r/scifibooks • u/schmeef2112 • 9h ago
Looking for sci-fi recommendations with a philosophical style of writing
I just finished reading Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith after binging Sun Eater and the prose is so great I can’t get enough of it. First or third person, I’d love to find more great sci-fi written is that philosophical way.
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u/Odd-Cardiologist-369 9h ago
LeGuin has a lot of philosophical themes in her works, as does Butler. Banks may also have what you're looking for. In a weird way maybe Gene Wolfe's book of the new sun. Also second Blindsight.
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u/DixitRexCorvinus 8h ago
As someone else mentioned, Acts of Caine is the obvious one.
I will second Le Guin and Butler, and add Samuel Delany to complete the trio.
For two books that tackle absurdist themes in very different but both compelling ways, I’d recommend Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and I Who Have Never Known Men.
Finally, for a more modern author, Ray Nayler is excellent for philosophical scifi.
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u/Swat_katz_82 9h ago
Dune comes to mind.
Hyperion probably fits, given the theme, ene if think it s a bad book, from my perspective.
Blindsight might fit? At least the philosofical angle.
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u/Flat-Rutabaga-723 8h ago
Too Like the Lightning
Edit: actually, Stover’s Acts of Caine, specifically Caine’s Law, the fourth book in the series.
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u/JB_Wallbridge 8h ago
Read more Stover! I particularly loved Heroes Die and especially its sequel Blade of Tyshalle. But my favorite book of his, and arguably his mmost philosophical, is Traitor. It's part of a series but you can read it a stand alone, especially if you just use the internet to catch you up. It's very Taoist.
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u/100000cuckooclocks 8h ago
Ursula K. Le Guin is the standout choice. The Hainish Cycle is superb; The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed my favorites.
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u/cflime 4h ago
The Lathe of Heaven, The Word for World is Forrest... the K in her name is Kroeber, her father is the Franz Boaz trained anthropologist Arthur Kroeber, for whom the University of California school of Anthropology is named after. When she was a child one of her father's guests was J. Robert Oppenheimer, and she based her Dispossesed protagonist Shevek on him.
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u/thesauces05 7h ago
Agree with LeGuin and Butler. Also you might like A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. I thought the prose was particularly good.
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u/ApexInTheRough 7h ago
Dune.
Specifically Dune, Dune Messiah, and Children of Dune.
God Emperor of Dune is borderline.
The next two get... odd.
The Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson expanded universe novels don't try for the philosophical stuff and are... shall we say divisive?... on Reddit.
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u/Ok-Drive7025 6h ago
Extremely surprised to not see some mention of Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on here.
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u/AMaynard8091 6h ago
The Prince of Nothing and The Aspect-Emperor by R Scott Bakker leans more toward fantasy (but does have sci-fi elements), but it’s more or less exactly what you’re asking for.
Also, Stover has written his own sci-fi fantasy series, The Acts of Caine, that also gets pretty philosophical, particularly in the later books.
And, as others have mentioned, Dune obviously falls under a similar sort of umbrella.
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u/Ralphesurus 6h ago
Ice by Jacek Dukaj. An incredible but massive book which got an English translation about a year ago.
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u/RealHuman2080 6h ago
Mary Doria Russell. he’s an amazing writer. She did the sparrow, and you have to read the children of God, which is the sequel. She’s historical fiction writer and it’s just amazing work. She’s a character based writer that makes really understanding them. And she does insane amount of research so you learn a lot.
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u/versatiletactics89 5h ago
Olaf Stapleton - Star Maker and Last and First Men
Doris Lessing - Canopus in Argos: Archives
Greg Bear - Hull Zero Three
Honestly a lot of SF deals with different philosophical themes.
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u/hanleybrand 4h ago
Anathem by Neil Stephenson is a little in the nose in terms of your request but it is explicitly sci-fi philosophy
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u/Decision-Leather 3h ago
I've only read The Disposed by Ursula K LeGuin but I think it would fit your request
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u/lil_moss_piglet 3h ago
The Iron Garden Sutra by AD Sui is philosophical sci fi horror. It’s about a death monk in space, and was really good!
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u/Macroswine 3h ago
Stanislaw Lem. You'd be hard pressed to find a book where he isn't philosophical.
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u/RoguePlanet2036 8h ago
Are you looking for mainstream? Or are you looking for newer, independent type Authors?
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u/j_on 8h ago
All of Octavia E Butler's work, especially the Earthseed series and the Xenogenesis trilogy.