An Author I have enjoyed is H. Beam Piper ( Little Fuzzy written in 1962), humanity has spread to different planets but they haven't found sentient life until they have are on, this planet Zarathustra. All of the characters smoke continually and have cocktails before dinner. so it is quite a bit like the social ethos of the 50's and 60's. One character is a prospector of gem stones that finds a bipedal fuzzy animal that no one had seen before and they try to prove sentience , Another book is "Lord Kalvan of Other When" Where the main character Calvin Morrison a Pennsylvania state trooper who is accidentally transported to a more backward parallel universe
Great video! I have only read Ender's Game and Dune out of the books mentioned. I recently bought Hyperion at a library sale so hopefully I will get to that one soon. I actually had no idea that Slaughter House Five was a science fiction book! Lol
That’s an awesome memory! I watched it many years ago with a friend and still remember being blown away. I think the book and the film complement each other nicely. Thanks for the kind words, I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
Some great classic recommendations there. Are you a fan of H G Wells? He is one of the pioneers in the genre and I think his SF novels and short stories really stand the test of time, more so even than many SF writers who came generations after him.
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed the video! I have only read The Time Machine, which wasn’t a mind blowing read for a modern reader, but I enjoyed it and appreciated how inventive it was for its time. I need to try more of his books!
@@WordsinTime Yes he was definitely a very innovative author. The First Men in the Moon is my favourite of his I've read so far, not his most well known work but it has an intriguing first contact narrative and some very imaginative world building.
I never thought about it before, but I think I've always defined "classic scifi" similarly where 80's is kind of the beginning of modern scifi. I've been intimidated to read 2001 a Space Odyssey for some reason, even though I loved Childhood's End. I've seen the movie and I guess I wonder if losing the brilliant visual aspect of the movie wouldn't make the story hit the same. But it's still on my TBR. Slaughterhouse Five will always have a special place in my heart.
2001 is a tiny bit dry at times but I think the high points definitely make it worth it. I watched the film first but still very much enjoyed the book!
Really enjoyed your thoughts here, it's almost like an essay. I always felt that the New Wave writers went beyond "classic", for me their works were absolutely exhilarating, reading them in the 90s/20s. Sink is amazing, need to reread some of his work. Thank you!
Psychohistory is definitely influenced by Plato-Hegel-Marx view on history and its laws. The funny thing is The Foundation series is the use of atomic energy in every aspect of life, including kitchenware.
Another great list! I’ve been exploring classic scifi a bit the last few years and found I’ve loved some like Herbert and Asimov, and didn’t like others like Heinlein. I have three each by Asimov and Clarke planned for Scifi September! Looking forward to reading Clarke as I haven’t read him in probably 20 years, and not extensively.
I think you're off on the stylistic divide, though that divide certain came into being. It just happened earlier than you think. The important divide for me is in the mid-60s, and to me pre-80s sf is divided into 2 very distinct and separate categories, Golden Age and New Wave. Golden Age is truly old school, tech oriented, with very few books concerned with characters or women (or written by women), though of course there are a few important exceptions to all of those. When the New Wave movement hit all of that started to change, and sf became (frankly) much more literary. Of course some Golden Age sf continued to be written into the 70s and even 80s, but the mid-60s is when the shift was felt by many readers and a lot of new writers came onto the scene that reflected that.
I agree with your assessment of New Wave. For this particular video I tried to simplify the divide into just modern and classic. However, there are divisions within each of those. I would classify New Wave as classic, but there certainly was a shift from Golden Age to New Wave.
@@Verlopil Brian Aldiss, Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, P. K. Dick, Norman Spinrad, Thomas Dish, J. G. Ballard, Michael Moorcock, S. Delany, J. Tiptree are among the best and most well known representatives of the "New Wave" ( some of them not exclusively though...). This NW period was at its peak around 1960s and 1970s and I believe that it was equally influential ( as it was the previous classic science fiction) for many subsequent writers. NW was artistic and literary , sometimes avant-garde-ish and many times cerebral in a different, "modern" way compared to the previous "golden age" era that was focused mainly on the ideas and concepts and was more straightforwardly written.
