Science Fiction Recommendations

Which science fiction novel would you recommend to others?
Please either type 'science fiction' or simply 'SF' instead of 'sci-fi'.

Hich-hikers guide to the galaxy! Best sf books ever!

(btw, what's wrong with writing sci-fi?)

As far as straight SciFi, (not including fantasy), my favorites are:
1) Dune by Frank Herbert
2) Enders Game by Orson Scott Card

I typically like fantasy better, so I'd have a lot more reccomendations there.

Pretty much anything by Robert Heinlein, Spider Robinson, John Varley, and Arthur C. Clarke, especially the Rama series. Also F.M. Busby wrote some great "hard" SF, but his books have been out of print for a while, so are hard to find.

Yeah, I have read both Dune and Arthur Clark books and they're really worth reading, at least once.
Dune has quite a lot of drama, but is still pretty interesting!

I don't read a whole lot of SF (more fantasy for me too), I do have a couple favorites:

Robert Heinlein - pretty much anything, though my absolute favorite is The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (brilliant story; I highly recommend it to everyone); Spider Robinson; Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game); Isaac Asimov (To anyone who's seen the movie "I, Robot", try that book definitely - it's actually a collection of short stories - and "Caves of Steel", which is a mystery having to do with robots).

Lets see now , I like many SF books/authors by

Robert A. Heinlein , Andre Norton , Mack Renolds , A Bertram Chandler , E.C. Tubb , Marion Zimmer Bradley, Samual R. Delany , James Blish , Harry Harrison , Brian Stableford , Brian W. Aldiss , Philip K. Dick , Poul Anderson , Isaac Asimov , David Drake .
These plus too many more to list are the Authors that I grew up reading . All are good some are truely great Authors .
I recommend Heinlein ,Norton, Anderson, Asimov & Harrison as great reads if you want to enjoy great SF .

I agree with lots of the other posters' recs. I would like to put a word in for the Vorkosigan novels of Lois McMaster Bujold, which I really adore. She has engaging characters that develop over the course of the series, wildly entertaining space-opera style plots, a great sesnse of hunor, a smattering of other genres (spy story, romance, and mystery elements in her SF), and some really nice ideas about the effects of technology on society and people (particularly fictional advances in the life sciences, something that tends to get short shrift in a lot of other SF).

I don't read a great deal of SF/fantasy these days, but I was very fond of both Ursula Le Guin and Stephen Donaldson when I was younger, and I've recently really got into Trudi Canavan.

I like Anne McCaffrey's Pern books. They have a bit more of a fantasy feel to them even though they're sci fi.

I like Anne McCaffrey's Pern books. They have a bit more of a fantasy feel to them even though they're sci fi.

The first one (chronologically - not the first one written -- Dragon's Dawn) is definitely sci-fi. The book of short stories (which I can't remember the name of) that's next is also sci-fi. Dragon's Eye (aka Red Star Rising) is sci-fi and fantasy. I'd say the majority of the rest are more fantasy and less sci-fi (some have no sci-fi at all, IMO) -- until you get toward the end of the series, then she brings back the science. I like this series, too. :D

They're all technically sci fi, but most of them have a very fantasy sort of feel (not the later ones though)

Recommendations.
Stranger in a Strange Land Robert Heinlein
Brave New World Aldous Huxley
Cat's Cradle Kurt Vonnegut
Men Like Gods H.G. Wells

I don't read very much SF, but I have read a couple excellent SF books. The two I would reccomend are actually both series'.
1. The Ender series by Orson Scott Card:
- Ender's Game
- Speaker for the Dead
- Xenocide
- Children of the Mind

2. The Book of Ember series:
- The City of Ember
- The People of Sparks
- the Prophet of Yonwood

Ender's Game is an EXTREMELY good book; the best of the series, and The book of Ember series is more of a children's series, but I really like it.

