John Brunner’s Dystopian trilogy of Stand up on Zanzibar, The Sheep Look Up and The Shockwave Rider. They are chilling, gripping books looking at the effects of overpopulation, pollution and technological isolation respectively. The Shockwave Rider is especially amazing for being published 30 years ago and yet STILL seeming futuristic with only a handful of anachronisms.
The first two are major favorites of mine. (See my comments earlier about invented future slang…I’d love to be able to really use expressions like “sheeting hole!”) Is your Doper name by any chance influenced by Zanzibar?
The Annals of Klepsis, by R. A. Lafferty. Set on the pirate planet of Klepsis, the book tells the story two royal brothers who are competing for the throne. Unfortunately they are completely identical twins, so nobody knows which one is the rightful king and which one is the usurper. The only difference is that the younger brother can “go vague”, i.e. fade out of existence for a few hours and materialize somewhere else. Also included: prophets, prisoners, golden bears, slave auctions, insurance salesmen, mountain climbers, newspaper printers, one-legged Irishmen, and the end of the universe.
But of course! Do check out Shockwave rider if you’ve not done so already. Stylistically, Zanzibar is still my favourite by Shockwave is amazing in how prescient it manages to be.
The Tale of the Land of Green Ginger by Noel Langley. It’s one of those “kid’s” books that adults can love.
Period Piece by Gwen Raverrat. She is a grandaughter of Charles Darwin. She tells of her pre-teen and adolescence in Cambridge circa 1890 or so. Lovely.
A New England Girlhood by somebody Hale. She is the great great etc grandaughter of Nathaniel Hale. Growing up in the '30’s(?).
Our Hearts Were Young and Gay by Skinner and ? (sorry, can’t get to these books to check). Two young women conquer Europe in the 1920’s–hysterically funny.
Not SF or fantasy, but good reading. These seem to be chick lit before there was such a thing.
I read it when I was in 10th grade. I also recall being the only person in the class who thought anything of it.