Growing up, books weren’t just something I read—they were portals to futures filled with wonder, adventure, and possibility. There was something captivating about science fiction in particular: it was more than just space battles and shiny gadgets. It was about what the future could be—our potential, our challenges, and how we might navigate the unknown. Looking back, a few books and authors had a lasting impact on me, not just as a reader but as a writer. I’ll walk you through five that really stood out and shaped the way I see the world and, ultimately, likely inspired my series.
I won’t lie; this series hurt my brain. It did not hold back with the twists or the depth of dialogue and intrigue either. I love it for the way it showed me the sheer complexity a series could offer. Asimov built a world that felt so real—complete with deep political intrigue, technological advancements, and power struggles that echoed across generations.
What captivated me most was how the storylines tied together over time, often referring back to events from the first book in ways that made everything feel interconnected. You don’t just read the Foundation series; you invest in it, piecing together the layers of Asimov’s universe as you go.
The story is full of big ideas—focusing not just on individuals but on the grand sweep of civilizations rising and falling. I felt that this series taught me the importance of understanding the long game: that things unfolding today may only pay off years or even centuries later. It also explores the inevitability of decline and the hope that even as one empire collapses, another can rise in its place.
Asimov makes you think about how fragile the concept of progress is—and how, without vision, it can slip through our fingers. I look at the world we live in today and see how a great foundation if shifted or removed, can make a civilization topple or just a nation.
The first novel in Isaac Asimov’s classic science-fiction masterpiece, the Foundation series
THE EPIC SAGA THAT INSPIRED THE APPLE TV+ SERIES FOUNDATION, NOW STREAMING • Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read
For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future—to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save humankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire—both scientists and scholars—and brings…
I love this series largely because it was my father’s favorite book series growing up. He still had many of the same books from when he was a kid and passed them on to me later on. I was invested in the story from the moment I encountered the idea of entire cities uprooted from Earth, drifting through space to find new lives among the stars.
I love this book for combining the practicalities of economy and politics with the fantastical idea of flying cities. Blish doesn’t just tell a story about space travel—he creates a world where human ambition and survival are tightly intertwined with the economics of an interstellar marketplace.
The series also made me think differently about migration and exploration. There’s something haunting about the idea of cities that have become nomadic, struggling to find purpose and identity in a vast and indifferent universe. These books reminded me that even in the farthest reaches of space, humanity’s problems follow us—our need for resources, the drive for power, and the search for meaning. Blish doesn’t sugarcoat the future, and that’s part of what makes his work feel so grounded. Even in the bleak portrait he paints, I was lost in the Universe he created.
James Blish's galaxy-spanning masterwork, originally published in four volumes, explores a future in which two crucial discoveries - antigravity devices which enable whole cities to be lifted from the Earth to become giant spaceships, and longevity drugs which enable their inhabitants to live for thousands of years - lead to the establishment of a unique Galactic empire.
I love this book for its poetic, dreamlike quality. Bradbury’s writing pulled me in and didn’t let go, painting a picture of Mars that was both beautiful and tragic. As a pre-teen and a teen, in my imagination, I had red dust stuck to my feet, and I was there with the characters. What captivated me was the way the stories felt timeless—each one was like a snapshot of a moment layered with meaning.
I felt like I wasn’t just reading a book about colonizing Mars; I was exploring humanity’s deepest fears, hopes, and regrets. We have companies only today working on getting to Mars, I feel so upset that I know I will likely never set foot on those dusty red shores, but I am thrilled to know it may still happen for others.
Bradbury’s work made me think about the consequences of exploration—how, in our quest to conquer new frontiers, we sometimes destroy the very things that make them special. The loneliness and melancholy that run through the stories still resonate with me today.
There’s a sense that progress comes at a cost, and Bradbury never lets you forget that the past can’t be erased, no matter how far we travel. His portrayal of Mars is haunting, making me wonder if the future we seek is ever really within reach.
The Martian Chronicles, a seminal work in Ray Bradbury's career, whose extraordinary power and imagination remain undimmed by time's passage, is available from Simon & Schuster for the first time.
In The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury, America’s preeminent storyteller, imagines a place of hope, dreams, and metaphor— of crystal pillars and fossil seas—where a fine dust settles on the great empty cities of a vanished, devastated civilization. Earthmen conquer Mars and then are conquered by it, lulled by dangerous lies of comfort and familiarity, and enchanted by the lingering glamour of an ancient, mysterious native race. In this classic work…
I was completely invested in this story from the first few paragraphs. I have a habit of skimming through words and pages to get the gist of a book before committing to reading it; this book is one of the few that held me from the start.
