[Magodo]

It might be just me, but I think reading hard sci-fi is much more educational and memorable, not to mention entertaining, than non fiction

Spoilers for Three Body Problem: For instance, I can never forget the way the Alcubierre drive is explained in the final book, or the benefits of particle accelerator with the circumference of the asteroid belt

[JadeNB]

> It might be just me, but I think reading hard sci-fi is much more educational and memorable, not to mention entertaining, than non fiction.

Memorable and entertaining seem very likely, but I think one has to be extremely careful with one's sci-fi that what one remembers is real science rather than just what makes for good fiction—there's often a tension, and even a very scientifically literate author can, and probably should, opt for the one that makes for good fiction.

[gmadsen]

even hard sci-fi is going to make concessions for the sake of the story. I really don't understand how something that has no obligation to be factual can be more educational..

[iainmerrick]

I’m sure you’re not alone in that, but I recommend giving non-fiction a chance too! There’s some great stuff out there, sometimes as entertaining and memorable as fiction.

Carlo Rovelli (whose new book is reviewed here) is well worth a try; his writing is really poetic and striking.

Another really interesting kind of semi-fictionalised history I recommend is Francis Spufford’s Red Plenty.