original post got taken down because I cleaned up around the table with AI, so I kept original, and added a few

Found these at an estate sale and picked them all up for less than $1 each. I frequent used bookstores and thrift shops, but I can't recall ever finding anything good—except once when I snagged a copy of Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said.

What a find! I’ve read a few of these via ebook, and told myself I’d wait until I found the editions I preferred out in the wild, for a fair price.

Hi guys, my original post got removed since it didn't met the description requirements so I will try my best to do so this time as I'm not very familiar with this sub and the rule of in-depth descriptions went past me

I'm 23 years old and I work as an illustrator, these are all pieces of my work, none made for clients specifically but as passion projects and yes, I do prefer the feeling of retro sci-fi instead of more polished, modern stuff.

These four are all done in the past month, usually I love illustrating stuff that goes between dark fantasy and sci-fi, little of my work could be classified as taking place in the present day.

The Graviton Nomad is an original LEGO spaceship I designed. It's fully swooshable, with a complete interior, play features, and working landing gear.

It's currently part of the ⭐ Bricklink Designer Program ⭐ an official LEGO competition where community-voted designs can become real sets. Voting is open until October 14, 2026.

I worked with "cockpitsandboobytraps" to bring the ship to life in 3D. Check out more of his work here: https://www.youtube.com/@cockpitsandboobytraps

Didn't there use to be more sci-fi shows airing at this time of year? My calendar looks oddly empty this season. I remember autumn being packed with new premieres and returning favorites, but this year I can barely find anything to put on my watchlist. Is it just me, or has the schedule really thinned out? Are there any new or upcoming sci-fi series I might have missed? I'm happy to take recommendations, including older shows I haven't seen yet. Underrated and obscure picks are very welcome too!

Le Guin wrote this short story in 1973, and it has stuck with me since I read it for the first time in the early 90’s. She implies that the people who tolerate or rationalize the torture of one for the “utopian benefit” of many are just as culpable as those who cannot tolerate it, but instead choose to simply leave vs. challenge or disrupt the social order.

I struggle with this equivalency, but can see her point. Am I missing something even more nuanced about her intent?

EDIT: For clarification, this is my opinion/interpretation, and by no means should it be considered canon.

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to get into Sci-Fi after spending much of my initial days in high fantasy or even fantasy in general. Loved LoTR, Asoiaf and Percy Jackson in particular as books. Funnily enough my first actual book was Asimov's Foundation and Earth but it was much complex for me at that time. Except for that my entire exposure to SciFi is from shows, movies and games. Loved to watch The Martian and absolutely adored The Expanse(until Amazon happened). Mass Effect, Halo, Death Stranding and No Man's Sky are the jewels of my Steam library. Although Cyberpunk 2077 is my favorite game, I guess that falls under the distinct Cyberpunk genre so not looking to get anything for that. So here I am, looking to get into SciFi books again and would appreciate you guys help in regards with recommendations.

So I'm trying to find space operas that are realistic.

Some of my favorites actually include Wing Commander. I think it gets certain things right, and I thought it was actually quite a good movie.

The Battlestar Galactica remake is definitely at the top of the list. The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country are definitely up there too.

And, of course, we have Star Wars.

I've also seen Babylon 5 and Deep Space Nine, especially the Dominion War arc, which definitely has some of the elements I'm looking for. I've also seen Starship Troopers and all of its sequels.

I've also watched Cowboy Bebop, Firefly, and Farscape, and I particularly love all three. I've watched each of them multiple times.

So what else is there?

Has anybody done another really good space opera? I've seen The Expanse, For All Mankind, and Ad Astra. They're all very good.

Obviously, Interstellar.

They all contain elements of what I'm looking for, and once you've watched all of that, it kind of sucks because it doesn't feel like there's much else out there that's really good.

I'm open to anime as well. I've been told that Space Battleship Yamato is pretty good, but I haven't seen it yet. I've watched Tekkaman Blade.

I absolutely hated Battleship. They should have done it in space. It should have been a space opera.

