# I need the BEST non-depressing sci-fi **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 7, 2008, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574 "2008-11-07T01:34:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/21 "2008-11-07T07:56:01Z")
One that hasn’t been mentioned so far is [Fire Upon the Deep](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep) by Vernor Vinge. Lots of bigs ideas, well written and a definite lack of titillation. Should fit into your list nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/22 "2008-11-07T08:14:29Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > On the other hand, maybe that isn’t what he needs right now. At any rate: advise.) Neal Asher: polity series Anything by Jack McDevitt Declan ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/23 "2008-11-07T13:03:12Z")
Lots of older stuff is pretty good and upbeat, but much of it is out of print Isaac Asimov’s short fiction I’ve always liked the short, twist-ended stuff from the 1950s by \*\*Fredric Brown Robert Sheckley Theodore Cogswell William Tenn\*\* I m sure you could find their stuff at Amazon or Alibris or something. Sometimes the stories involve depressing aspects, but they’re witty and worth the read. Heck, all of Heinlein’s juveniles are optimistic and pretty upbeat, and they make you think. Henry Kuttner’s **Robots Have no Tails** – dated but witty Larry Niven and David Gerrold’s **The Flying Sorcerors** – Magic vs. Science with copious SF in-jokes. And the story’s well-written, too. I don’t see any Arthur C. Clarke listed, aside from Childhood’s End, which you downplay. I always thought that was ovcerrated, too, to tell the truth, but what about Clarke’s other stuff? **Rendezvous with Rama** is great (just don’t read the sequels)or **Fountains of Paradise**. Or Clarke’s shorter stuff from the fifties – **Earthlight** , **The Other Side of the Sky** , **Tales from the White Hart** , etc. Where does Philip Jose Farmer fall in your ranking? Do his **Riverworld** books qualify as depressing, or not? Or Jack Chalker’s **Well World** books? ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/24 "2008-11-07T13:12:50Z")
Seconding the **Riverworld** series. I don’t remember them as being especially depressing. By the way – what a nice thought, to help another person in this manner! ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/25 "2008-11-07T13:15:46Z")
Keith Laumer’s [Retief](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retief) series is definately not depressing and I enjoyed it a lot. You can read some at the [Baen Free Library](http://www.baen.com/library/). ---
**Author:** ![Galwegian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galwegian/32/3426_2.png) [@Galwegian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galwegian)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/26 "2008-11-07T13:32:42Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > One that hasn’t been mentioned so far is [Fire Upon the Deep](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep) by Vernor Vinge. Lots of bigs ideas, well written and a definite lack of titillation. Should fit into your list nicely. Even better: Vernor Vinge’s _A Deepness in the Sky_. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/27 "2008-11-07T13:41:38Z")
Most of my big suggestions have already been hit… > [@Andy\_L](#): > > Doomsday Book is depressing, but Connie Willis does write a lot of funny stuff that might be suitable - “To Say Nothing of the Dog” and “Bellwether” for example. I’ve found that Willis works best as a short story writer. There is a just released fairly massive collection of the bulk of the short fiction work titled _The Winds of Marble Arch_ which features about seven hundred pages of her stories. > [@jsgoddess](#): > > Hmm. I just read [Spin](http://www.amazon.com/Spin-Robert-Charles-Wilson/dp/0765309386) by Robert Charles Wilson. I found it maybe a little depressing in parts, but nothing that caused me to cry (and I cry a lot at books) or feel like throwing myself in front of a bus. And it was interesting. Note: I tend to have very strong emotional reactions, so this book would probably be safe. I loved _Spin_ (it’s one of the few big idea SF books where when they get around to explaining the big idea at the end it doesn’t fall to pieces; in fact it makes things get even bigger), but it is about a family being torn apart as the world slowly comes to an end. > [@Declan](#): > > Anything by Jack McDevitt I was actually thinking of _Seeker_ myself since it is reasonably well written and fairly uplifting. McDevitt piles the coincidences on a bit thick but in the end I think he earned them in the book. For one unmentioned in the thread I’d say Elizabeth Moon’s _The Speed of Dark_. The use of an autistic man as a viewpoint character is done well and the conflicts at the heart of the book are very interesting. A challenge in this is going with “well-written” and “not depressing” since most of the “well-written” SF I can think of has some theme or structure that could set someone off no matter how uplifting it is in the end… ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/28 "2008-11-07T13:42:00Z")
Well, how about the Fuzzy series, or ho ho hokas, or to arm bears … hazy on the authors, Im at work and cant really surf around ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/29 "2008-11-07T14:17:11Z")
