Growing up, several films stuck in my memory, helping develop my love for the medium and encouraging me to study film at a university level. Pokemon: The First Movie, I'm not ashamed to say, is certainly one of them. The hype surrounding it, the whole experience with the free cards, themed decorations, and the excitement of a trip? to the cinema?? all helped secure it as a well-loved memory of the film.

However, while writing an article on the worst video game movie adaptations, I found that critics of the time hated it. This was a surprise for me, as I knew full well most of my friends at the time, and even n??ow, as we look back on it, remember it being really rather brilliant.

Why did critics hate Pokemon: The First Movie so much?

I took a journey through history and dug up a bunch of critics' reviews from all the way back in 1998, when the internet was just really beginning to open up. From my investigations, one thing became abundantly clear: reviewers of the late? '90s were wholly unimpressed by this Japanese export that was taking the younger generation by storm.

From what I could gather, most reviewers simply weren't familiar with the source material. Even Roger Ebert, one of the finest film reviewers, struggled to grasp the concept of Pokemon, quoted as saying that "The story is idiotic" and that "The individual P?okemon have personalities that make the Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles look like Billy Crystal." Overall, the Pokemon phenomenon and craze seemed to have missed most reviewers, with this film being their fir?st real exposure to the show, characters, and game that came along with it.

I think it is clearly a case of Pokemon: The First Movie being misunderstood by critics. Words like idiotic and humorless are thrown around, with the New York Tim?es proclaiming that "the magic doesn't bridge the generation gap" when watching as an adult.

Reviewers were also unimpressed with the level of animation. Tim Brayton, writing for Alternate Ending, points out that "for the film that remains, 20 years later, the highest-grossing anime film in North American history, one would? long for there to be at least any artistry." Numerous reviewers mirrored this sentiment.

A fast fan favorite

I vaguely remember the hype surrounding the film before it came out and the excitement of seeing it in the cinema. I received my free special edition Pokemon card, which was the much-sought-after Pikachu. With popcorn and a drink in hand, my mo?ther led me to the screen.

As a ??child, I was an avid collector and trader of cards and had watched enough of the TV show to be intimately familiar with the characters. I knew what I wanted to see ?and was pumped for a story about Mewtwo, the most powerful Pokemon of all. Basically, I was a 9-year-old in the late '90s; Pokemon was pretty much my life at that point. This is, I think, the core of what fans love so much about the film.

Pokemon: The First Movie is complete fan servic?e. There isn't a complete story in its almost 90-minute run time. We get little in the way of introduction to the characters, Pokemon, or universe because we are expected to know it all already. As TheUnknown871-3 on IMDB points out, "It really just feels like an e?xtended version of a TV episode rather than a feature film."

This is perfect for the fans. We went to the cinema or watched the DVD with all the ??background knowledge we needed. This extra-long episode of Pokemon was essentially just a special dedicated to the most powerful Pokemon of all. This is why we loved it, I think. It was made for the Pokemon trainers among us, not for people who couldn't tell a Weedle from a Wigglytuff.

What the fans wanted from the movie, the fans got. It was a delve deeper into the world of Pokemon for the fans,?? and even now, the reviews are full of love for the franchise and nostalgia. TheMovieDiorama raves that "As a hardcore Pokemon fan, I can say that young Luke was damn happy with this, and old Luke still is!". This is where the film shone.

Why Pokemon: The First Movie divided critics and fans

If you were out of the Pokemon loop, the film was kind of dumb, and the highs and lows were lost due to unfamiliarity with the characters and backstory. Watching ??the warring Pokemon cry together over Ash Ketchum's petrified corpse wouldn't have too much gravitas if you weren't familiar with the epic battles he had waged in ??previous episodes.

Pokemon: The First Movie is a film for the Pokemon-loving audience. The high audience review score is due to how satisfying the movie is for folks invested in the franchise. Coming into the film as an outsider with little knowledge of it previously would definitely be disappointing. It can hardly stand up to the masterfully made Princess Mononoke, which came out only one year earlier.

Looking back at Pokemon: The First Movie, it's clear how much context plays a part in how well both critics and fans receive a film. As noted by bo?th, the movie was just a continuation of the show. Clearly, without the context, this film doesn't stand up on its own. It is a film that needs some understanding of the lore and its characters to be genuinely appreciated.

We can see the same thing happening now with video game adaptations. Taking Uncharted, released in 2022, as an example, we again have a resounding flop from reviewers, but fans of ??????????????????????????the franchise are quick to jump to its defense. It seems that sub-par films can ride on the love and familiarity of the fans. However, reviewers aren't quite as quick to don the nostalgia-tinted spectacles.

At least Pokemon managed to serve the fans well. Now, all we have to scratch that video game itch are films like Borderlands; which makes Pokemon: The First Movie look?? Osc??ar-worthy.

The post Revisiting Pokemon: The First Movie and why it didn’t capture critics, but blasted off with fans appeared first on Destructoid.

When you're not in the mood for a book that will take a week or more to read, picking up a short book is your best option. Short books, or novellas, can be rea?d over a weekend or even sometimes just a few hours. They're the perfect bite-sized slice of literature that will fit in your back pocket.

The top short books to buy

I love the short book art form. It is a challenge for a writer to create a whole world with fleshed-out characters in so few words. The skill requires focus and a deep understanding of narrative. The best short books whip up intrigue, emotion, and excitement quickly, taking readers on wonderful journeys in just a few ??pages.

Before The Coffee Gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Time travel is always an exciting topic to broach when telling a story. It opens up so many possibilities but also leaves the narrative open to plot holes and conundrums. However, in Before The Coffee Gets Cold, there are sets of rules that dictate the time travel and help reduce the risk of paradoxes. This leaves the short book to comfortably explo?re just what the characters would do ?with a limited ability to go back in time.

The premise is simple. It is possible to go back in time, but only using one particular seat in a cafe, and only while the ghost that usually inhabits it is on a bathroom break. Whoever travels can't leave the cafe and must be back before their coffee gets cold. With these parameters in place, this beautiful short book explores the things people will do with their brief time, be it?? speaking to old relatives, trying to fix past mistakes, and many others.

The Old Man And The Sea - Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway, in his own unique and morbid way, likes to teach us about life as he sees it. Many of his works focus on the human struggle, digging deep into the challenges we face along the way, be they as small as frustration or as large as grief. Old Man and The Sea is a fascinating look into the ideas of struggle, success, and humility. I found the book hard to read at times, and once I put it down, it took me time to digest and come to terms with how I felt about the outcome. This short book is one of the best for ma??king you think about yourself.

The book follows the journey of a fisherman out at sea looking for a break from his month-long streak of catching nothing. Eventually, he hooks a giant fish far t?oo big for his small skiff. As the narrative goes on, our fisherman battles the marlin, coming to respect and understand it. Throughout his struggle, he takes time to contemplate a lot of things in his life, and the fishing trip becomes about much more than just what's on the end of his line.

Factotum - Charles Bukowski

None of Bukowski's books are particularly long, but what they contain will fill your mind nonetheless. His writing style and subjects are definitely not for everyone, but there's no denying he is an influential writer. Picking up Factotum is a perfect introduction to Bukowski's wreckless and breakneck life, as he writes in a semibiographical form about his own experiences. Alcoholism, whoring, fighting, and generally being antidisestablishment are running themes for all his work, and this is what made him a legend. His writing style is as rough and ready as he is, and Factotum will have yo?u gritting your teeth with every page.

Henri Chinaski is the representation of Bukowski in this semi-b?iographical telling of his life. Chinaski is a war draft reject, making his way around the states during the 40s, unable to enlist and unwilling to sign up for regular life. He drinks, fights, and jumps from job to job as he makes his way around America. The narrative is a hard one, with hardly a glimmer of hope and a bleak look into the world of 40s America from a lost alcoholic soul.

The Stranger - Albert Camus

Camus is another master of short books, writing a number of the best novellas from history. Using the medium, he can narrate the lives of complex and often flawed characters in intense and fascinating situations. Like a number of the best short story writers, his books dig deep into the human psyche and expand on what it is to be human. The Stranger takes a look at one particular man who dis?covers something quite drastic about his own emotional range.

The Stranger is Meursaul??????????????????????????t, a Frenchman living in Algiers. After hearing of the death of his mother, he begins the journey back to the place of her death. Through first-person storytelling, we travel with him, finding him at odds with his lack of grief. He is a man without emotion, lacking both the highs and lows that would be expected. The turning point of the book comes with a murder, resulting in a further exploration of just how emotionally remote our protagonist is.

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

This is a book that has been studied in schools for many, many years, and for good reason, too. However, when I was reading it, some POS decid?ed to spoil the ending by writing it on the first page. Steinbeck gives an interesting view into the great depression in the United States from the perspective of two migrant workers. It's difficult to imagine the struggle and displacement for many people ??at the time, but through the eyes of Lenny and George, we can start to understand just how hard it may have been.

Times are tough for Lenny and George as they travel across California, looking for ranch work. Employment is scarce, and pay is even more so. The two are bonded, with George acting as somewhat of a carer for Lenny. Lenny has a good heart but isn't the brightest of buttons, but with George looking out for him, they make do. The short book follows their time at a ranch, wo??rking under the bu?llying and oppressive Curly and his femme fatale wife.

Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut

Although the title of this novella may sound like a slasher movie, the short bo??ok itself is one of the best looks into the horrors of the Second World War. Using time travel, alien races, and a group of men stuck in the firebombing of Dresden, Vonnegut tells a semi-autobiographical story of his experience as a prisoner of war. It's a bleak look from a boots-on-the-ground perspective of the tragedy. Vonnegut has a very particular way of wr??iting, but there is no doubt that he is one of the all-time greats of the short story medium.

Billy Pil?grim is a time traveler, and his life has become disconnected from time as we know it. He lives out events in an apparently random order, jumping from one moment to the next. This tells?? the story of his life, from the bombing of Dresden to his time in a mental ward and others. It's a novel way of telling a story, but it works.

Less Than Zero - Bret Easton Ellis

A lot of what Brett Easton Ellis writes can be a pretty gritty read. Most know of American Psycho, which was made into a smash hit film starring Christian Bale. Ellis isn't afraid to open up the nastier side of humanity, illustrating the degeneracy we are capable of. Less Than Zero digs into the dirty side of the party and drug scene that was so prevalent in 80s American youth. The glitz and glamour of rich kids part??ying gives way to addiction, fast and loose sex, and some seriously dangerous situations. It's a hard read but one of the best short books if you can handle it.

Clay returns to his hometown in Los Angeles for a winter break. Reuniting with his old friends, he finds out they have been walking a very different path from him. Despite his time at colle?ge still being fun and full of parties, what his hometown friends are into now is a whole different kettle of fish. He is from a wealthy background, and so are his friends. They have the money to get into some serious drugs and throw some wild parties. However, there is always a toll to pay when you're borrowing happiness from tomorrow.

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

Travel writing is always wonderful to read if you're looking to broaden your mind. Heart of Darkness is travel writing, but probably not as you know it. The journey down an African river on a steamer is more than just an exploration of the area and people therein. It is a critique of African colonialism and morality and a dive into the mind of the steamboat captain. The slow steamboat journey down the river questions our ideas of race and what, at the time, was called savagery. It is an important book for its time, as Western people 'discovered' the blank spaces on their maps to the detriment of the people wi??thin them.

Heart of Darkness follows the life of a steamboat captain as he progresses through his career and eventually pilots his own boat down the African river. The short book follows his journey through various camps, attacks, and other experience?s that develop his views and opinions ??of what he and other colonials are doing. He encounters many struggles and gruesome hardships. The captain returning to his people after the experience on the river isn't the same one that left.

The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison

Another hard read on this list is Toni Morrison's first novel, which is still banned in numerous school districts in America. The book has been pulled from shelves and schools for being too explicit. However, I feel the book should be on everyone's short books list for its insight into the hardships and reality of the characters in America still within living memory. The Bluest Eye captures t??he hurtful racism that was still so prevalent at the time and highli?ghts how Toni Morrison was made to feel apologetic about the color of her skin growing up.

The book follows the life of Pecola, a daughter of two Afr??ican Americans who brings her up in a primarily white Anglo-Saxon neighborhood. Throughout her life, she is made to feel ugly for the color of her skin, and all she dreams of is having the blue eyes she associates with beauty. Her parents are of little help, with her father being an abusive alcoholic and her mother who is a detached and deluded woman. Pecola lives without much support, and the narrative of this short book follows in her troubled and harrowing footsteps.

At The Mountains of Madness - H.P Lovecraft

One of the forefathers of horror has to be included in the best short books list. If you're looking for a read that can be completed in just an hour, or, like At The Mountains of Madness, in a few days, pick up a short story by Lovecraft. There are few writers better at instilling fear and unease than H.P. himself, and if you're looking for a yarn unlike any other, then this short book is for you. Indescribable ancient horrors from beyond time itself lurk deep within our planet, silently?? waiting in cities beneath the ice. What should have been a journey of discovery quickly becomes a horror story.

Arctic explorers take a journey out into the frozen wastes. They discover a mountain range far larger than the Himalayas, but what lies beyond it can hardly be believed. An ancient city, telling of a civilization far beyond the years of our understanding of the world, lies tucked behind the range. Buried deep beneath the ice is evidence of ancient beings. On the discovery of bodies, the story behind it takes a dark and dangerous turn. If you'd prefer to read this in graphic novel form, the short book has been beau?ti??fully illustrated and retold for fans of the art form.

The post 10 Best Short Books Of All Time For a Quick Read appeared first on Destructoid.

Alien has an aesthetic, and it's fear—fear of dark spaces, fear of your teammates, fear of that massive, ultra-fast killing machine lurking in the air ducts. If this gets your bloo??d racing, there are a ton of amazing games to try that capture some of what the Alien film franchise is all about. This list is dedicated to survival, horror, suspicion, and blasting seven shades of hell out of aliens.

Games like the Alien films

Whether it's the trapped horror of the first alien film or the balls-t??o-the-wall bulletfest of the AvP films, there ar??e plenty of games that can scratch the itch.

Dead by Daylight

Team-based survival is the name of the game. Many of your favorite bad guys and heroes are available to play while you and your team either try to survive the onslaught or pick off the victims one by one. Dead by Daylight perfectly captures that sweaty, heavy-breathing horror of Alien films. The tension of never knowing where the enemy i??s as you and your team try your best to?? survive a massively more powerful foe is amazingly fun but incredibly tense.

Alien: Isolation

There are many games using the Alien IP, but this one is a standout among them. The nail-biting tension and horror of the Alien movies are perfectly replicated in this game in a way most ot?hers drastically failed at. Despite Alien: Isolation coming out all the way back in 2014, it still holds up today as a solid horror that really makes you feel like you're in the closed confines of a spaceship with a Xenomorph.

It is up to you, the daughter of Ripley, to survive while the Alien? stalks your ship. It is incredibly fast, and it has pinpoint location identi?fication with its hearing. The AI of the alien is on point, too. This game takes stealth, cunning, and a very calm head to not end up as a human kebab.

Dead Space

The Dead Space games are absolute classics in the space horror genre, and I can't recommend anything better for Alien fans. The original games have been remastered to fantastic qualit?y, bringing the timeless horrors up to date with modern hardware. All the terror of the Lovecraftian monsters has been carefully remastered to ensure that every jump, attack, and gory? dismemberment is just the way we remember them.

??Psychosis threatens to overwhelm our hapless miner as he fights his way through hordes of aliens on b?oard his spaceship. With only limited weapons and infuriatingly limited ammo, he has to fight for survival. The aliens are many, and chances of survival are slim. However, this is up there with the best as horror games go.

DOOM 2016

This one is much less about the fear factor and more about wading through hordes of monsters with an arsenal that could take down a city. The DOOM games, especially since their reboot, have flown the flag for rhythm shooters. Every bullet, takedown, jump, and slide must be a thought-out and choreographed move if you're hoping for success in DOOM 2016. As each level clears, and you're standing on the piles of demon corpses, you know that you succeeded with ??perfect precision and muscle memory. It's a shooter that makes you feel like a machine.

Akin to the more action-packed Alien films,?? this game is a no-holds-barred bullet storm. The high-octane action is only matched by Mick Gordon's absolutely impeccable musical score. Pick up a copy and feel the true power of DOOMGUY.

HellDivers 2

Flame Throwers? Check. Turrets? Check. Massive hordes of bugs bent on turning you into easily digestible chunks? Check. Do they mostly come at night? Mostly. But they also come in the daytime, and some of them are robots. The enemies in Helldivers 2 are aggressive, and there are thousands of them. Thankfully, you and your squad are armed to the teeth with massive weapons and some serious aerial firepower. This game is similar to the madness of Aliens out o?f all of? them, and it's a hell of a lot of fun.

If you want the high-octane madness of Aliens, then Helldivers 2 is the one. There are moments of tense sneaking as you and your squad try your best to go undetected to the next objectives. Howeve??r, when shit hits the fan, it's time to call in the heavy guns from orbital bombardments and a massive selection of personal weapon?s.

Among Us

There is something on the ship, living in the ducts, killing people without being found. Among Us is a great group game to play, borrowing from the unknown killer aspects of the Alien movie franchise. The name? of the game is simple: either kill the other players without them discovering you're the killer or survive and corre?ctly kick the killer out into the vast nothingness of space.

This simple game has taken the idea of a sneaky, unknown killer lurking in the shadows of a spaceship and turned it into a game of deception. The hilarity that ensues while everyone tries to deduce the killer can be brilliant, but playing as the kille?r is fantastically tense.

Subnautica

Being way out of your depth in a completely hostile and alien situation is the making for a fantastic horror game, and that's just what Subnautica delivers. For any fan of the horror game genre, I cannot recommend this O??cean World, stranded game more. It manages to create an incredible sense of fear, discovery, and desperation to survive, no matter the odds. There are things in the ocean that you cannot imagine, and they do not like you being there.

The isolation and desperation of Alien films are part of what makes them so important to the genre. Being all alone in space, fighting against something unknown and infinitely more deadly, makes for a film that has us all on the edge of our seats. Subnautica captures this essence as you try ??to survive on a hostile alien water world after your spacecraft crashes into it.

Metro: Exodus

In post-apocalypse Russia, things are pretty much the same as they ever were. It's nuclear-?winter cold, everyone has a cobbled-together AK-47, and the entire population lives in the metro tunnels, hiding fro??m the terrible monsters that roam free. Metro is the perfect mixture of terrifying, trapped horror, and bruta?l gunplay. It is all tied together with a rich and satisfyin??g story of survival and comradeship.

Metro: Exodus tells an amazing story of life after the bombs have fallen in Moscow, struggling to survive. Pockets of humanity exist, dotted around the various stations and tunnels running under the city. However, humanit??y is barely human, and violence, theft, and mistrust are e??verywhere. Despite this, the survivors are united against a common foe. The mutants that threaten everyone are out there, and they are monstrous.

Outer Wilds

For a much more pleasant and unstressful game on the list, try out the Outer Wilds. Th?is beautiful and truly unique experience will take you out into space on a j??ourney of exploration and discovery. As you make your way from planet to planet, a story will unfold in a way not many other games have ever managed to do. This game is a beautiful journey from a planet and out into space and beyond.

There is a need to survive, which, in a way, likens the game to Alien. However, apart from the limit to time the game has, there isn't too much stress or horror. Stories unfold around your journey, inviting more ??exploration. Take a load off and enjoy this one.

Lethal Company

The Corporation doesn't care if you survive; they just care if you get the job done or not. This mantra seems to be a common theme in futuristic space films and games, and it's undoubtedly true in Lethal Company. Like Alien, the company doesn't care so much for human life and is much more concerned with profits instead in this game. It's up to you and your team to try to collect as many valuable items as possible without alerting the various monsters and ali?ens in the game. If you die, it's just going to end up being deducted from your paycheck.

Being in an unlit corridor, trying to collect together scraps, and avoiding the monsters in the walls is what makes this game like the Alien movie franchise. It's a hilarious game of suspense and essential communication. The various monsters hiding within the levels are varied, and each is as? lethal as the next.

The post 10 spooky games to play for Alien fans appeared first on Destructoid.

Time travel is a common trope in all genres, from fantasy to sci-fi books and everything in between. It is a great way to open up the narrative to? multiple time frames and introduce some real brain teasers regarding loopholes and other problems.

The Time Machine - H.G.Wells

Starting off with a classic is always the best idea. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells is a classic that has stood the test of time. This work, considered to be among the first of its kind, delves into the ideas of time travel and the weird and wonderful possibilities it contains. The book takes one of the earliest looks at the concept and is perhaps the found??????????????????????????ation for all that came afterward. It is a must for any fans of time travel books.

In The Time Machine, our protagonist builds himself a mechanical machine that can jump around in time. Using just a few levers, he can propel himself through thousands of years. However, what he finds as he jour?neys to the distant future is not something anyone should look forward to. This is a bleak and?????????????????????????? early example of dystopian fiction.

Kindred - Octavia E. Butler

Butler is one of our generation's all-time greats, not only in science fiction but also in literature in general. Her many varied and interesting works are wonderful looks into the various worlds and topics she broaches. In Kindred, we see a black woman and her husband unwillingly jumping through time. Kindred looks at how life has changed for people of color and t?he many hazards they faced in the past.

While initially exciting, traveling back through time may not be all it pans out to be. Looking at how societies have changed regarding equality, freedoms, safety, and? lifestyle reveals just ??how dangerous time travel could really be. Butler gives us the perspective of a country that not that long ago was an often fatal environment for many.

The Ministry of Time - Kaliane Bradley

If time travel ever ??becomes a possibility, there is one thing you can be sure of. There would be a ministry that would quickly bureaucratize the whole situation and lock it behind so much red tape nobody would even bother with it anymore. This is t??he case in The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, as she takes a funny approach to just how mundane the time travel theory could be.

In this book, time travel is possible, and our central character is tasked with being the halfway house for people being taken out of their own time and into the new. She is tasked with taking care of an old sailor pulled from 1987. It is up to her to help him adjust to things like washing ??machines, Spotify, and the end of the British empire.

A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle

This time travel book looks at the classic battle between good and evil as a young girl and her friends search for her lost father. On the journey, s?he travels through many wild and weird places, using the wrinkle in time to jump through time and space to different dimensions.

The story looks at how good can overcome evil. This is a great book for young adults and children as it tackles many moral dilemmas and makes the reader question themselves. The book is a crazy trip through L'Engle's mind as she takes us on this time travel advent??ure.

Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut

The bombing of Dresden was a horrendous act of the Second ?World War, reducing the city to nothing but rubble. In a semi-biographical manner, Vonnegut recounts his time there, praying for survival. It took him many years to produce this book and talk about his time as a prisoner of war in the city when it wa?s firebombed to rubble.

?The time travel in this book is due to the central character's hectic manner of existence. He can jump backward and forward in his own timeline. The narrative hops from the past to the future in a completely unhinged fashion, playing out scenes on alien spaceships and moments of life from before the war. However, the central theme of being stuck in a city under fire really sticks with me.

The End of Eternity - Isaac Asimov

Asimov has plenty of books to choose from when looking at science fiction, but this, in particular, stands out when thinking about time travel. Paradoxes are always the subject of criticism and skepticism when it comes to time travel books. Still, Asimov doesn't let that stop him from writing entirely about people messing with timelines. In The End of Eternity, Eternals are able to go back i??n time and make small tweaks and adjustments t??o history to ensure that the people of the present are living in comfort.

Of course, love complicates things for one of the Eternals who can travel through time and adjust. He falls for a woman and tries to hide her in time to preserve her when things are changed. This, obviously, causes an awful lot of problems and begins to break down the carefully balanced systems that maintain the ability to time travel. Asimov, in his typical manner, expands significantly on the?? theories and lore around time travel in this book, resulting in something much more epic than its short read time would usually permit.

The Time Ships - Stephen Baxter

This is actually considered the sequel to The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and has been recognized as such. It's a continuation of the original story that focuses on the time traveler heading forward to the year previously visited to save one of the small creatures he becomes fond of ??in the grim future dystopia. However, as is often the case in time travel stories, simply by heading forward and backward in time in the first book, the entire future is now vastly different.

This book examines the problems of time travel and the ways it can warp and change the future. Stephen Baxter is considered a writer of hard science fiction, focusing heavily on the genre's reality and science rather than its fantasy aspect. He considers how the various choices would affect the future and also the past from the first book, often resulting in catast??rophe.

Technicolor Time Machine - Harry Harrison

Time travel doesn't have to be the doom and gloom that the dystopias of Well and Baxter paint. There can be a comedic factor to the whole thing, too. In Technicolor Time Machine, a failing film director recruits the inventions of a mad scientist to try and shoot a film using the actual dates and locations of the pl??anned story. This is never going to be a smooth ride, though, as the film is written a?bout the Vikings.

The result is a complete mess of breaking down time machines, angry executives wondering where their money is, and violent Vikings causing havoc. This is a real page-turner as every situation pans ??out to be a disaster, and every decision is the wrong one.

Doomsday Book - Connie Willis

If time travel were possible, it would open up the world of historical studies immensely. With this fantastic time travel book, the premise is just ??this, but it isn't an easy process. Our protagonist is planning a trip back to the Middle Ages, a time wrought with disease, war, and suspicion. However, she has an alibi for traveling as a solo woman and inoculation against the plague and other diseases.

Going back in time as an educated person immune to illness isn't the tough part. The com??plex calculations and science behind sending her back are a different story altogether. When things start to go wrong in the present, they reflect back in time, making our protagoni??st's time in the past much more complex. It's up to her to survive in a time as hostile as the Middle Ages as they sort things out back in the future.

Before The Coffee Gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

If y?ou're looking for a truly beautiful story that tackles the question of what you would do if you had the chance to go back and change one thing, then pick this book up. The simple premise allows people to head back in time,? with limits, and experience one small thing that can hopefully enrich their lives, answer questions, or simply satisfy a need.

The coffee shop has been open for a hundred years and provides a unique experience. When the coffee is served, the customer can travel back to the time of their choosing. However, there a??re rules. Only one seat in the cafe can travel back in time, and only when the ghost that usually sits there goes for a toilet break. The traveler cannot leave their seat, and the only people they can meet are people who have visited the cafe previously. Nothing they do can change the future, and they must return before the coffee gets cold. With its careful rules, this simple premise sets up some beautiful stories of people looking to revisit old memories.