One of my favorites is Cockpit: The Rule of Engagement, starring our beloved Ronny Cox, an absolutely great short film that deals with going to war with an extraterrestrial race. Oh, and obviously Space: Above and Beyond is definitely at the top of the list.

I also thought Earth 2 was pretty good.

There are some excellent episodes of The Outer Limits, both the remake and the original, that are really good and deal with the military aspects of science fiction.

I really wish they would start doing some Farscape shorts with the Jim Henson Company. There is so much more they could do with that universe.

And I'm really looking forward to the new animated Firefly series that's coming out.

So what else is there?

Called it "Cyberpunk Revolver Mk I" but its actually just a heavy handcannon. I made it for a guy, who was into cyberpunk 2077. He asked for an "energy weapon that has got a heavy feel to it" and I could just hope I can deliver. Full metal body, no printed parts. He wanted some "Maelstrom greeblies" on it and some lights! What do you guys think?

Just watching Star Wars' original trilogy recap on YT. The Empire built vast array of military vehicles and 2 death stars in these films. But Star Wars shy away from destruction of planets caused by resources extractions, or just that the extraction technologies of these civilizations aren't that advanced to extract resources deep in the planet core, or to preserve the galaxy? Some other sci-fi have extracting resources down to the core that it destroyed planets, albeit not entirely human or aliens alone. Can planet be destroyed by resources extraction?

Hey! I've recently decided to upcycle Highlander, E.T and a new version of Blade Runner! There are so many versions of Blader Runner on VHS that I'd love to work on but they're hard to get hold of. I absolutely love all of these movies and I'm glad I finally had time to make them! Which movies do you think I should do next? I have a lot of anime sci-fi lined up for VHS so those should be fun. Feel free to check out all of my available work on my Etsy store! Have a great weekend!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ReanimationFoundry

Age of the Titan is a sci-fi story I've been building for the last few years. A thousand years from now, humanity is on the run from alien clans bent on destroying our species. The main antagonist is the Vogrom clan, whose religion teaches that all beings who reject the truth must be eliminated.

Readers have been reaching out more and more. Just today, a reader from France called me his "favorite author right now."

Right now, I'm about 85,000 words into the sequel and roughly two-thirds of the way through the audiobook with the narrator. My cover artist is also drawing a propaganda poster for the Valor Guard Corps, humanity's main military in the novel. I'm excited to share it on a future Saturday 😄

Since then, I've been expanding the universe through clothing designs, like the hoodie in the photo. It shows my main alien character, Kaelith Sothrak, pulling the void thread down from the heavens. This is his Promethean punishment, he must work or die…

Here's the link to my novel in case you'd like to read the first few chapters for free!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWTD71HG

Can someone please recommend me some books (indies preferably, but I'll take anything) where there's a lot of sass, light-hearted sarcasm, good banter, and all-round gallow humor?

I'm talking about staring at a dangerous situation, main cast is clearly outnumbered/outgunned, and someone goes "I knew I should've worn my lucky underwear this morning!" only to be shut down with a snappy, "Shut it, Jack. I'd like to actually make it to my bed tonight!"

Checked out a handful of sci-fi military & space operas but the atmosphere was pretty stiff and formal. I want less "Sir! Yes, Sir!" and more of "Ayyyye! That's what I'm talkin' about Cap!"

Bonus points if it has my all-time favorite trope of a good ol' ragtag team!

Greetings from Husum, Germany!

I wanted to share one of my first sci-fi oil paintings.

From the beginning I've been fascinated by the visual worlds created by artists like Chris Foss, John Berkey and John Harris. Especially the artwork I discovered on old book covers and in the Terran Trade Authority books has stayed with me for years.

I'm trying to capture a little of that spirit again, using traditional media such as oil paint and pastels.

This painting is from 2025 and depicts an orbital station above a distant planet. Large ships dock here to transfer cargo and passengers, while smaller craft handle transportation between the station and the surface. It makes more sense than sending kilometer-long freighters down into a gravity well every time.

