Reading well-written narrative non-fiction has all the benefits of reading fiction, with the added benefit that some (most?) of it is true.
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What are your must-read scifi books besides the obvious ones i.e Gibson, Stephenson, Dune, Ender's, Hitchiker's, etc.? I've been enjoying Asimov and Blake Crouch lately. (Finished The Dark Forest Series late last year). Looking for underrated/ rough diamonds here!
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Have you tried the Three Body Problem? The English is a bit wonky since it's translated from Chinese, and the first book isn't as good as the second, but the trilogy *is* quite good.
(It's also refreshing, because it is a *very* Chinese take on sci-fi. Not optimistic.)
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Oh wait, unless by Dark Forest series you mean Remembrance of Earth's Past (which is the name of the trilogy to which Three Body belongs to).
In which case, hmm — N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy?
I'm also greatly enjoying The Expanse, which is due to end next year.
Yeah, I went with shorter name due to the 280 lol.
Thanks, I’ll have a look at those!
I remember reading a take on here that TTBP was just collectivist propaganda and I think I sorta agree but the series was epic nonetheless.
Also, the Dark Forest idea is underrated vs TBP imo.
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I was about to order Jemisin before I read her GQ and New Yorker profiles (I like to do a bit a research first to understand the author's social-cultural context); seems she's bring a Cultural Marxist & Postcolonial perspective to "subvert" SciFi tropes - does that sound right?
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I think if you squint you could say that she does bring that view, but it’s not as overt as, say, Heinlein with his ideology in Starship Troopers. Broken Earth is just a good story.
(That said, I don’t recommend her earlier trilogy, those aren’t particularly good stories, imo.)
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