MySciFiList.com - ranking science fiction books

A Wrinkle In Time
by Madeleine L'Engle, 1962

I first read A Wrinkle In Time when I was in sixth grade. I must give it credit for being a simple read that can pique young readers' interest in science fiction; however, after reading it again, I really wasn't impressed.

Earth
by David Brin (1990)

I did not enjoy reading Earth. In fact, I didn't even read the second half of the book. It was not very entertaining, it was slow, and I got sick of all the extreme environmentalist predictions.

Lately I've had some discussions with a coworker regarding what falls into the science fiction genre. The book that we disagreed on was The Hunger Games, which I definitely think is sci fi.

In short, I think sci fi usually has one or more of these characteristics:

• It takes place in the future.
• It contains technology beyond what we are currently capable of.
• There are aliens.
• It takes place in space.

Double Star (1956)
by Robert Heinlein

I came across Double Star while perusing the fiction section at the local library. Since it is written by Robert Heinlein, a great sci fi writer, I picked it up. Then I noticed that it received the Hugo Award. Although I'd never heard of it, I figured that it must be a decent sci fi novel.

Have Spacesuit - Will Travel (1958)
Robert A. Heinlein

You can't judge a book by it's title (or cover), and while the title of this book did not particularly make me want to read it, Have Spacesuit - Will Travel is fitting. The title is somewhat quirky and unusual for a science fiction novel, but the novel is somewhat quirky and a bit different than most of the sci fi I've read.

The Hunger Games (2008)
by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games is classified as a "young adult" book, so you won't find it in the science fiction / fantasy section of most book stores. It's written from the viewpoint of Katniss, a teenager living in the post-apocalyptic United States.

It's ranked high on my sci fi list for a couple reasons:

A War of Gifts: An Ender's Story (2007)
by Orson Scott Card

I didn't know that this addition to the Ender's Game series even existed until I ran into at the library; it's the tenth book in the series. After finding it, I picked the book up and took it on a business trip I was going on. It's certainly a "story." It's longer than a typical short story and shorter than most novels. It revolves around a boy that goes to Battle School at the same time that Ender is there. The story follows the interactions of the boys at Battle School as it relates to one particular boy.

I'm surprised at how much I liked reading Way Station. The first hundred pages or so were actually a bit slow for me, but I was intrigued by the story.

I love reading science fiction. During my Freshman and Sophomore years in high school I thought I hated to read. The problem was that I hadn't read many things that I really enjoyed. Then during my Junior year I picked up 1984. It's not the best book I've read to date, but I enjoyed it and I realized that reading was enjoyable if the content was good. After reading 1984, I picked up Dune, which to this day stands as my favorite book.