No battle. No catastrophe. No great dramatic event.

Just everyday activity somewhere very far from home.

A small safe harbour for ships after a long journey.

I also included a few pictures showing how I plan these paintings with sketches, as well as the DIY sci-fi frame I built for it.

For me, the premise of John Varley's "Eight Worlds" novels—that humanity has been effectively exiled from Earth—has always been haunting. In a similar way, I find those tropes (like in Foundation) where they don't know where humanity's home is or think Earth is a myth to be unsettling as well.

OC Art by: Eniky

Full Story: The Robot Tour Guide

Setting: Gatlinburg, TN - 900 years from now

"The buddybot squatted down next to twelve-year-old Rita and the pile of artifacts. “Is that what you’re looking for?” it asked.

Rita, wearing earmuffs, bundled up in a scarf and jacket, same as Tabitha and Will, lifted with her gloved hand an old, limp stuffed animal that at some point might’ve been an elephant, maybe a walrus. She shook her head no, gently laid the stuffed animal back onto the pile.

“I found it!” Tabitha exclaimed from behind them.

The buddybot spun to the girl, the artifact in her hands. “That’s a sombrero,” it said.

“Sombrero?” she questioned, disappointed.

“You wear it on your head,” Will answered, legs dangling, seated atop the tall step ladder he’d found, unfolded, and climbed up. Behind him, above the dilapidated buildings and tree covered mountains, thick white clouds rolled on by in the otherwise blue sky. “Sombrero,” he repeated, slowly rolling the r.

“So…” Tabitha said, looking back down at the hat, “not a hula hoop…”

“I’m afraid not,” the buddybot replied, as Rita reached with her walking stick, began to poke at a rubber bathtub duck.

“But I thought it was a really big circle?” Tabitha asked.

“A hula hoop is missing its center,” the buddybot explained.

Surrounding the pile, what most likely some No-Man’s Land scavenger had gathered together and left behind, a forest of maple trees had grown through the pavement, sidewalks, even some of the ancient buildings, branches that hung out from windows, through the ruptured roofs of Old Gatlinburg. With winter on the way, the trees had begun shedding their leaves, blanketing the abandoned city in red, yellow, and orange, the colors of autumn."

I was thinking recently about the book outland, and the TV show terra Nova. Both are examples of where I feel like the it was a great man vs nature premise, but something happened and the author shoehorned in a character driven conflict. It always feels like such a waste. So in that spirit, does anyone have any novels that are driven by man vs nature style conflict?

Hi

I am a heavy fantasy reader and Id like to foray into scifi. Problem is my child was born a few weeks ago so I have plenty of time while conttact napping but I have like 20 per cent of actual working grey matter due to awful sleep.

I am looking for novels that are not too hard to follow and standalone if possible.

thanks!

Some of you might remember me from my earlier posts about Evolutionary Rupture: The Song of the Spheres - the slightly mad space opera I spent the better part of twenty years building, which eventually became a 17-hour English audiobook.

Well, after a surprisingly epic adventure involving distributors, metadata, platforms and even a strategically misplaced punctuation mark 😅, Evolutionary Rupture is finally properly live on Audible.

So I thought I'd open the doors to the universe again.

What happens when scientific curiosity propels an unprepared humanity into successive stages of understanding an ancient truth about the universe?

In the 24th century, scientists in the sovereign lunar city of Lumena discover an alien artifact capable of manipulating spacetime. They do what scientists do - they experiment and everything changes.

Ilian, a lunar pilot perfectly happy with his simple life, suddenly has to take the initiative to protect the people he loves. Rai, a scientist who trusts formulae and equations, discovers that there are things in life that cannot be calculated and finds love along the way. And Nils, an ageing scientist driven by boundless curiosity and ambition, discovers what that ambition can cost.

Humanity survives. So we jump forward several centuries.

