Explore the best of sci-fi with Brent and Cody every two weeks! 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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© 2021-2023 Brent Gaisford & Cody Troyer
Hugonauts: The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time
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- A Scanner Darkly - Philip K. Dick's best book?Substance D is a new drug sweeping the nation and slowly destroying the minds of its users. As the connection between the two halves of their brains degrades, they grow increasingly disoriented and confused before suffering irreversible brain damage. Fred is an undercover narcotics agent working to uncover where the new drug is coming from. But to find the source he has to pose as Bob Arctor, a user, and soon Arctor is as addicted as the junkies around him. Can he see through his psychosis long enough to tell which leads are real and which imagined? Or will he be consumed, like his friends, by substance D? Join the Hugonauts book club on discord! Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video0 comments0
- Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2022: Part 1 - The Nebula NomineesFor all six of the nominated books we'll give you a quick summary (with no spoilers), a review, and a rundown of what kind of reader is likely to love (and who might hate) each book. Featuring: The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler Babel by R.F. Kuang Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree Spear by Nicola Griffith Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir And join us for our next episode on A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick! Join the Hugonauts book club on discord! Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video (and see the short videos we've started posting every other week)0 comments0
- Hugonauts: The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time Apr 25 · 40m Brave New World - Sex, Drugs, and DystopiaSet in a futuristic, unified World State, Brave New World tells the story of a very different kind of dystopia. The population is not tightly controlled in the traditional sense - instead they are free to do what they choose, and live phenomenally happy lives. However, people are born in test tubes and modified in-vitro to fulfill their role in the caste system, to love their work, and to love the hedonistic lifestyle that the World State provides. Bernard Marx is not perfectly happy though. He arranges a trip to a reservation to see a different way of living, and there meets someone born outside the system - The Savage - who begins to question the social order and chafe against the World Controllers who mastermind the system. Join the Hugonauts book club on discord! Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video (and see the short videos we've started posting every other week)0 comments0
- Providence by Max Barry - an AI battleship, a hapless crew, and black-hole spewing aliens!Four soldiers are serving a four year tour of duty as the only crew members on a super-advanced AI battleship, dispatched to fight the alien Salamanders who have been spewing black holes everywhere and killing humans in space. The ship is fully controlled by AI, and as the mission goes on our heroes feel more and more like window dressing - they sure are killing a lot of aliens, but are they anything more than passengers on this ship? Or are they just window-dressing for the military industrial complex? Thanks to Lori from the Hugo, Girl podcast for joining us for this episode! Hugo, Girl is a monthly show featuring three very funny space feminists reading and discuss Hugo Award-winning fiction. Cody joined them on their most recent episode, talking about the hugely underrated book Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang. Join the Hugonauts book club on discord! Related books we recommend: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman Blindsight by Peter Watts Lexicon by Max Barry Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video (and see the short videos we've started posting every other week)0 comments0
- Interview with Becky Chambers - author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet!All of Becky's writing is excellent, but if you haven't read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet it's a great place to start. It's a wonderful, warm, and character-driven space opera that follows the tight-knit crew of a wormhole-drilling starship working their way across the galaxy. We talked with Becky about: Growing up in a 'space' family Going from self-publishing to winning a Hugo Her process for creating her wonderful characters Using the search for identity as central conflict Becky's biggest influences Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video (and see the short videos we've started posting every other week), or join the Hugonauts book club on discord!0 comments0
