I have seen a lot of artists showing their retro sci-fi art that are really beautiful, but Simon’s art looked pretty creepy and very retro-futuristic. Something about the creepy environments that makes it stand out. Like having a normal road but then added a creepy environment that sticks out.

So I'm thinking of watching the Pacific Rim movies and was curious for some takes on them 10+ years later. The first one looks solid, but the second one looks skippable?

I recently jumped on that John Scalzi Humble Bundle set of books and am thoroughly enjoying Kaiju Preservation Society, which is what made me think of these movies. While I'm at it...are there any other kaiju-focused films/books I should consider?

Directed by Alex Garland, if you’re not familiar with his work he did Ex-Machina, Civil War, Warfare, and is rumored to direct an upcoming Elden Ring Movie. He also wrote 28-Days-Later, and the book The Beach

It’s a limited series, so you don’t have to get too invested, and I’d say if you don’t like the first episode or two you might not like the show. It’s an industrial espionage thriller that takes quite a turn into something else. Great casting, great cinematography and use of color as always by Alex Garland. And great performances.

Highly recommended.

Just finished it and wow... Honestly the world building is insane, especially considering when it was written. It’s crazy how much Stephenson predicted about the internet and digital culture. If you like fast paced cyberpunk with great concepts, go for it 👌

Hey everyone,

I’ve been reading for a while now but only recently started getting deeper into novels especially sci-fi genre. So far, I’ve mostly read standalone sci-fi books stuff like •The Martian by Andy Weir •Project Hail Mary by Andy weir •Dark Matter by Blake crouch •Frankenstein by Mary Shelley •The Time Machine by HG Wells •1984 by George Orwell

My next reads are •Recursion by Blake Crouch and •11/22/63 by Stephen King.

After that, I really want to get into a proper sci-fi series. I looked around and shortlisted about a dozen of the top-recommended ones , the big names that often come up in discussions about the best sci-fi sagas of all time.

I’d love to know:

•Which ones are best to start with?

•Should I begin with the more modern ones (something in the tone of Project Hail Mary), or is it fine to dive straight into the classics like Dune or Foundation?

•Also, since I’m still new to long series, are there any shorter ones (3–4 books) you’d suggest starting with?

•And if you have any more standalone sci-fi recommendations, I’d love to hear those too.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Neuromancer is remarkable, the environment and the advanced yet deteriorating technology strongly evoke the feel of Blade Runner.

This is the work that either created or significantly brought attention to the cyberpunk genre.

While it has its flaws and isn’t exactly a simple read, it possesses a vitality and foresight of what the future might hold that few can rival.

If you appreciate darker, immersive, and thought-provoking sci-fi, it is certainly worth your time, if i search, i read the neuro 2, is really cool.

(The post is deleted, but i fixed The image, this is not AI)

To preface this post, this is all my opinion, and you are welcome to agree or disagree.

So 24 hours ago, I finished reading the four books in the Hyperion Cantos. After sitting and reflecting on the book series for a day, I can say they easily live up to the reputation of some of the better science fiction books written. Everything from the characters, setting, plot and writing are exceptional. The journey through all four books is well worth the time spent immersing yourself within it. I can not choose a favourite book between the four as to me they are inseparable. The culmination of all four books is a work of art, and the way Dan Simmons brings it all together is nothing short of amazing. Now I'm a somewhat manly guy in his mid 30's, who has devoured many books, especially science fiction, but I'm not ashamed to admit the last half of the fourth book had me feeling deeply for the characters involved. Furthermore, the closing chapters of the fourth book had me in tears. Needless to say, I wholeheartedly recommend this book series to any science fiction fan! If you've never heard of these books or are sitting on the fence about whether or not to read them, please consider this post as your push to do so, from one science fiction lover to another!

For me, I’d say the Odyssey from the Stargate Atlantis / Stargate SG-1 era has such a beautiful design. I absolutely love the thruster placement at the back, and the overall structure feels heavy, durable, and genuinely human, like something humanity would realistically build for deep-space warfare and as well as exploration.

