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: The Archimedes Engine (Archimedes Engine, #1)
Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories
Inhibitor Phase (The Inhibitor Sequence, #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)
Death's End (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #3)
Red Mars (Mars Trilogy, #1)
Revelation Space (The Inhibitor Sequence, #1)
Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1)
Seveneves
Rendezvous with Rama (Rama, #1)
The Martian by Andy WeirThe Forever War by Joe HaldemanLeviathan Wakes by James S.A. CoreyAltered Carbon by Richard K. MorganRendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
Hard SF reading group
88 books — 59 voters
Ringworld by Larry NivenRendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke2001 by Arthur C. ClarkePushing Ice by Alastair ReynoldsRevelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
Big Dumb Objects
68 books — 77 voters

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas AdamsThe Mote in God's Eye by Larry NivenA Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor VingeThe Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le GuinDune by Frank Patrick Herbert
Intriguing Aliens
272 books — 162 voters
The Pythagorean by Alexander MorpheighPiranesi by Susanna ClarkeBefore the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu KawaguchiDune by Frank HerbertRecursion by Blake Crouch
Mind-bending Science Fiction
246 books — 205 voters


Sarah Mazza
I never thought I would choose a place like this. That I would even consider giving up my existence, to lie in a bed of lies. I never expected a lot of things to happen in my life. I try not to think about anything at all. Especially not how I become this; a man without hope. A man without dreams.
Sarah Mazza, I Dream in Color

Clyde DeSouza
It's amazing how once the mind is free of emotional pollution, logic and clarity emerge. ...more
Clyde Dsouza, Memories With Maya

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Tags contributing to this page include: hard-science-fiction, hard-sci-fi, hard-scifi, hard-sf, hardsciencefiction, science-fiction-hard, and sf-hard