them both up in one neat package, and named it, "In Fury Born"

[@genghisgalahad8465]

Amazing List! Will add to it Kim Stanley Robinson’s MARS TRILOGY, standalone novels Earth 2312, Aurora, Red Moon, Ministry of the Future, New York 2140 ... environmental near future planetary science fiction? Glad these lists inspire the imagination on what to suggest! A couple short novels: Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End, Time’s Eye

[@licenciado1970]

The last twenty minutes of 2001 is basically Bowman encountering the beings of transcendent energy that are behind the monoliths. They provide an environment for him and study him as he is transfigured himself into a superbeing. The baby you see at the end is the StarChild, or one of the transcendent aliens. Kubrick basically wanted the audience to internalize and draw their own conclusions as to how the ending made them feel. The sequel, 2010, directed by Peter Hyams, is out on blu ray and well worth watching.

[@ROBNOB9X]

The blurb for Night's Dawn trilogy by Peter F Hamilton doesn't do it justice, I'm just finishing the final book and it's awesome!! the tech involved and the concept of it I really love. Also the plot is not at all what you would expect!

[@sweety90]

Great list! I love Asimov's work and I'd suggest to start with his Robot series, it has interesting ideas about humanizing robots and one character has an important role in the Foundation series. Or Octavia E. Butler's Xenogenesis is an interesting series about human survival and transformation into a new species.

[@christinegarcia5497]

I second this for Asimov. I love Asimov's writing, and the Robot series was a great place to get used to his work.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Butler was on the list awhile back. I flat out forgot when I made this. Whoops.

[@Lazazia]

I really enjoyed Butler's Xenogenesis series, especially the first novel. It's one of those stories that stucked with me even after I finished the book.

[@kyrilson71]

Regarding the The Culture novels, you are correct, you can pick up pretty much any of them and start anywhere. I would definitely suggest not starting with "Consider Phlebas", though. It is one of the weaker novels. I tried to start with that one and DNFed that twice, before I switched to "Use of Weapons". "Use of Weapons" blew my mind, man. Unbelievable book. It is a confusing read at first, but after a while you figure out what's going on. It was off the races after finishing that book, and I devoured the rest of the books. The Culture novels are without a doubt some of the greatest SF I've ever read. Just absolutely amazing stories. You won't regret reading them.

[@sirbooksage]

That's a really great list. I'd also recommend Arthur C. Clarke's 4 book Rama Series. The first book Rendezvous With Rama, won just about every major science fiction award when it came out. One word of warning. Books 2 thru 4 are deeper, richer, more expansive novels that do take their time, and because of that, it really put off a lot of readers who were looking for a repeat of the first novel, which was more of a straightforward hard sci fi story. Rama is one of those series, though, where those who don't like the sequels, REALLY don't like them.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Thanks for the recs!

[@dennisdavidov782]

I have many of those on my TBR list as well, four more series I found which were highly recommended: 1. The Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie 2. Laundry Files by Charles Stross 3. Zones of Thought by Vernor Vinge 4. Dread Empire's Fall by Walter Jon Williams.

[@mikesbookreviews]

First I've heard of any of those. Thanks!

[@Rogue_VI]

First two Vinge books in that series are great. I was super disappointed in Children of the Sky.

[@colburn0004]

That first Hyperion book is one of my favorite things I've ever read. For whatever reason I never picked up the sequels though. I really need to get back to them.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I can't wait.

[@killertrex]

I enjoyed those series you listed. Currently finished the latest book in the Odyssey One series by Even Currie. I would recommend just cause it reads like action scifi movies, may not be the best written but entertaining enough.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I'll look into it. Thanks for the rec!

[@Rajathon]

I am going to read Foundation this month. I also want to read some Peter F. Hamilton and and Arthur C. Clark. Read my first Alastair Reynolds story last month and loved it. The Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio is really good. Starting with The Empire of Silence. I want to start Hyperion by Dan Simmons too.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Sounds like our lists are similar.

[@delphy2478]

i don't know how much you like military sci-fi but one of my all time favorites is "the lost fleet" bu Jack Campbell. It has brilliant politics and military tactics and does one of the best of an book i've ever read of incorporating hard science, specifically light speed and the problems with it in space omg yes, you need toreach the bob-verse, it's amazing you also talked about needing to get your nerd card stamped, you need to read heinleins stranger in a strange land finally, if you want an interesting science fantasy series, the starships mage by glynn stewart is an interesting series about a world where the only way for spaceships to travel between stars is through magic

[@mikesbookreviews]

First I've heard of it. I'll look it up on Goodreads.

