Science Fiction's Best Books

[mark, personal space invader]

yeah, I'm very curious as to what my reaction will be 20-odd years later. although I'm nervous about it as well - I've been "meaning" to re-read it for at least a couple years now and for some reason just never get around to it...

those Sparrow books. I just can't mess with those, they don't seem up my alley at all

[Alexa]

They are brilliantly beautifully horrific! Very nitty-grittily realistic - not even a hint of fantasy or other-worldliness to them. But oh so powerful!

[Dan]

Scott wrote: "Always kind of wanted to read one of the Gor books just for fun. (The older editions had great covers, too.)"

If you look at this entire series, I think one thing that must be recognized is its consistency. All of the ratings are in the mid-three level without exception. How many other series can be said to maintain such a level book after book? I think it is a mistake to choose one of the earlier books in the series though. If you will notice, the last six are the best rated of the series. All are above 3.50. Clearly, Norman has recently really hit his stride.

[mark, personal space invader]

Dan wrote: "Scott wrote: "Always kind of wanted to read one of the Gor books just for fun. (The older editions had great covers, too.)"

If you look at this entire series, I think one thing that must be recogn..."

I've only read Slave Girl of Gor. horrible but also genuinely fascinating.

also, I personally don't put a lot of stock in the Goodreads ratings because I think people give 4 or 5 stars to everything they've liked because they think 3 stars is somehow a low rating. although the Goodreads ratings are certainly better than Amazon ratings overall.

[LindaJ^]

Alexa wrote: "They are brilliantly beautifully horrific! Very nitty-grittily realistic - not even a hint of fantasy or other-worldliness to them. But oh so powerful!"

I agree 100% - I love the Sparrow books.

[LindaJ^]

Since it is the beginning of a new year, it may be a good time to highlight this list that Mark started in 2011. As Mark explained it, "The "Best Book" is a single book - can be "in a series" or stand alone. Because you can only add one item the list really showcases some of the best books ever. So think carefully about what you put on each list because once you post you can't re-post." The "Best Book" list, see below, currently contains 82 books.

Mark, please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the way one adds a book to the list is to copy the list and place your addition - name of book and author - at the end.

I have slowly been trying to read the books on it, and due to a binge of 3 books in the last week of the year, have gone over the 50% mark, with 42 read. I have been introduced to many new authors and books using this list, many of which I have enjoyed. I am sure we have new members who have not identified their "Best Book." While I am not in need of more books on my TBR list, I do want to continue to broaden my sci fi horizons, so I look forward to new additions!



Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller Jr.
The Rediscovery of Man - Cordwainer Smith
A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down) - Anders Bodelsen
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh
Stardance - Spider and Jeanne Robinson
The Mote in Gods Eye - Niven/Pournelle
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
Gateway - Frederik Pohl
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Consider Phlebas - Iain Banks
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
The Fifth Head of Cerberus - Gene Wolfe
Adiamante - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Dawn - Octavia E. Butler
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
Methuselah's Children - Robert A. Heinlein
Way Station - Clifford D. Simak
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Pandora's Star - Peter F. Hamilton
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
Startide Rising - David Brin
To Your Scattered Bodies Go - Phillip Jose Farmer
Ringworld - Larry Niven
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Paradox Men - Charles L. Harness
Voyage of the Space Beagle - A.E. van Vogt
Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany
Diaspora - Greg Egan
Cities in Flight - James Blish
Schismatrix - Bruce Sterling
The City and The Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
Glimpses - Lewis Shiner
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Judas Unchained - Peter F. Hamilton
The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov
Dying Inside- Robert Silverberg
The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester
The Engines of God - McDevitt
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984) - George Orwell
The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
When Gravity Fails- George Alec Effinger
The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
Blindsight - Peter Watts
Red Moon - David S. Michaels
Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
Carve the Sky - Alexander Jablokov
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus - Ramez Naam
Star Maker - Olaf Stapledon
Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
The Gate to Women's Country - Sheri S. Tepper

[C. John]

The nice thing about coming late to a list like this is that when you make your addition when someone says you should have chosen a different book your response can be it is already there. So in that vein I add my book to the list

Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller Jr.
The Rediscovery of Man - Cordwainer Smith
A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down) - Anders Bodelsen
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh
Stardance - Spider and Jeanne Robinson
The Mote in Gods Eye - Niven/Pournelle
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
Gateway - Frederik Pohl
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Consider Phlebas - Iain Banks
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
The Fifth Head of Cerberus - Gene Wolfe
Adiamante - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Dawn - Octavia E. Butler
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
Methuselah's Children - Robert A. Heinlein
Way Station - Clifford D. Simak
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Pandora's Star - Peter F. Hamilton
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
Startide Rising - David Brin
To Your Scattered Bodies Go - Phillip Jose Farmer
Ringworld - Larry Niven
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Paradox Men - Charles L. Harness
Voyage of the Space Beagle - A.E. van Vogt
Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany
Diaspora - Greg Egan
Cities in Flight - James Blish
Schismatrix - Bruce Sterling
The City and The Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
Glimpses - Lewis Shiner
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Judas Unchained - Peter F. Hamilton
The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov
Dying Inside- Robert Silverberg
The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester
The Engines of God - McDevitt
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984) - George Orwell
The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
When Gravity Fails- George Alec Effinger
The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
Blindsight - Peter Watts
Red Moon - David S. Michaels
Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
Carve the Sky - Alexander Jablokov
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus - Ramez Naam
Star Maker - Olaf Stapledon
Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
The Gate to Women's Country - Sheri S. Tepper
Children of the Lens - E. E. "Doc" Smith

