# What classic sci-fi should I read next? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218 "2013-08-14T15:46:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/1 "2013-08-14T15:46:59Z")
As a huge sci-fi nerd, I’m always looking to fill in gaps in my experience of “the classics”. Here’s what I’ve read so far that I consider “classics,” with \*'s by my faves \*Dune-Chapterhouse:Dune (I have no interest in the prequels, but may get around to “book 7” eventually) 2001-3001 Rendevous with Rama - Rama Revealed \*Childhood’s End, Songs of Distant Earth Ringworld, Ringworld Engineers \*Starship Troopers, \*The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Friday, Number of the Beast, I will Fear No Evil, Stranger in a Strange Land \*Hitchhikers’ Guide - Mostly Harmless, Dirk Gently-Salmon of Doubt (also Meaning of Liff and Last Chance to see, though those aren’t sci-fi. No interest in the non-Adams hitchhikers’ sequel) The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, War of the Worlds \*Lensman series, 1st 3 books. (I’ve got the next three in one volume, on deck) Ender’s Game-Xenocide, Ender’s Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon I, Robot 1984 Brave New World Fahrenheit 451 Neuromancer, Count Zero, Burning Chrome A Canticle for Leibowitz A Wrinkle in Time - Swiftly tilting planet The Man in the High Castle I know my Asimov is lacking. I tried reading Foundation once and recall it being very dry. Maybe I’ll give it another go. Worth it? Should I delve into Vonnegut or Dick instead? Any glaring omissions? ---
**Author:** ![Future\_Londonite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9dc877/32.png) [@Future\_Londonite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_Londonite)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/2 "2013-08-14T15:49:22Z")
Hyperion (Dan Simmons) - proceed with sequals on your own peril 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/3 "2013-08-14T15:50:26Z")
Man-Kzin Wars. Started by Larry Niven and written with or by many others. About a dozen or so books in the series. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/4 "2013-08-14T15:52:41Z")
Maybe some Niven. Larry Niven can be incredibly dry when writing alone, so try one of the books he co-wrote with Jerry Pournelle. _Lucifer’s Hammer_, still one of the best ever in the asteroid-impact subgenre, or _The Mote In God’s Eye_, a great first contact story, or _The Legacy of Heorot_, a colonization story set on another planet with strong undertones of _Beowulf_. If you like Heinlein’s boys books (Space Cadet, Farmer in the Sky, and so on) try John Varley’s _Red Thunder_. It’s not more than twenty years old, but it feels just like Heinlein’s old stuff. Joe Haldeman’s _The Forever War_ is a nice counterpoint to Starship Troopers written by a Vietnam draftee. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/5 "2013-08-14T15:53:36Z")
Your Heinlein is also lacking: I don’t see any of his juveniles on that list. Almost all of them are good; take your pick. I’m also seeing a shortage of short story collections, which some might argue are the most natural medium for science fiction. One good tactic is to just pick any volume of _The Hugo Winners_. If any stories stand out for you as particularly good, or you keep seeing the same names over and over, you know that those are writers you need to keep an eye out for. _Foundation_ is, indeed, pretty dry. If that’s a problem for you, then it’s probably just not going to be your thing. If you want to take a stab at another of Asimov’s novels, you might want to try _The Caves of Steel_. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/6 "2013-08-14T15:55:05Z")
Day of the Triffids! You gotta read that one. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/7 "2013-08-14T15:56:29Z")
\*\*Chronos \*\*said what I wanted to say. I find Asimov a bit dry in general, I really don’t care for his works much. Even the great ones could be better. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/8 "2013-08-14T15:56:47Z")
Try reading some of Heinlein’s juveniles, written in the 1950s or so. In particular, _The Rolling Stones_ and _Podkayne of Mars_. Heinlein wrote two endings for Podkayne, and the editor considered the first one too dark, so he had to write a happier ending. The story works better with the darker ending, though. If possible, get an edition with both endings. Asimov IS quite dry, and if you didn’t like Foundation, you might never like him. Asimov was very good with short stories, though. I think that I liked his Black Widower series best of all, though they were mystery, rather than SF. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/9 "2013-08-14T16:00:06Z")
Dammit, **Chronos**! ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/10 "2013-08-14T16:26:52Z")
Zelazny - pick up some of the short story collections - My Name is Legion or Last Defender of Camelot. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/11 "2013-08-14T16:54:25Z")
