Source
r/LightNovels•
celerym

Well written, mature sci-fi light novel recommendations?

Recommend

I’ve recently binged a bunch of isekai and fantasy LNs and I’m seriously running out of stuff to read. I’m considering switching to reading more traditional books but I’m surely missing out on good LNs. So I’d really be grateful for some recommendations along the lines of the post title.

As a reference this is the sort of stuff I found good, but I obviously need to spread out my reading genres a bit.

Brilliant: Ascendance of a Bookworm Mushoku Tensei

Good: Eminence in Shadow The Seven Spellblades The World’s Fastest Level Up Disciple of the Lich

Decent: Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess (first volume is good and pretty funny, but gets really formulaic onwards) Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers Torture Princess MagiRevo (anime outshines the LN) The Survived Alchemist The Great Cleric

Junk food: I’m the Evil Lord of the Intergalactic Empire Berserk of Gluttony

Not reading because prefer to watch the anime: Slime, Overlord, Re:Zero

Non-LN books I like: Slaughterhouse 5 (a bit depressing), 1984 (also depressing), A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami (really good), The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, Fahrenheit 451

Posted Apr 3, 2023, 12:00 PM UTC

1738
ggx-2•

Crest of the Stars (and its sequel Banner of the Stars). It's not exceptional in the plot department, but it is probably the hardest sci-fi you can reasonably find in LN space, delving into societal evolution of spacefaring only nation and stuff like that.

And it's worth mentioning that, unfortunately, new books in the series release at a very slow pace due to author's poor health.

15
Puiucs•

i second this :)

check the longer list i gave the OP maybe you'll find something you like too.

1
SecondRealitySims•

Eighty Six maybe?

14
GeorgeMTO•

Rebuild World might be something you'd enjoy?

13
Puiucs•

Many of what you listed are just regular fantasy, not sci-fi. Here are a few titles that can fit in the sci-fi genre:

Full Metal Panic! - This is a great place to start. A classic and really well written.

Crest of the Stars and Banner of the Stars - Another old classic and it's amazingly well written.

I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary - Nice junk food. I enjoyed it a lot. Be warned that it is seinen and the MC has a harem (wink wink).

Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii desu ka? - This is a shorter one, but still very good.

Chrome Shelled Regios - Ignore the anime, the novels are really good and it's also complete.

86 - I've heard it's good and the anime was popular. on my to read list.

Heavy Object - It's a fun read, but not really "mature".

A Certain Magical Index + A Certain Scientific Railgun - Another good classic. Less mature, more shounen.

The Irregular at Magic High School - This can be another nice sci-fi + magic light novel for you. A bit more mature than Index.

The World of Otome Games is Tough For Mobs - i enjoyed the anime. it's on my to read list.

The Galactic Navy Officer becomes an Adventurer - Not great, but it can still be good enough depending on your taste.

Log Horizon - Although not really sci-fi (fantasy, trapped in an MMO), it's still one of the best you can read in this type of setting.

Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon - Known to be very long which is why it's still on my to read list. generally positive reviews.

​

I hope you like the list i've made for you. The first two are a must for any sci-fi fan.

8
Random16indian69•

A bit of a spoiler (and warning) if you're coming from Otome Mob anime to the LN >!Leon can get really frustrating with his clueless actions towards a few particular girls in later volumes, atleast until I dropped it midway Vol 6. Vol 5 in particular had a few scenes that made me feel like hating his actions...or non-actions that made one girl suffer until it was too late IMO.!< So yes, just keep it in mind.

2
Puiucs•

thanks. but since it is a spoiler i won't read that. i'll find out by myself if the LN is actually something i'll like or not :)

3
Random16indian69•

It's not a very specific spoiler but about the general direction Leon's character goes through, but I totally understand if you don't want to read it.

1
Puiucs•

if he becomes unbearable to read then i have no problem dropping it.

but if the beginning is decent then it's still going to be worth trying it.

1
Plenty_Potato3791•

Wasn't Chrome Shelled Regios bad because of some kind of protagonist abandonment,unclear plot and depression what not?

1
Puiucs•

The novels were good in my opinion. It was well written and even though it did indeed have some flaws, it wasn't a problem. And i don't remember being an issue with "depression", i think this was more of an anime issue which deviated a lot from the novels.