Fuzzies - H. Beam Piper Hokas - Poul Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson To Arm Bears - Dickson again. (I’ve been reading too much John Ringo and David Weber lately to come up with any other suggestion. They blow things up real good.) ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/30 "2008-11-07T14:45:17Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Not to bump - but I just thought, what about C. J. Cherryh’s Foreigner books? Or her stand-alones, _Cuckoo’s Egg_ and _Serpent’s Reach_. (The former covers similar ground as the Foreigner series.) How about Dan Simmons’ _Hyperion_? It can be read as a stand-alone as much as Dune can, for those who object to the later books. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/31 "2008-11-07T14:58:25Z")
> [@Just\_Some\_Guy](#): > > I’ve found that Willis works best as a short story writer. There is a just released fairly massive collection of the bulk of the short fiction work titled _The Winds of Marble Arch_ which features about seven hundred pages of her stories. I love Connie Willis, but she’s either hilarious or depressing as hell, and that excellent short story collection has some of both. > [@Lightray](#): > > How about Dan Simmons’ _Hyperion_? It can be read as a stand-alone as much as Dune can, for those who object to the later books. I also love Dan Simmons, but I wouldn’t give \*Hyperion \*to a depressed religious person. I looked through my sci-fi collection for cheerful books, and you know, it’s not really a cheerful genre. Something fluffy like the Honor Harrington books might actually be a good choice. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/32 "2008-11-07T15:52:05Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > I looked through my sci-fi collection for cheerful books, and you know, it’s not really a cheerful genre. Why IS that? Most of my lack of enthusiasm for sf is the grim grimness of so many of the stories. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/33 "2008-11-07T16:21:05Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Doomsday Book is depressing, but Connie Willis does write a lot of funny stuff that might be suitable - “To Say Nothing of the Dog” and “Bellwether” for example. Connie Willis was the first thought when I read the OP. I just read Bellwether and was chuckling (and slouching) all the way through it. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/34 "2008-11-07T17:34:55Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > I also love Dan Simmons, but I wouldn’t give \*Hyperion \*to a depressed religious person. Huh. It wasn’t until the second book that I thought it became rather brutally anti-religion. The Hoyt/Duré story wasn’t too hostile to religion, although it touches on loss of faith. And Sol’s story, of course, is resolved solely on faith (again, after touching on loss of faith). ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/35 "2008-11-07T17:39:19Z")
_Hitchhikers’ Guide_ goes without saying, right? Other suggestions: the last line is kind of a downer, but the most hilarious SF short story I’ve ever read is [They’re Made Out of Meat](http://www.setileague.org/articles/meat.htm), by Terry Bisson. Now, this is not SF. I’m not really sure what to call it - hilarious fantasy religious horror? But [The Stupidest Angel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stupidest_Angel) will make you bust a gut laughing, and is likely to appeal to geeky types. I hope your friend feels better soon. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/36 "2008-11-07T17:56:04Z")
> [@](#): > > flaming nerd Band Name! That is my feeble contribution to this SciFi Nerdgasm discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/37 "2008-11-07T19:06:27Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > Huh. It wasn’t until the second book that I thought it became rather brutally anti-religion. The Hoyt/Duré story wasn’t too hostile to religion, although it touches on loss of faith. And Sol’s story, of course, is resolved solely on faith (again, after touching on loss of faith). I’ve read them back-to-back a couple of times, so maybe I’m conflating the two. Also I loaned \*Hyperion \*to a fairly religious friend once and he was offended, and I felt bad. Anyway, I think it’s a pretty dark book. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/38 "2008-11-07T19:07:27Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Why IS that? Most of my lack of enthusiasm for sf is the grim grimness of so many of the stories. I have a couple of theories there: First, it’s easier to have a conflict if you at least start out grim. In speculative fiction (to extend beyond just science fiction) where story often winds up tangled with setting you get dystopias. Second, a lot of people equate being serious with being grim and this isn’t just true of SF; look at people drawn to Shakespearean tragedies rather than comedies. Third, it was mandated by OpalCat and we just can’t escape her all-seeing, grimness secret police. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/39 "2008-11-07T19:17:56Z")
Not exactly SciFi, more fantasy, but still pretty good: Any of the **Dresden Files** books by Jim Butcher. J. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574/40 "2008-11-08T15:56:41Z")
Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers by Harry Harrison. Its a comedic send up of S.F. adventure/space opera books so it fulfills your criteria,S.F. which makes you laugh and it sounds like he could do with a laugh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-best-non-depressing-sci-fi/471574.md?page=3)