My favourite sci-fi book has got to be The Tripods Trilogy because it has a very interesting story and very believing characters. Also it gives you a feeling on what goes on in the book.

'The moon is a harsh mistress', Robert A. Heinlein.

A computer that finds humour interesting. A computer technician who finds this fascinating and is a kind of freethinker. And this all leads to a revolution against mighty earth. Also written in an extraordinary style.

The Foundation Trilogy by Issac Asimov

I'm two or three times as old as most of you so you'll have to forgive me if I can't narrow it down to just one favorite. :) I've read a lot of the books you all recommended and based upon that sample I don't think anyone could go wrong by picking up any of them.

I've got two that I can't choose between:

Code of the Lifemaker by James P. Hogan
This one is for you hard science fans. It gets into first contact, the definition of life, AI, space-age politics, all that stuff. Hogan is a prolific author who stays pretty close to this edge of the genre, and I've loved all of his books.

Midworld by Alan Dean Foster
This one is more for the people who don't really care how things in the future work or exactly how life evolved on other planets. A little more into philosophy and sort of flirts with mysticism. Talk about prolific, Foster must write four or five books a year -- so many that unfortunately the editorial staff apparently can't keep up with him, both proofreading and source-verification errors are not uncommon. He wanders all over the genre, from the politics of spacefaring civilizations, to an ongoing series about a wormhole that plunges a law student into a parallel universe where magic is real and animals talk and wear clothes, to the legends of Earth's aboriginal peoples. I've loved most of his books and at least enjoyed all of them.

Have fun!

I have to go with spuriousmonkey on this one: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Robert A. Heinlein), is an excellent book. I like Mike.

I also have to say that American Gods (Neil Gaiman), is a great book to. But not on the same level as The Moon is a harsh Mistress.

Have you read The Day After Tomarrow, spurious?

Have you read The Day After Tomarrow, spurious?


No, I haven't.

For some reason I always really liked a book by Jack Vance (i think), but I can't remember the title.

And I am also not sure about the content anymore. That's because I haven't read it for so long. And I have never seen the book anymore.

I think it was about a journalist who wants to die and keeps committing suicide, but each time he (or she, because he changes sex in the book at one point) is resqued by the all present 'computer' AI.

His/her mother has a dinosaur meat farm.

Does anyone have a clue which book I am talking about. I can't find it anymore.

Ya, anything by Robert Heinlein is generally good. I am reading Star Ship troopers right now, and boy is it different than the movie.

The Lensman series by E.E.(Doc) Smith. They were written in the 1930 to 1950 time frame. A lot of the Lucas jedi Force ideas were taken from these books.

The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress

"Feed" by MT Anderson. ^.^

Microchips have been implanted into the minds of humans, and now they have internet access and are able to send Instant Messages through their minds. No really, the book is something like that. lol.

Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke. Fascinating, eerily strange book. Independence Day stole a little from it, too.

In the Light of Other Days -Arthur C. Clarke & Whatshisname.

the foundation series by asimov or enders game series by orson scott card

booya

<i>The Reality Dysfunction</i> series, by Peter F Hamilton.

A good heaping of hard sci-fi wrapped around a heady existential plot. And it's pretty epic (6 books softcover or 3 hardcover). Do what I do: Open one of the books to a random page, read a bit and if it looks like something that would interest you, go for it!

American Gods was amazing...

But also... The Dig by Alan Dean Foster. Read it twice. Amazing.

"Midworld by Alan Dean Foster"

I bought this book and read the first ten or so pages of it. It sucks. I hate it. Apparently using the biggest words that you can equals excellent writing. The dialogue is atrocious. It's just an awful, awful book. I wish I could get my money back...

Steven Brust, Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grille.

Well i have lots of them,but mostly old ones i suppose... ;)Well i am from Chagur Era ;)
Asimov Gold series
Nightfall by Isaac Asimov
I,Robot by Isaac Asimov
Caves of steel by Isaac Asimov
Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov
RAMA series by Arthur C Clarke
Time Machine by H.G. Wells, Old but great.I still enjoy reading it.
Comet by Carl Sagan,Incredible piece of Fiction with great description of Pie.

I thought the newer foundation books were supposed to be kind of lame. The trilogy is where it's at, home fry. The Rama series is cool, I think I'm going to reread it.

Dune and its sequals.
Of all time, well, i am not sure yet if it fits, but "distress" by greg Egan, really is good. re-read it a week ago, its got reasonable hard science, good future plotting, the bit with the physics and quantum stuff isnt too wibbly and fits nicely, the narrator does a good job, and the characters are good. What more could you want?
Seeing as the title of the thread wants one favourite, but we all have many, I think thisll do for now for me.

Books I could not do without;
Ringworld (Larry Niven)
The Forge of God (Greg Bear)
Space (Stephen Baxter)

but my favourite SF book of all time, and one which influenced all the others;
Last and First Men (Olaf Stapledon)

2001, a space odyssey.
I also enjoy most of Phillip K Dick books (especially UBIK).

Dune and its sequals.

Couldn't agree more.

How can i pick just one?

American Gods and everything else by Neil Gaiman is just incredible. (Actually i think some of his Sandman books are better even better than AG)

Every Foundation book ever except Foundation's Fear, I like Gregory Benford but that book sucked.

Currently reading the Uplift books by David Brin. A very interesting series.

Startide Rising by David Brin. Nice, broke some new ground.

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny would be worth mentioning if we weren't limited to only 1 selection. ;-)