Some people have mentioned
Ender's Game, which is broadly accepted as genre canon, but Card's best work IMO has been largely overlooked:
Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus. The title may seem to have political implications, especially given Card's recent reputation as a Right Winger, but it's really just a great exploration of history (the discipline, as much as past events) and probably the best time travel book I've encountered.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rkomar
I'm seeing a lot of favourite sci-fi books in this thread, but the call was for the best. Personally, my favourites are nothing like the best (especially since I was a hormone-driven, experience-thirsty teen when reading most of them). C'mon folks, step back and tell us which you think are the best from your current perspective. Don't make me unleash "John Carter of Mars" and "Witch World" in retaliation!
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If I have to go with just one 'best,' I'd hesitate because it's such a recent work, but
Anathem gets the nod both because of its inherent strengths and intricacies and because it contains and synthesizes virtually the whole of the genre (certainly most of the works mentioned in this thread) without strain or overreach (IMO).