Best modern sci fi books
Sci fi books always tend to relate our imagination with the world, or worlds that could exist, and superior scientific possibilities that might be a reality in future. It is a fascinating world where you as a reader exist in those cascading moments where reality is chasing time onboard the super fast train that is future bound. And the final destination is actually a reckoning with one's own self. Where, he/she as a reader is cast in the world of this sci fi book, to decide for himself/herself, what might exist in reality, when reality stops chasing moments of time onboard the super fast train. It is a wonderful duality based existence of reality, where part is real and part is fictitious, and it is upto the reader to disentangle the two, based on his/her knowledge and understanding of the facts.
Facts that can separate the real from the unreal and facts that grow under the aegis of known and verifiable spectrum of reality on Earth. This is one of the many fascinating aspects of science fiction that leads the reader into the gymnasium of mind, where he/she is involved in neural pushups, whereby the ultimate formation of the muscle of reality, asserts itself in ways and possibilities never experienced before. This is one of the most magical experiences offered by science fiction novels, which are crafted in the pantheon of imaginary genius without lacking scientific validation; that is, in most of the cases.
But does this attribute alone go into the making of the best sci fi book, or there is more to it? More than this imaginary genius that nestles in the logical firmament of scientific validation.
To be honest, at this point I sense the inadequacy of my explanation to convey the substrate of my thoughts as far as writing a best sci fi book is concerned. And to overcome this handicap, I am taking the liberty to quote H. More:
“Many works of fiction may be read with safety; some even with profit; but the constant familiarity, even with such as are not exceptionable in themselves, relaxes the mind, which needs hardening; dissolves the heart, which wants fortifying; stirs the imagination, which wants quieting; irritates the passions, which want calming; and, above all, disinclined and disqualifies for active virtues and for spiritual exercise. The habitual indulgence in such reading, is a silent mining mischief. Though there is no act, and no moment, in which any open assault on the mind is made, yet the constant habit performs the work of a mental atrophy- it produces all the symptoms of decay; and the danger is not less for being more gradual, and therefore less suspected.”
And it is more applicable on the reader with a strong affinity towards science fiction books. And reading them with safety should be the chief priority. Because there are many sci fi books that deal with concepts like : zero gravity, and sometimes the main character jumps from an incredible height, and somehow via his/her specially designed suit lands on the surface unscathed. And if the sci fi reader is dwelling excessively on the reality like narrative of the sci fi book, and attempts a similar adventure in the reality of his/her planet i.e. Earth. We all know what gravity will do to him/her when he/she lands on the surface. Thus, it becomes a silent mining mischief almost like placing a cat in the midst of a pigeon flock.
This is where the sci fi book reader has to be cautious and apply his/her practical thought in order to seek the truth that deserves to be cast into the furnace of reality, before accepting it as a scientific truth that holds valid in the reality of the Earth, and can withstand the forces that dictate terms even to the reality that surrounds the Earth. And by nature, men/women are poetical animals and delight in fiction, but delighting in science fiction is completely a different thing. This is a delight that we as readers should indulge in well measured portions and without mixing the reality with fiction.
And it is in this context that many science fiction books take the crown of being the best modern sci fi books. Because they simplify this act of separating fiction from reality, and for the reader they make accepting a few parts of fiction as possibilities that can grow in the womb of reality- The reality that we are used to, the reality that we are part of, the reality that we know! No matter where we might be, reality always enjoys a sort of hegemony over everything else. Eventually this is what tells the human mind that it is just a dream, a mere creation of one’s imagination, that is influenced by real events and the dreamer’s psychological state.
And when the dreamer wakes up, the dream is nowhere except a very faint and inferior existence in the memories of the dreamer, only to be confounded forever as soon as the dreamer confronts the bright reality with his/her wakeful mind and open eyes.
However, few dreams are worth pursuing and before they are neutralised in the recessive and wakeful cycles of human mind, because they possess that hidden, slightly obscure factor of reality that has the potential to impart a brand new perspective to the reality that we are used to and defines our world.
Many sci fi books breed such dreams, and they always allow the serious sci fi reader to view every facet of the dream in the practical domain of reality where everything exists, the Sun, the Moon, the Earth, the Universe, along with you and me. Perhaps this is why Coleridge said, “Every human feeling is greater and larger than its exciting cause- a proof, I think, that man/woman is designed for a higher state of existence.”
