Best Science Fiction I've Read

My favorite science fiction novels, spanning classic and modern.

1. 1
   

   Ender's Game

   by Orson Scott Card

   A great book. The big reveal still lands even when you know it's coming.

   A
2. 2
   

   Dune

   by Frank Herbert

   The classic for a reason. Very solid.

   A-
3. 3
   

   Cryptonomicon

   by Neal Stephenson

   Ridiculously long but still great. Stephenson foresaw cryptocurrency decades before Bitcoin.

   A-
4. 4
   

   The Doomsday Book

   by Connie Willis

   A little slow in the middle, but the ending is earned.

   A-
5. 5
   

   Old Man's War

   by John Scalzi

   Scalzi at his best. A clean, propulsive sci-fi novel.

   A-
6. 6
   

   Armor

   by John Steakley

   The plot is solid. A great story even if the writing is rough in places.

   B+
7. 7
   

   Starship Troopers

   by Robert Heinlein

   The ideas are more interesting than the plot, but it's worth reading for Heinlein's philosophy and the origin of battle armor.

   B+
8. 8
   

   Service Model

   by Adrian Tchaikovsky

   Fun and original. A robot mystery with more depth than it sounds.

   B+
9. 9
   

   Project Hail Mary

   by Andy Weir

   The protagonist can solve anything, but it's still pretty fun.

   B+
10. 10
    

    The Forever War

    by Joe Haldeman

    Deservedly won the Hugo. Good novel about the military industrial complex and space travel.

    B+