- Contact by Carl Sagan - a scientifically grounded and totally ground-breaking first-contact story!Ellie is a brilliant radio astronomer who has often felt alone in the world. When she detects an indisputably intelligent signal emanating from the Vega system, that all changes - for her and for the entire human race. The nations and people of the world begin to come together in the face of the alien intelligence, and humanity faces a simultaneous revival and crisis of faith. Ellie works with an international team of scientists to decode the layers of the Message, and eventually, they realize the Message contains plans for some kind of Machine. Should humanity invest the resources to build the Machine? And if they do, what will happen when they turn it on? Join the book club on discord! Related books we recommend: Cosmos by Carl Sagan Solaris by Stanislaw Lem The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video (and see the short videos we've started posting every other week). Hope you love it, keep reading y'all!0 comments0
- Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - The wildly entertaining book that invented the Metaverse!Hiro Protagonist is a self-described hacker working as a pizza-delivery driver and living in a storage unit at LAX. He lives in a US that has been fully corporatized - from Judge Bob’s Judicial System to Pastor Wayne’s Pearly Gates. To get away, Hiro spends much of his free-time in the Metaverse, where he wrote many of the subroutines that underpin the virtual world. One of his hacker friends, Da5id, is given a new virtual drug called Snow Crash that not only crashes his computer, but also destroys his brain in the real world. Hiro (and a hilarious cadre of friends) are drawn ever deeper into the worldwide conspiracy that is spilling out of the virtual world to threaten the real world. Link to buy the book (and help support the show!) Join the book club on discord! Written (and more shareable) review Related books we recommend: Neuromancer by William Gibson Babel-17 by Samuel Delany Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video. Keep reading y'all!0 comments0
- The Andromeda Strain - A scientific thriller about an alien virus!Michael Crichton was fresh out of Harvard Medical School when he wrote the Andromeda Strain - and we're so glad he did! The book that launched his literary career and all that followed, from Jurassic Park to Sphere. Here's the setup: A US government program is sending satellites with scoops into orbit, looking for alien organisms that can survive the void of space. When one of the scoops comes down in the Arizona desert two soldiers are sent out to pick it up. But as they get closer, they realize the signal has moved - someone has already picked up the object and moved it into the tiny town of Piedmont. As the two men pull into town, bodies line the streets. In less than five minutes they are dead too. The United States government is forced to mobilize Project Wildfire, a top-secret emergency response protocol. Four of the nation’s most elite biophysicists are summoned to a clandestine underground laboratory where they must race to understand and contain the crisis. But the Andromeda Strain proves different from anything they’ve ever seen - and what they don’t know could not only hurt them, but lead to unprecedented worldwide catastrophe. Link to buy the book (and help support the show!) Join the book club on discord! Related books we recommend: The Hot Zone Jurassic Park Children of Ruin Rendezvous with Rama Red Mars Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video. Keep reading y'all!0 comments0
- Hugonauts: The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time Jan 31 · 36m The Handmaid's Tale - A chilling, theocratic dystopian classic!The story is told via the diary of a Handmaid - a young woman living in Gilead, an extremely repressive, patriarchal society that has taken over the United States. We explore the dark world through her eyes, and follow her struggle to express herself, escape, or just take control back over any part of her life. What are the rules of this brutal society? And will the Handmaid ever see the people she loves again? Link to buy the book (and help support the show!): https://amzn.to/3DqPTxP Join the book club on discord! https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2 Related books we recommend: 1984 - https://amzn.to/3Y71TMO The Testaments - https://amzn.to/3XTM1Oa Brave New World - https://amzn.to/3kW4CKM Never Let Me Go - https://amzn.to/3DsPFWP Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video. Keep reading y'all!0 comments0
- Dark Matter - A sci-fi thriller that is way too fun to put down!Jason Dessen is walking home one night when he realizes he is being followed. A strange man in a geisha mask abducts him at gunpoint, drives him to an abandoned building, takes his phone and clothes, and injects him with a strange drug. When Jason wakes up, he’s surrounded by strangers congratulating him for something he’s supposed to have achieved. In this world he’s not a college professor - they say he’s created something that seems impossible. He looks for his wife - but in this world she says she’s not his wife. His son was never born. Is this world real, or a dream? And no matter what this place is, how can he get back to the people he loves? Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video. We also launched three new things this week! A website - hugonauts.org - where you can read written reviews & see related books! A Hugonauts book club discord to talk about books together (and everything else)! We're giving away 8 great sci-fi books to kick off the channel, enter to win on the discord channel. Providing links to buy the books we recommend. It doesn't cost you any extra, but a percentage of anything you buy after clicking these links goes to the show, and the support really means a lot! Keep reading y'all!0 comments0
