Roadside Picnic Arkady & Boris Strugatsky A novel that works on many levels. Literate. Politically subversive. An insight into the human condition. Charlie Cornelius

The Left Hand of Darkness Ursula K. LeGuin Not only does the book imagine an alien race, but an alien race without genders. However, this never stops the novel from reaching the high levels of characterization and prose that we expect not only from LeGuin, but from the very best of fiction. By the time the reader leaves the world of Winter, their world will never be the same again. Trystero

Ubik Philip K Dick Philip K Dick is the best author in the genre and this is his best book by a street. pjlythgoe

Dune Frank Herbert The lore and narrative is so well written you could almost believe you were there. Stunning. The_Hillman

Star Maker Olaf Stapledon Lacking both character (aside from the self-effacing ghost who narrates) and incident (unless you count descriptions of the evolution and slow collapse of entire species and civilisations), Star Maker is a Dantean tour of the possibilities of cosmic creation, culminating with an extended encounter and biography of the Creator itself -- the titular Star Maker. One of the most visionary, ambitious and influential explorations of the universe ever committed to paper, Stapledon's novel elevates SF to the level of a sacred text. purserhallard

Coelestis Paul Park Coelestis is not a comfortable read. But it is one of those science fiction novels which can change the way you look at the world. And there are remarkably few of them. ian_sales

Little, Big John Crowley This book is perfect in every respect. The story is rich and satisfying in every detail, the characters are unforgettable, and the language is so good that you want to read every sentence twice. I always keep an extra copy in the house, because when it gets borrowed, it tends never to come back (but that's OK). Adele

Bug Jack Barron Norman Spinrad Experimental, funny and achingly prescient. Set the blueprint for cyberpunk and given all the fuss it kicked up over Arts Council funding, now seems oddly relevant all over again. DrTum84

StarMaker Olaf Stapledon Hard to adequately describe the majesty of this book. Vast breadth and depth. I'd use the phrases 'mind blowing' or 'mind expanding' if they weren't such cliches. Hopefully someone else can do more justice to it in their recommendation, but all I can say is you come away from it with a different perspective on the universe. AkaSomethingElse

Neverness David Zindell I'm amazed that Zindell is not more popular than he is. First, a misconception. This book is described as hard SF - I don't agree. Sure, it deals with complex mathematical concepts, the far-future evolution of humanity...but it does so in a poetic, mythic way. It also covers philospophy, religion...This is a SF Odyssey, it is Homeric in its ambition, and it has quite the most beautiful prose I have ever read in a SF novel. Each chapter seemed to me a novella in its scope and depth when I read it. This is an epic quest of a book. TokenGesture

The Stainless Steel Rat Harry Harrison It is purely fun and wacky. Relatively soft but with hard elements. It gives a glimpse into one of our many possible futures and problems we may face in the future. The characters are nicely fitted into stereotypes and work well together and the stories are outlandish enough to keep interest but they're not too much. DeGriz

Ubik Philip K Dick Classic PKD. Deranged paranoia, mind-bending ideas and lots of humour. This last point is crucial as all the Hollywood adaptations of Dick have lack his wit and irony. Indeed, don't think any film version of Dick has really captured his tone properly. Laszlo Kovacs

Schismatrix Bruce Sterling Gritty, satirical, thrilling, terrifying, mindblowing... I could throw adjectives at this book for the rest of my life and make every one of them stick. Schismatrix not only helped birth what we now think of as the "New Space Opera" (e.g. Iain M Banks, Alastair Reynolds), but was arguably the first novel to imagine a plausible posthuman solar system, riven by ideologies and wild economics, teeming with conflict and graft, and packed with moments of pure sensawunda. Best of all, apart from the handful of short stories set in the same fictional universe, Sterling never felt the need to cash in on the critical success of Schismatrix with sequels; the end result is a novel that still reads as fresh and powerful to this day, more than a quarter of a century after its initial publication. @PaulGrahamRaven

We Yevgeny Zamyatin While not as evidently prescient as Huxley or Orwell, Zamyatin explores a potential extrapolation of the Soviet ideal. Some may call it a reductio ad absurdum but ultimately it highlights the dangers of the worship of technology, the establishment of systems and rules and progress - while it is full of allusions to the early Soviet state, it has a universal message which is certainly interesting - furthermore, its relatively inconclusive ending evades traditional dystopian SF tropes of the revolution or regime change per se. R042

The Player of Games Iain M Banks A very accessible book by which to begin reading Banks, an author whose core franchise/setting appears impenetrable. While its plot can be considered a simple adventure or mystery, Banks' real strength is in realising a genuinely alien futuristic society which at the same time uses elements of the contemporary world, at times exaggerated, in unfamiliar or extreme ways. On a purely superficial level, the detail with which Banks describes the society depicted, and the impossibly complex alien games which form the core of the plot, ignite the imagination in a way only the best SF does. R042

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch Philip K. Dick 'He writes about drugs doesn't he' a lecturer annoyingly once said to me. Well the answer is yes sometimes and particularly in this book albeit some unknown space drug. But like the genre of sci-fi itself Dick uses such concepts as vehicles for what I would see as Dicks’ big idea. Put very simply he recognises that when something or anything is looked at more closely reality and consciousness will change ultimately meaning that both are unstable. In Dicks books this manifests itself firstly in paranoia and then to transcendence. I recognise this as something very human and very real, the cracks in our reality are always there and beckoning us to investigate; it’s why we know the earth to be spherical and not flat. With Dick the journey to transcendence or new forms of understanding can be a very stressful one for his protagonists. dazdazza

Battle Royale Koushun Takami While some might consider this novel a pulp horror twist on Lord of the Flies, it is given a new dimension if read with knowledge of Japanese contemporary history and perceptions of young people. It plays on fears of juvenile delinquency and student violence, which is a common theme across popular culture (youth gangs and violent schools feature prominently, another example being the recent film Confessions) and then mixes it with ideas of how willing anyone is to kill for self defence or self-promotion. A challenging and interesting book best read with some understanding of the culture within which it was written (although the film adaptation is also of high quality). R042

Foundation Issac Azimov The cleverest Sci-Fi book i've ever read. A classicand the reason that Azimov deserves his moniker of the father of Science Fiction. Simian

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams This book features on every 'Best of' list at some time or other and there's a good reason: it is a hilariously perfect and lovingly absurd journey of a simple human being through the wild riot that is existence. So much of science fiction focuses on heavy subject matter without a drip of humor. Adams wants us to laugh at it all, the pretentiousness and the craziness and never forget our towel. dijeratic

The Forever War Joe Haldeman War as a constant theme, messed up with embryonic sleeps through hyper speed jumps across the universe, to fight in a ship that is now 10 years out of date. Multi-platform emotional relationships and an unknown foe. What's not to like? wearethedx16

Neuromancer William Gibson The aliens will need to know what humanity was like (even if only to recreate us as a digital slave race in their virtual reality matrix), and if any single author grasps the state of our technological society today it is William Gibson. I was 14 when I first read Neuromancer, one of the first generation to grow up hooked in to the computer-generated realities that Gibson so presciently explores. For me and for millions of others who live in the modern reality of computers and the internet, William Gibson's imagined future is closer to the truth of now than any work of realist literature. Damien G Walter

Vurt Jeff Noon If you liked Neiromancer, you'll probably like this. Good cyberpunk vibe to it and some literary pretentions , going with a wellpaced, nicely written, occasionally twisted little book. lawrencegillies

Argonautica Apollonius Rhodius It has survived a damn sight longer than most 'real' scfi novels ever will. And it's a great yarn. BillyMills

Sentimental Agents of the Volyen Empire Doris Lessing It's got everything - essentially it's about Imperialism and Rhetoric, but it has many lessons and much wisdom for those interested in learning about Imperialism, especially the modern-day form of 'Aid' and 'helping the natives' - but then justifications for Imperialism have usually been wrapped up in fluffy-feel-good 'humanitarian' terms Hu Bris

More Than Human Theodore Sturgeon A good SF novel should be, above all things, a good novel. Sturgeon, a great short-story writer, uses the genre to explore what it is to be human, and how we can strive to be more. It is a novel of discovery, but also a novel of compassion and hope. It's also a cracking good read! Twelvetrees

Stand on Zanzibar John Brunner One of the most accurate prediction novels I've ever read paul-sheldrake

We Yevgeny Zamyatin This book is great sci-fi- offers a convincing portrayal of a science-led society where privacy and individualism are crushed with an exploration of love, conscience and desire. miket10000

The Diamond Age Neil Stephenson paul-sheldrake

Perdido Street Station China Mieville Despite some dubious plot points Perdido Street Station features one of the most mesmerising and terrifying monsters I've ever come across. Described with a stunning, fluid, dreamlike intensity, in a wonderfully rendered world, the Slake Moths made Perdido Street Station the most memorable sf novel I've read. mr.riff

The Algebraist Iain M. Banks Iain M. Banks novels are great because you have to think quite hard to understand them while you're reading them. I normally read pretty fast, but I have to slow down to read an Iain M. Banks. Which is appropriate for The Algebraist because he created a whole species of creatures, The Dwellers, that are 'slow'. They live for aeons, on gas giants, and little things like having a conversation can go on for centuries for them. When I read this book I thought that was the most wonderful idea, that we can't communicate with some entities because we're simply on a different time scale. The fun of reading Iain M. Banks novels is that somehow he manages to think of these things, that once you've got your head round make perfect sense but you might never have thought of yourself. JudeNicho

Foundation series (or any book about Robotics) Isaac Asimov The Laws of Robotics have been one of the guiding ethical codes of my life - and should be for any good person, I believe. I was very surprised that not a single person mentioned Asimov as their favourite, despite him having such a wide repertoire. ASMorgan

GRASS SHERI S TEPPER

Lost Dorsai Gordon R. Dickson This is a strange little novelette in the middle of Dickson's epic "Dorsai" series. It tells the tale of a pacifist Dorsai who like all Dorsai is in the military, but whose weapon is the bagpipes. Surrounded in a fortress by hordes of clansmen on a Spanish speaking planet, he uses music to insult and infuriate the hordes and sacrifice himself to win the battle. His honour and courage and the creativity of the cultural values described make this story one my favorites of all time. Mainer7

The forever War Joe Haldeman Ridley Scott is working up the film project now. Superb book, though if you have seen Starship Troopers the film it can spoil it a bit. WIllB42

