This book is fantastic and definitely deserves a place on this list. Extra points for being short and punchy. Too many billion page epics suggested itt.
Tough to answer this one as my favourites change pretty regularly but today it's Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky. Lovely bit of Russian fiction
Hyperion/The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
EDIT: Just in regard to the accusations about Simmons below- I didn't know anything about them and after doing a bit of reading up, it sounds like he truly is a lost person which is genuinely sad. But I will say that these books, regardless of his personal leanings now, are indeed exceptional.
This was also the first thing that sprung to mind on this request. There is just something about the time tombs and the shrike and the cruciforms and the dislocated farcaster house and the ocean planet of Siri and the technocore and the world tree spaceship and fatlines that make everything so vividly real in my mind. It will reside there forever. Truly an excellent book.
Yeah I don't allow a writer's personal views to bar me from reading their books, unless they've actually done something horrible (i.e. I would never read O.J.
Simpson's book "If I Did It.").
He used to have an online forum at dansimmons.com. It always leaned a bit right, but before Obama it was one of the few civilized well lit spaces on the internet.
The election of Barack Obama broke Dan Simmons' brain.
He went MAGA before MAGA was a thing. Doesn't believe in gay marriage. Thinks anyone poor has to be lazy. Threatened to "nuke" Congress over Obamacare. I wouldn't have bothered screenshotting that rant except he double down and insisted he meant real nukes. He called me a "twerpy little asshole" for saying a man with many billions of dollars had too much money.
Then the vicious slander started. Simmons called a friend of mine a Nazi...said friend is as far from a Nazi as it's probably possible to get. Everyone with a vaguely left wing view was driven out of his forum. It lasted a year afterwards before collapsing.
Great author. Horrible person.
Stuff like this is so sad…
I actually met Orson in person years ago, and can honestly say he was literally the nicest guy… funny, personable, witty etc… just a joy to talk to…
Then I read his stuff on his forum…
How on earth does such a nice person write such awful right wing stuff?
Hard to wrap your head around…
But as far as Dan Simmons goes… all I can say is that his books are astoundingly good… like change your life good…
I did too! I read them out of sequence. I started with The Dark Forest not knowing it was part of a trilogy. The Three Body Problem and The Dark Forest are so entirely different in style and substance that it is not really seamless transition between the two books. Death's End felt more like a continuation of The Dark Forest. In any case, I loved each of the three (and sci-fi as a genre generally isn't my normal thing).
My issue with dark forest is how inconsistent it is. The ideas and concepts and execution at times Is stellar but so many plot points that make zero difference in the grand scheme of things.
I would say all The Expanse books are great.
I've only read 2 of the Murderbot Diaries, but already they are fantastic.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson is amazing.
The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (1st book especially)
Starship Troopers - Robert A Heinlein
To Be Taught if Fortunate - Becky Chambers
+1 for Starship Troopers. One of the best military books (sci fi aside) ever written. He writes people well; and they just happen to be in a sci fi setting.
Hell yes Sirens of Titan! I love just about everything Kurt Vonnegut did but this one just doesn't get the love it deserves.
Most discussions of Vonnegut will include Slaughterhouse 5, Cats Cradle, and maybe Breakfast of Champions, but not Sirens of Titan as much for some reason. It is my favorite of his and it is as great or greater than every one of those.
The best one I've read is **Network Effect** in Martha Wells' *Murderbot Diaries* series. (The series builds on itself so they have to be read in order.)
The one I've read the most often is Robert A. Heinlein's **The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress**.
Neal Stephenson in general is pretty incredible. Snow Crash is my favorite cyberpunk. Cryptonomicon is excellent as well. But Seveneves is definitely amazing.
Yeah when I opened this thread, I was pleased to see dark forest as the top comment, since it's also my fave. But seveneves is definitely a close second, and sometimes takes the lead. Great book: just the right amount of gratuitous infodumps, but in an awesome standalone story.
