BEGINNER to EXPERT - 12 Sci-Fi Book Recommendations

In today's video I recommend 12 science fiction novels for the beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert categories.

My links:

Use code JONATHANFANS for 20% off book orders from the Tertulia online bookstore:

00:00 – Introduction
00:29 – Dark Matter
01:52 – Snow Crash
02:50 – Sea of Rust
03:33 – Spin
04:24 – Ubik
05:13 – Contact
06:20 – Blindsight
07:25 – Blood Music
08:26 – The Quantum Thief
09:41 – Diaspora
10:50 – Accelerando
11:51 – Dragon's Egg

#ScienceFiction #Books

[mikesnyder]

I am a big fan of "Dragon's Egg, " which I read about forty years ago, and there is one scene that has stuck with me all these years. The cheela "astronaut" has boarded the human ship and determines that interspecies communication is impossible because of the speed differential between the two sentient entities. Then, the cheela "astronaut" detects a cancerous growth in one of the humans and then proceeds to removes it. Just a short scene but I really thought that was a nice touch to describe the speed differential which was what the book was all about.

[lissavanhouten]

A good beginner's sci-fi: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

[SlowDazzle]

I've been reading SF since the late 60s so I think I've read the whole spectrum. I'm halfway through "Three Body Problem" Where does that fit in your scheme? Intermediate? "Blindsight" may be my favourite SF book of last year. Definitely advanced! Egan should have his own category!

[cristiankinzel]

Amazing concept for a video and great recommendations.I'm already feeling this could be a series or at least have a "part 2",

[Crizzybooks]

Ubik is one of my all time favorites. So weird and such an experience. Great recs!

[jeraldgooch]

I read Dragon’s Egg soon after it came out. Thought it was a fun read. I did not find it that much harder to read than Niven’s Ringworld.
Recommend the movie version of Contact.
Really enjoyed this video. Thank you!

[DaBIONICLEFan]

Definitely intrigued by 'Spin'! I think I've heard it mentioned on other sf videos at some point and your mention of it here has confirmed its addition to my tbr. Cheers 👍

[alisonfarnell]

A few for me to try here, thanks! A fire in the deep was expert level for me, but now I'm reading Babel 17. Eek not a before bed read, too much brain power required. Although perhaps with the weirder books, letting it wash over you rather than trying to fully understand, is a better way to go?

[kellymoses]

Dragon's Egg takes place on the surface of a neutron star. Stephen Baxter's Flux takes place inside one. The human analogs smell photons and see sound because sound travels faster than light at neutron star densities.

[BenjaminsBookclub]

Ha I just reviewed Diaspora, it was very very out there, but I ended up loving it. It did break my brain a bit, my advice for books like that is to treat the math and science like you would a magic system, you don't need to grasp it 100% to enjoy it, its enough to know the characters did, just like it's not all that important to understand how a wizard conjures a fireball.

I also loved Ubik and Blindsight, Dark Matter dissapointed me just abit, I think just because it was overhyped in my head.

I need to read Quantum Thief it sounds right up my alley.

[MelodiousThunk]

I loved half of Children of Time and had very little interest in the other half. The half that I loved was the half about the spiders and the other animals on their world. I didn't realise that this is a common enough feeling for it to be a relatable basis for a book recommendation!

[IanPrest]

*Contact* is even more fun if you read it with Carl Sagan's voice in your head the whole time.

The movie is decent. Some changes from the book, obviously, and one famously-overacted scene. But worth checking out.

I also loved *Blindsight* and *Quantum Thief* . I'll have to check out some of the others on your list.

[keithdixonnovels]

I like Stephenson and have read Cryptonomicon and Seveneves. I started Snowcrash a few days ago and just couldn't get into it. 😔 I might try again ...

[Talking_Story]

Amazing list! Love the green screen work!

[BooksWithBenghisKahn]

This was an incredible vid! Read the first two but none others, and can’t wait to try some of the intermediate and advanced ones!

[Paul_McSeol]

Wow. I am NOT an expert yet. But there’s some things to add to my TBR. And the film Contact is very much worth a watch. Thanks so much!

[Heirthesun]

Bro I've been waiting so long for someone to talk about egan. I've been obsessed with his work for so long and I hate that he's so underrated

[branonmccain]

Great list! I'll need to read a few of those. I'd like to throw in some honorable mentions... Seveneves from Neil is great. Pandoras Star was amazing, and I'm surprised Hamilton nor Reynolds made your list. Both authors are amazing imo. Salvation Sequence was also great. Quantum Magician is also good! Thanks for the vid!

[RedFuryBooks]

I liked this approach! I feel most sci-fi works could be categorized as such to make it easier for the non-hardcore sci-fi fans to pick.

[farisj]

Where would remembrance of earth's past be placed?