Science Fiction with Strong/Compelling Characters

[The Scribbling Man]

I feel like this has a come up a few times on different threads and it's an interesting talking point. Science Fiction is commonly regarded as something that leaves behind characterisation in favour of ideas. I think this is a fair criticism and cardboard cutouts are common. I think it is a hard thing to avoid when the emphasis moves towards the ideas and having them explored thoroughly, though that isn't necessarily a justification.

What are some examples of science fiction that have managed to maintain this balance? I.e. books that manage to explore interesting ideas and maintain good character development without shifting the focus too much way from the "science fiction" (or simply using a sci-fi-esque world as a backdrop for drama).

These two came to my mind recently:

The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester - it's a short book and quite surreal, but the central protagonist a bit of a villain. A despicable character that you nonetheless root for, which immediately makes him intriguing. The concept/plot that is central also revolves around a dream he has, and hints at something very personal.

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman - This explores well the relationship between two characters amidst the backdrop of military science fiction, but the war and the relationship is linked to and heavily impacted by time dilation. I remember finding it surprisingly emotive.


That's just off the top of my head. I can't say I feel like I've read many successful examples, and sometimes I think there are attempts to build relational dynamics that still feel underdeveloped, forced or 2 dimensional (I would give the romance element in The End of Eternity as an example of that, as well as many of Simak's works).

 

[CTRandall]

Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon. For most of the book, Ofelia is the only human character. She is utterly unique in my reading experience. The end of the novel doesn't quite work, as the secondary characters that appear are pretty much cardboard cutouts. Still, it was well worth the read. Beyond Ofelia herself, the conundrum posed by the aliens she meets is also interesting. Some people might find it a slow read, especially as the stakes don't become clear until rather late in the book.

 

[BigBadBob141]

Demolished and Forever, two good choices, I enjoyed them a lot, both would be in my top fifty.

 

[Randy M.]

Gateway by Fred Pohl. Been a long while since I read it, but Robinette Broadhead sticks with me.

Davy by Edgar Pangborn. Strong characters, the s.f. element might be a bit weak for some readers, though.

 

[BigBadBob141]

To be honest I recently re-read Gateway and sadly found it somewhat boring, especially the parts with the robot therapist, but must have a go at the rest of the Heechee series soon.
Really enjoyed "The Coming Of The Quantum Cats", "Black Star Rising" & "Homegoing".

 

[Vince W]

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds. Or Chasm City for that matter.

 

[Randy M.]

To be honest I recently re-read Gateway and sadly found it somewhat boring, especially the parts with the robot therapist, but must have a go at the rest of the Heechee series soon.
Really enjoyed "The Coming Of The Quantum Cats", "Black Star Rising" & "Homegoing".

Well, it's one of those I should get back to, I suppose, to see if it holds up for me.

 

[Parson]

I really feel like I got to know Honor Harrington. The first book, On Basilisk Station, is probably the best of the lot for characterization, especially as we get to know Alistair the first Mate. But the earliest books (through book 6 Flag in Exile) have characters which really have stayed with me.

 

[tachyon]

Flat characters and simplistic motivations aren't a big turn-off for me but I can also appreciate a well rounded character. Some of the fun of SF is that it can be more about ideas and setting than about people. You can read about people anywhere.

That being said, it all depends on what you're reading.

Gideon the Ninth, the main character in Gideon the Ninth (Tamsyn Muir) is a strong and compelling rude angry fun character.(Science fantasy but it counts IMHO.)

The characters in All City by Alex DiFrancesco are fully realized, compelling and strong in their various ways.

The inner life of the Mahit Dzmare, the main character in A Memory Called Empire is one of the main plot points of the book (Arkady Martine).

Similarly, Murderbot's personality is a major part of the Murderbot Diaries series (Martha Wells).

I find Adrian Tchaikovsky's characters pretty interesting in the Children of Time series.

Thinking of others but keep pinging fantasy novels so I'll stop here.

 

[The Scribbling Man]

Plenty here I'm not familiar with. I'll need to look at some of these!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Bujold’s Vorkosigan saga

 

[Astro Pen]

Kerans in The Drowned World and Traven in The Terminal Beach. by Ballard.
And also Douglas Spaulding in Bradbury's Dandelion Wine. I don't think it is possible to read that story without to an extent becoming that boy, or at least finding the reflection of ones own childhood in him.

 

[The Scribbling Man]

^^ Drowned World has been on my shelf to read for years. I really should get on reading that.

 

[Toby Frost]

William Gibson's novels spring to mind. Likewise Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes. I couldn't name many characters in Iain M Bank's Culture books, but there were some strong characters.

 

[Mlex]

Shockwave Rider (Brunner) was interesting. And Iron Dragon's Daughter (Swanwick). I personally like some pulpy, campy characters, like Barbee in Darker than You Think (Williamson), Valentine in Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein) and the mad princes of Amber (Zelazny).

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Definitely the Sprawl trilogy, as Toby has mentioned above.
I would add: Heliconia trilogy by Brian Aldiss - the perfect synthesis of human characters and epic SF world-building.
The Book of the New Sun
Dune
The Silver Metal Lover
Schizmatrix

 

[Toby Frost]

Very good call on Dune there.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

A benchmark in SF. Still fab.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Very good call on Dune there.

Especially Dune Messiah, which is much stronger in terms of character interactions I thought. The Preacher

Spoiler: Spoiler for a 50 year old book....

Spoiler: Spoiler for a 50 year old book....

The Preacher turns out to be Muab'Dib

and Alia's relationships in particular are memorable.

 

[Toby Frost]

A benchmark in SF. Still fab.

I tend to think of it as "Gormenghast in space" - not quite accurate, but I think the Fenrings and Doctor Prunsquallor would have got on very well!