Alrighty I've got a fun challenge for you reddit. My fave books all feature protagonists being put into Situations and having to work the problem and be clever about a solution, and often involves choosing being kind even when being a dick would be easier/faster/etc. I like scifi and fantasy, but I'm open to pretty much any fiction genre.
Examples: The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison, and the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells.
(I have tried reading the Bobiverse and Ancillary Justice and couldn't get into either)
by littleglitterbab
2 Comments
Heartstrikers series by Rachel Aaron, starting with Nice Dragons Finish Last – it was made for literally this reason! The MMC is a dragon in a very violent and power-focused culture, but he is a pacifist, and specifically wants to find non-violent solutions to all his problems. As a bonus, it’s a fantasy series with a very sci-fi setting!
_Dreamsnake_ was written specifically to explore a hero’s journey where overcoming adversaries was swapped out for healing. It follows a woman trekking across a wasteland and using a trio of alien snakes to administer medicine. When one is killed by a patient who fears snakes, she has to make the long journey home to beg for a replacement.