And when interacting with a well written sci book, the feeling that is born is that of adventurous hope to seek a new reality that fits perfectly with the known principles of the reality we live in and live with. A feeling that excites, a feeling that confirms humans are capable of achieving a higher state of existence. Where parts of fiction, and parts of dreams are worth becoming a part of the reality known to us.
At the same time it is true that every sci fi book reader is a genius, in his/her own rights. But among these geniuses just a few manage to abstain from wandering into the maze of logical inconsistencies, and avoid mixing fiction that is afflicted with logical poverty, with scenarios of reality waiting as hangmen to place these logically impoverished figments of fiction on the noose of reality, where they suffocate gradually, while the reader who is still wandering in the maze of inconsistencies lives on the farce that every fiction is real.
That is when the sci fi book reader starts living in the artificial and unreal world. World where, for a while everything appears real, appears true, a dream that always appears to come true finally, as long as the reader lives in a virtual world, where reality imitates fiction, and the reader seeks pleasure in this act of flattery of reality. And failure to realise this becomes the cause of his/her intellectual decay.
But there are many readers, who on purpose, venture into this maze of inconsistencies, it is their way of making the fiction run the marathon of reality, and reveal the new reality that can calibrate with the known principles of our reality. And this is where that thin and deciding line lies, between a sci fi book reader who knows the difference between fact and fiction, and the one who is lost in the maze of inconsistencies. Without realising that every step taken by him/her is misleading him/her into believing that it is real, whereas it is not.
So, which are the best modern sci fi books that meet these requirements?
Given below is my list:
Children of Time : Adrina Tchaikovsky
The Heart Goes Last : Margaret Atwood
These are the sci fi books that definitely claim the title of being best modern sci fi books. But, this list is based on my personal taste, my personal likings; and individual tastes tend to vary. And I expect it to be so in this case too. But in this list there are few sci fi book titles that do sound very familiar e.g.
Children of Time, The Martian and Borne.
Here is my compilation of the list of best selling science fiction books of all time. You may want to look at my old blog post that deals with a similar topic. Almost similar, if not exactly the same:
The New York Times Best Sellers List
It deals more with explaining the metrics that The New York Times uses to assign the tag of best seller to a science fiction, or any book for that matter. So, if you have read the blog post, you should have a fair idea as to what qualifies a book to be a bestseller.
With that knowledge in mind, let me share the list of best selling science fiction books of all time.
List of best selling science fiction books:
29 of the best selling science fiction books everyone should read
The best sci-fi books of all time
Bestselling science fiction books of all time
List of best selling science fiction books
100 best selling science fiction books
20 of the best science fiction books of all time
Best science fiction books and novels
If you are wondering how it is possible that a book which lacks the hype and popularity quotient, still manages to impress a selected club of readers? Please refer to my another blog post titled: Best selling scifi books.
Now, do you still want to consider the long list of URLs I shared in this blog post, dedicated to listing the best selling science fiction books of all time, or you want to read a science fiction book or books and then decide yourself if it is a best seller for you?
For me the list of best selling science fiction novels always begins and ends with my very personal list of best selling science fiction books i.e.
- Dune
- The Time Machine
- Frankenstein
- The Martian
- The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide
It certainly is not a huge and exhaustive list. And this list has not grown for quite some time now. Because the appeal and intrigue of these sci-fi books never fades, and somehow with a penchant of a master writer, these all time best selling science fiction novels always offer something to my scientifically inquisitive mind to feed on.
And they have a very unique quality, by means of which they immediately caution the reader, as soon as he/she treads in the maze of inconsistencies. The writer uses a sort of doorkeeper or a watchman, who is tasked to caution any reader wandering in this maze. And how these master science fiction writers achieve it, is by balancing fiction, reality and the universal variable of human imagination free to roam anywhere in the pastoral land of human mind where grass blades of new ideas keep budding throughout the landscape of readers’ imagination.
But no matter how brilliantly the sci fi author plots his/her sci fi story, it is always upto the reader to make some serious effort to stray away from the lure of science fiction novels, where fiction offers a muddled view of reality that still exists in the realm of pure imagination. And that is why, it becomes important for the sci fi reader to realise one fact: The fruit that can fall without shaking, indeed is too mellow.
What do I mean?
