Welcome back to another Sci-Friday, folks!
For those new to the series, Sci-Friday is an excuse for me to talk about science fiction once a week. Sometimes it’s shows or movies, but this week I wanted to dive into five books that had a profound impact on me.
Some of these books really expanded my horizon—gave me an idea that something was possible that I had previously considered outside of my reach. Others expanded my imagination, and helped me learn how to think.
Hopefully there’s something here for everyone, but check them out and let me know if you’ve read any of these, and if so, what you think.
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
You thought I was going to say Snow Crash, didn’t you? Both books are incredible, and you should try reading both of them, but I want to talk about why The Diamond Age: A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer is so important to me. I took a contemporary literature class around 1996, shortly after the book had come out, and this was one of the books assigned.
The Diamond Age really opened my mind to the possibilities of nanotechnology, personal AI tutors, and some of the creepy stuff that’s right around the corner. These are subjects I keep revisiting in my own writing today, and they’ve shaped my thinking over the last 30 years in profoundly impactful ways.
The story centers around Nell, a young girl who comes into possession of a highly sophisticated, interactive book designed to teach her everything she needs to know. But it's more than just a coming-of-age story; it's a deep dive into the ethics of technology, the question of nature versus nurture, and the potential for a new form of enlightened society.
If you're interested in the societal and ethical questions that the accelerating pace of technology brings forth, vivid hard-science fiction descriptions of how future technologies might be possible, there’s no better book than The Diamond Age.
Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
When people think of Vonnegut, they often jump straight to Slaughterhouse-Five, and while that book is great in its own right, Sirens of Titan stands as a better example of Vonnegut’s sci-fi mastery.
Finally discovering Vonnegut in my early 20s opened a tremendous amount of my mind up to different ways of seeing the world.
Malachi Constant, the richest (and most depraved) man in a future America, embarks on a journey across the solar system only to realize the futility and randomness of human life. Determinism and free will are central subjects, all filtered through Vonnegut’s sharply satirical lens.
Uninhibited by fear, Vonnegut is able to criticize the human condition by showing how ridiculous certain institutions are. It’s a lot like Idiocracy in how scathing the commentary is, but cut with humor so it doesn’t feel heavy-handed.
If you want a book that challenges your viewpoints, makes you laugh, and leaves you questioning the absurdity of life, then Sirens is a great read. This book was a mental gymnastics exercise for me, engaging my mind in ways I hadn't experienced before. And if you're the kind of reader who enjoys philosophy wrapped in layers of satire and humor, you simply can't go wrong with this one.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I was much younger when I first picked up Douglas Adams’s seminal tome. I’m quite confident that Adams’s particular way of letting humor tell the story has been influential in my own writing (and thinking) style.
Arthur Dent, a thoroughly average Englishman, is thrust into a galactic adventure when Earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Along with Ford Prefect, a roving researcher for the Guide, Dent explores a universe teeming with absurdity, paradox, and improbable probabilities. The duo, later joined by Zaphod Beeblebrox, Trillian, and Marvin the Paranoid Android, continually find themselves in situations that force us to rethink our own assumptions about life, the universe, and everything in between.
Hitchhiker’s Guide combines deep existential angst with biting humor, but not always dark. Adams gives off a different vibe than Vonnegut here, and calls attention to things in different ways.
For me, this wasn’t just a book but a way of looking at the randomness and hilarity of existence. I found that being able to laugh at the idiosyncrasies of life, whether they be human or alien, provided a necessary relief valve for my own existential musings. If you're feeling like the weight of the universe is too much to bear or you just need a break from heavier sci-fi themes, "Hitchhiker's Guide" is your perfect escape.
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
If Hitchhiker and Sirens make you think about social problems, 2001 makes you think about the Truly Big Questions of the universe… and the technological conundrums we’re already facing today.
An alien monolith is discovered on the Moon, which sets off a sequence of events leading to a mission to Jupiter. Accompanying the human crew is HAL 9000, an AI whose gradual malfunction continues to be a leading cautionary tale today. Clarke uses the journey to examine not just the potential threats of AI, but also the bigger questions about our place in the universe and the future of humankind.
Originally written in parallel with Stanley Kubrick's film of the same name, the book is better in every way, except you miss out on Kubrick’s beautiful visuals. Clarke’s deeper dive into humanity’s place in the cosmos more than makes up for this trade-off.
In some ways, the book could be titled "2001: a Philosophical Odyssey.” Existential questions wrapped in a compelling narrative framework? Sign me up.
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
I seem to keep bringing up Asimov in my own writing these days. I wrote about his laws for robotics here, revisited him with law zero, wrote about his Last Question piece here, and even wrote a short story somewhat inspired by Asimov’s writing.
Set against the backdrop of the fall of the Galactic Empire, Foundation seeks to preserve knowledge and guide the future through the Encyclopedia Galactica. This isn't just a tale of science and numbers, but one that deeply examines political maneuvering, cultural heritage, and the morality of shaping the future.
Like 2001, Foundation addresses some very weighty subjects, but with much more of a focus on human manipulation, and the complexities that make progress complicated. In spite of all these advancements, people are still people.
Asimov weaves complex narratives that force the reader to grapple with themes that are increasingly relevant today: governance systems, data ethics, and the role of intellectual leadership in shaping societal norms.
And there you have it: five science fiction books that profoundly affected me, helped sharpen my thinking process, and continue to insert themselves into my writing and conversations today.
I’m not alone in having my life shaped by sci-fi. Shout to other Sci-Friday participants
, who first approached me with the idea, , , , , , , , and .These are all authors who write well, and they each do their own thing, well beyond Sci-Fridays. Check their stuff out!
And finally: let me know what sci-fi books had a deep impact on your thinking or even changed the way you look at the world. Was it the ethical dilemmas presented in a high-stakes space opera, the societal critiques in a dystopian world, or the technological marvels in a speculative future? Let me know in the comments.
Literally reading Foundation for the first time today
#1 by far is Ender’s Game and it’s sequel, Speaker for the Dead. Another vote for Dune. Cat’s Cradle, 1984 and Brave New World are true classics as well. Calculating God by Robert Sawyer and Old Man’s War by John Scalzi are good. Really anything by these two authors are great. Not as high concept but very enjoyable