Best SciFi Books Ever Written

[EchoWars]

Now, were talking SciFi, not Science Fantasy like LOTR and such. A buddy and me got into a discussion, and in the end we agreed on two of the three here...

If you like Science Fiction (and I have read hundreds of SciFi books), you HAVE to check out these three..

Battlefield Earth- L. Ron Hubbard (yes, the movie sucked big-time, but the book is a work of SciFi art)

Time Enough for Love- Robert A. Heinlein R.A. Heinlein is the original 'dirty-old-man' SciFi writer. Approach his stuff with an open mind. This is his best work...sprawling, involving, intellegent, and heartbreaking at times.

Startide Rising- David Brin Imagine a future where humans have 'enhanced' dolphins with DNA fiddling and made them as intelligent as us. The story of the first interstellar craft piloted by dolphins. This is book two of the uplift series, but I recommend reading it first...I WANT A COMPUTER RENDERED MOVIE OF THIS ONE!!!! IT WOULD MAKE MILLIONS!!!

[Indiana]

You might laugh, but I still like the older Perry Rhodan books - even if they're maybe too "mainstream" for some and too military for others...

[Wombat]

How about Orson Scott Card? Ender's Game (and Shadow) are fantastic.

The Dune series?

Asimov.

Arthur C. Clarke?

[EchoWars]

Have Ender's Game on order right now...too many people bitching at me 'cause I haven't read it

First two Dune books kicked ass. Then somehow the whole thing got tedious. Still, the series belongs on my top ten.

Asimov was a bloody genius. However, his stories were pretty much Rated-G, and seemed to be aimed after some common denominator of SciFi reader, trying to please everyone while offending no one. Not really a slam agenst the Man, but he just shot for a broad audience.

F. Herbert and I. Asimov both would be included my my list of top 10 authors, but as far as individual works, the three mentioned above impressed me like few others.

Tell ya what, I'll read Ender's Game if you read Startide Rising

Indiana- My buddy has three or four Rhodan books that he has trying to get me to read for ages. Might have to do it...

[Topha]

Douglas Adams Hitchhiker series
Neuromancer
Strata (Terry Pratchett)

[Wulfman]

Tad Williams - Otherland

[Sasq]

I have to agree with ‘Time enough for love’ and ‘hitch hikers’
Time enough for love: The only true sin lies in hurting other people, hurting yourself is not a sin, merely stupid

If we were talking fantasy I Have a long, long list

Dan

[Dilitante1]

My favorite for a while....

Sentenced to Prism by Alan Dean Foster.....nice storyline, not overly technical, and with today's technologies an easy film to produce......


-Dil

[Indiana]

If Asimov is shooting for a too large audience for you, Perry Rhodan definitely will be much too mainstream for you, too.
Besides this is in no way literary very sophisticated, they're merely entertaining. So it doesn't really fit under the title "Best books ever written" - what can you expect from a weekly issued series?).
And they somehow lost the thread later on after most of the original writers (Clark Darlton, KH Scheer, ...) had left the team.

[Wombat]

Yep, Dune kind of faded as the series went on, but I remember liking God Emperor, the 4th book. But the HG2G series faded too, I thought the last 3 books of the series were pretty bad, and barely recognizable as Adams's work.

[cjolley]

My first SF novel was "Raiders from the Rings" by Alan E. Nourse.
I read it in 5th grade (1962)
We have literaly thousands of SF books in our house.
You might as well ask a parent to pick among his children.

But,
Asimov is GOD. (try the original Foundation Trilogy)
First two Enders- Good
First two Dunes- Good (the others were embarasing)
Etc.

How about Larry Niven, Ray Bradbury?

For something a little different:
1, The Riverworld books by Philip Jose Farmer starting with "To Our Scattered Bodies Go".
2, "Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers" by Harry Harrison

For the 2nd Ammendment folks there are the "Weapon Shop" stories by A. E. Van Vogt. (You know who you are )

chuck

PS 10 points if you get the connection between "Star Smashers.." and MURC

[TomNuttall]

The best Heinlein (for me) is Stranger in a Strange Land.
Other favourites of mine include the Brian Aldiss... Heliconia trilogy (Winter, Spring and Summer).

Tom

[cjolley]

Originally posted by TomNuttall
The best Heinlein (for me) is Stranger in a Strange Land....

Read it again after 20 years. It doesn't hold up very well.
"Starship Troopers" held up even less well.
I sure loved those books when I was a kid though.
chuck

[Wulfman]

Philip K. Dick?

mfg
wulfman

[EchoWars]

Guess I started this thread to get some ideas of

What To Read While I Look For A Job

Keep 'em coming...