I’m looking for philosophical, reality-warping, unpredictable speculative fiction that leaves you changed.
Stories that don’t just entertain with futuristic tech or wild plots, but reframe how you perceive reality, society, or humanity itself.
The standout ones I really enjoyed:
- Neuromancer (+ the Sprawl trilogy)
- Snow Crash
- The Diamond Age
- Ubik
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
- Ender’s Game (+ sequels)
- Ready Player One
- Red Rising (+ sequels)
They’re not just cool sci-fi stories – they feel like philosophical experiences disguised as fiction. They bend your mind, change your perspective, and feel like the author is using the story itself as a medium for a bigger idea. All whilst keeping you on edge, not knowing what’s coming next.
I’m not necessarily looking for cyberpunk or sci-fi in general – I’m looking for that feeling.
Any suggestions for books that did that for you?
by nNaz
5 Comments
Solaris – Stanislaw Lem
most of dick’s stories, short or otherwise, are like that, don’t just read the two most popular novels.
Any of the culture series by Iain M Banks
“Consider Phlebas” is the first in the series, but my fave is “Use of Weapons”. I am unsure what the ‘meta’ is for onboarding into Banks’ world!
Not 100% sure they’ll scratch the itch, but maybe try…
*Vurt* by Jeff Noon (for me it had a ubiq/snowcrashy vibe)
*Slaughterhouse Five* by Kurt Vonnegut (which is hard to describe, but worth the read imo)
*The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrticht* by PKD
Not sci-fi, but Borges’ work is a must for these things.
*The Invention of Morel* by Casares
*Vurt* by Jeff Noon
Completely different genre, but it does leave you with a WHATTTT feeling, as strong as UBIK, imo: *The Magus* by John Fowles