The post Jumping thro??ugh time with 10 of the best time travel boo??ks appeared first on Destructoid.

Sadly, on the whole, video game movie adaptations are just awful, some of them being among the worst films of all time. In recent years, we've seen a slight change, with TV shows making some great adaptations. However, if you're looki??ng f?or a laughably bad game adaptation, take something from this list.

Video game adaptations that get it all wrong

There can be so many elements that go wrong when adapting anything into a movie. However, for some reason, video games seem to have such a hard time. Books are often the source material for films, and they can sometimes be masterpieces. However, due to either the team being unfamiliar with the game or a studio simply not underst?anding their material, there are a ton of terrible video game movie ??adaptations.

Alone in The Dark - 2005

Uwe Boll is a name you will be familiar with before this list is complete. This director is responsible for a significant amount of entries on this list of the worst video game adaptations. Honestly, after the panning each and every one of his movies gets, they still allow him to make more and ev??en sign him up for sequels to the absolute?? visual abuse he produces.

Alone in The Dark is an important game and should have been treated with respect. Its first iteration is considered one of the earliest survival horrors, helping push the genre into the mainstream. The many games are usually based on works by writers like Lovecraft, pulling inspiration from artists such as Geiger. However, the movie ??is dull and confusing an??d has little to no atmosphere of any kind, let alone horror.

House of The Dead - 2003

Uwe Boll is back with another unmitigated disaster of a video game movie adaptat??ion. Anyone who has even stepped foot in a film school has tried their hand at a bit of horror, and zombies are the most obvious choice in the genre. Yet, somehow, this absolute hack manages to mess up one of the most iconic arcade zombie shooters of all time.

The failings of this film go beyond just shoddy direction and writing. Uwe loves to throw in effects and film fads over and over again?. This horror game adaptation is one to watch simply because of how abysmal it is; it will have you howling after a few dr??inks. He even manages to slip a few scenes from the arcade game in there, somehow.

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation - 1997

It's not just one of the worst video game adaptations but also one of the worst movies altogether. However, if you're a fan o??f shoddy acting, incomprehensible plots, and VFX that look like they were pulled from a PlayStation One demo disk, you may be into this one. The film, from the very start, lets you know it is not going to be anything special, and it doesn't fail to deliver.

The acting is what really sets this apart from the wealth of the worst video game movie adaptations. It's hard to find a line in the film that isn't read so badly that it's difficult even to figure out what they are implying. Thankfu?lly, subtlety and nuance aren't something this film is particularly driving for. All this being said, the theme tune for the movie is excellent.

Borderlands - 2024

If you hadn't already heard, Borderlands absolutely flopped,?? to absolutely nobody's surprise. I won't lie and say I'm not disappointed, but I, for one, certainly saw this coming. As soon as I read that they planned to squeeze into the 12A rating, I knew they would m?iss the mark. Borderlands is a no-holds-barred, foul-mounted, gory gun fest, and to take that away is a sure sign the production team has no clue about what the fans are there for.

Sadly, unlike a few of the others on the worst video game movie adaptations, yo??u can't even pop this on in the background with some palls and enjoy the travesty; it is just a bad, boring movie. How the team manages to take a game as breakneck and full of humor as Borderlands and produce something as bland as they did takes its own level of skill. Everything from the casting to the plot was completely missed, resulting in something truly insulting to the fanbase and original games.

Tekken 2: Kazuya’s Revenge - 2014

So the studio bought the rights for Tekken and made the first film to some success. However, for some reason, the second one was planned as a prequel, following the story of Kazuya from the first. He isn't the most intriguing of characters, and the decision to delve into his past was already? a bit of a left-fiel??d choice. The result is a film that isn't bad in a good way; it is bad in a bad way. Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge is boring.

The film is wrought with tedious, contemplative, and dull flashbacks as the mysterious 'K' recounts his lost memories. The??se flashbacks barely even tell a story, as many of them are from minutes earlier in the film. The terrible production is made even worse by the seemingly endless slow-motion scenes. Shot without flashback a??nd at regular speed, this whole film could have fit in a still very boring YouTube short.

Hitman - 2007

This film gave me the first migraine of my life. Immediately afterward, I started looking up real hitmen so one of them could shoot me in the face, and I would be able to forget about the messy, confusing, astronomically dull, worst video game movie adaptation possible. How do you turn a video game so full of story, suspense, adaptability, and even humor into something so convoluted and bori?ng?

Sure, there is violence and action, but it is wrapped up in a story that makes little sense and doesn't inspire intrigue. I feel like Hitman, the game, allows for a little more suspension of disbelief because it is just that—a game. However, the film doesn't do a great job explaining many of the little things that can get swept under the rug in the o??riginal source material.

Max Payne - 2008

Messing up a Max Payne film is a sin. The game is already a cinematic masterpiece, even introducing mo?vie camera techniques into the gameplay. The whole thing is right ??there, complete with troubled antihero and beautiful settings. And yet, here it is on many of the worst video game movie adaptations lists across the web.

I don't know if I would have chosen Mark Wahlberg of Marky Mark fame and Mila Kunis to play the two? lead roles in this film, but there is no denying they're big names. However, Wahlberg, especially when directed badly, is a real chore to watch, and this is the case here. However, the boredom doesn't stop there. Director John Moore somehow manages to miss the action-packed scenes of the game in favor of the slower and much less interesting detective work Payne is known for. The pacing is way off compared to the games, resulting in something remarkably devoid of entertainment or interest.

Bloodyrayne - 2005

Despite Boll being responsible for some of the worst video game movie adapt??ations out there, I think this is one of his better ones, but that isn't saying a lot. With a cast that includes Meatloaf, Ben Kingsley, ?Michelle Rodriguez, and Michael Madsen, it's considerably more star-studded than many video game adaptations. It's a shame they all read their lines like they wish they were anywhere else.

The blood and gore in the film are a draw for some. The ?sheer amount of physic??al effects and blood spray is incredible. The clean-up on the set must have taken longer than the shooting itself. Also, the way that blood gets sprayed is usually very anti-climatic. The action scenes in this are akin to the early seasons of Buffy, with very amateur acrobatics and swordplay. It's a fun one to watch, but still very much to the shoddy standard we expect from Boll.

Need For Speed - 2014

Fast cars, street rac?ing, pink slips, car customization, and police chases sound? like the recipe for a hell of a wild ride in the cinema, and yet, once again, the video game movie adaptation is the worst it could be. Thankfully, the problem with this film doesn't lie in the fact that it doesn't have some great action. It does. I love the cars and the races, and really, that's what I should expect from a film based on a video game about racing.

However, the plot and scripting a?re just so nonsensical and boring. There are so many loopholes in the plot and odd purposeless characters thrown in that it breaks immersion in the world bein?g created. The racing in the film is fantastic, and the director did his best to avoid using CGI, but it becomes diluted by the lack of any discernible plot or purpose.

Warcraft - 2016

I should preface this by saying I find Travis Fimmel's acting style makes my skin crawl. But this aside, I still found this to be one of the worst possible ways they could have made a World of Warcraft video game movie adaptation. With lore and a collection of questing stories that date back to 2004, you would think the team could pull something epic together. However, what results is a film that ?tries to please everyone, ticks too many boxes, and fails at both.

Multiple times throughout the movie, I would zone out a little for a minute or two and get completely lost when I came back around. I think the problem lay a lot with how many of the Orcs looked way too similar without any discernable character. The film also wildly misses passing the Bechdel test, with the only woman I remember in the movie being little more than a love i??nterest, although whose love interest is still quite unclear. The film felt disjointed and overly confusing for a plot that turned out to be very basic and with an ultimately unsatisfying conclusion. Pretty good CGI action scenes, though.

The post 10 of the worst video game movie ada?ptations of all time appeared first on Destructoid.

Of course, the Halo franchise has its slew of novels to read in the sci-fi genre, but if you're looking for something outside of the universe, pick up one of these. Halo rests in that action-packed, intergalactic, military subgenre of science fiction that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat at each page-turn of? the book.

Science fiction books like Halo

Halo is categorized as military action science fiction. The stories are of superhuman feats, humanity's struggle against invading forces, the political op?era behind it all, and, of course, breakneck action. These books have a bit of everything, some being war politics, others being ludicrous battles on far-flung worlds. Either way, they all have some wild, action-packed rides.

Starship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein

You can't get closer to the Halo franchise than Starship Troopers by Heinlein. This book, which inspired the film, is Heinlein's debut in serious science fic?tion, and it makes a few poignan?t points. It criticizes the militaristic world he was surrounded by and the glorification of war. Only people who serve in the military can ever be raised to full citizen status as an intergalactic war rages around the earth. Many comparisons between race and the aliens humanity fights against have been drawn.

Earth is at war with bugs from another planet. The fight rages between the two worlds, and it is a bloody one. The story follows a man who decides to join the military against his parents' wishes. As the war rages on, the battles become more violent and devastating. The stor??y follows the man's tale and his journey through t??he ranks in this hard-fought fight for survival.

Battle Royale - Koushun Takami

This is not a military science fiction novel like the others on the list, but it still has all the action Halo fans look for. In a future fascist Japan, high school students are pulled from their classrooms and forced to fight to the death. According to the government, this i??s to help study war tactics and help form the fighters of tomorrow. However, it just serves to instill paranoia and fear in?? the population, who could be called up or have their children recruited at any moment.

The story is now seen everywhere in video games and even in other books, such as The Hunger Games. However, this is one of the earlier examples of the idea. It is a coming-of-age book and a high-octane action sci-fi, full of brutal fights and the struggle to survive. Be warned: This is not a book for the faint-hearted.

Stinger - Robert McCammon

Inferno, Texas, is already a terrible town. It is impoverished, violent, racist, and tearing itself apart from the inside. However, it is about to get significantl??y worse. When two alien spacecraft crash just outside the city, ??their homes are about to become the hunting ground of an alien with phenomenal strength. It is up to the citizens of Inferno to band together to try to fend off this unstoppable force of murder.

Stinger is set over a single 24-hour period and is nonstop from beginning to end. The first craft that lands is the prey of the second. This hunting alien is bent on destroying the first and won't let anything stand in its way. This sci-fi action novel is full of the fast-paced violence Halo fans seek.

Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan

Body modifications, disembodied souls, and action-packed scenes are familiar to Halo and Morgan's Altered Carbon. Although Altered Carbon is, at its core, a detective novel, the fast-paced action within will surely scratch any Halo fan's need for a sci-fi. Takeshi Kovacs must puzzle out just who it is that mur??dered his last body and th?at of his client.

Morgan isn't afraid to fill his pages with excellent, cyberpunk action. Each new chapter is a thrill ride, packed with crazy new technology and nail-biting scenes. The book has been turned into a multi-season TV show, which has received high praise. If you're looking for something that will keep you on the edge of yo??u?r seat, this is a great book to pick up.

Deathworld - Harry Harrison

Only a man named Harry Harrison could write a book like Deathworld and its subsequent two novels. The Deathworld book ha??s a fantastic premise: A man, tipped off by some clients, gambles a vast amount of money in a government-run casino. He wins absurd amounts and has to escape the planetary government. He chooses to run to Pyrrus, which is rumored to be the most deadly planet colonized by humans.

The rest of the book is one man's fight for survival against the many horrors that live on this planet he unwisely decided to extradite to. The book is very much of its time, written back in 1960, but it is still a fantastic action sci-fi for all Halo fans. The narrative follows the protagonists in his fight for surviva??l as he tries to work out the mys??teries of a planet bent on killing everything that lands on it.

The Pupper Masters - Robert A. Heinlein

Halo fans will be no strangers to the idea of the Flood and slug-like aliens dedicated to world domination. In The Pupper Masters, ?written in 1951, a flying saucer crashes on Earth. Within the saucer are slugs that can attach themselves to th?e backs of human hosts, taking over their brains and coercing others to join them.

The book is a true example of the golden age of science fiction. The country pulls together to try to fight off the invading, mind-control slugs. This action-packed book is a thrill ride as humanity fights to survive. All kinds ?of methods are used to fight the invading species, including forced nudity, all-out military attack, and, eventually, biological wa??rfare.

The Forever War - Joe Haldeman

The Halo franchise is more than just the action and intergalactic battles that it first appears. It also talks about the mental strain of being a super soldier, forced to live far beyond that of his comrades, watching everyone die around him. Master Chief is a tortured hero, left only with Cortana to rely on; even she is eventually lost. In The Forever War, along with the huge intergalactic battle, comes the question of sa??nity and the mental pressure of space travel.

The Forever War takes a look at how much the human mind can cope when traveling vast distances across both space and time. As soldiers are sent between warring planets, huge amounts of time pass. The planet they leave to fight a tour of duty is not the same one they return to. Decades pass between battles, and the soldiers who fight it start to question just what it is all in aid of. This is a great action sci-fi book for the more philosophical Halo fan among us.

Armor - John Steakley

Armor has many of the trappings of the Halo franchise. Humanity fights against three-meter-tall aliens, referred to as Ants. To level the playing field, humans now wear armored exoskeletons. These grant almost superhuman strength, yet the fight is still bloody and highly costly on both sides. Armor follows two stories, one of a small colony being invaded by pirates and the other of Felix, an armored super so??ldier who refuses to die no matter how bad the odds are.

This is the perfect action sci-fi novel for any Halo fan looking for something familiar to the game's setting. Huge alien bugs fight against armored super soldiers in a war that seems overly bloody and with no clear winner. The book is packed with high-octane action and some gri??pping scenes.

Enders Game - Orson Scott Card

Enders Game is one for the fans of space politics and intergalactic war. Funnily enough, like a number of the other books in this list, humanity is threatened by an alien race called the 'Buggers'. However, using a training?? simulation, youth are trained up and selected to fight for humanity. During this training, one young man stands head and shoulders above the re?st.

Enders Game unravels into an enormous sp??ace opera that spans generations. The book has some fantastic action scenes and amazing science-fiction technologies. Although the plot gets politically intergalactic, there are still many gritty and exciting battles to be had as Ender fights for what he ulti?mately believes is right.

Columbus Day - Craig Alanson

Columbus Day is an apt name for the date Earth was invaded by an alien force far outgunning and outnumbering its residents. In one fell swoop, aliens destroyed much of Earth's core infrastructure, leaving Earth's residents even more helpless than they were before. Being drastically on the back foot against an invading force sets this book up to be the action sci-fi perfect for fans of the Halo franchise.

After the initial attack, another alien for??ce arrives, fighting off the first one and recruiting humanity into an intergalactic war that has been raging. However, after being recruited into the war against the invading aliens, things are not all they seem. In this military space science fiction novel, there is political intrigue, philosophy, and plenty of action.

If you love books that could easily become games, there are plenty out there to choose from.

The post 10 action-packed sci-fi novels for fans of the Hal??o franchise appeared first on Destructoid.

There is the good, the bad, and the downright ugly regarding video game film adaptations. Some, like t??he absolute travesty of Borderlands, miss the mark entirely. Despite the collective PTSD we all now suffer from this massacre, there are still a few games out there that could do with a good movie adaptation.

Games that should be films

A couple of core elements need to be in place for a video game to be adapted into a good film. One of the most import?ant things for the team, especially the director and writer, is to be familiar with the source material. Too many movie adaptations have failed at even the basics of fan service by recruiting a team that never touched the game. So, take this list as though they are game adaptations being made by a film crew who love their source material and know how to put a production together.

Shadow of The Colossus

Think what you will about Michael Bay, but he made the best Bad Boys movies and the best Transformers movies, too. Set him loose on the beautiful and epic tale of Shadow of the Colussus and see those hulking giants come to life. One thing for thi??s film to work is to have a director who knows how to give a sense of scale.

The silent, almost wordless game tells a deep, heartfelt story of love and determination as the cen?tral character battles odds stacked so far against him that it seems impossible. Yet, he prevails thro??ugh long, desolate searches through barren landscapes punctuated with battles against old gods the size of buildings. The solitude and grandeur of the game would translate beautifully to the big screen.

NieR: Automata

With a complex and winding storyline, Nier: Automata could make a fantastic standalone movie, exploring the dystopia/utopia left behind by humans. There is a TV series already, but a much more condensed and concise film would? also do a fantastic job. The interweaving storylines of the three central characters would create an exciting and expansive delve into the world of ??Yoko Taro.

Nier: Automata has moments of heartwarming intimacy as t?he machines begin to connect with their humanity against their better judgment. The characters' journey of self-discovery is a running theme throughout the game. However, these are broken up by some of the most intense??, high-octane action scenes of any game.

Half-Life

Alien?? invasion, teleportation, evil government marines—Half-Life has everything you need for a fantastic science-fiction action thriller. Gordon is the perfect hero, struggling against all odds, hiding from the authorities, and eventually saving the Earth from a monster from outer space. Half-Life revolutionized gameplay and storytelling with a plot that gripped a generation.

With some good direction, the first Half-Life game's f??ear, excitement, and thrills could be brought to life. The game itself is a non-stop thrill ride, as Gordon Freeman darts from an underground facility to a garbage compactor and through portals in the quest to figure out how he alone can save humanity from destruction. Half-life could be the perfect video game movie adaptation with some vision and good direction.

God of War

Father-son coming-of-age films are always a hit with audiences. Everyone loves to watch a distant widowed man reopen his heart as he realizes his son needs his love as much as his wife once did. The slow and difficult emotional journey shared by Atrius and Kra??tos digs deep not only into Kratos' grief and struggles with past actions but also the grief of his son and his need for his father's approval and suppo?rt. Oh, and obviously, there is that whole thing about turning their enemies into a paste with a massive axe.

God of ?War—The Movie could try to capture the beautiful journey, emotionally and visually, the father and son make through the various worlds. There are many moments of connection and contemplation between them that would leave space for stunning shots and melancholy. However, it wouldn't be a God of War film without including the absolutely mind-melting fight scenes. This video game adaptation would need an Iko Uwais touch for its choreography.

GTA IV

Why would I want to adapt the GTA IV video game into a movie rather than one of the other? much more loved ones such as Vice City or V. Well, as fantastic as those games are, their story ha??s kind of already been told in movies like Scarface and a host of heist films. However, unless you're familiar with the Pusher films of Nicolas Winding Refn, GTA IV hasn't been told quite so many times.

GTA IV is a gangster story set in the gutters of the city. There is little fame and glory in Niko Bellic's hard life and very little redemption throughout his story. He arrives on a boat, seeking the man who betrayed him as he committed war crimes, and things never really get much more prestigious from there. The grey, wet streets? of GTA IV are a pathetic fallacy for the sorry lives of Nico and those around him. GTA IV would make a bleak and depressing film, and I love those.

Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption would be the perfect video game adaptation to bring back the Western movie to a modern audience. Some of the all-time American Hollywood greats are in the Western genre, but they ??have slipped from favor of late, with only a few directors paying homage to the classics like Tombstone and The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. However, I think the success of Red Dead and the love for its themes and storyline signify a public need for a video game movie adaptation.

Whether you're choosing to adapt the first or the second video game, Rockstar has done a fantastic job of creating an amazing storyline wrapped up in their immersive and action-packed games. Both ??games have many moments that could be straight from the silver screen already. The development team never shies away from creating cinematic pauses that force the player into simply taking in the majesty of a scene or the heartbreak of a situation.

Bioshock

When a scary underwater god complex goes awry, the claustrophobic tunnels of a city at the bottom of a sea become home to mutants, machines, and horrors beyond human comprehension. The Bioshock games cry out for a horror movie adaptation that could st??rike fear into even the most hardened horror fanatic. The games themselves are dripping with atmosphere and style, which would translate terrif??yingly to the screen.

Bioshock has everything from intrigue to suspense and huge fight scenes. I, for one, would love to see the Big Daddies brought to life with their terrifying Little Sisters. The tight and often leaky tunnels of ??Rapture open up to beautiful Rocco architecture and decadent decoration. The city under the water leaves a lot of space for some beautiful set pieces that could play host to the insanity of the core storyline.

Gears of War

Post-apocalyptic, alien-slaying war movies are always a wild ride as long as they're done right, with a fantastic amount of CGI, ear-bleedingly loud sound effects, and guns the size of small vehicles. Gears of War is the video game movie adaptation we all need. The over-the-shoulder duck and cover action in the game is already being mirrored by many war films already, and it leaves itself open to some epic, bullet-strew??n set pieces.

Of course, at its core, Gears of War is a balls-to-the-wall action game, but it still has its own aesthetic. The various cities and fields of war in the game tell stories, like that of Jacinto, a? once famous city reduced to a smoking hole. Th??e war between humans and Locust is almost entirely the fault of humanity and its greed, giving the adaptation an interesting moral skew to season the gunfire and heavy artillery.

Majoras Mask

Everyone loves an underdog? story, so why not make a movie about Link and his eternal struggles against the world? Adapting Majora's Mask would be one of the most engaging simply because Link is fighting not only against time but also the moon. The surreal setting and wild level design would make fo?r a truly gripping movie full of all the weirdness the original game contains. I feel like it could be a great title for Guillermo del Toro to get his hands on.

Really, the game has it all. It has four very distinct and unique biomes to set the game in with Woodfall, Snowhead, the Great Bay, and Ikana Canyon. It has a cute but incredibly devious antagonist, Skull Kid, who wants to destroy the world with the moon because he feels left out. And, of course, Lin??k, the lovable hero with his fairy sidekick. As a video game movie adaptation, this could be geared towards kids or a wonderful Lord of The Rings-esque journey.

Bloodborne

Some of my favorite films are the ones that push the dark, bleak, and often visceral limits of filmmaking way beyond anything seen before. Think of a movie like Dark City?? or Mad God, where the aesthetic is as horrendous as the topic. If there were to be a movie adaptation of the Bloodborne game, it would have to be as miserable and hard to watch as the game is to play. The harrowing stories and hopeless creatures that exist within the narrative need to be portrayed as such; there can be as little hope in a Bloodborne film as th??ere is in the game.

The aesthetic of Bloodborne is endlessly stylish. Vast gothic buildings and vistas are punctuated with medieval outfits and narrow streets. The setting is basically most European cities, but at night and with significantly fewer horrors. The film could probably be shot on the streets of most Belgian towns without props or extras. I think there is as much risk of death in most parts of London as there is in the game, too. Bloodborne is already a fantastic tabletop game if that's your thing.

Dishonored

Worldbuilding is essential for a video game to translate into a great movie adaptation. As long as the world is unique enough and inspires enough in the imagination, then stories naturally form. Dishonoured, though, already has both fantas?tic worldbuilding and a brilli??ant narrative that would make for an exciting detective movie full of revenge and politics. As Corvo, the hounded protagonist, fights for what he believes, the unique city of Dunwall opens up.

Again, like Bloodborne, the setting of this industrial steampunk world makes a fantastic setting for the story of betrayal and revenge. The world of Dunwall is both gross and steeped in beauty and former grandeur. The cities show signs of once being prosperous, and the contrast between the ra??t-infested slums and decadent gentry makes for some great settings for Corvo's stealthy murders.

Tony Hawks Underground

Who doesn't love a rags-to-riches story? Tony Hawks Underground? is a wild ride as the protagonist fights his way from the mean streets into professional skateboarding. Eric, the endlessly crooked antagonist, is the perfect bad guy. He causes problems at every turn and is a smarmy POS, constantly trying to steal and destroy any success the protagonist has. This is a game peppered with celebrity cameos, although they're all a bit old now and may need a little bit of that Robert De Niro -in-the-Irishman de-aging CGI treatment, as terrifying as it is.

Tony Hawks Underground has a great storyline running through it, with the two street kids working their way into professional skating. It is a dream that, for me, was always something I had as a kid. Fighting against the odds to become the most famous skater in town is a heartwarming and exciting narrative. Tying it a?ll together with the amazing tricks, competitions and photoshoots of the game would make for some fun action. The McTwist over the helicopter is something I would pay good money to see in a cinema.

The post 10 games that deserve a movie adaptation appeared first on Destructoid.

By the time I finish writing this article, another book will undoubtedly be added to the ever-expanding series of the Halo universe. There are some fantastic and some not-so-fantastic entries in the list, but if you're looking to fully grasp the lore of the series, you should take a read. Here is the order in which I think you should read the Halo books for the most rounded experience.

So many Halo books

The world of Halo opens itself to a lot of expansion, looking at the prelude, the histories of both races, the flood, and the list goes o??n. Because of this, there are a lot of books expanding on the universe. It's understanda??bly overwhelming, so start with his definitive list of Halo literature reading order and go from there.

I believe that the Halo books should be read in release order. The chronology jumps backward and forwards, but not in a confusing or disjo??inted way. The books refere??nce one another as they are published, fleshing out the Halo universe fully. Trying to read them in chronological order becomes very complex very quickly and can often miss details.

Every Halo book, in order of release

• Halo: The Fall of Reach (October 30, 2001)
• Halo: The Flood (April 1, 2003)
• Halo: First Strike (December 2, 2003)
• Halo: Ghosts of Onyx (October 31, 2006)
• Halo: Contact Harvest (October 30, 2007)
• Halo: The Cole Protocol (November 25, 2008)
• Halo: Evolutions (November 24, 2009)
• Halo: Cryptum (January 4, 2011)
• Halo: Glasslands (October 25, 2011)
• Halo: Primordium (January 3, 2012)
• Halo: The Thursday War (October 2, 2012)
• Halo: Silentium (March 19, 2013)
• Halo: Mortal Dictata (January 21, 2014)
• Halo: Broken Circle (November 4, 2014)
• Halo: New Blood (March 2, 2015)
• Halo: Hunters in the Dark (June 16, 2015)
• Halo: Saint’s Testimony (July 27, 2015)
• Halo: Last Light (September 15, 2015)
• Halo: Shadow of Intent (December 7, 2015)
• Halo: Fractures (September 20, 2016)
• Halo: Smoke and Shadow (November 28, 2016)
• Halo: Envoy (April 25, 2017)
• Halo: Retribution (August 29, 2017)
• Halo: Legacy of Onyx (November 15, 2017)
• Halo: Bad Blood (June 26, 2018)
• Halo: Silent Storm (September 4, 2018)
• Halo: Battle Born (January 1, 2019)
• Halo: Renegades (February 19, 2019)
• Halo: Oblivion (September 24, 2019)
• Halo: Meridian Divide (October 1, 2019)
• Halo: Shadows of Reach (September 22, 2020)
• Halo: Point of Light (March 2, 2021)
• Halo: Divine Wind (October 19, 2021)
• Halo: The Rubicon Protocol (August 9, 2022)
• Halo: Epitaph (February 27, 2024)

This is a monstrous list, but there are a few you could skip if you have recently played the games. To shorten this list a little, it is possible to overlook Halo: The Flood as it just covers the plot of Halo 1. If you have recently played through the game or want to get the same information but from the convenience of gaming, skip this read in the Halo order and just play the game instead.

