Hard Science Fiction

Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both. It is characterized by rigorous attention to accurate detail in the natural sciences, especially physics, astrophysics, and chemistry, or on accurately depicting worlds that more advanced technology may make possible. Hard science fiction is driven more by ideas than characterization. Plausible science and technology are central to the plot.

Exodus (Archimedes Engine #1)
Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories
Inhibitor Phase (Revelation Space, #4)
The Object
Cold Eyes
Critical Mass (Delta-v, #2)
Wherever Seeds May Fall (Seeds, #1)
Theft of Fire (Orbital Space #1)
Light Chaser
Galaxias
The Flight of the Aphrodite
The Disturbance (The Disturbance, #1)
The Never Wars
Darkome
Our Lady of the Artilects
The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)
The Martian
Project Hail Mary
The Dark Forest (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #2)
Blindsight (Firefall, #1)
Red Mars (Mars Trilogy, #1)
Death's End (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #3)
Revelation Space (Revelation Space, #1)
Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1)
Seveneves
Rendezvous with Rama (Rama, #1)
Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)
Super Powereds by Drew  HayesSteelheart by Brandon SandersonFirefight by Brandon SandersonSuper Powereds by Drew  HayesSuper Powereds by Drew  Hayes
Super Powered Characters Worth Reading
212 books — 218 voters
The Pythagorean by Alexander MorpheighPiranesi by Susanna ClarkeHomo Machina by P.A. VaseyBefore the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu KawaguchiDune by Frank Patrick Herbert
Mind-bending Science Fiction
245 books — 225 voters

The Martian by Andy WeirRevelation Space by Alastair ReynoldsFoundation by Isaac AsimovDune by Frank Patrick HerbertRendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
best hard science fiction
439 books — 885 voters
LOH by Rajeev NandaThe Three-Body Problem by Liu CixinDune by Frank Patrick Herbert1984 by George OrwellThe Martian by Andy Weir
Best Intelligent Sci-Fi
284 books — 300 voters


Joseph A. Anderson
The supposition was that the difference in energy when n (or v) changes by one is therefore equal to hv, the product of the Planck constant and the vibration frequency was always derived using these pre-revolution mechanics. This was, of course, dependent on gravity having an effect on an atomic level, while acknowledging that it does not. Absurd right? But for a transition from level n to level n+ one due to absorption of a photon, the frequency of the photon has nothing to do with Planck…” “At ...more
Joseph A. Anderson, Eden 2:b

The ship doesn't travel through space. It bends space around it. The ship becomes a ghost. It creates its own bubble of reality. ...more
Eduardo Kim, Artifact 115: Sancus Initiative - Book 1

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