- Double Star - A hilarious, lighthearted book that is a perfect introduction to Robert Heinlein!The story is told from the first person perspective of Laurence Smith—the self-styled “The Great Lorenzo”—a down-and-out actor who spends most of his time in bars. He's approached by a space-pilot who offers him a drink and, despite some trepidation about Lorenzo’s high opinion of himself, offers him a dangerous job at a very high pay rate. One of the solar system's most important politicians has been kidnapped, and they need someone to impersonate him until he's rescued. Lorenzo is quickly pulled deeper and deeper into the conspiracy, and has to keep up the act to avoid his own death and an all-out planetary war. Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video. Drop us a line: https://twitter.com/hugonautspod https://www.instagram.com/hugonautspodcast/ https://www.tiktok.com/@hugonautspodcast hugonautspodcast@gmail.com0 comments0
- Parable of the Sower - A very real dystopia that helped launch Afrofuturism!It’s the year 2025, and society is descending into anarchy in the face of climate change and other disasters. We see the world through the diary entries of Lauren Olamina, a teenager living in a walled-in neighborhood in the exurbs of Los Angeles. Jobs are scarce, food and water are increasingly expensive, and armed gangs and drug addicts control the streets outside. Lauren’s father, a pastor and professor at a local college, tries to keep their little community safe, but Lauren feels things going to pieces and is always preparing for things to get worse. When it all comes crashing down, will she be ready? Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video. Drop us a line: https://twitter.com/hugonautspod https://www.instagram.com/hugonautspodcast/ https://www.tiktok.com/@hugonautspodcast hugonautspodcast@gmail.com0 comments0
- Behind the scenes with Seth Fishman - agent for Cixin Liu, Ann Leckie & more!Seth Fishman is one of the biggest movers and shakers in the world of sci-fi publishing, representing Cixin Liu, Ann Leckie, Mary Robinette Kowal, Becky Chambers, Mur Lafferty, River Solomon, P Djeli Clark, and many others (plus huge names in lots of other genres too, like Randall Munroe, the creator of XKCD). We had a great time talking with him about what's happening behind-the-scenes in sci-fi, what the publishers like are looking for, and an honestly inspiring speech about how to talk about your own work. After this episode we’re taking a break for the holidays and closing out our first season (and so Cody can take his honeymoon!) We'll be back on December 6th to talk about Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower, and then returning to our regular schedule every two weeks starting January 3rd. We'll be missing y'all till then! Drop us a line: hugonautspodcast@gmail.com https://twitter.com/hugonautspod https://www.instagram.com/hugonautspodcast/0 comments0
- Blindsight - A haunting, mindblowing first contact book!Aliens have taken a snapshot of the entire earth, down to 1 meter of resolution - we know because they lit the entire sky on fire to do it. Then, humanity detected something out at the very edge of the solar system sending a signal - but not to us. The signal is being sent out, into deep space, to another planet, or to something already on the way to Earth. A ship is dispatched with a crew of five - including two technical specialists who have been deeply biologically and technologically enhanced, a soldier, a resurrected Vampire who interfaces with the ship AI to lead the crew, and our protagonist, Siri, whose job is to understand those specialists and translate their insights for the people back home. What will they find, out in the darkness? As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend: The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu Or you can watch the episode on YouTube here.0 comments0
- Hugonauts: The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time Sep 27 · 57m Interview with Ken Liu - author of the Paper Menagerie!This week we are so excited to interview Ken Liu! All of his writing and translation work is excellent, but if you haven't read his short story collection The Paper Menagerie we recommend you start there, it's full of incredibly memorable stories. We talked with Ken about: Growing up in both China and America Robo-Ken - the neural network he built to help write a story The singularity and uploading your consciousness His background as a programmer and lawyer The importance of family in his stories The meaning of silkpunk and his series The Dandelion Dynasty We'll be releasing more bonus content from the Hugo Awards on YouTube over the next week - check those out on our YouTube channel if you haven't already subscribed! Next episode we'll be discussing Peter Watt's Blindsight - look forward to talking with y'all then. Happy reading everybody!0 comments0
