# Having just finished a magical realism novel I need some hard Science fiction - The hardest!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-just-finished-a-magical-realism-novel-i-need-some-hard-science-fiction-the-hardest/675116>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 30, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-just-finished-a-magical-realism-novel-i-need-some-hard-science-fiction-the-hardest/675116 "2013-11-30T02:15:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-just-finished-a-magical-realism-novel-i-need-some-hard-science-fiction-the-hardest/675116/1 "2013-11-30T02:15:15Z")

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Per this thread I just finished["Little, Big" by John Crowley](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=709036) and need some hard science fiction to get me straight. What’s the best, hardest science fiction novel you can think of? Hard like ebony wood, hard like tungsten carbide. Hard edged characters, focused plots, maybe some sex. Hard no regrets sex.

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**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-just-finished-a-magical-realism-novel-i-need-some-hard-science-fiction-the-hardest/675116/2 "2013-11-30T02:35:04Z")

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Done any [Alastair Reynolds](http://voxish.tripod.com/)? I’d say easily an 8-9 on the Mohs scale.

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**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-just-finished-a-magical-realism-novel-i-need-some-hard-science-fiction-the-hardest/675116/3 "2013-11-30T02:36:37Z")

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Oh, and I just picked up _Rainbows End_ by Vinge. Also recommended.

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**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-just-finished-a-magical-realism-novel-i-need-some-hard-science-fiction-the-hardest/675116/4 "2013-11-30T10:32:48Z")

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**Greg Egan**. From [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Egan)

> [@](#):
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> He specialises in hard science fiction stories with mathematical and quantum ontology themes, including the nature of consciousness. Other themes include genetics, simulated reality, posthumanism, mind uploading, sexuality, artificial intelligence, and the superiority of rational naturalism over religion. He is known for his tendency to deal with complex technical material, like inventive new physics and epistemology, in an unapologetically thorough manner.

You could take a look at [Schild’s Ladder](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Schilds-Ladder-Greg-Egan/dp/0575082062/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1385807470&sr=8-14&keywords=greg+egan)

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**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-just-finished-a-magical-realism-novel-i-need-some-hard-science-fiction-the-hardest/675116/5 "2013-11-30T11:31:38Z")

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I highly recommend Diaspora by Greg Egan. In the first few chapters all biological life on earth is destroyed by a gamma ray burst. Then the story begins…