I don't read very much SF, but I have read a couple excellent SF books. The two I would reccomend are actually both series'.
1. The Ender series by Orson Scott Card:
- Ender's Game
- Speaker for the Dead
- Xenocide
- Children of the Mind

2. The Book of Ember series:
- The City of Ember
- The People of Sparks
- the Prophet of Yonwood

Ender's Game is an EXTREMELY good book; the best of the series, and The book of Ember series is more of a children's series, but I really like it.


I would recommend the series from Orson Scott Card, Ender's Shadow

I would recommend the series from Orson Scott Card, Ender's Shadow
Yeah, I've read Ender's Shadow and I sarted Shadow of the Hegemon, but then I kind of lost interest and never finished it. IMO the books with Battle School in them are the more interesting ones, so I enjoyed Ender's Shadow, but then it just wasn't as fun to read.

I would recommed The Alcemist series by Micheal Scott. It's more of a fantasy type series, but they're really awesome books.

The dune series by Frank Herbert and the Foundation cycle by Isaac Asimov. Two best IMO. There is also Inverted World by Christopher Priest that was quite good.

1. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
2. His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman
3. Gregor Series (I've forgotten the author! :()
4. City of Ember Series (forgotten the author again)
5. Spiderwick Chronicles (a slightly childish series)
6. So You Want To Be A Wizard series by Diane Duane


I'll definately have to post some more later, because I am the ultimate reader. I've read almost every good book out there, and I'm still trying. The first and second books on the list are extremely amazing, so I'd recommend them the most to any SF readers or fiction readers.

Anything by Heinlein, Clarke, or Asimov.

Pendragon by D.J. Machale might be my favorite books besides HP. They are really cliff-hangers, and they're almost as much mystery as science fiction. Definately worth a read. :tu:

Madeleine L'Engle is an EXCELLENT writer. A Wrinkle in Time is one of my favorite books. It sits very precariously poised on the knife-edge between fantasy and science fiction. I am mostly a fantasy fan, so that is how I tend to perceive it, but I don't know how others might. Her other books are also excellent, but the rest of the Time Quartet (Quintet if you count An Acceptable Time) I think lean a little more toward fantasy. Some of her books don't have anything supernatural in them at all, like The Young Unicorns, which for some baffling reason had nothing even slightly resembling a unicorn anywhere in it. She is an excellent author though, and I would recommend her works to anyone.

I don't usually read much Science Fiction, but there's a book that impressed me greatly: Farenheit 451. There are several passages that provoke me a chill, because I can't help thinking we're begining to follow exactly that path... A very interesting reading, in any case.

I don't usually read much Science Fiction, but there's a book that impressed me greatly: Farenheit 451. There are several passages that provoke me a chill, because I can't help thinking we're begining to follow exactly that path... A very interesting reading, in any case.

I also like Farenheit 451. I'm not quite sure whether it counts as science fiction, but another great dsytopian novel that I consider to be quite similar is 1984 by George Orwell. It has similar themes, though (bibliophile that I am) I think I prefer Farenheit 451. Both deal with an oppressive imagined future wherein knowledge is suppressed.

Any Sword of Truth Fan's out there?
My SECOND favorite series (behind hp of course)
But just as addictive. The perfect books for hp fans...trust me, they rule.

Any Sword of Truth Fan's out there?
My SECOND favorite series (behind hp of course)
But just as addictive. The perfect books for hp fans...trust me, they rule.
Who wrote that?

ummm...me?

Do you read them?

Sorry! What I meant was, "Who is the author of the Sword of Truth series?" I've never heard of it before.

oh.. gotcha
It's by Terry Goodkind and you should definitley pick it up. The final book in the series just came out in november and the first book is called "Wizard's First Rule"

Thanks! I think I might have heard of him . . . I'll have to check it out. :D

I am glad I found this thread!! I have so many wonderful SF books I have read and would love to share!