- Author interviews from the Hugo Awards - Seanan McGuire, Ryka Aoki, and Joe Haldeman!We had a great time rolling out the red carpet in Chicago, and we're excited to release the first set of interviews! The Seanan McGuire interview starts at 2:10. Seanan is a multiple Hugo award winning fantasy and sci fi author, most well known for her Wayward Children series and her Newsflesh zombie series (published under her pseudonym Mira Grant). We talked with her about how she manages to create so much content, what made her want to write about zombies, and her approach to researching her stories (she once gave herself a tapeworm to prep for a book about parasites!) The Ryka Aoki interview starts at 15:47. Ryka's breakout novel Light from Uncommon Stars came second in the Hugo voting this year. We talked with her about the book, making music, why she loves donut shops (and how she managed to include them in a sci fi novel), and queerness and what it means to be 'normal'. The interview with Joe and Gay Haldeman starts at 42:13. Joe is most famous for his novel The Forever War (which we talked with him about in a previous episode), as well as the Nebula award winning book Camouflage. We talk with Joe and Gay about Camouflage, the Bataan death march, as well as hanging out with Arthur C. Clarke, Gene Wolf, and Robert Silverberg at sci-fi conventions over the years. If you want to see photos from the red carpet, check them out on twitter or instagram! And if you want to see the rest of the interviews from ChiCon with other content creators, we'll be releasing those on our YouTube channel.0 comments0
- The Windup Girl - A gene-hacking dystopia full of anti-heroes!The vast majority of the world's fossil fuels have been expended, leading to a climate and economic catastrophe. In the aftermath, calories from food become the world's most important energy source, not only for human consumption, but also to power industry and technology. A few mega-corporations produce almost all the world's food, and have become the most powerful entities on earth, thriving by genetically engineering new foods, while also trying to destroy the competition by biohacking diseases to attack other sources of nutrition they don't control. The novel is set in a future version of Bangkok. Thailand is one of the few countries that has maintained its sovereignty from the calorie companies, but it has it's own troubles, and is plagued by corruption, rent-seeking, and factions struggling for control over the kingdom. The cast of characters is complex and full of deeply flawed people, all trying to get a piece of the pie in this land of relative prosperity. We can't remember ever reading a book so thoroughly populated by people who feel both real and so ruthlessly self-interested - it's brutal, but also so refreshing to read something so out of the ordinary! This book calls for a trigger warning - there are two fairly brutal sexual assault scenes that are quite disturbing. If you are reading a chapter with some bad things happening at a sex club, know that it will get worse before it gets better - you can skip to the next chapter to avoid those scenes. As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read: The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood The City and the City by China Miéville Or you can choose to watch this episode on YouTube here instead.0 comments0
- Ancillary Justice – A unique take on AI and a sprawling, complex galactic empire!Breq used to be the Justice of Toren - the huge, complex AI that inhabited a colossal starship and all of its thousands of ancillaries in the service of the Radch, the largest of the human empires. Ancillaries are human bodies that were captured in previous Radchaai annexations (or colonizations) – those who resist the takeover are killed and their bodies frozen and stored, ready to be activated and controlled by Radchaai AI in future annexations. The ancillaries are terrifying soldiers – each one is protected by almost impenetrable armor, and the AI never miss a shot. But now Breq has been reduced to only one ancillary body. The book follows two parallel timelines – one as she closes in on the end of her quest for revenge, and the other showing how she was betrayed twenty years ago. There are two small things that hold this book back just a little bit. First, it’s fairly complicated – perhaps too much so. Second, it starts off slowly – but once it gets going, it is incredibly propulsive. So, push through the first 50-80 pages, and know that it’s an incredible experience once you are immersed in the world! We also talk a bit about the two sequels in the Imperial Radch trilogy – those books aren’t as good and are a lot smaller in scope, but if you absolutely love Ancillary Justice, they can still be worth a read. As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend: The Murderbot series by Martha Wells A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin Or you can watch the show on YouTube here.0 comments0
