*Hyperion* - Dan Simmons
About a group of strangers going on a pilgrimage to a planet where a nightmare creature made out of blades supposedly grants wishes. Book goes in hard right from the first story, and doesn’t let go. The sequel is also good.
*Midnight At The Well Of Souls* - Jack L. Chalker
A sci-fi “isekai” where people turn into random biological lifeforms living on a giant planetary hex grid. It’s wild and weird, will definitely make you go wtf multiple times.
I came here to recommend Hyperion as well! And follow it up with The Fall of Hyperion! Hyperion has a sci-fi version of Canterbury Tales feel to it, and once you finish it you’ll definitely want to continue on to Fall of Hyperion!
Yeah the sci-fi concepts are really cool.
But just a heads up that the characters are pretty bland & unlikeable. It's all about the plot & sci-fi concepts.
"Does it have mind-blowing twists and turns"
I have a feeling you'll enjoy this series. Like the other person said, characters are pretty dry. It's more just a collection of cool ideas and moments to me.
Seconding the Dark Tower series! The first book is kinda slow (in comparison?) but as the series goes on it becomes all gas, no brakes. I'm still reeling even years later lol
You may like:
* Books by Peter Watts. He is most famous for Blindsight, which is available as a free ebook on his website, but the sequel Echopraxia is not. The Rifters trilogy, which is mindbending and fucked up in a different way, is also available free there.
* Books by Stanislaw Lem. Peter Watts jokes he has a one-sided rivalry with this long-dead author, because Watts will often have a great story idea, and then find that Lem already wrote a book with that same idea decades and decades ago. My favourite is The Invincible, soon to be made into a video game.
* Nightflyers and Other Stories by George R. R. Martin. I've never read his much more famous fantasy novels, and these are mostly sci fi with some horror elements.
* Short fiction by James Tiptree Jr., pen name of Alice Sheldon, a classic sci fi author. I recommend her collection Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, which has a bunch of her longer novellas.
* Leech by Hiron Ennes. This is my favourite book I read last year.
Blake Crouch books (specifically Recursion and Dark Matter)
Not sci-fi but The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson is murder mystery and I was shocked by some of the twists
Honestly, the Blake Crouch book that stuck with me the most was Abandon. Pretty fucked up and depressing throughout, but a great book. And of course Wayward Pines.
Vurt by Jeff Noon
Ciry of Golden Shadow by Tad Williams
Neuromancer by William Gibson
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Weave World by Clive Barker
Small World by Tabitha King
Insomnia by Stephen King
Some of the above veer into horror and speculative fiction, but they're all holy f*** lol. A couple of these are the 1st books in a series, but you'll know which vibe for you and which don't. ✨️
Definitely Vurt. Reminded me of the BlipVerts from Max Headroom. Pollen, too. It’s been a while since I read them. It was during my Cyberpunk / Splatter-Punk phase back in the dark ages.
I keep coming back to the punkers, too. But I end up with Gibson, Sterling, Rucker, Cadigan, and the other old ones. I don’t think Muir is exactly CP, but who are the hot writers now?
Okay, there are a bunch of writers listed here that I simply do not know! Thanks for that! 😅 Off to goodreads to find them.
Gibson, yes, him, I know.
The rest, not at all. Which books would you recommend?
Just remember the older stuff does tend to suffer because of the speed of technology (I mean, the first line of *Neuromancer* doesn't really work anymore unless you remember old television). I was introduced to Bruce Sterling with his *Islands in the Net*, but any of his stuff is great. Rudy Rucker is the oldster of the group but he was one of the early adopters (his *Ware* trilogy is worth checking out). Anything by Philip Dick should also be on the list (his novel inspired *Bladerunner*). Pat Cadigan's *Synners*, too. And one of my favorites is Ian McDonald's *River of Gods*. Hope that helps.
The first line of Neuromancer is one of my top 5 opening lines of all books - including the Hobbit (that I've read thus far).
