Top Ten Science Fiction Books

The word "classic" is used a lot these days, especially in reference to books that are seen as the best in their field. But what if you're looking for the best science fiction books and don't know where to start? Here's my pick for the top 10 science fiction books of all time and why you should grab a copy next time you visit a bookstore or public library!

"The Time Machine," by H.G. Wells

Originally written in 1895, it single-handedly created the concept of time travel. An inventor builds a time machine and moves through time to find a future where two groups of survivors fight for domination on an Earth no longer familiar to him. Rewritten and adapted over the years into film and stage productions, this is still a great read and one of the best science fiction books!

"War of the Worlds," by H.G. Wells.

Many people may be more familiar with the Orson Welles' radio production of 1938 that terrified the American people, but this classic science fiction book was written in 1898 and has been made into a film twice, the most recent version updated to the present-day and starring Tom Cruise. Who can't love the original tale of Martians invading Earth?

"Fahrenheit 451," published in 1953 by Ray Bradbury

"Fahrenheit 451" gives us a future without books and where firemen literally set fires - to destroy all written matter in a world where censorship has run wild. A cautionary tale about government control makes this one of the must-read science fiction books!

"The Forever War," by Joe Haldeman and "Starship Troopers" by Robert A. Heinlein

Next on my list of classic science fiction books are two visions of the same military future - "The Forever War" by Joe Haldeman and "Starship Troopers" by Robert A. Heinlein. Both deal with soldiers taking part in an interstellar war and dealing with the problems of time dilation, but they are not as similar as one would think. In "The Forever War" the main character is a reluctant conscript pulled out of university to fight an alien foe and his subsequent missions drag him further and further away from his home as the years pass at different rates for him and his family.