I started reading Sci Fi in the early 60’s and it’s always been a favorite of mine. Yes, it has been eclipsed some by my love for thrillers from the likes of Don Bentley, Brad Taylor, Mark Greaney, Jack Carr, Andrews & Wilson, and others.
I might have also mentioned a time or two of my affinity for National Geographic. It was my tie into the real world when not reading Sci-Fi.
Let’s go from #5 to #1.
#5 – Starship Troopers by Heinlein. I was told to read it before attending the Army airborne aka jump school. An interesting story, okay the bugs are stupid, but within the story there are thoughts on team, unit culture, being called upon to lead, training, morality, and civic duty.
#4 – Foundation by Asimov. For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future—to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save humankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire—both scientists and scholars—and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.
#3 – A Brave New World by Huxley - Set in London in the year AD 2540 (632 A.F.—"After Ford"—in the book), the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation, and classical conditioning that combine profoundly to change society.
#2 – Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein - Raised by Martians on Mars, Valentine Michael Smith is a human who has never seen another member of his species. Sent to Earth, he is a stranger who must learn what it is to be a man. But his own beliefs and his powers far 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 forever...
#1 – Dune by Herbert - Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad'dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family—and would bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism, and politics.
I have read all six that Frank Herbert wrote and all the others that his son Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson penned through 2016. I just found out there is a newer The Caladan Triology that I need to read.
As a side note: I give the Dune 1984 movie 3 stars. I give the 2021 Dune Part 1 - 5 stars and the same with the recent Dune Part 2.