5 Great Sci-Fi Books I Read This Year
I’ve always been a huge fan of science fiction. Every year I find new stories that remind me of just how good sci fi can be. Here are five of the best science fiction books I’ve read this year (regardless of when they were originally published).
5.
Brilliance - If you can get past a couple minor issues, this is an excellent book. The first issue, as others have noted, is that if you've read an X-men comic before you've read a story with a premise very similar to this book's, which makes the quote by Lee Child on the cover exceedingly annoying. The next is that if you drank a shot every time the author wrote, "He opened his mouth, closed it," you'd be piss drunk the entire time you read it. And third, the ending is like something Hollywood would love, which is to say predictable and much too neat and happy-feeling. After having said all of that, however, I would still recommend this book. It was fun, moved at a great pace, and Sakey did a great job of keeping the plot interesting.
4.
The Stars My Destination – As with many works of science fiction published decades ago, there were parts of this book that showed their age and parts that reminded me why the classics remain influential today. One of the pleasant surprises about this for me was that the end was the best part. Bester concludes on a high note, which every reader loves.
3.
Old Man's War - Scalzi does a great job of blending humor with action. I was also impressed with the amount of plot shifts he brought into the story. This is one of the few instances I can think of where I wish the story would have been drawn out more. I would have had no problem with the entire first book in the series being the old man's time in boot camp rather than only spending a couple chapters on that area. Either way, I'll definitely be reading more from Scalzi in the future.
2.
Ready Player One - What a pleasure to read! In an age where authors are hit over the head with the idea that the first chapter has to catch the reader's interest right away, Ready Player One has one of the best opening chapters I've read in a long time. At every plot point Cline had an endless amount of directions he could have taken the story and I never once was disappointed with the way he veered the story. One of the few books I wish might have ended abruptly and without a resolution so the chance existed for a sequel. I’m eagerly awaiting Spielberg’s movie based on the book.
1.
The Sirens of TitanThe Sirens of Titan - This is Vonnegut at his best. Ever since reading Slaughterhouse-Five I've been looking for something that could compare to it. While Vonnegut's other books are also great, they didn't combine the same blend of science fiction, humor, and grand moral tale that his masterpiece did. The Sirens of Titan is worthy of being held in the same light and is truly great science fiction. This book makes me remember why I fell in love with Vonnegut in the first place.
5.
Brilliance - If you can get past a couple minor issues, this is an excellent book. The first issue, as others have noted, is that if you've read an X-men comic before you've read a story with a premise very similar to this book's, which makes the quote by Lee Child on the cover exceedingly annoying. The next is that if you drank a shot every time the author wrote, "He opened his mouth, closed it," you'd be piss drunk the entire time you read it. And third, the ending is like something Hollywood would love, which is to say predictable and much too neat and happy-feeling. After having said all of that, however, I would still recommend this book. It was fun, moved at a great pace, and Sakey did a great job of keeping the plot interesting.4.
The Stars My Destination – As with many works of science fiction published decades ago, there were parts of this book that showed their age and parts that reminded me why the classics remain influential today. One of the pleasant surprises about this for me was that the end was the best part. Bester concludes on a high note, which every reader loves.3.
Old Man's War - Scalzi does a great job of blending humor with action. I was also impressed with the amount of plot shifts he brought into the story. This is one of the few instances I can think of where I wish the story would have been drawn out more. I would have had no problem with the entire first book in the series being the old man's time in boot camp rather than only spending a couple chapters on that area. Either way, I'll definitely be reading more from Scalzi in the future.2.
Ready Player One - What a pleasure to read! In an age where authors are hit over the head with the idea that the first chapter has to catch the reader's interest right away, Ready Player One has one of the best opening chapters I've read in a long time. At every plot point Cline had an endless amount of directions he could have taken the story and I never once was disappointed with the way he veered the story. One of the few books I wish might have ended abruptly and without a resolution so the chance existed for a sequel. I’m eagerly awaiting Spielberg’s movie based on the book.1.
The Sirens of TitanThe Sirens of Titan - This is Vonnegut at his best. Ever since reading Slaughterhouse-Five I've been looking for something that could compare to it. While Vonnegut's other books are also great, they didn't combine the same blend of science fiction, humor, and grand moral tale that his masterpiece did. The Sirens of Titan is worthy of being held in the same light and is truly great science fiction. This book makes me remember why I fell in love with Vonnegut in the first place.
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Todd, if you do read the next book in Sakey's trilogy, definitely let me know how it is. I completely agree about Ready Player One -- I can't imagine how they'll get all of the necessary licenses, but with Spielberg behind it I imagine they'll find a way to get most of them.
I may have to re-read Ready Player One. At the time I read it, I felt like it was a story bolted onto the author's nostalgia that maybe didn't work quite as well as he thought. Then again, I may have been influenced by the super enthusiastic support for it from some people I know but whose opinions of literature I don't really trust. :) I don't know. I'll have to try again. It's probably better than I remember. I gave it three stars but I didn't write a review, so I don't remember now exactly what my thinking was.
I with you on two books, Old Man's War and Ready Payer One. I would honestly recommend to anyone who likes Sci Fi to read these. They are some of the best of current era. These are modern takes on what might be, taking today's world to the next step. Sort of like 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke did for computers in 1968. The others I haven't read yet.
That's a really good point, Rbjumbob. I can definitely see Old Man's War and Ready Player One carrying on the legacy of the early sci fi greats.
I loved Ready Player One -- one of the few books I checked out from the library and liked so much I had to buy it. It'll be interesting to see how many of the movie and game references make it to the big screen -- I'm sure there are licensing issues galore!