Reading 30 Sci-Fi Author's Quintessential Books in 2023 (with some caveats)
By CoffeeDuck738
I pulled together a list based on community feedback from somewhere else. It’s not like I’m claiming this is the absolute best or most classic sci-fi ever, but it feels like it hits a lot of the usual stuff. Also, I haven’t read any of these, and I don’t really know most of the authors either. A few exceptions where I made calls like: - I realized I’d skipped a better pick from Philip K. Dick - I just really want to keep going with Dune Messiah - I tried Galaxy’s Guide a few times and still can’t stand it (I’m not into that kind of absurdist sci-fi) - I’ve already read Foundation, Ender’s Game, and Dune If you think some obvious ones should be added or removed, tell me. Edit: Thanks for the replies—ended up swapping out a bunch (still from the same author sometimes) and dropped a couple entirely. Old Man's War — John Scalzi Ringworld — Larry Niven Three-Body Problem — Liu Cixin Children of Time — Adrian Tchaikovsky Snow Crash — Neal Stephenson The Dispossessed — Ursula K. Le Guin The Forever War — Joe Haldeman Dune Messiah — Frank Herbert Dawn — Octavia E. Butler Ubik — Philip K. Dick Neuromancer — William Gibson The Player of Games — Iain M. Banks Hyperion (and The Fall of Hyperion) — Dan Simmons Exhalation — Ted Chiang Ancillary Justice — Ann Leckie Annihilation — Jeff VanderMeer A Canticle for Leibowitz — Walter M. Miller Jr Leviathan Wakes — James S.A. Corey Childhood’s End — Arthur C. Clarke All Systems Red — Martha Wells To Your Scattered Bodies Go — Philip José Farmer House of Suns — Alastair Reynolds The Stars My Destination — Alfred Bester Embassytown — China Miéville Warriors Apprentice — Lois McMaster Bujold The Day of the Triffids — John Wyndham I, Robot — Isaac Asimov Lord of Light — Roger Zelazny The Rediscovery of Man — Cordwainer Smith The Moon is a Harsh Mistress — Robert A. Heinlein The Book of the New Sun — Gene Wolfe I couldn’t decide on a couple to cut, and I got really pulled toward Gene Wolfe, so… yeah, I guess it’s “30 and 1 books” to read this year.