Top 15 Sci-Fi Books To Read (so says Sun Media)

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

Ender's Game is utterly amazing. Hyperion is very good space opera, too--it's more of a collection of novellas which get tied up. One of my favourite villains, and I enjoyed the sequels more, I think. The Mars trilogy is pretty good. Oryx and Crake had a very 1984ish feel, and I enjoyed it.

I agree with others that this is a pretty common list, and if I were to try and stray away from what you might find commonly find on such lists, but are also worth reading: American Gods, The Forever War, Caves of Steel, The Stars My Destination, Snow Crash, The Thrawn trilogy (Star Wars, if you're into that), Wind-up Girl.

loved Snow Crash, so many great characters. i tried to read another one of Neal Stephenson's books Cryptonomicon, but it's such a different beast. way too hard to follow the story

[photon]

I really liked Stephen Baxter (though his newer alternate history stuff doesn't interest me, I'm a hard sci-fi guy).

What about newer authors? Alastair Reynolds is great, I went through his books like a wildfire.

[sevenarms]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

loved Snow Crash, so many great characters. i tried to read another one of Neal Stephenson's books Cryptonomicon, but it's such a different beast. way too hard to follow the story

If you liked Snow Crash then read Stephenson's The Diamond Age.

Also, I would also recommend Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. It's more of a sci-fi/noir hybrid although the sequels don't live up to it.

For short stories check out Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang.

This thread has provided me a solid sci-fi reading list and pretty much all are at the library. Get your card, it's only $12!

[troutman]

I also like some new writers like Hamilton, Reynolds, Bacigalupi, Mieville. Some of the new SF I find too far-fetched - in the not too distant future, humans are basically scattered across the galaxy, basically immortal, psychic or downloaded into the internet. More fantasy, than science fiction.

Ben Bova's Grand Tour series seems more plausible. A good story teller, but a bit cheesy at times. One of his female protagonists often describes cool things as "cosmic".

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by DownInFlames

I've tried to get into Lucifer's Hammer a couple of times. Does it just start slow or is the pacing the same throughout?

It definitely picks up. The book has three acts. Pre-impact, impact, and post-impact. Pre-impact is slower than the other two.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by troutman

I also like some new writers like Hamilton, Reynolds, Bacigalupi, Mieville. Some of the new SF I find too far-fetched - in the not too distant future, humans are basically scattered across the galaxy, basically immortal, psychic or downloaded into the internet. More fantasy, than science fiction.

Ben Bova's Grand Tour series seems more plausible. A good story teller, but a bit cheesy at times. One of his female protagonists often describes cool things as "cosmic".

I found the bold an issue with much older sci-fi as well. In 100 years we are supposed to have colonized how many other star systems? We haven't even gone to Mars in the time many of them figured it would take to get to Alpha Centauri. And as much as I love Larry Niven and Heinlein, making characters psychic is stupid imho.

[Puppet Guy]

I've always like Frank Herbert's non-Dune stuff as well. Destination: Void is a good read.

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

It's a shame Herbert never finished the Dune series but I had the impression that he would have dragged it out as long as possible.

[JerzeeGirl]

Originally Posted by Julio

Pretty much agree with a loot of the choices, although I would have probably chosen "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" for Heinlein. I'd boot out Battlefield Earth, and put in as my dark horse pic either "Starseed" by Spider Robinson (although more of a novella)o r "Lord Valentine's Castle" (if it is si-fi enough). A personal favorite that probably isn't on a lot of people's list is Moving Mars by Greg Bear.

I'm more surprised that they didn't select Heinlein's "Stranger In A Strange Land" over "Starship Troopers", personally. I've read all his books (he was my first absolute fave sci-fi guy) and SIASL is among the best out there.

I'd take "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" or "Friday" over "Starship Troopers" too - and as per usual the book's MUCH better than movie.

I keep hoping they'd re-make "The Pupper Masters" by Heinlein again and keep it closer to the actual story - that was a good one that just needed Hollywood to not eff it up as much as they did. (Then again Falling Skies has some similarities to TPM...)

[para transit fellow]

Armour: John Steakley

Altered Carbon: Richard Morgan (first of a trilogy)

[old-fart]

Battlefield Earth was a very long book. The first maybe 5 chapters were ok - certainly not great. The rest of the book was as interesting and exciting as watching paint dry. The ONLY reason it is on that list is because Scientologists are convinced that everything the prophet (profit?) Elron wrote is brilliant, and they buy the garbage in droves. From a "number of copies sold" perspective, it is likely easily in the top 15. From a quality of literature perspective, it is right up there with the Xenu story.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Super Nintendo Chalmers

It's a shame Herbert never finished the Dune series but I had the impression that he would have dragged it out as long as possible.