[Najaf]

A.E. van Vogt - Voyage of the Space Beagle
Alexander Jablokov - Carve the Sky
Alfred Bester - The Demolished Man
Alfred Bester - The Stars My Destination
Anders Bodelsen - Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down)
Anne McCaffrey - Crystal Singer
Anne McCaffrey - Dragonflight
Arthur C. Clarke - Childhood's End
Arthur C. Clarke - Rendezvous with Rama
Arthur C. Clarke - The City and The Stars
Bruce Sterling - Schismatrix
C.J. Cherryh - Downbelow Station
Charles L. Harness - The Paradox Men
Clifford D. Simak - Way Station
Cordwainer Smith - The Rediscovery of Man
Dan Simmons - Hyperion
David Brin - Startide Rising
David S. Michaels - Red Moon
Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
E. E. "Doc" Smith - Children of the Lens
Frank Herbert - Dune
Frederik Pohl - Gateway
Gene Wolfe - The Fifth Head of Cerberus
Gene Wolfe - The Shadow of the Torturer
George Alec Effinger - When Gravity Fails
George Orwell - Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984)
Greg Egan - Diaspora
H.G. Wells - The Time Machine
H.G. Wells - War of the Worlds
Iain Banks - Consider Phlebas
Isaac Asimov - Foundation
Isaac Asimov - The Caves of Steel
J.G. Ballard - The Drowned World
James Blish - Cities in Flight
Joe Haldeman - The Forever War
John Brunner - Stand on Zanzibar
John Scalzi - Old Man's War
Kim Stanley Robinson - Red Mars
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. - Cat's Cradle
L. Ron Hubbard - Battlefield Earth
L.E. Modesitt Jr. - Adiamante
Larry Niven - Ringworld
Lewis Shiner - Glimpses
Lois McMaster Bujold - The Warrior's Apprentice
Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale
Mary Doria Russell - The Sparrow
Mary Shelley - Frankenstein
McDevitt - The Engines of God
Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash
Neal Stephenson - The Diamond Age
Nick Harkaway - The Gone-Away World
Ninni Holmqvist - The Unit
Niven/Pournelle - The Mote in Gods Eye
Octavia E. Butler - Dawn
Olaf Stapledon - Star Maker
Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card - Speaker for the Dead
Paolo Bacigalupi - The Windup Girl
Peter F. Hamilton - Judas Unchained
Peter F. Hamilton - Pandora's Star
Peter Watts - Blindsight
Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Philip K. Dick - Ubik
Phillip Jose Farmer - To Your Scattered Bodies Go
Ramez Naam - Nexus
Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury - The Martian Chronicles
Richard K. Morgan - Altered Carbon
Richard K. Morgan - Thirteen (Th1rte3n)
Robert A. Heinlein - Methuselah's Children
Robert Charles Wilson - Spin
Robert Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land
Robert Silverberg - Dying Inside
Robert Silverberg - Tower of Glass
Roger Zelazny - Damnation Alley
Roger Zelazny - Lord of Light
Samuel R. Delany - Dhalgren
Sheri S. Tepper - The Gate to Women's Country
Spider and Jeanne Robinson - Stardance
Suzette Haden Elgin - Native Tongue
Ursula K. Le Guin - The Dispossessed
Ursula K. Le Guin - The Left Hand of Darkness
Vernor Vinge - A Fire Upon the Deep
Walter Miller Jr. - A Canticle for Leibowitz
William Gibson - Neuromancer


i hope its not a problem that i changed the list to author name and book. also added Thirteen

[John]

Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller Jr.
The Rediscovery of Man - Cordwainer Smith
A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down) - Anders Bodelsen
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh
Stardance - Spider and Jeanne Robinson
The Mote in Gods Eye - Niven/Pournelle
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
Gateway - Frederik Pohl
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Consider Phlebas - Iain Banks
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
The Fifth Head of Cerberus - Gene Wolfe
Adiamante - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Dawn - Octavia E. Butler
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
Methuselah's Children - Robert A. Heinlein
Way Station - Clifford D. Simak
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Pandora's Star - Peter F. Hamilton
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
Startide Rising - David Brin
To Your Scattered Bodies Go - Phillip Jose Farmer
Ringworld - Larry Niven
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Paradox Men - Charles L. Harness
Voyage of the Space Beagle - A.E. van Vogt
Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany
Diaspora - Greg Egan
Cities in Flight - James Blish
Schismatrix - Bruce Sterling
The City and The Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
Glimpses - Lewis Shiner
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Judas Unchained - Peter F. Hamilton
The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov
Dying Inside- Robert Silverberg
The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester
The Engines of God - McDevitt
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984) - George Orwell
The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
When Gravity Fails- George Alec Effinger
The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
Blindsight - Peter Watts
Red Moon - David S. Michaels
Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
Carve the Sky - Alexander Jablokov
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus - Ramez Naam
Star Maker - Olaf Stapledon
Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
The Gate to Women's Country - Sheri S. Tepper
Children of the Lens - E. E. "Doc" Smith
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein

I'm a bit surprised the list got this far without Moon getting up there. Oh well, I'm pleased to get to be the guy to give the Grandmaster his due.