A Scanner Darkly Philip K Dick Its scary, funny and unusually for PKD its got lots of heart trickydicky

The Stars My Destination Alfred Bester Gully Foyle is a refreshing bastard of a hero. He's agressive, selfish and mean and deserves everything he gets... only he ends up dishing out just deserts to his enemies anyway. Very cool book (goes a little freaky at the end) wearethedx16

Chocky John Wyndham A beautifully simple idea (a child with an invisible friend) that as the book progresses becomes more intriguing and more dangerous at the same time. Also - it's an easy read that can encourage youngsters to take up SF. phil west

Ender's Game Orson Scott Card Brilliant short story about the exploitation of a young gaming genius by the military, published originally in 1977. Unfortunately got expanded into a series of novels, but the original is a chillling political parable, which has gained resonance in the era of child soldiers and xbox rosaa

Oryx & Crake Margaret Attwood Because it grows page by page into an awesom book Asimov

Us Evgenij Zamjatin it's a great book. precursor 0f 1984. not new but still a kick in the stomach tommasik

Jurassic Park Michael Crichton Not only does it have dinosaurs, humour, adventure and a loss of control of the environment in which the protagonists find themselves, but unlike the film version it examines the importance of chaos theory which is what makes it SF for me. Two more choices in no order of priority: Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C Clark The Gates - John Connolly (The LHC opens the gates to hell) for younger readers ( and me!) milinovak

Canticle for Leibowitz William Miller Funny, semi-plausible,thoroughly Catholic huggoo

Childhood's End Arthur C. Clarke A pretty obvious one - Childhood's End is one of Arthur C. Clarke's best and is a science fiction classic. Any fan of the genre reading this book will instantly notice countless ways in which it has influenced subsequent work. For anyone new to the genre, this book is a good starting point. The story itself is short, enthralling, and easy to read. Even reluctant readers could finish it in a day or so. Robbie Pye

Evolutuonary Void Peter F Hamilton The future I want to see. Zede

1984 George Orwell Still fresh though first published in 1948 PsyBorg

Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World Haruki Murakami Murakami is our greatest living writer, and whilst most of his books have flights of fancy that could loosely align them with SF, this is his full-blown masterpiece. DanHolloway

Stranger In A Strange Land Robert A. Heinlein Discovered it when I was 11 or 12, in the adult section of the local public library. It opened me up to the world of "what if" that has remained to this day. I was hooked on Science Fiction since. Mike V. Smith is human, only he was born on Mars, and raised there. That has caused him to think a bit differently, and use more of his brain than the rest of us do. When the full version of the book was finally released, I also bought a copy of it. Using it as a way to look at life, and how we can treat one another, as opposed to how we do responded to daily life, remains fascinating. It does not cease to teach. I have given copies of it away, as gifts, to whomever asks "Why do you like to read that junk, anyway?" Somehow, it seems to answer their questions. Josh

I, Robot Isaac Asimov Asimov's robot stories not only present a coherent, imaginative vision of the future, but also give us an insight into the ways in which he and others during his lifetime thought about and presented the future. Not only that, but he writes excellent prose and the stories he conceived are always clever and illuminate the human condition. I wish very much that he was alive today to see the innovations that are happening now. fluoronaut

Stranger in a Strange Land Heinlin? It's an SF story that's really all about humanity, including man's inhumanity to man. Belsane

Anathem Neal Stephenson It's really the history of philosophy disguised as SF (but don't let that put you off) Versace

Nova Samue R Delany Cool, full of imagery, the precusrsor to cyberpunk. electronicadub

Stranger in a Strange Land Robert Heinland Its depth and language. It is also very biblical and I read it at the time of the Wako cult mass suicide in the USA. It rung a chord at the time, the messiah will be crucified nor what time what century and what period. Our political masters cannot handle popular uprising even if they are democratic institutions. wisephotons

Brave New World Aldous Huxley Can't believe it's not on the list already!!! rednmo

Counterfeit World D.F.Galouye The original world, within a world, within a world, later used frequently in the matrix inception and others. The thirteeth floor (film adaptation) doesn't do it justice. discodentist

The Dispossessed Ursula Le Guin For the depiction of an Anarchist society, warts and all/ quercus

Dune Frank Herbert The all-time classic of SF Versace

Solaris Stanislaw Lem I would recomend this book because it deals with exactly what science fiction means to discuss: the unknown. Lem's best novel is about epistemology, and the our absolute ignorance of what lies beyond the bounds of the earth, and how utterly unprepared we are to encounter it. bonnequin

Vurt Jeff Noon Very very difficult to describe - but it's simply brilliant. It's wildly imaginative, frightening - psychedelic, even. A great, simple story (boy searches for lost sister) set in a future Britain seemingly viewed through early 90s ecstasy-flavoured optimism. Thatlotnextdoor

Lord of Light Roger Zelazny Gods and monsters, budhism v hinduism v christianity in a fight to the finish, the worst pun ever recorded, and a joy in humanity in all of its many aspects and attributes. And yes, it's SF, not fantasy. mooneym

Dhalgren Samuel R Delany I used to re-read this book every couple of years; it's long, confusing at times, but has a wonderful circular narrative that invites further exploration. It's also got a fabulous sense of place (even though the city of Bellona is fictional). Like early McEwan stories, Delany brilliantly captures a sense of urban ennui and although there are elements of hard sci-fi in the book, they are kept in the background, so that the characters are allowed to come through - something quite rare is SF. I also concur with the support for Tiger, Tiger: a thrilling ride. David Bowman

Flow My Tears The Policeman Said Philip K Dick Find it pretty remarkable that such a list would completely omit any of Dick's work. Many of his books are of a high enough standard to be chosen, but 'Flow My Tears The Policeman Said' is one of his best.

American Gods Neil Gaiman Not really SF, but a world where gods actually exist counts as imaginative fiction to me. A haunting modern mythic saga. Versace

The Eye of the World Robert Jordan The first and best of the epic series which ultimately became too convuluted. Characters innocent and undeveloped, I wish I could read this for the first time again. earl

Foundation Isaac Asimov The book that kicked off the 'Foundation' saga. The dead hand of Hari Seldon and his new science, the mathematics of psycho-history unfold against a backdrop of the whole galaxy. Asimov was just so full of ideas and happily his characters were full and real people I cared about - he was THE giant of Sci-Fi and 'Foundation' one of dozens I could have chosen. thesistersofmercy

The Songs of Distant Earth Arthur C Clarke This novel is heartbreakingly good in it's evocation of the inhuman distances of space & time between worlds. Morally ambiguous love-story combined with grounded, 'realistic' sci-fi - i cannot believe no has turned this into a film yet.... brett78

A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine L'Engle I read it as a child and it has never left me. I believe it leads a young mind to explore "the other" in a different way. Alexguy

Babel-17 Samuel R. Delaney Most science fiction, it has been said, is driven by violent conflict; Babel-17 avoids that, having an idea - an untranslatable language - and unpacking it, unfolding out from there. It packs in interesting and human characters, stylish writing, fascinating concepts and ideas, a manic outpouring of intelligent thought, and a great plot, managing to, even now, 45 years after its original publication, be thought-provoking and boundary-pushing. DanielFranklin

Under The Skin Michel Faber Utterly gripping. I love the language and the way the book draws you into an "alien" perspective by the assumption that this perspective is "normal". KL

Anathem Neal Stephenson Much like Jostein Gaarder's 'Sophie's World,' or indeed most of Stephenson's other writing, 'Anathem' is a lesson in science and philosophy wrapped in narrative. In this case, the narrative is sprawling, believable and dramatic, although the middle section feels like a lecture, the purpose of which only becomes apparent towards the end of this weighty novel. The world Stephenson creates is rich and believable, a parallel universe in which science and philosophy are restricted to an odd, codified monastic system - at least until a global crisis places the monks centre stage. Massive, but unmissable. Wendell Stamps

Foundation Isaac Asimov It was one of the first sf novels I read when I was a kid and it blew my mind. The basic idea of taking current trends, creatively extrapolating them into the future and weaving personal as well as social stories from them just stunned me. It got me interested in bridging the divide between maths/physics and the 'ologies'. And my eldest son is called Isaac. ds

The Gap series Stephen R Donaldson The aliens are fascinating but it's all about the characters and getting inside the heads of flawed, damaged, normal human beings! paganuspaul

Legend David Gemmell Not really sci-fi, more fantasy, still a great book to read that gives the world a cracking character - Druss, the Legend of the title. Displays some of the better gamut of human characteristics, without being overly poncy. tomBstone

Tik Tok John Sladek Dark, satirical, laugh out loud funny, ridiculous and scathing. The book follows robot Tik Tok as he realises that he does not have to follow the Asimov laws when he kills a young innocent blind girl just for fun. He soon gets a taste for murder and gets very good at it. Farcical in places with a whole raft of ridiculous characters it draws parallels with the slave trade and the fight for equality. His murderous exploits and cool, calm cunning takes him although way to the top at the White House, his aim: to get his hands on the big war stuff! The novel also takes swipes at celebrity culture, religion, mob mentality and pretty much everything else. It's one of those goto books when a friend asks for a recommendation. Petecabanna

War of the Worlds HG Wells A book that was way ahead of its time, predicting flying machines and total war. Plus it is a great read and adventure story. You believe what you are reading really happended as Martians invide Surrey and London in the late Victorian era. It also created a sub genre of its own the "Alien Invasion" story. A classic novel that stands above all others. Marky Bunny

Ender's game Orson Scott Card Read this, and it's sequels, 20 years ago. Could not put the book down. Finished it in 2 days. Still totally abosrbs me today. Great detailed story about a lonely, little boy. Also fascinating on the military life of Battle School and the Earth's attitude to alien races. SF Reader

Fall of Hyprion Dan Simmons Not just this book but the whole series. Benchmark sci fi novel and whats important is the prose, the ideas expunded in the books and the fact that all my sci fi hating friends read the series on reccomendation and were completely converted. ddvx220

Time enough for love Robert Heinlein Amazing book. Incredible vision. Lazurus Long - how I wish to be him! Everlast

Ringworld Larry Niven I was twelve when I read Ringworld, my first adult Science Fiction novel. It sparked a life long love of SF. The central concept of the Ringworld (a constructed habitat that is a ring around a star) is vividly brought to life. The story moves at a pace and the aliens very well imagined - especially the Pearson's Puppeteer. This book is a prime example of why SF will always be a literary form with TV and film being very much the poor relations. I still have that battered second hand copy I read first over thirty years ago and have reread several times since. Robert Fraser

