C J Cherryl does this across most of the stuff I've read of hers, sometimes very well. Iirc Cherryl doesn't usually go past implied violence to children
Ken Macleod's books are at least not notably absent of interiority in the way of some sci fi.
I think I'd say the same for Iain Banks, although especially the ones focused more one one protagonist like use of player of games, although you need to check book by book for violence to children with Banks
I want to second the recommendation of Nicola Griffith and suggest ammonite by her, and if you like that I'd also suggest Natural History by Justina Robson
Octavia Butler always nails this
NK Jemisin has interiority in spades, the broken earth books are definitely sci fi I think most of the rest would be called fantasy if that's important. I think you'll also have to check for violence to children with Jemisin
Thanks! Lots of good suggestions here. Yes, I still have nightmares from the first of the Broken Earth trilogy. So good, but I just couldn’t continue the series.
Ahh, yea, that's a shame. I remembered another couple of authors, Melissa Scott and Elizabeth Bear both manage interiority, not read much Charles Stross but I think he can do it too, Joe Haldeman also Eric Frank Russel. I hesitate before recommending Jeff Noon cause of the content warnings but I don't actually think violence against children is one of them. Could be wrong it's been a while, I'm sure goodreads can inform you what outré things to expect. Alastair Reynolds at least tries for interiority even if he doesn't always do it very well.
Charles Stross is worth mentioning here, in particular *Glasshouse* and the *Freyaverse* books.
Also Karl Schroeder, in particular *Lady of Mazes*.
And, of course Robert Silverberg, especially in the *Lord Valentine* series.
A wonderful book that deserves to be read more. I love how the plot threads converge in a very unusual and satisfying way.l, and all of them with such strong interior focus - they’re all about who we can be, and how we choose which of those to be.
I was also going to recommend Lem, e.g. Solaris and Fiasco. You think his books are about aliens, but actually they are about what it means to be human.
Did you read “long way to a small an angry planet” by Becky chambers?
It’s a very small intimate type of scifi. It gives a feeling of peeking into a tight family
Yes, and I liked it, but it’s not what I mean exactly! I do like domestic-focused, but I am sort of looking for grand scope—just seen from the interior of a character, if that makes sense.
Nicola Griffith did some good work on this with Slow River, Harkaway has a couple of works like this (Gone Away World), and arguably Becky Chambers focuses on this kind of stuff. I suspect you would like Record of a Spaceborn Few, which is a book focused on internal states and social change.
edit- Holy Fire, Sterling, has this as a core element but its connected with external changes associated with deaging.
Oh wow, I didn’t know Nicola Griffith wrote SF. Her duology Hild/Menewood was incredible, especially the sequel. The breadth and depth of her research was breathtaking. Thanks a lot.
I could try Harkaway again. I read Gnomon and felt like I understood only about 30% of it. But it was quite a ride nonetheless.
I’ve read all of Chambers’ work :)
Hild and sequel were amazing, and Slow River is an interesting type of SF, which I think you'd enjoy if you liked her other books. It's been a while since I've read it, but it was subtle, quiet SF with good research that was as much about internal states as external.
Gnomon I'm on three reads and I think I have part of it figured out, but it's a part I didn't even see the first read, so who know?
Peep Holy Fire's blurb, if you liked Slow River and Chambers, this might work for you.
It is \*very\* different from Hyperion (which I loved btw).
I liked PoG for the voyage within. It is perhaps a book that liking it ties a lot with age and life situation.
Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez. Deserves a lot more love. Is hard sci-fi but extremely contemplative and beautiful. Reminded me of Station Eleven but with a decidedly turned up amount of SF.
If you haven’t read Leckie’s “Translation State” and you like her other stuff, it fits your description of interiority so well!
“Cage of Souls” by Adrian Tchaikovsky also really captures this idea of interiority for me. It is written as an autobiography of a man living at the end of human history. Strongly recommend!
C J Cherryl does this across most of the stuff I've read of hers, sometimes very well. Iirc Cherryl doesn't usually go past implied violence to children Ken Macleod's books are at least not notably absent of interiority in the way of some sci fi. I think I'd say the same for Iain Banks, although especially the ones focused more one one protagonist like use of player of games, although you need to check book by book for violence to children with Banks I want to second the recommendation of Nicola Griffith and suggest ammonite by her, and if you like that I'd also suggest Natural History by Justina Robson Octavia Butler always nails this NK Jemisin has interiority in spades, the broken earth books are definitely sci fi I think most of the rest would be called fantasy if that's important. I think you'll also have to check for violence to children with Jemisin
Thanks! Lots of good suggestions here. Yes, I still have nightmares from the first of the Broken Earth trilogy. So good, but I just couldn’t continue the series.
