2001
It's a classic for a reason. This was a great reading of a book every Sci-Fi fan should read. Certainly not the first incarnation of rogue AI, but definitely one of the most important early on. I…
A Fire Upon the Deep
Couldn't. Even. Finish. I couldn't even get more than a few hours into it. And I tried twice to get into it.
A.I. Apocalypse
The premise here is awesome: a computer virus that goes sentient and grows so fast that it spawns entire ecosystems that fracture and fight each other. This was my favorite of the series, by far. My…
Agent to the Stars
This book is laugh-out-loud funny. Set in modern-day earth, the characters are well-written and the voice acting is fantastic (Wil Wheaton). It was Agent to the Stars that got me to revisit the Old…
Altered Carbon
I love this series and this book. It's a hard-boiled detective thriller with an awesome anti-hero protagonist. The tech of the future in this series is what I want from Sci-Fi: really advanced shit…
Anathem
I was pretty stoked to read this because it came highly recommended from a friend, and it was a Neal Stephenson novel, author of Diamond Age, one of my all-time favorite stand-alone sci-fi books.…
The Android's Dream
Books like this I wish I could rate 3.5 stars (my limitation is the plug-in I chose for doing these book reviews). John Scalzi comes up with amazing aliens in all of his books and this book is no…
Army of One
I had never read the Star Force series, so when Audible offered a free novella, I jumped on it to see if I'd like the series. I enjoyed the novella and decided to continue on with the series.
Artemis
Andy Weir is best known for The Martian—which was also a decent movie—and seemingly writing hard sci-fi, a sub-genre that tries to adhere to the laws of physics as closely as possible. As I started…
Avogadro Corp
The premise of the book—and keep in mind it was published in 2012—is that someone within a company that very much resembles Google, creates an AI to predict what you want to say in an email. That AI…
Broken Angels
As much as I loved the far-future Earth, I welcomed the second book taking place on another planet in the far-flung universe of this series. The main character is still the flawed anti-hero, just in…
Catching Fire
The first book was young adult sci-fi that was bearable across the age gap. This one was so absolutely unbearable I couldn't even get through it. I'm not going to waste another movement of my time or…
Chasm City
I read this right after The Prefect, and to me it's the perfect follow-on novel. The absolute strangeness of Chasm City is magnificent. Though I normally prefer space operas that bounce from world to…
Conquest
At this point in the series, the pattern to the plots become all too obvious. The travel between the worlds was interesting, as was the continual struggle for survival by the protagonist. But when…
Consider Phlebas
This was my first Culture series book, and is so far is still my favorite. It's a far-reaching novel with a protagonist you really want to root for, even if you don't fully understand his…
Count Zero
By far, this is the best book in the Sprawl Trilogy. What's that trilogy, you ask? Why, it starts with Neuromancer. I bet you didn't know the cyberpunk classic had sequels. Now you know. And now you…
Courageous
I think I liked this one, too. So many books... they blend together. Read the series review for my less-than-unequivocal recommendation. the TL;DR: great space battles, well-written interpersonal…
Daemon
Daemon rocked my world when I first read it, and still holds up to this day. Action-packed story that intertwines a number of character arcs as things just go off the rails in the modern world. It's…
Dark Eden
An interesting premise, with a world that is very well constructed sets the stage for a fascinating tale, but I still didn't want to continue with the series. It's a Swiss Family Robinson, but with a…
Dauntless
There's a lot of ways to play with time-loss in Sci-Fi, but I can't think of any other that pulls a lost hero from a life pod. It's a unique angle and makes for a very enjoyable first book,…
The Diamond Age
One of my favorite stand-alone sci-fi books. I don't love everything Stephenson writes, but I loved this one. It's a great look into the future. This book explores the possibilities of how technology…
Earth Afire
Now we get to it. The battle for Earth and the Sol system begins in earnest. The book follows multiple story lines throughout with plenty of characters to root for or against. While the Earth gets…
Earth Unaware
When this came out I was glad the Enderverse was expanding to cover the events leading up to Ender's Game. The first in the series is a setup for the rest of the series. It's clear that the book was…
Ender's Game
I consider Ender’s Game to be the single greatest leadership book ever written. Yet it’s sci-fi. And about children. WTF? Once upon a time I aspired to be a leader like Ender. After experimenting…
Ender's Shadow
This is a really solid companion to the masterful work that is Ender's Game. I love the story told from another perspective inside of one of my favorite books of all time. It adds depth to the…
Endymoin
I think book three is my favorite of the series. They pay-off is well worth it as you travel down the river through all the worlds, bouncing from story to story and discovering how they're all…
Extinction
Finding the first book in the series interesting, though not ground-breaking, I decided to continue on. The second book was neither bad nor good, and moved along fast enough to keep me interested. I…
The Fall of Hyperion
Book two of the series starts to dial in the main plot line, while still expanding the universe and taking you on a great ride. The first book is good, but this book is great.