The Martian Chronicles Ray Bradbury Becasue it's a collection of haunting short stories about what would happen when humans got to Mars, each filled with twists, turns and pathos. Like the Martians who defend themselves by changing their appearance to look like humans, to the last human left on the planet after the rest have gone back to Earth. Plus, like all good Sci Fi, it's not really about space, but about humanity. spleenteam

The Legion of Space Jack Williamson As a young boy this book fed my imagination for sci-fi. Having been originally written in the 30s the vivid pictures he paints of far away worlds with bizarre creatures in a swashbuckling story were far ahead of its time. fantastic, something every boy should read!!! ClayGate

A Canticle for Leibowitz Walter M Miller As you say if current human civilization was unexpectedly destroyed, I'd like this to survive as a warning of how it could all happen again. JohnDear

Golden Witchbreed Mary Gentle A distant star: a group of scientists sent to examine its primitive society. An ambassador given permission to roam. The discovery that the society is not really primitive and pre-industrial. The gradual realization that the society is post-atomic and that the re-discovery of machinery and science has been banned post the disaster ... Mary Gentle's book is in itself a voyage of discovery in which the reader starts as a comfortable alien observer and ends as a very uncomfortable but involved critic of a world that wobbles between utopia and dystopia. ElMu

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams Very handy for hitchhikers and the best read. Introduces millions of people to to British humour and the SF genre every year. Great advert for SF and also very funny. Marvin

WASP Eric Frank Russell A fantastic book that should be read by anyone planning to join the secret service as a subversive officer! It's easy to read, a great story that keeps you hooked. The characters are great and you really root for the hero. Lawek75

To your scattered bodies go Philip Jose Farmer A man wakes up naked to find he has been resurrected along with every other human who ever lived during the history of earth. Their new home is a riverplanet, they are all 25, they don't age, they can't die, and it is all a big social and spiritual project, created by an alien race. This book and the ones that follow are staggering conceptually. They mix history, politics, pyschology, religion, and everyday life in a sublime cocktail. One of the few Sci-Fi books that you read in which that you know you are also a character. For those that go the distance with the whole Riverworld series, the final installment 'Gods of the Riverworld' cranks up the hypothetical social situations to mind boggling levels. Computers that play your whole life back to you, so you can come to terms with your wasted time, evil deeds, poor posture. A super computer that can build rooms a hundred miles wide, and produce anything from human history at request. peejoco

Dune Frank Herbert A cornerstone of the sci-fy genre. Read how Paul Atriedes uncovers the secrets of Arrakis and the Fremen people. Follow Paul's journey into a dangerous world where unlocking the power of the spice melange and it's keepers transforms him into the most powerful being in the galaxy. Set in an epic universe filled with wierd and wonderul creatures, monsters and alien races. A must read for any sci-fy nut. leto

The Reality Dysfunction Peter F. Hamilton Despite not having the easiest of openings (you really have to force yourself to get past the first few pages), this really is a superb opening to a wonderful Sci-Fi trilogy. There are some great ideas, some excellent characters and some wonderful speculation on humanities future, but most of all it's a cracking story, and the main plot sideswipes you from left-field when you get to it as it was (for me, at least) totally unexpected. Cannot recommend this enough silentbazz

Body of Glass Marge Piercy Imaginative, well written. I really like the way the author describes a data world, and interweaves this with a broader narrative, which includes a comparison between the plight of a Jewish community in Prague during the 16th-century and the futuristic community of the future. Splendid stuff RobNichols

Malazan Book of the Fallen Steven Erikson A series of epic sci-fi/fantasy books, the level of detail and development of the history, theology and politics, not to mention flora and fauna of the setting is extraordinary. ChrisC

The Star My Destination Alfred Bester So much SciFi work is seen as being written by people whose only talent was a good imagination. Alfred Bester was one a new age of writers who wrote engaging stories that happened to be along a SciFi theme. In The Stars My Destination, Bester creates one of the most memorable characters in SciFi history. Gully Foyle is reborn on the Nomad, but is alive to revenge only, in a plot which takes us through a world where instantaneous travel with the power of the human mind is possible. His journey to discover who he is can only be compared to the greats of SciFi writing. A definite must read. SciFi_Reader

Altered Carbon Richard Morgan It challenges the concept of self and individuality. It is unremittingly, violently captivating throughout and it introduces the coolest hotel ever imagined. petesmif

The Diamond Age aka Young Lady's illustrated Primer Neal Stephenson Its simply sublime, beautiful written, and would be an epic if it was on screen. sn0wcr45h

Foundation Isaac Asimov Simply the best series of SCi Fi books ever written. How was it missed out? Redltd01

I, Robot Isaac Asimov Asimov changed our understanding of robots with his formulation of the laws governing the behavior of robots. The stories combine science fact and fiction in such a way that you almost believe the robots are humans. Well written interesting stories that really make the reader ponder the future of robots. nickmavros

Tiger Tiger Alfred Bester It's just a feckin brilliant story (apart from the end which was a bit naff imo) oatcake

He, She, It Marge Piercy Simply the best portrayal of a cyber and social future. trdickso

The mote in God's eye Larry Niven Wildly imaginative, interesting characters, very funny. longfields

Gormenghast Triology Mervyn peake This fantasy doesn't include any aliens, space ships, or magic, but it's in its' own weird universe. A very Dickensian gothic tale. I agree about William Gibson. mikedow

Cosmic Banditos A. C. Weisbecker The tale is a great romp of the imagination with an insight into some physics. A science based equivalent to philosophy of 'The Truth Gang' by Tibor Fischer, another great read. Andrew Farrow

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress Robert A. Heinlein It is a completely worked out version of a believable future. It does not require the 'suspension of disbelief' normal to SF. And it is a great adventure story! lazarus

Now wait for last year Philip K Dick Accessible, rip-roaring, thought provoking, good story oatcake

Futu

Dying Inside Robert Silverberg Old school Silverberg before he went over to the dark side (of fantasy), details human feelings of loss like no other SF tale oatcake

More than Human Ted Sturgeon Very human story of the more-than-humans living amongst us oatcake

Consider Plebas Iain M Banks The enormous scale and technical details of the science fiction element of the story are breath taking whilst the story still holds the reader close to the characters of the core individuals in the story. Carl Pheasant

Lies Inc Philip K Dick As with all Dick's books, it explores his twin fascinations: what is human? What is real? The human side is handled with his usual tender melancholy, while the metaphysical investigations are ramped up and up as the protaganist, teleported to a colony planet where all is not as it seems, dissolves, with the aid of an LSD tipped dart, into a nightmare where reality itself seems to deconstruct. Quixotic Flux

Tscahi: Planet of adventure Jack Vance Wonderful language and weird world building. The protagonist - Adam Reith - a stranded earthman has many adventures, encountering the various inhabitants of Tschai, a much fought over planet. Not quite a picaresque as Reith is too honest but some of his associates are less so. Charming and lovely books and, let us not forget, anyone who can title one of them (vol 2) Servants of the Wankh is worthy of deep respect (even if he didn't know what it means to english ears haha) Pen or PPG

The Sparrow Mary Doria Russell Phil R

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch Philip K Dick Do yoursel a favour : read it and see oatcake

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch Philip K Dick Do yoursel a favour : read it and see,it will open your mind oatcake

The Player of Games Iain M Banks The Player of Games does more than tell an exciting and engaging tale. In the empire of Azad, where the books action takes place, Iain M Banks creates a civilization which reflects the worst excesses of our own, despite its alien nature. Using the empire of Azad themes of one cultures interference in another are explored as the benign, peaceful Culture displays the lengths it will go to push a cruel empire closer to its own philosophy. The Player of Games is an excellent showcase for Iain M Banks powerful imagination. The story revolves around a man playing a board game. Admittedly it's a vast, complex board game central to the lives of those who play it, but it's essentially just a big, complicated chess set. This sounds like rather dull stuff to relate to the reader, but the authors descriptions of the game are never less than completely involving and genuinely exciting. SoMuchForSubtlety

The futurological congress Stanislaw Lem There is a popular misconception that Douglas Adams was responsible for bringing humour into Sci-Fi. But before him there was already the brilliant Stanislaw Lem, whose humour can be often anarchic and deeply satirical. This is a good example of his satirical humour at its most razor sharp. If the idea of Sci-Fi combined with Swiftean satire sounds appealing then this book is definitely for you vascopereira

To Your Scattered Bodies Go Phil Farmer Gripping read, great imagination oatcake

The First Men in the Moon H.G. Wells Supremely imaginative, and enjoyable at some level at almost any age. dch

Left Hand of Darkness Ursula LeGuin Brilliant exploration of social/gender/power relations in a future stressed world(s) system such as we may be facing sooner than we think. ainswort@uwo.ca

Cities in Flight James Blish Written in the 50s, it creates a remarkably believable portrayal of modern life, before continuing an escape into an equally believable future. Biscuits

Dune Frank Herbert It asks all the important questions about human beings and society. semiramisa

More Than Human Theodore Sturgeon Beautifully written; all about hate and love. mediumcool

Use of Weapons Iain M. Banks I'm using UoW as my choice but really any of Banks' culture novels fit the bill. Banks' stands astride 21st century science fiction as a giant. He not only manages to excel in world building, The Culture has to be one of the greatest realised sci-fi universes in print, but also manages something that virtually all other sci-fi authors fail at; the evolution of psychology over time. The inhabitants of Banks' worlds are existentially flawed and carry with them a melancholy created by pitting emotional psychology against the vast backdrop and advanced science they have foisted upon them. The scale of his stories could leave the protagonists dwarfed by the spectacle but they end up dovetailing perfectly into the situations thought up by Banks by allowing us to connect to the madness of existance, whether they're human or alien. Each of his new novels are events in the genre and allow their readers to conduct thought experiments of what it would be like to exist in such a reality (surely the goal of any sci-fi?) virgopunk

Ringworld Larry Niven I read it as a teenager and the sheer scale of the technological achievement of building the Ring has stayed with me - even though I cant remember much of the details of the story today! Totally influenced and encouraged me to pursue my dream of working in the building industry (which I don't regret, even today) inthetrade

In Viriconium M John Harrison Atmospheric blend of fantasy and 1890s decadence, with a consumptive, sexually ambiguous heroine whom I'd love to see Tilda Swinton play! Silverwhistle

