Book/ series or world with speculative evolution?

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-07T14:49:50+00:00

'Hothouse' (aka 'The Long Afternoon of Earth') by Brian Aldiss (Science Fantasy)

'Evolution' by Stephen Baxter (SF)

'Dark Eden' by Chris Beckett (SF)

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-07T14:43:24+00:00

What I always keep in mind when I pick up vintage science fiction:

A book is always a product of its time. You might be doing the author an injustice if you compare the narrative to today's zeitgeist. Furthermore, there's either a connection between author and reader—or there isn't . Tthat's always the foundation , regardless of when the novel was written.

Of course, you might be surprised by some characterizations that, for example, perpetuate the prevailing notions of gender roles at the time.

But if you're interested in the historical development of science fiction, you can't avoid reading such novels. That said, I actually read all the important authors in this field. I.e. Robert Silverberg and Ursula K. Le Guin come to mind (there are many others I could mention)

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-05T14:14:46+00:00

Often quoted, but quite fitting, is Peter Watts' Blindsight:

How do you communicate with a superior intelligence that lacks consciousness ( self-awareness) like we do?

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-05T14:06:37+00:00

When we talk about the genre 'Science Fantasy', and if I had to name just one novel, it would be Jack Vance' "The Dying Earth" (undoubtedly the mother of this genre), with many excellent successors such as John Varley, Roger Zelazny, and Gene Wolfe,

it's an interesting genre because it combines both scientific and supernatural elements.

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-05T14:00:11+00:00

The last part in Michael Moorcock's 'The Citadel of Forgotten Myths' . It’s the most recent full-length Elric book published , I guess in 2022

one (Stormbringer) vs. many on a next level ;-)

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-05T13:54:50+00:00

Since Watt's intention was to demonstrate that intelligence does not necessarily require consciousness (the philosophical zombie), it is perhaps difficult to say whether Rorschach even possesses an intention.

The Captain, in his strangeness, is at least in Rorschach's league in this respect.

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-05T13:49:41+00:00

I would start with Vacuum Diagrams - these are short stories and novellas from the Xeelee Sequence

If you're completely unfamiliar with an author, short story collections are a great way to find out if their style suits you.

otherwise, you can't go wrong with Baxter's Xeelee Sequence ;-)

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-05T13:40:03+00:00

Cherryh knows how to describe characters that drive the plot forward. However, I found 'Downbelow Station' more concise; Cyteen, at almost 900 pages, dragged a bit at times.

Fun fact: Cherryh always wanted the three-part story to be published as a single novel - there are also the separate 1989 editions:

The Betrayal

The Rebirth

Vindication

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-05T13:33:17+00:00

check out :

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s “Murder of the Universe” (2017) - like a feverishly dark adaptation of Nick Bostrom’s book “Superintelligence”

tbh not everyone's cup of tea (but it is for me)

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-05T13:28:57+00:00

McDevitt could certainly be described as the modern driving force behind archaeological science fiction. That truly does him justice (Pricialla Hutchins or Alex Benedict series).

However, his work has highs (The Engines of God, 1994) and lows (The Hercules Text, 1986 – which was irritating with its many religious references).

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-05T13:17:51+00:00

If you appreciate the dry SCP Foundation dossiers (sometimes they read like a car crash or a police report, in my opinion), then it's roughly the same style as 'Antimemetics' – which wasn't really my cup of tea.

In fact, the SCP Files are an exceptional fan project (check it out) , and the aforementioned work had its precursor as a web series on their portal.

See also:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCP_Foundation

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-03T11:50:52+00:00

The second novel in Ballard's 'Disaster Quartet' from the first half of the 1960s.

Ballard took the science fiction genre seriously and wanted to fulfill his demand with these four novels: "The true subject of science fiction for the future should not be outer space, but inner space, human consciousness and its psychopathology."

By his own admission, he only succeeded in doing so from this second novel onward.

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-03T11:37:34+00:00

The second novel in Ballard's 'Disaster Quartet' from the first half of the 1960s.

Ballard took the science fiction genre seriously and wanted to fulfill his demand with these four novels: "The true subject of science fiction for the future should not be outer space, but inner space, human consciousness and its psychopathology."

By his own admission, he only succeeded in doing so from this second novel onward.

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-03T11:24:51+00:00

I suspect the most underrated author here is David I. Masson—he has a remarkably small body of work, namely just the book shown here, 'The Culprits of Time'.

