Top 10 Must-Read Sci-Fi Books of All Time

[@markpayne5566]

Maybe this should be on a “SF authors you must read”, but something by LeGuin and Bradbury is essential

[@LickorishAllsorts]

You could add the last three months issues of the Daily Mail as an addendum to 1984.

[@Slarti]

I would add The Sparrow, Flowers for Alegernon, Rendezvous with Rama and perhaps most importantly The Foundation series.

[@JoeNicolosi-l8i]

Excellent list! I'd suggest several other books for consideration in an all-time top ten: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury; Hyperion by Dan Simmons; Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card; A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller Jr.; Gateway by Frederik Pohl; More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon.

[@MichaelDobran-is7pr]

There is so much great sci-fi it all boils down to personal taste and the way the author can draw you in. I have many unfinished books that were recommended but just didn't grab me. In my opinion one missing from this list is the Helliconia trilogy by Brian Aldiss.

[@TheXtrafresh]

I would absolutely have made room for Hyperion by Dan Simmons. it would be the most recent book n the list by something like a decade, but Hyperion is that much of a masterclass in Space Opera. He manages to weave religion, politics, love, time travel, AI, technology and consumerism into a web that will stay with you for a long time. Also, I just really like the works of Jack Vance. He's maybe not as influential, but his Demon Princes saga always stuck with me.

[@dawiem6310]

HG Wells - The Time Machine/War of the Worlds and Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner (with an honourable mention for his Squares of the City)

[@singerap]

I might add the Hyperion Cantos or Song of Kali by Dan Simmons. While I found it difficult to get into and a confusing read Dhalgren by Samuel Delany really stretches the imagination.

[@gumpyoldbugger6944]

The movie adaptation of I Robot is a case study into why you should never let Hollywood anywhere near a classic Science Fiction novel. As for other work that I would recommend for reading: 1) Barking Dogs by Terence M. Green. Tells the story of a disillusioned cop in the not too distant future and touches on themes of justice and societal decay. 2) Armageddon Crazy by Mick Farren. Tells the story of a distopian American under a Theological Christian dictatorship. 3) The Long Orbit, by Mick Farren again. Tells the story of life where much of the work force has been replaced by machines and earns a stipend while living out their choosen fantasy life. I am also trying to find a book I read a while back, believe it was called The Long Cool War, told the story about a soldier who fought a long series of wars, died in them, was resurrected by technological means and at the end, came face to face with himself in battle. If anyone can remember the correct name and author, please let me know it. Thanks.

[@DaveBartlett]

Anyone ever noticed that the major plot of "I Robot" follows the plot of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" almost exactly?

[@DaveBartlett]

The 'Otherland' series by Tad Williams ("City of Golden Shadow", "River of Blue Fire", "Mountain of Black Glass", "Sea of Silver Light") is something that should be added to a list of 'Must Read' Sci-Fi books, for its approach to the Sci-Fi concept of 'virtual worlds' at least. Published in the late '90s (1996-2001) it is prophetic in it's recognition of the concept of 'virtual existence', years before anything similar actually existed in the real world. Something that is a 'must read' if only to prepare you for the Mike Weber TV Production, if and when it finally arrives!

[@hanswissmeyer9950]

I like the list you suggest. There are some real essentials in it that are also a must for somebody who is not a fan of Sci-Fi. Of course my list would be different since everybody has a different taste. I would kick out Heinlein, Niven & Gibson to replace them with "Roadside Picnic", "The Space Merchants", "Sirens of Titan". However, a list with only 10 books will always be unsatisfying.

[@christexas4683]

Good list. A few more suggestions. "The Mote in God's Eye", "Gateway", and "Ender's Game".

[@TheXtrafresh]

@@christexas4683 I loved "A Mote in God's Eye", but Ringworld is already on the list, and I don't think they bring different things to the table when it comes to their Sci-Fi influence. The only writer that could contend for a second entry is maybe Asimov. You could argue for Foundation to deserve a spot on the list next to I Robot.

[@Bobalicious]

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I'm already halfway through your list. I would suggest Rendezvous with Rama.

[@julesgosnell9791]

There should be something by Arthur C. Clarke in this list.... but I read them all so long ago...

[@wheelbite9]

I must've been recommend this video bc I've been reading 1984 and watching From.

[@michaelginever732]

Good selection. I read 1984 and Brave new world about a month apart when I was 15 years old (that was 1970). I really never want to read 1984 again. It is so very dark and disturbing. But yes, it's an important book and everyone should read it. Brave new world struck me at the time as a more accurate depiction of the way we were going. We didn't need to be watched because we were being conditioned to slot in to society happily. They're both great works. And in the decades since a bit of both worlds have reared their ugly heads. I really liked John Wyndham's The Chrysalids. Explores the aftermath of where a nuclear war might leave humanity. Society has turned to a quasi Christian religious belief to explain the world they find themselves in. Their ignorance leads to tragic results for some of the characters. There's both darkness and some optimism.

