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Of your choices 'Timescape' is my favourite. Also I would have included in my list of 10 - 'Cosm' by Greory Benford (Orbit Books 1998) Outline: This is a great story that is set in the very near future as it takes modern particle physics to the next step. Benford writes a very convincing tale set in the world of modern research and university life. All the characters seem to be real people living in an 'academic' jungle. Following a high-energy particle experiment that appears to have gone wrong Alicia Butterworth is confronted with an enigma - a perfect basketball sized sphere - one that Alicia is desperate to study at almost any cost. This is a story almost 'factual' in its telling but non-the-less thrilling for that - in fact it makes the race against time and 'events' even more climatic.

ugh as soon as you said priest i think canticle for Leibowitz. ZZZzzzZZZzzzZZZZ boring

"It's not all hard science, theres philosophy too!" Have you considered a career in marketing??

Nice list. Andromeda Strain was actually the first SF novel I ever read, at 13, before I became a dedicated reader of the genre. Blew my mind at the time. Would've liked to see some Clarke, Asimov or Blish there, but I guess more for sentimental reasons.

Some great books here! Watched the video where you recommended and put hopeland at the top of your list of reads last year. So I’ve picked it up hopefully I’ll enjoy it .

I'm tempted by The Hercules Text. Thanks, Jon. The Andromeda Strain was my first favourite science fiction book. Still love it; I lost count of how many times I read it.

Thoughtful choices, Jon. I've never been one to go out of my way to seek out hard SF although I used to prefer it. Nowadays, give me a good space fantasy without the hard science and I'm a happy camper. Cool list! Cheers.

Great list! I really have got to read a few more Science-based books, as lots of these sounded great. Too much of my book diet is military-based, much as I love that stuff.

Other than the Martian - not a single one was written in the last 20 years. * The Martian by Andy Weir (2011) * Timescape by Gregory Benford (1980) * The Hercules Text by Jack McDevitt (1986) * Tau Zero by Poul Anderson (1970) * Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson (1992) * The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton (1969) * Accelerando by Charles Stross (2004) * Timelike Infinity by Stephen Baxter (1992) * Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward (1980) * Quarantine by Greg Egan (1992) Love em all, but what has happened to sci fi? Thank you for the video and recommendations 💕

Some interesting sounding ones here! I've been on a bit of a hard SF kick lately. A Greg Bear and a Niven & Pournelle under my belt recently. Got a couple of Benfords on my shelf too, though neither are Timescape. Out of these though, I've read The Martian and The Andromeda Strain.

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

I've read "The Martian" and "Dragon's Egg" out of these. I read Baxter's "Ring" which about broke my brain, but I can't stop thinking about. I should read the rest of the Xeelee novels.

I'll admit, I had a hard time with Accelerando. I DNF'd it the first time, many years ago, and only got around to finishing it last year. The first part was great, but as it progressed, I found it increasingly difficult to identify with the characters as they left their humanity further and further behind. Ordinarily I love Stross, and I think his short story 'Rogue Farm' was one of the best. Dragon's Egg was interesting as an intellectual exercise, but the characters were largely empty shells. Greg Egan is definitely in the very hard category. Thanks, Jon!

I was very bad in math, physics and chemistry. But I always loved stories. I think I will circumvent this particular genre … 😂

A great list (as always!). I appreciate that you grab titles that aren't always mentioned by others; I knew of Greg Egan, even have Diaspora on my shelf, but Quarantine is new to me and sounds exciting as well! Looking forward to reading Accelerando this year as well! If I remember correctly, Vernor Vinge based the main conflict in A Fire Upon the Deep on his very real fear of a technology singularity. A computer scientist by trade, he wrote extensively on the topic, which must have influenced his writing of that wonderful space opera.

Great little video! Lots of good reccies for my TBR list. Cheers!

I really enjoyed your video. Your reviews are spectacular. I will definitely read The Death of Grass. I was also really glad to hear you talk about Vonda McIntyre and Becky Chambers. Thanks for such a thoughtful presentation.

