I wanted to do something different for my next top five post and I was thinking about what genres I could probably do but I thought why not take it one step further. So I thought I might focus more on the pulp sci-fi genre and take it a little further than that with the addition of psychological science fiction novels. So here is my list of the top five Science Fiction recommendations from the 1960’s.
5. Dune by Frank Herbert (1965)
Far in the future, two powerful families are locked in a bitter feud; this classic series is not only a great example of a space opera but this book has some interesting political aspects as well.
4. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (1962)
This fantastical world has elements of time travel, philosophy and religion. For a children’s book, this really has a whole load to offer and can be easy to read but complex to diagnose.
3. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein (1966)
I have nothing bad to say about this book; The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a sci-fi masterpiece. Without giving too much away this book has a strong political message but done in such a way that the story and climax is never effected.
2. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick (1962)
Of course there was always going to be a Philip K. Dick novel here, the man is the master of writing sci-fi that will keep you thinking well after the book has ended. This book will challenge your views on society by showing what life could be like if the war turned out differently.
1. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (1969)
The whole story just has too many layers to try to explain, this was a book that just grows on you. It really highlights the effects of war on the survivors and what could be considered schizophrenia.
I would love to know what others would recommend when it comes to 1960’s sci-fi or even just psychological science fiction.
I’ve got almost all these on my TBR (except #2 which I’ve never heard of). I’m a newbie to science fiction so I can’t recommend anything further, but I can’t wait to read some of these.
You should add The Man in the High Castle to your TBR too, Philip K Dick is just awesome.
Dune is one of my favorite books of all time. I love the way he weaves politics, economics, religion, and addiciton into one book. I’m not normally a SciFi fan, but I love his series.
It’s a great book, I haven’t continued the series
I re-read A Wrinkle In Time and enjoyed it more now than I had as a child. I love when that happens.
Yeah it’s always great
I absolutely love Dune – I think it is an absolute tour de force. I’ve only read 1 book by Philip K Dick (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) and found it disappointing but I’d like to give him another go and this one sounds interesting. I’ve never heard of number 3. It is not so much science-fiction, but A Clockwork Orange is one of my favourite works of speculative fiction, from 1962
I was a little disappointed by Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, but I recommend High Castle. Also The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, brilliant book (very political) I actually want to reread it now 😛
I’m a fan of Clockwork orange too