[@marcusmusings]

But have you seen the length of the books in the Night's Dawn series? It's pretty much reading Stormlight Archives. It's nuts by the way

[@danielvanrooyen9602]

Looking forward to some sci fi and horror content. 2021 I will dip my toe into sci fi with Expanse and Hitchhikers guide.

[@benwilson409]

The Rissa Kerguelen by F. M. Busby, basic series is 3 books with three or four side books. The first two are finally on kindle, I wish audible, can be found used in paperback. Very good I think.

[@MangaTheGuide]

Hyperion is fantastic! I read it earlier this year and found that it was highly enjoyable. It presents ideas that feel modern even though it was written in the 80s.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Sounds excellent.

[@DustyWight]

Hyperion is definitely one of my favorite sci fi series! Can’t wait to hear what you think, even if you’re not a fan.

[@fday1964]

Good list....a few more suggestions would be the Startide Rising series,or the Uplift Series by David Brin. Huge intergalactic sweeping epic storytelling. Saga of Plioscene Exile by Julian May. And it may seem fantasy, it is indeed science fiction, that's the Dragonriders Of Pern books by Anne McCaffery.

[@jfleming572]

THE ALIEN PLAN by Jack Fleming. The follow-up book is PILLAR OF HONOR also by Jack Fleming. These books are found on Amazon.

[@dalesmith3923]

I've been watching Media Death Cult also, and he has several of these on his TBR also. I think he is doing a Culture Readalong in August, that I was thinking of joining him on. I have read the Foundation Trilogy, A Space Odyssey, Book one of the Bobverse, and Book one of the Murderbot Diaries recently, and Hyperion when it first came out. (I'm working on finishing all of them.) The rest sound fascinating, and I already have a couple of the first books. Too many options, and not enough time.... Maybe I should look into the whole Takeshi Kovacs thing, so I have more time to enjoy all of it.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Definitely not enough time to read everything.

[@JARHuygebaert]

What I would want to read in the sci-fi world: The Collapsing Empire + The Expanse

[@mikesbookreviews]

I haven't even gotten to Scalzi's first series yet, but I want to.

[@WINO1964]

With John Scalzi I'd read Lock In 1st. But all 3 of those series are great. Lock In just happens to take place right after a pandemic which forces a whole new technology. It's just so original. I'd recommend almost anything by Scalzi. I liken him to Jim Butcher in style except it's sci-fi.

[@WINO1964]

When considering Ender's Game, don't sleep on Ender's Shadow. Not a sequel but another view point of the Ender's Game timeline.

[@michaelvcelentano]

To be honest, read Prelude and Forward the Foundation if you want to be ready for the Apple show. I read it all in the last few years, so it’s fresh, and when I saw the trailer, it seems like a lot of it is going to be Prelude to Foundation Also, once your finish all of Foundation, you’ll totally want to read all of the Robot novels. Asimov totally sets it all up in Foundation

[@hurdygurdyguy1]

I watched the first two episodes of the TV series and said, "nope!" and haven't watched it since...

[@jstrange1]

ALL GREAT choices! IMHO, they're also "worthy" series that will be remembered. I've read virtually all of them. I think you can't go wrong. However, some of them are challenging despite being only trilogies. Peter Hamilton and Alastair Reynolds books aren't quick reads. Asimov is easy, competent and quite doable esp. if you're doing the FoundationTrilogy alone - but he is dated. I love him because I can fill in the story's gaps. Martha Wells is more contemporary and the sortof fun author whose series you can finish quickly. Simmon's Hyperion, the first book, was a fun read although the later books I finished more out of a need to complete. I am a big fan of Iain Banks. I don't think they're anything like Dune at all. My favorite Culture book is Consider Phlebas; there are several dramatic scenes that I return to every so often. A book where a man fights for a religious species he can barely tolerate against a pacifistic Culture dominated by AIs he can't tolerate at all. Good luck!

[@mikesbookreviews]

The opinions on Foundation seem to be all over the place. I look forward to finding out.

[@obsidian53-b32]

Have you Ever heard of the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell? Well he made a prequel series called The Genesis Fleet which is just Three novels Vanguard, Ascendant ,and Triumphant. Which dives into the struggle and creation of the two opposing factions in the lost fleet series.

[@shawngillogly6873]

I started this series. And it is great Military Sci Fi. Thought provoking without slowing down. Impressive space battles (on par with anything other than early Honor Harrington books). And a fantastic study on what it means to command while dealing with one's own legend.