The Dispossessed U K Le Guin It realistically sets out an anarchist society from an anthropological background; it's a hard life but it actually works! billthecat

The world is Round Tony Rothman A story you can immerse yourself in repeatedly. mstone5

Cadwal Chronicles Jack Vance Exotic planets, plenty of action, attractive hero/heroine, despicable villains, subtle humour, delightfully archaic dialogue, happy ending katmackem

Bible Various Isn't it obvious? A. Theist

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galazy Douglas Adams It has great humour & pathos in its story. It gives a great insight into human traits through the characters Arthur & Trillian, their interactions with others on their journeys and their interactions with each other. AND it also provides the alien's perspective on humanity! Humour, sadness, love, despair, hope, the ability to muddle on & make the best of a situation, thriving despite adversity; the book has it all & all of it is what makes us human. The Great Raymondo

1984 George Orwell Not just the best SF. But best novel Ive ever read. Impossible to explain its importance so briefly. But it is the most important artistic contribution I can think of, of any genre/medium. Art irrelevant? SF escapist pap? Orwell lays it out. It is appropriated by literary fiction like most great SF. isiah

Anathem Neal Stephenson It's a thousand pages of wonder and awe at how mindboggling complex the universe is and the joy and fascination there is in trying to understand it with just the human brain. This is how physics and philosophy should be taught - at the same time and with multi-dimensional spaceships. hebdencroft

The Gap Cycle Stephen R Donaldson An Epic Story, with a dark plot. Donaldson creates a very beleiveable universe. As Soon as I finished the 1st book, I was online ordering the remaining 4 stories Tonyd71

That Hideous Strength C.S.Lewis This is the third book in C.S.Lewis's science fiction trilogy. It combines themes of mythology, allegory and religion with some great characters and moments of true horror. It's a great story that keeps you gripped all the way through. @nostalgia4books

The Dispossessed Ursula Le Guin This book is about the simple acts of kindness that can make immense and profound differences to the future. The main character is Shevik: physicist and great scientist who is nearly close to ending up with a great scientific theory that he knows will change the world forever. He makes a difficult decision to travel to the neighbouring planet of Urras to try and use their expertise to piece it together. The novel weaves around in time: Shevik's present and past are explored: his strength is buoyed by the love he finds from the woman he loves, but also the limitations of living in a real communist world where there aren't enough resources for the people, are both explored. Back on Urras, Shevik begins to realise he is becoming a small pawn in a powerful government's game and has to reconcile himself with the fact that he may never have been able to go home in the first place and may never go home now. At its centre is Shevik: complicated, resilient, brave and fiercely intelligent. It remains one of the best characters I can remember in any book - at the end the final twist of the twin narratives meets into one of the best endings I have read in any book.

Fear Nothing Dean Koontz It's a different kind of science fiction that allows the reader to be an active creator of the "other timely" world introduced by Koontz. It's not about zombies or aliens or space but it does represent something maybe even more bone-chilling: the answer to the question "what if?" LittlechurchBee

Nights Dawn Trilogy Peter F Hamilton The epic scope of the book, showing the terrifying yet exciting possibilities of the human race as an multi planetary starship faring bunch of brilliently flawed individuals, and organsiations. Alliya

Mission to Universe Gordon R. Dickson A really rare find these days as I think it is out of print. Lemmys Feet

The Player of Games Iain M Banks Witty and engaging, it draws parralels with life on earth in a profound and imaginative alien galaxy. sparkclarke

Last and First Men Olaf W Stapledon 'Last and First Men' documents mankinds evolution, written by a historian billions of years in the future. First published in 1930, the book documents the many highs and lows of man's struggle for survival. The book contains the first mention of genetic engineering in a sci fi novel, a compelling and truly eye-opening read. andybagg

Perdido Street Station China Mieville So maybe it is the outer fringes of SF where myth and fantasy meets "steam punk" but it does have futuristic dimensions albeit in a retro kinda way. It is the way the characters seem unbelievable yet real which gets me (in all of his books by the way) and sucks me in to a reading time vortex - as all good books should squidsin

The Martian Chronicles Ray Bradbury Bradbury's Mars keeps shifting its identity, becoming a symbol of the dreams and fears of America itself. No attempt is made at scientific accuracy (this Mars is hot, for example), and the stories reflect the Cold War era in which they were written. Bradbury could overwrite, but he keeps this tendency under control here, and the book has a haunting resonance. FrogC

Excession Iain M Banks It has the fastest start I can recollect any book having, The Affront are hilarious and the Culture ships superb. I also appreciate that the nature of the excession is never defined. Outboundcargo

Red Mars Kim Stanley Robinson Hard sci-fi at its best. The attention to detail and depth of knowledge of the author make this a compelling and inspirational book to read. oneshot

The Sparrow Mary Doria Russell This is a strange, compelling and beautifully written story. I'd defy anyone from the most hard-nosed SF aficionado on up not to enjoy reading it. mccp

Dragon's Egg RL Forward Sheer genius! beprecise

Riddley Walker Russell Hoban If can get into the language, you'll enter a plausible yet mythical world where you'll get your first knowin from the eyes of a dog and learn the secrets of the master chaynjis. solomonrobson

Any Culture book Ian M Banks Can't believe that none of these magnificent books were chosen. Some better than others, but all full of wonderful prose, deep imagination, gripping stories and interesting characters. Vex

The Body Snatchers Jack Finney One of the few books I've read in one sitting. I also enjoyed The Possessors by John Christopher, which was made into a good TV mini series by the BBC. Edamame

On Wings Of Song Thomas M. Disch Perhaps the masterpiece of a CRIMINALLY underappreciated writer, this novel oscillating between Bildungsroman and Swiftian satire simultaneously celebrates and satirizes the human aspiration to trascendence (through love,sex, religion and above all art) . Set in a wonderfully imagined dystopic America, it's very bleak but also savagely funny, always brilliant, and ultimately heartbreaking. mg71

More Than Human Theodore Sturgeon This book is a positive, hopeful contemplation of mankind's possible next step. How we might evolve into something better than we are now. The first hint of this next evolutionary step is not evidenced by those we conventionally think of as brighter, stronger or more beautiful, but by the supposed freaks and invalids that just might come together in some way to become, collectively, something...more than human. Fried Egg

The Body Snatchers Jack Finney One of the few books I've read in one sitting. I also enjoyed The Possessors by John Christopher, which was made into a good TV mini series by the BBC. Edamame

Ringworld Larry Niven Ringworld is SF on a grand scale in many respects. Set far into the future, it is scientifically well researched and utterly believable, with "alien" characters that are lifelike and convincing: the story is entertaining yet the concept is original and thought-provoking. A fantastic novel, one of many well-written books by Larry Niven. Simon99

The Stars My Destination Alfred Bester

Forever War Joe Haldeman Excellent book using Sci-fi construct of time dilation to show futility of war. Written after he server in Vietnam. hooner

Altered Carbon Richard Morgan Wonderfully written crime/sci-fi blend, using variou ssci-fi constructs to look into what murder means. hooner

The Mind Parasites Colin Wilson It explains why it's hard to succeed Onedayatatime

The Stars My Destination Alfred Bester Just because its oneof the greatest sci-fi books ever. hooner

Ringworld Larry Niven The sheer scope of the imagination: the predatory Kzin and the cowardly puppeteer. The gradual unfolding of the driving force of the novel: all the time you are thinking it is the major characters and the incredible world while in reality it is the minor character and her luck. My son and I discussed it for days. Aetrus

The World of Tiers Philip Jose Farmer Farmer is woefully under-rated, and really only known for his Riverworld series, but the World of Tiers is, I think, his masterwork. It contains so much of why I read SF - it has terrific characters, it's overflowing with ideas, it has marvellous set pieces and it engenders a sense of awe and wonder at the possibilities of our universe (or, rather, the multiverse). If I had the money I'd personally bankroll a film of the books, now that we have the technology to do justice to them. Rotwatcher

The Baroque Cycle/Cryptonomicon Neal Stephenson A tremendous "fiction" about science, and much more... Niknox

Player of Games Iain M. Banks I want to live in the Culture! Joedjemal

This Is the Way the World Ends James Morrow Interesting take on nuclear conflict

The Player Of Games Iain M Banks It has a breadth, wit and complexity that ensnared me from the first line. Banks has the ability to create fullt formed world's that are totally believable. An utterly wonderful read. gar63

Lord of Light Roger Zelazny hooner

Roadside Picnic Arkady and Boris Strugatsky Reads like an allegorical account of the Chernobyl disaster, fifteen years before it happened. Steve Curran

Time Enough For Love RA Heinlein The love affair between Lazarus Long and Dora Brandon - but much more. weejonnie

The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman Angela Carter Although not usually classified as Science Fiction, Carter's early novel certainly echoes the themes and styles of the genre. After all, what could be more sci-fi than a plot in which our hero must struggle against a mad scientist, in order to restore a world of order and 'reality'? The surrealist form of the novel and it's passionate portrayal of female sexuality (which is quite unusual for a genre largely dominated by men) makes it, for me, all the more interesting. But, first and foremost, it is Carter's unforgettable language that puts the Infernal Desire Machines.... at the top of my list - vivid and imaginative, she writes like no other. 1246879

Time Enough for Love Robert Heinlein A book about an unbelievably old man and the wisdom that he has learned throughout the years. Shows the way we grapple with the big questions. Not without problems, but has incredibly high peaks. pdefor

The Man Who Fell To Earth Walter Tevis The story of an alien who comes to earth to in a quest to save his planet, not ours but is destroyed when he becomes all-too-human. The style is nicely understated, the plot, tech and characters believable and the story is full of gentle ironies. A terrific read. eggdeng

The City and the City China Mieville Mcc-guard

Hyperion Dan Simmons Gripping story,fascinating,immaculately drawn characters living in believable world(s). This book,and it's sequel,"Fall of Hyperion",are masterworks,in my opinion. I was so caught up in these books that they seemed more real than fiction to me,and this feeling holds up with repeated readings. Chimerine

The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer Neal Stephenson The story got it all: believable protagonist, imaginative story and a view of the future that in it's premises goes far beyond the stereotypical Cyberpunk setting. Compared to his earlier novel "Snow Crash", Stephenson move further away from "Neuromancer" and into the future. And that's where I like my Sci-Fi: without too many ties to the present day, far enough away so the author can develop his/her ideas uninhibited. Patrick G.

