I can see you have already been deluged in recommendations, but here are a few novels I liked, with notes:
Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement. One of the better-written books from one of my first favorite authors. Hal Clement is, in my opinion, the definitive writer of hard science fiction, the benchmark to which others should be compared. If possible, get a copy with the essay “Whirligig World” included (the volume Heavy Planet, for example).
Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling. Something of a science-fiction bildungsroman, and some of my favorite writing of all time. It’s surprisingly accurate as futurology, although that’s not a particularly important feature in a novel; more to the point, it’s got wonderful worldbuilding and characterization.
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge. Excellent epic science fiction. I don’t believe it is a classic in the way some others may have suggested, but I do believe it’s a good read.
A Woman of the Iron People by Eleanor Arnason. An excellent entry in the realm of anthropological science fiction, with beautiful characterization of both the human anthropologists and the population of aliens. (Worth comparing to Sheri S. Tepper, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Joan D. Vinge.)
I can see you have already been deluged in recommendations, but here are a few novels I liked, with notes:
Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement. One of the better-written books from one of my first favorite authors. Hal Clement is, in my opinion, the definitive writer of hard science fiction, the benchmark to which others should be compared. If possible, get a copy with the essay “Whirligig World” included (the volume Heavy Planet, for example).
Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling. Something of a science-fiction bildungsroman, and some of my favorite writing of all time. It’s surprisingly accurate as futurology, although that’s not a particularly important feature in a novel; more to the point, it’s got wonderful worldbuilding and characterization.
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge. Excellent epic science fiction. I don’t believe it is a classic in the way some others may have suggested, but I do believe it’s a good read.
A Woman of the Iron People by Eleanor Arnason. An excellent entry in the realm of anthropological science fiction, with beautiful characterization of both the human anthropologists and the population of aliens. (Worth comparing to Sheri S. Tepper, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Joan D. Vinge.)