Best Science Fiction Books

An eons-spanning cautionary tale about a conflict between light and dark matter civilizations where we get to see the virtues and flaws of mankind so far into the future that all events until now seem like a part of the big bang. This book is a good example of the scale in which Baxter writes.

This is one of three books taking place in the same universe, but they are all stand alone novels. Baxter stories are wildly imaginative and he writes in a cosmic scale, yet his style is believable and easy to follow. Strongly recommended.

Possibly the best space adventure ever written. Think of it as intelligent space opera. Reads like one long novel broken up into six volumes, so you need to read them in order. Hamilton manages to mix awesome technology, an outrageously epic plot, terrific action, great characters, and a complex universe into multiple threads to weave a galactic saga in which mankind battles for survival against a threat from a different plane of existence. Absolutely brilliant. An excellent short story collection that serves as an introduction to the series is A Second Chance at Heaven. Also recommended is Hamilton's new work, The Commonwealth Saga, of which Pandora's Star is book one and so far highly recommended. Judas Unchained, the second and last book, comes out later in 2005 or 2006.

Humans are a fable of the past. Dogs are the gentle, intuitive, masters of Earth (though that is not a word they would understand) who explore parallel universes, and seek council from ancient robots. Ants go on a building spree. Jupiter is paradise on Earth. Don't worry, it will all make sense.

A very intriguing universe where the Earth clan (humans, along with dolphins and chimpanzees, elevated to sentience through genetic enhancements) are the odd kid at the party and need every ounce of ingenuity to survive. Besides a captivating plot, I find Brin's writing style engrossing, and his descriptions of alien races are some of the most original I have ever come across. There is a second trilogy in the saga which is good, but not quite up to par. you may also like Earth, it takes place in the same universe, previous to this saga.

Gibson invented the word "Cyberspace" and brought cyberpunk to the masses. His prose is so unique it almost deserves to be its own literary style. The good thing is, the plots are even better than the prose; gripping, fast-paced, imaginative, and the characters are great. I haven't read a book by Gibson that I haven't liked. Just try it, you'll probably either love it, or hate it, but if you're like me you won't be able to get enough of his books. If in doubt, you can start with Burning Chrome, a short story collection.

An extremely engaging and complex saga centered around an almost nonsensical entity and a space-time anomaly on Hyperion, a planet at the edge of explored space, and not connected by the "web", a network of portals that has made interplanetary travel as easy as walking down the street. The storyline develops following several very different characters, all of them with a unique story of their own, while showing in detail the life and workings of a very sophisticated interstellar civilization. The saga is generously sprinkled with mind-stretching concepts. Character development is top notch.

I never thought cyber-punk and satire could be combined -much less that I would enjoy the result, but Snow Crash does it magnificently. It takes today's trends and exaggerates them in a way that will have you rolling on the floor, then sitting and re-thinking where today's society is headed. Be warned: a flexible mind and an appreciation for sarcasm are pre-requirements for this read to be enjoyable. Also highly recommended but not quite as memorable is The Diamond Age, with a more serious tone, it takes place in the same universe.

The next best thing to colonizing Mars yourself, is reading this book. As Mars is terraformed, and new social orders are born, you will marvel, cheer, cry, meditate, celebrate, and despair along with the characters. The first book is the best by far, and the only one I would place in this list, but you will probably want to read the other two as well.

A series of stories that depict the Martian civilization and its decline and demise upon the arrival of humans.The style is very poetic, and the words "magic realism" come to mind. At times it is difficult to assert if the Martian civilization ever existed, or if the author is merely making a point about contrasting views and philosophies. When I first read this book, I was heart-broken, and I spent days afterwards mourning the sublime Martian race. If Niven or Baxter are the meat and potatoes of sci-fi, Bradbury is the wine.

A great collection of stories. Sometimes sad, sometimes wondrous, but always unique. Almost makes me want to get at tattoo -almost.

