(1989) Over the ages, a handful of humans are born immortal. In an ambitious work, Anderson tells their stories, from ancient times through today and on to the stars.

(2003) In this tour de force, Baxter tells the story of human evolution through the eyes of our ancestors. Short vignettes describe the life of various progenitors at crucial stages in our development, including a future history of our descendants.

(1986) Struggling for survival in an alien war, humankind trains its brightest children to become military tacticians. Ender is the best of these, and Card tells the story of his training and its aftermath. An excellent read. The first of 8 books, Ender’s Game won both the Hugo & Nebula Awards for best novel.

(1989) Cyteen is one of many books set in Cherryh’s Alliance/Union universe (including Chanur, listed above), and is one of two to win the Hugo Award, the other being “Downbelow Station” (1982). On a regimented planet, a scientist is duplicated when her predecessor is murdered. Wonderful, detailed world building.

(1953) An early masterpiece. An alien race, the Overlords, suddenly appear in the skies over Earth. They seem benevolent, but what is their real intent?

(1956) In the distant future, all humanity lives in a single domed city on Earth. Legend says they once roamed the stars, until pushed back by the Invaders. Dissatisfied with this static utopia, one man sets out to discover the true story of what happened to the human race.

(1983) Earth tries to fend off an invasion by an alien ecological chain, the Chtorr. Fast paced and full of action, it is considered the best book in the Chtorr series.

(1962) One of the most revered books in science fiction. The first manned mission to Mars fails, leaving only a single child alive. Raised by Martians, the man eventually returns to Earth, where he encounters human society and values through the eyes of an innocent. Winner of the Hugo Award.

(1977) In the near future, the skeleton of a 50,000 year old astronaut in a spacesuit is found on the Moon. Who was he? And how could he possibly have been there? A great scientific detective story, and the first of five books in the “Giant” series.

(1970) Ringworld is one of many stories set in Niven’s “Known Space” universe. An expedition discovers a Dyson Ring, an enormous strip encircling a star. The inner surface of the strip is covered with terrain, water, air, vegetation… but what happened to the inhabitants? Winner of the Hugo and Nebula award for best novel.

(1984) No, he’s not the President from “24,” he’s a sci fi writer. Emergence tells the story of a precocious 12 year old girl who is one of the few survivors of a bionuclear war. It is written in a journal / stream of consciousness style, which works surprisingly well.

(1985) The movie was good; the book is better. The SETI program finally detects a signal from an alien civilization. Embedded in the signal are plans for a machine that will transport a crew of five across space to make contact. Sagan, an acclaimed astronomer, addresses questions about the nature of science and faith in his only work of science fiction.

(1937) Smith has been called “the father of Space Opera. Heroic and incorruptible, the select members of the Galactic Patrol are given a tool, called a Lens, that gives them enhanced mental powers, including telepathy. They then fight the power-hungry Eddorians, who are invading the Milky Way. It’s golden age action pulp at its finest.

(1992) One of Vinge’s two Hugo-winning books in his “Zones of Thought” universe. Archaeologists investigating an ancient library unleash a malevolent power, the Blight. Refugees land on a planet inhabited by dog-like creatures called Tines that use sound waves to merge their minds. The humans must survive a war between the Tines before confronting the Blight. Highly inventive and original.