The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

There are many discussions and debates about the greatest Sci-Fi novels ever written. But the greatest is a subjective opinion that can never be objectively measured. A better question would be: what are the most influential Sci-Fi novels ever written? This, too, can be subjective, but it can be measured. Influential in that they changed how authors and readers thought and expected in Sci-Fi novels. Influential in that they changed the direction of Sci-Fi novels. Given these criteria, I believe the following are the three most influential novels in science fiction.

The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov (1951-1953)

First published as a series of short stories and novellas from 1942 to 1950, and later in three novels between 1951 and 1953, the series was widely known for nearly thirty years as The Foundation Trilogy: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation. This series of novels explores the future history of the Galaxy, where humans have settled most of the habitable worlds and are governed by a galactic empire. It examines the establishment of a Foundation, the fall of the Galactic Empire, and the rise of another Galactic civilization that is not based on political power but on the science of “Psychohistory”.

This series of novels set a trend of combining an author's stories into an examination of a future history that spanned more than a single timeframe. This is a difference between stories and storytelling: in that individual stories are linked by a premise to form a storytelling experience. A trend that expanded and became a staple in Science Fiction.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein (1961)

Raised by Martians on Mars, Valentine Michael Smith is a human who has never seen another member of his species. Sent to Earth as a young adult, he is a stranger who must learn what it is to be a human. But his own beliefs and his powers exceed the limits of humankind, and as he teaches them about grokking and water-sharing, he also inspires a transformation that will alter Earth’s inhabitants.

This novel had a science-fiction foundation featuring Martians, Martian society, and beliefs, but it explored human society and beliefs from a Martian perspective through the eyes of Valentine Michael Smith. Therefore, the science in this fiction is mainly supplementary to the storytelling, and the novel helped set a trend toward more sociological commentary in science fiction. The book greatly influenced 1960s culture in various ways and was frequently referenced in the hippie counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s.

The Dune Trilogy by Frank Herbert (1965, 1969, 1976)

Dune, Dune Messiah, and Children of Dune are the first three books of a saga that deals with the Dune Galaxy. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction. Dune Messiah and Children of Dune carried the story forward to a conclusion that satisfied its fans. Additional novels followed, but they are not required reading to enjoy the Dune Trilogy.

This trilogy combined the political, scientific, ecological, and social fictional settings of science fiction into a cohesive whole. Set tens of thousands of years in the future, the saga chronicles an intergalactic human and transhuman civilization that has banned all "thinking machines", including computers, robots, and artificial intelligence. In their place, this civilization—which, for most of the narrative, is organized as a complex technofeudal polity called the Imperium—has developed advanced mental and physical disciplines and technologies that adhere to the ban on computers.

The richness, depth, and cohesion of the story's elements were groundbreaking in science fiction. All components needed to work together for the story to feel believable. This trilogy redefined science Fiction by elaborating on a more detailed background story and ensuring all elements are cohesive. The storytelling is engaging and compulsive, making it hard to put down these novels.

There has been a Dune movie, a television series (Dune and Children of Dune), and a movie series (Part One, Part Two, and Part Three) based upon this novel, but no film adaptation of this trilogy can do justice to the novels. Thus, if you enjoyed the film adaptations, you would do well to read the Dune Trilogy, as it fills in all the gaps that any film adaptation of a novel must contain to fit the time constraints of a film adaptation.

I, myself, have read this trilogy once in my adolescence, once in my thirties, and once in my fifties. And I am planning to reread this trilogy now that I am in my seventies. Each time I have read and reread this trilogy, I have gained additional insights that have made it even more meaningful to me (I suspect this is due to my bringing a more mature outlook on life to the rereads).

Consequently, The Foundation Series, Stranger in a Strange Land, and The Dune Trilogy are three science fiction works that both fans and non-fans of science fiction can enjoy.