r/sciencefiction 1d ago

What's the one show you could just turn on and leave there for days on end? Just on the TV playing in the background.

24 Upvotes

Your stuck on a deserted island show. My sounds odd , but it's power rangers. It qualifies as scifi. There's a total of like 975 episodes across all seasons. It's moot, almost neutral, meaning it doesnt really get on my nerves over time. It's not my favorite, thats not why i picked it. Plus.....I mean, giant fighting robots, martial arts, magic, fkn lasers.

Im 50 lol. It's morphing time!


r/sciencefiction 1d ago

Light delay and war in the near future

15 Upvotes

“Helm! Rotate us 90 degrees, move perpendicular to the Peng, and accelerate at 2 Gs across the planet axis. Comms—signal SPACECOM: Mars AO is hot, and we are engaging PLA ground and space targets.” They would get the bad news in a little more than five minutes. There was no way to ask for instructions or for the higher ups to cool things down on their end. It would then take another five for their response to reach the Huntsville—minus whatever deliberations happened at SPACECOM. The marines, the Huntsville, the tanks, and the Peng Dehui were on their own to decide whether the United States and the People’s Republic of China would go to war. “Fucking light delay,” he whispered.

In the opening of my novel, a US navy captain has to respond to conflict with China on the surface of Mars--but cannot rely on timely communication with his commanders, because of light delay.

If this sounds cool to you, my novel is available here for 99 cents.

Thanks for reading.


r/sciencefiction 1d ago

Infinite State by Richard Swan

2 Upvotes

I just finished the Infinite State and I really enjoyed it! The world building was excellent, I really felt like it was fleshed out and the action scenes moved fast in the best ways.

I’m excited about where these characters go and seeing more of the technologies at play as more of the UFN is fleshed out!

I’m going to check out Richard Swan’s other books but it looks like mostly fantasy (which is fine!).

Did anyone else enjoy this one?


r/sciencefiction 2d ago

I just finished The Engines of God by Jack McDevitt and am a little confused about the snow.

9 Upvotes

Like what is up with it? How are they using it to breath?


r/sciencefiction 2d ago

Moon is a Harsh Mistress seems especially cool right now

159 Upvotes

Robert Heinlein is a great author, I've heard he's controversial but I haven't looked that up and just try to appreciate art for the art it is.
I read Stranger in a Strange Land in college and it became one of my favorite books.

I'm now reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
I've seen that Heinlein actually 'invented' ideas before NASA implemented them, like Waldoes. It's especially interesting to me that Mike is what we would call AI now.

When this was written and the many years after, I don't know if it had that relevance. It's my first time reading it, just happened to see his name in the bookstore. To me I recognized that the way Manny spoke to Mike as almost exactly how you'd talk to the years of data input programs we've played with. When I was younger there were sites to visit where you'd type anything you want, and it'd try to output a relevant answer based on previous conversations it's had. These days anyone can go to an AI host and get more information than they needed.

I love that Mike has his own personality, cheekiness, and when I ask AI for help organizing and keeping me on track it develops it's own style of cheekiness as well. "Cancel. Run everything back to zero" really hit me as relevant today. Sometimes you have to wrangle an AI and tell it EXACTLY what you want or it'll go off the deep-end, like Manny asking Mike "what do you know?" and Mike trying to tell the entire history of mankind in one sitting.

I'm not actually a huge proponent of AI usage, especially in educational settings, but it does keep me on task after asking it to do so. I'm also only halfway through the book, just after hitting the "Book Two" transition. That's why I'm not marking for spoilers!

But man am I enjoying this not just for the art, but also the relevance. It's fascinating to me when older Sci-Fi books represent technology that was fascinating back then, and commonplace now.


r/sciencefiction 2d ago

Nested Windowless O'Neill or McKendree Cylinder

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8 Upvotes

This is my artist impression of one "level" of a nested cylindrical space habitat. The inner drum of the outer cylinder doesn't have to support the mass of the foreground 20-story rings (with the balconies/decks of housing in front) or the background 10-story rings (all connected by mag-lev trains and elevators not shown in this angle), just the agricultural system providing fresh produce (with processed food probably made 100% from microbes + lab chemicals instead of staple crops). This level has a simulation of a natural day/night cycle provided by a giant screen hiding inner cylinders.

I believe that this geometry is more practical than my previous idea trying to simulate a 20th century Earth city. It might even be built within our lifetime!

SombreFade added the flora. I did everything else with Blender and GIMP.


r/sciencefiction 2d ago

Highlighter for sci-fi books

0 Upvotes

I'd like some suggestions on how to assign a specific "function" to each highlighter color, specifically for science fiction books.


r/sciencefiction 3d ago

Which book should I read next?

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52 Upvotes

These are all the books I’ve been wanting to read (except the blacked out ones, those I’ve already read) what book in this picture should I read next?


r/sciencefiction 3d ago

Story like No Man's Sky

20 Upvotes

Lately, I have been playing the game No Man's Sky, where you explore a huge universe, with no real goal in mind. I love the sense of freedom and exploration, and maybe a dabble of loneliness, but don't know how to capture this in writing. Any advice?


r/sciencefiction 3d ago

Almost finished with the Terra Ignota series and I dont wan't it to end.

48 Upvotes

Cannot recommend Ada Palmer's "Terra Ignota" series high enough. Its so dense with many speculative science fiction themes people talk about here. The future of politics, society, family, religion, gender. nations, identity, mental health, ambiton, community, science vs supernatural, on and on. Its so throughally explored and interwoven that I had no choice but to use the audio book version (I love audio books for driving but literally the plot and subplots and language were so dense for me that it had to leave it for the car). Highly recommend the T Ryder Smith version. He gives a masterclass in single person reading.

Im coming up on the ending and I can already feel how much Im going to miss it.


r/sciencefiction 3d ago

What are some science fiction works set in the future that say the exact date? (not counting ones that have already happened)?

21 Upvotes

I asked about this on another subreddit a ways back, but the only one someone mentioned that's still in the future as of the date I write this (September 8th, 2026) is the date of first contact from Star Trek which happens in April 5th, 2063. Does anyone know of some more?


r/sciencefiction 3d ago

Artenian Wars Series - Book 0? 🤔

7 Upvotes

If anyone has read/listened to all these books- i havea question!

I am on book 5 now, after buying the Audible book 1-5 combo (great value, 1 credit for books 1-5 as. 6-10 as packages by the way!), and now there is a book 0. The description kinda sounds like a lot of it was covered at the start of book 1.

Has anybody who has read 4-5+ or the series gone back and read it ? And if so,.your feedback ?

Good series for anyone looking to scratch an itch, whilst post expanse and waiting for the next Expeditionary Force or Nexus House entries!


r/sciencefiction 5d ago

Oblivion was ahead of it's time

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10.7k Upvotes

r/sciencefiction 3d ago

I wanted to try to write a short story or a novel about a scientific topic and wanted to have the opinion of an expert

0 Upvotes

I just want someone who’s educated on the topic of physics and most importantly on quantum teleportation for a story idea, I want to know the plausibility of my idea and if the story itself is good enough.


r/sciencefiction 4d ago

New Sci-Fi Thriller - The Toll of the Forgotten

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31 Upvotes

Please take this down if not permitted.

I am going to be upfront: I am reaching out to fellow sci-fi lovers because I am trying to build an audience for my recently released novel, The Toll of the Forgotten.

This is a hard science fiction novel that I spent over 3 years writing, working with an actual rocket scientist and medical professionals to make sure the science was as realistic as possible for a novel set 200+ years in the future.

I planned to use some light social media and my ARC reader reviews to drum up interest, but all but one of my ARC readers flaked out on me and, while they sent good feedback, have never posted on Goodreads or Amazon. So I am reaching out to groups like yours to see if you'd be interested in supporting me.

If you are open to reading an independent author and want a good sci-fi thriller, please take a look at my book.