Heinlein had this amazing ability to make Mars feel alive - not just a backdrop but a character in itself. I love this book for the sense of adventure it gives me, pulling me into a world where young explorers navigate political conspiracies and uncover the mysteries of an alien planet. Heinlein’s writing made me feel like I was right there alongside the characters, sharing their triumphs and setbacks.
What stood out to me was how it combined the excitement of discovery with serious themes about freedom and responsibility. Heinlein’s Mars isn’t just a playground—it’s a battleground for ideas about independence and loyalty. (And likely will be in real life one day soon)
The book made me think about the challenges of self-governance and the price of liberty, even in the farthest reaches of space. It’s a story that stays with you, reminding you that no matter where you go, the fight for what’s right is always worth it.
Discover the wonders and secrets of a very special Mars alongside Jim and Frank in this thrilling adventure, featuring the first appearance of the Martian elder race by one of the greatest science fiction writers of all.
Robert A. Heinlein's Red Planet features the first appearance of the Martian elder race and tells the story of Jim and Frank's journey to the Lowe Academy boarding school on Mars.
On their way to school, the boys meet Gekko, a sentient Martian, and join in a ritual called "growing together," learning about the planet and the Martians' protective nature towards Jim's pet,…
I love this book for the way it introduces you to the concept of time as both a journey and a prison. I first read it long before it was required reading in school, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Wells’ vision of the far future captivated me—his portrayal of a decaying world where humanity has split into two very different species made me think about the consequences of societal division.
The story left me pondering what our world might become if we fail to learn from our mistakes. I was not a fan of any of the movies in the last 50 years as they did nothing for the wonder that the novel painted in my mind. The haunting future of Wells’ storytelling is that it isn’t just about traveling through time—it’s about confronting the inevitability of change and decay.
I felt invested in the story of the time traveler, not just as an adventure but as a portrayal of how fragile our civilization really is. Even after countless re-reads, the book still makes me wonder- are we closer to that distant future than we think? It’s a timeless masterpiece, and honestly, the movie adaptations don’t do it justice. The book has a depth that can’t be captured on screen—it’s a story that belongs on the page, in the screen of your mind's imagination.
A brilliant scientist constructs a machine, which, with the pull of a lever, propels him to the year AD 802,701.
Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition of The Time Machine features an introduction by Dr Mark Bould.
The Time Traveller finds himself in a verdant, seemingly idyllic landscape where he is greeted by the diminutive Eloi people. The Eloi are beautiful but weak and indolent, and the explorer is perplexed by…
This gripping sci-fi thriller explores a future ruled by hidden agendas, political intrigue, and controlled opposition. As humanity faces global unrest, Earth Command struggles to maintain order, but beneath the surface, dark forces manipulate events from the shadows. Can the truth be uncovered before the planet spirals into chaos?
With vivid world-building and fast-paced action, this book dives deep into a future shaped by deception, power struggles, and survival. If you enjoy thought-provoking science fiction with political twists and high stakes, this novel will keep you turning the pages.
The anthology form unites diverse voices around a common theme—in the case ofDistant Flickers, identity and loss. The stories in the anthology explore intense personal relationships—of mother and child, old lovers, etc. Some of the stories are in the moment and some recounted with the perspective of time, some are fable-like, some formal, and others more colloquial. Reading them the reader is struck by the variety of approaches a writer might take to a subject. The device of the contributor’s notes enables the reader to see the story behind the story and how life informs art—life furnishing the raw material or day residue of the story.
Ophelia, a professor of Dante, is stricken when she discovers that her husband Andy has been cheating on her with a winsome colleague. What follows is Ophelia’s figurative descent into hell as she obsessively tracks her subjects, performs surveillance in her beat-up Volvo, and moves into the property next door to Amber’s, which has gone into foreclosure.
She spies on the lovers, growing more and more estranged from reality. Andy’s betrayal reawakens the earlier trauma of abandonment by her mother at the age of eight. When Andy and Amber become engaged, Ophelia snaps. The story is a jailhouse confessional, a…
Ophelia, a professor of Dante, is stricken when she discovers that her husband Andy has been cheating on her with a winsome colleague. What follows is Ophelia's figurative descent into hell as she obsessively tracks her subjects, performs surveillance in her beat-up Volvo, and moves into the property next door to Amber's, which has gone into foreclosure. She spies on the lovers, growing more and more estranged from reality. Andy's betrayal reawakens the earlier trauma of abandonment by her mother at the age of eight. When Andy and Amber become engaged, Ophelia snaps. The story is a jailhouse confessional, a…