@@dimitrispapadimitriou5622 Yes, that's pretty much what I said. It was an interesting era to live through, and to start reading sf on the cusp of it all. Golden age was fun, but New Wave was what made me a fan for life.
I totally agree that the 80s feels like a transition period to me There are some 80s scifi staples that still feel modern and others that feel more old school. I love your list. Waystation is one if my favorite books ever. Dune, Ubik, Slaughter House 5 all awesome. As a fan of scifi older than me I tend to warn people who aren't used to it that it might feel a bit racist/sexist for modern readers. Theres not a lot of blatant instances but theres often a causal comment or description that can rub people the wrong way if they aren't prepared. But scifi in general tends to be much better than general fiction
I loved the slow pace of of Way Station. I usually like epic, sweeping scifi, but sometimes it's nice to take a break from that. Simak did a great job with that book. Ubik is my favorite P.K. Dick novel. It's a hard book to talk about without spoilers. It's hard to come up with titles that can compete with your list. Maybe Heinlein's The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. It's about a moon colony rebelling against Earth, American Revolution style.
Great list, I've read them all except 2001. My list would include: Hyperion by Dan Simmons, 1989 Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson, 1960 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, 1985 The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein, 1966 Ringworld by Larry Niven, 1970 Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg, 1972
I loved Ringworld and was so-so on Hyperion. Also on Stranger in a Strange Land. Really liked Ender’s Game but read to many of it’s sequels looking for another one just as good.
@@DuckRon626 Try these, all solid efforts by my reckoning: Neal Stephenson, especially "Cryptonomicom", "Anathem", "Reamde" Iain M Banks Culture Series, especially "Use of Weapons", "Player of games", "Inversions" Alastair Reynolds, especially "House of Suns", Revelation Space"
My fav classic is or was Cities in Flight, by James Bliss. On the topic of prose, given all the writers then and now, Carl Sagan's novel, Contact, is a great example of clean, clear prose. Sagan 's novel was a master piece besides.
I've read and enjoyed Foundation novels (the original trilogy), Dune (my favorite), but I didn't care much for Dune Messiah and didn't continue with the series. 2001 is part of my TBR, as is Slaughterhouse Five, and Ubik. But PKD may not be a good fit for me. I tried to read his classic The Man in the High Castle and DNF'd it. I did enjoy Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Happy reading.
I'm smarter than the average bear, but "2001 A Space Odyssey" always seemed to fly over my head until technology caught up and I could google it. However, it did give me one of my favorite "wifey comebacks" to my husband David. "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that." Thank you, Mr. Clarke.
The most classical sci-fi book I have read is "Comical History of the States and Empires of the Moon" written by Cyrano de Bergerac published posthumously in 1657.
So I guess we have to fight. haha. Interestingly, I am working on a very similar video but my editing is... much slower than yours. However, I think classic sci fi is not about inventing new technologies, although that is exciting--- its about taking today's technology and projecting its consequences into our future. And that's why technology of the time matters. Thanks for the video, can't wait until I finally finish my edits.
Golden Age Sci-Fi is undeniably Classic Sci-Fi. A modern work can be an instant classic. Difference between Classic and Vintage. Vintage Sci-Fi is undeniably not Modern.. 7P🚀
I agree: vintage and Classic is not the same. A classic is a book with a long lifespan that stays relevant. So not every old SF book is a classic. Others that are maybe considered classics are no longer relevant due to outdated ideas. While there are books written in the last 10 years that are actually classics. (although I admit that making a landmark in SF was of course earlier in the first decades of the genre. )
@@petervandeweyer517 I agree Peter. “Classic sci-fi” as a genre really refers to vintage, and “classic” sci-fi as a description of quality/importance etc. is not connected to release date.
OK, definitely not trying to start a flame war here but....I've always thought Foundation and Dune were over-rated - a bit like those movies that get rave reviews from pro critics and then (almost) everyone else feels obliged to agree? How about: "Darkness and the Deep" by Vardis Fisher, "Last and First Men" by Olaf Stabledon, "The City and the Stars" by Clarke, "Ringworld" or "The Mote in God's Eye" by Larry Niven, "Inherit the Stars" by James Hogan? The "Dorsai" series by Gordon R Dickson are worth a read.