- Ranking the best sci-fi books of 2021! Who are the frontrunners to win the Hugo award?Ranking and reviewing the best speculative fiction books of 2021! Here's the extremely abridged version of the list, with a one sentence summary of each: 6. Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark - A murder mystery set in a steampunk version of Cairo with lots of genies. 5. The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers - A bunch of aliens are stuck at an interstellar truck stop, hanging out with a cute kangaroo. 4. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan - Mulan, but Mulan acts more like Walter White from Breaking Bad. 3. A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine - Translator needed to talk with scary aliens, but everyone has an ulterior motive. 2. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - A high school science teacher is alone in space trying to save the world - no pressure. 1. Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - A young trans woman meets a violin teacher who owes the devil seven souls - oh and the donut lady down the block is a starship captain too. If you're excited about this year's Hugo, you can vote if you want to! You can either attend the annual convention, or buy a supporting membership for $50 to be able to vote. If you want to vote or attend, you can get your membership here: https://registration.chicon.org/memberships And if you are going to the convention, please drop us a line and let us know! We'll be there running a red carpet and interviewing authors, and we'd love to meet all the rest of the Hugonauts from around the world too! Shoot us a DM on twitter or instagram, or send us an email to hugonautspodcast@gmail.com to let us know you'll be in Chicago. Happy reading y'all!0 comments0
- House of Suns - An epic space opera with solid science!Gentian line is one of the most powerful forces in the galaxy - one of the 'lines' of clones (called shatterlings) who have been traveling the galaxy since the start of the star-faring era six million years ago. The shatterlings of Gentian line travel alone, but they come together for a reunion every 200,000 years to compare what they have seen on their latest circuit around the galaxy. Campian and Purslane are two shatterlings who have fallen in love and are traveling together against the rules of the line. They are running late to the upcoming reunion when they get a terrifying message - someone has attacked the reunion and killed almost all of the Gentians. Now it is up to them to determine who, or what, their enemy is before the entire line is wiped out. This is a book that succeeds because of its incredible world building and engrossing plot. You are slowly but steadily introduced to new mind-bending concepts and mysteries, and learning the answers to those questions over the course of the book is a real pleasure. The scientific concepts and technologies that power the world (which are all rooted in real science) are also incredibly fun to explore, and are one of Reynolds strong suits - perhaps not surprising for a writer with a PhD in astrophysics. That said, if you are looking for dialogue-driven writing or unforgettable characters, this might not be the book for your current moment. It also slows down a bit in the middle of the book, but the final quarter picks up the pace again, and is propulsive, gripping, and answers all the big questions in very satisfying ways. This is a stand-alone novel, which is somewhat rare for space operas. If you want to enjoy a big, galactic adventure without the commitment of a long series, this is definitely up your alley. As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend: Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge, The Culture series by Iain Banks And Hyperion by Dan Simmons If you'd prefer to watch the video version, you can find it at this link.0 comments0
- Hugonauts: The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time Jun 28 · 16m The Machine Stops - A dystopian short story that feels almost too real! (analysis episode)It is truly unbelievable that this story was written in 1909 - E. M. Forster's dystopian world feels all too real in our increasingly digitally connected and physically isolated real world. The story is about ritual & superstition, resistance to change, the dangers of reliance on an all-powerful authority, the origins of knowledge and creativity, and a tumultuous relationship between a mother and son who see the world in very different ways. We're joined to talk about the story by actor and writer Kiran Subramaniam, who also joined us to record our full cast, unabridged audiobook of this story! No spoilers here as usual, but we do highly recommend listening to the story as well, whether before or after the analysis & review. It's an incredible story and isn't too long - the audiobook episode is just over an hour. You should see that free audiobook available as our episode 19. As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut, and Foundation by Isaac Asimov. Or you can watch the show on YouTube here if you prefer video. Happy reading y'all!0 comments0
- The Machine Stops - Complete Short Story Audiobook with Full Cast!A world where everyone occupies a tiny cell, connected to each other only by machines, and where a parent's responsibility to their child ends at birth. Where all knowledge and experience comes secondhand, through the machine. A world where the machine rules everyone's lives. We absolutely love this classic short story, and we're lucky it's old enough to have entered the public domain so we can release this complete audiobook for free! We did a full cast recording with Kiran Subramaniam joining Cody and Brent to voice all the parts. Let us know if you liked (or didn't like) this episode so we can keep doing more (or quit doing) these free audiobooks! Drop us a message to let us know what you think on Instagram or Twitter (search 'Hugonauts Podcast'), or via email at hugonautspodcast@gmail.com. Keep reading y'all!0 comments0