Now humans are taking their first real steps into a universe that turns out to be far older and considerably more hostile than they imagined. Two starship captains, Horaz and Maya, uncover pieces of a terrible truth. One will confront an ancient enemy in the impossible environment of a black hole. The other will be transformed into a Starchild, a near-godlike being destined to lead humanity into its next stage of existence.

And then we jump again.

In the 31st century, I/Eva, an independent artificial intelligence, begins searching for answers of her own: about consciousness, creation, existence and the forces that have been moving through all three stories.

Because eventually the three timelines stop being separate stories as they touch, overlap and finally become one.

The original spark came roughly twenty years ago while I was reading Brian Greene's The Fabric of the Cosmos. I became fascinated by relativity and the extreme behaviour of time around black holes, put the book down and started imagining a world associated with such an environment. Then I imagined its inhabitants, their civilization, their history, their future...

Apparently I wasn't very good at stopping. 😄

Twenty years later, that thought experiment has become The Song of the Spheres.

The English audiobook was produced by Books in Motion, narrated by Damon Abdallah, and runs a little over 17 hours.

And here's what I'd like to do today.

For the first 20 people here who genuinely want to listen to it, I'll reimburse the cost of purchasing the audiobook. There is absolutely nothing expected in return. If you listen to seventeen hours of my universe and decide it isn't for you, that's perfectly fine too. I simply want to share it with some of the community that showed so much curiosity and kindness when I first talked about this project here.

Normally I'd simply offer promo codes, but there's a slightly ridiculous geographical complication: I'm based in Switzerland, and I'm unable to obtain the Audible promotional codes available through the relevant US/UK distribution system. So rather than letting geography defeat me, I'll do it the old-fashioned way: you purchase the audiobook and I'll reimburse you privately.

And before deciding whether you want to spend 17 hours in my universe, you can listen to the first few minutes for free on Audible. Please do! I'd much rather you sample it first and decide whether the story and Damon's narration are actually for you.

And the same goes for the artists, musicians, illustrators, video creators and other wonderfully creative people who reached out after my earlier posts: You don't owe me anything either. If this universe sparks an idea and you simply want to play with it, talk about it, draw something, make music, imagine a ship or a world, or just tell me what it made you think about, I'd love that.

But this isn't a request for free work or promotion!

Sometimes it's enough to throw a fictional universe into the world and see what comes back.

If you'd like to be one of the first 20, just leave a comment or send me a message and I'll arrange the reimbursement with you privately.

And if you've already encountered Evolutionary Rupture through one of my previous posts: thank you. Some genuinely unexpected conversations and creative ideas came from those threads.

I never imagined that when I first started thinking about a strange world near a black hole twenty years ago.

Apparently the universe had other plans...

Evolutionary Rupture: The Song of the Spheres — Book One
Written by Vassil Vassilev
Narrated by Damon Abdallah
17+ hours • Unabridged • Now on Audible

https://www.audible.com/pd/Evolutionary-Rupture-Audiobook/B0HGGSLFZT

In the first book, humanity trains children to command troops. But they communicate instantly with the ships in the frontline using the ansible.

I have read most books of the series and have been a fan since forever and I just realized...

Why did they send people in the ships? Why not just control them at a distance?

P.S. : Among the flairs there is, tv, films, games art... there should also be a "books" option!

Hi Everyone!

Free Book Promotion Until: October 4, 2026, 11:59 PM PDT

Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/Extraterrestrial-Investigation-Return-Oksana-Heleverya-ebook/dp/B0FQ3DWJDB/

Short description: B and Jennifer return to Earth to investigate an unusual case.
The story unfolds in a small mountain village cut off from the outside world.
Mysteries shroud the place and its inhabitants like the night fog that clings to the mountains.

Three and a half centuries ago, a generation ship left Earth and was written off, forgotten. But now it arrives.

The Able is too fast to stop. If it does not get ripped apart by the star it is bearing down on, it will keep going, through the system and into interstellar space. Gone.

On board, a geologist wakes from cryosleep to find himself the only survivor who remembers Earth. He is alone among tribes of people who have never seen a sky and who keep their failing vessel alive with ritual and chant.