These two books are some of the best short story collections I've ever read. Each story in these books is a little jewel. Niven's Known Space is perhaps the quintessential sci-fi universe. You are taken both to the heart of civilization and the adventures of uncharted space with an ease where you don't know where you'll end up, yet you won't be surprised to find yourself there. The stories tend to lean heavily on the character's ingenuity, and will have you grinning quite often; happy endings are the norm.

This is a major sci-fi classic. The book was published in 1970, it was still cutting edge when I first read it, back in the 80s, and I think it makes a great read even today. Besides the main concept -an artificial, ring-shaped world, there are many great ideas here, such as creating good luck, manipulating other civilizations, the interactions of individuals from different species with different psychological make up and motivations, and an amazing -if not too believable- story behind the origin of mankind. Niven has written 2 or 3 follow ups to this novel, but I think this one is the best.

In a future where civilization reaches every corner of the galaxy, misfits have nowhere to go. Until a one-way time portal to the pliocene age on Earth, is found. Suddenly the phrase "getting away from it all" has a whole new meaning. It's the ultimate escape-proof prison and adventure-trekking paradise rolled into one -except no one has a clue of what's waiting on the other side... and neither will you. A great saga to get lost in, it manages to be both sci-fi and heroic fantasy at the same time. Great characters too. A hell of a ride.

One of the most acclaimed and well-known sci-fi works, the Dune saga certainly deserves the honor. This is a very dark, mistical-flavored, medieval vision of the distant future. Herbert's prose is very unique, and in my opinion the books owe greatly to the narrative style, but also to the depictions of the unique social structure and guild-based politics. The intricate conniving, plotting, deceiving and counter-deceiving power plays sometimes make me think it is more about psychological warfare than anything else, especially in the latter books. Volumes could be written about the real or perceived social, economic, and philosophical messages contained within these pages. The first book belongs in this list, the second and third are excellent reads, after that the story seems to start collapsing under its own weight.

This books belongs in the Alliance / Union universe. If you like this book you may want to try Downbelow Station (Hugo Winner) and a favorite of mine, Merchanter's Luck. There is also a uniquely romantic aspect to the Merchanter families way of life. Cherryh has a knack for vividly describing human emotion; you can feel what the characters feel like you're in their skin.

I've only read the second and fourth books in this much acclaimed series, not knowing at the time that they were part of a series. I found them both immensely enjoyable. They can be read independently, but if I were you I'd start with the first one. The story deals with a conflict between mechanical and biological life. After achieving dizzying heights, human civilization is forced to "hunker down", abandoning their "chandeliers" in space to stay out of the way of the "mechs". The story follows family Bishop, from a life of survival and techno-scavenging, to a flight towards the center of the galaxy in a quest of hope to regain their legacy.

This Hugo and Nebula Award–winning novel quickly became a classic of such popularity that it was followed by several books into what is known as the Ender Wiggin Saga. It revolves around children bred to be military geniuses -a last ditch effort to stop an enemy bent on exterminating mankind- and their war games in "battle school". Heart-wrenching, captivating, brilliant.