I like Dune and Foundation, and recognize how important they are to the genre, but they’re not quite at the very top of my own personal favourites. Thanks for the recommendations!
Asimov: great worldbuilding, plot etc, but prose? Well, his prose is like a 14-year-old schoolboy wrote it. His idea of the underlying forces shaping society will be familiar to all Marxists! Dune: It’s like Lawrence’s “Seven Pillars of Wisdom” gone interstellar! 2001: more a great film than a great book! Still the greatest film of all time. Perhaps it always will be! Way Station: lukewarm at best. One of these galactic-wide gee-whizz books. Ubik: Love it to death! There is a building near Koblenz with an old advert on the side, and the only remaining letters are “ubik”. I sometimes wonder if I’ve died and not realised it when I drive by! Kurt Vonnegut!!! The only picture in my office is Kurt Vonnegut looking down at me and reminding me not to take myself too seriously! RIP Kurt. Oh, and the quote under the portrait? “So it goes!”. If you want to become a better human, read Vonnegut. "We are put here on earth to fart about, and don't let anybody tell you any different!".
Asimov felt like reading a manual at times. He wrote characters as if he never spoke to a single person in his life. Some cool ideas but execution for me was terrible. I think I dnf’d book two. Compared to his 3 peers (Heinlein, Dick and Clarke) he comes dead last for me. But some people love him! 🤷🏻♂️
Asimov had lots of good ideas and many of his short stories and novels were certainly interesting and influential, but I agree that the prose and the writing style were not that good. Personally, I don't like the Foundation series that much.
Well, to me your picks are more what I would call „modern classics“. When I think about „true“ classic SF it‘s more the likes of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells or (slightly more obscure) Kurd Laßwitz. That’s probably due to fact that being born in Germany in the late 60s there was a big likelihood you had those books even as a child and grew up with them. That’s especially true for Verne, whose books were sometimes even edited and shortened for a younger audience and also regularly adapted for television, radio plays and such. After that exposure for many of us the next logical step was towards writers like Clarke, Herbert or Asimov.
Thanks for the great info Stefan! I have read a bit of Verne and Wells and agree that there are subcategories within classic sci-fi going back even earlier.
Last year I read Rendevous with Rama. I would also recommend that one as one of the better classics around.
That’s awesome Peter! I love Arthur C. Clarke, he’s one of my favourite sci-fi writers. I’m going to read The City and the Stars by him next.
An Author I have enjoyed is H. Beam Piper ( Little Fuzzy written in 1962), humanity has spread to different planets but they haven't found sentient life until they have are on, this planet Zarathustra. All of the characters smoke continually and have cocktails before dinner. so it is quite a bit like the social ethos of the 50's and 60's. One character is a prospector of gem stones that finds a bipedal fuzzy animal that no one had seen before and they try to prove sentience , Another book is "Lord Kalvan of Other When" Where the main character Calvin Morrison a Pennsylvania state trooper who is accidentally transported to a more backward parallel universe
Thanks for the recommendations William, I’ll have to check them out!
Great video! I have only read Ender's Game and Dune out of the books mentioned. I recently bought Hyperion at a library sale so hopefully I will get to that one soon. I actually had no idea that Slaughter House Five was a science fiction book! Lol
Thanks Cindy! Let me know your thoughts on Hyperion or Slaughterhouse-Five if you read them. I hope you enjoy!
For me- Hyperion is the line. Its the last true "Classic" of any sort of "Classic" period, anything after that is varying levels of modern.
I can relate to that. Also, I was born in 1989 so it makes sense to me that anything older than I am is classic haha
I have fond memories of watching the Stanley Kubrick adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey with my father as a child. Great video as usual!
That’s an awesome memory! I watched it many years ago with a friend and still remember being blown away. I think the book and the film complement each other nicely. Thanks for the kind words, I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
Some great classic recommendations there. Are you a fan of H G Wells? He is one of the pioneers in the genre and I think his SF novels and short stories really stand the test of time, more so even than many SF writers who came generations after him.
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed the video! I have only read The Time Machine, which wasn’t a mind blowing read for a modern reader, but I enjoyed it and appreciated how inventive it was for its time. I need to try more of his books!