Lary Niven is fantastic -- any Ringworld book is incredible, and Building Harlequin's Moon was so well done I could not put it down. Alan Dean Foster and Larry Pournelle are also wonderful, and, since their books have been out forever, you can pick up wonderful hardcover editions of most of their books at used bookstores and library sales for next to nothing. A good place to familiarize yourself with the best of SF is to pick up an anthology of short stories or Nebula Award winners with at least a few of these heavy hitters in it.

The "Firebirds" anthology is also quite a good sampling of many talented authors.

Well Douglas Adams is a no brainer IMO – has to be in the top 5 IMO

Loved Bradbury, 1984 & Brave New World

But there are two I haven’t seen on the list so far that I think deserve mention.
Greg Bear – when he’s good; he’s very very good – try Blood Music. Also I have to add Songs of Earth & Power although it is a bit of a mix between SF & fantasy.

The other author would have to be Peter F Hamilton esp. The Night’s Dawn Trilogy (The Reality Dysfunction; Neutronium Alchemist; The Naked God) although you may need a crane to pick them up – over 1000 pages per book it’s definitely not short or light! The first story seems to take a while to get going. Actually it stars to get going about 100 pages before you get the impression that the plot has finally arrived! The character’s are so well detailed that their actions all make sense; even the weird ones! Great premise, great story & great characters. His other stuff good too! :)

Here are some older, but very enjoyable books:

They Walked Like Men by Clifford D. Simak
Wasp by Eric Frank Russell
The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein
The Door into Summer by Robert A. Heinlein

All of the above are enjoyable fun rides. You might find them in the library, but they can probably be found in the Amazon Marketplace by secondhand booksellers.

The Puppet Masters was a very good book made into a very bad movie, which is unfortunately true for a lot of science fiction.

:agree: Anything by Heinlein is worth a look! -- again, I love the really classic anthologies, which have all of the best of Sci-Fi in one place -- Asimov, Pournelle, Heinlein, Zalazny...

I agree about anything Heinlein. Although some of it is decidedly not family friendly.

I agree about anything Heinlein. Although some of it is decidedly not family friendly.
And much is horribly right wing.

I enjoyed the Niven/ Pournelle collaborations - Lucifer's Hammer and The Mote in God's eye (an excellent first contact novel). And the Legacy of Heorot which they wrote with Steven Barnes introduces a very nasty creature indeed.

I loved Ender's Game though not the sequels (Science Fiction)

I loved Ender's Game though not the sequels (Science Fiction)
Ugh. Me too. Ender's Game was simply fantastic, but when I read the sequels, I didn't like them much. They were just so...different! And Children of the Mind was so unfair! :sad: I also started reading the Shadow series (the Ender series from Bean's point of view), but I couldn't get past Shadow of the Hegemon. I really liked Ender's Shadow, though, because it was very similar to Ender's Game.

I recently read The Host, by Stephenie Meyer. It was just amazing; I loved it! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone. :agree: I liked it from the very beginning and it held my attention all the way through the book.

I would recommend anything by Tamora Pierce and Mercedes Lackey. Also, Wizards First Rule by Terry Goodkind is amazing, but the rest of the series is quite terrible.

I don't read very much SF, but I have read a couple excellent SF books. The two I would reccomend are actually both series'.
...
Ender's Game is an EXTREMELY good book; the best of the series, and The book of Ember series is more of a children's series, but I really like it.

I don't read much SF either. I read Ender's game, and liked it, but didn't continue with the series. I would encourage the read though :)
I actually would highly reccomend Scott Westerfeld. He's not like the whole out in space bit but he delves into SF :) I love :love:the Uglies series which includes Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras...however i didn't enjoy extras at all. :err:
I also LOVE the Midnighters series by Scott Westerfeld!!!

I recently read The Host, by Stephenie Meyer. It was just amazing; I loved it! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone. :agree: I liked it from the very beginning and it held my attention all the way through the book.

Oh my gosh this one too!!! The Host is a-mazing!!! idk why i didn't think of that at first! it's great! to some, it might look intimidating (big book) but it's a great read!