Author	Title	Comments
Stephen Baxter	Vacuum Diagrams	An eons-spanning cautionary tale about a conflict between light and dark matter civilizations where we get to see the virtues and flaws of mankind so far into the future that all events until now seem like a part of the big bang. This book is a good example of the scale in which Baxter writes.
Stephen Baxter	Manifold: Space	This is one of three books taking place in the same universe, but they are all stand alone novels. Baxter stories are wildly imaginative and he writes in a cosmic scale, yet his style is believable and easy to follow. Strongly recommended.
Peter F Hamilton	Night Dawn Trilogy 1 Reality Dysfunction: 1 Emergence 2 Expansion 2 Neutronium Alchemist: 1 Consolidation 2 Conflict 3 Naked God: 1 Flight 2 Faith	Possibly the best space adventure ever written. Think of it as intelligent space opera. Reads like one long novel broken up into six volumes, so you need to read them in order. Hamilton manages to mix awesome technology, an outrageously epic plot, terrific action, great characters, and a complex universe into multiple threads to weave a galactic saga in which mankind battles for survival against a threat from a different plane of existence. Absolutely brilliant. An excellent short story collection that serves as an introduction to the series is A Second Chance at Heaven. Also recommended is Hamilton's new work, The Commonwealth Saga, of which Pandora's Star is book one and so far highly recommended. Judas Unchained, the second and last book, comes out later in 2005 or 2006.
Clifford D Simak	City	Humans are a fable of the past. Dogs are the gentle, intuitive, masters of Earth (though that is not a word they would understand) who explore parallel universes, and seek council from ancient robots. Ants go on a building spree. Jupiter is paradise on Earth. Don't worry, it will all make sense.
David Brin	The Uplift Saga 1. Sundiver 2. Startide RIsing 3. The Uplift War	A very intriguing universe where the Earth clan (humans, along with dolphins and chimpanzees, elevated to sentience through genetic enhancements) are the odd kid at the party and need every ounce of ingenuity to survive. Besides a captivating plot, I find Brin's writing style engrossing, and his descriptions of alien races are some of the most original I have ever come across. There is a second trilogy in the saga which is good, but not quite up to par. you may also like Earth, it takes place in the same universe, previous to this saga.
William Gibson	1. Neuromancer 2. Count Zero 3. Mona Lisa Overdrive	Gibson invented the word "Cyberspace" and brought cyberpunk to the masses. His prose is so unique it almost deserves to be its own literary style. The good thing is, the plots are even better than the prose; gripping, fast-paced, imaginative, and the characters are great. I haven't read a book by Gibson that I haven't liked. Just try it, you'll probably either love it, or hate it, but if you're like me you won't be able to get enough of his books. If in doubt, you can start with Burning Chrome, a short story collection.
Dan Simmons	Hyperion Cantos Series 1. Hyperion 2. The Fall of Hyperion 3. Endymion 4. The Rise of Endymion	An extremely engaging and complex saga centered around an almost nonsensical entity and a space-time anomaly on Hyperion, a planet at the edge of explored space, and not connected by the "web", a network of portals that has made interplanetary travel as easy as walking down the street. The storyline develops following several very different characters, all of them with a unique story of their own, while showing in detail the life and workings of a very sophisticated interstellar civilization. The saga is generously sprinkled with mind-stretching concepts. Character development is top notch.
Neal Stephenson	Snow Crash	I never thought cyber-punk and satire could be combined -much less that I would enjoy the result, but Snow Crash does it magnificently. It takes today's trends and exaggerates them in a way that will have you rolling on the floor, then sitting and re-thinking where today's society is headed. Be warned: a flexible mind and an appreciation for sarcasm are pre-requirements for this read to be enjoyable. Also highly recommended but not quite as memorable is The Diamond Age, with a more serious tone, it takes place in the same universe.
Kim Stanley Robinson	Mars Trilogy 1. Red Mars 2. Green Mars 3. Blue Mars	The next best thing to colonizing Mars yourself, is reading this book. As Mars is terraformed, and new social orders are born, you will marvel, cheer, cry, meditate, celebrate, and despair along with the characters. The first book is the best by far, and the only one I would place in this list, but you will probably want to read the other two as well.
Ray Bradbury	Martian Chronicles	A series of stories that depict the Martian civilization and its decline and demise upon the arrival of humans.The style is very poetic, and the words "magic realism" come to mind. At times it is difficult to assert if the Martian civilization ever existed, or if the author is merely making a point about contrasting views and philosophies. When I first read this book, I was heart-broken, and I spent days afterwards mourning the sublime Martian race. If Niven or Baxter are the meat and potatoes of sci-fi, Bradbury is the wine.