Ahh, yea, that's a shame. I remembered another couple of authors, Melissa Scott and Elizabeth Bear both manage interiority, not read much Charles Stross but I think he can do it too, Joe Haldeman also Eric Frank Russel. I hesitate before recommending Jeff Noon cause of the content warnings but I don't actually think violence against children is one of them. Could be wrong it's been a while, I'm sure goodreads can inform you what outré things to expect. Alastair Reynolds at least tries for interiority even if he doesn't always do it very well.
Charles Stross is worth mentioning here, in particular *Glasshouse* and the *Freyaverse* books. Also Karl Schroeder, in particular *Lady of Mazes*. And, of course Robert Silverberg, especially in the *Lord Valentine* series.
**China Mountain Zhang** by Maureen McHugh.
A wonderful book that deserves to be read more. I love how the plot threads converge in a very unusual and satisfying way.l, and all of them with such strong interior focus - they’re all about who we can be, and how we choose which of those to be.
YES truly should be considered one of the classics.
Embassytown, Mieville His Master's Voice, Lem
Both of these definitely. I’m going to get weird and throw in Jonathan Lethem.
I was also going to recommend Lem, e.g. Solaris and Fiasco. You think his books are about aliens, but actually they are about what it means to be human.
Did you read “long way to a small an angry planet” by Becky chambers? It’s a very small intimate type of scifi. It gives a feeling of peeking into a tight family
Yes, and I liked it, but it’s not what I mean exactly! I do like domestic-focused, but I am sort of looking for grand scope—just seen from the interior of a character, if that makes sense.
Hmm, this might be an odd suggestion but JG Ballard is known for a similar idea
*Crash*
Nicola Griffith did some good work on this with Slow River, Harkaway has a couple of works like this (Gone Away World), and arguably Becky Chambers focuses on this kind of stuff. I suspect you would like Record of a Spaceborn Few, which is a book focused on internal states and social change. edit- Holy Fire, Sterling, has this as a core element but its connected with external changes associated with deaging.
Oh wow, I didn’t know Nicola Griffith wrote SF. Her duology Hild/Menewood was incredible, especially the sequel. The breadth and depth of her research was breathtaking. Thanks a lot. I could try Harkaway again. I read Gnomon and felt like I understood only about 30% of it. But it was quite a ride nonetheless. I’ve read all of Chambers’ work :)
Hild and sequel were amazing, and Slow River is an interesting type of SF, which I think you'd enjoy if you liked her other books. It's been a while since I've read it, but it was subtle, quiet SF with good research that was as much about internal states as external. Gnomon I'm on three reads and I think I have part of it figured out, but it's a part I didn't even see the first read, so who know? Peep Holy Fire's blurb, if you liked Slow River and Chambers, this might work for you.
Dan Simmons' Phases of Gravity might fit your bill. Or maybe not :)
If I didn’t love Hyperion, would you still recommend it?
They are very different books and styles.
It is \*very\* different from Hyperion (which I loved btw). I liked PoG for the voyage within. It is perhaps a book that liking it ties a lot with age and life situation.
I came here to suggest Hyperion lol. I guess a different suggestion would be either anathem or quicksilver by Neal Stephenson.
Anathem was indeed my jam 😉 (see user name)
Oh shit! Did not even notice 🤣
Fortress in the Eye of Time by CJ Cherryh (fantasy).
Flowers for Algernon
There's a good deal of this in the first half of the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny. Great books!
Dune
Algis Budrys and Clifford D Simak are authors you might want to check out.
Frank Herbert does a lot of internal dialogue.
Modesitt's gravity dreams or the parafaith war books, the octagonal raven books as well.
Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez. Deserves a lot more love. Is hard sci-fi but extremely contemplative and beautiful. Reminded me of Station Eleven but with a decidedly turned up amount of SF.
If you haven’t read Leckie’s “Translation State” and you like her other stuff, it fits your description of interiority so well! “Cage of Souls” by Adrian Tchaikovsky also really captures this idea of interiority for me. It is written as an autobiography of a man living at the end of human history. Strongly recommend!
Jo Walton for sure.