[[deleted user]]

A lot of my favorites on this list, and a lot more that I now want to read, but conspicuously absent is Joan Vinge's The Snow Queen.

Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller Jr.
The Rediscovery of Man - Cordwainer Smith
A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down) - Anders Bodelsen
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh
Stardance - Spider and Jeanne Robinson
The Mote in Gods Eye - Niven/Pournelle
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
Gateway - Frederik Pohl
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Consider Phlebas - Iain Banks
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
The Fifth Head of Cerberus - Gene Wolfe
Adiamante - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Dawn - Octavia E. Butler
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
Methuselah's Children - Robert A. Heinlein
Way Station - Clifford D. Simak
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Pandora's Star - Peter F. Hamilton
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
Startide Rising - David Brin
To Your Scattered Bodies Go - Phillip Jose Farmer
Ringworld - Larry Niven
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Paradox Men - Charles L. Harness
Voyage of the Space Beagle - A.E. van Vogt
Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany
Diaspora - Greg Egan
Cities in Flight - James Blish
Schismatrix - Bruce Sterling
The City and The Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
Glimpses - Lewis Shiner
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Judas Unchained - Peter F. Hamilton
The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov
Dying Inside- Robert Silverberg
The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester
The Engines of God - McDevitt
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984) - George Orwell
The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
When Gravity Fails- George Alec Effinger
The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
Blindsight - Peter Watts
Red Moon - David S. Michaels
Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
Carve the Sky - Alexander Jablokov
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus - Ramez Naam
Star Maker - Olaf Stapledon
Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
The Gate to Women's Country - Sheri S. Tepper
Children of the Lens - E. E. "Doc" Smith
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
The Snow Queen- Joan Vinge

[Najaf]

Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller Jr.
The Rediscovery of Man - Cordwainer Smith
A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down) - Anders Bodelsen
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh
Stardance - Spider and Jeanne Robinson
The Mote in Gods Eye - Niven/Pournelle
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
Gateway - Frederik Pohl
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Consider Phlebas - Iain Banks
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
The Fifth Head of Cerberus - Gene Wolfe
Adiamante - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Dawn - Octavia E. Butler
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
Methuselah's Children - Robert A. Heinlein
Way Station - Clifford D. Simak
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Pandora's Star - Peter F. Hamilton
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
Startide Rising - David Brin
To Your Scattered Bodies Go - Phillip Jose Farmer
Ringworld - Larry Niven
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Paradox Men - Charles L. Harness
Voyage of the Space Beagle - A.E. van Vogt
Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany
Diaspora - Greg Egan
Cities in Flight - James Blish
Schismatrix - Bruce Sterling
The City and The Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
Glimpses - Lewis Shiner
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Judas Unchained - Peter F. Hamilton
The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov
Dying Inside- Robert Silverberg
The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester
The Engines of God - McDevitt
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984) - George Orwell
The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
When Gravity Fails- George Alec Effinger
The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
Blindsight - Peter Watts
Red Moon - David S. Michaels
Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
Carve the Sky - Alexander Jablokov
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus - Ramez Naam
Star Maker - Olaf Stapledon
Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
The Gate to Women's Country - Sheri S. Tepper
Children of the Lens - E. E. "Doc" Smith
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
The Snow Queen- Joan Vinge
Thirteen (Th1rte3n) - Richard K. Morgan

[CD]

I have several 'favorites' and a few 'all-time-favorites' that are Science Fiction. The one of 3 or 4 standout best of all time in this category has to be

Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward.


Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller Jr.
The Rediscovery of Man - Cordwainer Smith
A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down) - Anders Bodelsen
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh
Stardance - Spider and Jeanne Robinson
The Mote in Gods Eye - Niven/Pournelle
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
Gateway - Frederik Pohl
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Consider Phlebas - Iain Banks
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
The Fifth Head of Cerberus - Gene Wolfe
Adiamante - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Dawn - Octavia E. Butler
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
Methuselah's Children - Robert A. Heinlein
Way Station - Clifford D. Simak
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Pandora's Star - Peter F. Hamilton
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
Startide Rising - David Brin
To Your Scattered Bodies Go - Phillip Jose Farmer
Ringworld - Larry Niven
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Paradox Men - Charles L. Harness
Voyage of the Space Beagle - A.E. van Vogt
Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany
Diaspora - Greg Egan
Cities in Flight - James Blish
Schismatrix - Bruce Sterling
The City and The Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
Glimpses - Lewis Shiner
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Judas Unchained - Peter F. Hamilton
The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov
Dying Inside- Robert Silverberg
The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester
The Engines of God - McDevitt
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984) - George Orwell
The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
When Gravity Fails- George Alec Effinger
The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
Blindsight - Peter Watts
Red Moon - David S. Michaels
Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
Carve the Sky - Alexander Jablokov
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus - Ramez Naam
Star Maker - Olaf Stapledon
Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
The Gate to Women's Country - Sheri S. Tepper
Children of the Lens - E. E. "Doc" Smith
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
The Snow Queen- Joan Vinge
Thirteen (Th1rte3n) - Richard K. Morgan
Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward

