Science Fiction & Fantasy with Great Prose and Big Ideas

My main focus on this channel is classic literature, philosophy, and more — all the books that make up the Western Canon. But what about genres that aren't typically included in the canon?

In this video, I talk about several works of science fiction and fantasy that have tremendous literary value. These are books with great prose and interesting worlds that explore some serious ideas: the existence of other worlds, the value of cultural memory, and the lows and highs of speculative thinking.

Enjoy!

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[CatastrophicDisease]

Completely agree on Guy Gavriel Kay and Tolkien. I would add Dune and Malazan to the list as well. This may sound odd, but I’d also include the Iliad, the Aeneid, and the Ramayana - for me, these epics are just as epic fantasy as more modern works, and their exclusion as such strikes me as modern “literary fiction” critics wanting to dismiss fantasy as pulp, not wanting to admit that the foundational texts of the world’s cultures are in fact part of the genre they so deride.

[SamDCote]

Adding these to my list! I’m a big advocate of sci-fi’s ability to communicate big, important themes with the same (and at times better) reliability as other types of literature. Ursula K. Le Guin is someone you should definitely look more into if you haven’t.

[MartialLoreNZ]

I have read Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun several times, since it was first published. In fact, I recently bought a new edition because I'm not able to open my 1983 paperbacks safely anymore. Deep, rich and enormously exciting and rewarding, not to mention well-written.

[matthewney]

Thank you so much for bringing more attention to Gene Wolfe and Book of the New Sun! An absolute stunning masterpiece of sci-fi/fantasy. More people need to read (and, more importantly, re-read and re-re-read) Wolfe.

[PasseScience]

China Miéville, Perdido Street Station (perhaps it's true for his entire body of work, but that's the only one I've read so far). The quality of the text, from a literary standpoint, is simply splendid. I remember being truly struck by the contrast when I switched to China Miéville's book from the one I was reading before. The quality of the writing, the descriptions, the literary quality, really hit me. There might be some weaknesses in terms of the story or its structure, but in terms of writing, the quality of the descriptions and the literary quality really left a strong impression. (I should mention that I've only read Natalie Mège's French translation, but it remains splendid.)

[griseusasmr]

Came here for the recommendations and I stayed for the thorough and passionate explanation on the books and styles 👌
A couple of longer lists about science-fiction and fantasy suggestions would be fantastic, pun intended.

[RabbiSteve]

I love Gene Wolfe. I think his work transcends category and genre.

[KyleMaxwell]

I kept hoping for Gene Wolfe and was not disappointed.

[tfred]

Prose writing: I feel many prose writers chose not to write science fiction or speculative fiction because of the general narrow attitudes or views of this genre. In fact speculative fiction is an encompassing genre that freely explores possibility and impossibility alike and allows the writer a free range of writing styles and story telling.

[paullearned]

I appreciate this video and what you do here. You are pointing out that there is great value in a genre that many consider to be inferior by its very nature. I am a reader who reads both classical literature and what you and a lot of other people call "genre" books. In most cases I enjoy what people consider genre far more than much of the classical literature that I have read. Many of my friends look down on genre writing, and when they do I have a standard top 10 list to give them that in my mind proves that genre fiction is just as powerful as literature and explores philosophy and the human condition in what is in many cases a far superior way to some of the classical lit we see in the western cannon. that list is...
A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M. Miller
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin
Foundation by Issac Asimov
A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Dune by Frank Herbert
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
These are only older books there are many new books that do just as well that I would consider to be literature as well. Also some of these have entered western canon as literary classics. Looking down on a written work simply because of its genre is always a mistake.

[chrisnawara]

Thanks for this! I've looked at so many recommended fantasy and sci fi lists and your picks are so unique. Excited to check these out.

[Vladimirarchonaditusaperti]

I read the series The Book of the New Sun + The Urth of the New Sun a dozen times during my youth since it came out in Serbian translation in 1990 and 1991. It was always an invigorating reading experience.

[sillyhead]

This is my favorite of your videos. If you can please do more videos exclusively addressing books with beautiful prose, I'd love that.

[TruthSeeker-]

Gene Wolfe! Stands with and above many of the great authors. Wolfe, Melville, and Dostoevsky are authors who I feel like I know intimately. Wolfe writes puzzles with Catholic allusions in much of his work

[ruiamaral]

John Crowley - Little, Big. Also Charles de Lint - The Little Country

[DuckRon]

Thank you! I’ve been extolling Tigana ever since I read it. And, since no one has even heard of Guy Gavriel Kay, no one wants to listen. When I talk about his beautiful prose, people seem to tune out. But, I love Tigana and want to read more from Kay. A Song of Arbonne is coming up real soon on my TBR list. Really looking forward to it.

[daenerystargaryen]

Have you read Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake?
It's should definitely be added to the list.
Along with China Mieville and Ursula le Guin.

[JuanMartinez-ibmz]

Just discovered your channel... automatically suscribed!
A discussion between you and Philip Chase would instantly be my favorite video in youtube.

[i_dont_know_who_i_am]

As someone who's more into the commercial side of the genre (Sanderson is my favorite author), I do agree with your recommendations. I really liked Tigana, and I'm in the middle of my first read of Shadow of the Torturer and you're right in that I definitely need to read it more than one time, maybe after I finish the whole series.

A recommendation I would add is probably Dan Simmons' Hyperion. It's a classic for a reason and I feel like the prose is an underrated aspect of it.

[dugebuwembo]

My Fantasy suggestions for Fantasy reads with poetic Prose:

-The King Of Elflands Daughter by Lord Dunsany
-The Charwomans shadow by Lord Dunsany
-Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny
-Kalpa Imperial by Angélica Gorodischer
-Black God's & Scarlet Dreams by C. L Moore
-The Tales From Flat Earth Series by Tanith Lee
-White As Snow by Tanith Lee
-Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
-Viriconium by M John Harrison