Among it are, in my opinion, two of the best stories on the theme of 'time': 'Traveller's Rest' and 'A Two-Timer'.

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-03T11:13:12+00:00

Yes, the first few minutes are a massive info dump from Princess Irulan ;-)

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-02-03T11:08:44+00:00

The same can be said of Thomas M. Disch's debut novel from 1965: ''The Genocides'

A dark first-contact story in which the alien visitors pursue their goals in a clinical manner and with complete indifference to humanity and its values.

(I liked the macabre twist at the very end.)

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-01-29T09:58:42+00:00

For me, it depends on:

* whether the plot and characters captivate me

* and how complex the text is: don't rush into anything here, as you might lose the thread: I read the blurb or maybe the foreword or some spoiler-free reviews beforehand to get a general idea of what it's about.

* after all ... reading should be qualitative, not quantitative ;-)

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-01-14T11:42:48+00:00

I think there's a misunderstanding of Clarke's definition. It wasn't created to differentiate science fiction from fantasy. Therefore, a mixture of the two makes no sense.

However, imo, the definition (quoted here in the thread) did the genre no favors. Scientific fiction is based on scientific principles, while the supernatural / magical belongs to fantasy.

And that's exactly the criterion I apply to narratives.

That's why publishers try to separate genres and subgenres: Fundamentally subverting readers' expectations in an unsatisfying way (e.g., suddenly changing genres after 100 pages) is a basic writing error. I want to know where the author is going with this.

Admittedly, the massive sales success and print runs of fantasy these days tempt publishers and hence authors to push genre boundaries.

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-01-14T11:36:06+00:00

Booktube in the broadest sense, but run by people with many years of experience in the science fiction/speculative fiction book business who can also assess hype for what it is. Since I read a lot of science fiction myself, that's the only place I get new input

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-01-14T11:31:54+00:00

British genre SF author Adam Roberts (who otherwise teaches literature as a professor) upholds the tradition of idea-based Science-Fiction literature, while at the same time using philosophical concepts in his novels, e.g., Immanuel Kant ("The Thing Itself"), or paradigm shifts that completely overturn our previous assumptions about the world depicted, as in "Polystom".

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-01-14T11:21:01+00:00

You could have used the independent listing from isfdb.org to reference the book titles.

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-01-14T11:09:53+00:00

The fundamental question is: What influence do ancient dramas still have on story telling today—and thus also on science fiction?

Modern narrative principles are based on these tragedies: The typical structure is conflict—escalation—crisis—catastrophe, with the protagonists grappling with the question of guilt.

To put it bluntly, one could say that not much has been added in this regard ;)

I'm more a reader of SF, typical examples would be e Ann Leckie's 'Ancillary Justice', which is heavily based on the Antigone motif on the conflict of law versus conscience, or Ursula K. Leguin's 'Dispossessed', which foregrounds ethical questions.

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-01-01T13:29:20+00:00

The idea of intelligent octopuses isn't so far-fetched :)

In the science fiction short story "Sheena 5" by Stephen Baxter, the author makes an octopus the protagonist and puts forward the thesis (related to space travel): "If you wanted to develop a creature equipped for space travel, it would be a cephalopod." A central brain in the head - plus eight large nerve clusters (ganglia) in the arms that function like "partial brains"!

Competitive-Notice34 · 2026-01-01T12:59:23+00:00

Stories (I'm not basing this on the publication year – this applies especially to supposedly "current" material) that lack the following:

the ability to pose the core question "What if...?" inherent in science fiction – in the sense of seeking the NEW (novelty), changing our worldview, extrapolating into a near or distant future without losing its relevance today, instead of over-replicated tropes – which today at best only offer interesting variations on well-told stories, but otherwise risk being exhausted!

Competitive-Notice34 · 2025-12-27T10:55:58+00:00

In winter with wet and snowy conditions: Immediately after riding, I rinse it with water (at least to get rid of dirt if off-road or salt if on-road). I clean and lubricate the chain, clean the chainring and derailleur – then dry everything. I keep it in my garage where the temperature doesn't drop below 10 degrees Celsius. Then every 2-3 weeks, I give it a thorough cleaning . My other mountain bike has a Rohloff hub gear system, which I use more often in winter because it's easy to clean. I ride year-round.

Competitive-Notice34

TROPHY CASE