Happy New Year Jon and congrats on the 4k+ subs. Its good to see you back and banging out these great videos. Maybe you can help with my next reading choice - Firefall (Blindsight), The Mote in God's Eye or Unto Leviathan? I can't seem to decide but leaning towards Peter Watts. I had a massive book haul in December with a lot of new (and old) books, too many, and I had to expand with another bookcase, it was a good ending to 2024.

The Golden Age of science fiction is 12.

The use of AI art---ugghhh. It's simply gross. Use the covers that you have in your review segments!

Happy New Year Jon! I'm about to start "Three Body Problem"

Congrats hitting the 4000 mark. ..... I say wait till the 7th book arrives, then read 6 and 7 all in one go.

The Promise of the Child looks interesting, but heart sank a bit hearing it's book 1 of a trilogy. Current preference is for stand-alone stories, as I find most series and trilogys start off well but taper off. A recent example for me was the Pratchett/Baxter Long Earth series where by book 3 I just found the story jarring and repetitive.

I just realized where I saw the similarity...well it's a stretch. Game of Rat and Dragon reminds me of the Fred Saberhagen story Wings out of Shadow. Goodlife (traitors to humanity, serving the Berserkers) require recorded/simulated personalities to man robot fighters to entertain Berserker master. Protagonist offers "a supply officer and violinist, a tubercular youth who died at 23" and others that seem completely unwarlike, fit to entertain its Berserker master. Turns out these men include the Red Baron, Albert Ball, and the other flying aces of WW1. After shredding the Berserker, our protagonist muses about the definition of warriors...😈😈😈

Great video as usual. A hidden gem recommendation for you - The Rig by Roger Levy. I never see anyone talk about it and its excellent.

Cordwainer Smith's shorter works really intrigue me. Many talk his unique feel or quality. Maybe this will be the year I dip in.

I just wanted to make a comment and thank you for your videos, I always look forward to them. I really appreciate your opinions and have found them close to mine in a few books you’ve recommended. I did read a series recently that I wanted to recommend, not sure if you might have read them already. It’s the Bobverse series starting with we are legion(we are Bob) by Dennis Taylor.

Is it possible to edit a spoiler sticker up when talking about books later in series? Just so I know when to skip to? If it is on the screen I can just scrub till it is off? if not I understand thank you

I‘m very curious about the HiddenGems video … maybe one of my picks finds its way into that list, and I‘m always interested in sleeper hits. There are quite a few diamonds that fall through the cracks.

'Scanners Live in Vain' has always been one of my favorite Cordwainer Smith stories. A sort-of Cyber-Man with a dash of body horror thrown in. I think that story is in Science Fiction Hall of Fame Vol. I (1970, Robert Silverberg, ed.). The upcoming video ideas are great and I'm looking forward to them. I'm gonna cranch now.

I've not come across the Sun-Eater series. I'll have to check them out. I'm currently reading Judas Unchained so it might not be soon 🤣🤣

I'm really looking forward to the Hidden Gems video. I'm sure lot of great books have been "overlooked" by the majority. I'm also always up for some Hard Sci-Fi.

Marc Laidlaw! Someone has dropped his name! I remember back in the day, hearing about his novel Dad's Nuke...and I spent a few years, in the 1980s, hoping against hope that I would suddenly bump into that book, and/or Dr. Adder by K. W. Jeter. The two elusive gems. They were both rumoured to be must-read, cutting-edge SF, that one should look out for while everyone else was reading Neuromancer, and Ender's Game. And - eventually I did happen upon both books. Neither turned out to be an all-time favourite - but leaving Dr. Adder aside, Dad's Nuke by Marc Laidlaw - or even his other, more adventuresome (but highly trippy) novel called Neon Lotus - are worth the time. His books seem to have just faded out of the collective consciousness...I should have figured he might show up in Mirrorshades, which I never got to.

