START SCI-FI HERE!

hi kids do you like science do you want to see me recommend books for you to violence okay well today i want to talk about my top picks for introductory science fiction stories and no i'm not going to be going for some big old chunky boys that are probably not what you're looking for for a first attempt at getting into sci-fi instead i'll be going for a bit more easy picks for those who are not experienced with the more logic oriented genre is it really logic oriented i don't know i'm just saying things i guess if you want like the popular pick though the expanse would be the way to go it's probably the most popular i would guess in sales science fiction series hardcore science fiction series going on right now in terms of epic expansive sci-fi don't worry i'll pick up the books i know people are mad already it's a book relax for this first pick i'm gonna go for one that i think reflects the hardcore classic sci-fi genre quite well but hasn't necessarily been recommended to death and isn't just a household name like foundation irobot stranger in a strange land and that's actually going to be canticle for leibowitz this is a science fiction book that heavily explores the ideas of faith in the post-apocalypse the good and bad of christianity let's say if c.s lewis is like the hardcore preacher of fantasy canticle for leibowitz comes across from a somewhat positive christian perspective but in a very humorous and honest way i love this book not only for being a real reflection on what the hardcore science fiction genre can be in a post-apocalyptic world war three america that is irradiated but a genuine i think actually fairly accurate approach to what the human condition is our faults are fallacies and what really drives us in desperate dire situations i think the writing is quite beautiful it is as i said surprisingly funny for a premise like this and i think science fiction and faith actually have a long and very fruitful history together and if you want to approach a book that i think will dive straight into that can't go for leibowitz is a wonderful way to go this book also richly explores themes of sin and a cyclical philosophy on history it's fascinating how well the author really pushes through to a deeper level of the trajectory of mankind through faith and how we interact with each other and the flaws within us it's really quite thought-provoking i often hear people talk about science fiction as if it is antithetical to any form of fantasy or it is somehow against faith i don't think that's true as someone who's not particularly religious i've actually really loved some science fiction stories that are aimed at faith whether in a negative or positive sense it's not about being pro or anti-anything sci-fi at its core is about exploring ideas and i think chemical for leibowitz in terms of the misdirections of religion and the positive benefits of it is one of the most interesting takes i've ever seen and of course because i'm saying this some people are gonna say i'm pro this negative that no i'm saying it's a good read that made me think and i recommend it for anyone who wants to get into science fiction for that to find a book that has a good chance of making them a think-a-ma-kate look at all this thinking going on ew and now i know there are a lot of people a surprising number i've come across who are in y.a that have never particularly got into science fiction but want to give it a go and i think you should stick with your ya roots and read a book that i was pretty positive on and that would be scythe this is y a for sure but i think it does a great job of living up to the potential of the sci-fi genre of setting up a world a condition and examining it there was some holding back on theme that really prevented me from loving this book but with my own limited experience in y a i found scythe to be the best exploration of the sci-fi genre within the constraints of why a overall i really like the characterization going on and with the setup of a world where immortality has essentially been achieved and there are now givers of death or takers of life i should is that is it a giving of death or taking of life that's a philosophical question for the ages but in a world where there are people who i guess receive this job and we are following characters who are now taking up this mantle i really enjoy the moral implications of this the abuse of systems of power really a quite nice approach to another dystopian world which by the way i like dystopian worlds so a lot of the recommendations are going to be dystopian stuff okay okay thanks bye rammed that mic in my mouth hole bye book final put it nicely on the shelf okay now for a recommendation that i think is going to be pretty popular right now and one that you've probably heard about quite a bit so i'll go ahead and just put it more firmly on your radar is going to be neromancer i read this to catch up on what exactly was inspiring laying the foundations down for the cyberpunk genre like all genres it was something that slowly evolved you can't just say one book started it but this is as damn near close as you can get in many ways embracing the themes of cyberpunk very heavily where it's no longer about trying to find a happy outcome there's a nihilism in the pages it's not about overthrowing a system it's about as tim recently put in his wonderful cyberpunk video i cannot recommend enough it's about survival that's the win here just existing and being able to go another day maybe incrementally better than the last and so if you want something that's a bit darker not perfect in terms of character or especially pacing but in terms of world and influence on a level rarely seen neuromancer is quite a good read though i hesitate to strongly recommend it for beginners i only bring this up because it is very popular right now in a lot of sci-fi discussions so i'm actually kind of gonna be waving you off from this though i understand