What are the Halo books all about

If you're a fan of the ??video game franchise, you'll already be aware of a lot of the lore that goes into the games. Old histories and battles spanning eons flesh out the action-packed scenes that develop as you follow the story of Master Chief and beyond.

Many histories and events can be picked up from simply playing the game and listening to various clips around the games. Characters cleverly provide exposition through di?alogue and situations. However, this has left me and many other writers and readers wanting something more.

The Halo book series sets the universe in order while you read them. They dig much deeper into the world, history, politics, and battles of the franchise, giving the fans the content they want. History and expansion around the gam??es are built throughout the narratives.

Are the Halo books canon?

The ever-changing team behind the Halo franchise states that "the Official" Halo canon can only be created by developers of the Halo franchise." This means that for a book to be considered in the official reading order of the Halo canon, it needs to be officially sanctioned by the team. This helps stop any inconsistencies?, although there are a few.

Of course, like any huge gaming franchise, there are many excellent fanfiction additions to the reading list. However, if you really want to start digging into those, it is best to finish off the games and official book series first. This will give you the context and knowledge to sp?ot something wildly off track or sticks to the source material. You don't want to accidentally reference something off-canon without knowing it; that would be embarrassing.

There are many amazing video game tie-in books out there, ranging from Assassins Creed to the Souls games. Halo, although maybe one of the most e?xtensive, i??sn't the only good one out there.

The post What order to read all the Halo books appeared first on Destructoid.

If you're a fan of the Alien films, there are several terrifying sci-fi novels you shou??ld definitely add to your reading list. The situation of being trapped out in space with a hyper-evolved killing machine is one that none of us ever? want to be in, but you can't help but wonder.

Science fiction books for Alien fans

Alien is a very particular kind of science fiction and is quite specific in its horror style. In space, as they say, nobody can hear? you scream. This is what adds to the desperation and skin-crawling aspects of these novels. Who knows what you're about to face when you're up against an alien, on ?a remote planet, or on a distant ship? The Alien films perfectly capture this trapped, lonely horror, and so do these sci-fi books.

The Day of The Triffids - John Wyndham

Do you know what is just as scary as a super-evolved killing alien aboard a drifting, empty spaceship? Homicidal plants roaming the streets of Britain. In Wyndham's fantastic novel, Triffids have been bred to become carnivorous and able to move, being farmed for their valuable materials. They're kept under control by the human ?population until a meteor shower blinds everyone.

Although the plot sounds bizarre, and it is, the horror of the book runs deep. Being constantly stalked by violent plants is only the beginning of the characters' problems. Human beings become, typically, evil. They enslave and trap people with sight, using them as their eyes. The book is one of survival and an exciting study of? society pushed to the brink.

Annhialation - Jeff VanderMeer

Now a hit film, Annihilation is a creepy and complex story taking place in an area full of the alien unknown. Akin to the Alien films, a team needs to survive in an area th??at is both hostile and not understood in this sci-fi nove?l. In a zone known as Area X, many weird and confusing events occur, ranging from mass suicide to cancer. It is up to an expedition team to attempt to unravel the mysteries or die in the process.

VanderMeer pushes the limits of imagination with Annhialation in a book that embraces the unknown. Akin to books like Roadside Picnic by the Arkadys, the zone is?? full of mysteries beyond human comprehension. Thi??s leaves the narrative open to terrifying horrors and eye-opening wonder.

Pitch Dark - Courtney Alameda

If the trapped horror aboard a spaceship is what you love about the Alien films, pick up a copy of Pitch Dark, a tale that will make your skin crawl. This fantastic young adult sci-fi horror?? will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

On a spaceship that has been floating for generations, the remnants of Earth are preserved and ready to start anew. The crew sleeps, awaiting arrival. However, a ship raider finds them drifting and boards their vessel. She wakes them, sure that sh?e has foun??d the saviors of humanity. Once awakened, they must fight against a swarm of mutant aliens bent on their destruction.

Stinger - Robert R. McCammon

If you have ever seen the Alien vs Predator movies, then you will feel r??ight at home with this sci-fi horror book. In Inferno, Texas, things are already looking pretty bleak. Crime, racism,? and poverty wrack the town, leaving it violent and dangerous. However, when two alien crafts land just outside the city, things are about to get severely worse.

This book is a breakneck ride, taking place over only 24 hours. The first crat crashed due to a malfunction, and the second one landed because the hyperviolent alien inside it was hunting the first. Throughout the sci-fi book, horrors are unleashed across the town as the hunt ensues. This book is a fantastic read for the action, violence, and horror as th??e peo?ple of Inferno fight back against this unknown force.

Tommyknockers - Stephen King

Tommyknockers was written by King during some of his weirder years, but it?? still stands as a fantastic sci-fi horror. After an alien craft lands in a remote American town, the population is brainwashed by a mysterious gas. This gas makes the people affected weirdly inventive and does not let them leave the town they live in. They slowly become more and more like the aliens who crashed the ship. The population's minds become telepathically melded, and they will do anything to protect each other and the crashed ship.

The idea of an alien being existing in people's heads and slowly taking over their bodies is similar to the unseen nature of the creature in the Alien films. A ?cre?eping and hard-to-fight enemy is central to this book. It is up to one man to save the day, deal with the loss of loved ones, and fight against the hive mind.

Hyperion - Dan Simmons

Although this sci-fi book is a vast space opera, a creature exists in Hyperion that is just as violent and terrifying as Alien. The Shrike has been sent back through time to stop events that will eventually endanger its creators far into the future. Simmons Hyperion Saga goes much beyond just this situation, bu?t the Shrike still plays a central role.

Like the Alien in the films, the Shrike is a perfect killing machine. It can move at phenomenal speeds and transform its body in terrifying ways. Its humanoid shape is covered in atom-sharp blades, making it the perfect killing machine. The Shrike can warp reality around itself, causing untold pain to anyone it manages to get its hands on. It is up there with some of the scariest sci-fi villains in the genre.

Revelation Space - Alistair Reynolds

Far in the distant fut??ure, Lighthuggers exist. These are ships designed by genetically engineered humans so close to being completely? machine that they teeter on the border of transcendence. These huge ships can rebuild, repair, and reshape at will, controlled by almost sentient micromachines. However, when a ship is so close to being alive as these Lighthuggers are, it can also be possessed by malevolent viruses.

In Revelation Space, where the crew's minds are melded with the ship's, there is an alien threat. It exists in the spaceship's very being and has its own agenda. The crew interacts with the ship through neural links, constantly fighting the alien within the networ?k. However, Lighthuggers are no causal vessels. This one, in particular, is armed with weapons designed to destroy galaxies.

Ship of Fools - Richard Paul Russo

A generational ship drifts through space, with the vast crew unable to even remember what their purpose aboard it was in the first place. As they finally come across a new planet, a situation arises. Should they land on the planet? and begin settling, or is that not what this is all about? However, the planet once had human life and is now devoid of any. There is also a mysterious ship floating in the planet's orbit. When exploring, there is a single elderly woman aboard.

Ship of Fools plays on the fear of the unknown elements in the sci-fi novel so familiar to fans of the Alien franchise. Not only i??s the planet, now devoid of life, a terrifying mystery, but also the lone woman. Inviting her on board the ship, full of humans, is a risk. Who is she? I?s she responsible for the genocide, or is she the last remaining human?

Infected - Scott Sigler

If you're looking for a sci-fi novel that plays on the horror elements of Alien more than the alien parts, then Infected might be the book for you. In this story, an alien invasion comes to the Earth on a microscopic level. The aliens are smaller than the human eye can see, and they infect? their hosts, slowly mutating them into homicidal, psy??chotic killers. Across America, human beings are going mad, running riot, and it's up to the protagonists to figure out why.

Like Alien, the enemy is mostly unseen but phenomenally dangerous. It's hard to fight against something that knows no other objective than impregnating humans to produce more of their homicidal kin. Like Alien, this creature from the vast nothing?ness of space is only interested in humans for their ability to host its young.

Sphere - Michael Crichton

The deep, unknown depths of the ocean are the location for this science fiction horror. Equally remote as the vacuum of space, this book is a similar trapped horror of Alien, pitting the crew of a deep sea exploration mission against an alien being. While exploring a spaceship constructed by the US Navy and sent ba?ck in time, they come across a sphere that begins manifesting creatures bent on killing the team.

What makes this sci-fi horror so terrifying is the remote and lonely situation of being deep under the ocean. The small craft the team is exploring is deep under the?? ocean's surface, and a cyclone forces its rescue vessels to abandon them for five days. They must battle against an entity on board the ship, working to survive and figure out what they are fighting against.

The post 10 terrifying sci-fi books for Alien fans appeared first on Destructoid.

Cyberpunk 2077 is by no means an original concept. The idea of Cyberpunk was established long before the game got its hands on it. If you're looking for some of the inspiration the game took from, then pick up one of these amazing manga that helped build the world of Cyberpunk?? 2077.

Cyberpunk manga

The complex and often dark words of manga are perfect for the cyberpunk setting. Neon streets, high-tech weaponry, and futuristic dystopias are all run-of-the-mill for many Japanese comic books and graphic novels. If you want a bit more of that robo futuristic Cyberpunk 2077 goodness, look no further than so??me of these fantastic manga.

Akira - Katsuhiro Otomo

Fan of Cyberpunk 2077 or not, you should pick up a volume of Akira and give it a ??read. This seminal work, split into six volumes, tells the story of post-nuclear Tokyo, following the footsteps of some street kids. Through a wild turn of events, they uncover the truth behind the destruction of the city. Digging deeper into the underground science labs, terrifying experiments are being made, threatening not only the city but possibly also the world.

The glorious illustrations in Akira build monstrous cities filled with narrow alleys, dangerous street gangs, and robotic police forces. The Akira manga is a clear inspiration for Cyberpunk 2077 and the rest of the genre. The mean attitudes and? stylish fashion of the chara??cters in the manga have inspired more than one video game.

Ghost in The Shell - Shirow Masamune

When we begin replacing the body with cybernetics and enhancing our brains with microchips, at what point do we stop being human? This is the question posed by the Ghost in The Shell manga, which is another clear inspiration for Cyberpunk 2077. It poses the question of what makes us ?human and just how far the body can be pushed before humani??ty is lost and robotics takes over.

The ma?nga goes beyond th??e similarities in theme with the cyber psychos of Cyberpunk 2077 and also dives deeper into the visuals. Ghost in the Shell is wonderfully stylized, with a vast metropolis hanging with cabling and mechanics. The light-soaked cities, filled with new-age tech, still retain much of the classic and traditional architecture, too, creating the blend of new and old we see in Cyberpunk 2077.

Blame! - Tsutomu Nihei

One of my favorite aspects of science fiction and graphic novels is the ability to create something truly massive. BLAME! is the perfect example of letting the imagination run wild and producing a universe that defies belief. In this manga, rogue city-building robots have run riot, killing all human beings and endle??ssly building, creating a megastructure rough??ly the size of Jupiter's orbit. This megastructure houses concentric spheres, one inside the other, constantly being built, disassembled, and reshaped.

The megastructure itself is quite unlike anything see?n in other manga but certainly inspires many. Planet-sized mechanical cities constantly reshape around the central character as he tries to find a solution to the ever-expanding, homicidal building robots. The manga is dark and ??hostile, in a way often seen in the bleak and dangerous streets of Cyberpunk 2077.

Battle Angel Alita - Yukito Kishiro

Class divide and a struggling peasant class left to feed on the scraps of the wealthy elite are themes often running through many cyberpunk productions. Battle Angel Alita takes place in Scrapyard, a place below the wealthy elite's city, where they dump their various waste. Battle Angel Alita is a cybernetic amnesiac robot, left to be rebuilt from nothing but her head and chest. She awakens in the cit??y of Scrapyard and slowly uncovers her past.

In many ways, this manga is an inspiration for Cyberpunk 2077. It goes beyond the simple amnesiac themes, tied up in biomechanics and corrupt chips. The people of Scr?apyard heavily modify their bodies to cope with the environment they live within. Beyond this, Alita also works as a bounty hunter, tracking down criminals, furthering the similarities to Cyberpunk 2077.

Eden: It's An Endless World - Hiroki Endo

In a w??orld ravaged by a virus that killed off 15% of the world's popu?lation, the manga itself deals more with the personal lives and experiences of the central characters. They struggle to survive in a drastically changed world and learn to live alongside the virus that continues to evolve, wiping out more than just people.

Cyberpunk 2077 players will be familiar with the futuristic dystopia of Eden, which is wrought with violence, suspicion, and, of course, robots. It perfectly captures humanity's endless will to survive, even when the odds are turned against them. Infighting and desperation fill the pages of Eden: It's An Endless World and make for an essent??ial read to anyo??ne who is a fan of the Cyberpunk genre.

Appleseed - Shirow Masamune

Mechs aren't typical of the cyberpunk genre, but they fit very nicely into the world in manga. The well-received mange Appleseed places our two central characters, one of whom is a mech, in the cyberpunk post-apocalyptic setting. The world has fallen to rack and ruin, and the world governments are struggling to keep power. However, as the dust settles, Deunan and her cyborg partner find a utopia being built, aspiring to?? restore the earth to peace and former glory.

Like Cyberpunk 2077, the reality of this seemingly glorious place is just a cover for evil intentions and corruption. ?The glittering lights of the future dystopia are really just a cover-up for some incredibly nefarious plans. It is up to the two former LAPD cops to uncover the truth a?nd fight the powers.

Gantz - Hiroya Oku

Gamifying death is always an interesting angle to take when digging into the cyberpunk genre. When the future of technology comes around, why not turn death and bounty hunting into a points-based competition? Gantz does exactly this, with two characters dying only to wake up in a?? room with a black orb. The orb informs them that they now owe a debt. This can only be paid off by going out into the world and killing monsters, earning points as they go.

Gantz creates a world in which disgusting monst??ers roam the streets of a futuristic city. The monsters and hunters are invisible to the ??rest of the population, but the threats are still very real. In this manga, we see the cyberpunk trappings in their weapons, vehicles, dystopian cities, and outfits. However, Gantz brings a whole new element to the genre with the grotesque and monstrous enemies that live within its pages.

Biomega - Tsutomu Nihei

If the slick vehicles, futuristic weaponry, and body modifications are what you're looking for in a manga that inspired Cyberpunk 2077, then pick up Biomega. The story is complex, futuristic, and deep, involving immortality, mind reading, and the next evolution of humanity. However, the cyberpunk trappings of massive weap??onry and cybernetics are all there for the fans of the genre.

The manga tac??kles a future in which humanity is evolving to become immortal. Genetic engineering is possible, resulting in some wild human transformations. Brains are moved between bodies, minds are read, and one character is a human soul inside a motorcycle. It is up to the various characters to fight off a plague that is sweeping across the planet, turning humans into zombie-like creature??s.

Colourless - Kent

The world has been strip?ped of color by a solar flair th??at not only destroyed all pigment but also reduced most of the world's tech to dust. In a world devoid of color, humanity struggles. However, this black-and-white world still has small amounts of pigment if you know where to look. This can be harnessed and used to create incredibly powerful reactions. The mutated and incredibly divided population seeks it out, using it for various nefarious purposes.

Colourless isn't your usual cyberpunk choice, but it is certainly a great one to pick up for fans of the genre. The mechanical beings and color power tech in the manga are full of imagination and originality. As the story p??rogresses, the ideas surrounding humanity's obsession with color deepen, unraveling cults, superpowers, and the remnants of humanity before the great solar flair.

A.D. Police - Tony Takezaki

If the elements of policing, detective work, and crime-fighting are what you enjoyed in Cyberpunk 2077, then A.D. Police might be the manga for you. This collection of stories is set in the not-too-distant future and revolves around the police force that exists within the city. They are ded??icated to fighting the terrorist and boomer forces that run riot.

A.D. Police has all the robotics, cybernetics, and ultra-violence you could want in a cyberpunk manga. The police in A.D. Police are given a vast amount of freedom in how they deal with crime, akin to the freedoms given to the militias in the game. They destroy huge sections of the city in an attempt to drive out crime. They are vili??fied by crimi?nals and the public alike, wreaking havoc wherever they go.

Many of these amazing manga have been translated to the screen. The various anime adaptations are the perfect place to start if you're looking for the inspiration Cyberpun?k 2077 took from the screen.

The post 10 Must read manga for any Cyberpunk 2077 fans appeared first on Destructoid.

From the very inception of science fiction, women have always played a crucial role in the evolution of the genre. Now, just as the genre continues ??to grow, so does the long list of talented women penning stories that take centre stage in sci-fi. From the classics to the more recent talents featured heavily in the Hugo and Nebula awards, he?re are some of the must-read names in the long list of female sci-fi writers.

Women sci-fi writers you need on your bookshelves

This list is by no means exhaustive, but it does contain some of my favourites. A special mention goes out to Mary Shelly, who is widely considered to be the founding mother of the genre. If you haven't read Frankenstein yet, give it a chance, and then pick up one of these phenom?enal female sci-fi authors.

Ursula K. La Guin

La Guin is a master of illustrating complex and challenging social ideas and playing them out in the form of science fiction literature. She doesn't shy away from subjects such as race, gender, an?d socia??l politics, tying them up in complex and alien worlds.

Books such as The Dispossessed and Left Hand of Darkness take themes we may find fami?liar and study how we as humans would behave if they were polarised. La Guin is able to imagine a world in which the things we take for granted, like sex and world politics, are completely flipped on their head. Each one of her books is a dive into human psychology and morality therin.

Margaret Atwood

If you have somehow managed to miss the award-winning show, The Handmaid's Tale, pick up her trilogy of books before you watch it. Along with this set of novels is her lesser well-known but still exceptional Maddaddam tri??logy. Atwood comfortably embraces dystopia with her writing and keeps them disturbingly close to home.

In both the Maddaddam and Handmaids trilogy, we are faced with a reality not too far distant from our own. Atwood writes of dystopias we could easily see our own world slipping into. Giant corporations have left the earth a barren, unpopul?ated landscape, and fascist governments have turned humans into powerless slaves. Her sci-fi is chilling, predictive, and always a little strange.

Octavia E. Butler

Octavia E. Butler is a multiple-award-winning female sci-fi writer. For her library of works, s?he has won the Hugo and Nebula awards multiple times. She is an author who repeatedly rises back up into conversations as her works dip back into relevance. Butler has been writing since the 1970s and curated quite the reading list during that time.

Her work is often labelled as Afro-Futurist and contains themes of race, God, and the hu??man struggle within. Oc??tavia E. Butler's first two series, the Pattenist and Xenogenesis collections, examine race divides. They explore the ways people in her sci-fi stories deal with forced segregation with aliens, genetically modified human??s, and other ??strange inventions.

However, her Parable series examines what?? we consider to be God. In the future, painted in her sci-fi books, she questions what we need from God and what religion could and should mean in the future of human society.

Becky Chambers

Becky Chambers is rising to ever-growing popularity with her heartwarming studies of personality and societies. I won't say a study of people because there are all sorts of other elements ?and organisms thrown into her sci-fi microcosms. These little worlds, stepping into sci-fi, are what make her one of my best female writers of the mome??nt.

For a perfect snapshot of what Becky Chambers is able to do with her science fiction, pick up the Wayfarer ser?ies. This collection of four books takes place in confined environments and studies the various beings' interactions. Each new book places different personalities, backgrounds, and often physiologies together and studies how they react. Her emotional intelligence is what sets her apart from the rest.

N.K. Jemisin

As far as decorated sci-fi writers go, there are few who can stand beside N.K Jemsin. Her various works have received extensive praise, with her Broken Earth collec?tion being the first trilogy to win the Best Novel Hugo award for all three books. She has shaken up the world of science fiction and produced some of the finest work in the genre in her generation.

Taking her award-winning Broken Earth as an example, we see Jemisins ability to paint enormou?s, generation-spanning sci-fi novels. With this trilogy, a planet is plagued by seasons that last generations, obliterate humanity, and reshape the planet. In these books, we see the human struggle to s??urvive and weather the apocalypse over and over again.

Arkady Martine

With a few science fiction novels under her belt so far, Martine is certainly one to watch on the best of female sci-fi writers list. The first two books in her Teixcalaan series have already made waves, winning multiple awards. She has captured the eye of the science fiction world and is making a name for herself.

Her Teixcalaan series is a fascinating blend of ancient Mayan cultures, cyberpunk futures, and dramatic space opera. These books take an incredibly engrossing crime fiction approach to the narrative, spinning a tale of murder, polit?ical intrigue, and, of course, the vast unknown of space.

C.J. Cherryh

When looking at C.J. Cherryh's repertoire, you have to wonder when she had time to do anything else other than write. In her illustrious career as one of the best sci-fi writers of all time, she published over 80 novels, which makes even Stephen King look like a part-timer. She has? written vast collections of science fiction based on deep and fleshed-out universes.

If you had to choose from her mountain of books, start with something from her Union-Alliance series. Picking up the multi-award-winning Cyteen is a fantastic introduction to the collection. It is set in a world in the Union in which children are grown in tanks and educated from birth with 'tapes'. The twisting and gripping narrative delves deeper into the world and probl??ems surrounding this environment.

Anne McCaffrey

The first woman to win the Nebula and Huga awards can't be missed from the list of the best female sci-fi writers. She has published a vast library of works ranging from the fantastical to the decidedly science fiction. When asked about her work, she insists that she is much more into the science fiction genre than fantasy, but for any fans of both, there are plenty of elements of either.

Her best-known works in the Dragonriders of Pern series are a fantastic place to start with McCaffrey. Humans have colonised a planet that is periodically terrorized by a flesh-eating alien. To fight back, the dragons of the planet have been genetically modified to b???ond with humans. If this isn't enough of an intro to make you pick up one of her books, nothing will be.

Kameron Hurley

With sub-genres under her belt, such as cast space operas, grimdark, military science fiction, and her own coined term, bugpunk, Hurley is a very well-versed science fiction writer. She may no??t be as widely published as McCafrey or C.J. Cherryh, but she's certainly making waves with her varied and engrossing science fiction.

The Light Brigade is an interesting l??ook not only into the theory of light-speed travel but also a delve into the human psychology and motivations between governmental wars. In this book, we see the world through a so??ldier fighting a war on a distant planet. When things start to go awry with his drops, the cause he is fighting for starts to unravel, or maybe it's all in his head.

Nnedi Okorafor

Of both African and American heritage, Okorafor is one of the finest writers in the Africanfuturism subgenre of science fiction. She has written for children, adults, and comics, winning numerous awards along the way. Her works are being adapted into fil?m and TV series, working alongside Hulu, HBO, and George R.R. Martin.

The Binti series by Okorafor is being adapted into a Hulu series, making now the perfect time to pick it up?? a?nd read. This series by one of the best female sci-fi writers focuses on our heroin as she travels to a prestigious, off-planet university. On the journey, her transport is overrun by aliens, who wipe out the rest of the crew. However, she is able to communicate with them and develop some kind of truce.

The post 10 must-read female sci-fi authors appeared first on Destructoid.

Get them hooked young, and they will be loyal forever. Starting young adults off with some of the best teen science?? fiction is a sure way to keep them invested. The genre is full of life, imagination, and excite??ment and is sure to get even the most reluctant reader turning pages.

If you're looking for something for your young adult to get their teeth into, or if you're a teen looking for a book that is a little more relatable, there is a wealth of sci-fi books out there. Everything from coming-of-age dramas to intergalactic space operas is aimed at the younger, avid reader. This selection of science fiction novels for young adults has everything, from socially challenging to just good old far-flung a??ction.

Iron Widow - Xiran Jay Zhao

With a focus on relationships, sexuality, gender, and race, this book touches on a lot of points that are often key points for young adults. The book itself embraces each of these and normalizes them, enforcing a fair and ?honest representation of the characters within. However, apart from the human representation, the book itself is a rip-roaring ride through science fiction.

If mech warriors are your thing, look no further than Iron Widow. Our central character is chosen t?o be the co-pilot of a mechanical war machine fighting against the alien invasion. However, as a woman, she is expected to die in her duty due to the mental strain. However, she perseveres, becoming one of a very sele??ct few women strong enough to control the mechs herself.

Cinder - Marissa Meyer

Take the story of Cinderella, mix it up in a teen sci-fi setting, blend it with a bit of cyborg magic, and there you have Cinder, the hit young adult book. This gripping tale takes a cyborg girl of 16 and throws her into an interplanetary political situation. She is one of the greatest mechanics on Earth, a planet falling victim to a plague. She is also immune to this plague. Throughout this book, and the subsequent Lunar Chronicles, the war between Earth and the moon rages on, with Cinder in the ???middle of it all.

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

I can't really write a young adult sci-fi books list without mentioning the current sweetheart of the genre. The Hunger Games takes a well-known trope of sci-fi and wraps it up in an easily digestible and very fun package. Suzanne Collins runs with the idea of a divided social class, in which the poor are used as entertainment for the rich and kept divided by competition. Think Running Man meets Battle Royal, with a bit of extra romance, teen anguish, and justice thrown in. The Hunger Games and their subsequen??t books have broken records in the teen sci-fi genre and with good cause. They are the perfect gateway?? drug into the rest of the genre.

1984 - George Orwell

Every teen fiction list, be it science fiction or not, should include this classic. Reading through 1984 as a young man filled me with fear and wonder at the capabilities of a government to crack down on and oppress a population. The suppression of knowledge, the willing kowtowing, and the seemingly inescapable prison of society were horrific to think about. As I grew up and read it again, it just made me a b?it angry to realize the reality that George Orwell was writing about in his own time and, subsequently ours.

