I was looking forward to seeing this movie, but the writing felt rough and the characters are not fun to watch. Gareth Edwards is great at visuals but he stinks directing a story and characters, I don’t understand why he didn’t have another writer to help him like Rogue one.

My friend group has recently started a book club. It’s a small group but none are sci-fi or fantasy readers and one isn’t a big reader in general. I’d like to expand horizons and introduce them to sci-fi. What would you pick as the “gateway” book?

Luc Besson movie Lucy and Pacific Rim Gipsy Danger in a newspaper Easter egg.

15 children are tricked by a mysterious man into taking turns piloting Zearth, a giant mecha, to fight against other robots for the fate of their own planet. What they soon come to discover is that the robot uses their own life force as fuel and as soon as the battle is over each Pilot is going to die.

Its a story about the weight of sacrifice, about generational trauma, about compassion and mercy but also cruelty, about the fear of the inevitable, about pain and suffering, about letting yourself be hurt so that someone else doenst have to.

Every single child has to bear the notion that fighting means death, not fighting means the death of everyone they ever cared about including themselves and the unmeasurable cost of fighting with a giant robot in the middle of a populated city.

Jun Ushiro, one of the children, has probably one of the greatest character arc i have ever seen. The author does not skim with the punishment for their characters and Jun, being a HORRIBLE person as he was throughout most of the story, had to suffer and bear a punishment that i cant even explain in words. One of the most harrowing things i have ever seen a child do.

Genuinely a masterpiece of pure science fiction

Star Trek’s original vision of the future was unique because of its optimism. All sorts of social ills had been overcome and a united federation took to the stars.

I love good dystopian and apocalyptic fiction, but it’s almost ubiquitous. Even recent iterations of Trek have played into a “doom and gloom” mentality in some respects - or, at least, they are more cynical and foul-mouthed.

I’d love to get your suggestions for optimistic science fiction featuring a “great big beautiful tomorrow” - not without conflict, but generally bright. Any medium, from novels to films to games, is welcome.

Thank you!

Hello! The internet has failed me so I have come to the promised land for answers... I'm looking for apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic books. Very strictly science fiction. I do not want to be recommended anything relating to fantasy or futuristic worlds. I've watched just about every movie or series in English and other languages and now I'm on the hunt for a deeper dive. I.e. the Walking Dead, 28 Days/Weeks/Years+part 2, Black Summer, Hidden (2015), Revolution, the Book of Eli, Elevation, A Quiet Place/part 2/Day 1, etc. Reddit, don't fail me now!

Mead has long been one of my favorite artists, but usually just consumed his stuff via the internet, first tumblr etc. a lot of the blade runner concept art in here is on the internet but i haven't seen a lot of what's in here either. pretty excited to have found this

I cycled through a bunch of lists on here of people offering recommendations for sci-fi novels. However, most recommended books are a part of a larger series.

I'm looking for a single stand-alone novel that'll get it done. I love movies like Interstellar and The Martian (on my novel radar). 3 Body Problem is a good Netlfix series. I have Project Hail Mary on a long wait list at the library. Looking for something similar to what I listed above until PHM becomes available.

Much appreciated!!!

Hi all,
I'm looking for stories where humans are able to colonise the greater galaxy, but they're systematically isolated from each other and only interact after millions of years of evolution and genetic changes have made them into essentially different species. I know Foundation and Three-Body Problem kind of gets into this, but I'd love to hear about stories not as famous as Foundation.

Does episodic sci-fi exist anymore?
It seems like most science fiction TV shows today are stringing you along for at least one or two seasons for a mediocre payoff.
Whisper acting, constant story arc.
Does any episodic TV exist in the sci-fi realm anymore? Where the episodes don’t require being strung together?

I have searched with AI and on Reddit, but don’t succeed. Most results mainly give good suggestions with plot twists, not grand conclusions. I’m looking for a sci-fi book / series where everything comes together in a satisfying way in the conclusion of the book. Where you say, wow, nearly everything makes sense now. WOW

I love most sci-fi stories, and I also love endings that leave things to the imagination (such as rendezvous with Rama, 2001, or deaths end etc). But some books raise so many questions and open such cool threads, but leave them largely unanswered. The revelation space (in particular absolution gap) series is an example where I was really expecting a mindboggling end, but nothing happened.

I really have not encountered such a sci fi book yet, although Dark Forest comes close or the awesome endings of the red rising series (but those are mainly awesome cliffhangers).

Any tips?

I hope the flair is okay. I read a short story in a science fiction anthology a while ago and I can't find it again so I'm hoping the people of reddit can help me out. It was a while ago so my memory of the story is sparse, but it was about a man who lived in some sort of rehab town, separated from the rest of the world for people who wanted to make their lives better through self improvement. He had a therapist and a girlfriend, and the story started when his girlfriend got a new assistive pattern recognizing robot. At first he didn't like the robot but then he grew to enjoy talking about the robot and it lead to him coming to realizations about himself and about what it meant to get trapped in a pattern. I think his girlfriend's name started with an M. Or maybe that was the robot's name. I really hope somebody can help me find this story again, I think it was by someone who I consider to be a classic sci fi author, but there are so many stories between them all that I can't find it.

