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Science Fiction Recommendations

The HereAndOk staff recommends these science fiction books. Hope you enjoy them.

Best Science Fiction Books Ever

These are the three best science fiction books ever, in no particular order:

• Dune by Frank Herbert
• The Mote in God's Eye by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven
• A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge

The fourth best science fiction book is Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card.

Military Science Fiction

David Weber is the best active military science fiction author, and he is probably the best ever. He writes convincingly of space battles. His characters are interesting. He puts a lot of effort into his science fiction details. His Honor Harrington and Starfire series are terrific places to start.

Jerry Pournelle has a few good ones. Try Prince of Sparta and Go Tell the Spartans, from his Falkenberg's Legion series. Or read the Janissaries series, co-authored by Roland Green.

Science Fiction for Kids

Here are some science fiction books that kids will enjoy. These recommendations are not dull. They are not G-rated. But they are suitable for kids. As a bonus, adults will appreciate them, too. In no particular order, try any of these books:

• The Survivors by Tom Godwin
• Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein
• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Alternate History

Alternate history, where the story imagines what would be different if some aspect of history had turned out differently, is an old theme in science fiction. Try these books:

• Draka is a fascinating military-oriented series by S. M. Stirling.
• Based on its name alone, read Alternities by Michael Kube-McDowell. It is terrific, though a little violent.
• Lest Darkness Fall by L Sprague de Camp is one of the founding books of this genre. The link is to a review for a book that combines Lest Darkness Fall with another story. See Review by Dani Zweig for a focused review.
• Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus is a surprisingly intense and creative take on changing history by traveling back into the past and affecting what happened when Columbus discovered America. Orson Scott Card is the author.

Read It and Weep

These science fiction books will make you cry:

• Try The Phoenix Legacy series by M. K. Wren for tear-jerking emotion and even some romance
• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card has to be the saddest science fiction book ever written
• The second book of the Seafort Saga is Challenger's Hope, by David Feintuch. It has aliens and military action, along with some very sad sections.

The Classics

• Set unimaginably far off in the future, Against the Fall of Night by Arthur C Clarke is one of the first science fiction books to credibly explore the far-off future.
• The Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov made galactic empires work. It introduced generations of children to science fiction. Aim for the original three books (which is why the series was considered a trilogy). The later add-ons are not as good and certainly not classics.

Links

The RE Author Science Fiction page has a good list of science-fiction related sites.

Last Update:17 January 2005