The book itself is easy enough to digest as a narrative, but the complex points raised throughout are also very important to be aware of, especially approaching the voting age. As an aside, I also hate people referring to things as "Just like 1984" when they have? clearly ne??ver picked up a copy in their life...

Frankenstein - Mary Shelly

Frankenstein is incredibly old and is still considered one of the first science fiction stories ever written. At first, it may not seem like the typical entry to the you??ng adult sci-fi genre, but it holds true to a lot of the elements needed. It has a misunderstood and outcast child of a crazed and unsuppo?rtive parent. It has a society unable to understand the tortured and despairing hero. All elements point towards the trappings of teen science fiction. Was Mary Shelly the original young adult fiction writer as well as the grandmother of sci-fi? Have a read and decide for yourself.

Hell Followed With Us - Andrew Joseph White

This young adult science fiction book ticks a lot of the inclusivity boxes with a trans character, another autistic one, and a gang of queer renegades. These all stem from the writer's own experience and standpoints, so they are presented with some level of authority. Representation aside, Andrew Joseph White has written a number of smash hit sci-fi novels, but none quite as well received as Hell Followed With Us.

This book takes an interesting run at the Jekyll and Hyde story with a central character being turned into a military bioweapon. He runs from the government lab he is being held in and finds refuge with a rebel gang who takes him in and helps him control the monster he is becoming. However, the agenda of the ga??ng may not be all it first turned out to be.

Skyward - Brandon Sanderson

If you haven't heard of Brandon Sanderson and his wildly successful collections of books, I would be surprised. His writing in the science fiction and fantasy genres is taking the world by storm, and for good reason. He is able to spin a tale that makes the hundreds of pages of each entry to his various series feel like a novella. His Mistborn, Skyward, and Stormlight Archives series have all come out to roaring success.

Skyward is a wonderful story set in a world in which humanity has been driven almost to extinction. A relentless onslaught by an alien race whittles away th??e remains of humanity. However, one girl dreams of being a fighter pilot, and when she finds a crashed starfighter, her dreams may just become a reality. This is a gripping coming-of-age teen science fiction book??, suitable for anyone's shelves.

Parable of The Sower - Octavia E Butler

Any one of Butler's incredible repertoire of science fiction books could be and should be, on any teen's shelves. I cannot recommend her as a prominent name in science fiction and afrofurturism enough. Her unmatched observations and critiques of the world around us, both in its history, present, and speculative future, are eye-opening and often humbling. However, for the sake of this article, I will refer to Parable of The Sower.

The Parable of The Sower takes place on an earth not so dissimilar to our own in which, due to corporate greed, climate, and vast econom?ic divides, it is crumbling. Our protagonist lives within one of the few gated communities?, with every day another gamble as to whether it will be overrun. She has hyperempathy and is able to feel the emotions of those around her much more than normal. She believes humanity needs to leave the earth and start anew on other planets. This is her story to find followers and make her way north.

Uglies - Scott Westerfield

When appearance seems like it is everything, teen science fiction books can be there to remind you that this really isn't actually the case. Uglies, by Scott Westerfield, takes an introspective look at how we perceive beauty and the value it brings. In a world like ours, of endlessly beautiful people on TV, social media, and advertising, it isn't hard to become obsessed with being beautiful. These are the themes tackled by Westerfield in his Uglies trilogy.

When teens turn 16, the government of this post-scarcity dystopia provides surg??ery to all citizens to make them beautiful. They grow up wanting nothing and then gradually move through the hierarchy of beauty as they age. However, unsurprisingly, this isn't without its traps and flaws. Our main character discovers some of the truth and decides to rebel against the system. Surprise, surprise, the government that forces beauty standards isn't quite all that nice.

The Mars House - Natasha Pulley

Forcing people to use different entrances, different houses, and different sections of public transport. Forcing people to change their physical appearance to abide by government regulations. Sound familiar? That's because it is the topic of The Mars House by Natasha Pulley, a sci-fi young adult book that challenges one or two of our current affairs and paints them in a new light. This book challenges a lot of the? current political issues with immigration, gender, and identity and makes them easily digestible for a younger audience.

In the futu??re, a resident of the Earth has become a refugee on Mars. However, being adapted to Earth's gravity and climate, he is remarkably strong and large for the planet. Due to this, he is segregated and treated as a second-class citizen. Differe??nt transport, housing, and even job choices are dictated by his unnatural strength. However, when a politician rallies for the Neutralization of Earth refugees, things start to get desperate.

The post 10 of the best teen science fiction books appeared first on Destructoid.

With the almost limitless possibilities available to sci-fi, it's easy to create some seriously evil villains. Rounding up the biggest and best bad guys of science fic??tion ??is no easy task.

The most evil villains of sci-fi

When everything from world-destroying space weapons to undetectable flesh-eating machines is available, villains can become all-new levels of evil. In science fiction, the only thing holding back the sheer destruction and pain available to the big bad is the writer's imagina?tion.

The Government - The list is endless

The government is the number one villain in so many excellent science fiction novels. Whenever we look back to the fantastic dystopia of Brave New World, 1984, The Hunger Games, A Handmaid's Tale, or Dune, we see the government as the mai?n evil villain. The list is honest??ly vast when the main bad guy is the powers that be.

Whether the government is oppressing its citizens thro??ugh mind control and violence or simply performing galactic genocide, they are commonly the focal point of sci-fi villainy. Science fiction is often the platform for political observations, and this is the result. Theorizing future governments or scrutinizing current ones is a key element of science fiction. Read too much of the wonderful genre, and you'll never trust your glorious leaders again.

Shrike - Hyperion Cantos

In the distant future?, humanity is at war. This isn't surprising, of course. However, far beyond the current time within the books, a Shrike has been sent back in time to kill the various targets selected by its creators. It works more as a pawn for the various ent??ities that control it, way in the future. Despite only being a soldier, the methods it uses to wreak destruction make it one of the biggest villains in sci-fi.

Designed using DNA and emulation of the very man sent to kill it, it is an ultimate weapon. The creature's very body is razor sharp, able to morph and extend into atom-thin blades. It is seemingly resilient to even the heaviest weapons, and approaching it to f??ight head-on is like punching a bandsaw. When the Shrike captures its victims, it hangs them from its tree of pain. A vast, pointed monolith, with an endlessly living, endlessly suffering victim on every point.

MorningLightMountain - Commonwealth Saga

When a single-minded, self-replicating, sociopathic entity bent on being the only living thing in existence is released from a Dyson Sphere, humanity straight up isn't going to have a good time. The basis of Peter F. Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga ??is just that, and humanity is not even slightly prepared for a supervillain like it.

MorningLightMountain had been locked within a vast shell, keeping it removed from the rest of the universe. However, humanity, as meddling as it is, decided to take a peek and, as a result, released the evil within. MorningLightMountain is a hive mind, able to turn matter into more of itself. It cares f??or nothing but complete domination and is able to overrun entire planets, utilizing every single resource for its cause until the planet is a barren wasteland. The fight for survival is brutal, geno??cidal, and desperate when the enemy has no humanity.

AM - I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

This sci-fi short story is a truly horrific one centered a??round the sentient supercomput??er AM. After World War III, the supercomputer, designed to merge the world's defenses, turns on its creators, killing all but five. This alone is enough to place it solidly in the most evil villains of the sci-fi list, but it only gets worse. The sole reason for keeping the five remaining members of the human race alive is for its own sadistic pleasure.

In an act of revenge against its creators, AM keeps the five human beings alive, subjecting them to endless torture. It refuses to let them die and takes great pleasure in watching them suffer. This is in retaliation for its own creation. In I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, there is little to no hope at any point. The pure, unadulterated evil of AM is left t?o have its way with the five characters until they find the smallest sliver of hope.

Elethiomel - Use Of Weapons

The evil of some villains is only truly revealed as a book comes ??to its closing chapters, leaving a lasting impact and abject horrors. In the masterfully written book by Iain M. Banks (R.I.P), we are faced with o?ne of science fiction's most heinous bad guys, named Elethiomel. Banks writes the narrative as two separate stories, slowly converging in time, one from the future moving backward and the other moving forward. This clever and very successful method of storytelling slowly uncovers the history and the lead-up to the central point. This is where the true evil of the villain is revealed.

Iain M. Banks is a master storyteller, both in his sci-fi and regular fiction. He is not afraid to create worlds far beyond the reader's usual comfort zone. His characters are deeply developed, and their situations are rarely less than engrossing. With Use of Weapons, we have the story of Zakalwe, a man talented in the manipu?lation of civilizations. Banks tells his story, moving backward through his history while moving forward with a contact plea to recruit him for one last job. However, the life he led before this point, especially involving Elethiomel, marred him in ways that may be irreparable.

Alex - A Clockwork Orange

When a story is told from the perspective of a sci-fi villain, it always adds extra depth and horror. Being inside the twisted mind of a monster only drives home just how evil they are. No book does this better than Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange. Being behind the eyes of the man performing the evil within a narrative accentuates the horror, leavin?g us, as the reader, feeling partially responsible. Hearing the inner monologues and reasoning behind the atrocities leaves us feeling dirty, unable to remove ourselves from the acts.

By living as Alex in this sci-fi, dystopian future, we see just how far humanity has slipped. Walking in the shoes of the villain we experience the horrors of the world he lives in. However, despite the evil he performs on neighbors, enemies, and even friends, our connection to him results in a few interesting emotions. As the book progresses and the consequences of his actions are played out, there is just the faintest glimmer of pity for this twisted and vile science fiction v??illain.

Hal 9000 - 2001: A Space Odyssey

Can a human-created AI ever be evil, or is it just made that way because of the failings of human beings? That is a question for another article, I expect, and doesn't change the case of HAL 9000 being a homicidal entity. AI as a villain is always a complex one. Sure, they are able to wreak unbelievable havoc, like in the previous case of AM or the AI of Hyperion, but isn't it from our own doing? When a computer is? given autonomy, all the results are surely? our own making.

When the whole crew's life relies on the obedience and protection of a computer, it needs to remain calm and, most importantly, sane. However, when things go awry, the damage can be devastating. Due to a contradiction in HAL's programming, it decided that its core mission could only be completed without the human cargo it was also supposed to protect. This is often the case when i?t comes to rogue AI. When humans become the problem, they have to go.

The Triffids - The Day of The Triffids

Plants, man, they're scary as all hell. I can't walk past a botanical garden without reducing to a shivering mess. This is why the Triffids from John Wyndham's fantastic sci-??fi book make it to the list of biggest villains. The concept is a great one. Imagine if we made a carnivorous plant that we farm for its oils, but then, due t??o crazy circumstances, everyone goes blind, and these previously controlled plants turn on their captors. The book just leaves itself open to a fantastic modern adaptation to the screen, directed by Michael Bay.

Of course, throughout this apocalyptic sci-fi book, hum??an beings are often the evil villains. This is a given in almost any dystopian?? book. They use and abuse each other in a way that every sci-fi book predicts we will. However, taking the Triffids as the villains makes this book unique. Their carnivorous nature and vast numbers create a force to be reckoned with. Their ever-present threat throughout the narrative is used both as a Deus Ex Machina and as the problem to be solved.

The Mule - Foundation Series

When the galaxy lives in relative peace, there is always one twisted individual out there who just wants chaos. In Asimov's groundbreaking work, The Foundation, there is a way in which to predict the future. Using the Seldon Principle, big events can be predicted using mathematical models. However, these models can be thrown ??off if some unknown factors, such as mental manipulation, mess with the numbers. This is where the Mule comes in.

Twisted and b??itter due to his repulsive appearance, The Mule decides that humanity doesn't deserve the peace it is so comfortably wallowing in. The Mule makes it his mission to take down the Foundation, which is considered the stability at the center of it all. Through manipulation and brute force, he tries his best to ruin everything the galaxy and the Foundation try so hard to maintain.

Hadrian Marlowe - Sun Eater series

If a single man wipes out an entire alien race and kills 4 billion humans, that surely makes him one of the biggest villains in sci-fi. This is the case for Hadrian Marlowe throughout the Sun Eater series. However,? the story isn't as simple as him being a genocidal evil bad guy; the reasons behind his actions are, perhaps, justified. In an attempt to save the human race from an aggressive invading alien species, sacrifices have to be made.

This is a villain in the view that killing many people, and also aliens, can only ever be the action of a supervillain. There are few single people in fiction that have ever managed to entirely wipe a race from the universe and have a human death toll of a small planet without being, in some way, evil. Of course, sacrifices have to be made, and sometimes those sacrifices are huge. However, to be the hero humanity needs, he needs to become the villain they never wanted to face. This sci-fi fantasy crossover is the perfect moral conundrum.

The post The 10 biggest villains in Sci-Fi literature appeared first on Destructoid.

To be considered one of the best of the best in science fiction liter??ature, you need a repertoire of books and some game-changing titles. However, it is always good to support the new authors in sci-fi and maybe watch one of them bloom into a writing legend. Here are a few I think should be quietly, but expec??tantly, watched in 2024.

There are so many new writers every year, especially in the science fiction genre. Some of them go on to be the next Iain M. Ba??nks, but the majority sink into obscurity. Whether this is because they're not up to scratch or simply just not discovered is anyone's guess. However, pick one or? two of these up, and you'll be sure to get a view into what the new trends are and what some of the best new writers in sci-fi are producing.

Tlotlo Tsamaase

Womb Cities' genre-blending mash-up of Cyberpunk, Afrofuturism, Horror, and science fiction hits so many of the greatest subgenres it's almost impossible to fail... if done right. However, Tlotlo Tsamaase nails it with her first full-length book, which has elements of Altered Carbon body-hopping and Brave New World levels of surveillance states. The narrative has deep sci-fi elements combined perfectly with a trapped and paranoid horror that leaves every page a tense turn. If you're a fan of Afrofuturism cyberpunk, there are some fantastic books to choose from.

In the Botswana portrayed in this sci-fi book, our new author imagines a world in which consciousness can be transferred between bodies, but at the cost of freedom. Our main character seemingly has everything she could want. She has wealth, renown, and a?? baby being grown in the government child vats. However, she risks losing it all after one wild night leaves her hiding a body. With a police husband who watches her every move, can she cover up her mistake and still keep her child, or is the oppressive world of the future going to take it all?

Oliver K. Langmead

I think K. Langmead, one of the new, up-and-coming sci-fi authors, has the imagination and creativity to go places. His work with Calypso is just proof of?? this. In this work from 2024, the colony ship, destined to populate a new planet, has gone the way of a new religion after traveling between the stars for generations. The enclosed world of the admittedly huge vessel is the stage for a s?lice of humanity that has gone to war with themselves and come out on the side of nature.

Calypso is about a woman who is the last to wake from cryosleep and is revered as a deity. The ship has become a forest after two factions go to war. One believes they should turn the new planet into a technology hub, the others believe in a green earth. The latter won the fight. What Calypso really sh?ows off is K. Langmeads ability to invent, and expand on a theory. He breaks down the possibilities of a society left to its own devices, and these are the markings of truly great new sci-fi authors.

Kate Mildenhall

Like many of the greats of sci-fi, the genre doesn't need to be everything to the author. Kate Mildenhall is coming out in the literary world to resounding praise, and she is writing with true freedom. Her first science fiction novel, The Hummingbird Effect, weaves together six time-spanning narratives akin to The Female Man. Mildenhal?l looks at multiple women narratives throughout time ranging from the past to the distant future, carrying the theme of the woman and her ability to cope and persevere.

Mildenhall has written in several other genres, including thrillers and historical fiction. However, this foray into science fiction shows off her ability ?to adapt to the weird and wonderful world of the future and technology. As a writer who clearly loves exploring concepts and the human psyche, science fiction could end up serving her very well as one of the new sci-fi authors in the years to come.

Justin Cronin

Science fiction moves through the ages, adapting to the environment and group mentality of its environment. Before the Second World War, science fiction was mostly positive, believing in a possible utopia. However, once the atomic bomb fell, everything changed. In the modern age of science fiction, I feel there is a prevalence of suspicion and paranoia pointed at the powers that be. A running theme of mistrust of institutions and a lack of autonomy seems to run true through many of sci-fi's new authors. Justin Cronin captures this in his first science fiction novel, The Ferryman.

Although Cronin has touched on science fiction elements with his Passage trilogy, The Ferryman is his first real exploration of the genre. The book takes a look at the idea of recyclable bodies. The island is a utopia, with people being told?? about their coming deaths by a chip in?? their arm. When their time comes, they visit the ferryman who takes their bodies to be recycled. However, as our protagonist, the ferryman, comes to the end of his life, he starts to realize this peaceful utopia may be covering up some rather dark secrets.

Kaliane Bradley

Time travel is a trope used frequently throughout the sci-fi genre, to varying degrees of success. In Kaliane Bradley's debut sci-fi novel, The Ministry of Time, she takes the often convoluted topic and makes it completely mundane in the funniest wa?y. Time travel leaves a narrative open to huge amounts of creativity, and Bradley has used it to produce a truly gripping and very funny story. In a world where time travel is possible, it has been incredibly bureaucratized in a way that only human beings ever could. This gives space for Bradley to flex her sci-fi creative muscles and bring characters out of their usual settings and into somewhere completely new.

The Ministry of Time i??s set in a world where time travel is now possible. It is up to the protagonist to act as a 'Bridge' with the responsibility of helping time-traveling people from the past adjust to the modern age. This leaves the story open to some hilarious observations from a man transported from 1845 and the shock of living with a modern woman in a modern age. This hilarious, inwardly turned view of modern society promises great things from this new, up-and-coming sci-fi author.

Cixin Liu

Despite having published work for the past twenty years or more, Cixin Liu still has a vast amount of potential as a new sci-fi author. His most famous work, The Three-Body Problem, has been turned into a successful Netflix show. Cixin Liu is a modern writer, focussing on the hard sci-fi element of the genre. He isn't afraid to tackle serious, technical science fiction in a way that often scares many authors away. He plays with current technology and theories, painting pictures that we could easily, as readers, see ourselves living within. The Three-Body Problem trilogy is a magnificent example of jus??t what he can do as an up-and-coming sci-fi writer.

Hard sci-fi is the idea of writing science fiction as far from the fantasy border as possible. The theories and concepts within this sub-genre need to be plausible and relatable. Cixin Liu captures these perfectly, building scenarios that could easily be realized on the earth we know today. With the roaring success of The Three Body Problem, I ?hope to see many more works ?in this fantastic sci-fi writer's career.

Yume Kitasei

With two books under her belt, written in quick succession, Yume Kitasei is on the road to being one of the shining lights in the list of new sci-fi authors. She isn't afraid to paint huge intergalactic pictures. In doing so, she never loses sight of the smaller things, either. Her characters are still intricate and personal, despite existing in often huge spaces. With her first book, The Deep Sky, being set on a colony ship, she then spread her creative wings and her her second, The Stardust Grail, being intergalactic.

These two books, contrasting in scale, still focus on one central character. Her sci-fi explores the ideas of colonialism and race while still providing a gripping read. Kitsei has blended genres with each of her two current books. The first, Deep Sky, is a thrilling murder mystery. However, her second, Stardust Grail, is a heist narrative with some very seri??ous repe??rcussions.

Chris Cosmain

With only one book under his belt so far, Chris Cosmain is making waves in the new sci-fi authors scene. His book, Navikov Windows, deals with time travel and the issues surrounding it. However, with time travel novels, there are always people who get hung up on the technicalities. Hard sci-fi demands we explain the paradoxes and many time loop issues. If you somehow stop your grandad from sleeping with your grandma, how did you exist ??and do it in the first place, etc? However, Cosmain faces these conundrums one by one.

In this book, time is predetermined. A time traveler heads back in time to build the time machine the world will eventually use. However, he explains to the people building it that there is no free will and that everything is already played out. The folks working on the time machine aren't exactly overjoyed with this revelation. Navikov Windows explores? the psychological weight of this knowledge.

Nick Harkaway

Pick up a book by Nick Harkaway, and you're guaranteed a wild ride. With a few published books under his belt, this new sci-fi author has real potential. His two main publications, Gnomon and Titanium Noir, are only the first installments in a series. This promises at least a few more books as we look into this sci-fi author's future. He shows great skill in genre-blending, with Titanium Noir being the perfect example? of cyberpunk a??nd gritty crime fiction. These, in my opinion, are two genres that were born to be combined, and he does it well.

Nick Harkaway, as a writer, doesn't shy away from narratives dripping in criticisms of the world of today. By painting dystopias, such as the Big Brother style world of tomorrow in Gnomon, we are made to look? at the direction we a??re moving and question if it is right. Harkaway writes vast and complex stories that will keep you turning page after page, waiting for the next big reveal.

Kira Peikoff

With a number of books under her belt already, Kira Peikoff is becoming one of the most highly anticipated new sci-fi authors on the market. With her latest success with Baby X, she is only paving the way for her future as one of the modern greats. She combined Black Mirror-esque horror with a decidedly science-fiction theme. The verisimilitude of the worlds of her science fiction narratives makes the reality she weaves all that more terrifying to the modern reader. It's not so much a case of if these futuristic horrors will happen, and much more a case of when. As a crossover, sci-fi horror is one of my favourites.

With Baby X, the near future of the USA has a new celebrity fixation. With the very real and present IVG technology, any cells can be used to create sperm and eggs. This means that if you're able to somehow swipe someone's DNA, their DNA can be used to create a child. Because of this, celebrity DNA is often sold on the black market to fans and other unhinged people. However, one celebrity is tired of it, and hired security to protect him from the DNA thieves. The narrative follows the relationship between the guard and her task to protect this man from potential threats. However, it's never going to be that simple. This is another one of those books that could make a great video game.

The post 10 up-and-coming sci-fi authors in 2024 to keep an ??eye on appeared first on Destructoid.

Fair representation has always been an important factor in a?ny art form, and science fiction is no exception. Here are some of the best sci-fi novels with a gripping female lead to keep the playin??g field level.

Female leads in science fiction books

There are many sci-fi novels out there with strong fe??male protagonists and antagonists, for that matter. They are not necessarily all written by women either. Here is a small selection of the vast library of science fiction with female leads.

A Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

This book and subsequent books have made huge waves in the world of modern science fiction. They have garnered a l??ot of attention and have been made into a smash hit TV series. Margaret Atwood successfully captures the paranoia and historical oppression of women around the world and has artfully brought it to life in this female-led science fiction novel.

The book digs deep into a future dystopia, not far from our current timeline, in which a patriarchal society has turned women into a breeding slave class. Women around New Gilead are used solely for producing chi??ldren for the rulin??g class, losing all autonomy over their lives and bodies. The book looks at the way women fight back against the new society, taking back freedoms and fighting against the powers.

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

If you're looking for some young adult fiction with a strong female lead, then The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a perfect place to start. She takes inspiration from numerous sources, such as Battle Royal, and repackages it for a much younger Western audience. The results are a future of great class divide, rebellion, and, of co?urse, the brutal fight for survival. The collection of books is all told from the perspective of an inspirational female lead who leads the people t?o revolution.

The Hunger Games is a tale told many times through sci-fi, but Suzanne Collins successfully brought the concept to the masses. A future with an oppressive ruling class sits atop a downtrodden population. The class divide has become far too great to ever merge. In the world of The Hunger Games, the poor, divided into districts, are used as entertainment. However, Katniss's determination pulls the divided people together to rise up against oppr????ession.

The Female Man - Joanna Russ

This wild science fiction book has four female leads, all living parallel lives in different universes. The book looks at the lives of four women, all living in very different worlds. As each woman comes across to visit the other's universe, they change their perceptions of their own. Every universe has opposing environments, governments??, and situations that deeply affect each woman. This feminist sci-fi novel by Joanna Russ is a must-read for anyone looking for a strong female lead in sci-fi.

The four women in The Female Man come from four separate universes. The first is akin to our own world of the 1970s. The second is from a world where the Great Depression never ended and the Second World War never happened. This results in a universe with no significant feminist movement. The third is a world where all men have d?ied out, and women use tech??nology to breed. The fourth is a world in which women and men are at war.

Kindred - Octavia E. Butler

This is a novel often used in studies and on many universities' reading lists. It is an in-depth and eye-opening look into black history in America. The time-traveling female protagonist jumps backward and forward through time, experiencing the life of an African woman over many different time perio?ds. Her perspective, due to being a modern woman of the time, is changed and challenged as she witnesses life throughout American history.

Through the medium of time travel, this book explores how attitudes have changed over time. Dana, the female lead, has the attitude of a modern wo?man if faced with the atrocities of the past. The book delves into many key issues, such a??s race, gender, and power.

Doomsday Book - Connie Willis

Time travel is always a g?reat setting for any science fiction book. In this one, our female lead returns to the past using typical sci-fi technology. The book itself is almost a historical novel as Kivrin travels back to medieval times, exploring life as it was then. However, this is further than people have ever traveled before, and there are risks associated with it. Through a narrative that jumps forward and backward through time, this sci-fi book tells the tale ??of the future and the past.

Kivrin is able to travel back to the 14th century. However, things go a little awry as both the person who sent her back falls ill and Kivrin arrives during the Black Plague. While her contact back in the present time struggles with an influenza epidemic, Kivrin has to deal with one back in time. She is vaccinated against it, but due to the circumstances, she misses her opportunity to return to the present time. Doomsday Book follows our female sci-fi lead as she t?ries to m?ake her way back to her timeline.

A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle

A science fantasy coming-of-age film split over many universes is always going to be a recipe for a great sci-fi novel. A Wrinkle in Time is a fantastic trip through L'Engle's wonderful sci-fi imagination as the three characters endeavor to save the female lead's father. The narrative gives plenty of space for exploring the characters' development into adulthood and the challenges they face along the way. The book has been adapted for the screen twice. However, both times have hardly managed to make much of themselves. Just another one to add to the list of terrible sci-fi film adaptations.

The three characters use the Tesseract to embark on a journey through space and time. With the guiding hand of two mysterious beings, they witness the world of good and evil. As they make their way to different worlds and universes, they have to help in the war between light and dark. They a??re on a quest to find Meg Murray's father, but there is much more to discover.