There are a couple of books I'd recommend:
- A Wrinkle in Time/the Time Quartet by Madeleine L'Engle
- The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
- The Golden Compass/the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman
- The Naming/the Pellinor series by Alison Croggon

There are a couple of books I'd recommend:
- A Wrinkle in Time/the Time Quartet by Madeleine L'Engle
- The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
- The Golden Compass/the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman
- The Naming/the Pellinor series by Alison Croggon

Alison Croggon- the whole series is fantastic!! I read the german translation of The Naming The Riddle The Crow I ordered the australian version of The Singing oh i´´m so excitied!!! It´s the best series ever! Is there anyone who wants to discuss it? then I will start a Pellinor-thread. Does anyone know how many books croggon will write for this series?

I actually would highly reccomend Scott Westerfeld. He's not like the whole out in space bit but he delves into SF :) I love :love:the Uglies series which includes Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras...however i didn't enjoy extras at all. :err:

I have been meaning to read this series for a while because everyone I've talked to about said it was great. I just haven't gotten around to it. :D But hopefully I will read it soon. It's bound to be a good read; it sounds really interesting. :)

I'd go with Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes. It's just fantastically wonderfully brilliant.
And also, His Dark Materials, but those have definitely been mentioned before. If the Hitchhiker's Guide counts, then that too! :lol:

I've been looking for some young adult science fiction and couldn't really find any. Anyone have any suggestions?

I recommend anything by H. G. Wells to everyone! He was an amazing writer!

If you are looking for pure science fiction, Ender's Game is a classic. As well as the Foundation series by Asimov.

If you can get into fantasy, The Dresden Files are so much fun. As well as anything by Dave Duncan. Not a lot of people read him, but he is one of my guilty pleasures!

If you are looking for pure science fiction, Ender's Game is a classic.

I 100% agree with that. The whole series is really good!

I also saw his dark materials (aka the series starting with the golden compass) mentioned which is a great series.

And I agree with hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.

And without getting to star wars fan crazy i recommend the timothy zahn trilogy following the first two star wars triologies, if you enjoy the star wars series and are looking for the what comes next story this is a good triology.

And without getting to star wars fan crazy i recommend the timothy zahn trilogy following the first two star wars triologies, if you enjoy the star wars series and are looking for the what comes next story this is a good triology.


Oh yes, Timothy Zahn was fantastic! I still remember how excited I was reading those books. I got absolutely lost in the stories and it seemed that they were actually canon they were so well written.

Another add - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Amazingly written, one of the best sci-fi novels I've read in a while. The whole series was great. Speaker for the Dead was such an amazing sequel. Xenocide and Children of the Mind were okay, but I never got as into them as I did the first two. I'm currently reading the Shadow series, but it's just not as good.

I loved Violet Eyes, by Nicole Luiken as well. It was a love story in a sci-fi novel. I actually liked it a lot.

I don't usually read much Science Fiction, but there's a book that impressed me greatly: Farenheit 451. There are several passages that provoke me a chill, because I can't help thinking we're begining to follow exactly that path... A very interesting reading, in any case.

It was very good! For a guy who wrote this such a long time ago and predicted the future very similar to what it is now, I find that really chilling. And the whole concept of burning books because of the fear of free thinkers... it was pretty scary thought. It was so real.

Definitely Lord of the Rings - would that be considered as a sci-fi series? I dunno. Well they're great, even though I do consider the movies better.

Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams is awesomeeeeeee!

Do we have an informal definition of "science fiction" for this thread?

In any case I'm stalled on Stranger in a Strange Land because my copy was destroyed in an accident. But I'll get a new one and finish it some day.

I would recommend the Uglies Trilogy to any teenager, it's so good

Arthur C Clarke - Childhood's End - one of my favourites.

I would recommend: One Second After by William R. Forstchen, Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, Something From the Nightside by Simon R. Green, Semper Mars by Ian Douglas, Codex Alera series & The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, and the Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison.

