Greatest literary science fiction story of all time - nominations

[Kraken]

I'll go along with all of the classic titles that have been mentioned so far.

"Literary" is a stretch, but Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat books rival HHGTTG for humor. If you haven't read The Stainless Steel Rat, do yourself a favor. The line that stuck in my memory: "She had legs that started at her ankles and rose until they made an ass of themselves."

The link addresses "Do the Stainless Steel Rat Stories Have Any Literary Merit?"

[Carpet_pissr]

"She had legs that started at her ankles and rose until they made an ass of themselves."

Ok that made me literally LOL for far longer than it should have.

[Formix]

Sorry, I overlooked the "must deal with the future of humanity". I was just posting a knee jerk collection based off "greatest literary science fiction story of all time".

"Anything written by Ray Bradbury" still applies, though. Pound for pound, I put him even above Asimov.

Agree. 100%

[Formix]

Does the Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin count? The timeframe is never made clear, but to me, it has the best aspect of Sci Fi, which is taking an issue we are facing right now, and dressing it up in a different costume so that we can look at it from a different perspective with (hopefully) the preconceptions we have around that issue removed.

[raydude]

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

My vote for all time is this, just this. It seems the more we get into the future the more this novel parallels reality. Parlor walls where people can get lost in their own video dramas? Big screen TVs and/or VR plus reality tv. Or lately, social media a la Tiktok, Youtube and Twitch. People reading less? See how most "how-to" guides on the internet are video only now.

I think I've read this novel at least 10 times in my life. Time to go re-read this again.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Does the Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin count? The timeframe is never made clear, but to me, it has the best aspect of Sci Fi, which is taking an issue we are facing right now, and dressing it up in a different costume so that we can look at it from a different perspective with (hopefully) the preconceptions we have around that issue removed.

Ooh that's a good one if it counts. It reads more like fantasy to me but there seem to be hints that it takes place in a future earth (though I think Jemisin has denied that).

The ones that came immediately to mind have been mentioned:

Hyperion - Simmons
Dune - Herbert
The Expanse - Corey

[hepcat]

I've got a copy of Hyperion but never started it. I've always meant to though as it sounds fascinating.

[LawBeefaroni]

Hinterlands, short story by William Gibson.

It's a thought provoking piece about humanity's thirst for knowledge and the price we're willing to pay to get it. But it also gets right down to the individual level of human resilience vs. frailty. And it's creepy as hell in an existential, sticks in your mind kind of way.

[Blackhawk]

Fine, fine. I play along.

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. It takes our assumptions about what's monstrous and terrible, then holds up a mirror so we can see that it is ourselves that are the monsters. The impact on the genre is still there more than 200 years later.

[dbt1949]

HG Wells War of the Worlds

[Lagom Lite]

I assume this is part of what Lagom Lite was after.

I'm just after some cool suggestions on what to read and why, but these discussions on what is and isn't science fiction are just as lovely.

I didn't put a great deal of thought into the "must deal with the future of humanity" qualifier, it's just the aspect I myself find the most fascinating when reading science fiction stories. Where are we heading as a species, what's "out there" to discover, so to speak. And I wanted stuff to read, because sometimes I just want to relax with a good book. It's not some elitism or hatred of fantasy or visual media or anything, it's just that right now I have enough movies and tv shows to watch, and I'm not currently preoccupied with hero stories. It's just a couple of arbitrary lines to focus the discussion, that's all.

And I love Star Wars just as much as the next guy, but I'd personally lump it in with the fantasy genre simply because at its heart, it's a story about heroes and wizards. Which is great! I love the Arthur saga! I love the Lord of the Rings! I... don't love Harry Potter... but I respect those who do!

[Smoove_B]

It won a Hugo in 1953, so I feel pretty solid recommending Way Station by Clifford Simak.

I'm not very well-read in sci-fi; it's not my genre of choice. I especially don't enjoy space opera or sprawling sci-fi military narratives. Anyway, I'm listing it first because I never see anyone recommending it, I'll fully disclose that. But even above and beyond that, it's a good story with an interesting premise. In short (without giving too much away) there's a secret location on Earth that's monitored by a chosen human where aliens "pass through" on their way elsewhere. As the name implies, it's a story about a man that is staffing a way station between locations - an intergalactic bus stop of sorts.

