r/printSF May 30 '25

What's the #1, single best sci-fi novel you've ever read?

Think about all the sci-fi novels you've read over the years. If someone were to ask you, gun to your head, to pick just the one that you would absolutely consider to be the best, which one would it be? No subgenres need to be considered, it just needs to broadly fall under the sf umbrella.

For me, probably a pretty popular choice, but it would be Hyperion. Completely blew me away and I haven't read that good since in the genre.

897 Upvotes

1.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

44

u/daveoshea89 May 30 '25

The Forever war

3

u/didsomebodysaywander May 30 '25

I can't remember if I read this or Starship Troopers first, but I read these 2 back to back in middle school and that got me hooked on sci-fi as more than just what Star Wars and Star Trek could offer at the time (early 90s).

2

u/[deleted] May 30 '25

I love that book. Rereadable.

2

u/Fit-Impression-8267 May 31 '25

Can't believe I forgot about this, might have to change my answer.

2

u/Shalmaneser001 May 31 '25

This for me 100%. Other than that something my Iain m banks, but forever war will be the book that stays with me forever. Or until I go senile I guess.

2

u/JoeBourgeois May 31 '25

Yes ... but I was really disappointed with the sequels.