Contemporary science fiction?

[Anonymous No.8912971]

I used to read a lot of science fiction when I was younger, almost exclusively big classics that were available in the local libraries - Phillip K. Dick, Frank Herbert, Lem, Strugatsky brothers. Most of what I read would present bold ideas about technology, or use their vision of technology to present ideas about humanity. But that well eventually dried out and I haven't read much from the genre since those days.

Now I would love to get into some equally good sci-fi again, but most of the recommendations I see are the same books I used to read as a teenager. And curiously enough, mainstream sci-fi from other media - for example the recent Interstellar movie - is still unsuccessfully grappling with those same ideas that books used to explore to a much fuller extent in the 60s.

So my question is, what is some real quality science fiction from the last, say, 20 years? Can be hard sci-fi, some more philosophical musings or just story-driven novels, any sub-genre is fine as long as it's well written and interesting.

Pic is possibly my favorite old-school sci-fi novel.

[Anonymous No.8912981]

Gene Wolfe

[Anonymous No.8912986]

>>8912971
>hard sci-fi, some more philosophical musings or just story-driven novels
hahahah oh shit nigga Blindsight (Peter Watts) will knock your fucking socks off
the sequal, echopraxia, is good too. Also try his Rifters trilogy, although it's first novel Starfish is easily the best. Watt's short stories are excellent too

[Anonymous No.8912999]

Check out Ted Chiang. He's the author of "Story of Your Life" (written in 1998), which is the basis for the new movie Arrival.

Also, Greg Egan. This short story, for example: http://ttapress.com/553/crystal-nights-by-greg-egan/

I think it's from 2009, so it's pretty recent. He also wrote a hard sci-fi novel called Permutation City in the mid-nineties.

[Anonymous No.8913001]

>>8912971
Dunno, I don't read books

[Anonymous No.8913005]

>>8912971
OP what other PK Dick would you recommend?

[Anonymous No.8913027]

The Hyperion Cantos if you haven't read it.

[Anonymous No.8913059]

>>8912986

Not OP, but I read Blindsight, and boy what a fuckin let down. Really bad writing (imo), and a handful of interesting concepts that never got elaborated on.

>>8912999

Now this is better. Chiang's collection is really good, for the most part.

[Anonymous No.8913063]

>>8912971
Southern reach trilogy by Vandermeer is cool, same theme as stalker_roadside picnic. Greg Egan for hard scifi, and I've heard good things about China Melville. Also you havent mentioned Arthur Clarke, he is my favorite among the oldies.

[Anonymous No.8913102]

>>8913059
What made you think the writing was ""bad""? I agree Watts had this incredibly cold style, like reading a textbook, but given the protag's autism I thought it worked well. He is a scientist, and it's hard scifi, this kind of language is expected versus traditional literary spiel. Without trying to be rude, did it make you feel a bit stupidi? I felt so too, and I think it was only my third reading which really unwrapped the entire book for me
The concepts all got elaborated on as well as they should, with characters discussing and exploring ideas enough to get you thinking about it. What are you talking about specifically?

[Anonymous No.8913220]

>>8913063
I have only read Annihilation and Acceptance, or w/e the 2nd book is called, and these stories hold no thematic weight. They are very much like HP Lovecraft's inexplicable nightmares and nightmarish locations mixed with Roadside Picnic. They're not good, or what OP is asking for imo.

[Anonymous No.8913409]

>>8913220
You are partly right, but since I read roadside picnic I have always been looking for other novels with a "zone" and that was the only one I found. I haven't finished the last one yet so I don't know if the ending will explain everything. And the second book was more boring, but the first was enjoyable.

[Anonymous No.8913417]

>>8913409
I mean, they definitely have their "zone" likenesses, but I just think that's about as cool as it gets with those books.

[Anonymous No.8913645]

>>8912971
Check out the Remembrances of Earth's Past Trilogy by Cixin Liu, excellent hard sci fi, my niqqa.

[Anonymous No.8914839]

>>8912981
seconded, Gene Wolfe may be the most literary scifi author.

[Anonymous No.8914873]

The most contemporary (i.e still alive) sci-fi author I have read is Neal Stephenson, I read Snow Crash and have honestly never had an urge to punch a writer in the face except for him. Fuck that guy.