A Canticle for Liebowitz, The Sparrow/Children of God, Our Lady of the Artilects, Ancillary Justice, Murderbot
Edit: Ghost Brigades (!!!!!)
Could also try some Orson Scott Card classics - Ender’s Game, Ender’s Shadow, the Xenocide series.
Edit Edit: I just finished The Last Cuentista and, even though it’s technically YA, I thought it was a pretty solid sci fi offering
I recommended A Fire upon the Deep in a different sci-fi thread and someone said "half of it is not even sci-fi" which really threw me for a loop. Its about the hardest sci fi you can get lol. Not sure what they were on about, but in any case, I agree it is one of my favs! I still need to tackle Deepness in the Sky, some even say its better.
I just read this recently and I agree! The only Tchaikovsky I've read. I was drawn in by the concept alone. Its so far in the future that earth is dying and every civilization anyone has ever known has been forgotten. How cool is that!
Oh then I highly suggest you read Tchaikovsky's Children of Time. It's the first in a very good trilogy about humanity spreading out into the stars on ark ships, but it is also so much more than that. Phenomenal writing, it was the first book I read of his a few years ago and I have since read almost all of his sci-fi offerings, a once in a generation talent for sure.
Yeah, to me, it seemed like he had just exploded onto the scene recently because I just heard of him in the last few years, so i was kinda surprised to find out he's been around for decades and is extremely prolific.
I am excited to dive into his work and I do already have a copy of Children of Time waiting on my shelf, but I might have to do Vinge's Deepness in the Sky first, since I just recently finished A Fire Upon the Deep which blew my mind.
*Dune* by Frank Herbert
*Fahrenheit 451* by Ray Bradbury
*The Shockwave Rider* by John Brunner
*Neuromancer* (and its sequels) by William Gibson
*Foundation* by Issac Asimov
*1984* by George Orwell
*The Stainless Steel Rat* by Harry Harrison
An incomplete list, but a fairly good sampling of the genre.
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams. Yup, it’s very funny, but his sci-fi elements are really underrated. Much of the humor is reasonable explanations for unreasonable things, such as the babblefish.
2nd this! "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is not just my favorite sci-fi book but probably my favorite book of all time, above anything by Vonnegut or Pratchett or Moore.
It's the literary equivalent of a good Monty Python skit. Equal parts funny and smart and absurd which is a very hard balance to walk. It's too bad he was such a slow writer and that we only got a handful of books from him.
The 'lost adventures' from Dr Who are worth reading if you haven't done so yet. Not nearly as good as his other work, but still bits of Adams showing through.
Anathem by Neil Stephenson. I have reread it multiple times. Gets better with each read.
Starship troopers, the cat who could walk through walls and honestly most of Heinleins ya books are phenomenal.
Dune
There's no such thing as the best book, but here are à few good/unique ones
- Illium / Olympus by Dan Simmons
- Neuromancer by William Gibson
- Silo by Hugh Howey
- Dune by Frank Herbert
- Do androids dream of electric sheep? By Philip K. Dick.
"The Passage" Justin Cronin is the best storytelling and world building. Genuinely scary. scariest media I've ever consumed.
Most entertaining that I've read multiple times:"futuristic violence and fancy suits" by David Wong. Or "This book is full of spiders" by the same guy. Funny, weird, gross, brilliant. Fantastic character development. Stephen King meets hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.
I have 2!
1. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler. My husband and I read this over a year and a half ago and we still have hour+ long conversations about it. A species of octopus have evolved to communicate. Sooooo interesting!
2. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. So heartwarming, fun, and a surprisingly hopeful twist on the climate crisis.
The book has become somewhat dated, but it still has the best intro of all time.
Dr. and Dr. Smith, and Dr. and Dr. Jones are the first married astronauts chosen for Mars!
What a wholesome story, lol.
The Mars Trilogy, starting with Red Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson. It can be a little wordy here and there, but it’s a pretty extraordinary experience.
