Sci-Fi

I'm doing a huge report on contemporary and classic science fiction, and I need some good sources.

Can anonymous recommend any must-read material?

I've already read the entire Dune series, king's Dark Tower series, Larry Niven's "Integral Trees", and Piers Anthony's "On A Pale Horse".

a space odyssey?

1984 (the future), Brave New World (the present), A Canticle for Leibowitz, The Man in the High Castle, 1st 3 Foundation books (an influence on Al-Quaeda apparently), Starship Troopers & The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (for the politics). I usually prefer sci-fi books that _aren't_ set in space or the far future and don't have alien characters.

neuromancer by william gibson
in fact, everything by william gibson

>>4
Seconded. Just finished The Difference Engine.

Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun" series.

ender's game

Su+DqIHk 2007-05-31 07:33 fuck enders game, unless you're 13 and immature but too aut-y to wait for the shitty bastardized movie, Gibson is good, recently read mievilles "embassytown" which was good if you're into the abstract take on language and totalitarian belief. I am convinced it is always better to read a collection of short stories like the locus award ones, cuz you get a bunch of wild fantasies instead of having to completely agree with Heinlein or whoever's worldview, or worse yet read "Foundation" like you wanna join the book club of shitty but influential shit

Slaughterhouse 5.

Also, The Time Machine (H.G. Wells)

Neuromancer, 1984, all Philip K. Dick, all Harlan Ellison.

after everything above said, Neal Stephenson