Reddit reviews The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1: 1929-1964

The anthology is The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1: 1929-1964 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765305372

A wonderful introduction to sci-fi.

The first story is The Microcosmic God by Theodore Sturgeon, and the third is A Martian Odyssey by Stanley Weinbaum.

I haven't read the 2nd one, but the collection is very likely to be The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol 1.

You could read novels, but I personally think you're going to get a better intro to SF and more enjoyment, and a better chance of finding "your thing" if you read short stories. You can then read the novels you know you'll enjoy. I love SF anthologies, not only because you get a collection of pre-selected awesome pieces, but also you get to sample a ton of different authors with different styles in the same number of pages as reading a novel would get you just a single story and a single author. Also, many consider the short story the ultimate and best form for science fiction.

I suggest anthologies that collect stories over multiple years instead of just "best of the year" collection. For obvious reasons, you get better stories. Here are the best I know of:

• The Locus Awards: Thirty Years of the Best in Science Fiction and Fantasy
  
• The Hard SF Renaissance (One or two stories from this will answer the question of whether you like Hard SF.)
  
• The Science Fiction Century
  
• Twenty-First Century Science Fiction (sort of a sequel to the previous one)
  
• Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume 1, 2a, and 2b (This is kind of a survey of historical SF, ranging from the '20s to the '60s.)
  
  So you could go historically starting with old stories and working your way more contemporary, in which case you'd start with SF Hall of Fame. But it might be a better idea to start with the most contemporary stuff and go backwards. In that case, you'd start with Locus Awards and start in the back of the book.
  
  In terms of specific authors, I would be amiss not to encourage you to read Ted Chiang. He has written only 13 short stories between 1992 and now, but he's won more awards for them than most SF authors do in their lifetime including the prestigious Nebula, Locus and Hugo awards, among others! READ. HIS. STORIES. He has an awesome anthology Stories of Your Life and Others plus you can buy his more recent stories on amazon.
  
  You should also read Greg Egan. And Enders Game if you somehow missed it. There's also the classic Arthur C. Clarke, either his short stories, or a novel like City and the Stars.
  

Yes, it is a book. Just about 400 pages in hardback. I've read so much science fiction that at this point it's become about finding newness despite the oldness of it all - sorry if that comes off sounding superior, or trite; I could never write a book!

I'm just a third of the way through, but I do recommend it. If you've ever read this collection: http://www.amazon.com/Science-Fiction-Hall-Fame-Vol/dp/0765305372 it's got a quality to it that reminds me somehow of some of these short stories. And fwiw that's truly an excellent anthology.

For example (not a spoiler), there's a scene that takes place during Mao's Cultural Revolution where a Physics professor is being forcefully, and publicly, interrogated by his students. It seems some of the theories he taught didn't match doctrine... But there's a point where the scenario is likened to parallel processing in a computer; that the same events are taking place across the city at the same time. It's quite effective the way he simply uses the term "parallel processing", and how it reflects the societal implications of how policy was (or is) implemented.

The style, backdrop, personalities, and overall care with the way the book was written are refreshing to say the least. You know how much of a standout Scalzi is in his writing? From this book I'd say Liu is just as distinctive.

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame will introduce you to a butt-ton of excellent sci-fi authors, as well as re-affirm your respect for those already know. If you're looking for something newer, look up who/what has won the Nebula/Hugo awards.

I bought The Science Fiction Hall of Fame for a friend of mine, and she loved it.

"The Most Dangerous Game," Richard Connell

"By the Waters of Babylon," Stephen Vincent Benet

"A Sound of Thunder," Ray Bradbury

My favorite collection is the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. It contains many of the best authors' best works from the formative years, and shows you what and who to look for. If you want weird, see "Mimsy were the Borogoves" by Lewis Padgett.

• "The Little Black Bag" by Cyril M. Kornbluth
  
• "Microcosmic God" by Theodore Sturgeon
  
• "Arena" by Fredric Brown
  ...
  In fact, Just buy this book.

Science Fiction Hall of Fame is a great read.

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One

Don't miss out on short fiction! :-) The nice thing about multi-author anthologies is, you discover which authors you will want to read and invest in more thoroughly:

• The Science Fiction Hall of Fame It's in three volumes. All are good, but this first volume is not to be missed.
  
• Women of Wonder, the Classic Years
  
• Dangerous Visions
  
• Women of Wonder, the Contemporary Years
  
  Here are some definitive single-author collections arranged approximately in the order the stories were written:
  
  
• I, Robot by Isaac Asimov (It's a collection of short stories which have nothing to do with the movie.)
  
• The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke
  
• The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
  
• Cities in Flight by James Blish
  
• The Philip K. Dick Reader
  
• Time Patrol by Poul Anderson
  
• Impossible Things and/or Fire Watch by Connie Willis
  
• The Dog Said Bow-Wow by Michael Swanwick
  

A Canticle For Leibowitz is remarkably deep, more in the spec-fic vein than sci-fi, but an undeniable classic nonetheless.

I've also really enjoyed the "Hall of Fame" short story collections. You really get a sense of the inspirations behind the genre.

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, edited by Robert Silverberg

Before the Golden Age, edited by Isaac Asimov

Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison

If you like The Twilight Zone you'll like Robert Sheckley

• A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge.
  
  
• Any of the following by Larry Niven: World of Ptaavs, Neutron Star, Protector. (I'm not recommending the Ringworld Trilogy because I consider that more of a commitment from a SF reader who is not a new initiate.)
  
  
• Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle — either of these two novels specifically: Lucifer's Hammer or The Mote in God's Eye. (In my humble opinion all their other collaborative works are inferior to these two.)
  
  
• Larry Niven's novel The Integral Trees and its sequel, The Smoke Ring. Both are excellent.
  
  All that said, the original Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov and Dune by Frank Herbert are absolute must-reads. So is The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. I, Theodore Sturgeon's More Than Human, A. E. Van Vogt's The Weapon Shops of Isher, and Isaac Asimov's The Gods Themselves. Pebble in the Sky and The Stars, Like Dust by Asimov are also compelling reads.
  
  Then there's Robert A. Heinlein: The Door into Summer; The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress; Revolt in 2100; The Past Through Tomorrow and its sequel, Time Enough for Love; all excellent reading.