Yeah, Chapterhouse: Dune was.. different. though that would still have been far better than the garbage his son is pumping out.

[photon]

Oh and one funny sci-fi tie-in I found is in the Simpsons mobile game Tapped Out, when you build Cletus' Farm one of the crops you can grow (in addition to tomacco) is triffids.. and instead of listing the money and xp you get it says "End of Humanity". Made me chuckle, though I'm kind of scared to plant it.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by old-fart

Battlefield Earth was a very long book. The first maybe 5 chapters were ok - certainly not great. The rest of the book was as interesting and exciting as watching paint dry. The ONLY reason it is on that list is because Scientologists are convinced that everything the prophet (profit?) Elron wrote is brilliant, and they buy the garbage in droves. From a "number of copies sold" perspective, it is likely easily in the top 15. From a quality of literature perspective, it is right up there with the Xenu story.

Every internet vote for the best books are spammed by Scientologists and libertarians. Take the 100 best novels list by Modern Library.

1. ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand
2. THE FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand
3. BATTLEFIELD EARTH by L. Ron Hubbard
4. THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien
5. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee
6. 1984 by George Orwell
7. ANTHEM by Ayn Rand
8. WE THE LIVING by Ayn Rand
9. MISSION EARTH by L. Ron Hubbard
10. FEAR by L. Ron Hubbard

http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/

[Cowperson]

Loved Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars - read about 2000 pages of paperback twice - and Foundation, I' Robot, The Time Machine, War Of The Worlds, Peter F. Hamilton . . . . The Martian Chronicles was really my first exposure to Sci Fi. Loved Dune but not so much the successor novels. The Forever War is a great one. And on . . . .

Some eclectic choices that aren't on the lists usually . . . .

"The Risen Empire" and "The Killing Of Worlds" by Scott Westerfield - this was a single manuscript cut into two books. Occasionally shows up on some "Best Of . . . " lists.

http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/200...tt_westerfeld/

I like multi-book series of Space Opera to pass the time . . .

"Saga Of The Seven Suns" - seven books and completely shamelessly leaving a cliffhanger at the end of each, forcing you to buy the next. And you will.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Saga_of_Seven_Suns

The Coyote series is interesting reading. Five books and three other spinoffs.

http://sfbook.com/coyote-series.htm

Lots of others . . . . .

Completely cheap science fiction but seems to find its way onto the New York Times Bestseller list is The Lost Fleet series. Ten books to read here.

The Retrieval Artist series by Kathryn Busch.

Anything by William C Dietz is pretty humourous and easy to read. "Runner" and "Logos Run" were fun to read.

Jack McDevitt is usually a quality read.

Kindle is good for $2.99 science fiction space opera. Classic Sci-Fi? No. Fun? Yes.

Lots of others.

Cowperson

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Dune books 1-6 trumps this list and stomps on it. I try and re-read this series every few years and think the world of it.
Ender's Game yes.
Almost anything by Heinlein yes.
For Asimov I preferred the Foundation series to I, Robot.
Haven't read Do Androids Dream but everything I've read of Philip K Dyck has been golden. A Scanner Darkly and the Man in the High Castle are both excellent.

Neuromancer was meh to me. I wouldn't put it in my top list.

I've got Hyperion and Ringworld sitting in boxes, haven't gotten to them yet.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by troutman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Left_Hand_of_Darkness

Oh yeah. Ursula K. Leguin is an amazing sci-fi author. Been impressed with several of her books including The Left Hand of Darkness

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

I think Orwell just rolled over in his grave after seeing 1984 labeled as "Scifi." WTF?

I'm a big fan of the Foundation Series by Asimov. Admittedly though I've not read much in the way of science fiction.

[Burninator]

I'll mention some not on the list (nor of same caliber) that I've enjoyed.

Ready Player One by Ernst Cline
Action packed read. Mix of Sci-Fi and video games.

Contact by Carl Sagan
Sci-Fi-Light I guess. But I enjoyed it.

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
Big fan of this book.

Friday by Robert A. Heinlein
Liked this better than the Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Good read that isn't a tomb like most of his work.

[Sr. Mints]

Originally Posted by Cowperson

I like multi-book series of Space Opera to pass the time . . .

"Saga Of The Seven Suns" - seven books and completely shamelessly leaving a cliffhanger at the end of each, forcing you to buy the next. And you will.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Saga_of_Seven_Suns

Ha. Yep.

Hidden Empire was great, I tore through it in two or three days. Each subsequent book in the series dropped in quality, and by the time I got to book seven, It took me three months to get through it.

I'll probably steer clear from Kevin J. Anderson in the future.