@@WordsinTime Yes he was definitely a very innovative author. The First Men in the Moon is my favourite of his I've read so far, not his most well known work but it has an intriguing first contact narrative and some very imaginative world building.
In the 50s and 60s, many authors wrote short, punchy books which told a strong story in the 200 to 300 pages you alluded to for classic SF!
Absolutely, I don’t mind longer books if the story requires it, but I love short classics that are tight but still packed with ideas!
Fantastic video!!!
Thanks so much Dino! It’s fun to be able to talk about these books with other sci-fi fans!
immeasurably helpful, thank you.
You’re very welcome, I hope you like these books!
Great video!
Thanks Miljan, glad you enjoyed it!
I never thought about it before, but I think I've always defined "classic scifi" similarly where 80's is kind of the beginning of modern scifi. I've been intimidated to read 2001 a Space Odyssey for some reason, even though I loved Childhood's End. I've seen the movie and I guess I wonder if losing the brilliant visual aspect of the movie wouldn't make the story hit the same. But it's still on my TBR. Slaughterhouse Five will always have a special place in my heart.
2001 is a tiny bit dry at times but I think the high points definitely make it worth it. I watched the film first but still very much enjoyed the book!
@@WordsinTime Especially the second part of the 2001 novel is great.
Really enjoyed your thoughts here, it's almost like an essay. I always felt that the New Wave writers went beyond "classic", for me their works were absolutely exhilarating, reading them in the 90s/20s.
Sink is amazing, need to reread some of his work. Thank you!
Thanks Reflektor, I’m glad you enjoyed it! I agree, there are so many great writers from that era!
Psychohistory is definitely influenced by Plato-Hegel-Marx view on history and its laws.
The funny thing is The Foundation series is the use of atomic energy in every aspect of life, including kitchenware.
Interesting points Alex! I’ll have to read up more on those!
Another great list! I’ve been exploring classic scifi a bit the last few years and found I’ve loved some like Herbert and Asimov, and didn’t like others like Heinlein. I have three each by Asimov and Clarke planned for Scifi September! Looking forward to reading Clarke as I haven’t read him in probably 20 years, and not extensively.
That’s awesome! Of those Clarke is my favourite. I haven’t read Heinlein yet as I’m not sure he’s for me, but I will try at least one of his books.
I liked Starship Troopers, but Stranger in a Strange Land caused me to not want to read any more Heinlein!
I think you're off on the stylistic divide, though that divide certain came into being. It just happened earlier than you think. The important divide for me is in the mid-60s, and to me pre-80s sf is divided into 2 very distinct and separate categories, Golden Age and New Wave. Golden Age is truly old school, tech oriented, with very few books concerned with characters or women (or written by women), though of course there are a few important exceptions to all of those. When the New Wave movement hit all of that started to change, and sf became (frankly) much more literary. Of course some Golden Age sf continued to be written into the 70s and even 80s, but the mid-60s is when the shift was felt by many readers and a lot of new writers came onto the scene that reflected that.
I agree with your assessment of New Wave. For this particular video I tried to simplify the divide into just modern and classic. However, there are divisions within each of those. I would classify New Wave as classic, but there certainly was a shift from Golden Age to New Wave.
@@WordsinTime New Wave is definitely classic in terms of tech, you are right. I just felt like the tech and style divides happened at different times.
@@Verlopil Brian Aldiss, Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, P. K. Dick, Norman Spinrad, Thomas Dish, J. G. Ballard, Michael Moorcock, S. Delany, J. Tiptree are among the best and most well known representatives of the "New Wave" ( some of them not exclusively though...). This NW period was at its peak around 1960s and 1970s and I believe that it was equally influential ( as it was the previous classic science fiction) for many subsequent writers.
NW was artistic and literary , sometimes avant-garde-ish and many times cerebral in a different, "modern" way compared to the previous "golden age" era that was focused mainly on the ideas and concepts and was more straightforwardly written.
@@dimitrispapadimitriou5622 Yes, that's pretty much what I said. It was an interesting era to live through, and to start reading sf on the cusp of it all. Golden age was fun, but New Wave was what made me a fan for life.
