"Best S-F novels" Topic

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Like all such, fairly subjective but all in all, not a bad selection. Possibly needs more modern stuff.

Rendezvous with Rama? urgh…..one of Asimovs worst.

Glad to to see Ian M Banks in there, although I can't believe Consider Phlebas is really that old!

It could be argued that 1984 was documentary rather than science fiction.

My choices are 1) Foundation series 2) Dune series 3) Robot series 4) Star Wars series 5) Robotech series

Rendezvous with Rama? urgh…..one of Asimovs worst.

Actually Arthur C. Clarke

I read a bunch of Azimov because I was supposed to, to consider myself a "true" fan. Can't say that I really liked any of them.

Any list that does not include The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is … deficient.

Ringworld and bunches of related novels
The Forever War
Dune and original series
Sten and continuing series
Demons at Rainbow Bridge Quintara Trilogy
Lucifer's Hammer
Starship Troopers
…. actually this list will go on for a while….

Chalfant

The Mote in God's Eye ….. larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle (?)

Of the list in the OP's post, I've read:

War of the Worlds
Foundation
Starship Troopers
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Dune
Left Hand of Darkness
Ringworld
Rendezvous with Rama (which was good!)
Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Ender's Game
Red Mars
Old Man's War

I beleive I have read everything on that list. I have to say that tastes certainly differm as I would probably put at least 10 of those on the 50 worst list.

I like Rendezvous with Rama, but I would put Childhood's End on the list before that one. I would also include David Brin's Uplift novels in the 80s decade.

I've read about half of those, but see some glaring ommissions. Gateway, by Fred Pohl, should definitely be on the list. The Cities In Flight books by James Blish also.

Looking at many of my favorite books on the list, I think that just because a book is a great read and very popular, does not make it a "Best Sci Fi Novel." I feel like Ringworld falls into this category; while certainly Niven has a place on the lost, Ringworld is not the book for it. A Gift From Earth tackles far more social issues and the way technology shapes and changes society.

Crap, I started ranting.

/rant.

Have read most of those sometime or other in the past 50 years. Tough Picking the best story from some of the those authors.

Probably would include in no order and forgetting some.

Dune, just for the idea and the story telling.

Asimov for either the Foundation, what an idea based on the fall of Rome. Or the Robot trilogy.

A mote in Gods Eye, best alien 1st encounter story ever.

Star ship troopers, I don't know what it means and there isn't even very much combat to be honest, but it gets under my skin every time I read it for some reason.

Ring world, best story of world building ever. I always enjoy going back to the Ring World to see what is new to discover. Also as I get older, really like the idea that my arthritis is really just a sign of being a Protector.

Hammer Slammers, just the best military sci-fi out there. There are no heroes, only survivors. War at its most basic.

A Small Colonial War, how war would really be fought on the far reaches of space when it takes years to get to colonies.

Any of Falkenbergs Legion stories. Just great story telling and another set of stories based on the fall of the roman empire. Just think how many sci-fi series were based on combating the fall of empire.

Planet of the Apes, just another story that makes you think.

Burning chrome, actually any of Gibsons near future novel. Wow.

Poul Anderson would be his Star Fox. One man decides that the conquest of a planet will not stand and does something about it.

The Stainless Steel Rat, love the humor, but there was also a lot of blackness buried in those stories too. I sill cringe at the story where the hero is tortured over and over. The worst villains were always the humans not the aliens.

Retief, best stories ever on the diplomatic corps. Sometimes all it takes is a smart man to avert war or other disasters.

Bill, the Galactic hero. Only if you have been in the military does the real humor come through, and then only if you have been one of those lowly grunts looking up at those guys in shiny brass and trying to avoid being seen by them.

So many others, probably forgot a bunch.

Oh yeah and The Moon is a harsh mistress, love that story. Another story based on American revolutionary themes. Some of the best Sci-fi is based on reusing history.

i'm no gw fanboy, but if you want a really good sci fi series, you can't go wrong with the black library's horus herasy books.
some are better than others, but the series is up to 30 books, and several are new york best sellers.

Star Wars – Adventures of Jar Jar Bings by Alan Dean Foster.