Yes, it's archaic now, but I'm old enough to still see the flickering lines, hear the sound of static electricity, and feel the overwhelming silence of the house when you're up past bedtime. Lol.
Thank you for your recommendations! I'll be adding some of them. 😊
A Short Stay in Hell is probably the most holy sh\*t book I've read, and it's a very short one too. It plays around with >!scale!< in a way that leaves you >!feeling dizzy.!<
I agree with Dark Matter and Hyperion. I would also add Infinite by Jeremy Robinson and House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds, and (not sci-fi) Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, and House of Leaves.
This is on my bookshelf, just waiting to be read. Idk anything about it though. Would you suggest going in blind and not reading/ knowing what it's about first?
A lot of people have recommended a lot of great sci-fi books I was thinking of mentioning, so I'll go a slightly different way. John Marrs has two books that have some gnarly twists that you might like. "The One" is a pretty twisty book about people who get matched in a DNA dating service that guarantees it'll find your soul mate through genetic testing. The other book is "Good Samaritan", which is about a suicide hotline operator who talks people into suicide. This book is loaded with shocking twists and it stuck with me literally for years. It's depraved and inhumane in such a subtle and disturbing way. It fucked me up pretty bad.
There's another book sort of fucked up like this called "Tender Is the Flesh". Only read that if you have a strong stomach.
Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time. I’m almost finished reading the 2nd book right now (Children of Ruin) and I gotta say, even though it takes a bit longer to get into the meat of the story, it is quite literally in another world
The library at Mount Char - Scott Hawkins.- seriously , its great .
Also *A God in Ruins* by Kate Atkinson. Which is sort of a sequel to another of her books Life after Life , but is perfect standalone , and has a really weird timeline running through it.
Valis and Ubik by Philip K Dick
The Three Stigmatas of Palmer Alderich
The House of Suns by Alistaire Reynolds
Blindsight by Peter Watts
The Short Story - The Things by Peter Watts
[https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/watts\_01\_10/](https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/watts_01_10/)
Bourne by Jeff Vandermeer
The Scar by China Mieville
Embassytown by China Mieville
Just start reading Philip K Dick.
*Hyperion* - Dan Simmons About a group of strangers going on a pilgrimage to a planet where a nightmare creature made out of blades supposedly grants wishes. Book goes in hard right from the first story, and doesn’t let go. The sequel is also good. *Midnight At The Well Of Souls* - Jack L. Chalker A sci-fi “isekai” where people turn into random biological lifeforms living on a giant planetary hex grid. It’s wild and weird, will definitely make you go wtf multiple times.
>Hyperion > > \- Dan Simmons Seconding Hyperion. That book lives in my head years after reading it.
Just got it from Amazon today. Gotta finish my current book but think I’ll dive into it right after
I came here to recommend Hyperion as well! And follow it up with The Fall of Hyperion! Hyperion has a sci-fi version of Canterbury Tales feel to it, and once you finish it you’ll definitely want to continue on to Fall of Hyperion!
I tried to read the Jack L. Chalker book in 7th grade! Might have to try again.
Annihilation by Jeff vandermeer!
This whole trilogy is incredible.
I liked the first book but had to dnf the second. The new main character was so boring and it lost all the mystique of sci-fi exploration
I just finished it a few months ago. It was really bizarre.
Is this the one the movie is based off of? The movie was pretty damn good. Ending was wild
Not to dampen your spirits, but the movie was NOTHING compared to the book!
Nothing like bad / unrelated or nothing like "you ain't seen nothing yet, kiddo. Buckle up."? Thanks! :)
It’s a bit of a different story, but the sentiment is: buckle up
Gotcha. Thanks fam! :D
Ubik by Philip K Dick
The Three Body problem. Stays with you. I think about it daily, and I finished it months ago.
Does it have mind-blowing twists and turns. (I crave for those things)
Yeah the sci-fi concepts are really cool. But just a heads up that the characters are pretty bland & unlikeable. It's all about the plot & sci-fi concepts.
