Best sci-fi book you've ever read

[Dutch 924]

Metro 2033. It's not your regualar sci-fi, with ships and lasers. But it has a good pace and doesn't get too slow or fast throughout.

 

[rednose1]

*Looks at Asimov's shelf*

Reach and grab one. All amazing.

Also, Ray Bradbury has some serious amazing short stories.

Gotta agree with you there. The Foundation series is awesome. Plus he created the Three Laws of Robotics. How cool is that?

My personal favorites are either Nightfall or The End of Eternity. Very good reads those 2 are
Other top choices are the Saga of Seven Suns by Kevin Anderson, The Ender series by Orson Card, and Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds.

A couple books have worlds with constant light, guess thats a cool concept to me. How would a world that never had a night react to one? Just like that idea.

 

[BringBackBuck]

Er, Digital Fortress? actually its not at all good but nothing else springs to mind. Anyone got a recommendation?

Good god man! I think that is one of the worst books I've ever read.

Its a toss-up between Dune and Peter F. Hamilton's "Night's Dawn Trilogy". Yea I know it's a trilogy, not a single book but you can't have one without the other two.

Peter F. Hamilton is excellent. Just finished his Void Trilogy, and I think it's better than Night's Dawn trilogy

 

[Realitycrash]

Brave New World, without question.

 

[SniperMacFox]

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy including all its sequels.

You sir, are a hoopy frood.

 

[Tips_of_Fingers]

OMG! You made me sign in after 6 months. Six months. Simply because no one mentioned Ian M. Banks.

I mean really people: Ian M. Banks. Read "Excession" of course and read "Feersum Endjinn" too, but anything else really.

And also Charles Stross, but not nearly so much, read "Halting State".

I would have mentioned him if I'd read any of his Sci-fi novels.

Oh wait...Transmission is sci-fi right? I need to pick up so much more Iain M. Banks. I feel that he could become my favourite author if I read more of his stuff.

 

[NovaCascade]

I know I'm probably going to get a lot of flack for this but my favourite series is probably Kevin J Anderson's "Saga of Seven Suns" - of those my favourite book was probably #5 Of Fire and Night. I've read most of the Star Wars EU novels and my favourite of those is Traitor from the New Jedi Order, closely followed by the Enemy Lines duology.

 

[NotSoLoneWanderer]

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy including all its sequels.

Ender's Game. The best book I've ever read.

I was gonna read it the the cover made the book look like it was for 4th graders but I saw it in Barnes and Noble a few days ago and the cover looked a lot more mature almost Mass Effect-ish in a way. Next time I go to the library I gonna give it a chance.

You were judging a book by its cover?

OT, since I have a short memory, I would say The Passage by Justin Cronin. Im sure Ive read substantially better books, but theyve been lost in the fog of time...

yeah...i did...

 

[gellert1984]

I know I'm probably going to get a lot of flack for this but my favourite series is probably Kevin J Anderson's "Saga of Seven Suns"

I tried reading the first book of that series and found it long winded, also I wanted to slap the alien prince. My father who got me into Sci-Fi books loved them though.

Can't pick a book so I'll go with an auther, either Larry Niven or Ian Banks.

 

[prince_xedar]

David Weber's Honor Harrington Series. all the ideas in it are fully fleshed out and explained, its one of my favourites. Mentions also go to Enders game and Heinleins number of the beast and starship troopers

 

[Mr Thin]

I'm primarily a fantasy reader; I've never really sought out sci-fi series, they just come to me. So I haven't read very many, none of the famous ones like Asimov's works.

My favourite thus far is The Gap Cycle, by Stephen R Donaldson. It is one of the most brutal book series I have ever read, by one of my favourite authors.

 

[Zay-el]

I personally adore Asimov's Robot short-stories. Just about all of them are unique and interesting concepts, always playing around with his own 3 laws.

That, and Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey series.

 

[JediMooCow]

Does Cyberpunk count? (It better).

"Snow Crash" for sure then. Best book ever. I can't believe it hasn't been made into a movie yet, though I guess it's set pieces are a bit epic for 2 hours. OH man! It would make a mind blowing game. 'Would make Deus Ex look like pulp.

Much as I resent the implication that Deus Ex could ever be made to look like 'pulp', I have to admit that, were the unthinkable to happen, it would be a Snow Crash game that did it.
Amazing book.

 

[Father of Worlds]

Anathem, Neil Stephenson. Only book I've ever read that literally made me dizzy from the ideas woven into its narrative.

 

[carpathic]

Psychohistorical Crisis. Bar none. Canadian Author too!

 

[Triangulon]

Dune! Frank Herbert's classic is one of the greatest examples of sci-fi there is: it should be to sci-fi what The Lord of the Rings is to fantasy.

This. I love most Sci-Fi but Dune is head and shoulders above the rest for me.

 

[Reverend Del]

Mine is probably I,Jedi

Probably the best 'stand alone' Star Wars book.

But, for me:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night%27s_Dawn_Trilogy


Amazing group of books, deep as anything you've probably read and just an amazing story.

Such a great series, really it is. Followed closely by his two book series Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained. Excellent writing.

Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan, Stranger in A Strange Land by Heinlein, Absolution Gap by Alistair Reynolds, any and all of Iain M. Banks' Sci-fi stuff (also his non sci-fi stuff is worth a gander), Ringworld by Larry Niven, the Rama series by Arthur C. Clarke. All these books and series qualify amongst the best I have read, you can't make me choose between them.

 

[notimeforlulz]

There's the gap cycle which is pretty damned messed up. The books were good though, paced well.

 

[jezcentral]

Pandora's Star is mine.

But Any of Neal Asher's Polity books come close.

 

[Declasm]

First four Frank Herbert Dune books, particularly 'Children of Dune' and 'God Emperor of Dune'

Also no one has mentioned 'The Forever War' by Joe Haldeman, an author who remembered to include relativity with his space travel

or anything by Greg Egan - I really liked 'Diaspora' but it's very 'hard sci-fi' but it blew my mind when they started to jump between dimensions.

Also need to mention 'Inverted World' by Christopher Priest - what a twist!