Hello, First of all thank you for this videos. Amazing content, different books from the normal youtubers that focus on "NEW" shinny releases. Don't get me wrong. They can be good but I feel there is a value on the oldies as well and many have gone with time. One interesting thing is that if we credit August Derleth to saving Lovecraft from oblivion or Sprague with Conan, you can be the savior of John Christopher or the other John, Wyndham. Now into my questions - Have you tried 40K? Some of those famous authors you so enjoy like Baxter, John Brunner, Ian Watson, Charles STross wrote books on that world- to be fair mostly were right in the beginning but nowadays ADrian Tchaikovsky is writing some books, or Dan Abnett (The master) among others... So, if you never tried and you come up with Eisenhorn Trilogy I would advise. Pretty good books (don't need to know much about the world - it may even hook you up) - Today (on this video) you spoke of Death of Grass and it remind me of another novel that is totally in reverse with that which is called "Greener that you think" by Ward Moore. IT's from 1947 and is a world where grass has being invaded everything and I mean everything. No matter what they tried they can't defeat it lol If you enjoy end of the world let me ask\advise something (not going to go to those more famous that everyone knows) but You've got the best of the best with Robert McCammon - Swan Song, the anthology by Richard T Chizmar - The Earth STrikes back (end of the world where nature is kicking ass), Michael Moorcock - Ice Schooner, one of my favourites Nevil Shute - On the Beach - very depressing and I highly doubt someone reading the book and not shedding a tear, Louise Lawrence - Children of Dust (atomic winter in UK), Long Tomorrow - Leigh Brackett (not my favourite). Justin Cronin (Passage Series although this qualify less of sci-fi and more zombies\vampires I guess), Jack Vance - Dying Earth (4 books), Gene Wolfe of course, Hugh Lowey - Wool Trilogy (There is also a tv series airing as of today), Jeanne DuPrau - City of Ember (Lois Lowry - Giver series wannabe). Malka Older - Centenal Cycle . I think I've said enough :)

I think you'll like THE SPARROW. I read it back in the last century, when I really wasn't reading much SF, and I was very impressed by the time I reached the end. For some reason, that's the only book by Russell I've ever read.

Nice variety.

Thank you for breaking down these reads. Happy New Year

wonderful video. I read this when it was first serialized in F&Sf when I was in High School. It's a wonderful book.

Who wrote Shelter? I missed it. I remember seeing the bookna long time ago, but have a hard time finding it again.

Bookfriends, today, the Illustrated Lord of the Rings (omnibus of all three volumes) is on sale for Kindle! Go nau!🎉🎉🎉🤩🤩🤩 I'm very interested to watch your take on Cordweiner Smith, Jon. I'm sure a lot of viewers have recommended Cordweiner Smith to you, as they did Lord of Light, but people's tastes are different. Certainly you didn't get the same experience we hardcore Zelazny fans got, but eh, that's how it works. I am looking forward to finally reading the Martian Race by Benford, but as you can see above, I got my sweaty little hands on a sale copy of the Lord of the Rings, 🐶😛 and I am thinking seriously of binging the Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings. Interspersed with watching the Extended Peter Jackson movie...hmmm...🤔🧐. That actually sounds fun. 😳🤓

I will seek out some of these! Thanks! Sci-fi and fantasy feature heavily in my top 10 books read in 2024 : 1 The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep (H G Parry) 2 How High we go in the Dark (Sequoia Nagamatsu) 3 My Brother's Keeper (Tim Powers) 4 The Midnight Library (Matt Haig) 5 Slaughterhouse 5 (Kurt Vonnegut Jr) 6 The Secret History of Moscow (Ekaterina Sedia) 7 The After Cilmeri series (1-5) (Sarah Woodbury) 8 Time and Time Again (Ben Elton) 9 A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens) 10 The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters (G L Dahlquist).

Worthy winner. Definitely reading some John Christopher in 2025. All the best to you and yours in the new year!

Thank you to the Dice of Destiny for giving us The Death of Grass.