I totally agree that the 80s feels like a transition period to me
There are some 80s scifi staples that still feel modern and others that feel more old school. I love your list. Waystation is one if my favorite books ever. Dune, Ubik, Slaughter House 5 all awesome. As a fan of scifi older than me I tend to warn people who aren't used to it that it might feel a bit racist/sexist for modern readers. Theres not a lot of blatant instances but theres often a causal comment or description that can rub people the wrong way if they aren't prepared. But scifi in general tends to be much better than general fiction
I’m glad you enjoyed these books as well! I agree there some older books that are dated now.
I loved the slow pace of of Way Station. I usually like epic, sweeping scifi, but sometimes it's nice to take a break from that. Simak did a great job with that book.
Ubik is my favorite P.K. Dick novel. It's a hard book to talk about without spoilers.
It's hard to come up with titles that can compete with your list. Maybe Heinlein's The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. It's about a moon colony rebelling against Earth, American Revolution style.
I’m glad you also loved Way Station! And Ubik is my favourite of the 4 PKD books I’ve read so far.
Great list, I've read them all except 2001.
My list would include:
Hyperion by Dan Simmons, 1989
Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson, 1960
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, 1985
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein, 1966
Ringworld by Larry Niven, 1970
Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg, 1972
Awesome list! Hyperion and Ender’s Game are two of my favourites. Silverberg is on my TBR. I’ll check out Dorsai! Thanks for the recommendation!
I loved Ringworld and was so-so on Hyperion. Also on Stranger in a Strange Land. Really liked Ender’s Game but read to many of it’s sequels looking for another one just as good.
@@DuckRon626 Try these, all solid efforts by my reckoning:
Neal Stephenson, especially "Cryptonomicom", "Anathem", "Reamde"
Iain M Banks Culture Series, especially "Use of Weapons", "Player of games", "Inversions"
Alastair Reynolds, especially "House of Suns", Revelation Space"
Dragon's Egg by Robert L Forward!!!!!!
Yes, definitely an inspiration for Children of Time.
My fav classic is or was Cities in Flight, by James Bliss. On the topic of prose, given all the writers then and now, Carl Sagan's novel, Contact, is a great example of clean, clear prose. Sagan 's novel was a master piece besides.
Contact is on my TBR and I’ll have to check out Cities in Flight. Thanks for the recommendation Rachel!
I loved Way Station. Why hasn't it been made into a movie? It was such an interesting and satisfying novel.
I loved it too! And I think it would suit an adaptation!
My first scifi book. Still outstanding.
I've read and enjoyed Foundation novels (the original trilogy), Dune (my favorite), but I didn't care much for Dune Messiah and didn't continue with the series. 2001 is part of my TBR, as is Slaughterhouse Five, and Ubik. But PKD may not be a good fit for me. I tried to read his classic The Man in the High Castle and DNF'd it. I did enjoy Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Happy reading.
Thanks Curt! I didn’t particularly enjoy The Man in the High Castle but I loved Ubik, especially the second half. I hope you do too!
I'm smarter than the average bear, but "2001 A Space Odyssey" always seemed to fly over my head until technology caught up and I could google it. However, it did give me one of my favorite "wifey comebacks" to my husband David. "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that." Thank you, Mr. Clarke.
Hahaha love that!
The most classical sci-fi book I have read is "Comical History of the States and Empires of the Moon" written by Cyrano de Bergerac published posthumously in 1657.
I’ll look that one up Trevor!
So I guess we have to fight. haha. Interestingly, I am working on a very similar video but my editing is... much slower than yours. However, I think classic sci fi is not about inventing new technologies, although that is exciting--- its about taking today's technology and projecting its consequences into our future. And that's why technology of the time matters. Thanks for the video, can't wait until I finally finish my edits.
Haha looking forward to watching your video! I agree, both the technology and the implications of the technology are interesting to explore in sci-fi!
How about Zelazny? His novel, published under two different titles, "This Immortal" "...and call me Conrad". Tied Dune for the Hugo.
I have only read Lord of Light so I will need to check out This Immortal. Thanks for the recommendation!
@@WordsinTime It's a great book.
Golden Age Sci-Fi is undeniably Classic Sci-Fi.
A modern work can be an instant classic.