Ray Bradbury	The Illustrated Man	A great collection of stories. Sometimes sad, sometimes wondrous, but always unique. Almost makes me want to get at tattoo -almost.
Larry Niven	- Neutron Star - Tales of Known Space	These two books are some of the best short story collections I've ever read. Each story in these books is a little jewel. Niven's Known Space is perhaps the quintessential sci-fi universe. You are taken both to the heart of civilization and the adventures of uncharted space with an ease where you don't know where you'll end up, yet you won't be surprised to find yourself there. The stories tend to lean heavily on the character's ingenuity, and will have you grinning quite often; happy endings are the norm.
Larry Niven	Ringworld	This is a major sci-fi classic. The book was published in 1970, it was still cutting edge when I first read it, back in the 80s, and I think it makes a great read even today. Besides the main concept -an artificial, ring-shaped world, there are many great ideas here, such as creating good luck, manipulating other civilizations, the interactions of individuals from different species with different psychological make up and motivations, and an amazing -if not too believable- story behind the origin of mankind. Niven has written 2 or 3 follow ups to this novel, but I think this one is the best.
Julian May	Saga of Pliocene Exile 1. The Many-Colored Land 2. The Golden Torc 3. The Non-Born King 4. The Adversary	In a future where civilization reaches every corner of the galaxy, misfits have nowhere to go. Until a one-way time portal to the pliocene age on Earth, is found. Suddenly the phrase "getting away from it all" has a whole new meaning. It's the ultimate escape-proof prison and adventure-trekking paradise rolled into one -except no one has a clue of what's waiting on the other side... and neither will you. A great saga to get lost in, it manages to be both sci-fi and heroic fantasy at the same time. Great characters too. A hell of a ride.
Frank Herbert	The Dune Saga 1. Dune 2. The Dune Messiah 3. Children of Dune 4. God Emperor of Dune. 5. Heretics of Dune 6. Chapterhouse Dune	One of the most acclaimed and well-known sci-fi works, the Dune saga certainly deserves the honor. This is a very dark, mistical-flavored, medieval vision of the distant future. Herbert's prose is very unique, and in my opinion the books owe greatly to the narrative style, but also to the depictions of the unique social structure and guild-based politics. The intricate conniving, plotting, deceiving and counter-deceiving power plays sometimes make me think it is more about psychological warfare than anything else, especially in the latter books. Volumes could be written about the real or perceived social, economic, and philosophical messages contained within these pages. The first book belongs in this list, the second and third are excellent reads, after that the story seems to start collapsing under its own weight.
Brian Herbert & Kevin Anderson	Dune Prelude Trilogy 1.House Atreides 2.House Harkonnen 3.House Corrino	This saga begins about 30 years before the original, and is consistently good and satisfying to read on its own right. While the narrative style is much more conventional than Frank Herbert's, and the connection to the original saga lends it an added value, it has enough virtues to belong in this list on its own merits. It is a lighter, more innocent and more action oriented story when compared to the original, yet it does not lack in depth. If you like this one, you will also like a the Legends of Dune trilogy, by same authors, which takes place about ten thousand years before and revolves around the Butlerian Jihad, a conflict between mankind and sentient machines.
C. J. Cherryh	Finity's End	This books belongs in the Alliance / Union universe. If you like this book you may want to try Downbelow Station (Hugo Winner) and a favorite of mine, Merchanter's Luck. There is also a uniquely romantic aspect to the Merchanter families way of life. Cherryh has a knack for vividly describing human emotion; you can feel what the characters feel like you're in their skin.
Charles Sheffield
Gregory Benford	Galactic Center Saga 1.In the Ocean of Night 2.Across the Sea of Suns 3.Great Sky River 4.Tides of Light 5.Furious Gulf 6.Sailing Bright Eternity	I've only read the second and fourth books in this much acclaimed series, not knowing at the time that they were part of a series. I found them both immensely enjoyable. They can be read independently, but if I were you I'd start with the first one. The story deals with a conflict between mechanical and biological life. After achieving dizzying heights, human civilization is forced to "hunker down", abandoning their "chandeliers" in space to stay out of the way of the "mechs". The story follows family Bishop, from a life of survival and techno-scavenging, to a flight towards the center of the galaxy in a quest of hope to regain their legacy.
Orson Scott Card	Ender's Game	This Hugo and Nebula Award–winning novel quickly became a classic of such popularity that it was followed by several books into what is known as the Ender Wiggin Saga. It revolves around children bred to be military geniuses -a last ditch effort to stop an enemy bent on exterminating mankind- and their war games in "battle school". Heart-wrenching, captivating, brilliant.