I find I really enjoy these "classic" sci-fi stories more than just about anything I've read from the "modern" era (1980s+), so I am likely biased. I do think it deals with the future of humanity, though perhaps not in the way as intended for this thread. Feel free to ignore.

[hepcat]

And I love Lord of the Rings just as much as the next guy, but I'd personally lump it in with the Science Fiction genre simply because at its heart, it's a story about starship pilots and Jedis. Which is great! I love the Hidden Fortress saga! I love Star Wars. I... don't love Harry Potter... but I respect those who do!

[pr0ner]

I've got a copy of Hyperion but never started it. I've always meant to though as it sounds fascinating.

DO IT.

[Archinerd]

Another of my favoirtes;

Rendezvous With Rama - Arthur C. Clarke

[TheMix]

I'm just after some cool suggestions on what to read and why, but these discussions on what is and isn't science fiction are just as lovely.

Here are a few that might be off the beaten path a bit that I read "recently".
Grass by Sheri S. Temper
- Hard to explain without giving anything away. I'm not sure I'd advise reading the wiki. Going in cold is probably best.

Generations ago, humans fled to the cosmic anomaly known as Grass. But before humanity arrived, another species had already claimed Grass for its own. It too had developed a culture. Now, a deadly plague is spreading across the stars, leaving no planet untouched, save for Grass. But the secret of the planet's immunity hides a truth so shattering it could mean the end of life itself.

COSM by Gregory Benford

From the Nebula Award-winning author of "Timescape" comes a provocative adventure that blends compelling human drama with cutting-edge physics. When a brilliant young physicist's experiment goes awry, the ensuing explosion leaves behind a wonderful sphere made of nothing yet known to science--an object that opens a vista onto an entirely different universe.

If you enjoy "harder" science fiction that gets into theoretical stuff, it's difficult to go wrong with the Bs (Benford, Bova, Brin, Bear).

A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge
- I found some of his concepts a bit difficult to grasp, but this book was definitely original.

[Carpet_pissr]

I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison
Possibly the darkest science fiction story ever put to paper. A homicidal AI is torturing what is left of mankind for all eternity.

Does this still hold up? I tried reading quite a few sci fi (and fantasy for that matter) short stories and novels from the 50's and 60's and it was rough going, when I was even able to finish. Not sure if it was due to the strong pulp influence of those times, or just 'has not aged well" ism.

[Carpet_pissr]

I'll add;

The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Hyperion - Dan Simmons

Are these two recommendations in any way similar?

I tried to read The Left Hand of Darkness a few times and just bounced hard off it every time. The dryness. So....dry.

[noxiousdog]

The SimpsonsNPR did it first

It's a really good list. Some of my non-common favorites were Perdido Street Station, Lucifer's Hammer, Red Mars, A Fire Upon the Deep, and Sunshine (fantasy).

[TheMix]

The SimpsonsNPR did it first

It's a really good list. Some of my non-common favorites were Perdido Street Station, Lucifer's Hammer, Red Mars, A Fire Upon the Deep, and Sunshine (fantasy).

A Fire Upon the Deep Also by Vernor Vinge. That's the first one of his I read. And the one that I remember having some really "deep" concepts. I confused it with the other one above. I'm pretty sure I have read both, but this is the one that I was actually thinking of.

[noxiousdog]

The SimpsonsNPR did it first

It's a really good list. Some of my non-common favorites were Perdido Street Station, Lucifer's Hammer, Red Mars, A Fire Upon the Deep, and Sunshine (fantasy).

A Fire Upon the Deep Also by Vernor Vinge. That's the first one of his I read. And the one that I remember having some really "deep" concepts. I confused it with the other one above. I'm pretty sure I have read both, but this is the one that I was actually thinking of.

It's super trippy. I've not read anything like it, but I was riveted.

[TheMix]

The SimpsonsNPR did it first

It's a really good list. Some of my non-common favorites were Perdido Street Station, Lucifer's Hammer, Red Mars, A Fire Upon the Deep, and Sunshine (fantasy).

A Fire Upon the Deep Also by Vernor Vinge. That's the first one of his I read. And the one that I remember having some really "deep" concepts. I confused it with the other one above. I'm pretty sure I have read both, but this is the one that I was actually thinking of.

It's super trippy. I've not read anything like it, but I was riveted.

That's my recollection too! Really unique. Also probably why I still remember the basic concept, but can't recall anything about the other book.