[@michelleforbes7823]

I'm so happy that both Martha Wells and Adrian Tchaikovsky. They both have Fantasy cred as well....

[@cathsaigh2197]

The Culture is at least as disconnected as Discworld, I'd say more so.

[@Bridgebuilder42]

You can read Culture in any order as they are all standalone stories in the same universe. The links between books add value but are not essential. Some are quite dark (Use of Weapons) and others are lighter (Inversions or Excession). I personally would recommend starting with Surface Detail which is a later book but with exceptional characters.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I'll keep it in mind when I start.

[@r.danielwilliams6817]

I highly recommend, "The Seafort Saga" by David Feintuch. The entire series is great, but the first book is simply amazing. Read the first book if at all possible. Also, "The Disinherited Series" trilogy by Steve White is great! Without spoiling it, I have to say that the writer tells a great science fiction story all the way throughout dipping into 2-3 other genres throughout the series and makes it believably work well. The "Mutineer's Moon" trilogy by David Weber is also great! I re-read both of these trilogies often. They're both short enough to blow right through them in a week or two easy. Read them! Two stand-alone novels by David Weber - "Apocalypse Troll" and "In Fury Born" are also great. I re-read both of them often. "In Fury Born' in particular has a scene that is so moving, that it chokes me up every single time that I read it.

[@iWizard]

I’d love to see you review some Heinlein

[@dpeady78]

Just finished the first Murderbot - you will dig it I think

[@andriyandriychuk]

I've finished The Expanse saga and I absolutely loved it, especially 1-3, 7-9 books

[@timwoodhams217]

Vorkosigan's saga!! I can't believe how so few people on booktube seem to know of this series. IT HAS WON MORE HUGOS THAN ANY OTHER SERIES. And won the very first Hugo award for best series. Additional you'll love it, lead character is almost as funny as Dresden, additional each book is Dresden length and independent, and different subgenres of SF (later books have more to notice if read them in order) that said start with Warrior's Apprentice (consider the first two books as prequels to come back to.) To top it off it written by a female. Just do yourself a favour and read Warrior's Apprentice it is short so no excuses.

[@hanvyj2]

Yeah the Vorkosigan's saga is great, I hardly ever see it referenced anywhere.

[@jaimeortiz7199]

BG t-shirt. Cool!!! Best sci-fi show!

[@mikesbookreviews]

So Say We All.

[@Joe-lb8qn]

Yep, the Culture books are stand alone with a few shared references, and even those are mostly about the technology not characters or events. Bobiverse is good, light-hearted with a big shout out (within the first book itself ) to Nivens story of a person waking up after cryosleep. IIRC the character Bob names his ship The Niven or something like that.

[@jayspeijer614]

I highly recommend the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. World building on par with Dune with stronger character development and high levels of political intrigue and hardcore ecology-terraforming science. Also, for fantasy authors dipping their toes into sci-fi the amazing Tad Williams delivers a highly intriguing, at times bloated, cyberpunk tetralogy in Otherland. Finally, the Gap cycle by SRD... yes very compelling but dark, bordering on nihilistic (hard to like any of the nonetheless mesmerizing characters in a First Law-esque kinda way).

[@littlevahn]

Would love to hear your thoughts on the Hyperion Cantos. Those books brought me back to Sci Fi after a long stint in Fantasy only books. Highly recommended, their are arches taken from Dune, but i would not go as far as to say its Like Dune. Great read.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Should be starting it early next year!

[@DanExploresBooks]

Some excellent series' mentioned here.

[@marijusp]

I read “Hyperion” recently and I likes it too 😉 Thanks for recommendations, I will pick some to read. My best books and series of the last 12 months: Best series - “Warlord Chronicles” trilogy by Bernard Cornwell; Best fantasy book - “Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman; Best fantasy series - “Dark Elf” trilogy by Robert Salvatore; Best sci-fi series - “Eden” trilogy by Harry Harrison; Best sci-fi book - “Martian” by Andy Weir.

[@leeSouthend]

Good list m8 a few are on my to read list a few Iv read/enjoyed and a few which disappointed. If you read the Knights Dawn trilogy Id recomend grabbing "A second Chance at Eden" 1st, a short story compendium which Hamilton's rewritten into a sort of prelude to introduce the setting. Like all of Hamiltons Space Opera series he's gone all in with world building and it can be a little intimidating at the start. If any of those series on your list fail to deliver for you they can be swapped out for any of Hamiltons series, I found Knights Dawn both great and probably his weakest series when compared to "Commonwealth Saga" or "Salvation Series". Happy reading.