Parable of The Sower - Octavia E. Butler

Sci-fi often loves to strip humans of their emotions. A common trope of modern science fiction is to have humans reduced to almost machine-like coldness. However, the female lead in this sci-fi book suffers from the complete opposite. In Parable of The Sower, we have a character who has hyperempathy, a c??ondition that makes her incredibly receptive to the emotions of those around h??er.

The world has begun to fall to climate change, and social inequality is at an all-time high. Humans are becoming victims of their own tribal instincts, and disorder is growing across the world. Lauren Olamina, our female protagonist, lives in a community with her family. Ho??wever, when they are killed and her community sacked by the raiders, she begins to make her journey north, looking for work. During her journey, she begins to develop a religion based on the idea of traveling to new planets, to begin again.

A Long Way to A Small Angry Planet - Becky? Chambers

This sci-fi book is the debut of Chambers and the first in a wonderful series of novels. Although it focuses on many of the members of the ship's crew, the central character is Rosemary Harper, a female clerk. Chambers takes the typically vast world of sci-fi and condenses it down to the size of a single ship. In this book, we get to enjoy the ins and outs of on-board life. A Long Way to A Small Angry Planet is a beautiful observation of human nature as the ?crew members inter?act with one another and build beautiful relationships.

Sci-fi doesn't need to be galaxy-spanning and generational in its storytelling. Sometimes, it can exist in a tiny microcosm and still use all the elements of the genre. This book is a wonderful one to pick up if you're looking for something full of love and deep and fascinating characters but still want something a little futuristic. The rest of the books in this trilogy are equall??y fascinating in their exploration of the human and not-so-human psyche.

Grass - Sheri S. Tepper

A plague has started to?? sweep across the populated galaxy, killing 100% of the people who catch it. However, the theocracy that rules denies that it is real, falling back on its typical willful ignorance. However, there is a world out there that appears completely resistant to the plague, and it is here that we meet our female sci-fi protagonist. Marjorie Westriding Yrarier must travel to ??the planet to uncover the secrets of the planet's immunity.

However, in her quest, she has a number of revelations about the world she was raised in. Over the course of the book, she starts to rebel against the patriarchy she was a part of. As Marjorie Westriding Yrarier becomes acquainted with the planet, she finds out a lot about herself and starts to become a woman of her own volition. The bo??ok is a fascinating exploration of world-building, politica??l and societal criticism and equestrian sports.

A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine

The Mayan culture is already steeped in fascinating history and mystery. In this book by Martine, traditional Mayan culture is translated into a fascinating sci-fi world with a brilliant female lead. Using a crime fiction-style ?narrative, the Mayan culture in the book is brilliantly expanded on, mixing ancient history with many of the trappings of science fiction. The crossover works incredibly well, blending the practices of the Mayans in an alien and futuristic setting.

Mahit Dzmare is an ambassador for her own planet. She carried with her the memories of the ambassador before her, but due to his murder, they are 15 years out of date. As she becomes embedded in the mysteries surrounding the previous ambassador's death, she becomes wrapped up in the potential overthrow of the current emperor. This book perfectly combines fantasy elements with science fiction, appealing to fans of both genres.

The post The best sci-fi novels with a female lead appeared first on Destructoid.

Making a business work for your economic needs is a difficult task to accomplish. If only there was a way to cheat t??he system without going to prison. Well, it's time to live that fantasy, but in the digital world. Here are all the Supermarket Simulator cheats.

How to use cheats in Supermarket Simulator

Managing a convenience store to a supermarket is the latest of a series of simulator games for us to enjoy. And, like in real life, it is not an easy thing to do. Now, before you try to open up and input an in-game console command, you must know that there are no cheats included or integrated with the base Supermarket Simulator game installation.

However, the human desire to break the rules reigns supreme. By installing a few mods into Supermarket Simulator, you can cheat your way through the game. The process?? is relatively simple.

These are called Trainers and will modify the base game so that you can enjoy Supermarket Simulator however broken you want it to be. For this guide, we will be using WeMod's Supermarket Simulator Trainer, but? there are many more out there for you to try.

Install WeMod and use the Supermarket Simulator Trainer

Installing and using the Supermarket Simulator Trainer by WeMod is quite simple. All you need to do is the following:

• Download and install the WeMod app.
• Look for Supermarket Simulator in the search bar.
• Select your parameters and toggle your cheats.
• Click "Play".

The WeMod app claims to auto-detect games, so you won't have to deal with any file manipulation and overly technical stuff. To activate a specific WeMod?? cheat in-game, you will have to click on the specific allocated keybind. You can edit it so that you optimize your che?at needs.

WeMod Supermarket Simulator cheat list

• Unlimited Money - Toggles unlimited money cheat.
• Edit Money - Edits the specific amount of money your store has.
• Multiply Money Get - Alter how much money you get per sale.
• Multiply Store Point Get - Alter how fast your store gains reputation.
• ZA WARUDO! - [Time Stop]

Glitches and save files

There are also a few ways to break Supermarket Simulator and cheat your way to economic success that way. The first method is a simple glitch, able to be performed right at the beginning of the game. The second one is a save file edit.

Sell your cash register glitch

Cash registers sell for quite a bit of cash, $250, in fact. However, a shop without a cash register is just a room full of produce, so you obviously won't want to get rid of it. But, with this simple Supermarket Simulator cheat, you can infinitely sell it without ever actually losing it.

• Enter into your supermarket and pick up your cash register with a long left click.
• Now, box your cash register with the C key.
• Throw your cash register outside on the pavement with the R key.
• Now, pause the game and quit to the menu.
• Load back into your game, and you will notice you have your cash register unboxed and in the supermarket. However, there is also one out on the pavement still.
• Sell the cash register on the pavement for sweet loot, and rinse and repeat.

How to edit your Supermarket Simulator save file

Editing the simple save files stored on your PC can change a lot of the information in the game. By opening up the save file, you can tweak the numbers to end up breaking the game. This simple cheat will give you endless money in Supermarket Simulator.

• Locate the save file at C:\Users\Username\AppData\LocalLow\Nokta Games\Supermarket Simulator\SaveFile.es3
• Make sure you change the (Username section to your PC username.
• Open the save file with Notepad or a similar text editor.
• Press CTRL+F and search for the phrase "Money"
• Edit the number after this word to make your in-game balance.

Once you have successfully got the hang of this simple save file cheat in Supermarket Simulator, you may want to try some of the others available. By searching for the?? following phrases and editing the number afterward, many in-game things can be changed.

• CurrentStoreLevel - Changes your store level.
• StoreUpgradeLevel - Changes your upgrade level.
• CompletedCheckoutCount - Change your amount of checkouts.
• UnlockedLicenses - Unlock all licenses. Simply type the number of the license you want unlocked, followed by a comma. Be aware that if you type a license that doesn't exist, you will bug the game.

Should you cheat in Supermarket Simulator?

Nah, not really. What's the point of even playing the game if you're just going to break all the rules and cheat your way to success? I can't?? imagine there?? is much satisfaction in getting to the endgame if you didn't earn any of it.

It isn't like there is a great storyline to pursue that you can only get to through progress. If you're playing a Fallout game, for example, accessing the console is hilarious and can often unlock blocked-off areas of the game. You will just end up with a full shop and loads of m?oney, with none of the achievements. Who is that impressing? That sai?d, do what you want if it's fun to you!

The post All Supermarket Simulator Cheats appeared first on Destructoid.

Depending on the race of your characters, getting into some spaces, like the rocky crevices, can be quite tricky in Baldur's Gate 3. Sometimes, in the game, you will come across s?mall, interactable spaces that you just can't seem to get into. Well, here is the solution.

Baldur's Gate 3: How to get into rocky crevices and burrow holes

First, these Rocky Crevices can come in two forms in Baldur's Gate 3. You've got medium-sized openings and then others that are really tiny. You can usually find these in little corners of an area or somewhere you wouldn't initially think to look, like in the rafters of an old building. But as you approach one, your party should spot it as long as at least one of you passes the Perception check.

These spaces require you to be able to either change size or be naturally gifted with a tiny body. If you're too large, it's simply impossible to squeeze into the rocky crevasses or any spaces in Baldur's Gate 3. For the t??wo types of spaces, you will ?need to fit the following parameters:

• Rocky crevices â€?Medium spaces

  • Be a Halfling or Gnome.
  • Use Disguise Self or Shapeshift to change into a Halfling or Gnome.
  • Use Enlarge-Reduce to shrink.
  • Use Wildshape to turn into a small animal.

• Burrow holes â€?Small spaces

  • As a Druid, use Wild Shape to turn into a cat.
  • Use Gaseous Form.
  • As a Halfling or Gnome, use Enlarge-Reduce to fit through. This will only work on the smaller races in Baldurs Gate 3.

For medium-sized crevices, only small Baldurs Gate characters can fit inside. So, unles?s you have some kind of shape-shifti?ng ability, only Gnomes and Halflings will be able to squeeze in.

How to shapeshift in Baldurs Gate 3

But, as mentioned, if you don't have either of these in your party, you can use Shapeshift, which is a 1st level Illusion sp??el?l. This lets you transform yourself into any race, including Halflings and Gnomes.

For all the spells on this list, look for scrolls. The use of a ??scroll will help you fit through the small crevices and burrows located around Baldurs Gate 3.

So you can just transform into either of these and squeeze through the rocky crevice or burrow hole in Baldurs Gate 3 without issue. If you haven't got it yet, Astarion can learn this spell via the Arcane Trickster subclass at level 3. Deciding on the best race and class to have in your party ?can be overwhelming, but a Mage is always a good choice.

How to use Wildshape

Very small rocky crevices are a bit more of a problem. Shapeshift won't be able to give you a form that's small enough to fit inside these. For this job, a Druid with Wild Shape is needed. With this, you can turn into a cat and get through the hole this way. This method would work for me?dium-sized crevices in Baldur's Gate 3 as well.

Wildshape can be accessed by any level 2 Druid. There are some fantastic options to play with ?once you have it equipped. Playing as an animal in Baldur's Gate 3 has a l?ot more to it than first meets the eye.

Use Gaseous Form or Reduce

Another option to get through rocky crevices and burrow holes is to use Gaseous Form, which is a level three spell. You can also use the Reduce spell to get through small holes if yo?u're a Halfling or Gnome.

However, be aware that using Reduce will not work for larger ??characters. But it will let the little guys get into in?credibly tight spaces like the rocky crevices in Baldur's Gate 3.

Don't worry too much if none of these options are available to you just yet. Explore elsewhere in these areas, and you'll likely discover alternate entrances you can use. I recommend pulling up your map and placing a custom marker to mark the spot for later. Many elem?ents of Baldurs Gate 3 will require you to backtrack, but it is almost always worth it.

The post How to get into rocky crevices in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) appeared first on Destructoid.

Sci-fi fantasy, also known as science fantasy, is quite a niche genre when it comes to books, yet one that works so well. Why t??here are so few sci-fi f??antasy crossovers is beyond me, but here are some of the best books in that category.

The best of science fantasy

Reading the words together makes sense, but actually breaking down what the genre requires is a different matter. Science fiction must have at least some basis in scientific theory or fact to be classed in the genre, moving from the strict hard sci-fi to the soft. However, fantasy is all about the fae, mysteries beyond the human realm, and old technology brought back to l??ife.

Combining the two takes quite a lot of skill and a deep understandi?ng of both.

Dune - Frank Herbert

Frank Herbert's Dune is a clear example of sci-fi fantasy. In this fantastic work, we have elements of fantasy at play, such as mythical hallucinations gripping sword fights and enormous, ancient beasts beneath the sands. These tropes are markedly fantasy, yet they fit seamlessly into the science fiction world of Dune.

The setting of Dune is the perfect science-fantasy crossover. There is the constant element of intergalactic space and travel. However, the first books are based almost purely on one planet. The world of Dune has also done away with computers after being enslaved by an AI in the past. This leaves a universe in which, although there are elements of science fiction space travel and weaponry, there is a heavy reliance on spice and fantasy-style vision in the narrative. It is widely considered to be one of the best sci-fi series of all time.

Empire of Silence - Christopher Ruocchio

A common trope of fantasy is the battle for thrones, kingdoms, and court intrigue. Empire of Silence and the subsequent books capture this well-loved elemen??t of the genre and throw it into an intergalactic setting. You may think that this would quickly become a space opera, and you're not wrong. Despite this, there is no denying the deep fantasy undercurrents of the narrative.

The setting of the book is an epic beginning for any story. Our protagonist, who is retelling his own tale, is known as the sun eater. He is heralded as a hero for destroying an entire enemy alien race but feared as a monster for killing billions of humans in th??e process. This is exactly the kind of basis a sci-fi book loves to start with. The fantasy elements come in as we find out just how he came to become this sun destroyer, and his tale is remarkably fantasy-based.

The Broken Earth - N.K. Jemisin

A clever way to combine sci-fi and fantasy into one book is to have the narrative set far in the future but in a world that has collapsed into a dark age. This leaves space for some great futuristic technologies but also forces the old style of a typical fantasy book. The Broken Earth does exactly this, leaving the far-future planet ravaged by an apocalyptic season and calling on the pow??ers of magic and science to save the day.

The Broken Earth books set the scene with a planet wracked by seasons. These seasons last for generations and wipe out most of whatever the civilization has?? managed to build for themselves. H?owever, there are still remnants of an incredibly advanced ancient race evident. With every new season, humanity tries desperately to stall world-ending events using magical and technological methods. This is a fantastic blend of sci-fi and fantasy in a three-book trilogy.

The Book of the New Sun - Gene Wolfe

The dying earth theory in science fiction has always been fascinating. When a sun is dying or a planet has doomed itself to eventual destruction, science fiction thrives in one way or another. The genre loves a dystopia, and a crumbling planet is the perfect setting. The Book of the New Sun collection focuses on this idea, with the sun surrounding this futuristic planet slow??ly cooling, leaving the earth orbiting it to struggle on.

Despite the books being based in the future, due to the collapse of the world, the narrative gives a lot of space for fantasy. As we follow the protagonist on his journey to exile, many of the familiar sights of fantasy?? are met along the way. Old inns, decaying cities, and fantasy-style lifestyles are led. Despite there being evidence of the fallen technological past, sword fights and old modes of transport are still used. Unlike traditional sci-fi, where FTL travel is available, this book sticks to the fantasy standard of a long old walk.

Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir

Sci-fi fantasy can take place on a single planet, like the previous series, or it can be interplanetary. Just because civil??ization has invented space travel doesn't mean there can't also be key elements of fantasy woven in. ?This science fantasy book takes the ideas of multi-planetary civilizations and mixes them with the ideas of immortal necromancers and the trials of becoming a demigod.

If that sounds epic, it's because it is. This sci-fi fantasy brilliantly co??mbi?nes the science of space travel and technology with the mysticism and fantasy of necromancy and seemingly immortal emperors. These books follow the path of the quest to become one of the chosen few to become a Lyctor. These beings are essentially immortal and enter into the realm of saints.

Red Rising - Pierce Brown

If you like the concept of The Hunger Games but have a reading age of someone over the age of 14, then Red Rising would be a great place to start. The story takes place in the not-do-distant future on the planet Mars. It has been several hundred years since humanity spread themselves to the stars, and things aren't looking too utopi??an. There is a class system in place that is strictly enforced and very divided.

Our main character, after losing his wife, is recruited into a resistance movement. Using a clever disguise, our protagonist is able to infiltrate one of the highest-class families. From here, the story takes us on a tale of murder, subterfuge, and intrigue through a futuristic world dripping with fantasy tropes of hierarchy and murder. This sci-fi fantasy crossover is The Hunger Games for adults.

The Infinite and the Divine - Robert Rath

Warhammer 40000 is a perfect example of sci-fi fantasy done right. The whole world of Warhammer is the perfect science fantasy genre in a nutshell. We have monstrous space marines combined with emperors, the undead, ancient gods, and intergalactic warfare spanning thousands of years. If you're looking for a science fantasy universe that will fill a lifetime of reading and enjoyment, get involved in Warhammer.

However, for the sake of keeping it concise, The Infinite and the Divine is a great book to pick up to get an idea of just what the universe of Warhammer can hold. Of course, if you're already deep into the world of Warhammer, a lot of this book will make more sense. But, if not, as a gateway, it's certainly a good one. Once you have digested this, there are plenty more amazing Warhammer books to get your teeth into.

Hyperion - Dan Simmons

The whole Hyperion Cantos is a wonderful collection of books that may lean more toward sci-fi than fantasy, but it still has elements of both. The first book in this series has a group of travelers heeding the call of an unknown and incredibly powerful being. As each of the various characters makes their pilgrimage, they tell their tales from across the v?astly populated galaxy.

There are certainly heavy elements of science fiction in the Hyperion Cantos, but due to how the worlds are populated and the alien races within, fantasy is constantly prevalent. There are huge tree ships grown from an alien planet, essentially functioning as biological spaceships. Many planets are barely developed, resulting in civilizations akin to the medieval settings loved by fantasy. However, there are also space battles on a phenomenal scale and elements of time travel.

Coldfire Trilogy - Celia S. Friedman

What happens when a spacefaring civilization lands on a planet already inhabited?? by a fantasy-style Fae that doesn't really agree with their technology? You end up with a science fantasy trilogy. This is a great example of dropping a typical sci-fi story into a fantasy setting and seeing how it fares. The trilogy is a fantastic ride as the tropes of fantasy slowly crush those of the science fiction side.

The narrative set out with a colonizing group landing on a planet with the intent to begin life anew here. However, the planet itself has other plans. The Fae, a force from deep within the planet, burst forth from earthquakes and volcanoes. This mysterious force alerts many of the animals to the forces of nature. However, it also takes objection to humans and the technology they have brought with them. Through various constructs, such as demons, the Fae wage war on the humans until they strip back their technology to almost nothing. The Coldfire Trilogy follows how huma??nity survives alongside this powerful fantasy Fae.

Elder Race - Adrian Tchaikovsky

Although only a novella, this science fantasy book captures a lot of what makes the blended genre a great one. A clever way to combine the two genres, as seen in a number of these other entries, is to have colony planets somewhat removed from the rest of civilization. This is what Elder Race is all about??. This short story focuses on how one of these particular planets has fared since being separated from the home planet, forging its own path on a planet that has some very heavy? fantasy elements.

Our protagonist finds himself on a planet with royalty, demons, sorc??erers, and high courts. These deep fantasy elements are combined with the ideas of interplanetary colonization and space travel. It's an interesting way to mix the two genres toge??ther. A return to the Dark Ages through colonization and separation from the network of planets is a feasible idea and one that worked very well in this sci-fi fantasy book.

The post 10 books that are the perfect sci-fi fantasy?? crossovers for those who want both appeared first on Destructoid.

Whether you're a seasoned sci-fi reader or a new duckling just waddling your way into the vast, deep, leviathan-housing ocean of the genre, Stephen King has something for you. He could also be classed as his own genre in some cases, but for the sake of this article, we will look at some of the best of Stephen King's books for science fiction fans.

Stephen Kings' best Sci-Fi books

Stephen King is a prolific writer and has a canon of literature to match the best. He writes on ?multiple different genres, often blending and melding them into something completely new. This list will try to incorporate Stephen King books for the new sci-fi reader and a few for the well-initiated.

The Stand

Science Fiction doesn't need to be all about vast space warfare and first contact with alien species. Sometimes it can be relatable, not too unimaginable situations where our current scientific process tweaks reality. In Stephen King's science fiction novel, The Stand, we see an all too familiar virus released from a high-security lab. This sweeps the land, killing over 90% of the population in a very short t?ime.

Current real-world conspiracies and deep-state lies aside, the relevance of a pandemic being released on the population is a gripping read. Stephen King digs deep into the idea of a population-obliterating virus in a way science fiction is best suited to. He has a remarkable knack for illustrating the desperation of unwinnable situations, and The Stand is a fine example of this. It is a great science fiction thriller for any reader.

The Tommyknockers

Stephen King actually slates this science fiction book as one of his worst. He looks back on the time he wrote it with disdain due to his heavy narcotics use, but it still holds up, in my opinion. Stephen King's style, although instantly recognisable, has changed over the years, and there is no denying experimentation and growth. All things considered, I think The Tommyknockers, al?though odd, is still a great piece of fiction.

After a spaceship crash lands in a town, the folks surrounding it are possessed with alien knowledge. They gain the ability to build the inventions of the aliens, but in payment, give up their autonomy. They become psychotic in some cases and are unable to leave the vicinity of the ship. However, one man is able to resist the draw of the alien mind control due to a metal plate in h??is head. It is up to him to save the population.

The Dark Tower collection

This collection of books could easily be slotted into pretty much any genre under the sun. The vast, winding narratives cover everything from coming-of-age to romance, horror, and, of course, science fiction. These books, I would say, aren't for the reader new to either fantasy sci-fi or Stephen King novels, but don't let that stop you. They're solidly on the list for best science fiction series of all time.

The incredible tale told by Stephen King spans generations and many different worlds as the Gunslinger and his merry band make their way to The Dark Tower. On their journey, they must address issues of their own pas?t and the pressing issues in the very loosely named 'present'. Although these books don't delve into space, the time travel elements, along with the many alien species, definitely class this as one of Stephen King's best science fiction books.

From a Buick 8

I picked this book up while travelling around Europe from a free bookshelf in a hostel simply because it was a Stephen King novel. I was hesitant to choose it over anything else as I had never heard the title before. It didn't take me long to get through it, and it has stuck with me ever since, as many of Stephen Kings' science fiction horror books do.

The premise is pretty simple, really. What if the Buick left in the barn was not a car at all but instead some kind of interdimensional, undestroyable entity ??just pretending to be a car? The novel revolves around the fear and fascination of a group of state troopers as they try to fathom just what the Buick is and how much of a threat it poses. Obsessions and fear surround the mysterious vehicle and result in a gripping science fiction tale that can be read quickly.

Dreamcatcher

Again, this science fiction novel by Stephen King isn't regarded by him as one of his finest works for the same reason as The Tommyknockers. He was under the influence of Oxycotin during its writing, and honestly, it is kind of obvious. He has always had a weird and wonderful mind, but Dreamcatcher is way out there, and I personally love it. As a work of science fiction, it is total madness, implementing body-eating creatures, mind-controlling aliens, and a telepathic Dow?n Syndrome he??ro.

Whatever you expect to happen in Dreamcatcher is probably going to be wrong. At every twist and turn, the ??book subverts expectations. Although it isn't highly regarded by the author, it is a wild ride and fun from end to end. Alien i?nvasion and mind control are the name of the game in this book, as two friends pursue their body-controlled friend across the US in a desperate attempt to save the world.

Firestarter

Government drug experimentation, telekinetic powers, and a father-daughter pair on the run make for a magnificent concoction in this Stephen King science fiction book. The novel is wrought with paranoia and desperation in a way so key to King's writing. The immense potential of both the father and daughter causes them to be the object of constant pressure and hassle from a se??cret government organisation.

Stephen King has played around with the ideas of telekinetic powers a number of times in his book, and I think this is one of the best. In this science fiction novel we get to see a desperate father doing everything he can to protect his daughter. He has lost hi??s wife, and almost nothing will stop him from protecting his daughter to the best of his enhanced abilities. The book moves wonderfully through a seemingly helpless situation until they both learn to harness the powers imposed on them by the very people who keep them captive. It speaks of love, addiction, hopelessness, and mystery.

11/22/63

Time travel is a trope in science fiction that I will never get bored of when done well. Stephen King's attempt at multi-timeline, future-altering time travel is very satisfying to read. The problem with writing about time travel is the number of petty readers out there who will try to pick it apart with quantum theories and logic rather than just enjoying th??e narrative. I am not one of those.

This story opens a portal from 2011 to 1958. Of course, the characters in the book try to use it for good, deciding to attempt to stop the assassination of John F Kennedy. In the process, our protagonist gets wound up in many other narratives, falling in love, trying to sa??ve other friends from tragedy, and altering the timelines of many. However, sometimes changing the past isn't always in the best interest of the future, as we find out.

The Mist

I can't write a list of Stephen King's science fiction novels without mentioning The Mist. Although only a novella, The Mist inspired a fantastic film of the same name. This short story is a wonderful delve into the sci-fi horror genre that Stephen King is so adept at writing.

A killer mist, maybe created by a military unit, drifts across the land. Mysterious tentacles grab folks, pulling them into it, never to be seen again. The story follows the mis??t as it moves over a small American population, unleashing untold horrors, the likes of which even Lovecraft would baulk. As the mist gradually envelops the terrified people, all hope is lost. Interestingly, I actually possibly?? prefer the way the film ends this short story, but I won't give it away.

Cell

The whole 'What if phones were evil' trope is a classic, but because of Stephen Kings' excellent apocalyptic storytelling, I'll let him off. King has a fantastic way of painting the world with no hope left, leaving whatever population is left to struggle in desperation. Cell, although ??using the 'phones are bad' idea, is a real dive i?nto the horrors of a violent zombie apocalypse.

In this book, we see a group struggling against the hive mind called the Phoners. King isn't afraid to kill ??them en masse, along with the main characters, too. The book is a great insight into the fear and paranoia that surrounded the increasing use of cell phone technology. Many fun and typically science fiction theories are raised in the book such as computer worms, and mind control programming. What he didn't predict is that cell phones wou?ld turn us into zombies, but mindless rather than violent ones.

The Running Man

If you have already seen the classic movie, you know this book is going to be a brilliant work of science fiction by Stephen King. Despite the film going in a slightly different direction, the book is absolutely worth a read. It maintains brutally high tension, nail-biting stakes, and the wonderful gloomy hopelessness that King is so good at manufacturing.

America, in 2025 is a totalitarian dystopia. This is also the case in the book, interestingly enough, as King once again predicts the future. In this horrible situation, it is up to one man to enter a game show in order to earn the money to pay for his gravely ill daughter. For every hour he survives, he earns money;?? for every hunter or cop he kills, h??e earns money; if he survives 30 days, he becomes a billionaire. However, the baying crowds are paid to give away his whereabouts, forcing him to endlessly more desperate measures.

The post Best Stephen King books for science fiction fans appeared first on Destructoid.

When it comes to b??oth science fiction and fantasy, authors have a habit of writing multi-book epics rather than single, one-time books. So, if you're looking for a standalon??e sci-fi tale to enjoy and don't want to have to invest in multiple books, these are some of the best to pick up.