Fearless
I think I liked this one, too. So many books in the series, they blend together. Read the series review for my less-than-unequivocal recommendation. the TL;DR: great space battles, well-written…
Freedom (TM)
Freedom (TM) and Daemon should really be sold together as a single book. There's no conclusion to the first book, you have to read the second. I still highly recommend Freedom (TM) as the action…
Galactic North
A series of short stories in the Revelation Space universe, my recommendation is that you only read it after having read all the others in the series. The stories start back at the very beginning of…
The Ghost Brigades
As short as these books are—at least for the sci-fi genre—they pack a punch. The thing that Scalzi does well is create interesting aliens that are truly... alien. At least to us. He also spreads out…
Great North Road
Peter F. Hamilton is one of the greatest sci-fi authors, in my opinion, and Great North Road exemplifies his work. This is an absolutely massive tome, but Hamilton does what he does best throughout…
House of Suns
John Lee narrating an Alastair Reynolds space opera sci-fi book. It doesn't get better than that. One of my all-time favorite stand-alone novels, I heartily recommend this to anyone. I've read this…
The Human Division
One day I logged into Audible and they were offering a new short story by John Scalzi in the Old Man's War universe for free. It was the first of 13 such short stories. My library is a bit cluttered…
The Hunger Games
Despite any misgivings you may have about the movie(s), or the next books in the series, the first book is a quick, enjoyable read. It is firmly in the Young Adult category, so just know what you're…
Hyperion
A Sci-Fi Canterbury Tales of sorts, this first book in an incredible series bears little resemblance to the next three books. Regardless, it's a good start, and I highly recommend the series overall.
The January Dancer
I tried twice to get more than an hour or so into this book, and failed both times. I should have heeded the reviews. A book has to be pretty terrible to get below 4 stars on Audible. I'm not going…
Judas Unchained
The conclusion and the reveal at the end of this book was so incredible, I couldn't wait to get and read it again. As I said in the review of the first book in the series, Pandora's Star, Hamilton…
The Last Colony
To John Scalzi's credit, he neither delves into pseudo-religious rants nor repeat the same tired plotlines in his third book. However, he also doesn't even cross the ten-hour mark in the audiobook.…
The Last Firewall
I read this and honestly don't remember a thing about the characters, the plot, or the story in general. Granted, I'm writing the review over four years after finishing it, but I remember a lot of…
Lock In
Hats off to John Scalzi and Audible for this great near-future sci-fi. As with all good sci-fi, there's an implicit social commentary built into the way the future world is shaped, and Lock In is no…
Neuromancer
I had to go back and re-read this because I didn't remember much other than the Rastafarians in space. Though there are some anachronisms throughout the book, it's still so far ahead of its time.…
Ninefox Gambit
You've never read anything like the books in this series. Though distinctly sci-fi with most of the action taking place on space ships and space stations, the technology seems more magical than…
Off Armageddon Reef
I couldn't get through this book. It was so bad that I wrote a review on Audible to warn others off. Here's part of it: What it does do nicely is give a concise history of 17th & 18th century warfare…
Old Man's War
When I first read this series, I didn't think much of it, but after coming back to re-read it, I found I truly enjoyed this book and the Old Man's War universe. I think part of my initial dislike was…
On Basilisk Station
What's funny about this book is that I can never remember if I've read it. I always have to go back to my Audible library and check to see if it has the "finished" tag. It does. That's about all I…
Pandora's Star
Peter F. Hamilton creates vast, imaginative worlds filled with well-written characters on seemingly separate paths and lives.... until they all come crashing together. His plots and subplots are so…
The Player of Games
Two books into the series, and I am absolutely loving this universe. As a mystery-thriller-drama, The Player of Games is a completely different book from the action-adventure of Consider…
The Prefect
The Revelation Space universe is outstanding. In this installment, we go to the "Glitter Band" time and place and follow a detective uncovering a system-threatening mystery. There are some incredible…
Raven Stratagem
Book two of Machineries of Empire is every bit as intriguing as book one, but this novel is even more focused on the characters than the first. The mathematics of the battles plays less of a role,…
Reamde
I'm not sure if this is sci-fi or an international spy thriller. Maybe both? Set in the present, it's an action-packed tale that moves fast, despite its 38+ hour book length. Let's pause there, if…
Rebellion
Though the second book was not as good as the first, it wasn't horrible and so I decided to pick up the third. Though there was no character growth from book one to book three, this one was…
Relentless
The series continues to drag. So many books… they blend together. Read the series review for my less-than-unequivocal recommendation. the TL;DR: great space battles, well-written interpersonal…
Revelation Space
The Revelation Space universe is one of my favorite Sci-Fi universes. Alastair Reynolds is one of my favorite authors. And John Lee is hands-down my favorite narrator—he could read your grocery list…
Revenant Gun
Go deeper into the Machineries of Empire saga to uncover Jedao's real goals and how he plans to achieve them. Or is it really Jedao? I love the conclusion to this series. All the crazy technology,…
Revenger
When I picked this up, I was expecting something along the lines of Reynolds' other books such as House of Suns (one of my all-time favorites) and the Revelation Space series. What I got was so…
Rip-Off!