UBIK Philip K Dick To my mind, Dick is the greatest writer of the 20th Century full stop. Never afraid to tackle the big questions, eg what does it mean to be human? Or, as in this case, what exactly is the nature of reality? Akropolis

Use of Weapons Iain M Banks Banks' love of the genre shines out of every word. He has all the usual suspects in the Space Opera toy box, but he shows them to us through the eyes of a spoilt man-child who wants to play with them as much as we do. And finally we get the twist, probably Banks' finest, that makes us immediately turn back to page 1 and read it all again in a completely different context. Genius. Pete23

Blood Music Greg Bear A bonkers, mad book, the story of Dr Frankenstein taken to a grey-goo-fuelled extreme. As the character's life disintegrates under the power of his creation, the narrative expands and fragments. The structure mimics the plot, sliding deliriously out of control until the reader ends up somewhere quite other than where they expected to. olly1889

Floating Worlds Cecelia Holland People need to be reminded of its existence; 'Dune,' 'Left Hand...' and 'Stars My...' seem to be doing okay on this score. Painted with a broader brush than LeGuin's with whose work this one is often compared, it scores through the thought given to its societies and the extraordinary fairness with which it examines the personalities of some truly loathesome characters, particularly the brute like, emotionally retarded Saba and the self loathing vampire beureaucrat Tanuojin, the latter finally emerging as one of the most tragic and pitiable characters in Twentieth Century fiction. From what I've read of her historical fiction, it's also a tragedy that she's not produced more SF, which she would appear to do far better. Richard Bruce Clay

the man in the high castle philip k dick This book has so much soul in it. I return to it constantly as a benchmark of how good a book can be when it presumes it has intelligent and sensitive readers. This book also has one of the most pervasive scents, and evocative moods I have read in sci-fi. It's a joy, and a book I consistently recommend/impose on victims who I presume need further education in the wonder of people reimagining the future of humanity. poppy

The Diamond Age Neal Stephenson Whilst I love the William Gibson's, especially his co-written (with Bruce Sterling) "The Difference Engine", and will always have a soft spot for Philip K. Dick and Ursula le Guin, and happily hoovered up William Harrison's "Rollerball" and Walter Tevis' "The Man Who Fell To Earth" when I was a kid (too young to get into see the films), the book that grabbed me at the time and has stated with me his Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age". I'm not a mad fan of gleaming rocket ships. or distant other worlds. What I do love are either counter-factuals (and here's a nod to Kingsley Amis' "The Alteration" - is that SF?) or off-beam future earths. "The Diamond Age" is a, personally, fascinating look into a oddl retro-future. Not a pill-for-lunch or a personal-jet pack in sight. Lovely. The Southvillain

The Watch Below James White What happens in this book could happen to any of us today. The ending is set far in the future, but the book is reassuring about man's ability to adapt now, today, to a new life anywhere on earth (in this case, at the bottom of the ocean). I found it compeletly believable and beautiful in its detail. Buntyfox

The Player of Games Iain M. Banks The ultimate in political intrigue and dystopian commentary, all wrapped up in Banks' wonderfully realised Culture. Ostensibly about a man invited to play in a tournament of glorified intergalactic Risk, and yet the depth of the social observations, set alongside the super-cool tech, and written with razor-sharp wit, makes it so much more than this. If you only ever read one Iain M. Banks book then it should be this one; and if you ever read this one you'll certainly want to read the rest. Copper_Green

The Sykaos Papers E.P. Thompson Extra terrestrial humanoid lands on earth, is captured and kept in an institute where he develops friendship with one of the doctors. Book is written in the form of journal entries and newspaper articles as we see a naive outsider's look at our culture and how his attitudes and preconceptions change as he is influenced by ours. A mightily written account of an outsider attempting to come to terms with his new surroundings. StanOnTheRun

the man in the high castle philip k dick The best single book by SF's greatest writer. oldsimon

The Mars trilogy Kim Stanley Robinson Actually there are three books in the trilogy and they effortlessly combine technology, the spirit of pioneers, rebellion, and political and philosophical issues that arise when mankind invades and irrevocably alters an environment. The whole series is so believable that it drags you in and makes you want to explore the character of each hero and anti-hero as they come in and out of focus as events unfold. Northumbria

Flatland Edwin Abbott Abbott an interesting introduction to the perception of dimensions beloved of physicists, mathematicians and computer scientists. And a satire of the class system too! commenttnemmoc

Jack the Bodiless Julian May The characters Saffron

Rendez-vous with Rama Arthur C. Clarke Just exciting, if counterintuitive, science and a fantastic journey of discovery for the team sent up there to check that mysterious object (Rama) out. This book is too good not to imagine (hope?) that someday this fiction will become reality. starstuff

Dune Frank Herbert Herbert managed to create a genuinely 'alternative' and unique view of the far, far future, a consistent universe which didn't rely on the common tropes of science fiction. Like many of Herbert's books, Dune (and its many, surprisingly good sequels) balance precariously on the edge of pretension - and sometimes fall off, but one of the common themes of science fiction* is about dealing with the biggest questions, and if an author's reach sometimes exceeds their grasp, at least they reached. There's also a great adventure story in there too. I loved it the first time I read it when I was about 12, and loved it the last time I read it, aged 35. * it's just one of them, of course Fridgebadger

I, Robot Isaac Azimov Azimov - the man who invented the word 'robotics'. He also gives us the three laws of robotics. His robot stories are a huge influence on the way modern sci-fi sees artifical intellegence. GJ Smith

Hothead Simon Ings It is a very convincing insight into how the world will be in the near future combined with a grand space opera style plot about danger from outer space brjcf

Dune Frank Herbet An orchestral movement for the space opera genre anomie

Swan Song Robert R. McCammon A typical good versus evil, post-apocalyptic novel. The world finally succumbed to nuclear war. As a result of this final act of paranoid hatred between humans, the ultimate in evil is created. He/It goes up against the ultimate in good, a young girl named Swan, who has the power to give life back to the earth. I found this a well written SF/horror with some really well described characters living in a post-nuclear war world. tbonetone

Excession Iain M Banks It's very hard to choose one particular book from Ian M Banks' Culture series because those I have read have all been outstanding. Excession stands out in my memory because of the intensity of the story and the amazing concepts that fill Bank's universe such as the Culture's Minds and the artificially intelligent space ships. Tronboy

Plantetary Warren Ellis Incorporates everything from tarzan to sherlock holmes to dracula to wonder woman, all within a world in which our understanding of the physical universe, macro and micro alike, get both explained and questioned in equal measures. Truly visionary and splendidly realised. Thehinger

grerg egan permutation city As with all of his first books, Egan pushes his brilliant ideas to the limit of imagination and then pushes them again in mind boggoling areas and then does it again and again. A fantastic ride. The stories are also well constructed and engrossing. The best hard science fiction in my opinion. tone-wreck

1984 George Orwell More relevant today than ever luisabroad

The Book of the Long Sun Gene Wolfe A brilliant look at religion, politics, race and power. I've re-read it 5 times and every time I discover whole concepts not seen before. Brilliant. Epic. Genius. Kieran C

The Mars Trilogy Kim Stanley Robinson Sabishii

Foundation Asimov Greatest SciFi ever. SpottedChui

Lord of Light Roger Zelazny Because you'll never read anything like it again. It's original, beautifully written, imaginative and highly thoughtful. Really outstanding and the reason I became an SF fan in the first place. Cheers! AsAboveSoBelow

Old Man's War John Scalzi Fresh, exciting, unexpected. A great story with all of the needed ingredients of action, intrigue, suspense and science rgally

The Algebraist Iain M. Banks This is my favourite Iain M Banks book by light years. I love his "Culture" series of novels, but "The Algebraist" story is his most complete. A complex and exciting novel based in 4034 A.D. the story describes the journey of Fassin Taak as he looks for a mathematical transform that may give the location of an ancient and long lost system of wormholes, thus enabling mankind to travel between systems at faster than light speeds. Cruel warlords, invasion forces, friendships lost and remade, beautifully described worlds and a compelling detective story all go to make this book a must read for any science fiction fan. SBQ

Pavane Keith Roberts Although I'd concur with the greatness of Neuromancer, Pavane and its sister novel Kiteworld are an exciting mix of historical and futuristic thinking from a, now, relatively unsung British writer. Perhaps it doesn't have the global ambition of the Gibson novels but it creates a logical coherent vision of an alternative Britain that is very intriguing. Polymorph

The Stars My Destination Alfred Bester Seminal fifties masterpiece Neildenzil

A Fire Upon the Deep Vernor Vinge truly forward looking Traderrick

Childhood

Sailing to Byzantium Robert Silverberg Have you read it?! Starky

Cat's Cradle Kurt Vonnegut Having no Kurt Vonnegut on the list would be a glaring omission so why not this chilling end of the world classic. dan seex

Anything at all Jack Vance Absolutely brilliant invention! pebbles1209

Childhood's End Arthur C. Clarke (The meaning and future of human) life, (intelligent life in) the universe, and everything. etorisky

Shockwave Rider John Brunner Before there was Cyberpunk, there was Shockwave Rider. Before there was an internet, there was Shockwave Rider. Back in the 70s, this was the book that told us the direction. When everyone was still going on about space travel, this told us what was really going to change our world. As far as I am concerned, Neuromancer (which i also like) is simply fan fiction for this vision. Tarnover Number 6

Mars Trilogy Kim Stanley Robinson The scale and detail of this book are without compare. Realistic enough to keep you grounded yet the descriptions and scope of events are so vast that you're hooked and kept interested through the 3 books. DurhamA

Rendezvous with Rama Arthur C. Clarke This is a very accessible novel that I would recommend to someone who has little experience with the genre. The story is somewhat conventional (beginning, middle, end) but manages to include a considerable amount of discovery and mystery. xraydon

The Invincible Stanislaw Lem If defines what something truly 'alien' is - not some dude with two arms, two legs, one head and a load of prosthetic makeup, but alien. Orion

The Squares of the City John Brunner Read it and find out. nick-brown

The Lensman books EE Doc Smith EE Doc Smith's Lensman series of novels is fantastic. Don't read them out of sequence or you will get confused. Triplanetary First Lensman Galactic Patrol Grey Lensman Second Stage Lensman Children of The Lens Masters Of The Vortex Dragon Lensman Lensman From Rigel Z Lensman Red Lenin

Nights Dawn trillogy Peter F Hamilton Not a classic as such. However a brilliantly formulated and pieced together epic, which is assured to keep you engrossed for a couple of months at least. (depending on how fast you read) username84

