Social Science Fiction

[jain]

I'm looking for science fiction books that are based more in sociology and other social sciences than in the hard sciences. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin exemplifies what I'm seeking...as do many of her other books, but I was hoping to read some good books in this genre written by someone other than Le Guin. :-)

Comments

[the_rck]

Hellspark by Janet Kagan is very much about linguistics. Is that in the direction you were hoping to go?

[jain]

Definitely! Thanks for the recommendation.

[clare_dragonfly]

Ooh, me too. ::sets up notifications and waits eagerly::

I think The Wrath of Trees by Bard Bloom is along those lines, but I haven't read it yet.

[jain]

Thanks for mentioning it. By the same token, I believe that Doris Lessing's Canopus in Argos books (Shikasta and its sequels) are in this genre, though I've been hesitant to begin them due to Le Guin's ambivalent review of the series, so I don't know for sure.

[twistedchick]

For something funny in the lighter versions of social science, try Bellwether by Connie Willis.

[jain]

Oh, hey, I'm just about to try a collection of her short stories: The Winds of Marble Arch! I'll put Bellwether on the list, as well.

[twistedchick]

I haven't read those, but the ones I've read vary from break-your-heart devastating to fall-off-the-couch laughing. So be aware she's not just a humorist, okay?

[jain]

Thanks for the warning! I read Doomsday Book (that was Willis, right? *checks Goodreads quickly* yeah, it was) back in high school and sobbed my eyes out at the ending; I'll be prepared when I read her short stories. :-)

[foxfinial]

Maureen McHugh is worth checking out. Her novel Mission Child is about the consequences of humans returning to a planet they colonised after some time - the effects of this on the societies that built up there and especially on the main character. I gather that McHugh's other books are also excellent. Sadly a lot of them are out of print, but I heartily recommend tracking them down - the Amazon marketplace has used copies.

Eleanor Arnason seems to do more social-based sf too, although I've not read any of her novel-length work.

[themis]

I haven't read Mission Child yet, but I really liked China Mountain Zhang - it's sort of plotless-at-first-glance and focuses very much on the everyday lived experience. Worth seeking out online or in used book stores.

[jain]

I'm pretty sure I read a popslash AU based on China Mountain Zhang back in the day that I remember really enjoying; I probably should read the book whose setting it borrowed. :-)

[jain]

Ooh, Mission Child sounds right up my alley. I'll definitely see if I can track that down. Thank you!

[adrian_turtle]

Rosemary Kirstein's series starting with The Steerswoman is superb. (The main thing that bothers me about the books is the long wait for the rest of the series.) The central problems have to do with library science and access to information, though there are other kinds of science in the background.

Have you read Cyteen, by C.J. Cherryh? It seems like it's about cloning and terraforming, but it's mostly not. It's much more about education, training, and how to build a particular kind of society. Cherryh also wrote a lot of hard sf, and some high fantasy, and this is quite different...though her writing is always pretty dense. (I think she edits by removing as much information as she can possibly get away with, including every scene that doesn't serve at least two purposes.) I don't recommend the sequel.

It's not a bit obvious from reading the back cover, but John Barnes' Orbital Resonance includes a lot of really fascinating sociology against a backdrop of life on a space station. It's better, and less creepy, than much of his other work, and I recommend it.

[jain]

What a wealth of suggestions; thanks so much. Library science! That's absolutely awesome and not at all what I would have expected when requesting social science fiction recs. I'll definitely check the series out. I've read some of Cherryh's fantasy, but not Cyteen, and thanks for letting me know about the sequel. And I'm unfamiliar with John Barnes, but I'm always happy to hear about less creepy works. :-)

[prodigy]

Haven't read it in full, but I've heard interesting things about China Mieville's Embassytown and linguistics.

[jain]

I've been meaning to try some Mieville and didn't quite know where to start; this book sounds like a good place. :-)

[aidenfire]

Would something like Ender's Game be relevant? Definitely science fiction, but more focused on the culture of the world than the technology itself, that sort of thing?

(obvious rec is obvious!)

[jain]

I'm afraid I can't read Orson Scott Card (I made the mistake of reading some of his online essays, and now that's all I can think about whenever I try to read his fiction), but thanks for the suggestion.

[libskrat]

Nancy Kress's Beggars series is often considered hard sci-fi, but it's also social extrapolation fiction, worth reading just for that.

[jain]

I'm pretty sure I saw Kress recommended elsewhere recently; can't remember where. That series looks really interesting. Thank you!

[forestofglory]

Air by Geoff Ryman is about the social consequences of a technology that is like having the internet in your head. It is set in village in Central Asia, and deals with what it is like to live in developing country durning such changes.

[jain]

That book sounds so relevant to my interests; you have no idea. Thanks so much for the recommendation!

[kyriacarlisle]

What about Nicola Griffith's Ammonite? (Link goes to LibraryThing page of reviews.)

[jain]

That looks great, and I've been meaning to read more lesbian-themed fiction, so it's especially apropos. Thanks for the recommendation!

[msmcknittington]

Have you read The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel? It has a strong anthropological theme, as well as a character who is a linguist.

[jain]

I have read that one (as well as the sequel, which I didn't enjoy nearly as much), and you're right, it fits this genre beautifully and is an awesome book, besides. Thanks for the recommendation!

[forodwaith]

I definitely second the recs for Mission Child and Sir.

Most of Liz Williams' writing would fall into this category, but her debut novel The Ghost Sister, about a group of anthropologists trying to inconspicuously do field research on an alien-to-them planet, really strongly reminded me of Le Guin.

[jain]

Awesome! I'll definitely check The Ghost Sister out (as well as Mission Child and Air).