books the best science fiction books of all time?

I just put together a list of supposedly the best science fiction books of all time.. anything missing? Personally, my top five would look something like this:

Neuromancer

Dune

Anathem

Snow Crash

(Fall of) Hyperion

And I suspect Iain M. Banks will creep in there soon.

No Jules Verne love?

too old, i guess.

My wide and her mom are always reading CJ Cherryh books.

Nice list, glad to see "the stars my destination" is on there. I guess it depends on how wide one's definition of sci fi is...should it include any fantasy? Does Vonnegut count?

I haven't read any sci fi in a while, but my list would include ~

- A Voyage to Arcturus (probably my all-time favorite)

- Cat's Cradle

- Riddley Walker

- probably some Bradbury, I liked his short stories a lot when I was younger

solaris - stanislaw lem

brave new world - aldous huxley

the time machine - h. g. wells

Didn't read a ton of science fiction books but I'm sure Hyperion would stay in the top list anyway. What a story and universe

cat's cradle

brave new world

does the 3rd poiliceman count?

something by robert sheckley

sci-fi is gay

Often the problem with sci fi books in my experience is that they bombard you with amazing ideas and don't flesh out the characters enough. This is probably still true of the ones I really love though. I haven't read a lot but I just finished The Stars My Destination and it was shit hot. I've read all the Arthur C Clarke 2001 and sequels and I recall 2010 being the best book. Philip K Dick's Ubik was great too but the only one of his I've read. Somehow never read Neuromancer, something makes me think I won't like his style but I don't know why I think that. I don't think I've read any Vonnegut that is really sci-fi.

My favorite book ever. Though it's probably not a 'real' science fiction.

that's the same edition i have

Dune is my favorite, but fucking everything from Asimov got my love.

Also Clark's Childhood's end.

The Colour Out of Space by HPL

not a book but I dunno, it's one of my favorites.

  On 9/9/2011 at 11:21 AM, keltoi said:

solaris - stanislaw lem

brave new world - aldous huxley

the time machine - h. g. wells

all good! There are some kids books I remember fondly too, like "A Wrinkle in Time", though they usually veer more towards fantasy (and if we go to fantasy, we'd have to include Neverending Story and the Dark Is Rising series)

Atop has encyclopedic SF knowledge, he needs to get in here...

chaosmachine. are you getting money from us looking at your site?

  On 9/9/2011 at 3:42 PM, usagi said:

No PKD? Travesty.

 

A Scanner Darkly is my favourite book of all time.

+"Flow My Tears", the Policeman Said

+Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (obviously)

Book lists are stupid.

  On 9/9/2011 at 2:26 PM, Adam Beker said:

 

 

My favorite book ever. Though it's probably not a 'real' science fiction.

my favourite too!

seriously overlooked book.

i just read "babel-17" by sam delany and thought it was fantastic, though it ended a BIT too abruptly. still would put it in my top 10 just for the concepts.

  On 9/9/2011 at 10:02 PM, futureimage said:

  On 9/9/2011 at 3:42 PM, usagi said:

No PKD? Travesty.

 

A Scanner Darkly is my favourite book of all time.

+"Flow My Tears", the Policeman Said

+Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (obviously)

+1

also valis and ubik

Ubik. Ubik. Ubik.

I like pretty much everything I've read from P. K. Dick, but this one is my all time favourite.

Also the whole the two main Asimov cycles : the Robots and Foundation...The way he managed to unite both into one gigantic piece of work is simply amazing.

Also mention speciale to Dune !

  On 9/9/2011 at 3:00 PM, couch said:

The Colour Out of Space by HPL

 

not a book but I dunno, it's one of my favorites.

I just loooooove Lovecraft as well, especially this one - but I don't think at it as being SciFi...

also the dancers at the end of time series by moorcock

Philip K Dick - The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch

George Orwell - 1984

Aldous Huxley - Brave New World

Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451

John Wyndham - The Chrysalids

I really enjoyed the Ender series by Orson Scott Card when I was 13, but I have no idea how that would translate to being 34.

contact by carl sagan

the book is great because it doesnt have matthew macconagay

  On 9/10/2011 at 10:22 AM, StocKo said:

Ubik. Ubik. Ubik.

I like pretty much everything I've read from P. K. Dick, but this one is my all time favourite.

Also the whole the two main Asimov cycles : the Robots and Foundation...The way he managed to unite both into one gigantic piece of work is simply amazing.

 

Also mention speciale to Dune !

 

 

  On 9/9/2011 at 3:00 PM, couch said:

The Colour Out of Space by HPL

 

not a book but I dunno, it's one of my favorites.

 

I just loooooove Lovecraft as well, especially this one - but I don't think at it as being SciFi...

Eh, HPL helped set the stage for modern sci-fi so I consider some of his stories sci-fi. Especially when you consider that his old god mythos is based on them being from other worlds/planets/universes whatever/somewhere not from earth.