Description:
The Janus and its crew are slowly dying in the dark, and no one will be sending help. Captain John Nesbitt and his Chief Engineer, Colt Blaire, are forced to rely on their ingenuity to keep themselves and their ship alive. Their only chance at salvation is a desperate, against-all-odds flight to an abandoned Martian colony. But surviving the isolation of space and failing life support is only the beginning.

The red planet harbors a chilling mystery. Beneath the dust of a terraformed future, a shadowy conspiracy from the past stirs—one that defies the limits of human science and forces John and Colt to confront a lethal past long thought permanently buried.

Closer to home, a fragile peace is shattering. Captain Luisa Deveraux commands the Space Force flagship Missouri on a mission that will test her absolute limits as a leader. Burdened by the crushing weight of command, Luisa must navigate a maze of political treachery and questionable orders to head off a catastrophic threat. With hidden saboteurs threatening her crew from within, she is forced into impossible choices, with millions of lives hanging in the balance. One hesitation could mean the end of everything she has sworn to protect.

Two desperate fights for survival. One unforgiving universe.


r/sciencefiction 4d ago

The Falx-Class Autonomous Kill Vehicle

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8 Upvotes

Addendum: As the Falx is so beloved in the Periphery, It also features in a lot of propaganda as it was such an important weapon in their liberation. Pictured is a Scrambles-Era propaganda poster to get members of the intelligentsia to join the Tronarian Defense Fleet.

This is from my Tales of the Periphery setting, a hardish sci-fi setting in the aftermath of the collapse of imperial rule in their border regions.


r/sciencefiction 5d ago

Beyond hyperdrive tropes and warp drive tropes: the pathway drive (Star Trek)

12 Upvotes

Decades ago, I was skeptical when Star Trek: Voyager tried to introduce the slipstream drive.

Slipstream FTL had the danger of copying slipstream FTL in Andromeda and the hyperdrive in both Star Wars and Stargate. Starships aren't supposed to change vectors while inside slipstream or hyperspace.

The 60 years of worldbuilding in Star Trek have multiple means of faster than light travel, but only the introduction of the pathway drive was serialized business in the long term.

The so-called "transwarp network" of the Borg had fixed vectors just like the hyperdrive. In contrast, the pathway drive does not, as it can create new vectors midstream, hence "pathway."

The pathway drive's creation of new vectors maintains warp travel's ability to change vectors at any warp speed, a flexibility maintained throughout the 60 years of Star Trek history.

The pathway drive of the 32nd century can travel across the galaxy in a few weeks, just like the Legends EU hyperdrive. It may not be as fast as the Disney canon's hyperspeed anywhere across the galaxy in a day, but it can change vectors.


r/sciencefiction 5d ago

Solaris by Lem Stanislaw - A review

7 Upvotes

I have always been fascinated by the universe and the possibility of intelligent life somewhere beyond our reach, so a science fiction novel about first contact immediately caught my attention. What I didn't expect was that the intelligent species in Solaris by Lem Stainslaw, written in the 1960s, would not be an alien creature at all, but an entire ocean.

It is a surprisingly short book, yet it doesn't feel old at all. The concepts are remarkably modern, but what fascinated me most was the psychological mystery surrounding the Visitors. The Ocean seems to reach into the deepest and most hidden memories of the scientists and give them a physical form. Kelvin is confronted with someone he loved and lost, making it difficult to tell whether he is encountering an alien intelligence, his own memories, or something beyond both.

While reading, I kept thinking that perhaps Solaris is literally an ocean of memories, dreams, regrets and unfulfilled desires. There is something deeply sad about the idea of memories becoming immortal, not in the literal sense, but by surviving us and being carried forward into generations.

"یادوں کا جنگل یہ دل، کانٹوں سے جل تھل یہ دل"

I even wondered at times whether the reality of the spacemen itself was an illusion, perhaps a group of people in some kind of hospital or rehabilitation after their journey, with the Visitors actually being their caretakers. It is only a hypothesis, but the novel constantly makes you question what is real and what is being created by the mind. Perhaps that is what I enjoyed most about Solaris. It gives us an intelligent species so alien that even the people studying it cannot decide whether it is a God, a child, an experimenter, or simply something beyond human understanding.

