This summer term will hopefully allow you a little time to sit around and read a good book. The more tech-minded of you may enjoy one of these five great sci-fi reads, listed in no particular order:
1. The Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway
A marvellously original book that describes itself as ‘part adventure, part comic odyssey, and part geek nirvana.’ The story features, ninjas, apocalypse and a cracking twist.
2. A Scanner Darkly by Phillip K Dick
A story inspired by the author’s own experience with mind-altering drugs. Despite that, the result is still a deep thriller set in the near future that blends the interesting concepts of government surveillance, addiction and betrayal in a classic that is much better than the (still good) film starring Keanu Reeves.
3. Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
From a founding father of modern science fiction comes this immersive vision of the future after the dawn of the positronic brain – Artificial Intelligence. A tense whodunnit with two brilliant main characters, of whom only one is human.
4. Neuromancer by William Gibson
Seen by many as the book that started it all; Neuromancer invented the concepts of ‘virtual reality’ and ‘cyberspace’. Winner of multiple sci-fi awards and justly so.
5. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Not quite an average sci-fi book, but one of the best because of it. Vonnegut’s haunting tells the story of Billy Pilgrim, witness of the Dresden bombings and time-traveller.
In addition, the following books come recommended from Twitter:
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Ostensibly used in American military academies to teach students about war, this book follows the story of Andrew “Ender” Wiggin as he experiences a child-soldier training program aimed at defending the Earth from Alien invaders. Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards.
Vurt by Jeff Noon
Noon tells the story of what happens when the young Desdemona becomes trapped in an alternate reality she’s experiences as a result of a new drug, known as Vurt, and her brother who is searching for the drug that will bring her back. Winner of the 1994 Arthur C. Clarke award.
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
From the author of the timeless and hilarious Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series comes this tale of the detective with a difference; Dirk Gently is tasked not only with finding a missing cat, but also with saving the human race from extinction.
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