I know, I know, I’m cheating by placing a trilogy at the top — but hear me out.This series was a journey, I couldn’t put these books down. I read the three “official” books (The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death’s End) back-to-back, then the fourth and “unofficial” fourth book later in the year.

I don’t want to give too much away but the over-arching plot through the series revolves around the consequences of one person’s decision to establish return contact with a desperate alien civilization, despite explicit warnings against doing so (“Do not answer! Do not answer!! Do not answer!!!”). This sets off a chain of events that change the course of history and force all of humanity to work together — or face annihilation.

This series has stuck with me on so many levels — from its mind-bending and reality-shattering sci-fi concepts to the drama and existential dread of humanity unraveling as it tries to grapple with the impending doom.

Synopses

The Three-Body Problem — An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion.

The Dark Forest — In The Dark Forest, the aliens’ human collaborators may have been defeated, but the presence of the sophons, the subatomic particles that allow Trisolaris instant access to all human information remains. Humanity responds with the Wallfacer Project, a daring plan that grants four men enormous resources to design secret strategies, hidden through deceit and misdirection from Earth and Trisolaris alike. Three of the Wallfacers are influential statesmen and scientists, but the fourth is a total unknown. Luo Ji, an unambitious Chinese astronomer and sociologist, is baffled by his new status. All he knows is that he’s the one Wallfacer that Trisolaris wants dead.

Death’s End — Half a century after the Doomsday Battle, Cheng Xin, an aerospace engineer from the early 21st century, awakens from hibernation in this new age. She brings with her knowledge of a long-forgotten program dating from the beginning of the Trisolar Crisis, and her very presence may upset the delicate balance between two worlds. Will humanity reach for the stars or die in its cradle?

If I were to rank these purely as standalone novels, Children of Time would probably my number one (although Project Hail Mary is a very close second). This book completely blew my socks off. Tchaikovsky somehow managed to craft a story that not only had me empathizing with a rapidly-evolving species of spiders (a feat on its own) but actively rooting for them over humans.

The concepts and world-building in this novel are among the best. I love the way it imagines the evolution of another species, what their culture, technology, and society would look like, and the way it portrays how humankind might act in dire times. It’s just as effective on a small scale (i.e. examining interpersonal intricacies and biological evolution) as it is on a grand scale (i.e. following space-faring civilizations). It’s rare for sci-fi to do both things so well.

synopsis

A race for survival among the stars… Humanity’s last survivors escaped earth’s ruins to find a new home. But when they find it, can their desperation overcome its dangers?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age—a world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind’s worst nightmare.

Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?

I absolutely adored Project Hail Mary. The story took me on an adventure from the start when the main character, Ryland wakes up on a spaceship without any recollection of who he is or why he is there and has to re-learn everything about himself in order to solve problems under extraordinary circumstances.

Project Hail Mary also features what is probably one of my all-time favorite takes on first-contact — a totally unique and thoroughly enjoyable spin on one of science fiction’s most familiar tropes that challenges assumptions and provides moments of hope — and humanity — where you’d least expect it. This is the book that I recommend the most to people who aren’t as into sci-fi because while it does get pretty technical at times, it’s mostly a story about a man re-discovering himself and his humanity.

Synopsis

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone. Or does he?

This was my first experience with Alastair Reynolds, and it exceeded my high expectations. Originally published in 2008, House of Suns is a vast space opera that spans millions of years of space and time. The story follows two main storylines: the travels of Campion and Purslane, two shatterlings from Gentian line, one of the ancient family lines of clones, and Abigail Gentian, back to whom the line can be traced — about six million years prior.

Reynolds takes us on a journey, introducing some huge, thought-provoking ideas — such as cloning and its implications, near-light and FTL space travel, time-dilation, AI, augmented human intelligence and sentience, and much more. If you’re curious about Alastair Reynolds, I’d highly recommend starting with this self-contained and readable standalone.

Synopsis

Six million years ago, at the dawn of the star-faring era, Abigail Gentian fractured herself into a thousand male and female clones, which she called shatterlings. She sent them out into the galaxy to observe and document the rise and fall of countless human empires. Since then, every two hundred thousand years, they gather to exchange news and memories of their travels.

Only there is no Gathering. Someone is eliminating the Gentian line. And now Campion and Purslane — two shatterlings who have fallen in love and shared forbidden experiences — must determine exactly who, or what, their enemy is, before they are wiped out of existence…

I read Spin on a whim after seeing Moid rave about it and I’m glad I did because it is one of the best sci-if books I’ve ever read. The premise is unique, though-provoking, and incredibly well-executed. The main characters are relatable and well-developed, the flow kept me as engaged, and the ending was satisfying. I think Spin would particularly well-suited to be adapted as an episodic TV series or film, so I’m kind of surprised that this hasn’t been attempted (although there was a rumored SyFy adaptation, which apparently never happened).

synopsis

One night in October when he was ten years old, Tyler Dupree stood in his back yard and watched the stars go out. They all flared into brilliance at once, then disappeared, replaced by a flat, empty black barrier. He and his best friends, Jason and Diane Lawton, had seen what became known as the Big Blackout. It would shape their lives.

Life on Earth is about to get much, much stranger.