Personally, I’ve never really liked the disk-shaped ships from Star Trek. They always felt a bit too clean and idealistic for my taste. I’m way more into ships that look industrial, militarized, practical, or intimidating.

What other human-made sci-fi ships do you think belong on the iconic cool ship list? Stuff like brutal warships, realistic explorers, giant carriers, eerie deep-space vessels, or ships that just instantly scream human engineering prowess.

(Picture collected from Stargate Fandom wiki)

Nothing has hit like this for me lately 😭😭

I need recs yall. I need to read about giant ass space ships

The new Peter Hamilton books was pretty bad; nothing has come close to this book or its sequel

I have read loads of alistair reynolds. Should I try some iain banks culture series?

With the Miles Cameron books I loved all the various themes, which he clearly drew from his fantasy background: long voyages, economy/trade aspects, piracy, etc.

I might honestly try the Master and Commander books if I don’t find any sci fi that I like soon

Whats the most underrated scifi show you've ever seen that you think not enough people have seen?

I feel Debris from a few years was solid!

But I swear I barely hear anyone talking about Resident Alien which was excellent.

Also Farscape might be one of the best I've seen, still need to finish it.

I've picked up the first 2 entries of the series from a library and plan on reading properly in the future in my free time. I don't trust the brief, cherrypicked reviews placed on the cover as seen in the photo. How does it and the TV series compare critically and story-wise to other space exploration franchises like Star wars or Star trek?

Edit: Thanks for your opinions. I think I'll definitely give this series a shot when I have the time to.

A friend asked me what my personal Sci-Fi recommendations were, and I had fun putting this together. It's been decades for some...I would love to hear what is missing or deserves a re-read!

(I tried posting this yesterday and it was (auto?) removed for low effort--slightly jaded, I'm sure there is good intention. Adding some more words, looks like that might help per the rules. words words words--maybe I can answer a comment from yesterday's post: these are ALL recommendations, I'm not saying Neuromancer isn't fantastic! [though now I'm going to re-read it!]--the tiers might be more my personal preference/for fun, and to facilitate thoughts on what sets the great apart from the good in the genre. words words words!)

Ello!

I started reading sci fi a handful of years ago and am hooked. I made it a goal this year to keep reading until I could consider myself well read in Sci Fi. Just for funskis.

Here’s where I’m at:

- Dune: 1-4
- Hyperion: 1-4
- 3 Body Problem: 1-3
- Foundation (Asimov)
- Enders Game, Speaker for the dead trilogy
- Left Hand of Darkness, Dispossessed, World for world is forest (banger), and working on Lathe of Heaven: Le Guin
- Snow Crash
- Children of Time
- The Expanse (only thru 3 so far and prolly not considered a classic but hey)

What am I missing? Would you love your thoughts.

Cheers!

What is the very best sci-fi movie or show on Netflix right now? I need something new to watch because I’m heading on a 17-hour international flight and want something that will completely suck me in. It can be a series or a movie, as long as it’s genuinely worth watching. I’d prefer something that’s originally in English rather than dubbed, but if there’s an absolute must-see that’s dubbed, I’m totally open to it!

original post got taken down because I cleaned up around the table with AI, so I kept original, and added a few

Found these at an estate sale and picked them all up for less than $1 each. I frequent used bookstores and thrift shops, but I can't recall ever finding anything good—except once when I snagged a copy of Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said.

What a find! I’ve read a few of these via ebook, and told myself I’d wait until I found the editions I preferred out in the wild, for a fair price.

My son went to Barnes & Noble and asked for a recommendation for a new book for my birthday. He told them I was currently reading the Unincorporated Man series (good series) and he asked for something similar. The person he spoke with said I would probably like Dungeon Crawler Carl (DCC). Evidently this person had no idea what hard science fiction was or had never read a book before. I don't like video games and I don't play D&D. DCC is just a combo of D&D and video games. I'm reading the book anyway because my kid got it for me. Does this get any better at all? It is just awful.

I’m always on the hunt for interesting sci-fi that doesn’t involve FTL. Not to say I don’t love reading books with it - I absolutely do. But I really enjoy fictional explorations of future space travel or space civilization that doesn’t have it as a prerequisite.

