Ubik by Philip K. Dick (it's hard to cherry pick his best work though, ask me a different day and I will choose The Three Stigmata or Do Androids Dream or something else)
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (simply a good story and a great background)
1984 by George Orwell.
What all these books share is the idea that sci-fi is about social, cultural and economic dynamics, not ships or time travel.
That is my definition of sci-fi: An on-going essay about the evolution of the dynamics of society, using exotic technology/science merely as a catalyst.
Runner up: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Could never finish (can't recommend):
- Neuromancer
- Cryptonomicon (Does the author feel entitled to mock the homosexuality of Alan Turing? Found that somewhat arrogant and in bad taste.)
Comments
I will pick more than 1:
Ubik by Philip K. Dick (it's hard to cherry pick his best work though, ask me a different day and I will choose The Three Stigmata or Do Androids Dream or something else)
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (simply a good story and a great background)
1984 by George Orwell.
What all these books share is the idea that sci-fi is about social, cultural and economic dynamics, not ships or time travel.
That is my definition of sci-fi: An on-going essay about the evolution of the dynamics of society, using exotic technology/science merely as a catalyst.
Runner up: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Could never finish (can't recommend): - Neuromancer - Cryptonomicon (Does the author feel entitled to mock the homosexuality of Alan Turing? Found that somewhat arrogant and in bad taste.)
Both Neuromancer and Cryptonomicon are about "social, cultural and economic dynamics", and they are very good books to boot.
Try as I might, I can't remember any mocking of Turing in the Cryptonomicon. I'm quite confident Neal Stephenson is not a homophobe.