The plot did linger on with the "mystery" a bit too long, but the moment to moment action made up for it.

I really liked the ending of the novels.

1
Zeteni_•

Rebuild World and D-Genesis.

The former is post apocalypse sci-fi and the latter is present Earth sci-fi/litRPG (sorta).

5
NekoCatSidhe•

Otherside Picnic is my favourite Light Novel series after Ascendance of a Bookworm. It is technically weird science fiction in the style of the Strugatsky Brothers and Stanislaw Lem, although it is often closer to Lovecraftian horror.

5
This-Detective5579•

Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Basing this off the anime but I've heard there's a light novel

4
mossflowered•

There is, it's ten volumes. The first three are also in audiobook format and very good, imo. The physical edition of the novels may be hard to find, but digital versions are pretty easy to find on Kindle and Google Playbooks. I haven't finished reading them myself but I've been watching the older 80s anime on HiDive and there's a newer remake on Crunchyroll.

Suffice to say, I'm seconding this recommendation lol

2
HoJohnJo•

This is what I came to recommend.

1
ALuizCosta•

"Qualia the Purple" is a good short light novel with sophisticated science fiction. "Otherside Picnic" is a light novel on the edge of science fiction loosely based on "Roadside Picnic", a Soviet science fiction classic by brothers Arkadi and Boris Strugatsky. Both have yuri character and are not space sci-fi though.

4
PostItNoteDuck•

For sci-fi light novel you could try Hello World.

4
ACAFWD•

86 is very good and it sounds like you’d like it. It also has a very good anime, though I wouldn’t expect future seasons.

4
DanteSM456•

Murasakiiro no Qualia

3
DveloIsMyIGNEstLS•

Definitely try Rebuild World.

Also, there's a thread where the OP asking people's 3 most favorite novel, and some of them that has ascendance of a bookworm and MT, listed Min-Maxing My TRPG Build too.

As a fan of MT and Ascendance (haven't read the LN tho) Min-max is one of my favorite LN in recent time too. Definitely give it a try, don't mind the stupid sounding title lol.

2
Zeteni_•

I didn't list MT as one of my top three, though I have read a fair amount of it, but I'm amazed at just how common it is for people to list MT and Bookworm as a favorite and that that in turn also highly correlates to enjoyment of TRPG. Definitely the case that someone who likes both should give the third a shot.

1
nosolovro•

your forma

2
JoyousTofu•

Have you read Mado Nozaki’s books? Hello World and Titan are both licensed in English.

2
Beautiful_Sky1626•

I don't know if it has been translated into English, but I recommend the following

イリヤの空 UFOの夏

人類は衰退しました

神は沈黙せず

The first two have animated adaptations

2
AmberBroccoli•

For sci-fi I really liked the first volume of your forma. Haven’t read past it yet though

2
SickleStars•

Haven't seen it mentioned yet but I really recommend the Vivy Prototype novels! It reminds me a lot of some classic sci-fi (like dealing with the morality of AI) with an anime twist on it. They're really fun and I've been enjoying them a lot.

I also second Your Forma and Otherside Picnic.

2
Zeus67•

Licensed:

86 is a mature, sometimes depressing, military sci-fi LN series. Not Isekai

Record of Wortenia War: Fantasy and military. Isekai

The Mythical Hero Otherworld Chronicles" Fantasy with political and military themes. Isekai

The Ideal Sponger Life: Fantasy with political intrigue. Isekai

The Faraway Paladin. Fantasy Adventure. Isekai

To Another World with Land mines. Fantasy Adventure. Isekai. This series has a nice deconstruction of Isekai tropes.

Failure Frame. A more adult version of Arifureta but without an OP MC.

Unlicensed:

The New Gate. Fantasy, adventure. Isekai. Note: the manga is licensed, but the LN are not.

Gate - Jietai. Just be aware that this is heavy with Japanese nationalism.

Shadow Hero's Everyday Life. This is a teenager school life story that surprisingly has adult themes. It deals with vengeance, betrayals, persecution, etc.

2
alanhpereira•

Reborn as a space mercenary

2
Kaillens•

Well, if you want sci fi and Isekai,

I would say the legendary mechanics is worth his shot.

2