Planing a marathon and decided to have the movies follow a theme. These are the movies I've picked so far:

1. Sphere

2. Triangle

3. Cube

I think it's pretty obvious what the theme is but just in case you don't see it the theme is shapes.

I'd like to have at least one more movie in the line-up. Any suggestions?

I’m partway through another Battlestar Galactica rewatch and I’m noticing a lot more this time around, especially with the politics and how badly people handle pressure when they’re exhausted and scared. Some of the episodes I remembered as slower are actually landing better now.

What sci-fi shows have gotten better for you on a second or third watch? I’m looking for something with strong characters and a story that rewards paying attention, not just good effects.

Saw it with my 16 year old daugther. Really loved it. Hard sci fi mixed with humor, beautiful space shots, has real hart. Daughter cried. I obviously totally didn’t. Watched it in IMAX. If you love sci fi it is a much watch IMHO. Oh also loved the nod to Steven Spielberg, won’t spoil.

I’m into sci‑fi that’s actually funny all the way through — not just a couple of jokes. Since Mickey 17 hit that perfect weird‑comedy vibe, here’s my own list of funny, quirky, slightly unhinged sci‑fi you might enjoy:

• Resident Alien (2021) — Dry, small‑town alien chaos.
• Landscape With Invisible Hand (2023) — Awkward, satirical, very weird.
• Relax, I’m From the Future (2023) — Rhys Darby doing time‑travel comedy.
• Love, Death & Robots — Especially Three Robots + Ice Age.
• The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) — Chaotic, heartfelt, hilarious.
• The Electric State (2025) — Marvel‑style humor in a sci‑fi world.
• Guardians of the Galaxy — Peak quippy space opera.
• Stranger Things — Not a comedy, but funny moments throughout.
• Bigbug (2022) — Jeunet’s retro‑future absurdism.
• Don’t Look Up — Satire with a sci‑fi edge.
• Space Force (2022) — Goofy, almost‑sci‑fi workplace chaos.

Got more weird/funny sci‑fi to add? I’m always hunting for new ones.

Is the expanse a good series? I just finished watching Lost and now I’m sitting here in that weird post-show emptiness where nothing feels exciting enough to start 😅

For the longest time, The Expanse has been sitting on my watchlist. I’ve heard people say it’s one of the best sci-fi shows ever made, super realistic, political, complex, and with great world-building. But I’ve also heard that it starts a bit slow and takes time to really get into. That’s the only thing holding me back right now.

After finishing Lost, I’m kind of craving something immersive again..

So my question is: is The Expanse worth starting right now, especially when I’m in that slightly bored, low-attention-span mood? Does it grab you early on, or do I need to push through the first few episodes/seasons before it gets good?

Also, how does it compare in terms of emotional investment? Lost had all the mystery, character backstories, and twists that kept me hooked (and sometimes frustrated lol). Does The Expanse have that same level of attachment, or is it more plot/ideas driven?

Basically: should I just go for it, or pick something lighter/instant-hook instead and come back to it later?

No spoilers please 🙏

Peak. Without a doubt the best books I’ve ever read, I don’t even know how Stephen Donaldson was able to think this up. My no 1 recommendation to anyone who wants to read a slightly darker, and gritty sci-fi series. I say to my girlfriend (who isn’t the biggest fan of sci-fi and the like type book) “oh space pirate books”, but this is a unbelievably complex storyline that took me a little bit of thinking to grasp.

And when I finally understood, it was amazing.

Whilst the first book is, in my own opinion, not very good, I’m so glad I kept pushing because they just kept getting better and better page by page. Whether that was a conscious decision by Donaldson or not I’m thankful for his brilliant writing and creativity.

Does anyone who has read this series have any recommendations to one’s similar ?

Usually in Sci-fi universes there is a universal means of FTL travel and it's treated as natural progression that every advanced species eventually stumbles on it. (Star Wars has Hyperspace, Halo has Slipspace, Warhammer 40k has the Warp, etc.)

This makes sense but is there a sci-fi where there are multiple means of FTL travel? And maybe one where specifically humans stumbled on a unique method that's superior to the common method other species use?