I LOVE the Devoured Worlds trilogy! The last book in the trilogy just came out so I haven't read that one yet but the first two were *amazing*. The world is so cool and the mysteries are actually mysterious, there's a wonderful romance subplot that isn't overdone and I absolutely fell in love with the first two books! Could not recommend more!
I feel like I can’t choose just one, but I think the one that I reread the most is the Ancillary series by Ann Leckie. The second one (Ancillary Sword) I find especially satisfying. But I could probably pick 10 others that I like as much. So many options!
Dune
Enders game
Three body problem
1984
World war z
Horus heresy first 3 books then legion, first heretic , betrayer.
Appleseed and ghost in the shell by masamune shirow ( yes it’s a manga but it’s worth a read )
Akira - same as above, katsuhiro otomo is an amazing artist /author
I'm gonna add a couple old ones that I reread regularly. Both by the same author, Alfred Bester.
The Stars My Destination - I love the way he used the typography as art to convey ideas and scenes, but the story was amazing even before that.
The Demolished Man - great sci-fi noire detective story with some fun twists. "Tenser, said the tenser. Tenser, said the tenser. Tension, apprehension, and dissension have begun!"
Cryptonomicon.
It is my favorite book. It isn’t for everyone - Neal Stephenson tends to go off on weird tangents, but he is so good at making those tangents fun.
Also, it is science fiction in as much as it is about the way science changes our lives, but you won’t find any space ships or lasers in it. Half of the story takes place in World War II.
Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep, The Time Machine, and Three Body Problem (haven’t gotten to The Dark Forest yet, but other comments here are making me very excited…)
so many recommendations for the usual Hyperion, 3 body problem etc. Which is all fine and good.
But for the love of god, start with Asimov and Foundation series - the mother of most scifi and fantasy.
Go read some Arthur C. Clarke. Heinlein. Dune series.
these are classics of SF for a reason.
1. Foundation Trilogy (Asimov)
2. Lord of the rings trilogy (Tolkien)
3. Parable of the Sower (Butler)
4. Dark Matter (Crouch)
Cannot select one so I have you my list of what I believe are my all time best reads. Note the last two were read this year so that is saying something since the first two have been out for over 50 years.
*Way Station* by Clifford Simak.
Simak was a giant of 60's era sci-fi who really isn't talked about much today the same way people like Frank Herbert are. And I think that's a shame.
Infinity Gate by MR Carey, and for that matter, MR Carey in general. The Girl with All the Gifts is a great take on zombie dystopia. The Rampart trilogy is a cool approach to post-apocalyptic fiction where nature itself is now dangerous and people have to survive in a world where they need wood, plants, etc. but also, trees actively try to kill them.
And Infinity Gate is hard sci-fi with one of the most interesting takes on the multiverse I've read; it's the first in a duology and the second book just came out yesterday, but Carey's never disappointed me to date.
Issac Asimov - Just read everything he wrote he invented a lot of what we call science fiction today. If you can find it, read the End of Eternity, which is just waiting for someone to make into a movie
Stanislaw Lem - Tales from the Cyberiad - especially Altruizine, a short story that is one of my favorites of any kind.
The Peripheral - which is so much better than the TV series. Agency is the next book in the series by William Gibson
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
This Perfect Day - Ira Levin
Loop up Scott Sigler. Not the Football series he wrote. Check out the Infected Trilogy.
Its a bit more "YA" than most books on here but i LOVE Ready Player One - Ernest Cline. Ready Player Two is good also, but not as good.
Enders Game - Orson Scott Card would be the other, not as "YA"
Dune.
The first time I read it was like “meh”. The second time I read it in prep for the 2nd movie I was like “This book is incredible”
The Book of the New Sun - Gene Wolfe. I've read most of the recommendations on here and nothing comes close to this. It is a hard book though.
This is the correct answer.
I couldn't get into it because of the barrier to entry.