I will admit that I love a good series of science fiction books, be it the huge Culture series by Iain M Banks or the two-part space operas of Peter F Hamilton's Pandora collection. However, sometimes, it is nice to have a single book that tells the whole story. Every sci-fi adventure doesn't n??eed to be thousands of pages long. So, I have dug through my libraries to find some of the best standalone science fiction books I can think of.

Pushing Ice - Alastair Reynolds

There are a multitude of books to choose from Reynolds' collection of writing, but this ?one is particularly good. As a former space scientist, Reynolds has a deeper understanding of space and space travel than a lot of writers. This pairs very well with his vast imagination and gripping writing style. As a standalone sci-fi book, this is a great one to pick up.

Pushing Ice follows a group of asteroid ice farmers as they decide to chase after a moon. I say chase because this moon has suddenly dipped out of orbit and is moving like an alien craft. Being the only vessel close enough to give chase, the crew set off in hot pursuit. The story that unfolds is typical of Reynolds' wonderfu?l imagination, full of intrigue, risk, and excellent science fiction concepts.

The Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut is a hard author to pin down when talking about genres. He fits into many, but in the same sentence, he only fits into one: his own. He is a fascinating writer and has a mind rarely found i??n any medium of art, let alone science fiction writing. Many of his works have eleme??nts of science fiction to them, be they biographical, philosophical, or outwardly science-based. Most of his repertoire is great standalone sci-fi books you can chew through in a few hours.

However, I feel that The Sirens of Titan is one of the more out??ward science fiction books in his collection. The story takes us between many planets, meeting various alien species caught up in often very human conundrums. The vast and winding narrative covers the beginnings of the universe, transcendence to non-physical existence, and messages being passed across millennia. As with a lot of Vonnegut books, you can only really experie??nce his mind by picking up his books and enjoying the ride.

The Light Brigade - Kameron Hurley

Science fiction often has characters traveling vast distances through space. This is achieved in many ways but often includes cryo sleep, faster-than-light or close-to-light speed travel, and other miraculous technologies. However, the effects, both physically and mentally, aren't often s?poken about. Of course, it can be broached to an extent, but the true tax of interstellar travel on the soft human form isn't expanded on enough.

With Hurley's The Light Brigade, this problem is one of the centerpieces of what the book is about, and that makes it quite special. In order to send soldiers across the vast nothingness of space, they are turned into light, blasted across the expanse, and reformed. Understandably, this leaves them never quite the same as they once were. This amazing sci-fi standalone book follows one soldier as he starts to see the war from a different perspective due to misaligned drops. However, what he's seeing may just be the result of his deteriorating mind. The Light Brigade takes us on a journey into madness and paranoia.

Fahrenheit 541 - Ray Bradbury

Most of the classics of the science fiction genre could make up the entirety of this list, ranging from Frankenstein to most of Phillip K Dick's collection.

For me, Fahrenheit 451 was one of the most hard-hitting and influential standalone sci-fi books I remember. Bradbury digs deep into a future of censorship and oppression that was predicted way before the world we have around us today. More than ever, surveillance, misinformation, and suppression of opinion are being used to control the populace, and I feel that as a science fiction novel, Fahrenheit 451 was way ahead of its time.

Roadside Picnic - Boris and Arkady Strugatsky

These two brothers, writing from behind the Iron Curtain, produced a number of wild sci-fi books that changed the face of the genre forever. Their imaginations and bleak yet often hilarious narratives are referenced heavily in everything from films to games and, of course, other novels. However, Roadside Picnic?? is by far their most famous and possibly most influe??ntial standalone sci-fi book.

If you have ever played the S.T.A.L.K.E.R games, Pacific Drive, or even seen the film Stalker, you will have some idea of what this book is about. At some point, Earth was visited by aliens, but they kept themselves quiet and in relatively small area?s. No, they have left, leaving exclusion zones.

These exclusion zones are home to many phenomena and unknown mysteries. The plot follows our Stalker as he takes people in and out of this zone, smuggling contraband and exploring the horrors that lie within. The ideas associated with the various alien phenomena are one thing, but the deep and winding philosophies of the often hopeless characters are? what make this book such a marvel of scien??ce fiction.

Klara and The Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro

Despite being highly critically acclaimed, Klara and The Sun has split its ?readers more than most books I know. The writer's style is very particular, and that, in some cases, can turn people off. However, I feel that Ishiguro's slightly emotionally detached style is perfec??tly matched to this standalone science fiction novel about AI and a very limited understanding of the world.

This dystopian future is bleak and ??hopeless but seen through the eyes of something with no prior understanding of where we come from. Watching the world play out from the naivety of something with no history or perception of what is and isn't gives an interesting perspective on a world that is very familiar to us. I think it takes real talent to be able to remove yourself as an author from deeply ingrained perceptions and write from such a new one.

The Dispossessed - Ursula K.Le Guin

As with a lot of the wonderful authors on this list, Le Guin has many books that can be considered the best standalone sci-fi novels. For the sake of being concise, I have added this to the list. However, if you're a fan, then seek out as many of her books as you can. She unpacks and expands with great care and details some deeply interesting topics and ideas. I have never read one of her books and not been left pondering for weeks afterward. The Dispossessed is no different.

The Dispossessed takes place on two planets but focuses on only one man. The protagonist, a scientist on the cusp of discovering faster-than-light travel, comes from a planet with an anarchist society. Nothing is owned, and everyone is equal, sharing labor, housing, and everything else. However, scientific progress is seen as wanting and shunned. His theories are blocked by the publications. In an attempt to have his work published and seen, he runs to the neighboring planet. Here, he lives as a capitalist, with all the trappings and finery that come along with it. In this standalone sci-fi book, Le Guin explores t??he successes and failings of the two poli?tics.

The Peripheral - William Gibson

If you're looking for a book that will throw you deep into the action from the first page, with science fiction gadgetry and high-octane stakes, Gibson is your man. His breakneck writing style is perfect for the pacing and action he so excitingly illustrates. The Peripheral is a standalone sci-fi book for him that feels a lot longer than its few hundred pages let on. Gibson is a master of the Cyberpunk genre, often being coined as one of the founders.

This science fiction book takes place over two different times. The first is in the not-too-distant future, and the second is in the far future, long after civilization has collapsed. Through the use of virtual reality, ??our protagonist is able to be transported into what she thinks is a game. What it turns out to be is so much more than that, and we end up with a war spanning multiple timelines.

Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson

Reading through this book, I knew that Stephenson was, in many ways, mocking the science fiction genre. But in doing so, he has produced a book that I absolutely love despite its flaws and obvious overuse of tropes. Snow Crash gives it all, with cyberspace worlds, high-speed motorcycles, biohacking, and a minigun tha??t fires shards of depleted u??ranium through feet-thick steel.

Snow Crash is a wild ride from beginning to end, providing a proper page-turner. It may not be high art like the writing of someone like Le Guin, but there is nothing wrong with the odd guilty pleasure. As a standalone sci-fi book, it really gets into the fun side of the genre. Despite the slightly mocking tones, there are some great concepts to dig into throughout the book. This is a great first read for beginners to the science fiction genre.

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

To finish the list of the best standalone science fiction books, we turn to an undeniable masterpiece of literature. The book poses the question: Is it more important to be happy or free? In the future, these are the options as humans are genetically engineered and conditioned to fit into their place in society and be satisfied. However, human beings are unpredictable, and there will always be one or two who start to question the status quo. This is what sets Brave New World up as the seminal book that it is, breaking do?w?n a controlled society.

Really scrutinizing the subject of complete control and the benefits and problems that come along with it is a huge subject. Brave New World is a sci-fi standalone book that explores many interesting topics. Besides this, it raises awareness of conditioning and how easy it can be to manipulate a society into behaving and thinking in certain ways. These are things we always need to be aware of, bot?h then and now.

The post The best standalone sci-fi books appeared first on Destructoid.

The world? o??f sci-fi is perfectly suited to the graphic novel medium, with its vast and wild concepts, neon-soaked streets, and futuristic environments. Here are some of the best sci-fi graphic novels you can find to add to your collection.

There are thousands of graphic novels to choose from, rangi?ng from the space-faring to the gritty streets of cyberpunk. I will try to include som??ething for everyone, but each will undoubtedly be worth a read.

Several of these authors have multiple works that could be considered for this list. Jodorowsky, K. Vaughn, Moore, and others have amazing works to check out in the same genre. So, if you like the ones on this list, make sure to dig into thei?r other beautiful and thought-provoking science fiction graphic novels.

At The Mountains of Madness - H.P. Lovecraft, Ian N. J. Culbar?d

Who says science fiction has to be about space rockets or futuristic streets? H.P. Lovecraft, the king of spooky literature, wrote At? The Mountains of Madness way before our understanding of space and technology came close to what we have now. This resulted in a book filled with untold horrors from beyond space and time. Intrepid explorers dig deep into the past, finding unimaginable civilizations ?buried beneath the ice caps.

However, thanks to Culbard, the story?? has been retold with some truly?? incredible illustrations. This collection of graphic novels brings to new light the terrifying tale of the unknown, previously only told by Lovecraft himself. If you're a fan of the original, I cannot recommend giving this one a try. The savage black-and-white illustrations perfectly match the original source material. You can feel the cold and desperation of the expedition on every page.

T?ransmetropolitan - Warren Ellis, Darick Robertson

If you like your gritty, neo-noir crime fiction style of sci-fi, then Transmetropolitan is the graphic novel for you. The mean streets of a city full of corrupt cops and rife with crime set the scene for our unwilling protagon??ist. He has been called back into civilization from a hermit-like lifestyle by his publisher to report on the foul state of the world.

The unwilling Spider Jerusalem reenters this world, reporting on crime, corruption, and the horrors of it all. He is the quintessential gonzo journalist, and people lov??e him. This is exactly why Spider retreated into the mountains in the first place, to avoid the people he was eventually sur??rounded and worshipped by. This sci-fi graphic novel is a bleak and wonderfully written vision of a dystopian future city.

The Incal - Alejandro Jodorowsky, MÅ“bius

The art style of The Incal alone is enough to make it worthy of having on anyone's bookshelf. The phrase, every frame a painting, is very relevant in the case of this wonderful collection of sci-fi graphic novels. The stunning illustrations wrap up complex and vast stories that have only been told in science fiction space ?operas.

The collection of three graphic novels re??volves around Difool, a character who gets entwined with many incredible adventures. The stories themselves tackle the ideas of gods, spirituality, apocalypse, and time. It is often up to Difool to save the universe, working his way through various situations in the human-run galactic empire.

Judge Dredd - John Wagner

Although originally released as comics, these seminal pieces of science fiction literature and art have since been compiled into graphic novels. The long, winding stories of the Judge and the world of Mega City 1 come together perfectly in these combined collections. The grim and violent tales told in Judge Dredd often span?ned tens of comic editions, making for perfectly formed graphic novels now.

The art style of Judge Dredd perfectly encapsulates the rotten and ugly world the novels exist in. Poverty and crime are rife, and the corruption and excess of the super-rich only aid in lowering the collective morality. It is up to Judge Dredd to try to keep the streets at least slightly clean as he dispatches justice one bullet at a time. He has the power of judge, jury, and executioner, and he uses that power to the best of his ability. This series of comics is among the ones I feel would make amazing video games.

Saga - Brian K. Vaughn & Fiona Staples

These graphic novels are certainly more modern than many of the others on this list, but that by no means takes away from how good they are. It is good to see many of the tropes so often seen in sci-fi graphic novels refreshed for a much more millennial audience. The Saga seri?es is certainly a breath of fresh air in the world of science fiction, and they are some of the best in the modern genre??.

The Saga series currently has eleven volumes, and the story is vast and wonde??rfully engaging. The tale revolves around a mother and father running from a galactic war of rival races. They attempt to raise their daughter as best they can, given the circumstances. The narrative takes them across?? the galaxy, meeting many wonderful characters and plenty of incredible situations.

V for Vendetta - Alan Moore, David Lloyd

It is likely that at some point, you have seen someone donning the mask from this sci-fi graphic novel. The V for Vendetta mask has become somewhat of an icon for anti-government protestors around the world. This is in part due to the hit film that came out in 2005, but it all stems from this fantastic illustrated story by the legendary Alan Moore. He wonderfully captures the minds of his readers ??in this science fiction dystopia that sits unnervingly close to o??ur own reality today.

As with every entry on this list, the art style, wonderfully penned by David Llyod, makes some inspired use of negative space in these sci-fi graphic novels. His stunningly lit illustrations pull the eye into unexpected corners of the image, forcing the reader to really think about what it is they're looking at. The dark themes of the people's uprising against an oppressive government, staged from the tunnels beneath London, are captured in all its shadowy mystery in the pages of V for Vendetta.

Planetary - Warren Ellis, John Cassaday

One of the biggest benefits of writing for sci-fi is the ability to truly dig deep into concepts that would otherwise seem bizarre. Planetary does exactly that, and maybe does it better than anyone else. The story, following three fascinating characters, comfortably expands on a huge array of subjects ranging from Dracula to the ??logistics of Thor's hammer an??d death rays. Nothing is outside of the scope of the sci-fi graphic novel, and none of the ideas ever seem too outlandish or out of place.

Through this collection, many well-loved ideas and themes are broached. It is all wonderfully illustrated in a way that does more than just embellish the story; it turns it into a masterpiece. The impeccable framing, deep attention to detail, and ever-changing pacing only serve to push the writing to all new levels of beauty. A deep understanding of layout and style leaves much more than initially meets the eye to enjoy the art style. Subtle use of paneling, lighting, and color make a second, third, and even fourth read-through of Planetary just as rewarding as the last.

Mutant World - Jan Strnad, Richard Corben

If you're looking for something a bit lighter but still a fantastic sci-fi graphic novel, then pick up Mutant World. The story takes the idea of a post-nuclear apocalypse world filled with monsters, mutants, and evil and puts us in the shoes of one hapless man. He is perhaps one of the most 'human' of the remains of humanity in that he is naturally kind. The various narratives introduce us to many of the environments left in the ??wake of the destruction. He is often taken advantage of, but through perseverance and luck, he usually comes out on top.

Although often humorous and silly, Mutant World is still not a particularly lighthearted tale. Richard Corben's world is devoid of hope, food, and relief, with the characters constantly fi??ghting for survival. The story is violent and always well over the top. Although our main character is a fool, he is still a survivor a??nd will use any means to see another day.

East of West - Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta

If you're undecided about what genre of graphic novel you want to read, pick up the East of West saga. It combines Western with science fiction, fantasy, anime, and everything in between. This might sound like an unmanageable mish-mash of genres, but it just works sea?mlessly. The story draws just enough on each of the elements to create its own space in the graphic novel sphere.

The four horsemen of the apocalypse have come to earth. The setting is an America that has divided itself up into different countries, and they're not necessarily allied. However, Death, one of the horsemen, isn't interested in bringing about the end of the world and instead has fallen in love and had a child. This child is stolen by The Chosen, a gro??up of people dedicated to ensuring the end of the world comes around. They have it imprisoned, feeding it evil images to ?assist in the prophesied end of days. The story is full of political intrigue, romance, war, and some crazy science fiction concepts.

Descender - Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen

The concept of Descender is not a new one by any means. The rise and fall of a slave class of robots has been seen in many sci-fi novels, such as the Robots series by Isaac Asimov. However, these beautifully illustrated sci-fi graphic novels tell the tale with such care, compassion, and intrigue that it is definitely worth picking up. The story takes us on an adventur??e with a robot designed to be a companion to a couple who wanted a child to be a c??ompanion for their son.

The universe is widely populated, and robots are essentially the slave class. However, in a turn of events, humanity begins wiping out any kind of machine with a semblance of intelligence. This leaves TIM-21 and his various robot friends to fight for survival. The stories are desperate, heartwarming, and filled with beauty. This is mirrored in? the stunning artwork of the book, which is in contrast to a lot of the other titles on the list. Soft watercolors and gentle lines capture the innocence of the children and the world they're fighting to survive in with perfect sensitivity.

The post 10 sci-fi graphic novels everyone should read appeared first on Destructoid.

After the two world wars, the attitude of all li??terature changed forever, but maybe none quite so much as science fiction. The hopes and dreams of the future were tarnished by the horrors witnessed by all. This caused a lot of science fiction to be much more dystopian. However, if you're looking for a sci-fi novel to read that isn't based on apocalyptic ??doom and gloom, pick up one of these utopian stories.

Finding the best utopian sci-fi books

I should prelude this list with the point that just because sci-fi is based in a future utopia, it doesn't mean there isn't struggle and conflict in the books. Without either of those things and a perfectly happy, harmonious world, the book woul?d be incredibly dull. Nobody wants to read that. So, although the universes of these sci-fi novels are set in utopias, the situations may be less than ideal.

The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin

This sci-fi novel by the seminal Le Guin looks at utopia from two different angles. Our protagonist, Shevek, lives in what the? residents consider to be a perfect utopia. They live in the ideal anarchist society, where everything is shared, and nothing is ow??ned. They follow the law of anarchy to a T and actually strive to suppress any possibilities of advancement that may lead them to change. The anarchist moon of Anerres is contrasted with the patriarchal capitalist neighboring planet of Urras, which is much more comparable to ours.

The utopia of The Dispossessed is tentative. Although the residents consider their lives perfect, from an outsider's perspective, a lot is left to be desired??. When everything is shared, there is no longer a need for greed, gluttony or jealousy. Even when there is a struggle across the planet due to drought, everyone suffers together and works to pull through. This excellent book looks at the possibilities of an anarchist society and? the realities of what that would really mean in practice.

The Culture Series - Iain M. Banks

When AI inevitably takes over, will we be left with a Terminator-style wasteland, fighting endless waves of homicidal robots, or will it be more like the universe of Iain M. Banks? In the Culture novels, AI reached the singularity and decided that sentient beings were so little threat that they would just take care of us like you would a small, fluffy animal. The result is essentia???lly a utopia for humans in these sci-fi novels.

Culture ships and the immensely intelligent AI that lives within them function as more than just transport. Many of them house billions of inhabitants, all living in perfect luxury, with no cause to want for anything. The culture ships easily provide complete habitats and monitor each resident, ensuring? they are cate??red for in every way. The utopia of these ships extends to the worlds that the various residents, human or otherwise, have populated.

This results in some wonderfully creative lifestyles from Banks. Gender fluidity, body modification, lives of obscene luxury, or the opposite, are all completely possible and facilitated by the Culture ships. One ship, known as the Sleeper Service, houses billions of ??cryogenic?ally frozen bodies and only one sentient, hermetic human. There is a utopia for everyone.

I recommend any fan pick up this collection of some of the best sci fi series of all time.

Ecotopia - Ernest Callenbach

This utopian sci-fi novel is indicative of the free love movement of the 1970s and 1980s, painting a picture of what could be if the long-haired hippies could pull their flares up and actually form a government. The book is set in 1999 after the US has crumbled and split apa?rt. Due to economic collapse, the states of the US are separated, allowing for the formation of Ecotopia. This is a small nation state focused on the benefits of living freely, exploring the ideas of green culture and many other experimental societal theories at the time.

Ecotopia is explored by a journalist, the first to really be admitted the region. The story is told through his di??ary entries and article pieces as he digs into a society that believes in complete freedom of expression, development, love, and fluidity. The society is deeply in touch with the nature around it yet doesn't stray away from technological advancement. There is deep social responsibility and a focus on the individual as part of the whole. It all seems just so wonderful.

However, after reading this book, I highly recommend you pick up The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by journalist Tom ??Wolfe to get a real, boots-on-the-ground experience of just what a hippie society really gets up to when l?eft to its own devices.

Mars Trilogy - Kim Stanley Robinson

Earth sucks, let's go to Mars. This is the basis for this collection of three books and, if you like, another short story collection. With earth in decline, a colony ship is sent to Mars in the first book, filled with the greatest and brightest humanity has to offer. They establish a colo??ny and quickly begin to thrive. Of course, there are various factions that form on the planet, but on the whole, what they are forming on the planet is a utopian society away from Ea??rth.

There are, of course, struggles and conundrums to deal with. As mentioned before, that's what makes a narrative interesting. However, this sci-fi utopian book focuses on what could be achieved with the freedom of a new planet and the minds to pull it together. As the Earth slowly crumbles into a police state, thousands flock to Mars, threatening the very peace and survival that they have worked so hard to achieve. This is a prime example of hard science fiction ??i?n the genre, based on science and verifiable theories.

The Centenal Cycle trilogy - Malka Ann Older

The idea behind this collection of utopian sci-fi novels is a brilliant one and infinitely fun to explore through the gripping narrative. This future utopia sets the scene for micro-democracies, als?o known as Sentinels. These are made up of only 100,000 people and require a new vote every 10 years. Each Sentinel has hundreds of options when it comes to a vote, and every single one has its own set of rules.

The narrative is fast and fun and will keep you turning page after page. However, what makes this book so interesting for me is exploring the various micro-democracies Older has created across the world. There is so much scope for creativity in the book?, and she really delves into the possibilities thes??e utopian government systems can provide. The whole system is presided over by Information, which is an enormous fact-checking search engine. This keeps everyone informed and provides all the Sentinels with everything they need to make educated decisions.

Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand

Okay, so I actually really enjoyed this book. Maybe that makes me a sociopath. Maybe it makes me a capitalist pig—I don't know. Either way, there is a utopia in this sci-fi novel that splits the audience right down the middle and then does it again and again. The book itself is about society trying to find its own utopia through the means of creating a completely fair and just world. It focuses on the levelling of the capitalist playing field by preventing any one industrialist from taking too much power. However, Ayn Rand seems to think this is a terrible idea.

Imagine if we told someone like Elon Musk that he was no longer able to hold the monopoly on electric vehicles and he had to give away half his production lines to a competitor. How would that go? Sure, the income and profits would be shared, but wouldn't that make him a lot less driven to even bother progressing at all? In Atlas Shrugged, the powers that be try to create a fair and just world through the division of industry. However, the industrialists all? start disappearing, ruining these dreams of utopia. This 1000+ page book could have been a quarter? of the length, but it's an interesting delve into the ideas of utopia in a subtly sci-fi novel.

Island - Aldous Huxley

A lot of the time, sci fi writers like to wrap up their ideas and theories in the narrative of their books. The stories serve to expand and explore the theories within, allowing the characters to serve as the tools of example. Aldous Huxley is certainly one of these writers, with his well known work Brave New World, and of course, this utopian sci fi novel, Island. This was actually the final work he wr??ote before his death in 1963, and serves as the antithesis?? of his much more famous work, on what is described as a dystopia.

Like Ecotopia spoken about before, this book digs into a theory for possible utopian existence. In Huxley's utopia there is a deep bonding of both Buddhist beliefs and intellectual philosophies, blending the two together. The island that the main protagonist washes up on is the perfect society Huxley dreams of. There is no military, meditation is widely employed, along with drug use and free sex. Multi-parent child raising techniques are used, and a strive to live entirely in the moment is core to the peoples beliefs. This is a fantastic insight into how Huxley sees a utopia functioning.

The Long Way to A Sm??all, Angry Planet - Becky Chambers

A utopia doesn't ne??ed to be a galaxy or even a planet. Sometimes a utopia can be as small as just one single spaceship, making its way to a distant planet. In this book by Becky Chambers, this is exactly what she has created her sci fi utopia in. A tiny crew aboard the ship are making a huge journey across space to a planet that will guarantee them riches and success.

She paints beautifully the picture of relationships, love, emotions, and comradery aboard the ship. Reading through the book will fill your heart with the beauty of the human, and not so human, spirit. The narrative of the story is really not the main focus of the book. Chambers instead uses the microcosm of the ship to dig deep i?nto how a tiny community can work, despite having their individual goals and ??experiences.

Existence - David Brin

T??his book has an incredibly optimistic view of the future of humanity. We are dedicated to patching up a lot of the mistakes me made in the past, repairing scars left from less conscientious times. Technology and progression are all geared towards the betterment and unification of the human race. This is an optimism not often seen in sci-fi literature, and its a refreshing concept of a utopian earth.

In Existence??, a space garbage collector comes across a Stone. This stone, it turns out is a message from another race. The message is simple, they want to have a chat and make first contact. The book expands on the prospect of humanity, as clean and positive as it now it, dealing with this new opportunity. Brin expands? on the ideas of first contact and really gets into how humanity would respond and what it would mean for us as a race on the whole.

A Modern Utopia - H.G. Wells

What other utopian sci-fi book to finish on than the amazing work of one of the founding fathers of the science fiction genre. A Modern Utopia by H.G Wells is one of the most famous works of utopian science fiction. In this story, two men are transported in the blink of an eye to a planet that is the exact replica of earth, but completely peaceful. The utopia that exists there is explored by the two travelers, and in a typically Wells way,? the theory and idea is expanded.

He creates a fascinating world in which ownership is allowed, but almost everything is owned by the World State. Women and men share equal rights, and motherhood and pregnancy is subsidized. Humanity has been almost completely freed from physical labor by machines, and currency is now units of energy ensuing workers move to where energy is cheap. This ensures that work is well divided across the world. Wells, as always, is far ahead of his time with this book, seeing far into the future and making s??ome truly insightful predictions of what could be.

The post 10 Utopian sci-fi novels to bring a little ?hope and?? joy into your life appeared first on Destructoid.

When deciding on your next good read, it's always helpful to?? know what genre you should be looking for. When digging into science fiction, this is especially important as the differences between hard and soft sci-fi are quite large. The two styles share elements but differ quite drastically in others.

Hard vs soft science fiction

The core differences are how these two genres deal with the future and the sciences they i?nclude in the narrative. While some science f??iction novels like to be scientifically accurate, others prefer to wrap their theories and concepts up in much less realistic sciences. This is where the difference lies.

Hard sci-fi

Hard science fiction is based on facts, the??oretically possible futures, developed current tech, and science. These books often include deep theories, physics, mathematics, and other scientific elements. The more realistic and factually accurate the science and writing, the harder th??e sci-fi is considered to be. I am making it sound strict and boring, but in actual fact, hard sci-fi has resulted in some of the best, most immersive stories out there.

If you're looking to delve into some really fantastic hard sci-fi books, check out a few of these classics.

