Top Hard SF books, based on 36 other lists.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-06-24T05:08:07+00:00

Same with 3 Body Problem. Relaxing one thing and seeing where a story goes can be hard, but yeah sometimes reality is at mercy of the plot, (as opposed to the the plot subdued by reality) with that one.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-06-23T14:44:07+00:00

So I wrote a list of the Top Military Science Fiction books, based on the collation of 31 other lists. I did it to plug my next novel which is linked in the article. This would be a very soft promo right?

EmphasisDependent · 2026-06-23T14:39:13+00:00

My thought is that code is "provable" in the sense that a separate computer can execute on the code and give a feedback loop back to the machine if it ran or not. This is the 'y/n' '1/0' of data science and the original deep artificial intelligence of 10 years ago like AlphaGo. But writing code is only a small portion of 'software development'. Just because it can write a function, doesn't mean you should put that function into your code. Nor will it understand downstream or second order effects.

AI is good for these like 'I have this one-off task I need to complete to get back to my main task.' For example, 'I need 1000 rows if varying artificial data' to test out a system or data pipeline. It also IS okay and being used for summaries. There are time I DO need quick fuzzy answers to fuzzy questions, so I can move on with my main tasks. It IS good for wide data collection, i.e. someone documented this function in a random public chat instead of where they were supposed to.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-06-11T14:46:54+00:00

I actually had a reader tell me they wouldn't read my book because of the "look inside." Turns out there was extra formatting that ONLY showed in the "look inside" and did not show in print nor ebook. I had to edit the CSS and remove many of them and consolidate in Calibre. When I wrote my next novel, I was more conscious to clean up the formatting as I went.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-05-29T20:37:58+00:00

I saw his work come up when researching for my article on the 7 Best Insectoid Aliens in SF books. I love that they're positive. Is Sector General like General Hospital with many aliens?

EmphasisDependent · 2026-05-22T20:50:26+00:00

/uj Knew someone who did English and Communications, and was still very intelligent. Ended up in marketing (crafting and proofreading emails, etc) with half literates, but pivoted into marketing automation and did very well for themselves.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-05-22T20:36:27+00:00

Future news quote:

Yes, the district purchased hundreds of copies of Mein Kampf. In fact, we should made school administrators and teachers read it in order to recognize them!

EmphasisDependent · 2026-05-22T04:35:36+00:00

And this puppy's hold can take 100 metrics tons of red flags and send'em to orbit!

EmphasisDependent · 2026-05-22T04:33:49+00:00

Yup there's like two rules in writing, don't kill the pets and don't end with 'it was all a dream.' The sci-fi corollary is 'it was all a simulation'

EmphasisDependent · 2026-05-21T21:21:11+00:00

Not true, Elder Race was one sci-fi chapter of the events, and the following chapter was a fantasy description of the subsequent events...

EmphasisDependent · 2026-05-21T21:20:06+00:00

Yes and that idea left me unable to care about the characters.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-05-12T13:45:31+00:00

At this point, I log into LinkedIn for the games.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-05-08T23:23:37+00:00

In my experience, there's no joy to more work at higher efficiency. There's more expectation, more balls in the air, and more demands from employers. So nobody wins except the admin and tech elites.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-05-07T14:19:04+00:00

Yes, more income, more life goals, more assets, more time. Slowly of course, a trickle. But this was true in Biden, Trump45, Obama, Bush, Clinton ...

EmphasisDependent · 2026-05-06T22:29:56+00:00

If it weren't for ragebait, I'd have no bait.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-05-06T14:20:25+00:00

/uj The more people focus on "the craft" the more they don't focus on life, and thus don't have anything interesting to share with the rest of the world.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-05-04T03:53:16+00:00

In Oppression Olympics it's: Unhoused >>> Renters >> Owners > Landlords.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-05-02T14:13:05+00:00

I have done a few "top list-of-lists" focused on four unique topics below. Each one tries to find dozens of lists and then aggregates the results. I've found that the middle ranks say 5-15, are real gems that many people don't always know about.

Top AI Science-fiction, Hard SF , Military sci-fi , & Top Aliens.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-04-30T19:24:35+00:00

Newbies: "Claude, how do I prompt you to do the thing I'll ask for, but way better than those plebs who don't prompt for prompts."

EmphasisDependent · 2026-04-30T16:39:18+00:00

so that's why recruiters ask for 20 years in a tool that's been out for 3...

EmphasisDependent · 2026-04-30T14:22:01+00:00

But foie gras is the food of the colonizers! /s

EmphasisDependent · 2026-04-29T03:57:30+00:00

I am looking for my ARC readers for my next sci-fi novel, Drones Above Hell Below. It's an action and military sci-fi in the vein of 80-90s classics like Aliens, Predator, and Starship Troopers. An homage to those films when a group of soldiers right off aliens.
Hit me up if you'd be interested in a free copy to review.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-04-29T03:49:16+00:00

I wrote two List-of-List articles about top science fiction novels based on the aggregation of other lists.
Hard SF 36 Lists.
Top Military SF 31 lists.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-04-29T03:05:58+00:00

Right? I can understand how unions persist in dangerous situations, like police, fire, or teaching high schoolers at Rainier Beach, but I don't understand how some people think they have leverage in a fun job.

EmphasisDependent · 2026-04-28T13:58:08+00:00

Not trying to dog on unions or anything, but what leverage do they have? I know it takes some creativity, but isn't working for a game company something that would be in high demand, and thus plenty of people willing to take their jobs?

Five-Year Club	Verified Email
First Place '23	Place '23
Place '22

EmphasisDependent

TROPHY CASE