The Fantasy Review’s list of 4 Brilliant Classic Science Fiction Books You Must Read!
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
I am starting this list off strong with my absolute favourite classic science fiction novels, Foundation by Isaac Asimov. Sure, the writing style is a little outdated and takes a little getting used to, but the themes, the scope, the surprising amount of action, and the twists are well worth the slight learning curve.
Hari Seldon’s Psychohistory (essentially a scientific method of predicting human behaviour over hundreds, even thousands of years – so, telling the future) is a fascinating catalyst for these books. I have not been able to enjoy the Apple TV adaptation, unfortunately, but the books are gold and a must-read for science fiction fans.
Read my review of Foundation by Isaac Asimov for my full thoughts.
Dune by Frank Herbert
After a few false starts over several years, I finally sat down and completed Dune by Frank Herbert. It might sound like sacrilege, but it was only after watching Dune (2021) that I found reading the book enjoyable. The movie essentially told me who everyone was and gave me enough information to dive right into the book and skip the rather steep learning curve.
Lots of people love this book, so don’t feel like it’s going to be a challenge or anything. Everyone’s reading experience of every book is unique. I found Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson pretty easy to get into, despite the very steep learning curve, but struggled here. Just depends, I suppose.
Anyway, Dune by Frank Herbert quickly became one of my all-time favourite classic science fiction novels as I read it, and I look forward to jumping into Dune: Messiah soon, as The Folio Society gifted me a very nice edition which I reviewed late last year.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
I chose Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury as one of my texts for a big university assignment and could not put it down. This is a book you can reread a hundred times and take something new from each time.
If you love books and appreciate the necessity of them in our world, their importance, their significance, then Fahrenheit 451 will read like a love letter to literature and its guiding hand in all of our lives.
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
I am yet to watch the movie, but the book 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke is on so many lists of science fiction recommendations for a reason! I listened to the audiobook a few years ago and was delighted by its imaginative genius.
In some respects, this book is epic, with a prologue set in our distant past, but mostly it’s a more intimate, contained story than something like Dune or Foundation. Like Foundation, though, it isn’t a long book to get through, but it packs a punch. For so few pages it contains so much; you can see how books like this inspired a generation of science fiction writers.
Read my review of 2001: A Space Odyssey here.