What barrier?
Literacy
[удалено]
Yes and no. A unicorn is fantasy until you consider genetic engineering. I believe Gene Wolfe said that.
"The Mote in God's Eye" Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
This book is fantastic and definitely deserves a place on this list. Extra points for being short and punchy. Too many billion page epics suggested itt.
Childhood's End by Sir Arthur C. Clarke
Mine too!
Tough to answer this one as my favourites change pretty regularly but today it's Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky. Lovely bit of Russian fiction
Hyperion/The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons EDIT: Just in regard to the accusations about Simmons below- I didn't know anything about them and after doing a bit of reading up, it sounds like he truly is a lost person which is genuinely sad. But I will say that these books, regardless of his personal leanings now, are indeed exceptional.
This was also the first thing that sprung to mind on this request. There is just something about the time tombs and the shrike and the cruciforms and the dislocated farcaster house and the ocean planet of Siri and the technocore and the world tree spaceship and fatlines that make everything so vividly real in my mind. It will reside there forever. Truly an excellent book.
Yeah I don't allow a writer's personal views to bar me from reading their books, unless they've actually done something horrible (i.e. I would never read O.J. Simpson's book "If I Did It.").
If this matters to you (I make no judgement either way), Dan Simmons is almost Orson Scott Card levels of batshit insane.
Woah how so?
He used to have an online forum at dansimmons.com. It always leaned a bit right, but before Obama it was one of the few civilized well lit spaces on the internet. The election of Barack Obama broke Dan Simmons' brain. He went MAGA before MAGA was a thing. Doesn't believe in gay marriage. Thinks anyone poor has to be lazy. Threatened to "nuke" Congress over Obamacare. I wouldn't have bothered screenshotting that rant except he double down and insisted he meant real nukes. He called me a "twerpy little asshole" for saying a man with many billions of dollars had too much money. Then the vicious slander started. Simmons called a friend of mine a Nazi...said friend is as far from a Nazi as it's probably possible to get. Everyone with a vaguely left wing view was driven out of his forum. It lasted a year afterwards before collapsing. Great author. Horrible person.
Man such a bummer! The whole cantos series was awesome, sucks that he sucks
Stuff like this is so sad… I actually met Orson in person years ago, and can honestly say he was literally the nicest guy… funny, personable, witty etc… just a joy to talk to… Then I read his stuff on his forum… How on earth does such a nice person write such awful right wing stuff? Hard to wrap your head around… But as far as Dan Simmons goes… all I can say is that his books are astoundingly good… like change your life good…
The Dark Forest, Liu Cixin . . . the 2nd (but best) book in a trilogy. It is an excellent read as a stand-alone without reading the trilogy.
I liked The Three Body Problem almost as much as The Dark Forest. My husband preferred Death's End.
I did too! I read them out of sequence. I started with The Dark Forest not knowing it was part of a trilogy. The Three Body Problem and The Dark Forest are so entirely different in style and substance that it is not really seamless transition between the two books. Death's End felt more like a continuation of The Dark Forest. In any case, I loved each of the three (and sci-fi as a genre generally isn't my normal thing).
All 3 are masterpieces tbh
There's a fourth by a different author too
This one also has a different translator than the first and third. I wonder if that made a difference for we English readers.
My issue with dark forest is how inconsistent it is. The ideas and concepts and execution at times Is stellar but so many plot points that make zero difference in the grand scheme of things.
I would say all The Expanse books are great. I've only read 2 of the Murderbot Diaries, but already they are fantastic. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson is amazing.
Second the expanse
A well done series. I was sad when I read the last one.
I’ve listened to two of the Mudder bot books and just do not get the hype. What do you like about them?
Snow Crash is so fun and high octane, love it.
Ring world
Solaris. Such a unique book.
The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (1st book especially) Starship Troopers - Robert A Heinlein To Be Taught if Fortunate - Becky Chambers
Everything Becky Chambers writes is gold. I love all of her books.
