Can anyone recommend a good science fiction book to read?
I’m looking a science fiction book to read but I don’t really like sci-fi books about aliens, does anyone have any suggestions?
Some science fiction books I have read recently that I liked were 1984, The Hunger Games, and Enders Game which admittedly does have a few aliens.
- grace
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Tags: Aliens, Hunger, Sci Fi Books, Science Books, Science Fiction Books
May 20th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Foundation by Asimov is science fiction, and there are no aliens. It’s also a classic.
May 21st, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Dune by Frank Herbert is science fiction at its best. No aliens.
EDIT: Why the thumbs-down? It is!
Here’s a quick summary:
Set in the far future amidst a sprawling feudal interstellar empire where planetary fiefdoms are controlled by noble Houses that owe an allegiance to the Imperial House Corrino, Dune tells the story of young Paul Atreides (heir apparent to Duke Leto Atreides and scion of House Atreides) as he and his family accept control of the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the spice melange, the most important and valuable substance in the universe. Emperor Shaddam IV has come to fear House Atreides, partly due to the growing popularity of Duke Leto Atreides and also because the talent of Leto’s fighting force is beginning to rival the effectiveness of the Emperor’s own dreaded Imperial Sardaukar guard. Shaddam decides that House Atreides must be destroyed, but cannot risk an overt attack on a single House, which would by necessity unite the other Houses against him. The Emperor instead uses the centuries-old feud between House Atreides and House Harkonnen to disguise his assault, enlisting the brilliant and power-hungry Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in his plan to trap and eliminate the Atreides. Shaddam forces Leto to accept the lucrative fief of the desert planet Arrakis, the only known source of the spice melange, previously controlled by the Harkonnens.
Complicating the political intrigue is the fact that the Duke’s son Paul Atreides is an essential part of the Bene Gesserit’s secret, centuries-old breeding program to create a superhuman called the Kwisatz Haderach. There are signs that Paul might actually be the Kwisatz Haderach, born one generation earlier than expected. The Atreides suspect foul play, and are able to thwart the initial Harkonnen traps and complications while simultaneously building trust with the local population of Fremen. Ultimately, however, the Atreides are unable to withstand a devastating Harkonnen attack, supported by Imperial Sardaukar disguised as Harkonnen troops and aided by a traitor within House Atreides itself — the Suk doctor Wellington Yueh. Captured, Duke Leto dies in a failed attempt to assassinate Baron Harkonnen. Paul and his mother Lady Jessica escape into the deep desert. With Jessica’s Bene Gesserit abilities and Paul’s developing skills, they manage to join a band of Fremen, ferocious fighters who ride the giant sandworms of Arrakis.
And thus begins the greatest science fiction novel ever written.
May 24th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Harry Potter, end of discussion. It’s science fiction, action, magic, mystery, and more.
May 26th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
The Mars trilogy (Mars, Return to Mars and Mars Life) by Ben Bova. The characters in the story find alien artefacts, but not the aliens themselves.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:06 am
Try Tunnel in the Sky by Robet A. Heinlein
May 31st, 2009 at 7:37 am
I havent read it but ive heard 1984 is excellent.
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:22 am
The above answers are classics of the Sci Fi genre, but may not be right for you.
It would be easier if you had an example of a SciFi book you’ve read that doesn’t have aliens. My favorites always have aliens. And laser guns!
Some would classify Michael Crichton as SciFi. I’m trying to think of other near future SciFi.
If you want to try aliens, google John Scalzi.
June 5th, 2009 at 5:52 am
The Host by Stephenie Meyer.
Amazing book (1000x better than Twilight).
I’m read it like 4 times.
I usually don’t like Sci-fi but this one was REALLY good.
June 8th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
While these books *technically* have aliens, they are not the meat of the book,
Try the Ender’s Game books by Orson Scott Card.
So far I have only read Ender’s Game, Ender’s Shadow, and Ender in Exile, but the rest are definitely on my list.
June 9th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld is wonderful. Another one you might enjoy is Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.
June 9th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Read ‘Black Hole’ on
June 10th, 2009 at 7:53 am
Ok, not all of these are sci-fi since I used this answer before. I will put an asterisk in front of the sci-fi ones. I think I might have repeated one or two as well. I read those books you read too, and really liked them, especially Ender’s Game! Some of the ones here are about aliens, but with the exception of the Ark and the Xenocide Mission and Interstellar Pig and Parasite Pig the aliens are not very involved in the story. I think the only other one with aliens was The Angel Factory. The rest of the books are really good, too, by the way, though they aren’t sci-fi.
***1. Genesis Alpha
***2. The Angel Factory by Terrence Blacker
***3. The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer
***4. Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins, who wrote The Hunger Games
***5. The Animorphs series by K.A. Applegate
***6. The Remnants series by K.A. Applegate
***7. Earthseed by Pamela Sargent
***8. Storm Thief by Chris Wooding-one of the gems of the literary world that, for some reason, many teens don’t know about
9. The Beguilers by Kate Thompson
***10. The Ark and The Xenocide Mission by Ben Jeapes
***11. Interstellar Pig by William Sleator
***12. Unwind by Neal Shusterman-a really good book that makes you think about many ethical issues, as well as being creepy in a good way
13. Everlost by Neal Shusterman
14. Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
15. Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer
16. Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar; this is a really funny book
17. Hidden Talents by David Lubar
18. Gatekeeper Series by Anthony Horowitz
19. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
***20. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
21. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld-an excellent vampire novel
22. Happy Kid! by Gail Gauthier
23. Mimus by Lily Thal
24. Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones
25. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
26. The Beguilers by Kate Thompson
27. Half-Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer; my favorite detective story of all time, and I’ve read all of the Sherlock Holmes stories
***28. Animorphs series by K.A. Applegate-needs some patience; the series has 54 books, but it’s action-packed and really good for people who like sci-fi
***29. The Ark by Ben Jeapes and it’s sequel The Xenocide Mission
30. Pendragon series by D.J. MacHale
31. Deltora Quest series by Emily Rodda, as well as the following series of Deltora Shadowlands and Dragons of Deltora. They’re aimed towards a younger audience, but still has enough clever plot twists so that it’s really interesting even when I read it now.
32. World War Z by Max Brooks-wow I can’t believe I nearly forgot this because I just read it a couple months ago and it’s possibly the best zombie book every written. It’s so interesting and relevant to the world we live in and so realistic that it’s simply amazing. With an interesting oral history format, when I finished reading it I just sat back and thought ‘wow.’ and got really excited when I found out it’s being made into a movie.
These are mostly YA books, apt considering that I’m fifteen. I tried to avoid the really well-known series because if they’re really well-known, you’ve probably already read them. Also, I know this isn’t a book, but I’m on a roll here so I recommend that you watch the TV show Avatar: the Last Airbender. It’s the best TV show ever period. If you don’t believe me just watch it; the perfect blend of action, comedy, romance, spiritualism, and plot. The best plot of any show period and can even rival most of the books on this list, and is being made into a movie trilogy. Wow, I just spent a lot of time on this list. Hope it helps!