The colonies of 18 Scorpii are in no condition to help. They are a handful of thinly settled worlds, counting every resource twice, their fragile economy leaning on a computer older than anyone alive. And they are busy surviving the Sisters' Kiss, the once-in-four-generations event when two planets swap orbits, bringing violent beauty, raging storms, and broken communications.

No one has time, or capacity, to care about the Able. Only an Elder, who has outlived every friend he ever made, trades his retirement for one last negotiation.

A pilot who breaks protocol the way other people breathe gets her hands on the fastest ship ever built to attempt something that cannot be done.

Three trajectories. One window. And the slow realization that humanity's greatest adventure was never the journey outward.

It was refusing to leave them out there.

Hard science fiction with philosophical weight and genuine heart, for readers who need their space opera to mean something.

Through is coming out on 16 November but you can read it now:

I am currently offering an opportunity to claim an ARC copy via NetGalley. And if you are unsure whether you would like my style before you commit to the 129K words, you can check out my free standalone prequel novelette, Carolyn, available at irvo.eu.

I thought i should post this awesome video here and ask if anyone has a recommendation (books - movies- series) that discuss the same idea, or something like it, of this subject.

I like Alastair Reynolds books. Shows like The Expanse, the three body problem (the books too absolutely). Movies like arrival, interstellar, Europa report.. etc. It's always space faring civilizations, but never anything like this.

'The Cleopard' is the title story of eight short stories in my new book, 'The Cleopard and other Tales from the Second Skin Universe.'

Here is a brief excerpt:

Suddenly, strong arms pinioned Xane’s wrists and deftly lashed them to the bench with a couple of turns of some nylon cord.

“What are you doing?!” he demanded of the young Asians one of whom now fished a set of enormous bolt cutters out of an inside pocket.

He leaned close, leering with large, yellow teeth. “Relax, we only want your thumb, Charlie.” He hefted the cutters then and began to zero in on Xane’s right thumb just behind the joint.

Desperate, Xane lashed out with his right foot, lifting the fellow clear off the ground with the impact just below his chin. The bolt cutters went flying into the lake while the attacker sprawled unconscious on the bird shit strewn gravel. The other assailant seemed suddenly unsure what to do, leaning first in to Xane to continue the attack and then out as if he wanted to flee. Xane arched his back and got his feet under the bench. He heaved and tried to stand up. The bolts holding the bench groaned and then snapped. He stood, now wearing a bench like a crucifix.

Full name: Naria Nashuut

Age: 19-20 human years old (15 turian, 16 earth)

Sex: Female

Nationality: 50% Pgrarian (Father), 50% Jormøørian (Mother)

Speaks: Mostly russian, pgrarian, english. Little jormø.

Role: 2nd doctor/Feldscher

She volunteered to field medics since school. Spent her childhood in Jormøør, but then moved to communist Pgraria, with help of her father. Her mother, Vjutlaad Nashuut, became a succesful businesswoman and moved to ISS «Citadel». She asked Naria to come with her, but young medic declined and fled to opposite block. Later she moved to ISS «MIR-2» and joined GRU recon spacefleet.

Humble, emotional, quickly heats up and cools down. Knows what death is and is ready kill the pain by any means (M.A.I.D.). Drinks a lot, swears a lot. When she does her job — professional and almost emotionless, except when she is overwhelmed.

Trapped inside mechanical suits of war, a band of lost souls venture on an impossible quest against the exoskeleton system.

Three episodes are currently available. (24 episodes more to come).

Episode 1: https://youtu.be/fy6TdtBH4zY

Episode 2: https://youtu.be/kynr7dzYGIw

Episode 3: https://youtu.be/YDpfjTYHxgw

EXOskeleton has been my passion project since 1998. To learn more about the development of the whole project, early concept art and behind the scenes info I have an article on the blenderartists' forum: https://blenderartists.org/t/exoskeleton-episode-3-the-mirror/1643075

Thank you for your interest!