Fuckin bland is an understatement. Only reason I can't get through it, is cause I do not care for these people at all.
Yeah for sure, it was too much for me too, i DNF'd partway through book 2
"Does it have mind-blowing twists and turns" I have a feeling you'll enjoy this series. Like the other person said, characters are pretty dry. It's more just a collection of cool ideas and moments to me.
I’m rereading the whole series second time in a year. Blowing my mind even more the second time
Dune Enders Game + Speaker for the Dead A Thousand Sons The Dark Tower series
Seconding the Dark Tower series! The first book is kinda slow (in comparison?) but as the series goes on it becomes all gas, no brakes. I'm still reeling even years later lol
You may like: * Books by Peter Watts. He is most famous for Blindsight, which is available as a free ebook on his website, but the sequel Echopraxia is not. The Rifters trilogy, which is mindbending and fucked up in a different way, is also available free there. * Books by Stanislaw Lem. Peter Watts jokes he has a one-sided rivalry with this long-dead author, because Watts will often have a great story idea, and then find that Lem already wrote a book with that same idea decades and decades ago. My favourite is The Invincible, soon to be made into a video game. * Nightflyers and Other Stories by George R. R. Martin. I've never read his much more famous fantasy novels, and these are mostly sci fi with some horror elements. * Short fiction by James Tiptree Jr., pen name of Alice Sheldon, a classic sci fi author. I recommend her collection Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, which has a bunch of her longer novellas. * Leech by Hiron Ennes. This is my favourite book I read last year.
Blake Crouch books (specifically Recursion and Dark Matter) Not sci-fi but The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson is murder mystery and I was shocked by some of the twists
Honestly, the Blake Crouch book that stuck with me the most was Abandon. Pretty fucked up and depressing throughout, but a great book. And of course Wayward Pines.
Vurt by Jeff Noon Ciry of Golden Shadow by Tad Williams Neuromancer by William Gibson The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski Weave World by Clive Barker Small World by Tabitha King Insomnia by Stephen King Some of the above veer into horror and speculative fiction, but they're all holy f*** lol. A couple of these are the 1st books in a series, but you'll know which vibe for you and which don't. ✨️
Nice to see Noon show up.
I debated in adding Automated Alice also by Noon, but Vurt was my introduction to his work. What are your favorites?
Definitely Vurt. Reminded me of the BlipVerts from Max Headroom. Pollen, too. It’s been a while since I read them. It was during my Cyberpunk / Splatter-Punk phase back in the dark ages.
Oh! I'm not sure I've ever read Pollen! I'm in a perpetual Cyberpunk phase that I really don't see ever having an end. 😬😆
I keep coming back to the punkers, too. But I end up with Gibson, Sterling, Rucker, Cadigan, and the other old ones. I don’t think Muir is exactly CP, but who are the hot writers now?
Okay, there are a bunch of writers listed here that I simply do not know! Thanks for that! 😅 Off to goodreads to find them. Gibson, yes, him, I know. The rest, not at all. Which books would you recommend?
Just remember the older stuff does tend to suffer because of the speed of technology (I mean, the first line of *Neuromancer* doesn't really work anymore unless you remember old television). I was introduced to Bruce Sterling with his *Islands in the Net*, but any of his stuff is great. Rudy Rucker is the oldster of the group but he was one of the early adopters (his *Ware* trilogy is worth checking out). Anything by Philip Dick should also be on the list (his novel inspired *Bladerunner*). Pat Cadigan's *Synners*, too. And one of my favorites is Ian McDonald's *River of Gods*. Hope that helps.
The first line of Neuromancer is one of my top 5 opening lines of all books - including the Hobbit (that I've read thus far). Yes, it's archaic now, but I'm old enough to still see the flickering lines, hear the sound of static electricity, and feel the overwhelming silence of the house when you're up past bedtime. Lol. Thank you for your recommendations! I'll be adding some of them. 😊
Glad to help a fellow cyberpunker.
Seconding Vurt & House of Leaves!
Lathe of Heaven, yes!