[David]

Najaf wrote: "A.E. van Vogt - Voyage of the Space Beagle
Alexander Jablokov - Carve the Sky
Alfred Bester - The Demolished Man
Alfred Bester - The Stars My Destination
Anders Bodelsen - Frysepunket (English titl..."

It was interesting seeing the list this way, if just to easily see which authors have more than one book. Some surprised me by having only one book on the list while others surprised me by not having a few more, like Philip K. Dick. I was surprised not to see The Man In The High Castle here yet.

Which book did you add? I suspect it never actually got on the list, since the people who added after you brought the list back to the proper format.

[Najaf]

i added thirteen by Richard Morgan. nearly all of my favorite books are already here, so i stand by my choice.

[MadProfessah]

Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey?

A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge?

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I added #9 Ender's Game.

[mark, personal space invader]

Linda wrote: "Mark, please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the way one adds a book to the list is to copy the list and place your addition - name of book and author - at the end. ...

have gone over the 50% mark"

you are not wrong!

thanks for reviving this thread/list. it has been a very useful one for me, and interesting as well to see which individual books are added.

I'm very impressed that you've read over half of the list. wish I could say the same.

[mark, personal space invader]

MadProfessah wrote: "Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey?

A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge?"

feel free to pick one and add it...

[mark, personal space invader]

Najaf wrote: "i hope its not a problem that i changed the list to author name and book. ..."

I love this idea, thanks, and am going to update it according to your format.

[mark, personal space invader]

A.E. van Vogt - Voyage of the Space Beagle
Alexander Jablokov - Carve the Sky
Alfred Bester - The Demolished Man
Alfred Bester - The Stars My Destination
Anders Bodelsen - Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down)
Anne McCaffrey - Crystal Singer
Anne McCaffrey - Dragonflight
Arthur C. Clarke - Childhood's End
Arthur C. Clarke - Rendezvous with Rama
Arthur C. Clarke - The City and The Stars
Bruce Sterling - Schismatrix
C.J. Cherryh - Downbelow Station
Charles L. Harness - The Paradox Men
Clifford D. Simak - Way Station
Cordwainer Smith - The Rediscovery of Man
Dan Simmons - Hyperion
David Brin - Startide Rising
David S. Michaels - Red Moon
Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
E. E. "Doc" Smith - Children of the Lens
Frank Herbert - Dune
Frederik Pohl - Gateway
Gene Wolfe - The Fifth Head of Cerberus
Gene Wolfe - The Shadow of the Torturer
George Alec Effinger - When Gravity Fails
George Orwell - Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984)
Greg Egan - Diaspora
H.G. Wells - The Time Machine
H.G. Wells - War of the Worlds
Iain Banks - Consider Phlebas
Isaac Asimov - Foundation
Isaac Asimov - The Caves of Steel
J.G. Ballard - The Drowned World
James Blish - Cities in Flight
Joan D. Vinge - The Snow Queen
Joe Haldeman - The Forever War
John Brunner - Stand on Zanzibar
John Scalzi - Old Man's War
Kim Stanley Robinson - Red Mars
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. - Cat's Cradle
L. Ron Hubbard - Battlefield Earth
L.E. Modesitt Jr. - Adiamante
Larry Niven - Ringworld
Lewis Shiner - Glimpses
Lois McMaster Bujold - The Warrior's Apprentice
Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale
Mary Doria Russell - The Sparrow
Mary Shelley - Frankenstein
McDevitt - The Engines of God
Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash
Neal Stephenson - The Diamond Age
Nick Harkaway - The Gone-Away World
Ninni Holmqvist - The Unit
Niven/Pournelle - The Mote in Gods Eye
Octavia E. Butler - Dawn
Olaf Stapledon - Star Maker
Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card - Speaker for the Dead
Paolo Bacigalupi - The Windup Girl
Peter F. Hamilton - Judas Unchained
Peter F. Hamilton - Pandora's Star
Peter Watts - Blindsight
Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Philip K. Dick - Ubik
Phillip Jose Farmer - To Your Scattered Bodies Go
Ramez Naam - Nexus
Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury - The Martian Chronicles
Richard K. Morgan - Altered Carbon
Richard K. Morgan - Thirteen (Th1rte3n)
Robert L. Forward - Dragon's Egg
Robert A. Heinlein - Methuselah's Children
Robert Charles Wilson - Spin
Robert Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land
Robert Heinlein - The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
Robert Silverberg - Dying Inside
Robert Silverberg - Tower of Glass
Roger Zelazny - Damnation Alley
Roger Zelazny - Lord of Light
Samuel R. Delany - Dhalgren
Sheri S. Tepper - The Gate to Women's Country
Spider and Jeanne Robinson - Stardance
Suzette Haden Elgin - Native Tongue
Ursula K. Le Guin - The Dispossessed
Ursula K. Le Guin - The Left Hand of Darkness
Vernor Vinge - A Fire Upon the Deep
Walter Miller Jr. - A Canticle for Leibowitz
William Gibson - Neuromancer