-Tibbetts

This has probably been said before, but good things can't be said to often! ;) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is great. I'm going to re-read it when I have finished the book I'm reading now. :D

I would reccomend anything by David Drake or David Weber or John Ringo, Eric Flint also writes some interesting stuff as does David Freer (Beware Flint hates Cavalry and is pseudo-feminist fanboy)

BTW All of these authors while pretty good need to do some research on armour and weapons.

I would also reccomend Robert Buettner

Keep in mind you'll only like these books if you enjoy military Science Fiction

The Cosmic Trilogy - C.S. Lewis

Really amazing sci-fi trilogy, I easily enjoyed it as much as the first three Dune books.

I highly recommend In Her Name: Omnibus Edition by Michael Hicks. Epic sci-fi, fantasy, romance. I'm not a big fan of sci-fi, but I loved this and spent many a late night reading it. He broke up the omnibus into three parts, which you can get separately if you want, but I recommend the Omnibus.

He just published In Her Name: First Contact, which is a prequel. I'm about halfway through it and loving it. This one is more military in nature, but I like action/adventure stories too. He plans two more books in the prequel series spanning about 100 years.

I highly recommend In Her Name: Omnibus Edition by Michael Hicks. Epic sci-fi, fantasy, romance. I'm not a big fan of sci-fi, but I loved this and spent many a late night reading it. He broke up the omnibus into three parts, which you can get separately if you want, but I recommend the Omnibus.

I just read these books recently and have to agree with you, I really enjoyed them. With sci-fi more than any other book genre I can tell whether something is going to interest me or not within the first couple of chapters, it's not necessarily the type of story just the style in which it's written either grabs me or not. This definitely did, and I would reccomend.

I'd go with Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes. It's just fantastically wonderfully brilliant.


You'll only find "Flowers for Algernon" in anthologies...it's a short-story. But a classic one.

Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein...those are no-brainer choices. "Starship Troopers" is a great read (and should not be compared to that disaster of a movie by the same name). His "juvenile" books (his first market was 12-17 year-old boys) are fun reads, with my favorite probably being "Starman Jones". His "adult" novels are quite thought-provoking...and, as has already been mentioned, are not family friendly.

I've been meaning to read Niven...just haven't gotten around to it. However, his collaborations with Pournelle are fantastic.

I seriously, seriously recommend ANYTHING Scott Westerfeld.
My favorite author EVERR and his science fiction works are THE BEST.

Oh, and THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY!!!
It's so awesome! The third one is expected to come out this August and I'M SO EXCITED!
The Hunger Games was one of the best non-Scott Westerfeld books I have read this year (and I've read like 33 books since school started...)
Team Peeta, man. Team Peeta.

Oh and I really enjoyed the Ember series.
People of Sparks pretty much defined my views on war.

Basically, I recommend anything that is Apocolyptic/Doomsday.
Yes, that makes me seem like a bad person for enjoying stuff like that, but I love hearing all the theories! The best ones are always the ones that have to do with the world reviving itself after a huge war that wipes out most of the entire human race that leads to an even more screwy government.

I don't know if this is the correct thread for this, but here goes . . .

Has anyone on here read a book by Wendy Alec, called The Fall of Lucifer? I seen it at my local book shop and liked the blurb. I'm considering buying it, and was just wondering was it worth it?? :)

I'd go with Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes. It's just fantastically wonderfully brilliant.

You'll only find "Flowers for Algernon" in anthologies...it's a short-story. But a classic one.

I just finished this for the second time. It's touching, one of my favorites. It's actually a full novel. :huh:

I don't really go much for science fiction, it's not generally my area. Actually I didn't know Flowers was science fiction. :hmm: Anyhow, I'm currently reading The Martian Tales Trilogy by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It's actually rather interesting, I wasn't too sure when I picked it up, but it's turning out to be a good read. Has anyone heard of it?

The Rama books by Arthur C. Clarke
The Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams (extremely funny)

Also (I think the first book in the series) is called Hyperion Cantos... I forget who by...

