The Fantasy Review’s list of 10 Must-Read Classic Science Fiction Books.
Sundiver (The Uplift Saga, #1) by David Brin
From the blurb:
In all the universe, no species reached for the stars without “uplift” guidance, except possibly humankind. Did some cryptic patron race begin the job long ago, then abandon us? Or did we leap all by ourselves? That question burns, yet a greater mystery looms ahead, in the furnace of a star. Under the caverns of Mercury, Expedition Sundiver prepares for the most momentous voyage of our history – into the boiling inferno of the sun, seeking our destiny in the cosmic order of life…
The Stars, Like Dust (Galactic Empire, #1) by Isaac Asimov
From the blurb:
Mankind has conquered space and moved toward the starry heart of the galaxy. Earth is a planet of no importance, riddled with radioactivity by long-forgotten wars.
When assassins target his rooms and news arrives that, many light-years away, his father has been murdered, student Biron Farrill flees for his life…
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
From the blurb:
This true modern masterpiece is built around the two fateful words that make up the title and herald the end – “Alas, Babylon.” When a nuclear holocaust ravages the United States, a thousand years of civilization are stripped away overnight, and tens of millions of people are killed instantly.
But for one small town in Florida, miraculously spared, the struggle is just beginning, as men and women of all backgrounds join together to confront the darkness. Will Patton’s narration paints this classic tale as an ominous picture of the terrible possibilites of the nuclear age.
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
From the blurb:
During a time racked by war and environmental catastrophe, George Orr discovers his dreams alter reality. George is compelled to receive treatment from Dr. William Haber, an ambitious sleep psychiatrist who quickly grasps the immense power George holds. After becoming adept at manipulating George’s dreams to reshape the world, Haber seeks the same power for himself. George—with some surprising help—must resist Haber’s attempts, which threaten to destroy reality itself…
The Death of Grass by John Christopher
From the blurb:
The Chung-Li virus has devastated Asia, wiping out the rice crop and leaving riots and mass starvation in its wake. The rest of the world looks on with concern, though safe in the expectation that a counter-virus will be developed any day. Then Chung-Li mutates and spreads. Wheat, barley, oats, rye: no grass crop is safe, and global famine threatens.In Britain, where green fields are fast turning brown, the Government lies to its citizens, devising secret plans to preserve the lives of a few at the expense of the many…
Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon
From the blurb:
Widely regarded as one of the true classics of science fiction, Star Maker is a poetic and deeply philosophical work. The story details the mental journey of an unnamed narrator who is transported not only to other worlds but also other galaxies and parallel universes, until he eventually becomes part of the “cosmic mind.” First published in 1937, Olaf Stapledon’s descriptions of alien life are a political commentary on human life in the turbulent inter-war years…
Metropolis by Thea von Harbou
From the blurb:
This city of the future encompasses two worlds: that of the hedonistic ruling class and that of a segregated subculture, toilers in a mechanized underworld who labor to provide the rich with their pleasures. When a charismatic leader arises, she seeks a savior to unite the disparate social orders. “Between the brain that plans and the hands that build,” she declares, “there must be a mediator―the heart.”..
The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov
From the blurb:
Due to circumstances within our control . . . tomorrow will be canceled.
The Eternals, the ruling class of the Future, had the power of life and death not only over every human being but over the very centuries into which they were born. Past, Present, and Future could be created or destroyed at will…
Deathworld (Deathworld, #1) by Harry Harrison
From the blurb:
The planet was called Pyrrus, a strange place where all the beasts, plants and natural elements were designed for one specific purpose: to destroy man.
The settlers there were supermen, twice as strong as ordinary men and with milli-second reflexes. They had to be. For their business was murder…
Man Plus (Man Plus #1) by Frederik Pohl
From the blurb:
In the not-too-distant future, a desperate war for natural resources threatens to bring civilization to a crashing halt. Nuclear warships from around the globe begin positioning themselves as the American government works feverishly to complete a massive project to colonize Mars…