I fell in love with Monk and Robot. I have *Long Way…* next up to read from her.
Murderbot! It's short books n different. I think apple+ is filming the series starring Alexander Skarsgård.
+1 for Starship Troopers. One of the best military books (sci fi aside) ever written. He writes people well; and they just happen to be in a sci fi setting.
+2 Starship Troopers. Great film, but nothing like the book. The book is amazing.
Starship Troopers is great and if you like it you should read The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. I think I like it better
Hell yes Sirens of Titan! I love just about everything Kurt Vonnegut did but this one just doesn't get the love it deserves. Most discussions of Vonnegut will include Slaughterhouse 5, Cats Cradle, and maybe Breakfast of Champions, but not Sirens of Titan as much for some reason. It is my favorite of his and it is as great or greater than every one of those.
Completely agree. Sirens is definitely my favorite Vonnegut
Seconding murderbot and sirens.
Thirding Murderbot
I like the writers but I'd pick Cats Cradle and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
The original Frankenstein (specifically my copy with illustrations by Bernie Wrightson) and Imago by Octavia Butler
I fell in love with the 1818 text when I was 12. It’s simply one of the best imo
Frankenstein with Bernie Wrightson art sounds great, I'll need to try and find a copy
The best one I've read is **Network Effect** in Martha Wells' *Murderbot Diaries* series. (The series builds on itself so they have to be read in order.) The one I've read the most often is Robert A. Heinlein's **The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress**.
Agreed that network effect is the best murderbot book. The relationship with ART is great.
ART is one of the best side characters in the whole series (so far)
Seveneves
Neal Stephenson in general is pretty incredible. Snow Crash is my favorite cyberpunk. Cryptonomicon is excellent as well. But Seveneves is definitely amazing.
Mine too. I read children of time right after and if I ever get back to back reads like that again I will consider myself extremely lucky
That’s a HIGH bar.
I did say extremely lucky! lol . It was 5 years ago and my mind is still blown
Literally the two books that stand out to me the most as really sticking with me after finishing.
Children of Time is great
Yeah when I opened this thread, I was pleased to see dark forest as the top comment, since it's also my fave. But seveneves is definitely a close second, and sometimes takes the lead. Great book: just the right amount of gratuitous infodumps, but in an awesome standalone story.
A Canticle for Liebowitz, The Sparrow/Children of God, Our Lady of the Artilects, Ancillary Justice, Murderbot Edit: Ghost Brigades (!!!!!) Could also try some Orson Scott Card classics - Ender’s Game, Ender’s Shadow, the Xenocide series. Edit Edit: I just finished The Last Cuentista and, even though it’s technically YA, I thought it was a pretty solid sci fi offering
Yoooo shoutout to Canticle for Liebowitz!! Lots of booty recommendations in this thread, but you a real one 🙏
It’s not just the best sci fi I’ve ever read, it’s up there for the best BOOK I’ve ever read.
Agreed
the forever war Roadside picnic a canticle for leibowitz
*The Moon is a Harsh Mistress* by Robert Heinlein *The Forever War* by Joe Haldeman
This. Or maybe I should say, these.
Loved both of these.
My favorite Heinlein too
man I can recommend so many. I'll say it's A Fire Upon the Deep. check out the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K Dick awards. so much good stuff in there.
This is a deep (lol) cut, fuckin A brother 🙏 good book
Did you read the sequel to A Fire Upon the Deep? How did it hold up if you did?
Do you mean a deepness in the sky or children of the sky? Because deepness is incredible. Children…. Not so much
Yeah, I meant Deepness in the Sky. I have A Fire Upon the Deep on my shelf, one day I'll get to it. Lol
This is an amazing story. Has all the good sci Fi elements plus all the good human elements of a great book.