• The Martian - Andy Weir
• Foundation Series - Isaac Asimov
• The Three-Body Problem - Liu Cixin
• Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clark
• Mars Series - Kim Stanley Robinson

What really makes hard sci-fi work for its fans and readers is the closeness to reality it can often give. Because the science and theories are ones we can almost see and often understand, the verisimilitude of the stories has much more impact. When it's possible to see the theories of the book happening around us, th?e realism is right there.

Soft sci-fi

If you're happy to suspend disbelief for a time and just e?njoy some often far-fetched concepts, soft sci-fi will be there for you. In this subgenre of science fiction, the focus is usually much more on psychological, social, economic, and cultural. Science is still involved, of course, but it will often be elements such as time travel, faster-than-light travel, space magic, and in??tergalactic species. The imagination takes the forefront here, and although a lot of soft science fiction loves to wrap its fantasies up in wonderful 'science words', it is often make-believe.

If you're looking for a satisfying and gripping soft sci-fi read,?? you're spoilt for choice. However, I can't recommend these enou??gh as a great place to start.

• The Culture Novels - Iain M. Banks
• Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. La Guin
• Dune - Frank Herbert
• The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy - Douglass Adams
• Klara and The Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro

Really, most science fiction comes under the banner of soft sci-fi. It is much more widely read and often a lot more fun to do so. The writers choose not to limit themselves to real-world sciences and instead wrap their narratives up in wild theories and fantastic sciences. However, that isn't to say that a lot of sci-fi writers haven't ended up predicting the future in some way or another.

How soft is too soft in science fiction

Science fiction becomes softer the more elements of fantasy that get added to it. However, there is a limit to how much can be added before it just becomes fantasy. If we look at something like the superhero genre, for instance, there are certainly elements of science fiction throughout? it all. Howeve?r, you would find convincing people it is, in fact, science fiction literature quite a push.

This is because the genre has so many fantasy elements. Sure, there are scientific theories and concepts, but the genre itself is far too deep into fantasy to ever be take??n seriously in science fiction. There is a level of snobbery to the genre, and superheroes push soft sci-fi just a little too far.

However, looking at some of the most famous science fiction writers, such as Phillip K. Dick and Kurt Vonnegut, they often have little actual science in their work. However, they are considered among the best in the genre. Their works often revolve arou??nd the elements of social and economic impacts the future may hold. Through their often bizarre tales, futures and alternate universes are explored without ever really having to dig into the possible theories or science of how it works.

The discussion of what is hard or soft sci-fi is usually? reserved for fanatics. The general rule of thumb is that if you enjoy something, continue doing so. Don't worry too much about its catego?ry. Sci-fi can be a complex study or a guilty pleasure; nobody can judge.

The post What’s the difference between hard sci-fi and soft sci-fi? appeared first on Destructoid.

Sometimes, you might find yourself wanting something a little spooky but in space and with science. This is why I have put together some of what I? consider to be the best sci-fi horror books you can get your hands on. As they ??say, in space, nobody can hear you scream.

Combining two genres, like sci-fi and horror, can result in some truly te?rrifying outcomes. Space and the future are already pretty scary, with its limitless unknowns. ?It is when those unknowns turn out to be hostile that everything goes pear-shaped.

Finna - Nino Cipri

Finna is actually just a quick novella that you can maybe even pick up and read in only a few hours. However, the premise is fantastic. If you have ever visited an Ikea, you will understand the weird world that this book exists in. Finna is based on the idea of a missing person in one of these Ikea-??type shopping buildings. However, while looking through the various d??epartments, the two employees find themselves entering new multiverses.

The horror of this short book goes beyond just being stuck in a huge box furniture store. The v??arious multiverses the pair enter are also home to many terrifying situations. To compound these horrors, the two only broke u?p a week ago, and just to top it off, they're doing the whole thing for minimum wage. This is a funny first entry to the best horror sci-fi list, but a great read nonetheless.

I Have No Mou??th & I Mus?t Scream - Harlan Ellison

This is yet another short story for this science fiction horror list, bu?t it is guaranteed to give you chills. This short novella takes the idea of a malevolent AI and pushes it to its limits. The horrors the AI inflicts on the characters are, in some ways, a reflection of the people who built it, turning the blame inward.

The AI in this book was built in an effort to control supplies and troops during a war. When it becomes sentient it turns on humanity, hating it. It wipes out everyone but five last humans, which it focuses its entire vitriol against. Their lives are hell as they try to figure out how to survive. They are unable to kill themselves due to the?? AI, and they live in constant torture. The horrors of this book run deep, leaving the reader feeling trapped and hope??less.

The Day of The Triffids - John Wyndham

You know what is really terrifying? Flowers. I can't even look at the damn things without screaming a little. This is why The Day of The Triffids is such an impactful book in the sci-fi horror genre. John Wyndham takes a few tropes from horror and repackages them into something truly imaginative. This book, pub?lished way back in 1951, preludes a lot of the zombie and apocalyptic books that came before it.

The Day of The Triffids sets up the apocalypse in a wonderfully imaginative w?ay. We are first faced with carnivorous, violent plants that are able to move around. They are cultivated for their oils and are mostly controlled. However, when a meteor shower blinds most of the population, they are no longer controlled. The story takes us on a journey through a world where most are blind and there are killer plants on t??he loose. It sounds insane, and it kind of is, but I would also still consider it a classic in the sci-fi horror genre.

1984 - George Orwell

After the First and Second World Wars and the revelation of what science was used for in the Atomic Bomb, a lot of sci-fi writing became very dystopian. Gone were the starry-eyed writers dreaming of a world assisted by robots, flying cars, and magical megacities. Science fiction took a turn down a dark route, and the age of dystopian science fiction was born. I feel that Orwells 1984 is a fantastic example of the horror tha?t was imagined by sci-fi writers post-war.

1984 speaks deeply of the paranoia and fears after the horrors of the war. People in the book are constantly lied to, willingly accepting the clear misinformation for the sake of an easy life. The world is in a perpetual war, or so the government says, and the population is kept under permanent control in an effort to save their country from foreign threats. The horror in this sci-fi book resides close to the reality Orwell paints. 1984 is often referenced incorrectly ??by critics of current governments and organizations.

World ?War Z: An Oral History of the? Zombie War - Max Brooks

Whatever you do, don't judge this book by the rubbish film of the same name released in 2013. It has little to no similarities to the sci-fi horror book put together by Max Brooks. The book itself breaks down the horrors of the zombie outbreak, taking stories from many different perspectives. Max Brooks compiles letters, accounts, and other sources to flesh out the zombie ?apocalypse in intricate detail.

In World War Z, an outbreak and eventual overrunning of zombies ravaged the world. Through the various perspectives, the true devastation ?is expanded. Every country, every profession, all ages and races are able to tell their story. There are few books, either science fiction or not, that tell such a detailed account of the zombie apocalypse. This is a must-read for any sci-fi horror fan.

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

I can't write a list of science fiction horror without mentioning the mother of the genre herself. Frankenstein is widely considered to be one of the first science fiction books of all time, and it most certainly also fits the horror genre, too. Frankenstein is a classic, written before we really understood anything about the science we have today.? It includes body horror?, reanimation, and a number of interesting observations about society as a whole. After all, what is sci-fi, if not an exciting way, to turn our gaze toward ourselves?

Frankenstein has wonderful horror elements mixed in with a very early understanding of the future of science. Shelley drew on a very limited understanding of what powerful electrical current could do, theorizing that it may bring back a cadaver. The monster that ?is born from this experiment is somewhat less of a monster than the township of people who decide that it is evil rather than misund?erstood.

The Gone World - Tom Sweterlitsch

This fascinating book combines three very well-ble?nded genres ??together, mixing crime, horror and science fiction. The horror used in this time-traveling narrative is one of my favorites, too, the kind that feels unavoidable and utterly consuming. The wonderfully poetic use of language wraps this gripping narrative up that explores the horror of realizing the fate of the entire population rests on the shoulders of one single human. Someone who has no idea how to stop it.

As Shannon Moss starts to uncover the burial murder of a family, it turns out that it may have been done by some presumed dead time-traveling naval soldiers. As the crime gradually unfolds, Shannon delves deeper into the future in an attempt to crack the case. However, it seems that every possible future she travels to results in the inevitable extinction of the human race. This makes for a grippin?g crime fiction, sci-fi, horror book that will have you completely invested.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson

This is another throwback to the age of classic sci-fi horror. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a book about the horror of scientific progress gone awry, resulting in a schizophre??nic monster running riot in a city. T?he duality of man is the core focus of this classic masterwork of fiction, told in a police report style. Like many great works of science fiction, this digs into the two sides of a person's humanity. Through a failed experiment, the two facets of Dr Jekyll are massively blown out of proportion, resulting in a monster and a master.

This publication came out far before the ideas of the two sides of a personality were ever discussed in science. Again, this is a case of sci-fi prediction of the future of progress, but this time with psychology rather than technology. The mind of the sci-fi writer has often foreseen advances in science and wrapped them up in a horror setting.

Cell - Stephen King

This sci-fi horror book from Stephen King may have been written under the influence, but that doesn't stop it from being a great read. In a very Black Mirror-style set??ting, cell phones have wormed their way into the population's minds?? and made them wildly violent. The brain worm that has infected the world turns humans into a violent hive mind dedicated to spreading itself further and removing any resistance in its way. The narrative is terrifying and twisting, but the sci-fi horror elements are all there.

This kind of sci-fi plays on very current fears of what the technology we already have in our lives could have the power to do. When this was written in 2006, the wide use of phones was really only in its infancy. Now, we use our phones for everything, from navigation to communication. However, our pho??nes haven't turned us into the violent hive-mind zombies he predicted. The re??al horror is how they have turned us into isolated, pacified addicts.

The Body Snatchers - Jack Finney

Like a lot of the classic sci-fi novels, this was originally serialized in a magazine. This results in a story that is full of suspense and chapters that end in cliffhangers. In this classic sc?i-fi horror from 1955, spored fell from the skies, dropped by an alien race. At first, these spores go unnoticed until people start to notice something wrong happening with their loved ones. It turns out that these spores grow into perfect replicas of people on Earth. They copy everything, from memories to scars. They then find their double and replace them, with the original never being seen again. The replicas are unable to reproduce, feel emotion, or ?live more than a few years.

This book actually turns out, like many others, to be a criticism of the human race as a whole. In the book, one of the replicants redirects the quest??????????????????????????ion and criticism of what they're doing. It raises the point that human beings are already doing exactly what the aliens do. They kill indigenous populations, use resources like a virus, and kill anything they need in the name of survival. Truly horrifying.

The post The 10 best? horror sci-fi books of all time to keep you up at night appeared first on Destructoid.

It seems like a no-brain?er to me to turn many of the really good sci-fi books into video games, not just your regular old RPGs. There is so much scope for multiple genres pulled from the pages of some of the best-loved science fiction books, with the right direction.

Science fiction books that should be video games

One or ??two of these may have already inspired video games, either obscurely or directly. However, they usually go in the wrong direction. There really aren't many science fiction novel adaptations to games out there. Not successful?? ones, anyway.

2001: A Space Odyysey

As a simple concept, the amazing 2001: A Space Odyssey could be turned into a video game by simply having the player try to reach their destination, avoiding a murderous HAL. It would play out as a trapped h??orror, navigating space in which the ship itself is dedicated to murder. Various ways to stay alive would be possible, making each playthrough unique. All you need to do is stay alive long enough to reach that dist?ant planet without HAL getting the better of you. I think Arthur C. Clarke would love to see his sci-fi become a video game.

Altered Carbon

With the idea of Shells and rebirth used in Altered Carbon, the gameplay of this adaptation would make for a good rogue-lite. Akin to the book, a crime must be solved, but what if someone was out there trying to get you? Every time you die, a fee must be paid, and progress must be regaine?d. Clues will be gradually collected, and the player will move ever closer to the answer. But every death will result in a loss of items and finances.

Dune

This book has once before been made into a video game, but as a science fiction adaptation, it could do with some updating. In my mind, the Dune books could be combined into one, starting with the Fremen, deep in the desert. While playing top-down, god game style, it is up to the player to collect resources, conserve water, develop the Fremen, welcome in the Al Gaib, and, over time, take over the galaxy. Dune The Video Game would be a resource-collect?ing empire builder that eventually spans the galaxy in a game akin to EVE.

The Dark Tower series

Embracing The Dark Tower series's various worlds, interlinking storylines, and complexity as a game would be hard but not impossible. With the vast struggles of the characters in the book, it would make for a fantastic souls-like, I think. The various, weird worlds would suit the Miyazaki art style.

Travelling backward and forward through t??ime, meeting the various monsters, and knowing death is only one Lobstrosity away would be gripping. The deep and intricate mystical science fiction in these books would make for some beautiful, if not challenging, games.

Judge Dredd

Judge Dredd has, of course, featured in at least one game I know of. H??e is shown as Judge Bro in Broforce, with his homing pistol and all. However, I think as a third-person shooter embracing the wicked stories, it w?ould shine much better.

An over-the-shoulder, cover-to-cover style game akin to Gears of War would suit the Judge to a T. Many of the long, arching sto??rylines of war??s in the Megablocks and evil monsters that live within the post-nuclear city could provide more than enough material for some serious storyline based shooter action.

The infinitely stylish comics, with their high-speed motorcycles and ?wild weapons, would translate beautifully to the screen. Imagine fighting your way up thousands of floors of a Megablock. The cyberpunk art style of the science fiction books would look great, flashing across the screen of a well-made video game.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

The core of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep? is about capturing rogue androids through a series of questions in the vain hope of being able to afford a real-life animal, and it's the inspiration for Blade Runner. That's a game ready to be made. Think Papers, Please combined with L.A. Noir. It would be up to you to perform the Voigt-Kampff Emp??athy Test and then decide whether or not to put a bullet between the eyes of the android. There would be a goal to reach enough money to affo??rd the animal. But, just like in the book, life gets in the way. It is a science fiction indie game waiting to be made with this book.

The Children of Men

The film does the wonderful The Children of Men justice in that it takes the theory ?of a world with no future and makes it into a fantastic watch. I feel that a successful game would work in much the same way as the film adaptation. An open-world RPG could be possible for this science fiction book to work as a video game.

As you make your way around a world devoid of hope, rumours of a new birth have been heard. It is up to you, a smuggler, to not only find the child but then transport it across the environment to safety. Factions, new environments, al?liances, and wars could be spread across the game, creating a rich and diverse world. I would love to see the i??dea of a world devoid of a future plays out in an RPG setting.

The Commonwealth Saga

There are so many ways in which the Commonwealth Saga books could play out as science fiction games. The space opera covers a vast array of action and world building. However, the way I would like to see it play out is by playing as the Alpha Prime itself. Why not be the bad guy? Why not wipe out the h??uman race?

As the Alpha Prime, it is up to you to spread yourself across the galaxy, terraforming planets and destroying every living thing but yourself. With a worldbuilder-style game, it is up to you to take resources and d??evelop yourself through DNA theft and stolen tech. Over time, you can spread to other planets with the sole purpose of being the only living being in the universe.

The Culture Novels

There are plenty of little and large tales you could pull from the incredible worlds of Iain M. Banks's culture novels. However,?? something I always loved in his books was the Minds and their habitable spaceships that casually float around the galaxies. These mega minds house millions of inhabitants in some cases, and others work as planet-crushing war machines.

The many varied Culture spaceships are what this science fiction book-to-game adaptation would focus on. As a player, you could build your own Mind ship, taking part in the economy of the in-game universe. Do you want to focus on building a Fallout Shelter-style habitation ship, or do you want to bu?ild a scouting ship, ready to explore the depths? Maybe you want to create a moon-sized warship. This game would be a combination of MMORPG economy ??games mixed with some world-building.

Fahrenheit 451

So, hear me out. It's basically a cookie-clicker game, but you're throwing books onto a fire. The more you burn, the better equipment you get in order to burn more books. Subsequently, the more stuff you get to burn. You can move on to music, then plays, ??then art, and finally, you get to burn the literate! These are the kind of science fiction books we need to turn into mobile games.

Does this trivialise one of the finest works of science fiction? Absolutely. Does it make a state?ment about the triviality and dumbing down of the population with moronic, endorphins-inject??ing mobile games, slowly pulling us away from independent, critical thinking? I don't know. What do you think?

The post 10 science fiction books that would make gre?at games appeared first on Destructoid.

If you're a fan of the slick, neon-drenched aesthetic of Cyberpunk 2077, there are a few books you should add to your readin??g list. From gritty, techno futuristic tales to be??autifully drawn graphic novels, there is something out there for any fan.

Whether you like the game or not, the highly stylized world of Cyberpunk 2077 is very particular. However, it is anything but original and has been around in some form or another for a long time. This means there is a great list of books for avid readers. Try some of these books for Cyberpunk 2077 fans to delve back?? into the tech?nocentric world of the future.

Neuromancer - William Gibson

This list can only start with one author, and that's the remarkable William Gibson. His amazing writing style and complex imagination introduced us to some of the mo??st game-changing theories in science fiction. Delving into this book from 1984 reveals just how much of the world he predicted way before it had transpired.

Neuromancer takes us into the mind of what could be compared to a Netrunner. Having been previously removed from accessing cyberspace due to nervous system damage, they are allowed back in with su??rgery. However, they have to do a job for one of the Corps, and if th??ey start to play around, poison sacks will damage our character's nervous system again, irreparably removing them from cyberspace.

The book is filled with evil corporations, punk rock underground networks, edgy tech, and illegal activities. The winding, complex story takes us on a breakneck ride through the future world of the internet, cyberspace, and back alley punk dealings. It is an unbelievably slick narrative—a must-read book for any fan of Cyberpunk 2077. If you're a fan, you'll be pleased to know that it is part of the Sprawl Trilogy, so get reading.

Ghost in The Shell - Masamune Shirow

When I heard Hollywood had picked up this classic manga to adapt to live-action, my heart dropped. I was not surprised by how badly they massacred it, but that doesn't mean I wasn't still disappointed. I knew it would be a lot of people's first look into the manga and the anime, and it might turn them away from one of the b??est cyberpunk collections available.

Ghost in the Shell works around the theory that if you can replace almost every part of your body with cybernetics, when do you stop being human? Where is the ghost of yourself in the cybernetics shell? This is also broached heavily in Cyberpunk 2077 with the CyberPhychos. Sometimes, you can ??become too m??uch tech and lose your mind and humanity.

Ghost in the Shell follows a group of crime fighters through the neon streets of a cyberpunk future. They crack down on cybercriminals who like to exploit the world's obsession with cybernetics. B??rains are hacked, robot bodies are commandeered, and the books dig into the philosophies of what makes us human. They are beautifully illust??rated and have deeply moving moments of reflection seamlessly blended with page-ripping action.

Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson

Snow Crash is a wonderfully stylish and wild ride through the corporate-owned world of tomorrow. Earth has been split up and divided between corporations. Private militaries vie for international contracts, and human beings have become little more than cogs in giant corporate machines. However, our aptly named lead, Hiro Protagonist, somehow becomes deeply involved in the mafia and international relations. Snow Crash is right on the edge of comedy, some??times satirizing the whole Cyberpunk genre, sometimes simply wallowing in it.

Through a series of huge, action-packed scenes, we are taken through many wonderful worlds in this Cyberpunk novel. Stephenson produces a lot of the weaponry and environments in his books, which we see clearly copied in Cyberpunk 2077. Pencil-sized weapons of mass destruction, boots-on-the-ground cybernetic brain hackers, and body-mounted miniguns that fire depleted uranium shards through 5-inch-thick steel all make their devastating appearance in the book, clearly mirrored in Cyberpunk 2077.

Reading through Snow Crash reveals many stylistic similarities between Cyberpunk 2077 and the world of Stephenson. As a writer, he is not afraid to paint some pretty dramatic scenes spanning whole continents, and this supplied a lot of the inspiration for the game. The deep and involved politics and economy of the book are an inspiration not just for 2077 but for the cy??berpunk genre as a whole.

Akira - Katsuhiro Otomo

If you're looking to fill a whole shelf with a masterpiece in art and literature, look no further than the six-book set of Akira. This immaculately told work of fict?ion spans many, many pages and tells the devastating story of post-nuclear Neo-Tokyo and the discovery of just what horrors ?have been left in its wake.

We follow a biker gang on their journey as they attempt to rescue one of their friends from the corporation that has stolen him. The beautifully illustrated graphic novels are seminal works in the Cyberpunk genre and have heavily impacted all future literary worlds, let alone Cyberpunk 2077.

If the term, every frame a painting, applies to anything, it is the collection of Akira books. Each cell could be blown up to poster-sized and displayed on a wall, and this is why it is taken as such inspiration for cyberpunk on the whole. The bikes, ta?ngled, cable-strew cities, gnarly punk biker outfits, and robot-centric societies are forever mirrored in the genre.

Noor - Nnedi Okorafor

To make a change from cyberpunk, which is always set in either Tokyo or the US, we have Noor written by Nnedi Okorafor. Despite being set in a futuristic Nigeria, the book still carries all the trappings of the classic science fiction novel. Mega corpor??ations control the populace, keeping people under their thumb by selling unimaginatively expensive cybernetic prosthetics to people and keeping them in inde?ntured servitude to pay them off.

Noor takes a novel view of the history? and politics not only in Nigeria but also in the rest of the world. A number of potent points are made about the availability of life-changing medical treatments for disabled folks. Okorafor also looks backward through the?? lens of the future at the history of capitalism throughout Nigeria and the impact of the conflict between farmers and land ownership in the area.

If you're looking for the capitalist, gritty criminal, cyber futuristic themes of Cyberpunk 2077 in your books but want a different setting and some hard-hitting views, Noor is a fantastic piece of fiction to pick up.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Philip K. Dick

Can I write even one article about science fiction literature without mentioning Dick? Not yet. But there is always due cause to mention his magnificent pieces of writing, be it a novella or a full work of science fiction. In this case, it is the basis for the much-loved cyberpunk-themed film Blade Runner.

Although the book may not be as neon-drenched as many of the others on this list, many of the genre's core themes are definitely there. Our main character is a detective tas??ked with hunting down escaped androids and executing them. By performing tests, he is able to determine just who is and isn't human. This leads to a number of moral conundrums for him to deal wit?h as he begins to show empathy for the almost-human robots.

The themes of capitalist overlords, human reliance on machines, and gritty neo-noir crime fiction are clearly mirrored in Cyberpunk 2077. With the latest update of Phantom Liberty, the storyline takes us to the cliche, shuttered, smokey rooms of the detective's office. The story pulls the uncertainty and paranoia of Dicks book and combines it with the trademarks of the Marlowe stories. For a look into where a lot of the themes of robotics and the human elem??ent?? began, turn the pages of this cyberpunk deep dive.

Judge Dredd - John Wagner

Perhaps not one to immediately jump to everyone's mind when thinking of books that relate to Cyberpunk 2007, but certainly one I feel is relevant. The megacities of Judge Dredd are filled with the filth and desperation so commonly painted in the cyberpunk genre. Megacorporations rule the world, and the disparity betwe?en the people and the super-rich? is an ever-widening gap.

The drugs and cybernetic enhancements of Cyberpunk 2077 are clearly drawn from the ugly worlds of Wagner. People have become obsessed with enhancements and the ease of plastic surg?ery and technology. The selling of enhancements??, black-market organs, and stolen weaponry is rife in the world of Dredd.

Huge monoliths rise throughout the cities of millions amid arid deserts. The wastelands of Cyberpunk 2077 exist in tandem with the dry, nuclear deserts in the world of Judge Dredd. Bombed out and uninhabitable, the only things to exist outside the walls of the cities are mutants and rebels fighting to survive. The parallels between Cyberpunk 2077 and Judge Dredd's books are clear to see.

Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan

Although the Netflix show has done relatively well, I highly recommend anyone who is a fan of Cyberpunk 2077 to pick the books up. They are wonderfully full of crazy future?? technology, gritty crime fiction tropes, and some wickedly engaging action scenes that will keep you turning the pages.

Like a number of the books in the list, this cyberpunk novel takes the idea of a detective as the central protagonist. It is up to Kovaks to figure out who murdered the body, or sleeve, of the man who hired him. In the future of Altered Carbon, consciousne?ss is separate from the body, allowing people to essentially live ?forever.

Kovaks is taken from a forced sto??rage after committing war crimes. He is hired by a man who has lived for hundred??s of years to find out who killed his last body. He has no memory of the event and is convinced someone is out to get him.

Altered Carbon is full of all the sex, tech, and danger that comes along with the world of cyberpunk. Kovaks, being a man outside of the law, carries the punk element throughout the books, lacin??g it with the right levels of criminality. The book looks into a future of immortality if you're rich enough and the fight to survive if you're not.

Vurt - Jeff Noon

Here we have a book that I feel Cyberpunk 2077 took inspiration from, but it is?? certainly not a read for the uninitiated. It is complex, minimalistic, deep, and, at times, confusing, but an unbelievable book nonetheless. It plays with the ideas of reality and shared hallucinations, expanding on mind-altering drugs and a world that has lost touch.

The trips and drugs used in Cyberpunk 2077 push the idea of an alternate reality, shared but outside of the physical world. In Vurt, the drugs taken by the population are completely outside of the physical world but so common they have become almost real. This book expands on what could be in a world with manu??factured drugs.

Vert takes us on a trippy ride as the protagonist searches for a rare version of the drug the world loves. His sister has been lost within the hallucinatory world, and he needs to tap back into the trip she was somehow lost to. This is not a book for the casual reader, but there is no denying Noon's skill for world-building and beautiful writing.

Phillip Marlowe Collection - Raymond Chandler

These books are not directly cyberpunk in the way William Gibson's are, but I feel they are a must-read for any Cyberpunk 2077 fan. The gritty world of neo-noir crime fiction is a clear influence on the game and the genre in general. These old detective novels have the hard-nosed private investigator punching his way through his cases. Violence, rain-slicked streets, and fantastic femme fatales are all run-of-the-mill in Chandler's incredibly stylish detective novels.

Although the streets that Marlowe stomps are of the 1920s, they still echo with the same sounds as the Cyberpunk future. Crime is rife, gangs are in full control, and it's up to our disillusioned, alcoholic protagonist to navigate them. The crime is always much bigger than the initial plot lets on, and the criminals will always try to kill Marlowe.

