Sci-Fi Reading List: Outer Space through the Lens of Fiction

As NASA crashes a spacecraft into an asteroid, a move right out of 1990s sci-fi, Kunzum launches a reading list of fiction that explores the realm of outer space. By Paridhi Badgotri

This week’s news looks right out of the 1998 movie Armageddon. NASA has crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid in an attempt to alter its trajectory (except this particular space rock is not headed for a collision with Earth). Life does imitate art. Before another sci-fi plot line takes the shape of reality, Kunzum gives you a reading list of fiction works that probe the deepest mysteries of outer space.

Sc-Fi Reading List

Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem

One of Lem’s best-known works, Solaris travels with a crew of scientists to study life on an alien planet. The planet Solaris seems to exist in the form of an organic ocean with mysterious and possibly intelligent lifeforms. The novel deals with psychological manipulation and the inability of humans to communicate with other beings.

The Martian, by Andy Weir

Andy Weir takes you on the lonesome journey of Mark Watney, one of the first people to step on Mars. His crew leaves him on the red planet, thinking him dead. Chances are that he won’t survive in the hostile environment with damaged machinery and a looming threat of starvation. But Mark refuses to quit.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

The first book in a trilogy, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the saga of Arthur Dent, who wanders in the universe after the destruction of Earth, with an alien travel writer and a crew of eccentricities, such as a two-headed galactic president. Adams mocks modern society through the journey peppered with his signature wit and representation of abnormal beings.

Dune, by Frank Herbert

Set on a desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of an inhospitable planet and the regime put in charge of it. When House Atreides is betrayed and destroyed, its sole surviving heir, Paul Atreides, goes on an epic journey of transformation and discovery. This 1965 story has found a whole new set of readers following its movie adaptation featuring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya.

Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card

Earth’s future is threatened by a hostile alien race’s attack, and government agencies are breeding soldiers to prepare for war. With an imperilled humankind, the war with the alien species called ‘buggers’ goes on for a hundred years. Will Andrew Ender, the newly hired soldier, be able to rebuild the planet if he survives?

You can find all the books on this extraterrestrial reading list at Kunzum bookstores.