Think You Don’t Like Sci-Fi? A Beginner’s Guide to Science Fiction

Think you don’t like sci-fi? You might just not have found YOUR sci-fi yet. 🚀In this deep dive, we’re breaking down what science fiction actually is, and why the genre is so much bigger than spaceships, aliens, and complicated science.I’m talking about the two authors who first made me fall in love with sci-fi as a young reader, Robert A. Heinlein and Ray Bradbury, and how their very different approaches helped shape the genre.Then we’re diving into four sci-fi subgenres:🌍 Post-apocalyptic sci-fi and how it differs from dystopian fiction⏳ Time travel sci-fi and what separates it from portal fantasy🚀 Space opera and its epic, galaxy-spanning stories🧭 Exploration and expedition sci-fi and our obsession with the unknownAnd if science fiction has always intimidated you, stick around because we’re ending with my gateway recommendations based on what you ALREADY love to read. Romance reader? Thriller reader? Fantasy, horror, literary fiction, or cozy reader? There’s a sci-fi book for you.📚 BOOKS MENTIONED:The Road by Cormac McCarthyStation Eleven by Emily St. John MandelOne Day in December by Josie SilverRecursion by Blake CrouchRed Rising by Pierce BrownDune by Frank HerbertProject Hail Mary by Andy WeirAnnihilation by Jeff VanderMeerThis Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max GladstoneThe Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey NiffeneggerDark Matter by Blake CrouchGhost Station by S.A. BarnesA Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky ChambersThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers💬 What genre do you normally read? Tell me, and I’ll match you with a sci-fi book to try next.New bookish deep dives every week. 📚CHAPTERS00:00 - Intro00:34 - What is Sci-Fi?02:04 - Robert Heinlein 04:00 - Ray Bradbury06:29 - Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi06:53 - Post Apocalyptic vs. Dystopian07:52 - Post-Apocalyptic Book Recs08:39 - Time Travel Sci-Fi10:14 - Time Travel vs. Portal Fantasy11:07 - Travel Travel Book Recs11:53 - Space Opera Sci-Fi13:09 - Space Opera Book Recs14:35 - Exploration / Expedition Sci-Fi15:55 - Exploration / Expedition Book Recs17:07 - Romance Sci-Fi Book Recs17:39 - Fantasy Sci-Fi Book Recs18:13 - Thriller Sci-Fi Book Recs18:49 - Literary Fiction Sci-Fi Book Recs19:16 - Horror Sci-Fi Book Recs19:41 - Cozy Sci-Fi Book Recs20:07 - Outro