Top Ten Science Fiction Books

The word "classic" is used a lot these days, especially in reference to books that are seen as the best in their field. But what if you're looking for the best science fiction books and don't know where to start? Here's my pick for the top 10 science fiction books of all time and why you should grab a copy next time you visit a bookstore or public library!

"The Time Machine," by H.G. Wells

Originally written in 1895, it single-handedly created the concept of time travel. An inventor builds a time machine and moves through time to find a future where two groups of survivors fight for domination on an Earth no longer familiar to him. Rewritten and adapted over the years into film and stage productions, this is still a great read and one of the best science fiction books!

"War of the Worlds," by H.G. Wells.

Many people may be more familiar with the Orson Welles' radio production of 1938 that terrified the American people, but this classic science fiction book was written in 1898 and has been made into a film twice, the most recent version updated to the present-day and starring Tom Cruise. Who can't love the original tale of Martians invading Earth?

"Fahrenheit 451," published in 1953 by Ray Bradbury

"Fahrenheit 451" gives us a future without books and where firemen literally set fires - to destroy all written matter in a world where censorship has run wild. A cautionary tale about government control makes this one of the must-read science fiction books!

"The Forever War," by Joe Haldeman and "Starship Troopers" by Robert A. Heinlein

Next on my list of classic science fiction books are two visions of the same military future - "The Forever War" by Joe Haldeman and "Starship Troopers" by Robert A. Heinlein. Both deal with soldiers taking part in an interstellar war and dealing with the problems of time dilation, but they are not as similar as one would think. In "The Forever War" the main character is a reluctant conscript pulled out of university to fight an alien foe and his subsequent missions drag him further and further away from his home as the years pass at different rates for him and his family.

In "Starship Troopers" (made into a popular series of movies and cartoons) the world is made up of Citizens and non-Citizens who must earn the right to vote by serving in the military. Juan Rico joins up just as the earth is attacked by "Bugs" and works his way through the ranks while dealing with death and destruction. This book also includes power armor, one of the first mentions of this futuristic equipment that seems now to be just around the corner. Considered to be a statement by Heinlein on warfare in general, this is a recommended read by anyone serious about seeking out great science fiction books.

Isaac Asimov is widely acknowledged as one of the great Founding Fathers of science fiction books, and the list of his works goes on for pages. But let me point you to what I think are some of his best works.

The Foundation series, by Isaac Asimov

The Foundation series started off as a series of short stories but evolved into books detailing the efforts of a group of scientists, called Psychohistorians, who seek to try and save the knowledge of their dying civilization. As the series progresses the rise and fall of their attempts are documented along with the men and women caught up in the crisis.

"I, Robot," by Isaac Asimov

"I, Robot" is not a single book but a collection of short stories that helped create the concept of not only robots that act and think like humans, but immortalized the Three Laws of Robotics. This interpretation of the robot would influence science fiction books for decades and is still one of his greatest works.

"Dune," by Frank Herbert

"Dune" by Frank Herbert was first published in 1965 and gave us a desert planet, an empire ruled by a hallucinogenic spice so rare that it was more precious than gold and a savior set to control both. This epic spanned more than five science fiction books and continues to expand through new novels penned by Herbert's son and Kevin J. Anderson, using notes from Herbert himself.

"Titan," by John Varley

"Titan," written by John Varley in 1979, gave us the the story of a spaceship traveling to Saturn in the year 2025 and discovering not only an entire ecosystem hidden inside the core of a satellite around the planet but an intelligence controlling them all. Creating a workable centaur society as well as unique and imaginative creatures that help and hinder the survivors as they explore Titan makes this one of my best science fiction books of all time.

"Ringworld," by Larry Niven

Finally, published in 1970 with numerous sequels and stories set in the same setting, this is the story of explorers discovering a "ringworld" found surrounding a star. The inhabitants all live on one long internal trip on the "ring" and do not know of anything or anyone else. When the explorers crash on the ringworld they must find out who created it and what happened to the inventors. A wild ride with interesting characters, the idea of a ringworld has been studied by scientists and found to be a feasible construct. Not bad for one of the classic science fiction books!

Science fiction books have described the future for hundreds of years and many of these predictions have come true - and many are not that far from reality! Why not grab some of what I consider to be classic science fiction books and see what might lie in your future?