[@gatling216]

The Terra Ignota series by Ada Palmer. It's sort of a hybrid, with high concept sci-fi mixed with fantasy elements, but it leans heavily into the science fiction aspects. It also has a heavy dose of philosophy and spends a lot of time dealing with the real world implications of these ideas. Summarizing it without spoiling it is hard, but here goes: Mycroft Canner is a convicted criminal who is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in servitude to the powers that control the world. He is also the guardian of a boy named Bridger, who possesses the power to forever shape humanity's future. When a theft threatens the balance of power, he must use his considerable skills and talents not only to uncover the culprit, but to protect Bridger from forces who would use him for their own ends. That's literally as much of the plot as I can give away without venturing into spoiler territory. These books are so tightly written and so dense, even tiny, seemingly inconsequential details can have a tremendous impact later on down the road. The series can also be excruciatingly brutal at times, enough to make the biggest grimdark fan squeamish, but without ever actually venturing into grimdark territory. Nothing happens without cause or consequence, and I honestly can't remember the last time I read something that felt so utterly complete, even if the last book hasn't happened yet. Dune wishes it was this complex and wonderful.

[@kestral52]

I highly recommend you read the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers. It starts with The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. It’s absolutely wonderful!

[@IronArkadius]

Halfway through the 2nd book in Night’s Dawn trilogy and it’s amazing, but Jesus it’s brutal, Grimdark is right, I’ve rarely been so unsettled reading a book

[@mikesbookreviews]

Sounds wonderful!

[@xWursty]

One of my favorite standalone sci-fi book is dragon's egg by robert l. forward. Super believable about the evolution of a species on a neutron star.

[@thomaswalcher4208]

There are four other books coauthored with his children.

[@mikesbookreviews]

First I've heard of it. Sounds cool.

[@MrChristophSteininge]

Everybody has his and her preferences. But what I completely miss in many reviews by many reviewers is Ringworld by Larry Niven a five book series. Furthermore I would like to recommend the Exordium by the authors Sherwood Smith and Dave Trowbridge, the starting novel being "The Phoenix in Flight".

[@AK-rq1cz]

Have you read any Joe Haldeman? Just picked up Camouflage and I'm keeping an eye out for The Forever War.

[@lorripeterson4127]

The Infinity's End series and Quantum Gate series both by Eric Warren as just awesome

[@elroykez]

Hey Mike, Long time listener, first time caller.. I'm gonna buy Hyperion on Amazon on, thanks for the recommendation. I'm on the list of 6 books called Mars Colony One. If you're into an easy read hard sci Fi, set on Mars, near future but no "Earth's resources are gone" nonsense, this is a good option.

[@elroykez]

They also have a quadrilogy set after these 6 books, which are not connected due to being set some time afterwards.. but they're in the same universe, so to speak..

[@GroiRail2]

Hey Mike, Have you read "The Iluminae Files"? I just read the first one, well just listened to it actually. It is a book with the story constucted from files, and the audiobook is AMAZING. They bet on an radioshow type of thing and it is really good.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I have not.

[@nicodemogawronski2052]

Fun fact about the foundation. There is character that is recurring in many of Aasimov's books not just the foundation :) If you are really into those books, you should read the ones from previous Eras. As said by others though, Aasimov's books are a classic and can feel a bit old. Still a good read but probably not the best for today's standards

[@mikesbookreviews]

I love classic SF for that reason.

[@r.danielwilliams6817]

Yes! Asimov's tying so many of his stand-alone novels together like that was great! I also would highly recommend reading some of his stand-alone novels before reading the Foundation series.

[@Mbors001]

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Ender sequels. They are indeed very different, but still excellent (though I have yet to read Children of the Mind)

[@mikesbookreviews]

I have to believe it'll happen eventually.

[@Rogue_VI]

Not a fan of the Ender Saga past Ender's Game. Children of the Mind was terrible.

[@FrostSpike]

The Culture series jumps all over the timeline so you can either read them in published order, timeline order, or any order you like. There are occasional references to events in other books but they're not really material to individual books. As they're standalones, they're good to dip into between the books of other series if you're binge reading. They are superb - though I found Inversions the weakest perhaps, it's more of a fantasy novel, or maybe a medieval political thriller that draws parallels to the Culture though being only loosely associated with it. You wouldn't be missing much of the Culture as a whole if you skipped it (sacrilege, I know!). Matter is sort of similar but I found it a more interesting read because of the setting.

