Dean Burnett (that brains guy)I have been trying to expand my reading repertoire beyond that of 'sci fi written by middle aged white blokes' recently, so here is a thread of some book recommendations for those interested in some more diverse perspectives
/1
Why Don't Things Fall Up?: and Six Other Science Lessons You Missed at School
https://amazon.co.uk/Why-Dont-Things-Fall-Up/dp/1529348161
Published 17/08/23, the ever-great @alomshaha's latest is invaluable if you have, or ever will have, small curious children. Science starts here
/2
The Space Between Worlds, by
Micaiah Johnson
https://waterstones.com/book/the-space-between-worlds/micaiah-johnson/9781529387117
An incredibly interesting and original take on the increasingly-familiar 'travelling to parallel dimensions' genre, covering climate change, crushing poverty, inequality, and more
/3
Iron Widow, by Xiran Jay Zhao
https://waterstones.com/book/iron-widow/xiran-jay-zhao/9780861542116
Badass. Is that still a viable term? I hope so, as I can't think of a more apt word for a book that both invokes and subverts Chinese cultural norms via the medium of high-octane battle mech combat
/4
The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers
https://amazon.co.uk/Long-Way-Small-Angry-Planet/dp/1473619815
Not exactly ahead of the curve here I admit, but even so. A sci-fi world infused with optimism, where people are friendly, which is still 100% compelling? Can't argue that
/5
The Murderbot diaries, by Martha Wells
I love Murderbot unreservedly, and their partnership with ART the giant spaceship is one of the most engaging in all of literature. Not even joking
/6
deeoh@Garwboy this is the first book I thought to recommend given your parameters, I’m glad to see you like it as much as I do! To add to the list, I recently enjoyed Aliens: Vasquez by V. Castro, as well as Bloodline by Claudia Gray (if you like Star Wars). And for a sci fi comic book recommendation as a bonus, Far Sector by N. K. Jemison (a DC book about Green Lantern) was a great book (which is coming from someone (me) who is a little tired of the superhero genre in general).