I know this one is dumb because the word ‘science’ is in the name of the genre, but I’m looking for a book that can be appreciated for the plot without having the deep discussion of theoretical science. I used to really want to get into SciFi, but the people in my life who are into it always seem to sort of look down in scorn on me because I didn’t have a fascination (or intellectual capacity) for the actual science part of the genre. They’d always recommend a super science heavy book and when I didn’t get into it, I think they just thought I was dumb. It kinda turned me off of the genre as a whole. I liked Murderbot and Hitchhikers, but I’m wondering if there’s a non comedic sci-fi book that isn’t super science heavy?
by Leading_Atti2de
6 Comments
*Flowers for Algernon*
There’s a lot. Starship troopers, dune, enders game, hyperion, stranger in a strange land, the stars my destination, the zones of thought series, Gateway, A canticle for liebowitz, flowers for algernon (not sure if that’s really sci fi),
Lots out there.
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
A Half Built Garden by Ruthanna Emerys
Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn
Victories Greater than Death by Charlie Jane Anders
The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker
Stephen Donaldson’s *Gap Cycle* series – a space opera where the plot/story is everything.
{{The Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn}}
The kind of stuff you’re describing is often subcategorized as “hard sci-fi,” and yeah, it has its proponents, but it can get awful gadget-heavy; it’s like reading Tom Clancy in space sometimes.
The Oxford Time Travel series by Connie Willis (and really anything by her – she’s more people-oriented than gadget-oriented) comes to mind – but it’s more a question of whether you’re interested in the historical periods they’re visiting: _Doomsday Book_ – late Middle Ages; _To Say Nothing of the Dog_ – middle Victorian period; _Blackout_ and _All Clear_ – WWII.