#4. DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? By Philip K Dick

Published : 1968
Pages : 210
Overall Mark : 9/10

War had left the Earth devastated, Through its ruins, bounty hunter Rick Deckard stalked, in search of the renegade replicants who were his prey. When he wasn't 'retiring' them, he dreamed of owning the ultimate status symbol - a live animal. Then Rick got his big assignment: to kill six Nexus-6 targets, for a huge reward. But things were never that simple, and Rick's life quickly turned into a nightmare kaleidoscope of subterfuge and deceit.

PHILIP K. DICK (1928-1982)
'One of the two or three most important figures in 20th century US SF' (The Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction). Born one of twins - his sister died in infancy - he lived most of his life in California, and wrote more than fifty books in a career of prodigious productivity and achievement. The films Blade Runner and Total Recall are both based on his stories.

VERDICT
This is possibly one of the most well known science fiction pieces ever written, and definitely Dick’s most widely read work. Famously made into Blade Runner by Ridley Scott in 1982, this is actually in many ways superior to the movie, concentrating more on the story as a sort of parable on race relations than an out and out action piece.

#3. CITIES IN FLIGHT By James Blish

Published : 1970
Pages : 607
Overall Mark : 6/10

James Blish's masterwork, originally published in four volumes, explores a future built on two crucial discoveries: antigravity devices - 'spindizzies' - which allow whole cities to be lifted from the Earth to become giant spaceships, and longevity drugs which enable their inhabitants to live for thousands of years. As Earth stagnates, one by one the cities depart to the stars, leading to the establishment of a unique Galactic empire.

JAMES BLISH (1921-1975)
An immensely influential SF writer and critic, Blish was one of the Futurians, a group of writers who also included Isaax Asimov and Frederik Pohl. Among his other notable books are The Seedling Stars, Black Easter, and the Hugo-winning A Case Of Conscience. Blish moved to England in 1969, and died in 1975 at the early age of 54.

VERDICT
This is an odd science fiction novel to say the least. It seems to come from a political stand point and gives a lot of information without actually telling the reader a whole lot. It feels a lot longer than its 600+ pages, but can be entertaining in parts. I’d skim read the first section if I were you, the remainder of the books are a vast improvement.

#2. I AM LEGEND By Richard Matheson

Published : 1954
Pages : 160
Overall Mark : 9/10

An SF novel about vampires...
Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth... but he is not alone. Every other man, woman and child on the planet has become a vampire, and they are hungry for Neville's blood. By day he is the hunter, stalking the undead through the ruins of civilisation. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for dawn. How long can one man survive like this?

RICHARD MATHESON (1926-)
I Am Legend, first published in 1954, is Richard Matheson's first SF novel and established his reputation. His other novels include The Incredible Shrinking Man and Hell House, and he has written many film and TV scripts.

VERDICT
I was surprised at how modern this book felt. Richard Matheson manages to make this book feel contemporary even by today’s standards and, as this is supposed to be set in the late 70s, that’s not an easy task! This novel has been imitated by many, most recently in Stephen King’s Cell, but will always remain one of the original and the best of the modern vampire novels, up there with the likes of Dracula!

#1. THE FOREVER WAR By Joe Haldeman

Published : 1974
Pages : 253
Overall Mark : 9/10

Private William Mandella is a reluctant hero in an interstellar war against an unknowable and unconqerable alien enemy, but his greatest test wil come when he returns home. Relativity means that for every few months' tour of duty centuries have passed on Earth, isolating the combatants even more from the world for whose future they are fighting.

JOE HALDERMAN (1943-)
The Forever War, published in 1974, won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novel and cemented Joe Haldeman's reputation as one of SF's major writers. His experiences in Vietnam, where he won a Purple Heart, influenced much of his writing.

VERDICT
This is a great novel, and I’m glad I picked it up. The characters are solid and believable, and the book flows beautifully from start to finish. Some people believe that this novel is based on Haldeman’s tour of duty in Vietnam, and the sense of not belonging that Mandella feels each time he returns to Earth, coupled with the idea of the government not even knowing anything much about their enemy, makes me believe that this could well be the case.