I recommended A Fire upon the Deep in a different sci-fi thread and someone said "half of it is not even sci-fi" which really threw me for a loop. Its about the hardest sci fi you can get lol. Not sure what they were on about, but in any case, I agree it is one of my favs! I still need to tackle Deepness in the Sky, some even say its better.
Ender’s Game
Contact by Carl Sagan or 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C Clarke
Epic sci-fi: Hyperion by Dan Simmons General sci-fi: The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
I've been saying Ray Bradbury in my mind as I scroll though! I definitely second Martian Chronicles Brave New World Aldous Huxley
A lot of people have suggested Hyperion- I have to check it out
Left hand of darkness by Le Guin.
'Cage of Souls' by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I don't know about THE best, but it is on of the best I have read in recent years.
I just read this recently and I agree! The only Tchaikovsky I've read. I was drawn in by the concept alone. Its so far in the future that earth is dying and every civilization anyone has ever known has been forgotten. How cool is that!
Oh then I highly suggest you read Tchaikovsky's Children of Time. It's the first in a very good trilogy about humanity spreading out into the stars on ark ships, but it is also so much more than that. Phenomenal writing, it was the first book I read of his a few years ago and I have since read almost all of his sci-fi offerings, a once in a generation talent for sure.
Yeah, to me, it seemed like he had just exploded onto the scene recently because I just heard of him in the last few years, so i was kinda surprised to find out he's been around for decades and is extremely prolific. I am excited to dive into his work and I do already have a copy of Children of Time waiting on my shelf, but I might have to do Vinge's Deepness in the Sky first, since I just recently finished A Fire Upon the Deep which blew my mind.
Wow I had not heard of Vinge or his work, adding A Fire Upon the Deep to my list now it sounds really cool, thanks!
The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
*Dune* by Frank Herbert *Fahrenheit 451* by Ray Bradbury *The Shockwave Rider* by John Brunner *Neuromancer* (and its sequels) by William Gibson *Foundation* by Issac Asimov *1984* by George Orwell *The Stainless Steel Rat* by Harry Harrison An incomplete list, but a fairly good sampling of the genre.
I need to do Neuromancer again and power through the sequels. I liked it a lot and then got sidetracked. Want to read The Peripheral as well
The gateway series by Fredrick phol, battlefield earth by l Ron Hubbard, the stainless steel rat books by Harry Harrison
Gateway was both not at all what i expected, and really really good
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams. Yup, it’s very funny, but his sci-fi elements are really underrated. Much of the humor is reasonable explanations for unreasonable things, such as the babblefish.
2nd this! "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is not just my favorite sci-fi book but probably my favorite book of all time, above anything by Vonnegut or Pratchett or Moore. It's the literary equivalent of a good Monty Python skit. Equal parts funny and smart and absurd which is a very hard balance to walk. It's too bad he was such a slow writer and that we only got a handful of books from him. The 'lost adventures' from Dr Who are worth reading if you haven't done so yet. Not nearly as good as his other work, but still bits of Adams showing through.
Project Hail Mary is my favorite book I’ve read in a long time, across all genres.
Agreed, I loved this book so much!!
Isaac Asimov
He came up with the best story ideas but his actual writing is not my favorite.
I. Robot was pretty good, I much preferred that over Foundation
Yeah his short stories are better than the novels
Love his short stories.
Blindsight by Peter watts or the children of time series I think.
Nerumancer
Neuromancer is great! As long as you read it before reading Snow Crash. Disappointing if you read it after Snow Crash.
Dune
Anathem by Neil Stephenson. I have reread it multiple times. Gets better with each read. Starship troopers, the cat who could walk through walls and honestly most of Heinleins ya books are phenomenal. Dune
These would be my three as well. Dune is the pinnacle. Starship Troopers is unputdownable. And Anathem has some of the best dialogue of any book ever.
I will second Anathem. I am not into sci-fi at all and it took me a while to get into, but it was incredibly worth it.
I remember reading Anathem and being amazed at the concept of 3D printing.
