I really like sci-fi and fantasy, but I find it impossible to find any books in those genres that I enjoy most of the time, because of the way they're written. They have long descriptive sentences, a very poetic writing style full of simile and metaphor, and they like to use unconventional words whenever possible, which makes it harder to read.
I grew watching superhero cartoons and anime, and between my severe ADHD, and my strong preference for that fast paced and punchy storytelling style, I find it really hard to get into reading, even though I really want to. And I do want to, because I feel a very strong need to unplug from screens, because I feel like they're taking over my life. Slop anime and doomscrolling on TikTok are rotting my brain. I need to sit down with some text, and just imagine something with my own brain for a change.
In short
I like books on the shorter side like novellas, a fast-pace, quippy dialogue, and general tendency to go over the top. Do you have any book recommendations?
Note about style preference: I've read every Douglas Adams book in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, and that first book is one of my favorite reads of all time. I also really enjoyed Born a Crime by the comedian Trevor Noah. I also really enjoyed the pulp sci-fi short stories they used to publish in the local newspaper of my hometown when I was a kid.
by Bed-After
11 Comments
Dungeon crawler Carl is pretty fast paced and uses more conventional terms and slang than most. The audio books are really well done.
John Scalzi leans heavily upon dialogue to advance the story, making for easy reads.
His **Agent to the Stars** is wrapped around first contact with aliens. A Hollywood agent takes on a project to safely introduce extra-terrestrials to the planet.
His **The Kaiju Preservation Society** is ‘a common man put into uncommon circumstances’. It moves along at a good pace.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Ilona Andrews Innkeeper Chronicles –A magic Inn, space werewolves and vampires, a lot of really unique aliens, mystery, romance, action, a fun and humorous series
Read anything by Joe Abercrombie or G. N. Jones. The pace is quick, good action, and theyre really engaging.
Anything by Ray Bradbury
Dark Matter by blake crouch if you havent read it.
Ready Player One
Leviathan Wakes (the expanse series). Short chapters (15-20 minutes) and an interesting weaving of different story lines, perspectives, and world building.
Graphic novels are your friend.
Try:
Saga by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Y: The Last Man by Brian K Vaughan and Pia Guerra
Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
Loads of others out there.
Also try older sci-fi and young adult (I am not being patronising – these are some of my favourite books):
Anything by John Wyndham
Alan Garner’s books
The Wizard of Earthsea trilogy
The Dark is Rising sequence
Peter Dickinson’s books
And of course (drumroll):
Anything at all by the immortal Terry Pratchett!
Every Heart a Doorway, Seanan McGuire
Chaotic Orbits series by Beth Revis ( Full Speed to Crash Landing, How to Steala Galaxy, and Last Chance to Save the World).
They are sci-fi romance, but more of a will they/won’t they dynamic that doesn’t take over the whole story. I thought the dialogue was quick and the overall story/mission was fun!