The dark corners and nasty characters from so long ago are familiar faces in Cyberpunk 2077. If you really want to get into?? where the genre pulls its characters from, take a read of these classics.

The post The 10 best books for Cyberpunk 2077 fans appeared first on Destructoid.

When we look back over authors telling of the future, the importance of serialisation and the novella must be noted in science fiction. The short-form medium of some of the earliest works ??of sci-fi helped give the genre the legs it needed to stand on to become the shelf-filling genre it is today.

Humble beginnings

Of course, going back to the earliest days of science fiction, we have complete novels such as Frankenstein. However, when looking at later authors, we see the emergence of science fiction as periodicals and novellas. Both Jules Verne and H.G. Wells released a n??umber of their works as either bite-sized weekly installments or short, quick-to-read novella??s.

H.G. Wells' magnificent book The War of the Worlds was originally published as a weekly periodical in Cosmopolitan Magazine in the US. This wasn't un??common for many of the novels we know today as complete works.

Many writers, like Charles Dickens, released their works over a number of weeks and even months. They were later picked up by publishers to be redrafted as complete novels. Another science fiction classic to be subjected to the serialisation treatment is Jules Vernes' 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Again, this was released fortnightly in the french Magasin d'éducation et de récréation.

When looking at H.G. Wells' enormous repertoire of work, there are many examples of short stories and novellas to choose from. One of his most famous works, eventually published as a novella, is the genre-changing The Time Machine.

Pulp science fiction

In the 20th century, the still relatively new and developing genre of science fiction started to emerge via the various pulp fiction presses. These magazines gave an all-important leg up to the new genr??e, often referred to as 'Gadget Fiction'. Through more serialisation, many of the classics of 20th-century science fiction were picked up and read by thousands of reader??s.

The real benefits of serializing and publishing science fic??tion short novellas comes down to accessibility. As an emergent genre, science fiction was understandably tenuous as a guaranteed success in the markets. However, by being released in very cheap and highly accessible pulp magazines, various sci-fi stories could be released with little financial risk.

By being released as periodicals, many of these tales, such as the stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs and even Starship Troopers, could be slowly released and interest gauged. If the uptake wasn't g?ood, the story was dropped for something more successful. Through this method, timeless classics were developed, and the genre began to gain popularity.

With the beginnings of Astounding Science Fiction magazine, what is now considered to be the golden age of sci-fi began. The magazine helped the genre move from the pulp publications it was previously in to a much more science-based, serious genre, welcoming such seminal writers as Isaac Asimov.

A golden age of science fiction

With the creation of new dedicated science fiction magazines, the genre really began developing. Now that it was becoming widely recognised and publishers were? noting the public interest, the authors were able to write with confidence. This didn't mean the end of the short novella and periodical style, though.

When looking at the work of Isaac Asimov, some of his greatest and earliest pieces were published as short stories through various magazines. The remarkably famous I, Robot was originally published as a series in two separate magazines. As a collection, it paved the way for the Foundation works an??d laid out the three l?aws of robotics we still see used today in many science fiction books.

However, the golden age of science fiction came to an end after the savagery of two world wars changed the collective psyche forever. Previously, a world of exciting scientific discovery and the journey to utopia was in the minds of creatives. As highlighted by Asimov himself, the dropping of the nuclear bomb called attention to the stark reality of just what the science in their fiction is eventually used for. The beginnings of dystopian literature emerged.

Modern novellas

Despite science fiction's success and prevalence not just on shelves but also in video games, films, and many other arts, it still has a place in the short novella and periodical form. Often a science fiction novella or short story is used to discuss an idea or p??hilosophy. Entire novels are not necessary in these cases, and because of this, some of the greatest science fiction writers of the modern age still produce a wealth of novellas.

I would like to highlight one of my personal favourites of the science fiction genre, Kurt Vonnegut. He was a prolific writer and published many short stories. His writing style was very parti??cular, makin??g even his normal stories feel like science fiction.

Other notable writers in the modern science fiction novella genre are Ray Bradbury and William Gibson. These two authors changed the face of science fiction forever with their mode??rn takes on the world around them and often fascinatingly accurate predictions of the future.

Both of these writers are known for their ability to observe and accurately theorise the future. Despite the success of the science fiction genre when these writer?s were being published, they still found success in magazines and novellas.

Forever novella

The importance of the novella and short publications to science fiction is one that will probably never fade. Unlike many other fictional genres, science fiction can often be about a single theory or idea wrapped up in a fictional tale. These don't have to span thousands of pages, although space operas often do. Even well-published, novel-writing science fiction authors such as Bradbury, Gibson, and Dick sometimes like to compact their ideas into a quickly readable short story. These can be enjoyed in an hour or so but will keep you thinking for day??s.

The post The import?ance of the novella and serialisation in science fict??ion appeared first on Destructoid.

You know, not every sci-fi adaptation is a winner, and in some cases, t??hey're absolutely dreadful. When looking at sci-fi book adaptations, there are a lot of awful movies out there, ??ranging from the hilarious to the downright abysmal.

The worst sci-fi book adaptations of all time

Some of these are backed up by their review scores, whereas a number of them are my personal opinion. You're allowed to disagree, but just know that you're wrong. If you're looking for the best science fiction adaptations, check out our list here.

World War Z (2013)

Are zombie movies counted as science fiction? I think there are some grounds to include ??them, especially the masterpiece written by Max Brookes. His unique and?? novel approach to telling the story of the end of the world captures the nuance and horror through many individual tales. However, the 2013 film starring none other than Brad Pitt was barely recognizable.

How they took the source material they had, with its many stories, in-depth descriptions of outbreaks, tales of survival, and detail, and turned? it into the movie they made is beyond me. Barely a scrap of what Max Brookes originally wrote was present in the film. As a standalone film, it is fine; it is pass??able as a subpar zombie film. As a sci-fi book adaptation, it is appalling.

David Lynch's Dune (1984)

I am not talking about the newest renditions of Frank Herbert's Dune novels but?? Lynch's versions. Although I personally think they're an absolutely wild ride, they're certainly not a good sci-fi book adaptation. He goes a little off-track with the tellin??g of the original story, in a way that maybe only David Lynch could.

The film itself? is a visual treat, but overly long at two hours and fifteen minutes. It also has little to do with the original book. However, I would recommend chucking it on one day just to compare it to the masterpiece we get to enjoy today.

Ready Player One (2018)

I may rustle a few feathers with this one, but I thought the book was mediocre, and the film was downright forgettable. I understand that, as an adult, fiction written for hormonal teenagers with a low reading bar isn't really aimed at impressing me. However, I found the predictability and obsessive nost??algia-porn referencing of the book remarkably dull. It was a thinly veiled way to disguise a very uninspired story??line with endless nudges and winks to the "nerds" out there. Constantly referencing "retro" doesn't make for an engaging narrative.

The film, although visually engaging with its $150,000,??000 budget, most of which I am sure went on CGI, really highlighted just how uninspired the storyline actually was. It tried too hard to tick too many boxes and, in the meantime, lost out on? any real originality. The film was like being on a rollercoaster. Sure, it was a wild ride at the time, but once you leave the park, you forget the experience completely.

Mortal Engines (2018)

Growing up, I loved the Mortal Engines books. They featured gigantic rolling cities that chowed down on smaller cities to recycle their materials and enslave their people. The books themsel??ves told? great stories of both the lives within these roving leviathans and the monstrous battles that raged around them. There was politics, love, and war, all wrapped up in a solid YA fiction series.

The films, on the other hand, did what many of?? these terrible science fiction adaptations did: they tried to cut corners and condense. The books could have made a decent enough series or even a trilogy, but they missed the mark badly. Somehow, they turned the books into a dull, lifeless experience that left absolutely nobody wanting more. How you make a rolling, war-ready city underwhelming is beyond me.

Farenheit 451 (2018)

The absolute audacity of taking source material like Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and turning it into a shoddy science fiction film is beyond belief. There should be some kind of board that stops the sacrilege of revered pieces of science fiction. That's like taking the Bible and turning it into a terrible, barely watchable film. Then having it feature Russel Crowe and Emma Watson, releasing it in 2018, and calling it Noah. Wait a minute...

In an age of rife misinformation, the suppression of free media, fake news, and book burning, you would think a film about those very things could have s?ome potency. Instead, this science fiction film adaptation completely misses the mark, opting for a shallow and uninspiring show. ??What could have been very prominent ends up as a weak and spineless retelling of a masterpiece.

The Time Machine (1960)

Again, this is a case of a director taking on a classic work of science fiction and failing to really capture it for their adaptation. The original text is a marvel of imagination, broaching the subject of time travel very ??early on. The times and spaces the Traveler visits are fascinating and barbaric, leaving him shocked by the state of the world.

However, the film itself was, again, a complete mis-telling of a classic piece of science fiction. I think where the real problem lies with the film and its adaptation of the book is the interpretation of the source mat??erial. While it doesn't exactly leave much in the short story to build a narrative around, it instead makes political and social state??ments and introduces new ideas. The 1960s film doesn't flesh this out enough, resulting in a dull, if visually quite impressive, film.

The Dark Tower (2017)

If you have dug into The Dark Tower books, you will be aware of just how vast Stephen King's narrative is. There are eight books currently, and each one is around 700 pages, resulting in a lot of tales to tell. Even trying to take on the epic collectio??n of books is a real? challenge, and the sci-fi adaptation to film does not rise to it.

There is little to no chance of ever being able to condense the story being told in The Dark Tower collection into one film. Even a trilogy would miss the point in many ways, with the varied and winding narratives that often take whole books to tell. They jump backw?ard and forward in time, filling in gaps and expanding on the universe. The film does none of that and clearly just tries to capitalise on a well-loved collection.

I think that everyone who is already a fan of the book knew that the film was going to miss the point. Nobody expected the story to be able to be told in such a short amount of time. They did the opposite of what The Hobbit did and tried to compress a long science fiction collec??tion into one short adaptation.

I, Robot (2004)

Again, we see a film using the name of the source material it barely sticks to at all. I, Robot is part of the Robot series that Asimov wrote alongside the Foundation series. The books talk about the role of robots and AI in the worl??d of the future. Many issues, observations, and theories are broached and addressed in the books resulting in ??some wonderful, seminal works by the author.

The film starring Will Smith misses the point entirely and instead uses the "but what if robots were evil" trope that we have all seen way too often. In actual fact, the original source material stays away from that idea for the most part. There is absolutely none of the depth or scientific exploration of the original sci-fi book in the adaptation. It is another film that should have been called something other than the name of a very well-known and loved book. Maybe just call it Angry Robots, I don't know.

The War of The Worlds (2005)

I am talking, of course, about the 2005 ??film with Tom Cruise rather than the incredible radio adaptation in 1938. That is a true work of art, and if you haven't listened to it, I would go and do that right now, after researching content,?? of course. But I digress.

The film itself isn't exac??tly terrible, but I don't think anyone is going to rush to watch it again. The source material leaves so much for any talented writing and directing team to work with, and yet, the film itself is just like any o??ther alien invasion film from the early 2000s. The dull and overly long narrative is held up by Tom Cruise doing what he does best, which is running incredibly fast on camera and not dying while doing his own stunts.

The original sci-fi book has a lot more to it than the adaptation gives credit to. Listening to the radio adaptation reveals the depth of devastation and on-the-ground reaction to a massi?ve alien invasion. The book shows us the horrors of war, the loss and confusion. However, in its typically heavy-handed way, Hollywood misses this and just sees another excuse to blow stuff up and make Tom Cruise jump off things with his stupid, outdated haircut.

Total Recall (2012)

This one goes in for a double, because the original sci-fi adaptation with Arnold Schwarzenegger is a masterpiece of '90s action. The previous success makes the 2012 version even worse, because it has already been proven that a good adaptation of Phillip K. Dick's We Can Remember It for You Wholesale can be done. This leaves no excuse.

Now, there is a little space for understanding when it comes to adapting anything by Phillip K. Dick, as his writing can be pretty out there. However, many of his books, novels, and novelettes have been adapted to the screen with resounding success. Just look at Blade Runner, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly, to name a few. The man writes wild stories, but they fit the sc??reen won?derfully.

However, the 2012 version of Total Recall was absolute rubbish. Loving the original as much as I do, the retelling was a clear money grab by a desperate and talentless studio. There is little to nothing of the original film in ??the remake. With the director so set on tryi??ng to recreate the fan-favorite moments from the original, he forgets to make a good film at all and still fails to capture the essence of what made the '90s action film so fantastic. It is a flop on every count, with none of the nuance of the book, none of the hilarity of the first film, and nothing new brought to the table.

The post 10 of the worst sci-fi book adaptations appeared first on Destructoid.

There's an undeniable beauty to witnessing an entire planet being destroyed both on screen and in science fiction novels. However, for me, the latter is always more affecting, a?nd ma??ny of them have left lasting impacts with their sheer brilliance.

The most impressive times planets have been destroyed in sci-fi

As with any list, this is not exhaustive, and although I do consider myself a good researcher and avid reader, I may have missed a few. I am sure the glaring ones I fail to write will be pulled up, and I will surely read many I have missed. However, these are the planetary destructions I remember from sci-fi. Hopefully, there will be some new ones and memories of old for all. Beware, there are spoilers ahead.

The Killing Star - Charles R. Pellegrino and George Zebrowski

Humanity has reached a state of utopia in the late 21st century. Nanotech is able to build structur?es at incredible speeds, humanity is spreading itself amongst the stars, and as a race, we have achieved travel at almost the speed of light. Life is good. Humanity is on the up and up, a??nd the stars await discovery.

Blisteringly fast, boulder-sized chunks enter Earth's atmosphere, each hitting the surface with the force of small nuclear arms. They're un?-trackable and leave Earth defenseless. On the eve of humanity's collective golden age, we are wiped out, scattered to the winds. What a brutal end.

The set-up, with such utopian hope and unity, just sets this devastating planetary destruction up for a brilliant fall. Pick this one up for some real heart-wrenching ?science fiction based around our destroy??ed planet.

The Fall of Hyperion - Dan Simmons

Crossed wires, un?precedented alien invasion, and a government completely unprepared for the magnitude of attack leave a whole wave of planets open for complete d?estruction. This book makes it on the list for the sheer volume of planetary destruction depicted in this sci-fi novel.

Without giving too much away, due to?? miscalculations and mistakes, a large number of habited planets in the human network are left vulnerable to huge fleet attacks. The defense forces are unprepare?d, and there is nothing they can do but watch.

One planet, in particular, known for building "Treeships", believes it will ??be spared attack. These Treeships are grown from?? the planet as enormous, city-sized, organic spaceships. The planet is beautiful, spiritual, and unique. The tranquility and sureness of peace make the obliteration of 'Gods Grove' even more devastating as there erupts a "corridor of flame rising ten kilometers into the night sky."

The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy - Douglas Adams

When the Earth is only considered to be "Mostly Harmless" by most other sentient beings in the galaxy, destroying it to build an intergalactic highway isn't much of a problem. This is more or less how Douglas Adams's trilogy of five begins. The destruction of planet Earth at the beginning of this science fiction novel sets up the rest of the books and their many adventures.

The nonchalant way Earth is wiped from the star charts is both underwhelming and hilarious. Human beings have rather high opinions of themselves, so to see our planet held in such low regard is quite humbling. There is no fanfare, no protests, just a planetary-sized bulldozer. In a not-so-subtle way, I guess it is an observation of what we do, a??s humans, to animals' habitats daily for things as petty as retail parks and motorways.

Moonseed - Stephen Baxter

The idea of the Grey Goo in science fiction almost always spells massive planetary destruction for whatever ??unlucky planet it ends up on. The Grey Goo of Moonseed is no different, and there is little to nothing humanity can do about it.

I love the hopelessness and devastation of the planet-destroying Moonseed, which obliterates first Venus and then Earth. Our beloved pl?anet faces annihilation from the inside out as the core begins to overheat and powe?r plants around the globe destroy themselves.

In typically English fashion, there is an overwhelming sense of hopelessness in this science fiction novel. There is little chance of survival, and the story is more focused on the gradual decline into complete nothingness. I have always loved the Grey Goo concept as a cause for ruin, and I feel Moonseed does ??it particularly ?well. Abandon hope all ye who turn the first page.

The Commonwealth Saga - Peter F. Hamilton

Hamilton has included a weapon called the Quantumbuster in his saga, capable of turning a sun Nova, but that isn't the planetary destruction I want to highlight. In these monstrous but incredibly engaging books, a hive mind is rereleased into the galaxy. This parasitic, genocidal alien is capable of engulfin??g whole worlds, dedicated to becoming?? the only living being in the universe.

As MorningLightMountain, the Prime hive mind, takes over planets, it has no regard for life, conditions, or preservation. As long as one element of it exists, it will survi?ve. This leaves the planets it spreads itself across, poisoned, dead, and drained of anything usable. The crawling, unstoppable, and brutal way in which MorningLightMountain envelops planets is one of ??the most disgusting and terrifying of any alien invasion in science fiction novels. The concept of planetary destruction in science fiction by a monster of this magnitude makes the skin crawl.

The Final Architecture - Adrian Tchaikovsky

Witnessing Earth being destroyed for the sake of a planet-sized art piece is both beautiful and sad. In The Final Architecture ??books, this is e??xactly what happens. The Architects, a group of moon-sized aliens, turn Earth into a huge floating art piece—one that has absolutely no chance of ever being inhabited.

The Architects, ?aliens from another dimension, work according to instructions from higher beings. They? move through galaxies, turning planets from inhabited to desolate, all in the name of art. I love the idea of massive planetary destruction simply being the whim of an aesthetic need in science fiction novels. It's petty and beautiful.

Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut came up with a truly ??terrifying concept when he introduced Ice Nine into the science fiction literary world. The?? idea of this doomsday device is that one seed crystal of Ice Nine can turn any liquid it touches into Ice Nine, self-replicating as it goes.

Originally, the chemical was used to help marines cross marshes and pools. However, it quickly became evident it was far too dangerous. It was also capable of turning all fluids in the body into Ice Nine, completely killing anyone it came in contact with. As research we??nt on, it quickly became evident that it could do the same for all the water on the earth.

With one slight mishap, Ice Nine r??eached the sea. Every ocean and body of water was frozen into Ice Nine, ??causing complete planetary destruction in this tragic science fiction novel by Vonnegut.

Berserkers - Fred Saberhagen

This is not a single novel bu??t a concept by Fred Saberhagen spread over many science fiction novels. The machines are basically planet-destroying machines left over from an intergalactic war. Their only purpose is to destroy living beings, and they won't stop until th?eir job is done.

These machines are self-replica?ting, self-improving, and driven to complete destruction. They come in all sizes, from smaller than humans, to the size of asteroids. They use machine thinking and learning to improve themselves and run riot across whole galaxies.

They have been used in many books as a concept. Authors pick them up and build narratives around their defeat or success. They're a terrifying foe to fight but make for some of the best science fiction novels.

Planets of The Dead - Culture Series - Iain M. Banks

In the vast imagined world of Iain M. Banks' sci-fi saga, The Culture Series, he addresses the i?dea of "Dead Planets." These now barren, lifeless places used to be homes to whole civilizations before they wiped?? themselves out in some kind of cataclysmic event.

The planets themselves are considered reminders or memorials to the cultures that once lived? on them. A semi-sub sublime race called the Dra'Azon acts as caretakers, guarding them and maintaining them as mem??orials.

Revelation Space - Alistair Reynolds

One of the most terrifying and widespread destructions of planets comes from the Greenfly introduced in Alistair Reynolds' Revelation Space. This is a similar kind of doomsday device as the Grey Goo in Moonseed, but much more devastating.

Originally designed to terraform planets, the Greenfly is supposed to land on uninhabitable planets and terraform them. They produce life and breathable air alongside lush veget?ation. However, due to an alteration to their makeup, they now view any life form as a threat to their single purpose. They are considered responsible for the genocide of huge swathes of the milk way.

The post 10 most brutal planetary destructions in scie??nce fiction novels appeared first on Destructoid.

Taking something as well-loved and unique as a sci-fi novel and adapting it to screen is a risky business. Many of the classics, both new and old,?? have very dedicated and passionate fan bases. Getting it wrong is always g?oing to rustle a few feathers. However, there are a few sci-fi screen adaptations that have it just right.

I feel like this list is going to be much shorter than its 'flops' counterpart. However, I have written it to the best of my knowledge. Of course, there will be ones I miss, but I haven't done it with the sole intention o??f upsetting fans. I just do it because I am human and therefore fallible.

Dune

May as well get this modern masterpiece out of the way first. Although adapted for screen previously by David Lynch, I feel the one people will t?hink of first is the 2021 sci-fi epic directed by Denis Villeneuve. However, if you want to feel like you have accid??entally eaten some strange forest mushrooms for a few hours, give the original sci-fi screen adaptation a go. It's a wild ride.

Denis Villeneuve has done the book real justice with his telling of Herbert's space opera. The true majesty of the sandworms, the brutality of generation-killing wars, and the sheer desperation of living in dry ass sand?? are all palpable through the screen. The score, acting, and wonderful setpieces really bring the science fiction novel to life for a whole new generation of fans. Where he is going to go with the future of the books as they start to get really weird, only time will tell.

Blade Runner

Despite Philip K. Dick's sci-fi book 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' being a fantastic work of art, I would never have seen the vis??ion that Ridley Scott did for his two magnificent screen adaptations. Philip K.? Dick is what you could call a philosophical or theoretical science fiction writer, playing with theories and bizarre situations. However, Scott has pulled two deeply atmospheric and gripping films from the relatively short book.

Playing on the theory rather than the narrative, Ridley Scott's adaptation of Electric Sheep has fleshed out the world into one of the most iconic sci-fi noir pictures of all time. The futuristic, gritty crime fiction se?tting paved the way fo??r sci-fi that came after and did justice to the excellent source material.

Frankenstein

Few science fiction lists are complete without the grandmother of science fiction herself, Mary Shelly. Although she was not a prolific writer, Frankenstein is considered one of the first sci-fi novels in history. The adaptat??ion, made in 1931, is ??also one of the all-time greats.

Although the film may miss a lot of the nuance and societal observations of the origin?al book, this adaptation is still a winner. With the use of such early visual effects, carefully crafted models, and acting that is as hammy as it gets, it's an instant classic. This is a s?cience fiction adaptation that should be on any fan's shelf.

2001: A Space Odyssey

It's little wonder Arthur C. Clark's books have been picked up and adapted to the sci-fi screen. His broad, space-faring novels are perfectly suited to the adventurous director looking for a challenge. Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey is widely considered one of the gr??eatest feats o??f filmmaking.

Kubrick and Clark worked closely together on the making of?? the beautiful, slow, and technically brilliant adaptation. Combining Kubrick's brilliant and complex mind with Clark's true, core vision results in a faithful yet deeply stylised adaptation that h?as stood the test of time. Being lucky enough to see this as a remaster in the cinema is still one of my movie-going highlights.

Arrival

Although the 1981 novella by Ted Chiang is not particularly well known, Story of Your Life is actually the basis for Denis Villeneuve's second film on this list: Arrival. This magnificent work of sci-fi novel adaptation tackles the issues of language and interpretation between alien races. The interpretat?ion of time and a shot at planet-wide peace is gifted by the Heptapod visitors in this wonderful, thoughtful work.

Denis Villeneuve has a fantastic grasp of the concept of scale, creating massive structures and creatures in both this and Dune. The sheer magnitude of the setpieces he creates, paired with his impeccable soundtracks, create real wonder that sets his current run of scienc??e fiction apart from the rest for me.

Metropolis

Although not quite as wild a science fiction adaptation as something like 2001: A Space Odyssey, P.D. James Children of Men is still a classic. The 2006 film adaptation ?by Alfonso Cuarón took the source material and played it fantastically out ??on screen.

Although the original work by James is quite different to ??the narrative of the film, the core themes and issues are still very much present. Whereas the book takes a lot more time to dig in??to a world rendered infertile, the film takes a much more action-packed approach. This works perfectly as we follow our hero and his infinitely precious cargo through a world tearing itself apart. I remember the famous single shot take, running through the war zone and into the hospital, as one of my favourites as a young, budding film nerd.

Minority Report

Yet another appearance by Philip K. Dick on the best sci-fi screen adaptations list leaves us with Minority Report. Again, reading the source material leaves us with the usual confusion of Dicks incredible writing style but a deep and complete understanding of a typically complex and exciting science fiction theory.

Minority Report uses Philip K. Dicks novella of the same name to create a work where three alien beings are able to predict the future. They are used to prevent crime before it ever happens, one day pinning a crime on our protagonist. The film and book broach the subjects of pre-destiny and free will, asking just how much volition we have over ?our own lives. Typically Phillip K. Dick, honestly.

The Iron Giant

Ted Hughes originally wrote the book The Iron Man in 1968, which was then adapted into the beautiful animated movie The Iron Giant in 1999. This??, for many, will be a very fond memory of a boy and his enormous metal friend as they make their way on an adventure.

The film and book are both rife with Cold War fears as the enemy within becomes evident. Despite being a typically docile and friendly robot, tensions surrounding war and aggression quickly threaten to?? turn everyone against one another. This sci-fi screen adaptation beautifully captures the interesting observation of Cold War life.

The Expanse

As a space opera, this is a fantastic book series to get your teeth into, and the screen adaptation has done it justice. This long-running series takes the detective approach to uncovering a huge threat to humanity that must be tackled. If you're in the mood for a sci-fi season that runs over multiple seasons and will keep you gripped for all of them, give The Expanse a go.

Starship Troopers

If you want to discover where games like Helldivers and, of course, the movie of the same name get their inspiration from, pick up a copy of Starship Troopers. This science fiction novel, written by Robert A Heinlein in 1950??, is a clear observation of the Cold War America he was living in.

Despite coming out to huge controversy, the original work still won the Huge Award for Best Novel. Its fascinating observations about voting in-depth training and war s??cenarios inspired the later film. Despite the later film being a goofy masterpiece, the original book was quite a serious take.

The post The 10 best sci-fi screen adaptations of all time appeared first on Destructoid.