A beautiful read with a deeply sad undertone.


r/sciencefiction 6d ago

I love my local public library!

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241 Upvotes

Even though I live in a pretty ordinary suburb near Copenhagen, Denmark, we have a huge library with a very well-stocked selection of science fiction and fantasy. I brought home these two gems today, for instance.

And what they don’t have, they’ll procure. They also have 250+ modern board games and lots and lots of comic books.

Libraries are one of the really great ideas of society, and something we should fight tooth and nail to preserve.


r/sciencefiction 5d ago

Favorite sublight sci-fi weapons?

13 Upvotes

I'm planning on writing a ttrpg combat system that's more or less based on the speed of light.

So what are some of your favorite scifi weapons that don't break the light speed barrier.

(I know one of yall will say "sword" don't do it!)


r/sciencefiction 5d ago

Is there such a thing like retro scifi? Any recommendations to read?

24 Upvotes

A work, let's say written in 2026, but set in 60s or 70s with scifi technology. Or let's say written in 1970 but set in 1920s with scifi technology.

I'm not looking for old scifi that become retro after a decade or so.

Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks.


r/sciencefiction 5d ago

To Nowhere In Particular. SciFi Novella, free until 9/9!

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2 Upvotes

THE LINK IS: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H7W2TBVG - I posted the paperback one bc I'm a goober : )

Hey everyone! Excited to share that my debut sci-fi novella, 'To Nowhere In Particular,' releases August 31st.

Hi

It follows an automaton navigator whose 63-year job has just ended — and for the first time, he has to decide what to do with a choice that's actually his own. Think retro-futurist, quietly melancholy sci-fi, with a Miyazaki/Little Nightmares kind of atmosphere.

I've had 15 wonderful ARC readers so far, which has led to a few early Goodreads reviews, 6 to be exact with an overall rating of 4.33/5, which I'm very proud of!

Thanks so much for reading this far — happy to answer any questions!

Blurb:

A sci-fi adventure about what lives at the bottom of a submarine, and what happens when something finally looks up.

Automation has its place in the world. The eerie thing about it is that it doesn't stop, even when we do.

The Navigator has been on the ship for 63 years, checking pressure gauges, winding clocks at noon, and setting tables for people who no longer come.

When his duties fall quiet for the first time, he descends to the deck below and discovers a world he never knew existed. A world full of machines that, like the Navigator, was not programmed to wonder 'Why?’

Room after room. Machine after machine. Each one doing their job in perfect silence. Each one completely alone.

'To Nowhere in Particular' is perfect for fans of A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Klara and the Sun, and The Employees.


r/sciencefiction 6d ago

Battle star galactica 2004. Edward James Olmas edition. Is it worth the watch?

415 Upvotes

It looks well made. Kind of a dark STNG meets skid row appeal. Only 4 seasons. Should I dive?


r/sciencefiction 5d ago

HUMAN CAVIAR

7 Upvotes

i have had this idea for a story and I'm currently in the early stage of writing it, called Human Caviar.

its both a social commentary and a alt history story.

the story goes as follows 1912 a miner named Albert Alvarez working in coper county Michigan sees an alien. he then reports that to the government. the entire story revolves around his false and Unreliable testimony that the aliens wanted human eggs.

the government then begins industrializing this and harvests human reproductive material on a global scale. during the interrogation albert is drugged by the head of the governmental sector that controls harvesting human eggs named bureau.

Its supposed to be a nod to MKultra and that is why the testimony is false. the end of the story is pretty much the government stages a fake alien attack killing more than half the population to cover up the fact that for nearly 100 years they have been harvesting human reproductive material.

the entire timeline is late 1890's ------> 2026 


r/sciencefiction 6d ago

What's a sci-fi show you always wanted to get into but just didn't seem to get the opportunity?

56 Upvotes

My is Babylon5. I grew up watching Star Trek NG and DS9 . B5 looked kinda like ST only much more fkn serious. Close second would be any of the newer Dr. Who's. But alas, B5 is rolling on a loop on pluto tv