Best Science Fiction Books Ever

• Dune: Don’t be fooled by the awful 1984 film adaptation; this is one of the best sci-fi stories ever written. There is too much in this novel, and the books that follow it, to be encapsulated on a book dust-jacket or a simple paragraph in a top 5 list. But the themes of prescience, destiny, political intrigue and even economics create a universe so vast that you can’t help but be impressed at the completeness of it. I would rank Dune, the story of a mysterious desert planet, as on par with the complexity and craft of Lord of the Rings. No self-respecting sci-fi fan can avoid it.
• Neuromancer: William Gibson started a whole movement in 1984 with this novel. It’s the Stranger in a Strange Land of the ‘80s in that it managed to encapsulate a whole new attitude, counter-culture or philosophy of life for some people. The story of a down-and-out computer hacker, who practices his trade through a brain-computer interface, manages to plunge the reader into a cyber world of Gibson’s own creation. This was well before the Internet had even entered popular consciousness as a possibility.
• Fahrenheit 451: The gorgeous prose of Ray Bradbury made this novel a staple of American literature in general, not just an obscure sci-fi book. The story of a society that has outlawed books, and a “fireman” whose job it is to burn them. The transformation of Guy Montag, the main character, is one of the quintessential works of dystopian fiction of all time.
• Ender’s Game: I read this book when I was 12. It’s probably single-handedly responsible for sending me on a lifetime love affair with science fiction. The story of a super-smart kid, who doesn’t really fit in with his peers, struck a chord with me. Ender’s experience at an orbital battle school for super-genius children, engaging in zero-gravity laser tag battles, marches along at a brisk pace. It’s a page-turner with a twist, to say the least.
• Fire Upon the Deep: Some sci-fi novels make you work to understand what’s going on, which means walking a fine line between intriguing the reader and leaving them hopelessly confused. The author, Vernor Vinge, manages to create a vision of the galaxy that has its own unique physical laws, expansive culture and unique alien races. Stick with it for a hundred pages; you won’t be sorry.