[@drot13]

Have you watched Brazil (movie)? It bothered me similar like 1984 did to you.

[@gadfly149]

Good list, though I would drop Huxley (Orwell makes that point) and add Octavia Butler, Dawn. It is an exploration of discomfort and horror when faced with an “other” that is unavoidable. Also, do we lose our species’ identity when blended with other species? Can humans accept such a change, even if the alternative is self-destruction?

[@coc_is_me]

Orwell’s point was completely different to Huxley’s. Orwell was all about totalitarianism- Huxley was all about pleasuring ourselves into a cultureless banal dystopia .

[@gadfly149]

@@coc_is_me Controlling a population can take many forms. Orwell and Huxley are two examples. We can find difference and confluence in any two stories. But, there is enough confluence that both novels aren’t needed for a short list. Of course, it’s just my opinion, and no one is under any obligation to agree. It is art, and if we did always agree, that would be boring.

[@alphatucana]

My inclination is to keep both as they look at the two main alternatives to controlling society that have been used (more-or-less) in the real world: Orwell's take is closest to Communist totalitarianism, while Huxley's is closest to what we have in the West: control by consumerism (people think they are free, but their thinking is actually constrained). The insidiousness of Huxley's version is very relevant to today's world in the West.

[@whatisahandle221]

Accelerando by Charles Stross (what-if with a hard sci-fi take on humanities development in the solar system given a series of semi-plausible technological advances, starting with neural uploads, cyber-implants, nano robots, and corporate AI entities)

[@jimjolly4560]

I have read all of these books, and I cannot disagree with any of them.

[@russshaber8071]

Huxley's Island is as important as Brave New World. I Robot, Space Odyssey series, Rama series and many more could be on this list.

[@nellopics56]

I would add "The Left Hand of Darkness" by LeGuin and "The Wind Whales of Ishmael" by P.J. Farmer.

[@Kausan1]

Yeah - gotta have LeGuin

[@xaktacit6009]

Bit old school but I cut my teath on E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series. Anyone mention everything written by Michael Crichton!? And, as far as I'm concerned, the greatest works ever the HHGttG😂

[@DavidHubball-x2q]

Yep-read them all-years ago!

[@tautology_zero]

I would generally agree, although I'd replace Neuromancer with Stephenson's Snow Crash which has a much more understandable cybernetic society. Gibson's lack of understanding of technology is painfully obvious with Neuromancer.

[@stuartmunro2474]

Recent works like The Expanse should not be omitted. Joan Vinge's Snow Queen and Summer Queen, and CJ Cherryh's multiple brilliant series, or Peter F Hamilton's & Iain Banks's works demand attention. Perhaps too, Stranger in a Strange Land should be viewed in the context of Walter Tevis's The Man Who Fell To Earth.

[@onepingonly1941]

Nice mention of Ringworld. I feel this novel gets left behind in many considerations of SF classics. What I do notice here is anything outside of US/Brit authors. I feel that Three Body Problem, for example, is going to have to be in the mix going forward even though it has HUGE issues with tone, quality and clarity. As a side note, I'm not sure your scripted efforts are letting us know how you feel about each novel. Scripting has limitations and at many points it feels like I'm reading an online article about the 10 SF novels you can't live without kind of theme. Your channel is your dream, I understand.... just saying maybe a less formal and formula driven approach might make your channel more appealing to viewers.

[@effinjamieTT]

You don't want the version of the Forever War with the astronaut and the clocks on the cover. It's an early incomplete version.

[@MichaelDobran-is7pr]

I have 7 out of 10 of these books on my shelves.

[@ciocki]

JUNE - by Frank Herbert and of course AUGUST a less known masterpiece.

[@johnwinton1169]

Anthem by Ayn Rand, my fav.

[@mbarnardc1]

Adequate list, but Stranger in a Strange Land is Heinlein's self-indulgent EST makeover and hasn't aged remotely well, as is true for virtually everything he wrote. The lack of anything by Iain M. Banks and Margaret Atwood - both extraordinary literary authors who worked in speculation scifi as well - is remarkable, as is the list consisting entirely of white male authors. No Octavia Butler? No N.K. Jemisin? No Samuel R. Delany? I'm not going to give the list a thumbs down as most of the books stand the test of time, even if they are often misunderstood by readers, Dune being the prime example of that.