The Player of Games Iain M Banks It has everything - Banks' Culture novels all share a great setting, but out of all of them The Player of Games just delivers that bit extra in character, adventure, epic grandeur, and a sophisticated plot that resonates on so many levels. Kerome

The Stainless Steel Rat Harry Harrison Sci-Fi sometimes takes itself too seriously - this five some of the laughs back. zuluraindancewarrior

Dune Frank Herbert Immense in scale, it crafts a entire universe of it's own and then populates it with figures and races over millions of years. It mixes philosophy, Islam, Zen, lesbianism, Cloning into a series of amazing books that stretch our minds and challenge our perceptions of reality and our perceptions of self. Adham

Sirens of Titan Kurt Vonnegut Just read it. cliffsclimbs

Crash J G Ballard A compelling glance into the future for our technological, alienated, schizoid species. fformat

Limbo Bernard Wolfe If you think that cyberpunk was invented in the 1980s, then you really need to read this book. Combines both a vicious, futuristic war yarn and the bleeding edge of trippy, Burroughs-style SF. Fat Celt

We can build you Philip K. Dick Abraham Lincoln is revived as an android as part of a crazy scheme to re-enact the US Civil War for entertainment only to be hijacked by big business and a darkly disturbed creator - All contribute to this tale in which the author explores his familiar themes of the nature of reality and what makes us truly human. lonepilgrim

The Foundation Series Isaac Asimov Fantastic series of books. Originally just one book - Foundation, which became three books (3,4 & 5) Prelude to Foundation Forward the Foundation Foundation Foundation and Empire Second Foundation Foundation's Edge Foundation and Earth Red Lenin

Excession Iain M. Banks It does what Asimov tried to do but never quite succeeded, despite his many achievements: it has artificial intelligences far more fascinating than the human and other naturally evolved characters, as well as being a space opera to end all space operas and a terrific entertainment. The humans end up being almost the rather indulged and very much patronised pets of the AIs. Speaking of pets, David Brin's Startide Rising deserves a mention. And, for the entire body of his work up to the moment, the great Greg Egan: no one makes you think about and doubt existence, including, first of all, that of your own self, like he does. Gegenbeispiel

The Fall of Hyperion Dan Simmons Better than the first volume, Hyperion, this book has a great, dramatic story, fine characters, plenty of time-twisting and some wonderful ideas about AIs, human evolution, religion and What It All Means. It's not "cool" in the way Neurmancer or The Quantum Thief are, nor is it hard SF like Pushing Ice. It's not gruesome and funny like Iain M Banks (I would nominate all the Culture novels as second choice) but it is epic, thought-provoking and a little bit scary (the Shrike). thammond65

The Chanur novels C. J. Cherryh Few authors can tell a story from the view of a non human character as convincingly as C. J. Cherryh can. Her worlds are well developed and it is fun to read her books. Also recommended reading: her Foreigner books. Kilminster

Surface Detail Iain M Banks Mr Banks' science fiction is always absolutely brilliant. The scope and size of the settings in which the plot is set is so much more than other writers. I enjoy them all, Surface Detail, being the latest developed The Culture concept further, full of dark humour and brain expanding vastness of it all. stevetyphoon

Consider Phlebas Ian Banks Consider Phlebas is sf at it's best. Awesome in it's scope, speculative in it's ideas, plausible and at the same time beyond what we have thought before. Huge things in space, sentient machines, a fantastic society and a main character that is on the wrong side in a conflict makes great reading and hopefully some thinking from the reader. Morat

peace and war joe haldeman one of the very few books i have been unable to put down mattc1uk

We Yevgeny Zamyatin Absolutely terrifying, yet zany, satire of Soviet life. Written in 1921 this under-appreciated gem is the grand-daddy of all dystopia. It looks at the mechanation and production line culture that was due to rise. Fordism and a Benefactor scream 'Brave New World' and '1984' in equally delightful prescient horrors. "We" may not end up giving you nightmares of domed cities and constant surrveilance, but it'll certainly make you think about what drove Zamyatin to write this masterpiece...90 years on. OverNerd

Fahrenheiht 451 Ray Bradbury

Shikasta Doris Lessing Space rather than science fiction, this is a penetrating look at humanity through an alien's eye. Lessing is prescient about so much and pulls no punches in her analysis of the human condition. An endlessly fascinating, worlds-within-worlds exploration. barbkay

Lord of Light Roger Zelazny Original, thought-provoking and well plotted, not ruined by exposition. WoollyMindedLiberal

His Masters Voice Stanislaw Lem It illustrates the utter futility of projects like SETI - even if we did receive a message from the stars, could we ever agree what it meant. And imagine the religious upheaval it would cause if there was any claim that there is no God. Orion

Altered Carbon Richard Morgan I picked it up by accident from the library and just though, "oh well, I'll read it anyway?" - its mix of cutting edge SF and almost noir-ish story as well as being both brutally gritty and very compelling made me unable to put it down. It's hero, takeshi kovacs is very much a person who just seems to caught up in incredibly volatile and deadly situations, and he comes through them purely cos he's prepared to do whatever is necessary to survive in an outrageously coldblooded manner while still retaining enough depth of character and humanity to be sympathetic. I've read everything that Morgan's written since - several times - and I can't recommend this book highly enough. MrBardolph

Sheep Look Up John Brunner A book that feels just as relevant now than it did in the 70s ottopartsix

Gateway Frederik Pohl Great plot, satisfactory presentation of inner agonies of the individuals, solid characters, irony, suspense nikpass

Limbo Bernard Wolfe A 1950s masterpiece of black humor that, although dated in the way it tackles sexuality and the place of women in society, stands as a good reflection on utopia, pacifism and personal responsibility. Once read, never forgotten. Dodge the Steamroller! nofare

Count Cockula Jimmy CumLately The plot was fucking amaaaazing. Stevie Wonder

The I Inside Alan Dean Foster Well written and plotted - lots of strands - androids, repressed memories, ambiguous aliens, action sequences with sudden unexpected abilities, with in depth character development, and open ended. Would make a great blockbuster film ! ptink

Woman on the edge of time Marge Piercy Seventies utopian and dystopian ideas. Aged a bit, but deals with a lot of issues that never occurred to the boys HappyOldWoman

The Protector Larry Niven It's fun. The author has given himself permission to let his imagination wander. We all need to give ourselves permission to let our imagination wander. That's the nub of it. A Love supreme

Fiasco Stanislaw Lem Suppose we do get off this rock and into inter-stellar space (e.g. between the stars). What if we did find an inhabited world, because we were following the signals received by SETI, say. Would we even recognize the aliens as living creatures when we encountered them? Orion

Childhood's End Arthur C Clarke Metaphorically and mythically rich. The Pondonome

New Model Army Adam Roberts Roberts is a genius. julieg

I, Rimbot Isaac Assimove The sheer amount of cock, even for the sci-fi genre, is spafftacular. I watched the film first, which didn't have nearly as much cock. By God, I love the cock in the book. RickyDawkins

Solomon's Angel Robin Oram First it's very funny, the author has a real eye for an unexpected gag. But it's also got a serious side. It's a mix of science fiction and fantasy about a world that is like the real world except that all religions and superstations are true. Four people go on a quest to find the soul of a dead magician that has been trapped on a computer. The characters are warm and believable book is quite thought provoking. It keeps you completely off balance the whole way through. Just when you think you know what is going on something shifts and you find out that nothing is what you thought it was. I like that especially as I realized at the end that one of the main themes is how apparently orderly systems arise out of chaotic situations. I always think it's the sign of a good book that however many times I read it I always find something new to think about and to laugh at. Mr G

The Gaean Trilogy: Titan, Wizard and Demon John Varley Well, it's a trilogy not a single book and, next only to Olaf Stapledon's works, the most satisfying and simply enjoyable SF I have read. What I like about it is that it mixes science fiction with a good old-fashioned adventure story involving likable people. And it is brilliantly conceived and told. Swami Pete

The Player of games Iain M banks A voyage into the science fiction future does not always have to be scientific. Banks excels in his nonchalant creativity, placing his main character, who is world class at his own past time of playing games, into the hands of 'special circumstances' an organisation run by super minds to put right the wrongs of the universe... As an avid reader of what is know as 'the Culture series' I recommend 'Player' as the entry book to Banks's universe, this book, if you like it, will lead to all the others, 5 or 6 at the last count. All different, but fascinating, exciting, sexy and above all optimistic about very advanced humanoid civilization, although the culture is categorically not simply us in the future. Morat

Old Testament, New Testamnet and Quran Dog This trilogy has been the most influential of all science fiction books. Although they are three books, I see them as one long book, broken into three parts because of the nature in which they were purported to be written by a single divine force working through human agents. So even the manner of the writing is surreal and cosmological. They each present a model of creation and a divine/natural order. They are filled with dictates regarding proper conduct. The stories document the twisted behaviors of leaders, wars of conquest, socio-political struggles, and moral themes. Among the chief features is the sado-masochistic relationship that the god in these books has with his people. I found the sacrifice of Jephthah's daughter to be exemplary of the kind of brutal gamesmanship between the two parties. Additionally, divine imperatives include the extermination of entire peoples and failures to carry these out to their fullest extent results in punishments. Though often boring and filled with cryptic platitudes, these books are worth reading, if only to look into the psychological space that they have created in billions of fans all over the planet. Maradonut86

Shadow of the Torturer Gene Wolfe This, with its three sequels, is a magnificent work of linguistic and mythic imagination, deeply resonant and rewarding. The Pondonome

Altered Carbon Richard Morgan A brilliant fusion of a noir detective story set in a detailed and believable future world, its pace is relentless and like all good books leaves the reader wishing for more pages to turn. teddychris

The Fifth Head of Cerberus Gene Wolfe Three interwoven novellas. An excellent introduction to the pleasures of reading Gene Wolfe, before tackling The Shadow of the Torturer. Well worth seeking out, since other writers are to Wolfe as ketchup is to bordelaise. The Pondonome

Foundation Isaac Azimov I love the idea of maths as a predictive tool. Also the twist where one character is not what they seem. chez_25

The Death of Grass John Christopher An early post-apocalyptic novel and an excellent comment on how quickly society can collapse. Talisen

