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The Defining Science Fiction Books of the 1980s

There's a reason why 2011's Ready Player One enshrines the 1980s into the plot of a fantastic science fiction novel - the 1980s is to computer nerds what the 1960s had been to Baby Boomers. The MTV decade saw the world begin its shift from analog to digital, and life moved onto the net. Ender's Game and Neuromancer loom over the decade to become science fiction novels that would be taught in school. Kid's growing up in the 1970s with Apple IIs and Atari 2600s bought IBM PC and Macintosh computers and hooked up them up with CompuServe, The Well and GENIE, beginning the earliest webs of cyberspace. The geeks had inherited the Earth and science fiction was their sacred literature. Science fiction themes dominated computer games, and computer culture, artificial reality, and the techno-sphere reshaped the genre. It was hard to describe science fiction anymore because so many new writers were showing up with so many new ideas.
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The Arbor House Treasure of Great Science Fiction Short Novels (Robert Silverberg)
The Arbor House Treasure of Great Science Fiction Short Novels
Robert Silverberg
2
Beyond the Blue Event Horizon (Frederik Pohl)
Beyond the Blue Event Horizon
Frederik Pohl
3
Dragon's Egg
Dragon's Egg
4
The Gardens of Delight (Ian Watson)
The Gardens of Delight
Ian Watson
5
Lord Valentine's Castle
Lord Valentine's Castle
6
Mockingbird (Walter Tevis)
Mockingbird
Walter Tevis
7
The Number of the Beast
The Number of the Beast
8
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Douglas Adams)
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Douglas Adams
9
Riddley Walker
Riddley Walker
10
Roderick (John Sladek)
Roderick
John Sladek
11
The Shadow of the Torturer (Gene Wolfe)
The Shadow of the Torturer
Gene Wolfe
12
The Snow Queen
The Snow Queen
13
Sundiver (David Brin)
Sundiver
David Brin
14
Timescape (Gregory Benford)
Timescape
Gregory Benford
15
The Visitors (Clifford D. Simak)
The Visitors
Clifford D. Simak
16
Wild Seed
Wild Seed
17
Wizard (John Varley)
Wizard
John Varley
18
The Claw of the Conciliator
The Claw of the Conciliator
19
The Divine Invasion
The Divine Invasion
20
Downbelow Station
Downbelow Station
21
Dream Park
Dream Park
22
God Emperor of Dune (Frank Herbert)
God Emperor of Dune
Frank Herbert
23
Little Big
Little Big
24
The Many-Colored Land
The Many-Colored Land
25
Oath of Fealty (Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle)
Oath of Fealty
Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
26
Radix (A.A. Attanasio)
Radix
A.A. Attanasio
27
Sandkings
Sandkings
28
The Silver Metal Lover (Tanith Lee)
The Silver Metal Lover
Tanith Lee
29
VALIS
VALIS
30
Windhaven
Windhaven
31
2010
2010
32
The Compass Rose (Ursula K. Le Guin)
The Compass Rose
Ursula K. Le Guin
33
Courtship Rite
Courtship Rite
34
Crystal Singer
Crystal Singer
35
The Floating Gods (M. John Harrison)
The Floating Gods
M. John Harrison
36
Foundation's Edge (Isaac Asimov)
Foundation's Edge
Isaac Asimov
37
Friday (Robert Heinlein)
Friday
Robert Heinlein
38
Helliconia Spring (Brian Aldiss)
Helliconia Spring
Brian Aldiss
39
No Enemy but Time
No Enemy but Time
40
Psion (Joan D. Vinge)
Psion
Joan D. Vinge
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