Best SF Novels Ever Written

[Pyrotex]

Howdy! I have been reading science fiction since I was in the 4th grade. My first SF novel was "Space Cat Goes to Mars". No kidding. Here in this thread, I would like to put together a communal list of the the best of the best SF novels ever written. I would like the Title, the Author, and (optional) a short blurb of what kind of SF it is. There's hard SF, fantasy SF, mystery SF, adventure, science impact on society, and others. Maybe a few sentences as to why you think it is one of the best.

[Pyrotex]

"The Mote in God's Eye" Larry Niven, Jerry Pournell
This is medium-hard SF, a story about mankind's first contact with a sentient alien species. The reason it's so good, is the aliens are REALLY alien, having segmented into dozens and dozens of specialized sub-species, all of which are fully sentient (or have one abnormally refined mental skill). They are the product of several hundred thousand years of "cycles": advancement, technology, space travel, nuclear war, dark ages, repeat, repeat, repeat... The nuclear radiation has brutally sped up their evolution into a host of surprising forms.

[TheFaithfulStone]

The Wreck of The River of Stars by Michael Flynn

Semi-Hard SF. Planetary tug The River of Stars is the last of the great mag sails - long since supplanted by faster, more efficient fusion driven ships. When an unlikely tragedy strikes the ship, her skeleton crew must face their fates.

Awesome character driven book.

TFS

[pgrmdave]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

[Pyrotex]

"The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" by Robert A. Heinlein
Hard SF about lunar colonies that were started as penal colonies to rid Earth of political dissidents. Contains perhaps the best "intelligent computer" character ever written, Mycroft (or Mike, for short). The plot centers around a revolt for Lunar independence.

[KickAssClown]

"Stranger in a Strange Land" by RAH RAH RAH!

Soft Sci-Fi.

This book follows Micheal a boy raised on the planet Mars by Martians, survivor of the first expidition. He ends up with claim to all of mars as the sole survivor. My favorite character in the whole thing would have to be Jubial Harshaw. Great book, I won't say anymore about it as to not ruin the surprise.

[Edella]

Oh man, so many good ones.Well, off the top of my head:

The Forever War-Joe Haldeman

Blood Music- Greg Bear

A Canticle for Liebowitz -Walter M. Miller

The Left hand of Darkness - Ursula K Le Guin

More Than Human- Theodore Sturgeon
Sturgeon's Revelation: "Ninety percent of SF is crud, but then, ninety percent of everything is crud".

I don't think I could do justice to these works with a simple summary,but reviews are plentiful on many SF sites.

For short stories,anything by Theodore Sturgeon or Philip K. Dick.
I'm sure I've forgotten so many,but these authors immediately come to mind...

[TheFaithfulStone]

Against my better judgement, I do enjoy Starship Troopers by good old Robert Heinlein.

I think the best "battle armor" book ever written though has to Armor by John Steakely. It tells the story of Felix, an armored scout who through a clerical error ends up fighting for a BUNCH of extra tours, and is repeatedly the sole survivor.

Ooo. We should have like an "academy awards." Here are my nominees.

Best AI Character:
Mike from The Moon is Harsh Mistress
R. Daneel Olivaw from The Foundation Series, The Robot Series
HAL 9000 from 2001
Ship from Wreck of the River of Stars

Best Aliens:
The Tines from A Fire Upon the Deep
The Moties from The Mote in Gods Eye
Peirsons Pupeteers from Ringworld (that's two for Mr. Niven)
The Avians from Rama II

Best Weapons:
Laser Finger from The Forever War
Fusion Drive Cannon from The Man-Kzin Wars
The Death Star from Star Wars (hey, credit where it's due...)
Chyrsknife from Dune (also Stone Burner...)

Do I have further nominees or categories?



TFS

[Jay-qu]

I, Robot - Isaac Asimov

Also didnt mind the Halo books

[Edella]

Originally Posted by TheFaithfulStone

Ooo. We should have like an "academy awards.Do I have further nominees or categories?

How about best"starship"design,or the best idea on how to travel through space?(FTL drives,warp,jump,etc.)

SF authors have had so many different ways to get us through the vastness of space to other worlds.Some are more plausable than others,some are just really cool or strange.In Norman Spinrad's The Void Captain's Tale,some rare women have a talent for "psychic bonding" with a starship that allows for instantaneous transportation across vast spaces.The jump, however, is not without cost. Women who become pilots dedicate their lives to this practice, and their lives are shortened and their bodies wasted by this pursuit. What they get in exchange is an intense, transcendental orgasm during the jump.Wow.