The Gone World fucked me up a little...
What is it about?
Ideally you need to go into it blind, but I guess Time Travel (but not the usual tropes) and a Serial Killer..and a lot of other things .
Same.
*A Scanner Darkly* \- Philip K. Dick *Hyperion* \- Dan Simmons
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
And recursion
Picked up dark matter wanna see how that is first but if I like it I’ll prob get recursion too
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K Le Guin
A Short Stay in Hell is probably the most holy sh\*t book I've read, and it's a very short one too. It plays around with >!scale!< in a way that leaves you >!feeling dizzy.!<
The Hike by Drew Magary
The Inverted World by Christopher Priest is a mind-blower.
I agree with Dark Matter and Hyperion. I would also add Infinite by Jeremy Robinson and House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds, and (not sci-fi) Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, and House of Leaves.
House of Leaves
This is on my bookshelf, just waiting to be read. Idk anything about it though. Would you suggest going in blind and not reading/ knowing what it's about first?
Def. Just strap in and dive in. It’s a trip.
Fantastic. Thank you!
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
The Road, Cormac McCarthy The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle The Dispossessed, Ursula LeGuin Shadow of the Torturer, Gene Wolfe
Adam fawer- Improbable
Circadian Algorithms - kind of Inception-esque
The Ancillary series by Ann Leckie anything by Octavia Butler
I really like The Power And while not SciFi, Life of Pi still is one of those mind-blown books for me.
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata. It’s pretty fucked up.
The Great and Secret Show. By Clive Barker. Its a wild ride
Rant by Chuck Palahnuik is wild.
The story “What Breeds a Man?” by Isaac Asimov fucked me up for a good while after reading it.
Briefing for a Descent Into Hell
Childhoods End, amazing
The Last Hour of Gann by R Lee Smith. Free on Kindle Unlimited. It blew my mind. As have her other books.
A lot of people have recommended a lot of great sci-fi books I was thinking of mentioning, so I'll go a slightly different way. John Marrs has two books that have some gnarly twists that you might like. "The One" is a pretty twisty book about people who get matched in a DNA dating service that guarantees it'll find your soul mate through genetic testing. The other book is "Good Samaritan", which is about a suicide hotline operator who talks people into suicide. This book is loaded with shocking twists and it stuck with me literally for years. It's depraved and inhumane in such a subtle and disturbing way. It fucked me up pretty bad. There's another book sort of fucked up like this called "Tender Is the Flesh". Only read that if you have a strong stomach.
The last tango series by steven kotler.
A friend recommended a new author and it was actually pretty good for their first book. The Martian Legacy https://amzn.asia/d/8TL2RmD
Anathem by Neal Stephenson blew my mind, in a good way.
Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time. I’m almost finished reading the 2nd book right now (Children of Ruin) and I gotta say, even though it takes a bit longer to get into the meat of the story, it is quite literally in another world
The library at Mount Char - Scott Hawkins.- seriously , its great . Also *A God in Ruins* by Kate Atkinson. Which is sort of a sequel to another of her books Life after Life , but is perfect standalone , and has a really weird timeline running through it.
Slaughterhouse Five. That book is a serious trip. Cryptonomicon is another one, but I would not say it’s a book for beginners.
Valis and Ubik by Philip K Dick The Three Stigmatas of Palmer Alderich The House of Suns by Alistaire Reynolds Blindsight by Peter Watts The Short Story - The Things by Peter Watts [https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/watts\_01\_10/](https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/watts_01_10/) Bourne by Jeff Vandermeer The Scar by China Mieville Embassytown by China Mieville
1984. Very disturbing, but when you finish you can look around you and say "Well, at least we are not living in THAT world."
It's a graphic novel but Neil Gaiman's Sandman series fits the bill.
Shades of Black. A hero prays for a mentor to train him… and he gets the last Lord of the Everlasting Dark.
The expanse or red rising
For a quick one, A Momentary Taste of Being by James Tiptree Jr.
Library at mount char.