Asimov's first collection of stories established a setting and made it feel deeply real. That setting would carry readers through dozens of short stories and five novels, making I, Robot a gateway into some truly excellent storytelling.
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A survival tale set on a remote world. But not another Robinson Crusoe: This is a group of people stranded together. How they work together and keep one another safe is as much a part of the story as the alien planet they're on.
A twist on the popular explore-new-worlds trope. Instead of going far afield to seek alien life, the space travelers in Clarke's novel discover that alien life has come to them, via a huge spacecraft that has entered Earth's solar system. The ship, though obviously designed by intelligent beings, seems to be entirely populated by wild animals.
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My favorite science fiction book of at least the past decade. This one hit me with a wave of nostalgia. If you're a child of the 1980s, you'll love this book. If you aren't, you'll still love it. A very interesting view of where virtual-reality gaming could go.
Once you get into the Discworld series, you'll find yourself on a long, eventful journey. And although The Color of Magic is the first book, I recommend beginning with Small Gods. It's a fantastic standalone story that will familiarize you with the Discworld setting and get you hooked.
A fantastic look at what a post-scarcity society might look like. There's no hunger, no disease, no war — just benevolent computers that take care of humanity and other beings. How could there be conflict or struggle in such a world? Well, Banks is a genius and spins one hell of a story about what happens when the Culture meets a spacefaring alien race with far less enlightened views. And it doesn't go how you think it would.
— Software engineer Andy Weir is the author ofThe Martian, the best-selling novel behind 2015's Oscar-nominated sci-fi thriller. His follow-up,Artemis, is a heist story set in a city on the moon and featuring a young courier who gets in over her head.
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