Books I Recommend
I do not include Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones because chances are you already know about them. I only included books that really shaped my thinking or were just fun to read.
Dan Simmons - Hyperion
Hyperion has interesting characters, an deep story line, excellent world building, and lots of technology. I read it again recently and I still love it. I am still thinking about the decisions individuals and leaders had to make, and what I would do.
Frank Herbert - Dune
Dune has a story line that really captures your imagination. The characters come to life and the world building is top notch. I still remember lines from the books 30 years later. Buy the box set and read them all. It’s worth it.
Isaac Asimov - Foundation
The Foundation series is huge. It spans the entire galaxy and introduced me to what I now think of as science fiction. It could have been ten or one hundred novels, but Asimov does a good job of sticking to the story line all they way through to the end. There are better writers out there today but this story is worth the effort.
Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a great read if you’re willing to not take it seriously and enjoy the ride.
Larry Niven - Ringworld
I read Ringworld two times in a row the first time I read it. Imagine the mass of Jupiter in a 93 million mile orbit all the way around a sun like ours and you have Ringworld. Let the stories begin. This book has some adult themes.
Joe Haldeman - The Forever War
The Forever War shares the journey of a soldier fighting bugs on distant planets. Each time he travels away from Earth, time slows for him but keeps moving for everyone else. Each time he returns home, the Earth he knew changed. I still think about the implications time has on human society and we are seeing some of the predicted changes now.
Robert A Heilein - The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Heilein has many classic novels but this one really got me thinking about space warfare, human politics in space, and the physics of how it would all work. Not to mention a great story.
John Scalzi - Old Man's War
Scalzi creates a future where anyone over 70 can volunteer to join the military and leave Earth. You get a new body but there is a catch. You can never go back to Earth and humans are at war. The characters in this story are very entertaining. This is definitely an adult novel.
Ian Douglas - Star Strike
Ian Douglas’ Inheritance Trilogy (Star Strike, Galactic Corp, Semper Human) is a fast fun read with lots of technology, space combat, and marines fighting the enemy toe to toe. The story’s premise is that an intelligent, xenophobic species has taken over our galaxy and crushes any species that attempts interstellar space travel. I loved reading these books so I read them twice for the action and the story line. There are adult themes in these novels.
Robert Jordan - Wheel of Time
I could never make a list of science fiction books without including this one. This 14 book series is the best fantasy story I have every read. Rich characters, deep history, magic, struggle between good and evil, really bad guys, a flawed good guy, and world building far beyond Tolkien. This book kicks off the series that has it all.
