This year I discovered the Elderling Saga, by Robin Hobb. Starts with the Farseer Trilogy, Assassin’s Apprentice. Great epic fantasy.

As for sci-fi Isaac Asimov’s Foundation is great.

Neuromancer is also a great read, and one of the earliest examples of cyberpunk.

Since you asked for a single book, and you might not be keen on jumping into multi-book sagas, I’d say go for Neuromancer

If you like Andy Weirs novels, Tchaikowskis books are worth a try. I.e.:

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

If you also want some fantasy recommendations:

Malazan book of the fallen is one of my favorites

The King killer Chronicles if you can stand the long wait for book 3 to finally drop is also really awesome

I can’t believe that **Hitchhiker’s guide to the gallaxy **isn’t mentioned yet!

Its more of a funny story set in the future but its a classic, and its well worth reading (all 4 books of the trillogy)

The Mistborn Trilogy (start with The Final Empire) by Brandon Sanderson is superb.

After that initial trilogy they are a massive struggle, but the first three are well worth reading.

It is fantasy but if you like hillarious and (in part) absurd stuff, read anything by Terry Pratchett. I personally would recommend starting with “Guards! Guards!”. Be aware that there are over 30 books by him out there. There are multiple guides on which to read first to get the best start.

Most agree that it is not the best idea to start with the book he wrote first.

I'd recommend The Martian.

It's hard sci fi and the writing style is quite similar to nonfiction so it should be a fairly fast read for you.

I'd also recommend grabbing a book of Philip K Dick short stories.

I tried to go for quick reads. The top 3 recommendations (all novellas, but incredible) would be

Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman Or All Systems Red by Martha Wells (already mentioned by others too) Or A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

And 2 honorable mentions that are longer: Thief by Margaret Whalen Turner The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

It’s definitely not short, but The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey is absolutely top notch.

The attention to detail that goes into a sci-fi series that lives within a realistic world, with actual physics is incredible - i.e, ships need to calculate when to flip around midway through their journey to decelerate by burning the opposite direction; torpedoes and tungsten slugs have travel time; making hard accelerations or evasive maneuvers can and will crush you into your flight seat due to the intense G forces and the only way to not black out is a cocktail of stimulants, adrenaline, and blood thinners.

But fear not! This is truly a traditional sci-fi novel, packed full with ancient alien substances that seem to reprogram human cells for their own use - but to what end? Ancient feuds between those born in space, and those born on a planet. And the answer to the age old question: why not just use asteroids as weapons?

The main characters are an extremely close knit group, who it seems at times get by on sheer willpower and a touch of luck (with some excellent planning).

The story takes turns being told from different characters’ perspectives, which really helps you get to know each character intimately - how they think, and feel about the events unfolding - how their morality affects their choices.

If you’re looking for a more “realistic” take on sci-fi, this series is absolutely up your alley.

The first novel is called “Leviathan’s Wake” and there are 9 main books in the series, with a smattering of novellas between that expand on the world.

www.goodreads.com/book/…/8855321-leviathan-wakes