I agree. Anything by Heinlein, Asimov (well his SF anyway, although his straight science books are also very readable), Arthur C. Clarke, Jules Verne "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth", Michael Crighton (particularly Jurrassic Park, The Lost World, The Andromeda strain, and The Terminal Man) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World", all the Dune books by Frank Herbert, Anne McCaffrey's PERN books - for the science behind it read "First Fall", H.G.Wells - "The Invisible Man" and "War of the Worlds" and "The Time Machine", Robert Louis Stevenson's "Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". Edgar Rice Burroughs also wrote some stories set on other planets or at the earth's core.

If you're into doomsday scenarios you could read "A Canticle for Leibowitz" by Walter J. Miller Jr., "1984" by George Orwell, "Brave New World" by Aldus Huxley, "Logan's Run" by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, "Farenheight 451" by Ray Bradbury, and yes, "City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau

1. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
2. His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman
3. Gregor Series (I've forgotten the author! :()
4. City of Ember Series (forgotten the author again)
5. Spiderwick Chronicles (a slightly childish series)
6. So You Want To Be A Wizard series by Diane Duane


I'll definately have to post some more later, because I am the ultimate reader. I've read almost every good book out there, and I'm still trying. The first and second books on the list are extremely amazing, so I'd recommend them the most to any SF readers or fiction readers.

"The City of Ember" Series, "Spiderwick Chronicles", and
So You Want to be a Wizard" are all children's books. Of the three of them only City of Ember is really SF, the others are fantasy."His dark Materials' is also fantasy. The only thing SF about it is the postulate that it takes place in two parallel universes.

Hmm...

For SF I would have to say
Pittacus Lore's Lorien Legacy Series

- I am Number Four
- The Power of Six

If you have not read these already I recommend them to you.

I just finished this for the second time. It's touching, one of my favorites. It's actually a full novel. :huh:

I don't really go much for science fiction, it's not generally my area. Actually I didn't know Flowers was science fiction. :hmm: Anyhow, I'm currently reading The Martian Tales Trilogy by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It's actually rather interesting, I wasn't too sure when I picked it up, but it's turning out to be a good read. Has anyone heard of it?

The definition of "Science Fiction" is fiction based on science. That means that any story based on extrapolation from existing science or scientific theory, or any story that takes place in space or on another planet or some other unusual environment is included in the genre. "Flowers for Algernon" was about cutting edge medical research that had not yet happened. That qualifies it as science fiction along with Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". Personally, I like Sci-Fi because it includes all other writing genres within it. All they need to be Sci-Fi is a scientific framework no matter how minimal. You can have adventures, crime solving, romances, social commentary, future speculation and fantasy all within science fiction.

Hey everyone! I've got a 4 part series i'm working on, and two of the books are already published. I do all the illustrations inside and oustide the book. Check it out. I've been working on this Sci-Fi/Fantasy series for years. http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-bridge-guard---unseen-wars/18767234?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/2

The Bridge Guard, Jarvis K. Jordan. http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-bridge-guard---unseen-wars/18767234?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/2

I got a kindle for a 41st wedding anniversary present and two of the things I put on it for free or maybe a dollar were the complete works of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. Wow! Talk about a payload of SciFi.

Two of my favorite books after all these years are: The World Inside by Robert Silverberg and This Perfect Day by Ira Levin (who wrote Rosemary's Baby). I used to love to read about the lone protagonist winning against the dystopic society in which he lives. Today I notice that much of young adult Sci-Fi is exactly that - a dystopic world where the young people rebel against the restrictions and "clean up Dodge."

Most of these books that I am about to recommend are all technically YA, but they are great for all ages-
Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins
Legend-Marie Lu
Divergent and Insurgent-Veronica Roth
Delirium and Pandemonium-Lauren Oliver
Micheal Vey-Prisoner of Cell 25-Richard Paul Evens
Secret Series-Pseudonymous Bosch

I joined the science fiction book club in my teens and was a member for over twenty years but gave it up because all of a sudden there was all this ridiculous fantasy, vampires and werewolves and such. I do not count fantasy as science fiction although there have always been magazines that feature both.