Difference between Classic and Vintage.
Vintage Sci-Fi is undeniably not Modern..
7P🚀
That’s a good way of looking at it. I totally agree!
I agree: vintage and Classic is not the same. A classic is a book with a long lifespan that stays relevant. So not every old SF book is a classic. Others that are maybe considered classics are no longer relevant due to outdated ideas. While there are books written in the last 10 years that are actually classics. (although I admit that making a landmark in SF was of course earlier in the first decades of the genre. )
@@petervandeweyer517 I agree Peter. “Classic sci-fi” as a genre really refers to vintage, and “classic” sci-fi as a description of quality/importance etc. is not connected to release date.
I have read dune.
It's my favourite 💕
Awesome, I’m glad you enjoyed it! I need to finish the series!
Can you recommend modern scifi books to start with?
Yes, I will be making a similar video for modern sci-fi books soon!
Asimov’s “foundation” for his Foundation trilogy was The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Thanks for sharing Ron!
Ha ha, GenX still giving everyone trouble!
Haha what to do with them!?
OK, definitely not trying to start a flame war here but....I've always thought Foundation and Dune were over-rated - a bit like those movies that get rave reviews from pro critics and then (almost) everyone else feels obliged to agree?
How about:
"Darkness and the Deep" by Vardis Fisher,
"Last and First Men" by Olaf Stabledon,
"The City and the Stars" by Clarke,
"Ringworld" or "The Mote in God's Eye" by Larry Niven,
"Inherit the Stars" by James Hogan?
The "Dorsai" series by Gordon R Dickson are worth a read.
I like Dune and Foundation, and recognize how important they are to the genre, but they’re not quite at the very top of my own personal favourites. Thanks for the recommendations!
Asimov: great worldbuilding, plot etc, but prose? Well, his prose is like a 14-year-old schoolboy wrote it. His idea of the underlying forces shaping society will be familiar to all Marxists!
Dune: It’s like Lawrence’s “Seven Pillars of Wisdom” gone interstellar!
2001: more a great film than a great book! Still the greatest film of all time. Perhaps it always will be!
Way Station: lukewarm at best. One of these galactic-wide gee-whizz books.
Ubik: Love it to death! There is a building near Koblenz with an old advert on the side, and the only remaining letters are “ubik”. I sometimes wonder if I’ve died and not realised it when I drive by!
Kurt Vonnegut!!! The only picture in my office is Kurt Vonnegut looking down at me and reminding me not to take myself too seriously! RIP Kurt. Oh, and the quote under the portrait? “So it goes!”. If you want to become a better human, read Vonnegut. "We are put here on earth to fart about, and don't let anybody tell you any different!".
I’m glad you love Vonnegut and Ubik! And 2001 is an incredible film!
Asimov felt like reading a manual at times. He wrote characters as if he never spoke to a single person in his life. Some cool ideas but execution for me was terrible. I think I dnf’d book two. Compared to his 3 peers (Heinlein, Dick and Clarke) he comes dead last for me. But some people love him! 🤷🏻♂️
I found Asimov’s ideas interesting, but his dialogue didn’t feel organic.
Asimov had lots of good ideas and many of his short stories and novels were certainly interesting and influential, but I agree that the prose and the writing style were not that good.
Personally, I don't like the Foundation series that much.
Well, to me your picks are more what I would call „modern classics“. When I think about „true“ classic SF it‘s more the likes of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells or (slightly more obscure) Kurd Laßwitz. That’s probably due to fact that being born in Germany in the late 60s there was a big likelihood you had those books even as a child and grew up with them. That’s especially true for Verne, whose books were sometimes even edited and shortened for a younger audience and also regularly adapted for television, radio plays and such. After that exposure for many of us the next logical step was towards writers like Clarke, Herbert or Asimov.
Thanks for the great info Stefan! I have read a bit of Verne and Wells and agree that there are subcategories within classic sci-fi going back even earlier.
Classic SF = slide rules
Modern SF = computers
Haha well put Adam!
Neutron Star smeone last name Niven!!
I have read The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle but I need to check out Neutron Star!
Get a Patreon account homie
Thanks for the suggestion Ryan! Let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see included in a Patreon membership.