4 books, in the UK called "The Saga of the Exiles" Julian May This series has everything: time travel, magic, beings from folklore, such as elves, ogres, etc, modern technologies, future developments, politics, alien intelligent species, crime, punishment, ethics and morality, all set against a backdrop of reasoning about the nature of life, of religions, of the concept of god(s), the infinite and the cosmos, seasoned with a delightful sense of irony and wit...a series of 7 books altogether, tho i prefer the 4 that make up the Saga of the Exiles... goddess 2

Foundation Isaac Asimov The Foundation series, most epsecially the first book in the series, has a beautiful vision of a galactic empire, doomed by probability to fail, and the preparations for what will replace it. It's stuck with me for years, and I still lend my copy to friends on a regular basis. danieljh

Out Of The Silent Planet C.S. Lewis This book was simply written with a theological angle, however just read literally it was very resonating for three connected ways of seeing things that are indelible to my reading and appreciation of this story: 1. The translation of what the human says and how it is heard by the aliens.2. A human seeing the appearance of two different aliens, before realizing they are actually humans. and 3. Earth is a silent planet in a Universe full of communication. Affirmative

hawksbill station robert silverberg

The Chrysalids John Wyndham gggggg

The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy Douglas Adams 42, obviously! "It has the words DON'T PANIC inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover." I states that ; There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. It is quite simply the best book ever written. I grew up on this book, with my dad reading me excerpts for bedtime stories! Sit down with a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster and enjoy! For those not in the know, it's like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick. weesuzib

Foundation Isaac Asimov I read this when I was in my early 20's when it was instrumental in my becoming a life long Sci-Fi fan. I re-read it in my 50's and enjoyed it just as much. I introduced it to the book club I belong to and they enjoyed it despite the fact that they would not normally read Science Fiction. PennyP

Day of the Triffids John Wydnham Read this a few years ago now and the images it created while reading it have since stuck in my mind. Its a classic because it remains a terrifying novel to date. mrsbrispie

Brave New World Aldous Huxley A book that simply defines everything that good sci-fi should be: thought-provoking, relevant whilst retaining a healthy dose of the unknown, perceptive in its understanding of trends in society at the time and in the future and, most importantly, pushing the limitations on human imagination. Brave New World is, ahead of other classics such as 1984, the one sci-fi novel that everyone can recognise in our own cultural infatuation with indulgence and social structure. PurpleAndroid

2001: A Space Oddysey Arthur C. Clarke It is an epic that joins the distant past to the near future. It is hopeful, as expressed in the "Star Child" (I cannot even think about that image without getting major goosebumps) yet it contains a warning to mankind about its own folly. It is at least somewhat prescient in how HAL 9000 is portrayed. And it is a great story as well as a great film. It is exciting and even breathtaking. Furthermore, the film made brilliant use of a classical score with Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra (more goosebumps) and Johann Strauss' The Blue Danube, both electrifying compositions. And everyone thought the apes were real (they were not), while Planet of the Apes merely WISHES it could claim the same. Tim Anthony

The Fifth Head of Cerberus Gene Wolfe The spellbinding quality of Wolfe's prose by itself qualifies this as an all-time SF great, as a book we can all point to when someone accuses SF of not being literature. But there's so much more happening here. Twin alien worlds, decadent, decaying French colonies, and an aboriginal, shapeshifting race that seems to have vanished like a dream. Three narrators, but somewhere in the twists and turns of their narratives, we lose them and find we're holding someone else's hand. I've read this book ten times now and I'm still finding new things to love about it. Tony Ellis

behold the man michael moorcock I read this when I was a young angst ridden sixteen year old and fell in love with it. It's a great little story of going back in a time machine to the days of christ in search of a meaning to life... more fantasy than fiction. hayden

The Kraken Wakes John Wyndham Excellent riff on the alien invasion sub-genre with aliens we never actually meet. Add political and social satire and a mildly unreliable narrator and you've got it made. Foresaw the dangers of the polar cap melting as well! Sangrail

Feersum endjinn Ian M Banks I love the multilayered approach and the phonetic spelling, and then the main protagonist is such a nice kid! vbigfish

Excession Iain M Banks One of the great space operas. Some critics have said it's too complicated. it's not complicated, it's deep. The richest most complete creation in the whole genre. all other SF seems contrite and poorly conceived by comparison. greattouchforabigman

The Forever War Joe Haldeman Comparisons with the contemporary Vietnam War aside, the book was quite simply un-put-down-able! A great story of grunt soldiers training and fighting aliens over a possible misunderstanding with the added concept that the great distances they need to travel to the war zone means the Earth they know goes through changes they could not have foreseen. Classic ending. Londonclanger

Day of the Triffids

Day of the Triffids John Wyndham it's got the lot - it is engrossing, sad, funny, good and bad - it's brilliant and I recommend it to everyone in the World. fatpaddy100

Cloud Atlas David Mitchell This is one of those novels that non sci-fi fans can read without having to think that they are reading a sci-fi story. In other words it is happy to be called 'speculative fiction'. It is funny, witty, insightful, harrowing and shocking and utterly gripping from the start to the finish. This book displays the broad spectrum of humanity from our best to just how low and evil we can stoop. It moves through time from the past to an awesomely realised post apocalyptic future and back again showing a playful and excellent grasps of multiple literary styles along the way. This was the book I gave my girlfriend who is not a fan of sci-fi as the one example of this genre that she agreed she would read, mainly just to keep me quiet. She adored it. Max von Seibold

Day of the Triffids John Wyndham it's got the lot - it is engrossing, sad, funny, good and bad - it's brilliant and I recommend it to everyone in the World. fatpaddy100

Wild Cards series George R R Martin Science based alternative Earth where an alien virus kills 90% of infected and turns 9 of the 10 survivors into deformed jokers and 1 into a super powered ace. Aliens, an outbreak, superheroes/villains, adult storylines and a mirror of history either accurate or changed for their purposes. 22 years and 21 books later you can't fail but to read and be consumed by the detailed world Martin and his co-writers have created. Halo572

The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood Well written, extremely good plotting and characterisation, and has elements which stay with you for years after reading it (which is the whole point, isn't it?) icklewickle

Starship Troopers Robert A.Heinlen A novel which focuses on how a military-run government would look. Also gives a good description of uber-cool space suits and fighting aliens Thejackyyy

Dune Frank Herbert Really makes you think about how OUR world works by looking at another. Pc83103

Look to Windward Iain M. Banks Am almost completely realised universe, very smart and incisive. I found the contrast between the connections of the culture through neural laces and the inhabitants of Yoleus to be very thought provoking, as it brought up a host of questions about the causes and effects of instant information through the internet. Also damned funny. apriori

The Chrysalids John Wyndham I first read this book as a pre teen and found it an atypical examination of prejudice and the fear that inspires it. It is however, a very enjoyable, well written read. I have read it in every subsequent decade of my life and found no less enjoyable. I would recomend it for young and old alike. By far my favorite John Wyndham book. Petra

All books of the Robotic series together with the Foundation Series ISAAC ASIMOV

The Iron Dream Norman Spinrad Alternate history squared, Spinrad posits a world where Hitler went to the US in the late 1920s and became a science fiction writer of the golden age. His greatest story, Lord of the Swastika, is the novel within the novel, and it’s a retelling of the Third Reich in an SF setting. It’s all there, the mythical ideology, militarism, master race, subhumans, genocide, only the Nazis are the good guys. A spoiler proof story and not actually a very good one, but the shock is realizing how close so much SF comes to it. They’re fascistic power fantasies with impossibly virtuous male heroes, pure black villains deserving extermination, end-to-end violence, women completely written out, etc. Spinrad includes an academic article criticizing HItler on a literary basis to help you process the experience. Everyone should read this before Ender’s Game. John Lawless

All books of the Robotic series together with the Foundation Series ISAAC ASIMOV tHEY ARE A fantastic TOUR DE FORCE IN SF LITERATURE. Noronha.

Dune Frank Herbert It has everything, hard Sci-Fi ideas, fantasy politics, religion, philosophy, romance... Bob

Excession Iain M Banks Sprawling SF on a vast scale, violent and hilarious in equal measure, Banks' Culture Novels are peerless, and this is one of his best. The Pope

citizen of the ga;laxy robert heinlein Even non-sf fans like this. Classic story of the slave from nowhere, uneducated & ignorent, who through luck & his own pluck, is educated, becomes moral, regains his own true position and dedicates his life to ending slavery! Heinlein probably created more libertarians with this book than Hyeck! americanlibrarylady

Only Forward Michael Marshall Smith The first of Smiths books and the first one I had read, picked up at random from a newsagents. It could be argued that this is SF/Horror but for me it is firmly in the SF category. I was in my early/mid teens and it was one of those books that change your way of thinking. From the first page you are hooked by the vivid imagery and shocking storyline. It was a lesson in how you can put wild imagination onto the page and let it run away with itself. Sizzler

Matter Iain M Banks Despite it's complex concepts the vivid imagery and flowing dialogue reall lets you enter the Culture world for the first time with a great understanidng for me the best Sci fi book ever written. Schmicko

Player of Games Iain M Banks Best of the 'culture' novels. Games at multiple levels, very black and very entertaining. thurdman

Rendevous with Rama Arthur C Clarke There was just something about this book and all the thought that author Clarke put into it that made it stand out for me. There was no wild imaginings just simple and logical prediction. The only thing that was a little hard to believe was the physical size of Rama. Given the cost and complexity of building the ISS, one has to wonder how long and how much it took to be built and sent on it's way. A super read though. Joolsaitch

The Mythidria CHronicles: RIse of the Nightmare William H. Cash Bill is a pal of mine for starters. He was working on this book years before I met him. He let me read his rough draft when it was done and after that, I hope he will write more. I've downloaded his ebook and it's even better finished. He said that it's the kind of story he wantes to read about. He's shared it with some other people I work with and everybody loves it. I think he had his brother make a video, but I'm not sure. He was talking about it. Bill can draw, too. I'm friends with him on facebook, and his characters are really cool so now you can actually see what his characters look like as he sees them. I would recommend this book even if Bill wasn't my friend, it's that good. surlyoldcat@q.com

Dune Frank Herbert I thought it was too obvious, but apparently not, based upon the comments below. Dune, along with Stranger in a Strange Land, catapulted sci fi out of the "golden age", and re-defined the genre. These two books are to sci-fi what the Beatles were to rock. Everything after was different. Jeff T. Boston USA

