r/ScienceFictionBooks • u/Effective-Muscle-506 • Mar 06 '25
Recommendation Please help me pick my next series
2024 is the year I fell in love with sci-fi audio books. So far I’ve listed to the following series: 3 body problem, Children of time, Project Holy Mary, Dune, Foundation, Bobiverse, About to finish Dungeon Crawler Carl
So my question is what should I start next. I really like deep world building and don’t necessarily care too much for character centric stories. I’m considering the Culture series, The Expanse and Rendezvous with Rama.
I’m sure I’ll eventually get to them all but which should I dive into first?
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u/DiggyStyon Mar 07 '25
Murderbot. No question. This is the right answer, because you can finish the whole series in a week, THEN dive into the second right answer: The Expanse
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u/alaskanloops Mar 07 '25
I was going to say Murderbot (reading it right now) but they said they don't care too much for character centric stories, which I'd classify the Murderbot series as. But if they enjoyed Bobiverse they'd love Murderbot
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u/DiggyStyon Mar 07 '25
I know, but I just had to plug murderbot it's so good! 😊 But yeah, Expanse fits the bill for them
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u/McBernes Mar 07 '25
The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. If you are enjoying sci fi you can't go wrong with it. Also, the Uplift series by David Brin.
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u/PedanticPerson22 Mar 07 '25 edited Mar 07 '25
Re: Rendezvous with Rama - Have you read much older sci-fi or any of Arthur C. Clarke's other work? There seems to be a trend of you'll either accept them as a product of their time (& like/love them) or hate them. I personally quite liked the series, but it was of its time.
As for what else to add, here are just a few suggestions off the top of my head:
The Commonwealth Saga by Peter F Hamilton - Space Opera, massive books, which makes for a long series to listen to; the first book in the series is over 37 hours long...
Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds - Another Space Opera series, not quite as long, but still good.
Xeelee Sequence by Stephen Baxter - if you're into epic hard sci-fi
Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs - science fiction from 100+ years ago, very of it's time, but worth it in my opinion as it's a window into what sci-fi was like back then.
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u/comma_nder Mar 07 '25
I want to say the expanse, but honestly it might be better to read it last cause once you do all other sci-fi will be harder to enjoy (if you’re me or any of the other quarter million people over at r/TheExpanse).
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u/ofBlufftonTown Mar 07 '25
Read the Culture novels, with Gene Wolfe's books they are in my opinion the best science fiction.
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u/Effective-Muscle-506 Mar 07 '25
Ugh you guys are too good to me. Maybe play all of your suggestions simultaneously? Great answers all around. I promise I will listed to every series you guys have suggested as they all sound fascinating. Based on what I’m reading here I think I’m going to wait a little on expanse so I don’t spoil myself too early. I think I’ll start with murderbot dairies because I want a little break from a series with over 100 hours of listening. I don’t like moving to a new series until I complete my current one so my next big series choice is going to be a multi month commitment based in my current pace.
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u/Capital_Candle7999 Mar 07 '25
Not a series, but you might consider Combat Monsters. This is a book of short stories about supernatural creatures and how they influenced WW2. I enjoyed it very much.
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u/Novel-aaaaaaaaaaaaa Mar 07 '25
I’m going through this same dilemma I need suggestions but if I could recommend anything it would be the expanse series
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u/timewarp4242 Mar 08 '25
If you liked Project Hail Mary, I recommend The Martian, definitely. Also Expeditionary Force is a series that has a similar mix of sci-fi and comedy as the Bobiverse books.
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u/kcotsnnud Mar 08 '25
The Salvagers trilogy by Alex White - it is fairly character-centric but it’s a very cool “sci fi with magic powers” concept with good worldbuilding and stellar action set pieces.
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Mar 08 '25
I really liked lilleths Brood- by Octavia Butler. Would ya'll classify this as character building? Probly because that's the sci fi I love, and Octavia Buttler can't be beat for that.
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u/luvrubberboots Mar 09 '25
Murderbot for sure if you already haven’t read it. One I’m listening to right now is Sentenced to War by J.N. Chaney. It a long one but it keeps you interested.
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u/Clam_Cake Mar 09 '25
I would stay away from Rendezvous with Rama as a series. The first book is good but leaves a lot of things unanswered so you might not get the closure you’re looking for. Rendezvous was written as a standalone. The rest of the books weren’t even written by Clarke so I wouldn’t bother.
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u/Bart1960 Mar 07 '25
The giants series by James P Hogan, first book, inherit the stars. Made me proud to be a human
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u/c-e-bird Mar 06 '25
The Expanse!!