Altered Carbon - Wild tech, visceral action, and an unhinged plot!
If you like gritty cyberpunk settings, a page-turning, action-driven plot, and a lot of visceral explorations of violence and sexuality, this one's for you. If you're looking for deep characters, a carefully crafted plot, or philosophical ideas, this might not be your next read.As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend: Neuromancer by William GibsonTitanium Noir by Nick HarkawayPermutation City by Greg Egan
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Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton - An Incredible Space Opera!
Solid characters, amazing worldbuilding, and an epic plot that will keep you interested all the way through (and that's no mean feat in such a long book). If you've been thinking about trying out Peter F. Hamilton this is the right place to start.As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend: The Salvation Series, Void Trilogy, and Pandora's Star by Peter F. HamiltonThe Culture Series by Iain M. BanksHouse of Suns by Alastair Reynolds
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Interview with Ann Leckie - author of Ancillary Justice!
Ann is also the author of Ancillary Sword, Ancillary Mercy, Translation State, Provenance (all set in her Imperial Radch universe), and the excellent stand-alone fantasy novel The Raven Tower.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoWe talked with Ann about: 1:12 Becoming a writer later in life5:06 The inspiration for the Radch and Ancillary Justice7:48 Creating a gender-less empire12:43 Writing from the POV of an AI16:56 Invisible exposition20:26 Space opera inspired by the real world26:16 Audiobooks and pronunciation34:14 Will we get to see inside the Radch Dyson sphere?35:49 Recent books Ann likes and her influences42:22 Blurbing Murderbot44:16 Ann's next book is set on a rogue planet!
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The 14 Best First Contact Books
We also each rank our top three first contact books at the end of the episode.This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoAll the books in the episode (with YT links to those we've got full episodes on, or search for them in your podcast app): Contact by Carl SaganEnder's Game by Orson Scott CardThe Sparrow by Mary Doria RussellThe Forever War by Joe HaldemanEmbassytown by China MiévilleRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky BrothersThe War of the Worlds by H.G. WellsBlindsight by Peter WattsThe Expanse by James S.A. CoreyThe Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuinRendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. ClarkeThe Mote in God's Eye by Jerry Pournelle and Larry NivenSolaris by Stanislaw LemThe Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu
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Ministry for the Future - Heatwaves, Super-Storms, and Cutting-Edge Climate Tech!
The book somehow manages to be optimistic at the same time that it realistically portrays horrific climate catastrophes - the opening chapter will stick with you forever. That said, it also suffers from some of KSR's usual writing quirks: weak characters and a pretty loosely defined plot. We talk about it all, the good, the bad, and the terrifyingly hot!As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend: The Value of Everything by Mariana MazzucatoRed Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins
Explore the best of sci-fi with Brent and Cody. Each episode dives into a single book or series in the sci-fi cannon. Author interviews, reviews and analysis, and related book recommendations. Happy reading y'all!
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