name your top 5 sci-fi book

[TranceNation]

i say hitchhikers guide has to be up there.

 

[tweakmm]

The Hitchhikers Guide To the Galaxy, Dune and Ender's Game would be on the list

 

[kgraeme]

Hitchhiker's is fun but crap. And I own the leatherbound editions.

In no particular order:

Neuromancer
Slaughterhouse 5
Dune
Frankenstein
Ender's Game

 

[Emrys]

The Hitchhikers Guide To the Galaxy, Dune and Ender's Game would be on the list

Enough said right there.

 

[Anubis]

hitchhikers - series
Dune
Stranger In A Strange Land
2001 A space Oddessy - Series
Enders Game

 

[Rallispec]

jurassic park count?

 

[minendo]

1984

 

[TranceNation]

what is ender's game about and how close is the movie Dune to the book?

 

[Alphathree33]

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
Timeline (sorry I know it's not a classic, but I really like Crichton's stuff)
Foundation
Brave New World
1984

 

[Kelvrick]

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin = A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, and A Storm of Swords
Some sword series by Fred Saberhagen *spelling* I forgot the name of the series

All I can think of right now.

<== monkey dance

 

[Maverick2002]

The Martian Chronicles

No Bradbury fans?

 

[BigJohnKC]

Originally posted by: TranceNation
what is ender's game about and how close is the movie Dune to the book?

The old 1984 version of Dune sucks ass, but the remake in mini-series format made by the Sci-Fi channel a few years ago is dead on accurate, and a great film, even at 4.5 hours.

Ender's Game is about Ender Wiggin, child genius who is trained to be the commander of the human fleet at the military's battle school. Fascinating book. Surprise ending.


My top five:
1. Ringworld - Larry Niven
2. Dune - Frank Herbert
3. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
4. Neuromancer - William Gibson
5. Rendezvous With Rama - Arthur C. Clarke

 

[Alphathree33]

Originally posted by: kgraeme
Hitchhiker's is fun but crap. And I own the leatherbound editions. In no particular order: Neuromancer Slaughterhouse 5 Dune Frankenstein Ender's Game

Slaughterhouse 5 is, if you ask me, more if an anti-war novel than a sci-fi novel.

The fact that Billy travels through time randomly does not really fit the true definition of "What science could do for us/to us" for a sci fi novel. Vonnegut just uses it as a literary device to demonstrate that we are numb to the effects of life, death, war, etc. and can switches between them heartlessly.

 

[DaveSimmons]

1. E. E. "Doc" Smith - Lensman series.

This inspired Brin's uplift books, JMS' Babylon 5, and many more. Its influence in SF is comparable to that of Homer's Odyssey in general fiction. And it's a great read. If your'e in the SF book club they have a 2-volume edition of the series.


2-5 in no particular order:
David Brin ("Uplift" books, The Postman, ...)
David Drake + SM Stirling (The General series, Hammer's Slammers, Marching Through Georgia ...)
Julian May (Many Colored Land & sequels (science fantasy))
L. E. Modesitt, Jr. (Timegod, Adiamante, Hammer of Darkness ...)
Larry Niven (Ringworld, Neutron Star, other "Known Space" stories, Mote in God's Eye, ...)
Andre Norton (Time Traders, The Zero Stone, Storm over Warlock, Beast Master [inspired the cheesy movie], ...)
Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game)
Roger Zelazny (Lord of Light, My Name is Legion, Amber, ...)

And some more good ones to round out the 5
Harry Harrsion (Deathworld books, Stainless Steel Rat books, ...)
Robert Heinlein (Starship Troopers,
Frank Herbet (Dune books, Green Brain, Hellstrom's Hive, ...)
Keith Laumer (A Plague of Demons, Dinosaur Beach, Retief stories)
Fred Saberhagen (Berserker stories)
James Schmitz (Telzey & Trigger stories, Witches of Karres)
David Weber (Honor Harrington books)

 

[TNTrulez]

Originally posted by: TranceNation
i say hitchhikers guide has to be up there.

The first hitchhiker was great, the second decent, and the rest are crap.

 

[Desslok]

Wow I didn't see Starship troopers on the list yet. The book is amazing! The movie sucks big time though.

Anything by Asimov is a great read.

Not really Sci Fi but Ferinhet 451 is a good read.

Those are jsut a few off the top of my head.

 

[Freejack2]

No particular order...

Bio of a Space Tyrant Series - Piers Anthony.
Stainless Steel Rat Series - Harry Harrison
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Series - Douglas Adams
Enders Game Series - Orson Scott Card
Hyperion Series - Dan Simmons

 

[BD2003]

Dune and Enders Game, although everyone beat me to it already. Dune is a masterpiece, the book is way better than both movies. The 1984 movie was a little off, and the characters werent as good, but overall it was a much better made movie than the new one. The new one was accurate, but the acting was garbage, the costumes were a joke, and the sets were ridiculous. I see it more as Dune:The play, because it was so obvious they were in a big sandbox with a painting in the background the whole time.

Enders game was the best book Ive read in a long time, and the best ending to any book Ive read in so long. It totally sidelined me, I had NO idea that was coming.... The sequel, speaker for the dead, is pretty damn good too, but nothing like the first. More slow and suspenseful.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Technically fantasy, not SF, but I have started reading the Wheel of Time series. 3/4 the way through the first book. I must say I like it. Bought the first six, so that ought to keep me reading for a few weeks.

 

[Kadarin]

DaveSimmons: Another James Schmitz fan!

Daniel Keyes Moran: The Long Run (followed by the next in the series, The Last Dancer)
Iain Banks' Culture series, including The Player of Games, Excession, Look to Windward, Consider Phlebas
Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy, including: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, The Naked God
Vernor Vinge: The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime, A Fire Upon the Deep, A Deepness in the Sky
Dan Simmons' Hyperion series

Other good stuff:

Joan D. Vinge: Snow Queen, Summer Queen
Ian McDonald: Desolation Road
Alan Dean Foster's Flinx novels
Walter Jon Williams: Aristoi (and all of his other work)
yet another vote for Ender's Game
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover novels
E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series (all-time classic! Also see his Skylark series)
Robert Heinlein: The Number of the Beast, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, To Sail Beyond the Sunset
John Varley: Steel Beach
Bill Baldwin's Helmsman series (not very deep, but entertaining)

 

[cerebusPu]

unfortunately i wanted to read Ender's game but someone on slashdot ruined the ending for me. now that i know te ending..i dont know if reading the book would be teh same

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: cerebusPu
unfortunately i wanted to read Ender's game but someone on slashdot ruined the ending for me. now that i know te ending..i dont know if reading the book would be teh same

I wouldn't call it "teh same", but I would say that it's still well, well worth reading. It's an excellent novel.

 

[Argo]

1. Dune
2. Captive Universe by Harry Harrison
3. Brave New World
4. Enders Game
5. Stainless Steel Rat series

 

[Remnant2]

Not really in any order:

Dune
Snow Crash
"Stranger in a Strange Land" / Starship troopers / anything else by Heinlein
"Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?"
"Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World" (not exactly hard sci-fi, but a fantastic novel nonetheless. Murakami is the shit)

Haven't read Ender's game, so it's not on my list -- yet.

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

In no particular order:

Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
The Integral Trees - Larry Niven
Grass - Sheri S. Tepper

Which isn't to say that I don't love the Hitchhiker's trilogy too, but there's about as much science in it as either Star Wars or Star Trek.