Your recommended "Essential" Sci-Fi classics

[thalion]

I recently read <i>A Canticle for Liebowitz</i>, and was deeply moved and impressed. It was actually the first new sci-fi novel I've read in some years, and my interest in the genre has been kindled.<br /><br />So, I'd like to ask anyone here what they think are five "essential" sci-fi works to read for someone interesting in jumping into the genre. Books so good that, if you haven't read them but went to a sci-fi convention, aficionados would look at you like you crawled out from under a rock if you admitted that you'd never read them.<br /><br />But seriously folks, for a neophyte, what are your "essential five"? <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[cryogenius]

1. The "Foundation" series by Asimov.<br />2. The "Ringworld" series by Nivens.<br />3. The "Rama" series by Clarke.<br />4. "The Caves of Steel" by Asimov.<br />5. The "Mission Earth" series by Hubbard

 

[thalion]

^<br />Thanks!<br /><br />It's only fair that you all know what classics I've read:<br /><br />--"The Martian Chronicles," Ray Bradbury<br />--"At Winter's End," Robert Silverberg (okay, so maybe I'm pushing it with this one, but it is a great novel, and a Hugo winner)<br />--"The Forever War", Joe Haldeman<br />--"2001: A Space Odyssey", Arthur C. Clarke<br /><br />I've read others, but these are the few I've read that I hear are important in the genre...

 

[mcbethcg]

<br />Ringworld by Nivens.<br />A Mote in God's Eye by Nivens and Pournelle<br />Rama by Clarke. <br />The Forever War by Joe Haldeman <br />The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein <br />Startide Rising by David Brin <br />

 

[nacnud]

How about broader mix than just (mainly) space operas? I’ve also tried not to repeat other peoples suggestions.<br /><br />Consider Phlebas - Ian M. Banks<br />Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert A Heinlein<br />The Nine Billion Names of God - Arthur C. Clarke<br />Neuromancer - William Gibson<br />Slaughter House 5 - Kurt Vonnegut<br /><br />And a bonus selection.<br /><br />Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams<br />

 

[wmdragon]

The Eden Trilogy by Harry Harrison<br />The Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny (disclaimer: I've only read the first half)<br /><br />so many great choices, cant come up with an actual top 5 list <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#993366"><em>The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter.</em> <br /> --- James Clerk Maxwell</font></p> </div>

 

[igorsboss]

Quark

 

[thalion]

Thanks to all for your suggestions. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> Feel free to add however many; I just picked "five" because I figured it would take too much time to list a lot of them.

 

[wmdragon]

stelmosfire<br /><br />thanks for the review on the Amber Chronicles, just from reading the first five I got the impression it was heading the in the direction you mention <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#993366"><em>The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter.</em> <br /> --- James Clerk Maxwell</font></p> </div>

 

[kelle]

The sci-fi classics I like the most are:<br /><br />- The City and the Stars (Clarke)<br />- Star Maker (Stapledon)<br />- Cities in Flight (James Blish)<br />- Rama (Clarke)<br />- Eon (Greg Bear)

 

[jmilsom]

You must read:<br /><br />1. Dune by Frank Herbert <br />2. The Collected Short Stories of Philip K. Dick in 5 volumes<br />3. Emphyrio by Jack Vance<br />4. The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov<br />5. Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[canadian_joe]

I have to agree with you jmilsom, that is one nice list you have there for good sci-fi reading. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[kelle]

I liked The Last and First Men too, it was a really great book, but Star Maker was better. The Last and First Men seemed to be a bit outdated, and not only the beginning, and it was also a bit repetative at times, while Star Maker was more grand and general in it's history. But yeah, TLaFM is a really great book too, which people should read at least twice before they die. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[summoner]

Fantastic list guys. I've read a good number of the recommended books, but there wouldn't be enough time in a lifetime to read all the greats. Thats why I love these threads.<br /><br />Could we get this thread 'stickied'? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:271px;background-color:#FFF;border:1pxsolid#999"><tr><td colspan="2"><div style="height:35px"><img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/htmlSticker1/language/www/US/MT/Three_Forks.gif" alt="" height="35" width="271" style="border:0px" /></div>

 

[thalion]

^<br />Thanks much. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />I thank you all for your replies. I had no idea that this thread would be popular!

 

[flynn]

Don't think there is too much to add to that lot, certainly you are going to be busy for a while.<br /><br />I have recently read <i>The war of the worlds</i> HG Wells and was so impressed I ran out and bought <i>When the sleeper wakes</i> and <i>The time machine</i><br /><br />Wish I had the time to read half as much as I wanted. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#800080">"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring" - <strong>Chuck Palahniuk</strong>.</font> </div>

 

[flynn]

Your very lucky then because my local libruary (situated opposite the old peoples home) is full of large print romance novels.<br /><br />To save money I generally swap a lot of books with a friend of mine who generally has the same tastes in Literature this also has the added benefit of catching books that would of otherwise of gone under the radar. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#800080">"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring" - <strong>Chuck Palahniuk</strong>.</font> </div>

 

[wmdragon]

on HG Wells <i>The time machine</i><br /><br />I found out I have two different versions at home. the only difference I found was the final scene, his jumping into the far far future after the Eloi/Morloch stop. one version has more weird creature encounters than the other. wonder if there are any other differences. anybody know about this factoid? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#993366"><em>The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter.</em> <br /> --- James Clerk Maxwell</font></p> </div>

 

[wmdragon]

<i>Wells' description of the far future, with the swollen, dying sun, and the life on Earth guttering to it's doom, is among the classic passages in all of literature. A bit depressing, too.</i><br /><br />yes, that ending impressed me, which why I noticed the difference. I went thru those scenes sentence by sentence, to determine where it starts and ends. it's really trivial, a scene when he stops at a world where an ape-like creature gets eaten by a giant centipede, which makes me wonder why bother with such an edit and publish two versions? maybe one of the publishers dropped a page accidentally! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#993366"><em>The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter.</em> <br /> --- James Clerk Maxwell</font></p> </div>

 

[wmdragon]

wasnt <i>Stranger in a Strange Land</i> considered taboo when it was first published? all that cannibalism & communal sex, shock shock<br /><br />anyway, the <i>Time Machine</i> "edit" seems inconsequential, just another weird sight on his time hopping to the end of the earth. cant chalk it up to prudishness or censorship. until I learn otherwise I'll attribute it to accident or a desire to trim down the book's length. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#993366"><em>The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter.</em> <br /> --- James Clerk Maxwell</font></p> </div>