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Comment by michaelmrose | Hacker News Reader

> Sometimes, we left things out because we felt like the authors were well known enough not to need our help

This is exactly the opposite methodology as would be desirable in a "best of" list. Best ___ you haven't heard of could be useful still.

Also 3 body problem isn't worth reading and although Ancillary justice isn't a terrible book I wouldn't list it on a best of list.

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Hard disagree on Ancillary Justice, I thought it was a standout book, and considering it won the Hugo, Nebula, Arthur C Clarke, Locus First Novel, and tied for the BSFA award I wasn't the only one.

I think the first one, whilst not super special, was pretty good. Definitely a promising debut.

The whole gender neutral thing felt pretty awkward and like a gimmick though.

The second book felt rather pointless, however, and that incessant obsession with tea sets was baffling (and with risk of sounding sexist, not particularly gender neutral?).

So I haven't bothered with the third book yet.

I felt exactly the same. I enjoyed the first book, found the second utterly tedious, and skipped the third. Far too many tea ceremonies and gloves!

I agree, Ancillary Justice was one of my favorite books in recent years. I thought the world was really interesting, enjoyed the characters, and found the exploration of federated minds intriguing.

That and the NK Jemison trilogy. I’ve listened to both more than once

In my opinion, Three Body Problem is worth reading, particularly if you don't read the back cover before starting. The cover spoils a fun mystery. I found the twists and turns of the series to be both entertaining and sometimes mind blowing. I like that it told a story differently than how most western authors tell theirs.

I read to enjoy good books being different isn't a virtue in and of itself. I don't know how you make the impending end of the world boring but it manages it.

I agree that different isn't a virtue in and of itself. However, western authors seem to almost treat the minimization of exposition as sacrosanct and Three Body very much does not. The latter two books in the series would often interrupt a barely established scene to spend many many pages explaining societal changes over the course of decades. For me, it worked. The dispassionate narrator giving me background on the shifting sands of society hooked me. I'm not surprised that this doesn't work for everyone, and I can't say that it would work for me if another author tried to emulate Cixin.

I don’t think it’s a best of SF you haven’t heard of, but a list that simply consisted of the really well known established names wouldn’t really be useful either.

Tastes will differ, and I doubt anybody will like everything on a list like this, but it’s certainly a good representation of books that people have been talking about. It would be interesting to hear which books really resonated with you, not just which on the list you didn’t think much of.

I wonder if the problem with 3PB is the poor quality of the translation -it was a real struggle for me to get through. AJ I thought was OK simplistic space opera, if that's what you want (and who doesn't, sometimes).

weird, 3BP and especially the sequels were mind blowing for me, among the best SF I have read (And I have read a lot...)

First two books of 3PB series were good imo, but the third one was a bit of a drag and I couldn't get through it.

Hard disagree. The Three-Body Problem is hands down best Sci-Fi book I've read.

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