Science Fiction Book Club: Discussion Questions and Sci-Fi Book Recommendations

Science Fiction Book Club Discussion Questions and SF Book Recommendations

Sci-fi books are awesome for book clubs.  They’re exciting, thought provoking, and some of the most important books of our time.  One key to a fun book club is alcohol, but the other is to get good discussion going.  Good discussion takes a little planning.  Luckily, the Drunk Guys Book Club is here to help you come up with questions.  The pan-galactic gargle blasters are your own responsibility.

The key to good discussions are questions that don’t have just one right answer.  Let people build on each other’s ideas, make connections, or even disagree and debate.

Here are some general questions that would work for most any sci-fi book:

  • What does this book say about science and technology and its effects on today’s society or the future?
  • What issues does this book raise or what predictions does this book make?
  • Is there anything the author definitely got right or definitely got wrong?  Like what?
  • How did this book influence today’s society or pop culture?  (Or was the book influenced by today’s pop culture?)
  • Is the purpose of the book to be optimistic about the future or to serve as a warning?
  • Would you make this book required reading?  Why or why not?

Questions for “classic” science fiction:

(Fahrenheit 451, anything by Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Philip K. Dick, etc)

  • Why is this book considered a classic?  Does it deserve to be?
  • Has the book aged well?  What elements hold up and which don’t?
  • Why is this book important or what is its most important idea?
  • What earlier books influenced this one?
  • How did this book influence later books?

Questions for dystopian sci-fi:

(1984, Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale, etc.)

  • What makes this world a dystopia?  What went wrong?
  • What real or hypothetical historical events might have been the inspiration for this book?  (The Nazi 3rd Reich, Stalin’s Soviet Union, etc.)
  • How possible is it that something like the dystopian world in the book could happen in real life?  What can/should be done to stop it?

Great thought-provoking books for a Science Fiction Book Club:

  • Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
  • 1984 by George Orwell
  • The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  • A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
  • Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
  • The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  • Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
  • Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
  • Dune by Frank Herbert
  • Neuromancer by Williams Gibson
  • Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
  • The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
  • A Canticle for Leibowitz  by Walter M Miller

You can listen to us drunkenly discuss some of these questions and more on the podcast here: The Handmaid’s Tale (Episode 2), Fahrenheit 451 (Episode 3), 1984 (Episode 14), A Clockwork Orange (Episode 22 ), Ready Player One (Episode 9), Hitchhiker’s Guide (Episode 24)

Check out new episodes about books of all genres on the Drunk Guys Book Club Podcast every Tuesday on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Overcast, and where ever fine podcasts can be found.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

In Episosde 23 of the Drunk Guys Book Club Podcast, we celebrate the Christmas season by reading Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.  To get in the spirit, we merrily drink an inadvisable number of beers, including: Schlafly Christmas Ale, Avery Old Jubilation Ale, Ghost by 3 Stars, Three Knocks by Beau’s, Troegs Mad Elf, 8 Maids a Milking by the Bruery (yes, that’s spelled correctly), and the former champion world’s strongest beer Samichlaus by Eggenberg. We talk about why this book made Christmas what it is, how Mike asked his wife to marry him, and a lot about Matt Lauer.

Next week: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Drunk Guys Book Club Podcast can be found on on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and where ever fine podcasts can be found.  If you’re drunk enough to enjoy the Podcast, please give us a rating.  Also, please follow us on twitter and pinterest.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

In this pumpkin-filled of The Drunk Guys Book Club Podcast, the Drunk Guys take on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving and SEVEN PUMPKIN BEERS.  Blue Point Brewing Mother Pumpkin Ale, Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Wheat, Coney Island Freaktoberfest Pumpkin Ale, Punkin Ale by Dogfish Head, Pumpking by Southern Tier, Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale, and The Fear by Flying Dog all get a tasted and compared.  Why is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow the quintessential Halloween story?  Why would anyone drink seven pumpkin beers?  Find out, and more!

Join us next week when we read American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

The Drunk Guys Book Club Podcast can be found on on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, PlayerFM and where ever fine podcasts can be found.  If you’re drunk enough to enjoy the Podcast, please give us a rating. To save time, just round up to five stars.  Also, please follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest.  There’s no excuse to miss another Drunk Guys episode, announcement, or typo!

It’s not too late to join our reading challenge – for help read how to read 100 books a year.  Also, check out the Top Five Fantasy Books and Series for Book Clubs. Maybe consider some sci-fi books and Drunk Guy approved discussion questions.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

1984 by George Orwell

In this week’s extra long Drunk Guys Book Club Podcast, we deep dive into George Orwell’s iconic 1984.  While drinking three different Rebel IPAs from Sam Adams and Founders Brewing’s Dissenter 2014, we discuss the legacy of the novel, how much Orwell predicted correctly, Norway (for barely explicable reasons), surveillance, and perhaps not surprisingly a certain world leader who is very active on social media.  All these thought crimes, and more!

Join us next week when we read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.

The Drunk Guys Book Club Podcast can be found on on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and more!

Save

Save

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

In Episode 5, the Drunk Guys discuss Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.  We ask, “Is George a good friend?” “Why is Curly’s wife such a tart?” and, “Why is this book good for students?”

The Drunk Guys Book Club Podcast can be found on on iTunes, Google PlayStitcher, PlayerFM and where ever fine podcasts can be found.  If you’re drunk enough to enjoy the Podcast, please give us a rating. To save time, just round up to five stars.  Also, please follow us on TwitterInstagramFacebook, YouTube, and Pinterest.  There’s no excuse to miss another Drunk Guys episode, announcement, or typo!

Join us next week when we read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Episode 3: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  Why should everyone read this book?  What did Ray Bradbury get right about today’s society, and what did he get wrong?  Can beer put out a fire? (kidding)  We discuss some of these questions and more in this week’s episode while drinking beer from Threes Crewing and Dogfish Head.

The Drunk Guys Book Club Podcast can be found on on iTunes, Google PlayStitcher, PlayerFM and where ever fine podcasts can be found.  If you’re drunk enough to enjoy the Podcast, please give us a rating. To save time, just round up to five stars.  Also, please follow us on TwitterInstagramFacebook, YouTube, and Pinterest.  There’s no excuse to miss another Drunk Guys episode, announcement, or typo!

Join us next week when we read Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling.

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

Welcome to the Drunk Guys Book Club Podcast, where books aren’t just for school, book clubs aren’t just for women, and beer makes everything better.  Each week, the Drunk Guys tackle a famous book while drinking craft beer matching the book, characters, themes, etc.

In our inaugural episode, we read a book you (probably) read in high school, The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. Is Holden a bitch? Should everyone read this book in high school?  Is it different reading it as a kid than as an adult? (spoiler: yes) To match the book, we drink some Not Your Father’s Ginger Ale, and some beer you probably drank in high school, Bud Heavy and Lemonade Four Loko.

The Drunk Guys Book Club Podcast can be found on on iTunes, Google PlayStitcher, PlayerFM and where ever fine podcasts can be found.  If you’re drunk enough to enjoy the Podcast, please give us a rating. To save time, just round up to five stars.  Also, please follow us on TwitterInstagramFacebook, YouTube, and Pinterest.  There’s no excuse to miss another Drunk Guys episode, announcement, or typo!

Join us next week when we read The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Also, check out our articles about science fiction book club discussion questions  and how to read 100 books a year.

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial