Science Fiction is one of the greatest genres of literature – it is full of new ideas and interesting unique characters. It has become a great source of writing for movies and, indeed, some of the best movies of all time have come from Science Fiction (2001, Bladerunner). This “Your View” is a much more specific one than others because we are only looking for the best of one genre. Think carefully and tell us why you made your choice.
What is the Best Science Fiction Book ever Written?
My answer to this is 1984, by George Orwell. The reason for my choice is that this book is not only known by millions of people outside the Science Fiction genre (thanks in part to the movie), but it has provided the de facto definition of what a totalitarian state is for most people. This is definitely more grim than many science fiction books, but its influence is very far reaching.
I don't think 1984 or Brave New World could be considered science-fiction, they're more dystopian.
Dystopian fiction has a tendency of being riddled with science fiction themes, even the ones that don’t seem like they do on the surface due to the politcal science and sociological effects involved.
Only ones I can think of at the moment are ‘Ender’s Game’ by Orson Scott-Card, and maybe the sequel ‘Speaker for the Dead’. Brilliant stories, brilliant idea, told really well, and makes you think as well.
Here is our top 15 science fiction books – people can use it as a reference: http://listverse.com/literature/top-15-great-science-fiction-books/
Oh, and to all you lame people out there, notice the lack of ‘OMG FIRST!!!!11!!!1!oneone’. It’s not smart & it’s not funny at all, so don’t bother doing it and post a proper comment instead.
Looking at that list, how could I forget ‘THGTTG’?? What a masterpeice. I don’t think I’ve actually seen that list before… I love the cover picture of the copy of ‘Ender’s Game’ you found.
The “Discworld” series by Terry Pratchett.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld
While I’m a little biased here, being the webmaster for the author’s website, I consider Peter F Hamilton’s “The Reality Dysfunction” the absolute pinnacle of Space Opera: A story on a grand scale, with awesome technology, great characters and a universe that is so believable it just breathes life.
Peter F Hamilton has got to be my favorite Sci Fi writer, although I would argue that the Nights Dawn Trilogy is a much better realised world [universe] even though it was his first massive Sci Fi undertaking. It appears that he’s has done a lot of research into science to base his story around even if what he suggests about our future technology is, according to modern theories, impractical. Having said that the number of individual story lines that he runs with in TNDT was found to be quite daunting for some of the people I know, although I found that just increased the brilliance of the story by making it so real. Very rarely are there any events in real life that have just one or two main players.
I would also highly recommend the Nano Flower series, which is made up of a collection of his older works, and, if you get his short story compellation you will find that he links The Nano Flower (set just a few years from now) to his later works.
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea – Jules Verne
That would be considered Sci Fi, right?
fishing4monkeys: definitely – one of the earliest and a good choice.
There are so many different genres of sci-fi today that selecting only one favorite is nigh on impossible. I would think that books like Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and any of the listed Vonnegut's rather should be considered political satire or allegory rather than just straight sf. True they are set in the future and posit technologies beyond their own day, but their aims seem more currently directed as opposed to a really good "what if" scenario well thought out and told w/brio, which is what I personally like in sf.
That said, my favorites are the first on I read "Rocketship Galileo (Heinlein), Dune, Ringworld, and the Mote in God's Eye/Gripping Hand. All of which I love to re-visit every couple of years or so.
Are you implying science fiction can’t feature political science or allegory, or have a more direct message? Even with the future and technological and scientific principles held within?
jfrater:
It was the first “real” book I read as a kid. It amazes me how stuff that didn’t even exist yet was described in such detail! Great book.
1984
frankestein
slaugtherhouse five
farenheit 451
neuromancer
these five books are in my opinion the best science fiction books.
fishing4monkeys: yeah – I wonder how much stuff we read about now will be common in the future! An exciting thought.
Prozacsoldier: if you could only pick one of them – which would it be?
jfrater: I’ll go with 1984. Definitely.
I think Ray Bradbury’s short stories are better than his books, including Farenheit 451. The Illustrated Man is great and “Zero Hour” is just so freakishly clairvoyant in terms of technology mentioned.
I’m more of a fantasy person myself though.
Oooh, I was 13, my favorite number! sorry, I’m a dork.
I liked Robert Heinlen’s Stranger in a Strange Land.
jocsboss: Stranger in a Strange land is Heinlein’s best book IMHO – I love it.
Prozacsoldier: good choice
GingerLee: I haven’t read any of his short stories – I guess I had better!
the best is hard to say but alot of my favourites are
E.Doc Smiths Lensmen Series
Stephen Donaldsons Gap series
and almost any thing by Ursula le Guin
Frankenstein for sure.
Don Quixote.
To your scattered bodies go.
The first is the Riverworld series by Phillip Jose Farmer. The whole series is fantastic.
Enders Game, and its counterparts Shadow of the Giant/Shadow of the Hedgemon – it tells the story from Beans point of view/after the war is over what happens to the rest of the kids. Very well written books.
Dune would be first for me, with The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy as a close second.
MMM. I’d like to agree with you Jamie, 1984 was fantastic, but it’s a tough call between that and Dune, and Ender’s Game.
i don’t think i have read much from this genre, but from what i have read i would say
1984
brave new world
“Childhoods End” by Arthur C. Clarke-touching, enlightening, frightening. Amazing that this has recieved so little attention.
Mine would have to be Armor by John Steakley. Great book about the psychology of warfare and it’s effects on the “grunt”.
A few I’ve always enjoyed:
1. Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
2. Dune by Frank Herbert
3. Ray Bradbury: The Martian Chronicles as well as his Collected Stories
4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide “Trilogy” by Douglas Adams
5. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
6. Split Infinity by Piers Anthony (followed by Blue Adept and Juxtaposition. Great stuff!)
7. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis (followed by Perelandra and That Hideous Strength)
8. Titan by John Varley
Great reads that took me to far away places during the summers of my teen years, back in the 80′s. I especially loved Ray Bradbury’s shorts stories; there were so many great little sci-fi stories in there. I love them all!
BRAVE NEW WORLD – Aldous Huxley
Oooh, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was really good too.
Can’t they be dystopian and science fiction? I’m taking a science fiction university course right now and Brave New World is one of the titles we have to read.
The Time Machine by HG Wells.
Time travel is the best ‘sub-genre’ of sci-fi.
rest of Top 5
2. Jurassic Park (not really time travel, but the effect is the same) by Michael Crichton
3. Hitchhiker’s Guide by Douglas Adams
4. Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (was it a dream? or time travel backward?) by Mark Twain
5. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
Dune, of course
Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep by Philip Dick
People, people,
How dare you not mention Isaac Asimov !!
There are some good books in the comments, but I miss the best SF writer in there.
The foundation books are excellent.
Also his robot novels are great.
For me the best book is:
The Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Hendershot: I thought about Asimov, but decided against posting it because I’m not finished with the series yet.
“A Boy and His Dog”- Harlan Ellison
I honestly don’t read alot of sci-fi (I love watching the movies though) so this will be very informative for me.
I don’t know why, I love to read…
Would The Chrysalids by John Wyndham qualify??
The top three are definitely Lewis’s Ransom Trilogy.
Seeing as how there is no “best” science fiction book (just like there is no “best” movie or “best rock album”) I might as well and go ahead and add my two cents. (in no particular order:)
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Slaughterhouse-Five
3. Cat’s Cradle
4. Ender’s Game
5. Brave New World
and on a more silly note
6. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm. (Has anybody *ever* read this book besides me?)
H. G. Wells
Ender’s game, and perhaps Blindness by Jose Saramago. I haven’t read 1948 but I will now.
Not much of a scifi book fan. I guess I would say the first half of the first chapter of Hitchhickers Guide was awesome enough for me to say that if I had finished the book it would have been a favorite.
Cat’s Cradle by Vonnegut
Also Bradbury’s short stories, The Martian Chronicles and Illustrated Man, though Illustrated Man has a couple of duds.
I think The Giver by Louis Lowry is probably the best that I have read, personally. That is followed by Battlefield Earth by L Ron Hubbard. I know the movie sucked and the authors beliefs make him subject to criticism, but that does not take away from the fact it is a great book.
Top 5:
1. The Giver- Lowry
2. Battlefield Earth- Hubbard
3. Fahrenheit 451- Bradbury
4. Frankenstein- Shelly
5. Jurassic Park- Crichton
Good choices all.
My first choice – War of the Worlds (H. G. Wells)
A close second – The Inconstant Moon (Larry Niven)
I agree: 1984 by George Orwell is probably the best SF book ever. That or Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card or the first book in Asimov’s Foundation series.
The Ender’s Game series or the Homecoming saga, both by Orson Scott Card. If I had to choose only one book from each, I’d probably go with Xenocide from Ender’s and…Nope, I can’t choose one from Homecoming. Any of them but the last one. Stranger in a Strange Land is also great.
I agree with JF – 1984 but a close second for me would be the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series
My favorite book of all time is Dune, by Frank Herbert. I love the deep psychology, the political maneuvering, and the amazing storyline. It’s one of the most detailed books I’ve ever read.
I’d have to say “Sphere” by Michael Crichton. It’s got a giant squid in it. How is that not awesome?
My vote goes to Dune, my favorite; complex mythology, good religious overtones, very cool. I also liked the Midwich Cookoos by John Wyndham…very good and very creepy. All the kids in the town are born with blond hair, their siblings mysteriously die…..if you know about cookoos you get the drift of the story….
1. The C.S. Lewis trilogy of Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength
2. 1984
3. Hitchiker’s Guide (all the books)
4. Robert Heinlein’s “Job: A Comedy of Errors”–don’t agree with the theology in it, but it is still a good story
5. Jules Verne and H.G. Wells
My .02 and thanks for the other great reading ideas…
My vote would be for Earth Abides by George R. Stewart. It’s the book that got me started reading every post-apocalyptic sci-fi story I could get my hands on. I didn’t have much interest in reading science fiction until I read this one.
Fahrenheit 451. Very thought provoking and a good read.
I absolutely HATED sci-fi until my husband got me Hitchhiker’s Guide. I never thought that the genre could be hysterical and still be sci-fi. I have the complete guide and have read it through at least three times. Sometimes my DH and I take turns reading it to each other.
My favorite science fiction book, indeed my favorite book I’ve read, is Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, but Dan Simmons’ Hyperion Cantos and Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun are close seconds (thirds?)
Ender’s Game is a must… and the Hitchhiker series
Some favorites
The Mote in God’s Eye by: Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
Lucifer’s Hammer by: Niven & Pournelle
Ringworld: Larry Niven (see a pattern developing)
Martian Chronicles by: Issac Assimov
THe Prince of Sparta by: Jerry Pournelle
1632 by Eric Flint
Another I forgot that pocks fun at Sci Fi writers without being cheesy is;
Footfall by: Niven and Pournelle again.
I’ve got to say Eon by Greg Bear.