I grew up in a home filled with books, yet science fiction was often missing from my parent’s shelves. True, my mother did smuggle me a copy of Chariot of the Gods, but that was only after she saw that my fascination with UFOs, aliens, and all things ancient beyond comprehension was not going to simply go away. To me, the best stories were those set in the future, yet dealing with beings and mysteries older than the human race itself. When I began writing The Ruins of Mars, I brought that passion to my own work, crafting a story that felt timeless, hopeful, and full of mystery.
I feel that Rendezvous with Rama perfectly encapsulates the very theme of piquing your sense of wonder and curing your dystopian blues. It has a wonderful mix of mystery, awe, adventure, and even hopefulness! I can still remember the thrill I got reading about an ancient alien spaceship hurtling through our solar system. Clarke’s handling of "first contact" is so gripping and thought out that it feels almost real.
In the year 2130, a mysterious and apparently untenanted alien spaceship, Rama, enters our solar system. The first product of an alien civilisation to be encountered by man, it reveals a world of technological marvels and an unparalleled artificial ecology.
I, Robot was the first piece of science fiction to really opened my mind to the subject of artificial intelligence. It presented such a wonderful blend of sci-fi, psychology, and philosophy that I instantly fell in love. Far from the killer robots of Terminator, Asimov’s I, Robot instead takes a more measured, hopeful approach to the subject. In the end, it is the perfect book for the intellectual science fiction fan.
Voyager Classics - timeless masterworks of science fiction and fantasy.
A beautiful clothbound edition of I, Robot, the classic collection of robot stories from the master of the genre.
In these stories Isaac Asimov creates the Three Laws of Robotics and ushers in the Robot Age.
Earth is ruled by master-machines but the Three Laws of Robotics have been designed to ensure humans maintain the upper hand:
1) A robot may not injure a human being or allow a human being to come to harm 2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such…
I know I’m not supposed to double-dip, but Arthur C. Clarke is a man of many masterpieces, and this is another one. The idea of the space elevator is brilliant and believable. But it is Clarke’s handling of "first contact" that has me recommending the novel. Without spoiling anything, he crafts a scenario wholly different from his other books, yet equally believable and fascinating.
Mars was the first book about humans visiting Mars that felt believable to me. There is something inspiring and satisfying about a cast of characters forced to solve complex issues with real science and teamwork. By setting the novel in the "not too distant" future, Bova makes it feel lived in and relatable. And, the fact that it hints at an ancient alien mystery only serves to make it more exciting.
To the harsh landscape of Sol's fourth planet travel thirteen astronauts, the best scientists from eleven nations, on a history-making voyage into the unknown. The international crew of the Mars mission have spent nine months in space, crossing 100 million kilometres, to reach the last great frontier. Their voyage is fraught with disputes, both personal and political, and their time on Mars limited to 'footprints and flags'; yet while there they will come face-to-face with the most incredible and shocking discovery of all.
This might seem like an odd choice, but I’m recommending Chariots of the Gods because, while technically a non-fiction book, it turns our own ancient history into sci-fi! My mother, of all people, gave me my first copy of this book in high school, thus starting my lifelong fascination with the ancient astronaut theory. I’ve never been able to look at a pyramid the same way since!
The groundbreaking classic that introduced the theory that ancient Earth established contact with aliens.
Immediately recognized as a work of monumental importance, Chariots of the Gods endures as proof that Earth has been visited repeatedly by advanced aliens from other worlds. Here, Erich von Daniken examines ancient ruins, lost cities, spaceports, and a myriad of hard scientific facts that point to extraterrestrial intervention in human history. Most incredible of all, however, is von Daniken's theory that we are the descendants of these galactic pioneers-and he reveals the archeological discoveries that prove it...
Set against the turbulent backdrop of the near future, The Ruins of Mars opens on the discovery of an ancient city buried under the sands of the red planet. Images captured by twin sentient satellites show massive domes, imposing walls, and a gridwork of buildings situated directly on the rim of Mars' Grand Canyon, the Valles Marineris. With the resources of Earth draining away under the weight of human expansion, a plan is hatched to reclaim Mars from the cold grasp of death. A small band of explorers, astronauts, and scientists are sent to the red world in mankind's first interplanetary starship to begin construction on a human colony.
To hide a corporation’s failure to properly service a space ship, Captain Jonas Stryker is prosecuted but saved from imprisonment by a dying man, who hires Stryker to collect asteroids for their mineral content. Stryker soon finds he must stop a shadowy corporate group called The Board, who employ space piracy, terrorism, and even weaponised asteroids to overthrow the Federation government.
Set in Lagrange points, space stations, the Moon and outback Australia, it is a fast-moving story with some speculative future technology. If you were interested in the NASA attempt to alter the orbit of the asteroid Dimorphos, you might…
When a trial to cover-up a corporate failure ends Captain Jonas Stryker's career, he wants revenge against The Board, a ruthless, shadowy organization with limitless funds that employs space piracy, terrorism, and even weaponised asteroids. Posing as a space miner, Stryker learns that The Board wants him killed, while a young female SCIB police agent wants retribution against him for having her career spoiled at his trial. As Stryker avoids attempts to kill him, he becomes the only chance to prevent The Board from overturning the Federation Government and imposing a Fascist-style rule. A story of greed, corruption and honour,…