Well, if we consider following sci fi novels:
- Dune
- The Time Machine
- Frankenstein
They offer many instances where the reader is deliberately made to avoid walking into the maze of logical inconsistencies.
For example:
Dune : Inhabitants of different planets are caught in a battle that seems to have no end. Over a simple drug that grows in the sand covered fields of Dune. It is basically something that the monster sized worms protect because their larvae need this to feed on and grow.
This drug/spice has immense power as far as enhancing neural activity is concerned. So it is considered necessary by many for interplanetary travels, because it improves multidimensional thinking of the mind.
The moment the reader begins imagining about this magical drug found in the sandy depths of Dune, and his/her imagination is about to go wild in the maze of inconsistencies. The writer places reigns on this unnecessary journey of the reader's mind, by explaining the origin of this spice and how the giant worms depend on it for their survival. This drug/spice named Melange is central to the plot of Dune sci fi novel series.
The inhabitants of Dune harvest this spice by mining it from the sand covered plains, but as the demand for this drug increases it puts a lot of pressure on the ecosystem of Dune where these giant worms are essential to maintain the balance. And the giant worms devour mining workers and their machines as well. Because they want to protect their species.
And here, the writer places the reader in the hard core shell of reality, by forcing the reader to think about the dependency of human beings on the ecosystem of the Earth that supports them.
Suddenly the reader realises a few harsh realities like: Global Warming, Climate Change etc. Although these issues were not so prominent when Dune was first published. But during that time the world was experiencing political tensions and situations similar to the ones that are a part of the plot in sci fi novel Dune.
And for a responsible sci fi reader, these are subtle indicators cautioning him/her to stay clear of the maze of inconsistencies. By offering him/her a tender slap of reality!
This is what draws a genius science fiction writer apart from an ordinary sci fi novel writer. Although, towards the end it is always the reader's choice whether he/she wants to reside in the reality of facts or wander in the never ending maze of logical inconsistencies.
Sci fi novels: The Time Machine and Frankenstein offer similar indicators and warnings, that alert the reader to stay clear of these mazes of logical inconsistencies.
Now reverting to the main topic of this blog post i.e. best modern sci fi books. There are many books that offer a glimpse of the world that would exist in 2075, and few of these science fiction novels make this world look quite grotesque.
However, there is one science fiction novel, They Loved in 2075, that is set in 2075, and offers a very engaging view of 2075, while not refraining from asking a few important questions in 2023, that would matter to all of us in 2075.
For example:
How will humans experience love in 2075? This science fiction novel navigates through the possibility of men and women falling in love with machines, without knowing they are robots imitating human emotions. Will you still dare to fall in love in 2075 or will you strive to tell the difference between a human lover and a robotic lover?
This Sci-fi novel tells the story of a man who falls in love with a real woman in 2075. And how he struggles to feel human and keep his emotional composition intact.
This Sci-fi story also aims at revealing why the man chose to love a real woman and not a never ageing and always beautiful woman with synthetic feelings. In 2075, this might be a choice we all will have to make. Especially our children!
And all this via a science fiction that is actually a love story, which dares to predict how human emotions might evolve by 2075, and how humans may experience a situation of emotional blackout. Where they shall be able to feel nothing, and in this state of emotional numbness, what will be the risks and odds that humans will have to battle against, to ensure their survival as a species still capable of loving and feeling!
Therefore, while reading a science fiction novel, it is important to imagine, but a sci fi reader should not wander far away from the facts and reality that governs the workings of the world known to us. Maybe that is why it is said, “We do not keep the outward form of order, where there is deep disorder in the mind!”
And a mind that is dragged too far into the maze of inconsistencies, eventually belongs to the science fiction reader who allows his/her mind to be circled by deep disorder, where restoring mental composure that comprehends reality in its true and acceptable forms becomes impossible, because his/her mind has become a part of the science fiction that his/her mind is presently accepting as a state of absolute order. And when this happens, few readers manage to disown this order, and without any deliberation they succeed entering into the order of reality that actually governs their lives. Whereas, a few readers stay in this fiction induced fake order, long after they have read the last page of the science fiction novel. This is when the reader has to make a serious effort to separate real fact based science from science fiction. And this is not easy!
Please read the science fiction novel They Loved in 2075, and let us hope that in 2075, there shall still be enough inward and outward order, for the future generations of human species to experience!
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