Top 10 Favourites (2021) || Science-fiction & Dystopian

I'd also like to give honorary mentions to Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison, and the sci-fi horror fiction of H.P. Lovecraft. 👽💚

- 00:00 Introduction
- 01:24 Number 1
- 02:37 Number 2
- 03:48 Number 3
- 04:44 Number 4
- 05:40 Number 5
- 07:05 Number 6
- 08:51 Number 7
- 10:21 Number 8
- 11:35 Number 9
- 13:07 Number 10

#Favourites #ScienceFiction #BooktubeSFF

[AccipiterF]

Nice list. How did I not know Meg Elison had novels? I love her short stories.

[sergecuerrier]

Nice list. Comme vous semblez parler français, voici une. liste des livres qui ont bercer mon adolescence que j'ai lus en traduction française. Mes préférences vont plutôt vers les classique 1950-1985. En vrac sans réel préférence de rang
Le cycle de Fondation et le cycle des robots (Elijah Baley) d'Isaac Asimov
Tschaï -Jack Vance
Dune - Frank Herbert
Stand on Zanzibar & The crucible of time - John Brunner
Dying inside - Robert Silverberg
2001 space odyssey and Rendez-vous with Rama - Arthur C. Clark
Et plus récent:
The road - Cormac McCarthy
Station eleven - Emily St. John Mandel

[masfilms]

Thank you, I’m excited to discover some of this books in the near future! I’m curious if you read 2 French sci-fi novels and if yes, what you thought about them? Ravage, de Barjavel (un de mes préférés) et Péplum de Amélie Nothomb (j’ai toujours eu un faible pour son écriture). Merci 😊

[Paromita_M]

I couldn't find a separate discussion for the Earthseed duology (please correct me if I'm wrong) so commenting here. I finally read and liked it, but there were some things which prevented me from fully loving it. One was (especially in the sequel) the somewhat nebulous nature of the Earthseed 'religion'. In the first book, I would have very much characterised it as an ideology, a 'way of life' thinking but the second book definitely made it feel more like an organised faith and that made it less impactful for me. Second, I struggled to connect with Lauren in the second book. She was conflicted (which is natural) but I didn't really understand her certainty about Earthseed and her role in propagating this as 'the' faith. Finally, the somewhat relentless graphic violence in the sequel. I liked the first book more and thought it would have worked better as a standalone.
Overall a thought-provoking read, simple yet profound writing, but for me, a good read rather than an all-time favourite
Would be very interesting to hear your thoughts on this duology.
Edit: I'm surprised at the omission of Butler's works from the SF Masterworks list. Assuming it is an issue of acquiring rights rather than (an admittedly glaring) oversight.

[Paromita_M]

Wonderful list.
Yes to Left Hand Of Darkness, Embassytown and Children of Time! 🙂 If you did this in 2022, would a certain novella by the latter's author feature? 😀

Two questions for you: a) Le Guin or Atwood? b) Vandermeer or Mieville? 😄

[Paromita_M]

This is mainly a channel appreciation comment.
Two months ago, I would have zero entries for such a list because the only SFF I'd read, BOTNS, wasn't for me. While I still have a long way before having a top 10, I've read so many good books courtesy this channel! 🙂Southern Reach and Flowers for Algernon would be tied for my #1 currently.
Query: I did a reddit search for 'literary SF'/ 'SF with good prose' (very snobbish I know😄) and while the usual kept coming up (Wolfe, Le Guin, Banks, Vance, Simmons, Atwood and occasionally Mieville), I was surprised to see Vandermeer practically not mentioned. Is his writing not considered 'literary' or are his works too weird to classify as SF?
I also was surprised to see Kazuo Ishiguro (specifically Never Let Me Go) and M John Harrison mentioned multiple times - I never really thought of them as SF authors (especially Ishiguro - we know how snobbish the committee is about giving Nobels to SFF authors, spoiler: they just don't). Have you read either of these authors and if yes, did their writing work for you?