Ask HN: Favourite sci-fi books?

I have strong opinions about this. My criteria for a book being science fiction and not fantasy is that is must be based on scientific thinking. The author must have done some work to determine whether whats happening in his book is at least plausible according to real science, and then work out the details of how it would actually function. So I regard most "science fiction" books and almost all "science fiction" films as really being fantasy. Essentially they are works of fantasy or dramatic fiction re-skinned with lasers and aliens instead of magic and goblins (to a great or lesser extent).

So dune is a great book but it is 90% fantasy, there is only a little bit of research done by the author on desert ecosystems.

My favourite real science fiction author is Arthur C clarke. some good books by him...

earthlight

the fountains of paradise

islands in the sky

the sands of mars

rama

songs of distant earth

Also would recommend accelerando by Charles Stross and the mars series by Kim Stanley Robinson

Incandescence (and Diaspora) by Greg Egan. After you read those all other SF seems ordinary and conservative in terms of ideas. Just for cultural reference it's also good to read Vernor Vinge's “A Fire Upon the Deep”. It's more for adventure than ideas. And then there is the great story about mind amplification: Ted Chiang's “Understand”.

Anything by Greg Egan.

Salt by Adam Roberts, but also his other books.

Dune, 1984 for me, let me know which ones im missing out on