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     So, recently I checked out book one of "The Departure" and I'm liking it so far. It's a science fiction and so that brings me to this topic among other reasons. What is your favorite science fiction and why? Even if you can't pick a favorite, why is it that you like a certain sci-fi so so much? Is it the freedom to experiment with mysteries of our universe? Is it the fantasy mixed with reality? Or a completely different reason? As writers, this may be sort of an important thing to try to figure out. What exactly do our readers want and what is sticking with them? 

Ready Player One is amazing.

What's that one about?

Shamelessly taken from readyplayerone.com

Synopsis @woodenwriter
At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, READY PLAYER ONE is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.
It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place. 
Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. 
And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.   
For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday’s riddles are based in the pop culture he loved—that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday’s icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes’s oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.
And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.
Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt—among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life—and love—in the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape. 
A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?

Roadside Picnic, because it's just so undescribably AWESOME! Read it. There's hardly a more unique book in the genre.

This should be in reading corner @berkazerka

Yep.

@BerkaZerka Oops! Sorry about that!

Dune by Frank Herbert. If you have to ask why it's my favorite, you don't deserve to know. :P 

It wasn't bad.

Well, I only really read one sci-fi book, so I guess Ender's Game.

From what I've been told, it's almost as annoying to read as the Silmarillion. XD

Tolkien's World from A to Z: The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth is even better.  I didn't want to read them individually, so I bought this one instead.  It's the only one I've read.  Still waiting for the movie.  xD

@Malkalack What's that book about?

Basically it's set in the future. (No shit!) 

Anyways, this empire is ruled by an Emperor, but there are these houses perpetually vying for his favor. Also, machines have been replaced with these guys called "Mentats" after a machine uprising. 

So there's also this valuable commodity called spice. And this one planet is the only one that can produce it, and it's this one house's monopoly. And they have this scheme to give another house it, to assassinate the leader of the other house. 

Then, house Atreides (the protagonist's family) forms pacts wit the local desert-dwellers... 

FUCK! This is almost as annoying as the Silmarillion. Great book, though. 

Not For Glory and Hero by Joel Rosenberg are favorites of mine, very good action-Sci-Fi. Farnham's Freehold is my favorite Heinlein book.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderaon is a good read, even though it kinda read like a blockbuster film.

I guess I'm more of a Sci-Fi than high-fantasy fan, maybe because science fiction allows you to incorporate realities from this world, and just mix it with some wacky theory you had and make a story with it. That way you can have some really interesting universes, all explained through technobabble. 

One thing that I really adore about sci-fi is when authors mix a realistic theory or theories into the book. Some of that stuff can be really chilling. 

I can't pick favorite, but this topic did make me think and realize that most sci-fi material I know of are adaption and/or non-literary works. My preference for sci-fi that is written so far are through short stories. I guess it's no wonder I am a fan of the works of Ray Bradbury, particularly his story, There Will Come Soft Rains. However, another one I did like was from Isaac Asimov, titled The Last Question. I have a feeling I have a preference for works created during the Cold War era. Although, this thread did remind me that I really need to check out Dune. My library finally has it on the shelf, last I checked.

As a genre, I think there's a lot that could be done with it. It's great for speculation, political commentary, exploring the human condition, or simply expanding the imagination with a reasonable grounding . Doing one of those three is when I think sci-fi is used best, albeit there are probably exceptions. Personally, I think it's worst used when it is treated like fantasy with a new set of paint.

Besides the stuff I write my most recent favorite is The Spartans Last March by JG Elliott.

One man goes out to set right the wrongs in a Post-Apocalyptic Sci Fi confrontation.
No BS, no holds barred adventure. While it's a bit rough around the edges I think it lends it a very working class feel.

Sometimes, you just can't beat a good adventure story. Vengeance/Justice as motivation is also intriguing. When I was looking t up and reading the reviews, looks like you were right about it being rough. Sounds like the book could have used more editing.

And speaking of adventure, I do remember another author I enjoyed reading in my childhood that was definitely sci-fi - Jules Verne.The man predicted several pieces of technology before they were invented. I greatly enjoyed 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.It made me not even realize Disney made their own adaption.

Jules Verne was awesome.

HG Wells > Verne

I enjoyed the Time Machine and War of the Worlds. Verne is just special to me because I read his work when I was younger, so it's also nostalgia.

Ancillary Justice. For reasons I'm not going to explain, because I think it's worth finding them out in context. 

Despite being a major fan of sci-fi movies and games, I've only read 2 sci-fi books: H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" and Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game". Now, I can't really decide between the two, as I love both dearly, but I have to choose, soooo...

And the winner is, drumroll please..... Ender's Game! In all honesty, the book truly gets deep with the plot. (Most of) The characters are memorable and it's sad that they aren't in Speaker for The Dead. (At least I think they aren't. I haven't read SFTD yet) I really hated the fuck up that was the Ender's Game movie, I mean, seriously, that movie was absolutely horrible, with unbelievable acting, a dumb-down in the plot, and Asa Butterfield's screaming made my ears bleed.

In all honesty, I didn't like The Time Machine because it's plot was less deep and the characters weren't as memorable. Plus the Morlocks give me nightmares... *Shutters at the thought of being ripped apart by Morlocks*