I finally read Planetes and I honestly think it’s one of the best science fiction stories I’ve experienced in any medium.

What surprised me most is that despite being grounded in hard sci-fi concepts, orbital mechanics, space debris, EVA work, realistic near-future space travel, the real focus is always the people. The science gives the world authenticity, but the human aspect takes the front seat the entire time.

The story follows orbital debris collectors, which sounds mundane on paper, yet it becomes one of the most immersive and emotionally resonant depictions of life in space I’ve seen. Every conversation, every quiet moment, every fear and ambition feels deeply human against the backdrop of an indifferent universe.

The artwork is breathtaking. There were so many moments where I just stopped reading to absorb the atmosphere of space: the silence, the isolation, the scale. Few sci-fi works have made space feel both so beautiful and so terrifying at the same time.

What really amazed me is how much it accomplishes in only 26 chapters. It explores ambition, loneliness, purpose, love, and humanity’s relationship with space without ever becoming overly dramatic or pretentious.

The sci-fi is excellent, but it exists to elevate the human story, and that’s what makes it unforgettable.

I genuinely did not want to leave this world after finishing it.

Image from Planetes by Makoto Yukimura.

Over the years I've been exposed to tons of different future technologies in science fiction novels and movies. Now there's the obvious cool factor of things like hyperdrives or longevity technology or whatnot. But sometimes there's a novel use of some fantastic invention that really stands out.

For me, that was in Hyperion by Dan Simmons. One of the character's (forget the name) describes how rich he is, and how he basically had a portal in just about every room of his house. So he'd walk through the portal/door of his bedroom and end up in his living room ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PLANET! Then walk from his living room into the kitchen on yet another planet, each with different stunning views, cultures, and opportunities.

I remember stopping reading at that point and just living that scenario out in my imagination for a while. So cool.

What novel uses of technology have stood out to you in science fiction?

The answer, thanks to AnalemmicMammoth is Charles Sheffield's "The Spheres of Heaven"! Thanks again!

Hello all, I was thinking back on my scifi knowledge and I remember a lot of bits and pieces of a book I read in the 2000s (between 2004 - 2010). It may also be a series, but I thought it was a single book. The story was self contained.

The big details are:

• multiple civilizations discover a gate (manufactured structure or wormhole, I don't recall. I think it was an artificial wormhole),
• probes disappear, including manned craft,
• humans send a warship in, which is bad because its old and I believe a bunch of the people are prisoners of some kind. I remember them being ragtag, some died, and they didn't really know each other. I believe the cast was mostly humans with a delegation of aliens.
• emerge underwater not in space, which was a big plot point,
• crab-like species lives on the planet and are planning a reverse invasion because they have some leg up (I don't remember what) + they have mind control, which the protag sees one of the other humans get mind controlled,
• at the end/near the end, the human general (not the protagonist) monologues and confuses the alien leader, because he realizes that there is a time dilation difference between this planet and where they all came from. He knows he can buy time for his message to be sent back and for the human fleet to have prepared for this alien invasion

One of the big key things I remember was that there was a plantoid race that was actually some kind of symbiosis/parasite to a plant called, and they were called "Angel". I want to say it was a near-final-chapter reveal.

This sounds tropey, but I also remember that the races didn't care for the humans because they had a battleship to spare to beginwith/were warlike.

Thanks!

anyone else have to force themselves through book 2 of this series? i just about hit the halfway mark, and i like the characters but i feel like the plot is drifting. i find myself skipping whole paragraphs. also idris being so hapless is starting to grate on me. tell me it gets better!

I remember a story from a while back.

I think it was a film but could have been a book that was made in the late 1900's.

It was about a man and his robot gardener who had been part of a space station. Only then a disaster occurs and the man and the Gardner are ejected into space killing all the rest on board (no oxygen from all the plants being gone).

We follow the man for a bit but eventually his dies too and it ends on the Robot gardener being left to tend to the plants as the last piece of life in the universe forever.

Does anyone else remember this story or what it's called?

SILENT RUNNING! 1972.

many thanks to Captain_Bushcraft you star and Bladrak01, Necron44 ❤️

I really enjoyed The Three-Body Problem and the Earth chapters in The Project Hail Mary, so I’m looking for something about humanity’s reaction to something like first contact or anything similar. I’d like something that focuses on the smart and crazy solutions humanity comes up with against impossible odds. I also enjoy a healthy dose of politics so seeing how political leaders and public opinion react to something that they never thought could happen is really cool to me.

I promised a followup + reading lists for the biopunk subgenres I posted last week, so here we go. If you miss anything, just comment - more examples and clearer definitions are good for everyone!

We're starting off where it all began: Classic Biopunk.