if it's something that has crawled its way higher to your tbr but the sci-fi genre is not all doom and gloom and that's really important to remember very often science fiction is talked about in these constant dystopian ways and as i just put in neuromancer fairly nihilistic you're not wrong it's not the happiest genre on average but it can be and one classic a disappointing number of people my age have not read is hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy probably in the top three most fun books i have ever read with some of the most just distinctly funny quotable lines ever and just unique world building period it's surreal it's absurdist douglas adams changed science fiction forever with his tremendous comedic approach to a man just trying to schlub his way through living in a truly huge epic sci-fi universe and i've never found anyone who's been able to hit the level of tone that is accomplished here as well as douglas adams did it's beautiful it's hilarious it's heartfelt it's character-driven it's nihilistic but in a positive way there's no purpose to anything that's wonderful just go with the flow find your own purpose and try to have a good life there's something very beautiful about that and it's what i personally believe in let's all be a bit crazy because nothing matters i actually defend the movie as well while it's not as good as the book i think it's still a good time and where else are you going to find a society that invented the aerosol can before the wheel i know a lot of my audience though is hardcore fantasy fans and you guys want a game of thrones lord of the rings epic with battles and just monstrous factions at play and that's why i have red rising on the table right here this is well i feel like maybe the weakest start to any sci-fi book i'm gonna be reading here the first book red rising i would say i did not love i thought it was fine it quickly from there just springboards off it is grim dork and follows many themes and trends you will see for current fantasy and with a lot of my audience falling into that category i can very confidently recommend this to a huge portion of my audience and know once they get past the first book they will fall in love with it pierce brown has a way with the pen especially in the second and third books that he is able to rip so much emotion from me through his character's actions and what they say that this series has become one of the most heart-wrenching experiences i've had as a booktuber he has moments that i would say rival the best of martin in terms of what he is able to pull from his characters and deliver to the reader the world building explodes and is nuanced the themes are richly explored after the first book i don't hate the first book alright it's just it's a better hunger games that's darker and then it becomes a sci-fi epic and i prefer the sci-fi epic but if you want factions at play characters trying to overthrow society horrendous ramifications betrayal fun love and just humor when the tragedy red rising just knocks it out of the park once you hit golden sun and morning star cannot wait to get my review of iron gold to you can't wait cause i could be doing it now but i'm not i would be a fool a fool i say if i did not take the opportunity to bring up my favorite collection of short stories that i've mentioned many times in the channel here so i won't spend too much time on it but the past through tomorrow by robert heinlein since i have become popular in the modern era has had a tremendous amount of the best quality content and it come out in the short story medium and robert heinrich i think has some of the greatest of all time in the past through tomorrow so pick it on up a little little puckaroos this one's also really really good but that's just recommendations within a genre that has so many excellent entries just in front of me are three generally considered masterpieces that i haven't mentioned foundation by asic asimov is kind of what set the tone for epic universal scale science fiction and god damn is it still holding up now and if you want to read it it's a good time because apple's coming out with a series soon the influence of the foundation really cannot be overstated andy weir really leveled up modern sci-fi when he released the martian which has been followed up by project hail mary which i think is equally as strong it's about mankind overcoming insurmountable odds and the themes tackled here are so great with a wonderful overlay of humor and then you have dune which is doom not my personal favorite but yeah this it's dune frank herbert again changing both science fiction and fantasy with this release the point you need to take away is that sci-fi has something for everyone it can be taken so many different ways because it as a genre is essentially limitless if you've tried it before and not found something that's your taste go through the recommendations i put forward here and try again remember stories like frankenstein are science fiction mary shelley is largely credited for changing the genre forever with that story it's not something that is just robots and laser swords fantasy is an exploration of imagination and creativity science fiction is an exploration of possibilities and potential how can that not be for you anyway everybody like and subscribe if you have not already hit the patreon if you want to support what i do here let me know what you think the best entry-level sci-fi books for people are in the comments down below it's not about what's easiest to digest but what is most likely to find something within the reader they want to further explore in the pages have a good one y'all peace you

Channel: Daniel Greene

Views: 72,525

Rating: 4.9598393 out of 5

Keywords: sci-fi, science fiction, sci fi, scythe, start reading scifi, scifi intro, daniel greene, starting science ficiton

Id: 9J_BZG30GWo

Length: 11min 57sec (717 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 24 2021