Body of Glass (He/She and It) Marge Piercy This novel is set in a post environmental holocaust future with both a dystopia and a Utopia. It presents beautifully drawn characters in a technological wonderland with a hellishly corporate backdrop. The novel revolves around Shira and her quest to be reunited with her son - taken from her by the company she used to work for. In her quest she is joined by a wonderful cyborg named Yod and the novel tells of their relationship and brings into question what it is to be human. The story is interspersed with the tale of the Golem in Prague which brings the questions around what is life into a longer history and gives it weight. As a science fiction novel it is so frighteningly possible - and in the not very distant future - but its real power is that we can already see how close we are to becoming a world in which corporations control private lives. There's some really wonderful moments like when Shira and co hack into the company's computer system using their minds, but flying in the shapes of birds, and when Shira is trying to teach Yod to understand the beauty of roses. I don't want to give anything else away as there are also unseen twists. Plus there are kittens! rosemaryhell

Neuromancer William Gibson Dodger

Paycheck Philip K Dick Because I liked it! axisofevil

The Player of Games Iain M. Banks

Light M John Harrison weirdly it was a book i didn't like for its first three quarters. Too dense, too pretentious, no likable characters and then for the last quarter...boom, it all made sense, kind of. Suddenly transformed to profound, disturbing, beautiful and lyrical. As someone else on this thread says, "Quite unlike anything else i've read". thevurt

Diaspora Greg Egan Start with the creation of a mind then follow it on a post-human diaspora through the multiverse. rkmspence

Brain Wave Poul Anderson Over 2 generations ahead of its time - Still a contemporary science fiction novel of the highest quality - the central tenet still stands the ravages of time as a truly inspiring and though provoking possibility. An amazing gem. sethndavid

Slaughterhouse 5 Kurt Vonnegut Not sure if it's SF, biography, satire, or a combination of all these and more, but it's a genius little book which I read over 20 years ago for the first time; I re-read it ocassionally, and it's still fresh to me. The Kernel

Uplift Trilogy David Brind An amazing series detailing the interactions between a number of species includinfg humans on a grandiose scale. A must read for any true lover of SF HALTAN

Diaspora Greg Egan When the author tries to explain what a twelve dimensional planet might look like in an alternative universe it boggles my poor little four dimensional mind, but in that giddy, vertigionous way Stephen Hawking sometimes managed in a Brief History of Time. Except theres no spaceships, aliens, virtual realities in Hawkings book, which makes this book quite a lot better. Diapsora is a novel of big ideas. From the birth of a (gender neutral) new mind in a virtual reality where most of humanity live in the near future (2795 AD) to exploration of the galaxy and on to other universes of increasing multidimensional complexity to the ultimate fate of our species and others, all in a pursuit of a mystery - how does the universe (hmm, multiverse really) work? How can we survive its indifferent violence? And where are the mysterious species who left microscopic clues behind in the structure of an alien planet warning of galaxy wide catastrophe? As the book progresses the relative importance of these questions and answers change. What happens when the answers are complete? Are they ever? It does take a while to get going particularly if you're not familiar with 'hard sci-fi' but there are no 'cheats' used in traditional sci fi. No transporters, FTL travel and the intelligent aliens are so utterly unlike the 'human' heroes they need several layers of 'relay-team' interpreters even to communicate. I look forward to the day mind wipes become more widely available so I can read it again for the first time. Gunboat Diplomat

Ender's Game Orson Scott Card Like the best science fiction, it portrayed a plausible world growing out of our present - and the central figure is a believable human being doing currently-unbelievable things who grows, over the course of the book. And totally gratuitously, it led to a number of sequels as rich and believable, in their way, as the first in the series was itself. fojo

World of Ptavvs Larry Niven Larry Niven is mainly know for his Ringworld series books. Generally his books are set in "known space" - a universe not too distant in the future - or close parallels to this creation. In "World of Ptavvs", Larry brings an alien known in "known space" as being extinct for millions of years to the present day. The alien (a Slaver) had been in stasis and is unintentionally released and then sets about trying to enslave the earth. Fortunately Larry Greenberg, who had been trying to reach the alien telepathically whilst in stasis, is here to save the day. Without giving too much away, humans are related to the Slaver race, meaning of course that the World of the Ptavvs is earth. Some Slavers that have lost all their family (rather than committing suicide) will decide to protect the whole Slaver species. If only Larry knew someone like that to protect earth from this Slaver.... What I like about the book is that the complete story spans from years into past and future. Space Opera it is not as the books are far too easy to read (a couple hours to read this book) but none-the-less Larry Niven creates a rich and compelling universe. smicken

snowcrash neil stephenson It is prescient in its understanding of memes, no one else has come close. zk

Whipping Star Frank Herbert Not neccesarily the best SF book ever-that would in my opinion be one of Iain M. Banks's 'Culture' novels-but quite possibly the weirdest. If you thought the end of Herbert's Dune series was getting a bit strange, it has nothing on this-truly out there WTF! (By the way, are we including the Gormenghast trilogy in this?) FallingOutsideTheNormalMoralConstraints

Ubik Philip K. Dick It's a beautiful balance of drama, speculation, humor, and the PKD's own special brand of paranoia. Dan_R

Tiger!Tiger! Alfred Bester It's got everything. GullyFoyle

The Iron

Hyperion Series Dan Simmons Well written, wll thought out, great plot develpoment, and all around awesome!!!!

Left Hand of Darkness Ursula Laguinn This book so beautifully demonstrates the point that what falls between two opposing, hard-held points of view is truth gail robinson

High Rise JG Ballard Not science fiction by the contemporary definition. This novel deals with what has been coined "inner space" rather than the more outer-space oriented, Le Guinesque fantasies. JG Ballard was a prominent figure of the new wave of science fiction: a collective of novelists who emerged in the 1960s and were mostly concerned with the birth of the space age and the atom bomb, for example. This was a time when events of the so-called real world began to seem stranger than fiction. As a result, novelists of this era began to write about dystopian near-futures rather than settings vastly remote in time and distance. . . High Rise deals with the effects of the man-made, physical landscape, in this case an east London aparment block - on the physcology of the tenants. The rigidly defined social structure, too-easy access to amenities and desire of the tenants to resign from their lives as mindless functionaries, sets in motion a descent into a microcosmic catastrophe. Ballard's ruthless imagination is on show here in all its glory. This book changed my life. Dick Smith

Valis Philip k. Dick Strictly not Sci-Fi, but a theological meditation on perception, sanity and counterculture. One of my favourite books, up there with Camus and Satre in my opinion. The protaginist is a man undergoing a nervous breakdown who interprets his psychosis as religious revelations. Astoundingly well-written, profound and funny. Refutes the view of science fiction as 'Cowboys and Indians in Space.' FabianRothschilde

Mission Earth L Ron Hubbard The author is a bit of a nutter, but the Mission Earth books are an excellent read. And, the hero grows up a little District9

The Iron Dream Norman Spinrad Eurasia (including Britain) has been conquered by Bolshevism. Only the Empire of Japan and its valiant ally the Bushido-spouting USA stand fast against the Stalinist hordes. All because Adolf Hitler emigrated to New York in 1924 to become a science-fiction writer. That's the framing story. The bulk of Spinrad's novel Iron Dream is actually a novel-within-a-novel called Lord Of The Swastika written by, wait for it, Adolf Hitler sometime in the 1950s. LOTS won the Hugo award and established Hitler as a preeminent voice on the American pulp scene. LOTS tells of a mythologized Germany ("Heldon")in a future post-nuclear world that rose up to defeat the evil mutant forces of Zind and their humanity-destroying rulers the Dominators. notathome

Dune Hebert Dune is a brilliant story from beginning to end that is pure prophecy when viewed post 9/11. The only reason it's not more popular is because it's too real in many respects. It lacks that warm and fuzzy Hollywood-like ending needed for today's pop culture. Still, it's a brilliant series of books. I recommend them all. Michael Boh, LA, USA

Shikasta Doris Lessing Like all great science fiction Shikasta and its four companion volumes has a serious philosphical core; It is beautifully written, and is a cracking read.It is plausible and utopic, offering a glimpse of a future of equality and sexual freedom with humankind and nature in balance, while pointing at the frailties of current reality and pertinently criticising organised religion, ideology, and colonialism. Lessing's imagination runs riot, and the fourth volume, although slim, has one of the finest takes on survival in a hostile environment I have ever read. Inspiring. thegoodterrorist

The Chronicles of Amber Roger Zelazny One of the most compelling (compendium of five) book(s). Fast paced, excellently written and many thought provoking ideas playing merry hell with history, time, space and logic. Not to mention a great cliffhanger ending RonJB

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE PHILIP K . DICK A WELL DETAİLED wHAT İF NOVEL ERDEM

The Sentinel Arthur C Clarke This is not a book, it is a short story, a very short story, but it was the inspiration for Clarke And Kubrick's collaborative epic 2001. It sums up humanities constant desire to discover 'someone else, out there. We are so lonely, like a kid who has lost it's mom. So much SF is devoted to our quest for contact, but the original short sums up the anticipation so well.

We Can Remember it For you Wholesale Philip K Dick This collection of short stories is full of wit humour and dystopian futures. Book bindings that rewrite books, aliens infiltrating society as four foot high VW mechanics and faulty time travellers taking part in their own autopsy and ticker tape parade. This book is the most imaginative i have ever read and i'm overwhelmed by its brilliance whenever I read it. I have laughed, cried (almost) and felt almost every emotion in between and if one person reads it because of me i shall be happy. nofx

the illuminatus trilogy R.Shea and R.A.Wilson because its awesome dude!!! tmazlee

Island Aldous Huxley Most people read the dystopia - Brave New World, but Island was a utopian dream - one of the first books that really affected me. Also anything by John Wyndham - many of his books successfully made it to films, Day of the Triffids and Village of the Damned. I also loved The Chrysalids - never understood why it didn't become a film. But the sci-fi crown must go to Peter F Hamilton - he has the ability to create entire universes and includes the entire shebang of sci-fi within each series - aliens, technologies, societies, superhuman abilities, etc. Janeira

Gateway Frederick Pohl

1984 George Orwell ALTHOUGH THE MEDIA IN THE YEAR 1984 WOULD HAVE US BELIEVE THAT THE WORLD ENVISIONED BY ORWELL WASN'T AT ALL LIKE THAT WE ARE NOW EXPERIENCING. IT SURE WAS AND IS TO THIS DAY ! NEW SPEAK ANYONE ? mauriceeric

We Can Remember it For you Wholesale Philip K Dick This collection of short stories is full of wit humour and dystopian fu