I miss my younger self. I was able to recall every book I'd read. On the bright side, when I retire I can reread all my books and they will all be new!

[hepcat]

The SimpsonsNPR did it first

It's a really good list. Some of my non-common favorites were Perdido Street Station, Lucifer's Hammer, Red Mars, A Fire Upon the Deep, and Sunshine (fantasy).

As a die hard fan of all things Richard Matheson, it does my heart good to see I Am Legend on the list.

[noxiousdog]

The SimpsonsNPR did it first

It's a really good list. Some of my non-common favorites were Perdido Street Station, Lucifer's Hammer, Red Mars, A Fire Upon the Deep, and Sunshine (fantasy).

As a die hard fan of all things Richard Matheson, it does my heart good to see I Am Legend on the list.

The audio book narrated by Yuri Rasovsky and Robertson Dean is absolutely amazing. I didn't know if I loved it just because of their narration or the story was so good.

[Carpet_pissr]

Octavia Butler: Parable of the Talents

Is there a reason you aren't recommending the first one in this two part series?

I ask because I am going through this thread and adding many of these that I didn't know about to my "TO READ" list.

And now for something completely different: On the Amazon page for the first book, the Wall St. Journal is quoted as quoting Flea (yes, THAT Flea) saying it's "“A stunner.”

“A stunner.” —Flea, musician and actor, TheWall Street Journal

[Archinerd]

I'll add;

The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Hyperion - Dan Simmons

Are these two recommendations in any way similar?

I tried to read The Left Hand of Darkness a few times and just bounced hard off it every time. The dryness. So....dry.

You have bad taste in books, so you probably wouldn't like Hyperion.

Seriously though, I don't think they are that similar to each other.

Hyperion is a collection of related short stories, structured like the Cantebury Tales.
Left Hand of Darkness is the bone dry story of an envoy, sent to an alien world.

[Archinerd]

The SimpsonsNPR did it first

It's a really good list. Some of my non-common favorites were Perdido Street Station, Lucifer's Hammer, Red Mars, A Fire Upon the Deep, and Sunshine (fantasy).

As a die hard fan of all things Richard Matheson, it does my heart good to see I Am Legend on the list.

The audio book narrated by Yuri Rasovsky and Robertson Dean is absolutely amazing. I didn't know if I loved it just because of their narration or the story was so good.

I found Lucifer's Hammer in a pile of free books left at a recycling center. It's an enternaining read, but I'm not sure it's "literary".
I bet somewhere in an alternate reality, they made a hit summer blockbuster based off this book instead of Armageddon and Deep Impact.

[Carpet_pissr]

The Player of Games - Iain M. Banks

Just this (second) book in the series, or all of them?

[Jaymann]

The Player of Games - Iain M. Banks

Just this (second) book in the series, or all of them?

All of the books in the Culture series are excellent. This one is my personal favorite. There are some continuing themes throughout the series, but they all can stand alone.

[Holman]

Octavia Butler: Parable of the Talents

Is there a reason you aren't recommending the first one in this two part series?

Nope. I just fucked up. Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents are both excellent.

[Holman]

I do like the "literary" qualifier, which I take to mean "SF where the writing is as strong as the ideas."

I know at least one of us and likely more than one are not remotely equipped to make that assessment with any authority.

I'm just trying to keep out Brian Herbert.

[hepcat]

The SimpsonsNPR did it first

It's a really good list. Some of my non-common favorites were Perdido Street Station, Lucifer's Hammer, Red Mars, A Fire Upon the Deep, and Sunshine (fantasy).

As a die hard fan of all things Richard Matheson, it does my heart good to see I Am Legend on the list.

The audio book narrated by Yuri Rasovsky and Robertson Dean is absolutely amazing. I didn't know if I loved it just because of their narration or the story was so good.

I've read it multiple times (along with quite a bit of his other stuff....the man was freakin' prolific) but I may have to search that out if it's that good.

What I love about I Am Legend was the Rashomon style ending that puts into question who the monster really is.

Matheson wrote a ton of great horror too (my preferred genre). Hell House is fantastic. Even his science fiction felt like horror much of the time.

[Blackhawk]

And I wanted stuff to read, because sometimes I just want to relax with a good book.

In that context, I don't object to the conditions at all. My book recommendation threads are full of qualifiers and conditions!