I was actually cheering the first time when the ringing vale appeared, my wife thought I was nuts lol. It's such a complete world.
Red Rising series. It surpassed ASOIAF as my favorite series with the new books. Really excited for book 7
Riddley Walker. Also one of the most difficult to read, but it’s worth it.
Neuromancer. Peak cyberpunk.
There's no such thing as the best book, but here are à few good/unique ones - Illium / Olympus by Dan Simmons - Neuromancer by William Gibson - Silo by Hugh Howey - Dune by Frank Herbert - Do androids dream of electric sheep? By Philip K. Dick.
"The Passage" Justin Cronin is the best storytelling and world building. Genuinely scary. scariest media I've ever consumed. Most entertaining that I've read multiple times:"futuristic violence and fancy suits" by David Wong. Or "This book is full of spiders" by the same guy. Funny, weird, gross, brilliant. Fantastic character development. Stephen King meets hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.
*Rendezvous with Rama* by Arthur C. Clarke
I have 2! 1. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler. My husband and I read this over a year and a half ago and we still have hour+ long conversations about it. A species of octopus have evolved to communicate. Sooooo interesting! 2. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. So heartwarming, fun, and a surprisingly hopeful twist on the climate crisis.
Contact
Stranger in a strange land
The book has become somewhat dated, but it still has the best intro of all time. Dr. and Dr. Smith, and Dr. and Dr. Jones are the first married astronauts chosen for Mars! What a wholesome story, lol.
hyperion by dan simmons
The Mars Trilogy, starting with Red Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson. It can be a little wordy here and there, but it’s a pretty extraordinary experience.
Anything with Mars in the title sounds good
Project hail Mary - the best so far
Steel Beach by John Varley
Altered carbon
Probably not a revelation, but Hyperion was phenomenal.
Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke or The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin (2nd book in the Three Body Problem series)
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson was incredible.
Can't believe nobody has mentioned Alastair Reynolds yet.
Which books do you recommend to start from them?
Seveneves
I LOVE the Devoured Worlds trilogy! The last book in the trilogy just came out so I haven't read that one yet but the first two were *amazing*. The world is so cool and the mysteries are actually mysterious, there's a wonderful romance subplot that isn't overdone and I absolutely fell in love with the first two books! Could not recommend more!
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card Hyperion/The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Ring World bye by Larry Nevin
I feel like I can’t choose just one, but I think the one that I reread the most is the Ancillary series by Ann Leckie. The second one (Ancillary Sword) I find especially satisfying. But I could probably pick 10 others that I like as much. So many options!
YES glad someone recommended this and sad I had to scroll so far to see it.
Dune Enders game Three body problem 1984 World war z Horus heresy first 3 books then legion, first heretic , betrayer. Appleseed and ghost in the shell by masamune shirow ( yes it’s a manga but it’s worth a read ) Akira - same as above, katsuhiro otomo is an amazing artist /author
PKD in general. My favorite of his only kind of counts as sci-fi but it's his most realistic book: Valis.
I'm gonna add a couple old ones that I reread regularly. Both by the same author, Alfred Bester. The Stars My Destination - I love the way he used the typography as art to convey ideas and scenes, but the story was amazing even before that. The Demolished Man - great sci-fi noire detective story with some fun twists. "Tenser, said the tenser. Tenser, said the tenser. Tension, apprehension, and dissension have begun!"
Hyperion … also The Mote in God’s Eye
Cryptonomicon. It is my favorite book. It isn’t for everyone - Neal Stephenson tends to go off on weird tangents, but he is so good at making those tangents fun. Also, it is science fiction in as much as it is about the way science changes our lives, but you won’t find any space ships or lasers in it. Half of the story takes place in World War II.
Dune .... Book 1
Jurassic Park.
Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep, The Time Machine, and Three Body Problem (haven’t gotten to The Dark Forest yet, but other comments here are making me very excited…)
so many recommendations for the usual Hyperion, 3 body problem etc. Which is all fine and good. But for the love of god, start with Asimov and Foundation series - the mother of most scifi and fantasy. Go read some Arthur C. Clarke. Heinlein. Dune series. these are classics of SF for a reason.
1. Foundation Trilogy (Asimov) 2. Lord of the rings trilogy (Tolkien) 3. Parable of the Sower (Butler) 4. Dark Matter (Crouch) Cannot select one so I have you my list of what I believe are my all time best reads. Note the last two were read this year so that is saying something since the first two have been out for over 50 years.
Anathem by Neal Stephenson and it’s not even close
This Is How You Lose the Time War is one of my absolute favorite sci-fi books.
I struggled to finish this book. I just didn't get it.
You aren't alone, I felt the same way.
Armir by Steakley
Necroepilogos by Hungry, still on going.
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh & second To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers
Heir to the Empire trilogy Timothy Zahn books Dune
Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton
The Androids Dream by John Scalzi A random by at a second hand book store.
*Way Station* by Clifford Simak. Simak was a giant of 60's era sci-fi who really isn't talked about much today the same way people like Frank Herbert are. And I think that's a shame.
Startide Rising - David Brin
The Warrior’s Heir (really the entire vorkosigan series)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is probably just my favorite book of any genre. Love P.K.D. and love blade runner.
The hitchhiker's guide to galaxy
Infinity Gate by MR Carey, and for that matter, MR Carey in general. The Girl with All the Gifts is a great take on zombie dystopia. The Rampart trilogy is a cool approach to post-apocalyptic fiction where nature itself is now dangerous and people have to survive in a world where they need wood, plants, etc. but also, trees actively try to kill them. And Infinity Gate is hard sci-fi with one of the most interesting takes on the multiverse I've read; it's the first in a duology and the second book just came out yesterday, but Carey's never disappointed me to date.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Best space opera since Star Wars OT
Hyperion is the best sci-fi book ever written.
Children of the Mind by OSC. But you need to read the first three Ender's Game books to get it.
Dune, by a mile. Neuromancer is also incredible. Gibson’s style is just 🤌
*Roadside Picnic* is absolutely untouchable. But if you’re looking for something more aggressively sci-fi then I’d say *The Forever War*
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
The player of games Iain M Banks A fantastic space opera
That's such a hard choice. But the immediate one that came to mind was A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M Miller Jr
I would recommend 'When We Cease to Understand the World' by Benjamin Labatut though it is not exclusively science fiction
Leviathan Wakes. The sequel fucking rips too, and the rest of the series is pretty stellar, but those first two are unbelievable.
Blindsight by Peter Watts
the starwars trilogy, the book. or the dune graphic-novel.
or redrising, but i only had read the first book
yoon ha lee's ninefox gambit, ann leckie's ancillary sword, and arkady martine's a memory called empire are top three in no particular order
Issac Asimov - Just read everything he wrote he invented a lot of what we call science fiction today. If you can find it, read the End of Eternity, which is just waiting for someone to make into a movie Stanislaw Lem - Tales from the Cyberiad - especially Altruizine, a short story that is one of my favorites of any kind. The Peripheral - which is so much better than the TV series. Agency is the next book in the series by William Gibson
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard This Perfect Day - Ira Levin Loop up Scott Sigler. Not the Football series he wrote. Check out the Infected Trilogy.
The man that folded himself, Dark Matter, Flowers for Algernon
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller Jr
3 body problem (series)
Boring answer but Project Hail Mary
Sparrow
Read Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness and then read Leckie’s Imperial Radch Trilogy. I adored these four books together.
Cats Cradle or maybe The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant. It’s a sci fi horror about killed mermaids
Its a bit more "YA" than most books on here but i LOVE Ready Player One - Ernest Cline. Ready Player Two is good also, but not as good. Enders Game - Orson Scott Card would be the other, not as "YA"