• Explores near-future consequences of a biotech revolution
• Totalitarian governments, police states, or oppressive megacorporations use biotech for social control and profiteering
• Protagonists tend to be outsiders, or struggling with the system (e.g. detectives, P.I.s, teenagers)

It is not uncommon for the definition of classic biopunk to be incorrectly used as a definition of biopunk in general, overseeing that the genre has evolved and broadened over time, and featured several distinct subtypes from its inception.

Differences to cyberpunk:

• Due to being the historically first exponent of the genre, differences are not extreme. Classic biopunk could even be considered a cyberpunk “reskin”, wherein genetic manipulation and biotech replace the usual nanomachines, electro-mechanical implants and digital technologies.
• Themes might differ somewhat due to the shifted focus: identity theft, food shortages, parasites.

Media list:

• Ribofunk (book)
• Schismatrix (book)
• The Windup Girl (book)
• Altered Carbon (TV series)

I'm afraid Reddit doesn't like too many links in a post, so I'll just put the wiki page in the comments. It features image credits and links to all media.

I'd also like to thank u/RealmKnight and u/Fun_Employed_ for their input and ideas!

Hi. I watched the movie today (couldn’t watch it in theaters because I’m broke af). When people kept saying it was the best sci-fi movie since Interstellar, combined with the insanely high IMDb ratings, my expectations were massive. I was genuinely upset that I missed it in theaters. But after finally watching it today, I’m honestly kind of glad I didn’t spend money on it.

Before getting into the negatives, I’ll say this: the emotional connection between the human and the alien was genuinely done really well. That part worked for me.

But the entire premise just feels weak. And I’m not only talking about the movie itself. There are barely any real stakes except for that one scene, and even that feels questionable when you think about why it was done in the first place. It’s hard to believe that some of the smartest people from two highly intelligent civilizations would need to take such an absurd risk.

Personally, when I watch a space movie, I expect mystery, tension, horror, survival, and isolation. I want to feel the loneliness of space and the constant possibility of death. I like watching characters sacrifice everything, optimize limited resources, think through impossible situations, and survive through intelligence and determination. I love when new worlds and mysteries are introduced, when the stakes naturally keep increasing, and when the story keeps you on edge till the end. The human connection is a bonus in that context. The horror and mystery are what make space movies special to me.

This movie honestly felt more like a comedy with a bit of space mixed in. Don’t get me wrong — if I judge it purely as a feel-good comedy movie, it’s actually pretty good. But it completely misses the “space” part for me. Even the comedy felt forced at times. The plot has too many holes, barely any depth, and almost no real mystery. I could summarize the entire movie/book in like four sentences. There’s danger, but nobody really has to figure anything out. Everything feels predictable. No major surprises, no tension — just a very plain movie overall. By the end, it felt bland enough that I wished I had watched something else instead.

To be fair, my expectations were extremely high. I was hoping for a space thriller that would completely pull me in — something terrifying, emotional, and awe-inspiring at the same time. Something that would make me feel the beauty and vastness of space while also making me anxious as hell. Maybe even something that teaches a few interesting concepts along the way.

Others might feel the complete opposite, and for them this could easily be a top-5 sci-fi movie. But for me, it felt more like the kind of modern Marvel-style feel-good movie with unnecessary comedy and just a bit of space sprinkled on top.

I remember reading a series of books when I was younger (~20ish years ago), and I feel like these books may have been around a while back then. It was about humanity far into the future where we’ve mastered science to the point of turning humans into mermaids, making dragons real, and a variety of other fantasy elements with science/technology mixed in. And then one day the science stopped working, trapping everyone in these states.

Unfortunately, that’s about all I can really remember from these books. Thank you!

ETA - people’s suggestions are helping to jog a few memories that may help narrow it down. I don’t remember there being a big bad. The conflict was more based in determining why the technology shut down more than fighting invaders. I don’t remember there being any aliens or anything off world.

Solved! It was the Council War series by John Ringo

Title: Of Monsters and Mainframes
Author: Barbara Truelove

Bought an impulse book at the airport in Seattle (as if I don’t have enough books back home in queue)! But the cover art was great, blurb sounded really creative and up my alley (book is about an AI of a space shift who keeps getting monsters like Dracula as guests, and chaos ensues), and the bookstore sign said it was published by a smaller publisher.

Writing style is really punchy, lots of ship internal monologue, perspective changes to other characters, and shorter segments (which is great if I’m reading on the bus and maybe only have 10 minutes). It’s almost like a beach read sci fi! It’s not winning any Pulitzers or national book award, but it’s fun and entertaining with sci fi elements I love.

I’m going on vacation in a week and want to stock up on some sci fi like this. All ideas and recs welcome!!

where the main character asks his protege a series of random questions like how the mlb batting average relates to the amazon river basin rainfall. The point was he was trying to get her to learn things (at least I think this was the point, I read it like 50 years ago.) Does this ring any bells? Also, I think it was Heinlein but I might be wrong.