But here is a list of books that I especially like:

Adams, Douglas
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Life, the Universe and Everything
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
Young Zaphod Plays It Safe

Adams, Douglas; and Gaiman, Neil
Mostly Harmless

Asimov, Isaac
The Caves of Steel
The Naked Sun
Robot Dreams
The Robots of Dawn
The Foundation Trilogy

Baxter, Stephen
Coalescent
Transcendent

Blish, James
Cities in Flight
They Shall Have Stars
A Life for the Stars
Earthman, Come Home
The Triumph of Time

Bradbury, Ray
Fahrenheit 451

Farmer, Philip José
They Twinkled Like Jewels
Tongues of the Moon
The Green Odyssey
Riverworld Saga
To Your Scattered Bodies Go
The Fabulous Riverboat
The Dark Design
The Magic Labyrinth
Gods of the Riverworld

Clarke, Arthur C.
Rendezvous with Rama
Rama II
Rama Revealed
The Garden of Rama
2001: A Space Odessey
2010
2061

Heinlein, Robert
Time Enough For Love
Methuselah’s Children
The Cat Who Walked Through Walls
The Notebooks of Lazarus Long
Stranger in a Strange Land
Citizens of the Galaxy
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Herbert, Frank
Hellstrom’s Hive
The Santaroga Barrier
High-Opp

Huxley, Aldous
Brave New World

Niven, Larry
A Hole in Space
The Ringworld Series
Ringworld
The Ringworld Engineers
The Ringworld Throne
Protector
Ringworld’s Children
Ringworld’s End (coming)

Niven, Larry; and Pournelle, Jerry
Oath of Fealty
The Mote Series
The Mote in God’s Eye
The Gripping Hand

Niven, Larry; and Lerner, Edward M.
Destroyer of Worlds
Juggler of Worlds
Fleet of Worlds

Robinson, Kim Stanley
Red Mars
Green Mars
Blue Mars
The Martians
Antarctica

Silverberg, Robert
The World Inside
The 13th Immortal
Roma Eterna

Simmons, Dan
Carrion Comfort
Worlds Enough & Time
Hyperion Cantos
Hyperion
The Fall of Hyperion
Endymion
The Rise of Endymion

Westerfeld, Scott
Uglies
Pretties
Specials
Extras
Mind Rain: Your Favorite Authors on Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies Series

Whyndam, John
The Day of the Triffids
The Midwich Cuckoos
The Chrysalids

And of course, H. G. Wells and Jules Verne

For Kids:
The Cat Patrol Delta Series by Richard Alan Dickson which is hilarious.

BTW the 'Gregor' books were written by the woman who wrote the Hunger Games.

I love The Time Machine by HG Wells. Island of Dr. Moreau is good too. I found War of the Worlds to start off quite dry, but mean to pick it up again someday. I have been listening to Invisible Man, which is also good but i don't know if that's just because the reader has a great accent lol.

I just finished The Sundered by Ruthanne Reid a few weeks ago but it's more fantasy.

In theory sci-fi (or science fiction, since Vig doesn't like sci-fi for some reason) is my favorite, but i realized I haven't read a lot, and usually end up reading fantasy or historical fiction. I have a few Star Wars books on my shelves I mean to pick up eventually.

The books in RCN series by David Drake are great as are the books in the Hammers Slammers series .

There are three great Star Wars books edited by Kevin J. Anderson all are based on minor characters from the Star Wars movies .

Tales From Jabba's Palace

Tales From The Mos Eisley Cantina

Tales Of The Bounty Hunters

If you like "hard" science fiction (as opposed to Fantasy) I'd recommend James Hogan's books, in particular Inherit the Stars and Voyage from Yesteryear. For a good time travel story, Thrice Upon A Time by the same author. :)