Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?

6 pointsposted 12 hours ago
by superconduct123

Item id: 46128404

11 Comments

delichon

an hour ago

"Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus" by Mary Shelley. The themes in this book are more relevant now than at any time since publication in 1818, and to nobody more than ML coders.

vismit2000

2 hours ago

'Stories of your Life and Others' and 'Exhalation' - by Ted Chiang. In his short stories, he introduces advanced concepts from mathematics, philosophy, and computer science in a way that’s subtly woven into captivating narratives.

LarryMade2

7 hours ago

These are all entertaining:

Definitely the Wizardry series by Rick Cook

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/rick-cook/wizardry/

Programming meets magical realms

James Hogan

Inherit the Stars - Has supercomputers but not main characters

Code of the Lifemaker Has Ancient Tech evolving into a robotic society

Two Faces of Tomorrow - humans trying to get along with AI

D.F.Jones

Colossus, the Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and the Crab

Humans creating machines to protect humanity (computers have different idea) and the rebellion, and a new threat.

A Logic Names Joe - radioplay of short story.

https://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusO...

The internet and AI long before the internet and AI.

David Gerrold - When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One - and other tales involving Artificial Super Intelligence

William Gibson - Neuromancer and related - Cyberpunk series, the Difference Engine - a Steampunk technology tale.

LarryMade2

7 hours ago

Fred Saberhagen

Octagon - an AI backdoor created by the early inventors of computers is inadvertently "activated" by a youth.

netcoyote

10 hours ago

The Vorkosigan Series, by Louise McMasters Bujold. She’s won six (!!!) Hugo awards for her writing, and as Anne McCaffery says, “Boy, can she write”.

Space opera with warfare, intrigue, politics, drama, and world building.

austin-cheney

an hour ago

Eon by Greg Bear.

A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge.

GrumpyYoungMan

10 hours ago

Terry Pratchett's Going Postal seems particularly apropos these days as we have Reacher Gilts aplenty in tech news headlines.

Obscure and a bit dated but Bruce Betkhe's Head Crash is hilarious if you've been deeply immersed in the software industry.

bediger4000

11 hours ago

Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson

bigyabai

12 hours ago

Library of Babel, Borges

dtagames

12 hours ago

Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, himself a programmer.