The Stand shouldn't be on there. I'd substitute something from Walter John Williams like "Voice of the Whirlwind" or the Praxis/Dread Empires Fall series, or even one of the Takeshi Kovach novels from Morgan. I agree that something from Pohl and the Heechee should be on there, or even Drake's Northworld. Loved the Moties!

Nobody brought up Andre Norton? "The Stars are Ours", "Star Born", the "Solar Queen" books – loads of others.

Have to agree with a lot of the comments especially Doug Redshirt, Darkest Star & MKGipson.
I'm surprised that there is no CJ Cherryh (3 Hugo awards), Joe Haldeman, H Beam Piper et al? How about Tevis's "Mockingbird", Keyes "Flowers for Algernon" or Lanier's "Hiero's Journey"?

Have read 33 of 50, won't ever bother with the 17 rejects. This list is full of fail.

Star Wars – Adventures of Jar Jar Bings by Alan Dean Foster.

I have to ask if this is real. It's just stupid enough to exist. Apologizes if I insult anyone

Forever War
Old Mans WAr
Starship Trooper
DUNE

I read 14 of them probably by the time I was 15. Some on the list more than once. Essential to prove what exactly? They are mostly essentially old and somewhat irrelevant. I would recommend just a few from the list and would rather read anything by Alistair Reynolds.

I've read twelve of the books listed--but really, no Falkenberg books by Pournelle? No Slammers by Drake? No Small Colonial War or Fire in a Faraway Place by Frezza? How about Space Viking by H Beam Piper? Or one of the early Honor books by Weber?

Oh well, to each his own.

Rob

Thanks for the link. Definitely a useful reference list for exploring titles I haven't read yet and confirming my own likes and dislikes.

john lacour
i'm no gw fanboy, but if you want a really good sci fi series, you can't go wrong with the black library's horus herasy books.
some are better than others, but the series is up to 30 books, and several are new york best sellers.

By not bothering with initial capitals you communicate that you have different standards for good writing than the rest of us.

Looking back I guess I did forget Piper who is still one of my favorite writers, not bad for being dead for over 40 years.

It would be tough to pick one of his stories over another. Space Viking was good, since it had a nice plot to it driven the main character.

Uller Uprising based on the Indian Mutiny was good. Also noticed his tanks in that war travelled by anti-gravity until they got to the battle field and then went to tracks. Harder to hit a target on the ground then 10 meters in the air.

I think I would have to go with "Little Fuzzy". I love this story and wondered why it was never made into a movie. Think of the toys you could sell, just imagine the Little Fuzzy stuffed toys. It has it all, 1st contact, a murder, a major trial, the little guy vs. the big corporation and the ultimate question- what shows a creature is intelligent, fire use, tool making or language? Which really is asking the question of what makes us human.

Interesting. Have read 18 of them.

Read other novels by the authors of some of the books I haven't read.

Agree with comments above that some of the novels chosen weren't that author's best.

Also agree that Laumer (if you want to understand the State Department mindset read Retief), Blish, Vance, Anderson, Frezza, Piper, Pournelle, Harrison, and Cherryh have books that belong on the list.

Then there are John Brunner, Gordon Dickson, Roger Zelazny, and a number of others.

Too much distraction – time to paint some minis…

Star Wars – Adventures of Jar Jar Bings by Alan Dean Foster.

I have to ask if this is real. It's just stupid enough to exist. Apologizes if I insult anyone

It's not real.. at least I hope so. I just made it up. I was hoping for more horrifed reactions and calls to burn me at the stake for such heresy, though ;)

Then again, who knows? Maybe Foster needed the money for a new yacht or something…

Well, Foster did write the (excellent) Spellsinger series, if anyone could make it work he could lol.

I have a hard time with Stephan King as SF…

I've only read 27 of those but have read other works by most of the other authors, which may have been why I didn't read the ones that made the list, or had never run across them.

For what it may be worth, Starship Troopers was on the United States Army Command and General Staff class reading list in mid-80s. As a lowly Captain there wasn't any way to find out in short time I was at the school for another course what the discussion from that book would have been.

Thanking the spirits that be that "Perry Rhodan" didn't make the list.