- Interview with David Brin - Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of Startide Rising and the Postman!David Brin is an astrophysicist whose international best-selling novels include The Postman, Startide Rising, and the Uplift War. He consults for NASA, companies, agencies, and nonprofits about the onrushing future. His first nonfiction book, The Transparent Society, won the Freedom of Speech Award. His newest book is Vivid Tomorrows: Science Fiction and Hollywood. Startide Rising won both the Hugo and the Nebula in 1984 - one of a very short list of books to win both awards! If you haven't read it yet, here's the setup: Startide Rising follows a spaceship from Earth, named Streaker, that is primarily crewed and captained by dolphins. The main conceit of Brin’s uplift series is that humanity has ‘uplifted’ dolphins and chimpanzees by speeding up their evolution. Streaker’s crew has discovered something of great interest to the entire galaxy, and is trying to get back to Earth with the information. Unfortunately, the galaxy is not a friendly place, and when word gets out about what Streaker is carrying, the entire galaxy converges on Streaker to try and stop them. Streaker is damaged and lands on an ocean planet to hide and buy time to repair themselves, while meanwhile the forces of all the other galactic civilizations battle it out in the solar system above them, trying to be the last one’s standing so they can capture Streaker. It’s a plot driven space opera, with each chapter following one of many different characters (even including a few aliens) as the crew of the Streaker races to repair their ship, to understand the strange planet they’ve crashed on, and tries to come up with a plan to escape and get back to Earth. If you want to learn more about David Brin's recent books: davidbrin.com/vividtomorrows.html davidbrin.com/outoftime.html ringoffirepress.com/shop/melody-of-memory Or you can watch the show on YouTube here if you prefer video. Happy reading y'all!0 comments0
- Foundation - The rise and fall of a galactic empire!These books are among the most popular works of the Golden Age of sci fi, and for good reason. The overall story arc established in the first book is very, very good. Hari Seldon combines mathematics and psychology to create the new science of psychohistory and predicts that the galaxy-wide empire that has ruled and kept the peace for tens of thousands of years will collapse within 500 years. The collapse is inescapable, but Seldon sees a single, narrow path that could shorten the dark ages after the collapse from 30,000 years to 1,000 years, and establishes a Foundation at the barren edge of the galaxy to enact that plan. The books are essentially organized as collections of short stories, each story detailing the story of a new generation of foundationers as they seek to navigate a crisis that threatens the plan and the very existence of the Foundation. The technology holds up as well - Asimov was a master of making things futuristic without being too specific about how they worked, and its made his series into a timeless classic. Asimov's view of history as the result of the collective work of humanity rather than the actions of a few great men is also very refreshing and real - a nice change of pace from the typical hero's journey. As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend I, Robot by Isaac Asmiov, A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, and A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. Or you can watch the show on YouTube here if you prefer video.0 comments0
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - The funniest thing to ever happen to sci fi!Douglas Adams passed away 21 years ago this week, so it seemed like a good time to revisit his amazing work. These are short, digestible books that are jam-packed full of jokes and mad-cap adventures. The first book in the series (the eponymous Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) is especially full of non-stop zaniness - the chapters are only a few pages long, but every single one feels like it has something big happening in it, and every page has a joke. The books also raise big philosophical questions, but answers them in a truly unique way. Instead of trying to dispense wisdom or tell you how to live your life, the books poke fun at the entire notion of universal answers to life's big questions. Instead, Adams suggests we could all do with taking life a little less seriously and finding our own answers to those big questions. As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood, and A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. Later on this week we'll also be giving away a complete set of all five HGTTG books, as well as Adam's final, posthumously published work, The Salmon of Doubt. Find us on twitter or instagram @hugonautspodcast to enter to win! If you'd prefer to watch the video version, you can find it at this link.0 comments0