Asimov has some stuff that’s more fun. I would recommend _The End Of Eternity_ and _…The Gods Themselves_. If you liked _Harsh Mistress_, then read John C. Wright’s Golden Age trilogy. More recent and not well-known, but fantastically imaginative and solidly grounded at the same time. Connie Willis’ time-travel novels thoroughly invigorate that genre. They all share the same universe but differ sharply in tone and mood. And if you really like time travel, read Robert Charles Wilson’s _The Chronoliths_ for a perspective on what today’s world looks like when time travel is invented in the near future. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/12 "2013-08-14T18:33:47Z")
“Friday” by Heinlein “Schismatrix” by Bruce Sterling. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/13 "2013-08-14T19:01:41Z")
The OP has already read _Friday_. Short stories are a good recommendation. Any collection is likely to be pretty good. I have a pet theory that the reason that science fiction books are less subject to becoming long, bloated series of books in desperate need of an editor’s red pen than fantasy books is that so many of the authors in this field cut their teeth writing short stories for the science fiction magazines. God knows that older authors who have the leverage to force their editors to back down can make some horrible, bloated crap, but I do think that there’s less of in in SF than in fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/14 "2013-08-14T19:02:44Z")
Some David Brin would be good. _The Practice Effect_ is a good light stand-alone novel. _Startide Rising_, _Glory Season_, or _Kiln People_ are more openly SF. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/15 "2013-08-14T19:06:26Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > Short stories are a good recommendation. Any collection is likely to be pretty good. I have a pet theory that the reason that science fiction books are less subject to becoming long, bloated series of books in desperate need of an editor’s red pen than fantasy books is that so many of the authors in this field cut their teeth writing short stories for the science fiction magazines. God knows that older authors who have the leverage to force their editors to back down can make some horrible, bloated crap, but I do think that there’s less of in in SF than in fantasy. _[The Science Fiction Hall of Fame](http://www.amazon.com/Science-Fiction-Hall-Fame-Vol/dp/0765305372/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376507057)_ is back in print. The general consensus is that this is the best one volume collection of SF short stories. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/16 "2013-08-14T19:06:47Z")
**The Stars My Destination** and **The Demolished Man** by Alfred Bester, along with the first 2/3rd of **The Computer Connection** (the novel falls apart after that). **Davy** by Edgar Pangbourn **The Left Hand of Darkness** by Ursula K. Leguin **Mission of Gravity** by Hal Clement **Neuromancer** by William Gibson **The Dragonriders of Pern** (first trilogy) by Anne McCaffrey **Gateway** and **Man Plus** by Fred Pohl. **The Book of the New Sun** by Gene Wolfe If you really want some challenging reading, look for Samuel R. Delany: **Nova, Babel-17, The Einstein Intersection, Dhalgren** and **Triton**. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/17 "2013-08-14T19:09:37Z")
oooooh… _Startide Rising_ is a great book. Could be a great movie if handled right. Did anyone mention Robert L Forward? Dragon’s Egg is pretty much a classic sci-fi story. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/18 "2013-08-14T19:10:41Z")
For Clarke, also read “The City and the Stars” which is much more far future than most, and still not outdated. Plus, as I discovered with surprise when I reread it, Clarke invented video games. Two really excellent books are “The Demolished Man” and “The Stars My Destination” by Alfred Bester. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/19 "2013-08-14T19:15:09Z")
I have used this list to get make sure I have a good base of the classics: [http://scifilists.sffjazz.com/lists\_books\_rank1.html](http://scifilists.sffjazz.com/lists_books_rank1.html). Of course the list changes occasionally, and then I may have something new to discover - darn it. I do not see Bester mentioned above. I don’t think he is for everybody and like other items in your list it may seem a little dated at this point, but I enjoy his work. In the same vein, there is quite a bit of H Beam Piper available from Project Gutenberg. Even if you don’t like it, it was worth what you paid for it. (And not one but two people mention Bester while I was writing this. That is what happens when I get distracted by that list site.) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218/20 "2013-08-14T19:17:05Z")
Deepness in the Sky and Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-classic-sci-fi-should-i-read-next/666218.md?page=2)