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Best Science Fiction

The Sprawl Trilogy by William Gibson       

This classic trilogy from William Gibson consists of Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive. The Hugo Award-, Nebula Award- and Philip K. Dick Award-winning Neuromancer remains one of the best sci-fi books ever written and the entire trilogy is worth a read, even if it’s the original that gets all the praise.

Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons               

This series by Dan Simmons consists of Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion and The Rise of Endymion. Truly one of the great works in science fiction history, the Hugo Award-winning Hyperion Cantos is an absolutely excellent story of extreme terror, character-building and wild-world-building that is almost without equal in the type. How we haven’t gotten a proper onscreen adaptation of this series yet, I have no idea, but perhaps it’s best left in its original, amazing book form.

Ender’s Game Quartet by Orson Scott Card         

Ender’s Game is often read in schools, but it has incredibly mature themes like isolation, loneliness, competition and fear, many of which are more relevant now than when Orson Scott Card first began the series in 1985. If you love Ender’s Game, it’s worth reading the whole series to follow the sci-fi adventures of Andrew “Ender” Wiggin: Ender’s Game, Ender in Exile, Xenocide and Children of the Mind.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson                

This is the only stand-alone book on this list, as the rest are all in a series, so if you don’t feel like investing in 300, 000 pages of content, Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash is for you. This book is the heir ( ¼Ì ³Ð ÈË) to Neuromancer’s throne and an absolutely excellent read from Stephenson. The author uses virtual reality as his setting, and the main character is a pizza deliveryman in one world and a warrior prince in another.

21. Which book won the most awards according to the text?

A. Neuromancer.                       B. Hyperion.                 C. Ender’s Game.                 D. Snow Crash.                   

22. What do we know about Ender’s Game Quartet?

A. It consists of three books.

B. It is popular among students.

C. It has been adapted into a film.

D. It focuses on children’s problems.                       

23. What is special about Snow Crash?

A. It’s the longest story.                           B. It’s about the solar system.

C. It’s not a series.                             D. It’s not a real story.