Greatest SF novel of all time? And why?

POSTED BY: FREESOUP
UPDATED: Monday, August 10, 2026 16:37
VIEWED: 25112
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FREESOUP

Sunday, October 12, 2003 11:12 PM

I agree that Haldeman's "The Forever War" is worthwhile, and won RAH's admiration expressed by him personally to Joe in 1976 or thereabouts at a WorldCon.

Some see it as a rebuttal to "Starship Troopers", but both Joe and myself think it's more that RAH never had combat experience and was in the Navy, not the Army. YMMV.

What else do you think qualifies, and did my post pique your interest in "The Book of the New Sun" a tad?

FREESOUP

Sunday, October 12, 2003 11:12 PM

I agree that Haldeman's "The Forever War" is worthwhile, and won RAH's admiration expressed by him personally to Joe in 1976 or thereabouts at a WorldCon.

Some see it as a rebuttal to "Starship Troopers", but both Joe and myself think it's more that RAH never had combat experience and was in the Navy, not the Army. YMMV.

What else do you think qualifies, and did my post pique your interest in "The Book of the New Sun" a tad?

FREESOUP

Sunday, October 12, 2003 11:12 PM

I agree that Haldeman's "The Forever War" is worthwhile, and won RAH's admiration expressed by him personally to Joe in 1976 or thereabouts at a WorldCon.

Some see it as a rebuttal to "Starship Troopers", but both Joe and myself think it's more that RAH never had combat experience and was in the Navy, not the Army. YMMV.

What else do you think qualifies, and did my post pique your interest in "The Book of the New Sun" a tad?

TEELABROWN

Tuesday, December 9, 2003 2:06 PM

There are to many. Some one the top of my head:

There are so many, so Ringworld because he (the author) has made interesting cultures and the plot is fairly good.

Or the Hitchhikker's Guide set because they are funny, off-the-wall humor, and can be random yet still be connected to the story. Like the second-hand ballpoint pen buisness connection is Zaphod. It takes sideways humor, which me and all my friends at school have. And most likely many people here.

Also, if you like Hitchhikker's Guide, read Outernet, even though it's ment for younger kids, it is so close to Hitchhikker's Guide. It's very good and funny.

And my favorite non-sf novel I think would be A Christmas Carol. It is very well done, and is a very nice story about redemtion.

Keep flyin', Happy Holidays!

............................................................................................
"Freedom is the Freedom to say that 2+2 makes 4. If that is granted, all else follws"-Winston, 1984
Keep flyin', and remember, THEY can't take the sky from US!

KERNELM

Tuesday, December 9, 2003 3:39 PM

- The Night Watch by Terry Pratchett. The Dickens of our time, only better. (Though Michael Dirda likes to call him Chaucer.) Pterry just keeps getting better. NW is his best yet, but so many others deserve honorable mention here. Small Gods, Feet of Clay, Lords and Ladies, Thief of Time, Hogfather...

- The Dune Chronicles. For me the last two volumes are together the best part. (And btw, the series as a whole is fairly anti-messiah. The hints at galactic destruction in the first book are developed in the later books. Then there's the question of whether Leto II was a good or bad guy...)

- The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. One of the greatest works of fiction, (CBG voice) ever. Also of note is American Gods.

- The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. Just read this a while ago and it was as good as everybody was saying. Great stuff. The Demolished Man was good as well.

- His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. Just read this recently too. Mindblowing. Of course, it helps that I'm agnostic since the books are pretty unsubtly smashing Christianity. A little too unsubtle for my taste actually (Small Gods is a much better treatment of organized religion, IMO), but overall the story is just too good.

I've actually picked up the Book of the New Sun, but haven't really started on them yet.

NEESKA

Thursday, December 11, 2003 7:41 AM

I love this thread. My Faves:

1. As someone has mentioned: Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. Demolished Man may be even better. He is the Kurt Vonnegut of Sci-Fi. With brilliant ideas to boot.

2. More than Human, Theodore Sturgeon. Talk about a mind-blower. Conceptually awe-inspiring.

3. Ubik, Phillip K. Dick. How could PKD not be mentioned?

Finally, I would also like to reiterate that Hyperion, Dune, and Ender's Game are all classics. Also, Rendevous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. I could go on and on!

CLANGASSOCIATION

Saturday, January 10, 2004 11:02 PM

3. Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove

Ever since I read Turtledove's In the Balance, I have had entirely different view of alternate history fiction. Speaking from a sci-fi perspective, his plotlines sound campy and banal. Take, for instance, Guns of the South, in which a time traveler supplies the Confederate States of America with assault rifles, causing the South to win the American Civil War. Upon seeing the cover art of Robert E. Lee holding an AK-47, your first instinct is to snort derisively and pass the book by. But Turtledove's knowledge of history is extensive and is clearly reflected in his work.

2. Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein

Point of interest: Tunnel in the Sky is a Juvenile Fiction novel whose initials just happen to spell out a vulgar synonym for "nipples". Even so, this has to be Heinlein's best. Picture a cross between William Golding's The Lord of the Flies and Firefly, and you have Tunnel in the Sky. A group of adolescent space-frontiersmen-in-training are teleported to a deserted planet as their final exam; but a supernova interferes with the recall, so the students end up stranded there for several years. I literally could not put this book down. The suspense is overwhelming, and in the end, you realize that all of your suspicions about the story were unreasonable and paranoid.

1. Final Blackout by L. Ron Hubbard

If Gladiator were set in a socialist-dominated, post-apocalyptic, WWII-alternate-history Europe, then you'd have Final Blackout--a dramatic thrill-ride that is sure to please. Its historical introduction may turn you off initially, but it soon gains considerable momentum. It charms. It excites. And its tragic ending leaves you both inspired and distraught. Once I finished it, I promptly flipped back to the beginning and started it over again. It's that good.

CHANNAIN

Sunday, January 11, 2004 12:57 AM

I can't say what the greatest are, I can only say what my favorites are...

The Time Machine

20,000 Leagues

Pern Series by Anne MacAffrey

The Liveship Traders Series by Robin Hobb

His Dark Materials Series by Philip Pullman (thanks Josh!)

I'm only just now reading Tolkein, and I gotta say, it's tricky to do after seeing the movies. A friend has crowed praises for "Starship Troopers" and I did read "Postman" and found it better than the movie.

Firefly Artwork Series
http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=7922

GEEZER

Sunday, January 11, 2004 1:02 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Hinermad:
...I also have some favorites - almost guilty pleasures - that would never be considered great, but I like them anyway: the Lensman and Skylark series (serieses?) by E.E. "Doc" Smith...

My Brother! Nice to know there's at least one other Super-Science-Fiction fan out there.

Just thinking about what I read again and again (besides LOTR). Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner, Starship Troopers, Moon is a Harsh Mistress, the Liberatarian parallel universe books of L. Neil Smith, more Heinlein.

FAHQ

Sunday, January 11, 2004 2:06 AM

Its funny how people took far too much from "STranger In a Strange Land". Find a book by Heinlein called "Grumbles From The Grave" which is a kind of memior of his time as an author. While I dont remember how it went exactly, when a fan and follower of the "church" tracked down Heinlein and invaded his privacy-Proclaiming his devotion to the religion, Heinlein effectively told him to get a life and go away.

"My days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle."

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