The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson. I think it paints the most realistic idea of space travel, interplanetary society and Mars colonization....just about the most exciting stuff ever. Also, it's pretty hard sci fi and so the reader learns a lot about Martian geology and such along the way.
I'll have to say Neuromancer by William Gibson. Changed my worldview and what I thought was possible. I'm a huge fan of Ian M Banks, Charlie Stross, Ian MacDonald, Cory Doctorow, Peter Watts and older (90's) Stephen Baxter. Baxter's Titan is a great piece of writing - makes you feel the isolation of being millions of miles from humanity
I will pick more than 1:<p>Ubik by Philip K. Dick (it's hard to cherry pick his best work though, ask me a different day and I will choose The Three Stigmata or Do Androids Dream or something else)<p>The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (simply a good story and a great background)<p>1984 by George Orwell.<p>What all these books share is the idea that sci-fi is about social, cultural and economic dynamics, not ships or time travel.<p>That is my definition of sci-fi: An on-going essay about the evolution of the dynamics of society, using exotic technology/science merely as a catalyst.<p>Runner up: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card<p>Could never finish (can't recommend):
- Neuromancer
- Cryptonomicon (Does the author feel entitled to mock the homosexuality of Alan Turing? Found that somewhat arrogant and in bad taste.)
Excession by Ian M Banks - sentient AIs managing an advanced civilisation run into something they don't understand (an unusual occurrence which piques their interest). Funny, subtle, and provocative by turns, it is one of his better sci-fi novels, and far above much of the genre in plot and character.
Hmm... Favorite is hard. Maybe Cryptonomicon Because it was funny, meditative, and the research into WWII crypto was interesting. Or Maybe Stranger in a Strange Land, for the insights into correct action, the nature of humor, love, and understanding, and for giving us 'grok'. Or Maybe the Illuminatus Trilogy, for crazy awesomeness insight into the 1970's. I've loaned out all three, and I couldn't consider a book a favorite unless I'd tried to get people to read it.
It's a tie between two strange books.<p>Alfred Bester's _The Stars My Destination_: It's deeply flawed, wackily 1950s, has ridiculous tech, and is one of the most entertaining books I have read.<p>Stanislaw Lem's _Solaris_: Strange, dry, bordering on boring, breaks every single law about overusing exposition I can think of...and somehow turns that into a riveting meditation on the nature of guilt and consciousness.
I like a lot of Philip K Dicks stuff, "Do androids dream of electric sheep?" Also I really enjoy Jules Verne and H.G. Wells and dipping into the 19th century industrial revolution scifi that their works entail. If I had to pick a favorite though it would be Enders Game by Orsen Scott Card, although I haven't read it since I was a kid but I remember then I found it amazing.
This Island Earth - an early example of the use of a puzzle (meritocratic choice)to determine an intelligent protagonist as well as a defense against being mathematically expendable. Though the movie bombed, the book and its themes still resonate.
A Deepness in the Sky, Vernor Vinge.<p>Because 'unix epoch' is why. Also: it feels like a future where the details are right, but largely hidden unless needed.<p>Star Fraction, Ken MacLeod.<p>A romping good read, is why.
Thanks for posting this thread, I can see in the other comments lots of books that I now want to read.<p>For me I don't have a one favorite book, but my take would be:<p>- 1984 from Orwell<p>- the Foundation series, from Isaac Asimov (and basically, in my taste any book from Asimov has some good chances to be good)<p>- Hyperion, from Dan Simmons (a good scifi writer as well).
Ender's Shadow. Most people will tell you their favorite was Ender's Game, but for some reason I've always had a much stronger attachment to Shadow. Maybe it's because I read Shadow first, but more likely it's because I identify with the protagonist Bean more than I do with Ender.
This may seem strange, but I have to recommend the baroque trilogy by Neal Stephenson. It made me imagine how scifi would have looked like in the 1600s.