Best All-Time Sci-fi Novel? - Page 2

gollu · 07-08-2011, 04:45 AM

That's a hard one... Too many excellent books already mentioned and quite a few of them I've thought to be the best when reading them.

But to choose one - The City and the Stars by Arthur C Clarke. Possibly it's just sentimental since I was a kid when I read it, but the book is surely worth it.

Stormchild · 07-08-2011, 05:19 AM

Flow My Tears The Policeman Said by Philip K Dick.

DiapDealer · 07-08-2011, 07:20 AM

I'm waiting. I don't think the best has been written yet.

straygator · 07-08-2011, 07:57 AM

If I have to pick one, I'll take Dune, with Stranger in a Strange Land and Dahlgren close seconds. I'd add Ursula LeGuin's Left Hand of Darkness to the mix, too.

crich70 · 07-08-2011, 08:03 AM

The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
City at Worlds End by Edmund Hamilton
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

and I'm sure there are others I haven't thought of.

OtterBooks · 07-08-2011, 08:10 AM

This thread is a good reminder to read some books I've been meaning to.

My experience with scifi is limited, but so far my faves have been (I can't do a "best"):

Childhood's End, Clarke
2001, Clarke (even though it was written alongside the film, and they're meant as a single work)
The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russel
The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester

orlok · 07-08-2011, 08:11 AM

As a youngster, Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham gets my vote.

As a grown-up (?), perhaps Replay by Ken Grimwood, if that counts as sci-fi?

Ransom · 07-08-2011, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by afv011

If i had to pick one, it would be

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

Yeah, the entire Ender quartet is pretty good, although the third book was extremely over-written.

OtterBooks · 07-08-2011, 08:27 AM

Has anyone read Clarke's 2010? I'm thinking about reading it soon and have heard good things.

Ransom · 07-08-2011, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

Childhood's End, Clarke

That used to be one of my favorites along with the first Rama book, but after re-reading both last year, I found I didn't care for either as much as I used to. But they're still quite good.

OtterBooks · 07-08-2011, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xanthe

Alas, Babylon - Pat Frank

I just finished reading that a few days ago. Excellent.

Ransom · 07-08-2011, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

Has anyone read Clarke's 2010? I'm thinking about reading it soon and have heard good things.

Yeah, I've read all four books in the series. That was a good one. The last one was the worst, but worth reading.

OtterBooks · 07-08-2011, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ransom

That used to be one of my favorites along with the first Rama book, but after re-reading both last year, I found I didn't care for either as much as I used to. But they're still quite good.

I liked Rama as well. Both that and Childhood's End were read years ago, so they could very well fall into the "not as good as I recall" category if I read them with new eyes.

Penforhire · 07-08-2011, 12:16 PM

If we're talking about what influenced me the most at the youngest age then probably Nova, written by Samuel Delany in 1968. It was chock full of adult and fantastic themes while the characters were not the usual 50's pulp SF cardboard cutouts.

kiwidude · 07-08-2011, 12:37 PM

Interesting thread, a number of books to add to my "give it a go" list.

At the risk of being called a heretic I'm afraid I couldn't read Samuel Delaney's Nova again if my life depended on it. I have seen it recommended on a number of threads here so I read it about six months ago. However I found it an incredibly painful and dull read that I got no enjoyment from at all. I thought maybe it was a slow burner that would improve/gather momentum further through it but it just never got out of first gear for me.

Still, that's books for you, some grab you and some don't. For instance I am a big Robin Hobb fan, loved the Farseer stuff yet there are others here who have posted how painful they found that to read.

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07-08-2011, 04:45 AM	#16
gollu Unsullied Posts: 249 Karma: 759693 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Israel Device: Kindle 2i	That's a hard one... Too many excellent books already mentioned and quite a few of them I've thought to be the best when reading them. But to choose one - The City and the Stars by Arthur C Clarke. Possibly it's just sentimental since I was a kid when I read it, but the book is surely worth it.

07-08-2011, 05:19 AM	#17
Stormchild Evangelist Posts: 466 Karma: 878943 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Cornwall UK Device: BeBook 1. BeBook Mini. BeBook Neo and Club. BeBook Live. BeeBook Pure.	Flow My Tears The Policeman Said by Philip K Dick.

07-08-2011, 07:20 AM	#18
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,336 Karma: 203719142 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I'm waiting. I don't think the best has been written yet.

07-08-2011, 07:57 AM	#19
straygator Connoisseur Posts: 88 Karma: 33904 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Cayman Islands Device: Kindle	If I have to pick one, I'll take Dune, with Stranger in a Strange Land and Dahlgren close seconds. I'd add Ursula LeGuin's Left Hand of Darkness to the mix, too.

07-08-2011, 08:03 AM	#20
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury City at Worlds End by Edmund Hamilton The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and I'm sure there are others I haven't thought of.

07-08-2011, 08:10 AM	#21
OtterBooks Wizard Posts: 1,262 Karma: 2979086 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kindle 4, iPad Mini/Retina	This thread is a good reminder to read some books I've been meaning to. My experience with scifi is limited, but so far my faves have been (I can't do a "best"): Childhood's End, Clarke 2001, Clarke (even though it was written alongside the film, and they're meant as a single work) The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russel The Forever War, Joe Haldeman The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester

07-08-2011, 08:11 AM	#22
orlok Close to the Edit! Posts: 9,797 Karma: 267994408 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Amazon Fire 8", Kindle 6"	As a youngster, Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham gets my vote. As a grown-up (?), perhaps Replay by Ken Grimwood, if that counts as sci-fi?

07-08-2011, 08:27 AM	#24
OtterBooks Wizard Posts: 1,262 Karma: 2979086 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kindle 4, iPad Mini/Retina	Has anyone read Clarke's 2010? I'm thinking about reading it soon and have heard good things.

07-08-2011, 12:16 PM	#29
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	If we're talking about what influenced me the most at the youngest age then probably Nova, written by Samuel Delany in 1968. It was chock full of adult and fantastic themes while the characters were not the usual 50's pulp SF cardboard cutouts.

07-08-2011, 12:37 PM	#30
kiwidude Calibre Plugins Developer Posts: 4,718 Karma: 2197770 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Oasis	Interesting thread, a number of books to add to my "give it a go" list. At the risk of being called a heretic I'm afraid I couldn't read Samuel Delaney's Nova again if my life depended on it. I have seen it recommended on a number of threads here so I read it about six months ago. However I found it an incredibly painful and dull read that I got no enjoyment from at all. I thought maybe it was a slow burner that would improve/gather momentum further through it but it just never got out of first gear for me. Still, that's books for you, some grab you and some don't. For instance I am a big Robin Hobb fan, loved the Farseer stuff yet there are others here who have posted how painful they found that to read.

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