Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Sci-Fi Novels

Good morning ya’ll! Time for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Today’s topic is kind of a freebie, where we get to pick our favorite books of any genre. I chose sci-fi because it seems like an under-appreciated genre, so today’s topic here is Top Ten Favorite Sci-Fi Novels.

Neanderthal Parallax #1

1. The Neanderthal Parallax trilogy by Robert J. Sawyer – This series was so, so, so good. It’s about the idea of a parallel universe in which Neanderthals are the dominant species and we had died out, and how travel between the two universes becomes possible. It really piqued my interest and has led me to search out more about the multi-universe theory and quantam mechanics.

2. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card – Trust me, this book is a classic for a reason. Ender is a sympathetic and likable character, in a messed up world where the military searches out kid geniuses to train for the war against the aliens. SUCH an awesome book.

3. The Postmortal by Drew Magary – What would happen if scientists developed a “Cure” for aging? No more death from old age, for starters. This is absolutely fascinating novel that explores what it would really mean for us individually and as a society if people really could live forever.

4. Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde – Set in a weird parallel world in which time travel is possible, extinct animals are cloned for pets, and where literature is taken VERY seriously, these books are quirky and fun while also encouraging you to imagine the possibilities if this really were our version of the world. I need to read book #4 soon.

5. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov – Seeing the move just won’t cut it. Asimov’s book does a super-awesome job at exploring the world of robotics and how it could affect us is robots really were that common and super-sophisticated. And since it seems like we’re kind of on our way there, this is a great eye-opener.

6. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula le Guin – One dude has dreams, and his dreams become reality. But what happens when an ambitious dream therapist with a god complex finds out and starts experimenting with it? Read it and find out.

7. Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne – Fantastic book about a small group of people who literally try to get to the center of the Earth and see what’s going on in there. I can see why Verne was such a popular author, especially with young boys. I’m looking forward to reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by him this year.

8. The Gate to Woman’s Country by Sheri S. Tepper - After a major apocalyse due to nuclear war, women band together and form a country where THEY are the rulers, and are intent on never letting such a horrible thing happen again. Definitely recommended if you want a nice batch of feminism and sci-fi.

9. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula le Guin – You can tell how awesome le Guin is just by the fact that I have her on here twice. In this novel she tackles the idea of gender by creating and envisioning a race on another planet where gender doesn’t exist. Fun thought to try to wrap your head around, and a really good book.

10. Serenity comics by Joss Whedon and …. – Just because if you’re a Firefly fan, these comics help a bit. They’re beautifully illustrated and give you a nice quick Firefly-fix if you’re missing it too much.

SO, those are my ten! Just coming with this list though makes me realize how much more sci-fi I want to read… I need to work on that. So do you have any favorite sci-fi novels?

~Sarah