[C. John]

Although this does make it easier to find out if a specific title is in the list, which will be very useful when the list gets even bigger, it will be a bit of a pain for those adding to the list. Instead of simply putting their book at the bottom of the list they will have to insert it somewhere in the middle. As well they had best note in their post what they are adding or we may never know what book they added.
On another note, keeping it to one book is really quite hard. I had to pick between Children of the Lens, A Princess of Mars and At The Mountains of Madness. Not easy for this old-timer.

[mark, personal space invader]

yeah, it will be a pain. as new additions come, I will probably just keep updating to keep Najaf's format. at least until I forget or become bored with doing it.

Children of the Lens beat out one book I enjoyed and one book that I absolutely love! I need to check that out.

[C. John]

That is the fun of these types of lists. They lead us to new experiences. Word of warning though. Children of the Lens is the sixth book of Smith's Lensman series, but the publication history gets a bit complicated. You can read books 3 to 6 without reading the other two. The first book wasn't originally part of the series but at fans' insistence it became part. The second book was written last when the series was first being published in hardcover as a sort of bridge between the first and third. The seventh book actually takes place during the third one (I think) and is really a side effort (it combines two short stories and some new material). Hope this wasn't too confusing.
I chose it over the others as it did contain a passage near the end which leads to certain conclusions which I suspect were pretty controversial for the time, and probably still are. Oddly enough not too many people picked up on it.

[mark, personal space invader]

good to know, thanks. can the books beside the second and third be read as standalone novels?

[C. John]

The first one was written as a stand alone originally so yes it can. The second is a sequel to the first one, basically showing how the Triplanetary Patrol becomes the Galactic Patrol, and introduces plot elements that become major in the rest of the series (specifically the Lens of the series title). The third to fifth books are really one big story broken up into more digestible chunks. You can read them as single books but get more of the big picture when you read them together. The sixth book (Children of the Lens) takes place quite a few years after the fifth book. It does hearken back to things from the past but you can read it solo if you want. The seventh book (Masters of the Vortex) is definitely stand-alone. There are Lensmen in it but I am not sure any of the main characters from the main books make an appearence. There are five other Lensmen books but they were written much later by other authors. If anyone likes I can try and dig out the information on them. Smith's last book was written in 1965 (I think) and serialized in either Amazing or Fantastic (again I think). Most of the Lensmen books first magazine appearances were in Astounding. Triplanetary first appeared in Amazing I believe (it was supposed to be in the Clayton era Astounding but that publisher went out of business before it could happen) and of course First Lensman had no prior magazine appearance prior to its first book publication. I hope I haven't bored everyone with all of this information, I can tend to get a tad long-winded at times. (Just ask the parishioners who had to sit through one of my early sermons when I was hoping to become a cleric in the Anglican church).

[C. John]

Hmm. I just remembered. There is a bunch of stuff that occurs at the beginning of the book Triplanetary. Some of it appeared as short stories elsewhere but other parts were new. None of it was part of Triplanetary when it first appeared in the magazines. You can skip it if you want. Mind you from what i have read the part set in WWII was based on events that happened to Smith himself so might be worth reading for that reason.

[David]

John wrote: "Although this does make it easier to find out if a specific title is in the list, which will be very useful when the list gets even bigger, it will be a bit of a pain for those adding to the list. ..."

I think you really have to stick with the add to the bottom of the list version for the thread, but it'd be interesting to copy and paste it into a spreadsheet maybe once a year and reorganize it and get a different perspective.

[LindaJ^]

David wrote: "John wrote: "Although this does make it easier to find out if a specific title is in the list, which will be very useful when the list gets even bigger, it will be a bit of a pain for those adding ..."

I'm going to third the disagreement with changing the list format for a completely personal reason - how will I easily know what has been added!? When all I have to do is look at the bottom, it is easy to update my personal list, which is alphabetical by last name rather than first and not a spread sheet.

[mark, personal space invader]

oh! I didn't think about that. really good point. I'll update again, although I'm a wee bit sad that the author-ordered list is going away. well i suppose it's not going anywhere, it will still be here if people dig around.

plus that will give me a chance to put Stand on Zanzibar back at the top. not because I'm an egomaniac and it was my choice, but because it was the very first choice. although I guess because I am an egomaniac too, let's not kid ourselves mark.

thanks John for all of that info! I am intrigued.

