Your 'top-5' Sf-Fi books (no fantasy books please)

[CyBeR]

I see The forever war in the lists of many people. Around here I can barely find 3-4 people that have even heard of the book.

 

[woodsman]

I read The Forever War as one of the Masterworks series - most of my friends locally think my SF obsession is a bit weird. (They'll happilly watch soaps and reality TV though).

I think it's what all SF should be - well written enough to be engaging and yet tackling some deeper themes and exploring possibilities beyond Earth at the same time.

 

[bluespider100]

I see The forever war in the lists of many people. Around here I can barely find 3-4 people that have even heard of the book.

Yes, It's an all time favorite but people today generally don't read a lot of books and most of those who read are not into this genre. we are a few a dying breed? nah just kidding, but yeah basically we are a minority in the world today.

 

[Parson]

I would say that although the reading of these books might be on the decline. SF still makes up a fair portion of the action movies. Especially if you allow for near future as SF. Not exactly new, but a SF movie that I enjoyed which a lot of people would not immediately think of as SF was the "Book of Eli."

 

[clovis-man]

Not exactly new, but a SF movie that I enjoyed which a lot of people would not immediately think of as SF was the "Book of Eli."

Anything that can be referred to as "post-apocalyptic" is considered SF these days. Who am I to argue?

 

[Connavar]

SF isnt the most popular genre of the mainstream genres in book world but its not like its dying. SF shelfs in book chaines,library is huge.

As long as there is popular SF films people will find their way to the books. Thats how i started like many other mm this film is interesting how is SF in actual books ?

The world is too big to expect you will find people with your book taste in every corner. Most of the book readers i know are only YA fantasy readers and some people with bigger range,taste in my literary classes. I found a PKD fan in my class and was thrilled. We overrate how small the genre readers are suppose to be.

 

[Nightender]

Here's my quick list of 5 great sci-fi books.

Dune by Frank Herbert
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
Genesis by Bernard Beckett
Mad Skills by Walter Greatshell
The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe

I'm hoping to read a few more sci-fi books soon, so this list might change.

 

[WizardofOwls]

David Brin's Uplift books (Sorry cant think of just one title right now - too early in the a.m.)
Jack L. Chalker's Midnight at the Well of Souls series
Joan Vinge's Snow Queen
Frank Herbert's Dune
Andre Norton's Daybreak 2250 AD and other post-apocalyptic novels

 

[lazygun]

Top 5.
This night only,
Against a dark background.-iain m banks.
Neuromancer.-william gibson.
Enders game.-orson s card.
The cat who walks through walls.-robert a heinlein.
Sentenced to prism.-alan d foster.

 

[Nightender]

Neuromancer. That's a great book. I thought about putting it on my list, but it barely got pushed out.

 

[Hober Mallow]

I've held off until now from posting my top five because choosing just five was always too difficult but I don't suppose it'll ever get easier. So here we go:

4) "More than Human" by Theodore Sturgeon

I'm reading that right now. Pretty good, so far.

 

[bearcatmark]

In no particular Order.

1. Hyperion, Dan Simmons
2. Use of Weapons, Iain M Banks
3. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
4. Speaker for the Dead, Orson Scott Card
5. Dune, Frank Herbert

Honorable mention
A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky, Vernor Vinge
Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
Illium, Dan Simmons
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Douglass Adams
Surface Detail, Iain M Banks

 

[Rodders]

I must say that it'#s quite nice to see a mixture of both old and new SF titles in this thread.

 

[Rodders]

I must say that it's quite nice to see a mixture of both old and new SF titles in this thread. There are a three of my absolute favourites that i can't enjoy as they don't fall into the SF category. My own Science Fiction favourites are:

1. The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks. I've read this books many times and i really like the subtle layers and the digs at our own inadequate society.

2. The Forge of God by Greg Bear. Again, i've read this many times and the ending is just incredible. There are a couple of other Chrons reading this at the moment and i really hope that they enjoy it as it's a massively underrated book in my opinion. The Anvil of Stars was equally enjoyable, but the SF was a lot harder.

3. Necropolis by Dan Abnett. I came across Dan by accident and i have to say that with one or two exceptions i have very much enjoyed every one. Necropolis was my favourite of the Gaunts Ghosts books where i really appreciated Dan's character writing. A hugely exciting book this one. A lot of people tend to look down on it as it's based in the Warhammer 40K universe. Their loss i'd say.

4. Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds. This book appears to have produced a fair division among the people here in the Chrons, but i very much enjoyed it. I have very much enjoyed all the novels set in the RS universe, but the initial book has to be the best. I can't really get on with his stand alone books for some reason. Don't get me wrong, they are good too, but they're not as good as these. Apparently, Alastair's going to return to teh RS universe after his next trilogy. I for one can't wait.

5. The Hitch Hikers guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. (I always look to the series as one book as i tend to read them in a single collected volume.) Very funny, very insightful and very entertaining. Comedy doesn't lend itself to SF, but this book manages it very well.

As with others on the boards there are so many honourable mentions. Unforunately, there can be only five. (The non SF books that would've been in here were Clive Barkers Weaveworld, It and the Stand by Stephen King.)

 

[No One]

I'm probably one of the least well-read Chronites when it comes to sci-fi, but as one of the newly converted to the SF Masterworks series I expect to remedy that. In any case, I'm curious to see how my list might change over time.

So, in no particular order:

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley. The first (?) and one of the most significant sci-fi stories ever written. It's practically the mythological foundation on which so much since rests and rightly so.

War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells. Has a better alien invasion story ever been done? Nuh uh. Come on, Thunderchild!

Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes. Easily one of the most poignant pieces of fiction I've ever read and speaks volumes for the idea of bettering humanity.

2001 - Arthur C. Clarke. Very surprised this hasn't been cited more often. A story about contacting aliens that is all about holding a mirror up to humanity. And there'll never be another Hal, who's the most human thing in the book.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert Heinlein. A tough one to quantify. I just loved it.


Now then - Dune. There's really only one reason why it's not in there and that's because it's been so well represented already. I know that's no reason at all, but hey, I'm still thinking of ways to justify not having The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and I am Legend in there...

 

[Waiting]

Could change at any moment...

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
Noir by K.W. Jeter (flawed but still a favorite)

 

[OmahaRenegade]

Probably not. His books seem to be way too long and they're easy to get bored in. I'm surprised you made it as far as you did and then quit, but not surprised in general. I was about ready to give up around 170 or something like that. I kept going and it got better and I ended up liking it, but with reservations. I'm currently reading Chasm City and it's basically the same: it's taken me probably three or four days and I'm on about p.160 and just stuck in disbelief at what Heinlein could get done in Starship Troopers' 208 pages and how little has happened so far and how long there is to go (we haven't gotten to Chasm City yet (I think we're almost there) and there's something like 540 pages more to go). For excitement, our pro(?)tagonist almost got himself killed once (good) and then let himself get beaten up (very bad). Whee. I like Reynolds' short stories/novelettes/novellas much more.

If you felt like you were forcing yourself through it, you probably should have quit. It's supposed to be fun! I will say that, while he seems to have a hard time drawing likeable characters and, more importantly, has a hard time making his unlikeable characters interesting, I eventually got interested in Volyova and, to an extent, Khouri herself (or whatever her name was) and the action picked up and scope broadened and so on (though I've already forgotten much of it) - so like I say, for me it was marginally worth it. But if it hadn't clicked for you by 344, it probably was never going to. Read Baxter or Asher instead, maybe.

Thank God I'm not the only one. I just couldn't identify or sympathize with any of the characters. They all seemed so devoid of personality. Even in Sylveste's most dramatic moments (like...um...yeah...I'll think of one eventually) there was nothing there. I couldn't wrap my head around his marriage to that girl. It just didn't fit or flow. Sorry to the fans, but the Revelation Space series just isn't for me.

 

[D_Davis]

1. The Stars My Destination - Bester
2. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich - Dick
3. The Best Short Stories of J.G. Ballard - Ballard
4. To Marry Medusa - Sturgeon
5. Sirius - Stapledon

 

[Radix]

UBIK Philip K. Dick
Radix A.A. Attanasio
Image Of the Beast Philip Jose Farmer
Neuromancer William Gibson
Methuselah's Children Robert A. Heinlein

& a whole slew of hms~

 

[Town]

Off the top of my head although it changes (no particular order):

1. Dune
2. Ender's Game
3. Anathem or Snow Crash
4. Hyperion
5. R Is For Rocket (for nostalgia sake)

This list is hard though, I often like different types of sci-fi at different times.