This was a fun book. Short story is an important form in sci-fi. Many of the greatest authors got their start by getting short stories published that caught the attention of book publishers. Giving…
The Rise of Endymion
Like most series, by the time you get to the last book the author has a platform to espouse some personal philosophical or quasi-religious BS. The final book in the Hyperion Cantos is not dissimilar…
Series Review: Machineries of Empire
When I set out to catalog my library, I couldn't wait to write this series' review. This series is unlike anything you've ever read. It's 100% sci-fi but the technology almost seems magical in its…
Series Review: Red Rising
I've heard that when an author gets stuck, they should just make life harder for their protagonist. Pierce Brown has taken that to heart with Red Rising. Life just gets harder and harder, worse and…
Series: Commonwealth Saga
Though this series is contains two massive tomes—and apparently a third that just came out in 2016—it is absolutely worth the read/listen. Peter F. Hamilton is one of my favorite authors, and John…
Series: Daemon
If you play video games, you must read this series. Only two books long, but absolutely required reading for my fellow gaming geeks out there. It's a highly plausible future with great characters,…
Series: Hyperion Cantos
What starts out as a grouping of short stories in the first book evolves into one of the greatest space operas of contemporary Sci-Fi. Books two and three are the strongest, and book one is probably…
Series: Old Man's War
The first review I wrote for this series was after finishing The Last Colony, and thinking the series was done. I didn't think much of it, partly due to the short book length, and party due to not…
Series: Pathfinder
Though Orson Scott Card's big hit, Ender's Game, has a child main character, and is one of my all-time favorite books because Ender's character is so compelling, you'd think that would be a specialty…
Series: Revenger
If you're a fan of other Alastair Reynolds books and series such as the Revelation Space series, then you can appreciate his ability to create compelling characters, vast universes, and yet highly…
Series: Star Force
Formulaic plots, flimsy characters with zero growth, and dozen books in the series are all great reasons to pass on this entirely. There are interesting parts of the series and perhaps under a…
Series: Takeshi Kovacs
I can't say enough good things about this series. Each book is distinct and different, yet the threads between them are strong enough to weave a greater narrative. Takeshi is the ultimate anti-hero…
Series: The Lost Fleet
I recommend this series for the exquisitely detailed space battles. and the way the main character navigate the military-turned-bureaucracy politics. I can't rightfully give it my strongest…
Shadow Captain
Wow. This series is so good. What other author but Alastair Reynolds can create a world that blends space travel with steampunk? OK, the habitats are not strictly steampunk (i.e. powered by steam)…
Speaker for the Dead
I kept hoping this book would get better. It never did.
Starswarm
Starswarm is a unique stand-alone book with, what was at the time of its publication in 1998, a very far-fetched concept: an AI implant connected to the cloud. I enjoyed the book, and seem to recall…
Swarm
After reading the novella, Army of One, I decided to pick up the first book in the series. It's a wild ride. But I'll save you the agony of having to decide if you want to start a 12-book series…
The Algebraist
The Algebraist had been heartily recommended to me by a friend, and heartily recommended against by another. Naturally, I had to pick it up. My take: it's not at the top of my reco list, but it's not…
The End of All Things
Solid finish to a solid series. John Scalzi does two things very well: 1) truly alien aliens 2) humor in the midst of otherwise serious books. I like the finish here because the story is told from…
The Forever War
The beauty of this book is thinking through the implications of long distance space travel. There's neither hyperlight speed nor wormholes to make the trips from one solar system to the next fly by…
The Martian
What do you think is better: the book or the movie? The movie offers great action and a condensed story with some hand-wavy science that you have to take as true. The book is longer (obviously) and…
Thirteen
Richard K. Morgan does it again. This time in a stand-alone sci-fi novel. This is another top reco from my reading list. It's an action thriller with another protagonist that's a bit hard-boiled. Not…
Use of Weapons
There's something about "Use of Weapons" that I absolutely love, but can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's the planet-hopping 007-super-agent? Or the ruthlessness the Culture's special agents…
Valiant
The series starts to drag a bit. So many books... they blend together. Read the series review for my less-than-unequivocal recommendation. the TL;DR: great space battles, well-written interpersonal…
Victorious
The finish is good, and worth the read just to close it out. Again, I like the whole series, I just don't love it. Read the series review for my less-than-unequivocal recommendation. the TL;DR: great…
The Windup Girl
A fascinating dystopian Earth where calories are the currency and agricultural businesses rule the countries in a world with melted icecaps is not as far-fetched as it first sounds. It's also an…
Woken Furies
Most trilogies wind down in the third book, often times with some quasi-religious, half-assed philosophy being espoused by the author taking up too much of the last book. Not Woken Furies. It's still…
Wyrms
For as much as I—and many others—absolutely love Ender's Game, I don't feel the same about Wyrms. Like Ender's Game, it's an easy read with a young main character, and Orson Scott Card tells the…
Xenocide
I vaguely recall this being only slightly better than Speaker for the Dead. That I haven't re-read it in over a decade should say enough.