In the context of a thread which seemed to be an award for the best sci-fi, I objected to eliminating broad swathes of sci-fi because of a personal definition. It'd be like a thread, "Vote for the best PC RPG!", which then had a qualifier that anything with, say, level scaling or a predetermined ending doesn't qualify because it isn't a 'real' RPG.

[Hyena]

I know this is most likely going to get me shot here, but I tried so hard to like Slaughterhouse 5. I might not have been in the right frame of mind, I might have skipped a paragraph or a page that would have made it all fit together, or I might just not be intelligent enough to understand its greatness, but I just couldn't. I might try again some day, but I think I enjoy my novels a bit more...fluffy, perhaps.

[Ænima]

I'll add;

The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Hyperion - Dan Simmons

Are these two recommendations in any way similar?

I tried to read The Left Hand of Darkness a few times and just bounced hard off it every time. The dryness. So....dry.

You have bad taste in books, so you probably wouldn't like Hyperion.

Seriously though, I don't think they are that similar to each other.

Hyperion is a collection of related short stories, structured like the Cantebury Tales.
Left Hand of Darkness is the bone dry story of an envoy, sent to an alien world.

Hyperion is my favorite book, and I must clarify this. It is long, so in the US, it was split into two books. The first book is as described, a group of people on a voyage to Hyperion, telling their life stories with the goal of trying to figure out why they’ve all been put together. Each story is told in a different style (military, horror, noir, etc.) and each is compelling in its own way. I know a lot of people who stop after the first book though, and thought it was ok, but didn’t really understand the point. That’s because it’s just the setup for the actual story! The second book tells the story of what happens when they arrive at the destination. It doesn’t have the novelty storytelling of the first book, but is a mind- bending journey that is well worth the time investment.

[dbt1949]

Deathworld by Harry Harrison

[Archinerd]

I'll add;

The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
Hyperion - Dan Simmons

Are these two recommendations in any way similar?

I tried to read The Left Hand of Darkness a few times and just bounced hard off it every time. The dryness. So....dry.

You have bad taste in books, so you probably wouldn't like Hyperion.

Seriously though, I don't think they are that similar to each other.

Hyperion is a collection of related short stories, structured like the Cantebury Tales.
Left Hand of Darkness is the bone dry story of an envoy, sent to an alien world.

Hyperion is my favorite book, and I must clarify this. It is long, so in the US, it was split into two books. The first book is as described, a group of people on a voyage to Hyperion, telling their life stories with the goal of trying to figure out why they’ve all been put together. Each story is told in a different style (military, horror, noir, etc.) and each is compelling in its own way. I know a lot of people who stop after the first book though, and thought it was ok, but didn’t really understand the point. That’s because it’s just the setup for the actual story! The second book tells the story of what happens when they arrive at the destination. It doesn’t have the novelty storytelling of the first book, but is a mind- bending journey that is well worth the time investment.

I know I've read them (Hyperinon Cantos) all, but I need to re-read these I think.

[hitbyambulance]

I know this is most likely going to get me shot here, but I tried so hard to like Slaughterhouse 5. I might not have been in the right frame of mind, I might have skipped a paragraph or a page that would have made it all fit together, or I might just not be intelligent enough to understand its greatness, but I just couldn't. I might try again some day, but I think I enjoy my novels a bit more...fluffy, perhaps.

i do enjoy Vonnegut's approach - hard to describe, but is one of the books i hold up as an example of 'unrestrained by genre boundaries' and has a unique style that you won't mistake for any other author.

[Jeff V]

I found Lucifer's Hammer in a pile of free books left at a recycling center. It's an entertaining read, but I'm not sure it's "literary".
I bet somewhere in an alternate reality, they made a hit summer blockbuster based off this book instead of Armageddon and Deep Impact.

I read the paperback in college, mostly on the "L" going to school and finished the 800-page novel in a week. What I think is specifically great about it is the portrayal of the breakdown of society and the challenge those trying to preserve culture and normalcy in the face Darwinian "survival of the fittest." Cormac McCarthy's The Road is a derivative of this (but also excellent, and perhaps a worthy contender for this list).

Another Niven-Pournelle book, Inferno, is actually a modern take on the Dante classic. I wouldn't call it classic in of itself, but entertaining to be sure -- it's about a science fiction writer who falls out of a window, drunk after a sci-fi convention, and is guided through hell by Hermann Goering.

[Unagi]

I read this before the movie was made and I just totally loved it... I don’t think I saw it mentioned yet.

Jurassic Park