What's a good sci-fi book or short story I should read?

Slaughterhouse Five (Kurt Vonnegut)
Ishmael (Daniel Quinn)
Stranger in a Strange Land (Robert Heinlein)
Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse)

The Stephen R. Donaldson books, beginning with “The Illearth War” trilogy. The tales of Thomas Covenant.

>Siddhartha
>Science fiction
Oh boy.
Anyway, check out this list. Personally, Naked Lunch is the only scifi novel that I’ve actually enjoyed.
Disregard all other answers

Oh yeah, “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” is one of my favorite short stories. Highly recommended.

You could try The Maze Runner series by James Dashner or the Unwind series by Neil Shusterman.

I have never thought of Siddhartha as science fiction.

“Dhalgren” by Delany
“Stranger in a Strange Land” by Heinlein
The Myth Adventures by Aspirin

The Cave of Time. The first choose your own adventure book that I read.
The Crystal Cave… I don’t remember the story but It changed my life and creped me out.

Hrolf Kraki’s Saga by Anderson

It’s already been said, but I’m going to vouch for Slaughterhouse Five.
I just read it…it’s easily one of the best books I own.

Ringworld by Larry Niven

The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K LeGuin

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Dune by Frank Herbert

Have fun with these lists, there are some terrific suggestions in these posts!

I always recommend Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, about the colonization of Mars by humans fleeing from a troubled and eventually atomically devastated Earth, and the conflict between aboriginal Martians and the new colonists. The book lies somewhere between a short story collection and an episodic novel and is must-reading for any sci-fi lover, not only because it’s great sci-fi but because it’s such great writing.

Anything by Neal Stephenson.

Try the collection of short stories by Larry Niven in the “Neutron Star” anthology

The Phaze/Proton series by Piers Anthony

@FlyingWolf &
@Michael_Huntington
You really think Siddhartha, the story of Buddha is not Sci Fi. Really!

@Dan_Lyons are you saying all fiction is science fiction or maybe all fiction about a “higher power” is science fiction?

If it isn’t non fiction, then what else could it be @FlyingWolf?

@Dan_Lyons Science fiction requires… science. If you want to make your point about Buddha not being real or whatever, then call it fantasy or magical realism or some other form of fiction. But science fiction it’s not.

@Dan_Lyons Let’s cut to the chase: your beef is with my using the word “science” to describe elements that are not real science. Correct?

This is where the fiction part of the genre name comes into play.

@Dan_Lyons I have read Siddhartha and I would not consider it, even for a split second, science fiction. Fiction yes. Science fiction, no.

@Dan_Lyons What would you like me to see? Your question? Most people have read Siddhartha. I have read Siddhartha. It’s not science fiction. No… there’s no science in it, real or fictional.

Well, so you are both wrong. No problem here. Have a lovely day.

@Dan_Lyons Show us. We’re all listening.

@Dan_Lyons You are making a claim that Siddhartha is a science fiction novel. I am asking you to provide evidence to support this claim.

It’s not that complicated.

[Mod Says] Even though this is Social, there’s still such a thing as going too far off-topic. Flame off, folks, and try to stick to the question.

I’ve finished The Mote in God’s Eye, Stranger in a Strange Land, and I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream since you all put this list together for me. I’m sure I’ll make it through every title eventually. Just wanted to let you know I am actually reading them. haha~
Thank you for the great suggestions! Much appreciated!

If you liked Mote, Niven and Pournelle have a great apocalypse scenario, Lucifer’s Hammer. No zombies, and it’s a bit dated (copyright 1977) but it’s a fine re-imagining of the end of civilization.