[mark, personal space invader]

Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller Jr.
The Rediscovery of Man - Cordwainer Smith
A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down) - Anders Bodelsen
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh
Stardance - Spider and Jeanne Robinson
The Mote in Gods Eye - Niven/Pournelle
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
Gateway - Frederik Pohl
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Consider Phlebas - Iain Banks
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
The Fifth Head of Cerberus - Gene Wolfe
Adiamante - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Dawn - Octavia E. Butler
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
Methuselah's Children - Robert A. Heinlein
Way Station - Clifford D. Simak
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Pandora's Star - Peter F. Hamilton
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
Startide Rising - David Brin
To Your Scattered Bodies Go - Phillip Jose Farmer
Ringworld - Larry Niven
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Paradox Men - Charles L. Harness
Voyage of the Space Beagle - A.E. van Vogt
Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany
Diaspora - Greg Egan
Cities in Flight - James Blish
Schismatrix - Bruce Sterling
The City and The Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
Glimpses - Lewis Shiner
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Judas Unchained - Peter F. Hamilton
The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov
Dying Inside- Robert Silverberg
The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester
The Engines of God - McDevitt
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984) - George Orwell
The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
When Gravity Fails- George Alec Effinger
The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
Blindsight - Peter Watts
Red Moon - David S. Michaels
Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
Carve the Sky - Alexander Jablokov
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus - Ramez Naam
Star Maker - Olaf Stapledon
Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
The Gate to Women's Country - Sheri S. Tepper
Children of the Lens - E. E. "Doc" Smith
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
The Snow Queen- Joan Vinge
Thirteen (Th1rte3n) - Richard K. Morgan
Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward

[Mickey]

mark wrote: "plus that will give me a chance to put Stand on Zanzibar back at the top. not because I'm an egomaniac and it was my choice, but because it was the very first choice. although I guess because I am an egomaniac too, let's not kid ourselves mark."

Lots of egomaniacs here. As the first alphabetical listing was mine :)
A.E. van Vogt - Voyage of the Space Beagle

However, I will humble myself and say I too prefer the bottom listing for new books.

[C. John]

I think any method used is going to have its drawbacks. When searching by author in my library system they want the last name listed first and then the first name. The one problem with this that the last name may not be what you think it is. The French theologian Pierre Theilhard de Chardin is proof of that.

[Scott]

Thought I added to this already but maybe it was somewhere else.

Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller Jr.
The Rediscovery of Man - Cordwainer Smith
A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down) - Anders Bodelsen
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh
Stardance - Spider and Jeanne Robinson
The Mote in Gods Eye - Niven/Pournelle
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
Gateway - Frederik Pohl
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Consider Phlebas - Iain Banks
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
The Fifth Head of Cerberus - Gene Wolfe
Adiamante - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Dawn - Octavia E. Butler
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
Methuselah's Children - Robert A. Heinlein
Way Station - Clifford D. Simak
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Pandora's Star - Peter F. Hamilton
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
Startide Rising - David Brin
To Your Scattered Bodies Go - Phillip Jose Farmer
Ringworld - Larry Niven
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Paradox Men - Charles L. Harness
Voyage of the Space Beagle - A.E. van Vogt
Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany
Diaspora - Greg Egan
Cities in Flight - James Blish
Schismatrix - Bruce Sterling
The City and The Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
Glimpses - Lewis Shiner
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Judas Unchained - Peter F. Hamilton
The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov
Dying Inside- Robert Silverberg
The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester
The Engines of God - McDevitt
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984) - George Orwell
The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
When Gravity Fails- George Alec Effinger
The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
Blindsight - Peter Watts
Red Moon - David S. Michaels
Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
Carve the Sky - Alexander Jablokov
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus - Ramez Naam
Star Maker - Olaf Stapledon
Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
The Gate to Women's Country - Sheri S. Tepper
Children of the Lens - E. E. "Doc" Smith
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
The Snow Queen- Joan Vinge
Thirteen (Th1rte3n) - Richard K. Morgan
Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward
Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle

[Lena]

Like everyone else my favorites are Dune, Hyperion, and Enders Game. But some recent works have hit it out of the park for me:

Ready Player One
Leviathan Wakes
Blades of Winter

[mark, personal space invader]

Lena wrote: "Like everyone else my favorites are Dune, Hyperion, and Enders Game. But some recent works have hit it out of the park for me:

Ready Player One
Leviathan Wakes
Blades of Winter"

pick one and add it to the list! (by copy and pasting the list in a new message and adding your choice at the bottom).

[Lena]

Blades of Winter by G.T. Almasi
Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller Jr.
The Rediscovery of Man - Cordwainer Smith
A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down) - Anders Bodelsen
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh
Stardance - Spider and Jeanne Robinson
The Mote in Gods Eye - Niven/Pournelle
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
Gateway - Frederik Pohl
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Consider Phlebas - Iain Banks
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
The Fifth Head of Cerberus - Gene Wolfe
Adiamante - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Dawn - Octavia E. Butler
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
Methuselah's Children - Robert A. Heinlein
Way Station - Clifford D. Simak
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Pandora's Star - Peter F. Hamilton
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
Startide Rising - David Brin
To Your Scattered Bodies Go - Phillip Jose Farmer
Ringworld - Larry Niven
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Paradox Men - Charles L. Harness
Voyage of the Space Beagle - A.E. van Vogt
Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany
Diaspora - Greg Egan
Cities in Flight - James Blish
Schismatrix - Bruce Sterling
The City and The Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
Glimpses - Lewis Shiner
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Judas Unchained - Peter F. Hamilton
The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov
Dying Inside- Robert Silverberg
The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester
The Engines of God - McDevitt
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984) - George Orwell
The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
When Gravity Fails- George Alec Effinger
The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
Blindsight - Peter Watts
Red Moon - David S. Michaels
Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
Carve the Sky - Alexander Jablokov
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus - Ramez Naam
Star Maker - Olaf Stapledon
Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
The Gate to Women's Country - Sheri S. Tepper
Children of the Lens - E. E. "Doc" Smith
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
The Snow Queen- Joan Vinge
Thirteen (Th1rte3n) - Richard K. Morgan
Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward
Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle

[LindaJ^]

Lena wrote: "Blades of Winter by G.T. Almasi
Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Sp..."
Needs to go at the BOTTOM, not the top! I've moved it for you and the new list is as follows --

Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller Jr.
The Rediscovery of Man - Cordwainer Smith
A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down) - Anders Bodelsen
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh
Stardance - Spider and Jeanne Robinson
The Mote in Gods Eye - Niven/Pournelle
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
Gateway - Frederik Pohl
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Consider Phlebas - Iain Banks
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
The Fifth Head of Cerberus - Gene Wolfe
Adiamante - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Dawn - Octavia E. Butler
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
Methuselah's Children - Robert A. Heinlein
Way Station - Clifford D. Simak
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Pandora's Star - Peter F. Hamilton
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
Startide Rising - David Brin
To Your Scattered Bodies Go - Phillip Jose Farmer
Ringworld - Larry Niven
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Paradox Men - Charles L. Harness
Voyage of the Space Beagle - A.E. van Vogt
Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany
Diaspora - Greg Egan
Cities in Flight - James Blish
Schismatrix - Bruce Sterling
The City and The Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
Glimpses - Lewis Shiner
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Judas Unchained - Peter F. Hamilton
The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov
Dying Inside- Robert Silverberg
The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester
The Engines of God - McDevitt
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984) - George Orwell
The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
When Gravity Fails- George Alec Effinger
The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
Blindsight - Peter Watts
Red Moon - David S. Michaels
Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
Carve the Sky - Alexander Jablokov
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus - Ramez Naam
Star Maker - Olaf Stapledon
Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
The Gate to Women's Country - Sheri S. Tepper
Children of the Lens - E. E. "Doc" Smith
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
The Snow Queen- Joan Vinge
Thirteen (Th1rte3n) - Richard K. Morgan
Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward
Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle
Blades of Winter by G.T. Almasi

[mark, personal space invader]

thanks Linda!

[Frank]

Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller Jr.
The Rediscovery of Man - Cordwainer Smith
A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down) - Anders Bodelsen
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh
Stardance - Spider and Jeanne Robinson
The Mote in Gods Eye - Niven/Pournelle
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
Gateway - Frederik Pohl
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Consider Phlebas - Iain Banks
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
The Fifth Head of Cerberus - Gene Wolfe
Adiamante - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Dawn - Octavia E. Butler
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
Methuselah's Children - Robert A. Heinlein
Way Station - Clifford D. Simak
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Pandora's Star - Peter F. Hamilton
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
Startide Rising - David Brin
To Your Scattered Bodies Go - Phillip Jose Farmer
Ringworld - Larry Niven
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Paradox Men - Charles L. Harness
Voyage of the Space Beagle - A.E. van Vogt
Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany
Diaspora - Greg Egan
Cities in Flight - James Blish
Schismatrix - Bruce Sterling
The City and The Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
Glimpses - Lewis Shiner
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Judas Unchained - Peter F. Hamilton
The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov
Dying Inside- Robert Silverberg
The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester
The Engines of God - McDevitt
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984) - George Orwell
The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
When Gravity Fails- George Alec Effinger
The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
Blindsight - Peter Watts
Red Moon - David S. Michaels
Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
Carve the Sky - Alexander Jablokov
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus - Ramez Naam
Star Maker - Olaf Stapledon
Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
The Gate to Women's Country - Sheri S. Tepper
Children of the Lens - E. E. "Doc" Smith
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
The Snow Queen- Joan Vinge
Thirteen (Th1rte3n) - Richard K. Morgan
Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward
Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle
Blades of Winter by G.T. Almasi
The Many-Coloured Land - Julian May

[CD]

Frank wrote: "Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
...
.
The Many-Coloured Land - Julian May"

Good Addition! The Many Coloured Land was on my short list as a possibility. The Pliocene Saga and May's Galactic Milieu Trilogy have always been favorites. I did not want to have to choose 'just one' of either series.

[mark, personal space invader]

yes, great addition. I have been meaning to re-read this series for years. I loved it when I read it as a teen, but I think much of it may have gone over my head. glad I still have the books!

[Metaphorosis]

"The Many-Coloured Land - Julian May"

I've been thinking about re-reading this series as well, though a recent exploration of some of the prequels wasn't as good as I'd hoped.

[J_BlueFlower]

Adding Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold. She already has ”The Warrior's Apprentice” on the list.
Shards of Honour is the first book in the Saga, it is ok, but the later books are brilliant.

Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller Jr.
The Rediscovery of Man - Cordwainer Smith
A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down) - Anders Bodelsen
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh
Stardance - Spider and Jeanne Robinson
The Mote in Gods Eye - Niven/Pournelle
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
Gateway - Frederik Pohl
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Consider Phlebas - Iain Banks
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
The Fifth Head of Cerberus - Gene Wolfe
Adiamante - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Dawn - Octavia E. Butler
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
Methuselah's Children - Robert A. Heinlein
Way Station - Clifford D. Simak
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Pandora's Star - Peter F. Hamilton
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
Startide Rising - David Brin
To Your Scattered Bodies Go - Phillip Jose Farmer
Ringworld - Larry Niven
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Paradox Men - Charles L. Harness
Voyage of the Space Beagle - A.E. van Vogt
Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany
Diaspora - Greg Egan
Cities in Flight - James Blish
Schismatrix - Bruce Sterling
The City and The Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
Glimpses - Lewis Shiner
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Judas Unchained - Peter F. Hamilton
The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov
Dying Inside- Robert Silverberg
The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester
The Engines of God - McDevitt
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984) - George Orwell
The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
When Gravity Fails- George Alec Effinger
The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
Blindsight - Peter Watts
Red Moon - David S. Michaels
Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
Carve the Sky - Alexander Jablokov
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus - Ramez Naam
Star Maker - Olaf Stapledon
Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
The Gate to Women's Country - Sheri S. Tepper
Children of the Lens - E. E. "Doc" Smith
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
The Snow Queen- Joan Vinge
Thirteen (Th1rte3n) - Richard K. Morgan
Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward
Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle
Blades of Winter by G.T. Almasi
The Many-Coloured Land - Julian May
Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold

[Jason]

Adding The Last Legends of Earth. It's supposedly 4th in the series, but can be read completely standalone.

Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Dune - Frank Herbert
Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller Jr.
The Rediscovery of Man - Cordwainer Smith
A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Frysepunket (English title: Freezing Down) - Anders Bodelsen
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh
Stardance - Spider and Jeanne Robinson
The Mote in Gods Eye - Niven/Pournelle
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
Gateway - Frederik Pohl
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Consider Phlebas - Iain Banks
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
The Fifth Head of Cerberus - Gene Wolfe
Adiamante - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Dawn - Octavia E. Butler
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
Methuselah's Children - Robert A. Heinlein
Way Station - Clifford D. Simak
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Pandora's Star - Peter F. Hamilton
Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
Startide Rising - David Brin
To Your Scattered Bodies Go - Phillip Jose Farmer
Ringworld - Larry Niven
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Paradox Men - Charles L. Harness
Voyage of the Space Beagle - A.E. van Vogt
Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany
Diaspora - Greg Egan
Cities in Flight - James Blish
Schismatrix - Bruce Sterling
The City and The Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
Glimpses - Lewis Shiner
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Judas Unchained - Peter F. Hamilton
The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov
Dying Inside- Robert Silverberg
The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester
The Engines of God - McDevitt
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984) - George Orwell
The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
When Gravity Fails- George Alec Effinger
The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
Blindsight - Peter Watts
Red Moon - David S. Michaels
Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
Carve the Sky - Alexander Jablokov
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Nexus - Ramez Naam
Star Maker - Olaf Stapledon
Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
The Gate to Women's Country - Sheri S. Tepper
Children of the Lens - E. E. "Doc" Smith
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
The Snow Queen- Joan Vinge
Thirteen (Th1rte3n) - Richard K. Morgan
Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward
Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle
Blades of Winter by G.T. Almasi
The Many-Coloured Land - Julian May
Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Last Legends of Earth - A. A. Attanasio

[manohar]

Hello everyone , Am Manohar from India I took a deep resolution for 2017 that I should read as much as possible , in the last 3 years i have read a mere 5 books and i hate to admit that. My favorite genre is Science Fiction and ehnce joined this group .
I thank all the people in this group for the suggestions given above.
Will try to read as many as possible from the list (of course limited by the budget i can spare) . Any suggestions as to what I can start now . For the record I just finished Pierce brown's "The Red Rising" trilogy and it was quite good , but don't think I want to read it again any time soon.

[mark, personal space invader]

Red Rising was an exciting book. you may find similar excitement, as far as pacing goes, in Old Man's War. or, as far as a story about revolutionary crises goes, in Consider Phlebas.

[Dan]

If you start at the top of this list and just read one book per week, you will be the best versed person in this group in regards to science fiction in six months. Within 18 months you will have read every book on this list.

[manohar]

@mark, @Dan, thanks for your suggestions , that's a good plan Dan , I will start with the top of the list .

Also I wanted to know if people having an ebook on kindle can share the book with friends. If so does anyone here have the kindle editions to share.

[E A M Harris]

I like the list but am rather surprised how many of the books were written a long time ago. Is there a 'golden age' of sic fi like for mystery fiction?

[CD]

E A M Harris wrote: "I like the list but am rather surprised how many of the books were written a long time ago. Is there a 'golden age' of sic fi like for mystery fiction?"

Golden age, maybe. Or just works that have stood the test of a generation or two of readers.