[@brock5932]

The Takeshi Kovacs trilogy is top 3 all time for me. I think each book gets better than the last. So good, hope you had time to get to it! I realize this video is old now.

[@ivanjelenic5627]

You should put The Vorkosigan Saga on the list. Even Jim Butcher recommends it highly in your interview with him.

[@mariushmedias]

I'd like to suggest - and I think you'd enjoy reading it - Jean Johnson's "Theirs not to reason why" series... space opera, military, It's about Earth after contact with aliens, an Earth (and space colonies) where a small part of humanity gains "powers" (telekines, pyrokinetics, telepathy, sound projection, ability to learn languages easily etc) due to interference from an alien species... and the main character gains a very rare ability, to see her timeline and timelines of people around her. She discovers that hundreds of years in the future Earth and our corner of the universe would be destroyed by some aliens but there's a ridiculously small percentage humanity would win against that alien species provided the right people are in the right places over the years... so she makes it a mission to manipulate events and people and put things in motion that would increase the chances of humanity surviving in the future. The author has a 3 book series "The first Salik war" which is first-contact series, how humanity discovers aliens.. it's good series but a bit too descriptive, there's lots of pages where the same thing or ideas are explained in detail to characters so it can be a bit annoying.

[@transient_]

Apart from the Night's Dawn Trilogy, I would like to recommend the Commonwealth books, "The Commonwealth Saga" and "The Void trilogy' from the same Author. There is also "The Chronicle of the Fallers", but I haven't read those two books myself (yet).

[@mikesbookreviews]

I'll add them on Goodreads

[@gerardmalipaard7486]

Oops, did not see this comment, but I recommended the exact same thing. I even rate the first set of 2 as better then the Nights dawn trilogy. So consider that suggestion seconded!

[@Rogue_VI]

I like just about everything I have read from Hamilton.

[@katedarkholme5703]

​@@Rogue_VI The one thing I didn't like was "Misspent Youth" and the only thing I haven't read yet is "Greg Mandel" trilogy. Hamilton is my favourite author for sure.

[@Rogue_VI]

@@katedarkholme5703 For sure. That was probably my least liked book of his. I also haven't read the Mendel books.

[@spinthepixel8268]

Haven't seen anybody talking about this series, but I highly recommend the Donovan series by W. Michael Gear (4 books). An abandoned, corporate-controlled mining colony on a distant hostile alien world, what could go wrong?! The Embers of War series by Gareth L. Powell (3 books) is also very good.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I'll look for them on Goodreads. Thanks!

[@gerardmalipaard7486]

My personal recommendations/comments from this list.. I'd love to be able to forget them and read them for the first time again. Most of these I read more then once, Note that Alistair Reynolds "Revelation Space" books are... grim. Fascinating, clever and very cool, but happy endings are not a guarantee. Not like Asimov at al except the very broad strokes premise. Asimov is also a way easier read, Revelation space asks for a bit more CPU power. Foundation is a really good series to start on Asimov, I just love the "Grand old man of SciFi" in his scope and creativity. Note some things are cliche but only because he thought of them first ;-). Still books that are 50/60 years old and that shows here and there. Commonwealth saga from Hamilton is also very cool, I like that a bit more then the Nights Dawn trilogy. Both self contained trilogies (Correction the first commonwealth set is 2 books, the follow up is a trilogy), the Commonwealth universe has more books written in it at a later time. Hamilton likes his 200 characters that end up involved 600 pages in. If you like Nights dawn be sure to read Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained from the commonwealth saga. (Just a small hint, an interstellar empire, based on Trains.) The Culture books are more of a series of stories in a shared universe. It was a bit of hit & miss for me personally. The Hyperion Cantos is one of my all time favorites... it really is a book one can not explain without spoilers and taking at least an hour or 3 ;-) Beware of the Shrike... I don't know the others, but that gives me some things to discover. You are going to have a lot of fun with that reading list. Enjoy!

[@fightingirish5755]

The Nights Dawn trilogy is #1 on my list of sci-fi series I want to start reading but the size is daunting for someone just trying to get into hard sci-fi. I've read the first Foundation book and Clarke's Rendesvouz with Rama but theyre mercifully short by comparison. Anyway I'm thinking I might read one of Hamilton's shorter series to start with, specifically his Greg Mandel trilogy.

[@Marcus-id5ur]

Mandel isn't very good and not a good representation of Hamiltons writing. Just my opinion of course. Great North Road is a stand alone by Hamilton, as is Fallen Dragon, which might be a better introduction to Hamilton if you find long series daunting.

[@fightingirish5755]

Thanks that's actually helpful.