10 Early Works Every SciFi Fan Should Read

Personally, I've only read the last 3 books on this list (when I was a teenager) and they blew my mind, none the less this list seems well thought out. I've always been a huge H.G. Wells fan, in my opinion, they have (unfortunately) bastardized his work through Hollywood films. But the original novels were decades ahead of their time!

Original Article Source: OnlineClasses.org

Science-fiction as a cohesive "umbrella" genre encompassing a broad spectrum of subject matter only emerged within the past couple of centuries. But literature aficionados and students alike know that the rich, highly imaginative classic and contemporary works root themselves in much earlier narratives. Connoisseurs of the speculative who are pining to learn as much as they can about the ancient history of such stories would do well to sample some of the following. All of them contain (if not outright created) the components many science-fiction fans think of as familiar, comfortable these days. They’re all an excellent start to historical inquiries, though by no means the only reads to explore!

1. Ramayana (5th to 4th Century BCE) attributed to Valmiki: One of Hinduism’s most beloved epic poems — not to mention an incredibly influential religious text — contains a wealth of proto-science-fiction goodness. The most notable example comes with the wondrous flying contraptions known as Vimana. Found in ancient Sanskrit works beyond the Ramayana, they fueled the imaginations of ancient astronaut conspiracy theorists with their depictions of gods in resplendent chariots. These vehicles took their riders into the ocean’s most treacherous depths and the furthest reaches of the cosmos, both of which later became science fiction staples. Along with, of course, the technology opening up such realms to a curious humanity.
   
2. True History (2nd Century) by Lucien: Some scholars consider this Greek-Syrian text the first known work of science fiction, rather than a narrative with certain now-familiar tropes. Lucien intended True History to serve as a satire of historical documents touting the veracity of mythological and fantastic events. Among these humorous journeys include extraterrestrial visitors, interplanetary battles and space travel. Hercules and Dionysus, for example, traveled to the moon and found themselves amongst a war for the Morning Star. The author infuses fantasy components into the narrative as well, anticipating at least two genres along with perpetuating satire and parody traditions.
   
3. Urashima Taro (8th Century) by Unknown: Time travel has become one of the archetypical science-fiction narratives, and this traditional Japanese tale solidified its place in the literary field. When a humble fisherman by the name of Urashima Taro rescues a small, helpless turtle, the Dragon God Ryujin rewards him with a 3-day visit to his resplendent palace. But when the man returns to his own world, he discovers he has flung unwittingly flung himself 300 years into the future. Many interpretations of this story exist, of course, with the earliest recorded manuscript dating back to the 8th Century.
   
4. One Thousand and One Nights (9th Century) by Various: Not every short story from One Thousand and One Nights contains science fiction elements, though some undeniably do. Pulling from Indian, Persian, Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Islamic lore, its adventuresome content with plenty of comfortable, familiar fantasy and sci-fi narrative devices continue to delight today’s audiences. One of the most notable stories, "Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman," involves a man granted the ability to breathe underwater, where he encounters a utopian, collectivist society of merfolk. Some of the other narratives involve automatons, cosmic travels, mummies, brass traveling machines and plenty more beloved flights of fantasy and science fiction.
   
5. Taketori Monogatari (10th Century) by Unknown: Sometimes known as "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter," "The Tale of the Bamboo-Hewer" and "Princess Kaguya," this Japanese folktale may not be an explicit work of science-fiction. But it still offers up some tropes very familiar to fans of the genre all the same. Princess Kaguya enters the world within a stalk of glowing bamboo, informing a childless farm couple that she comes from the Capital of the Moon. They adopt her, and the young girl’s beauty causes problems for her earthly family — not to mention the crippling homesickness.
   
6. The Book of Fadil ibn Natiq (1268-1277) by Ibn al-Nafis: Also referred to as Theologus Autodidactus in Latin, Ibn al-Nafis’ seminal work is considered one of the first explicitly religious novels ever written. Kamil, the story’s protagonist, bursts into existence through abiogenesis at the beginning. A relatively realistic fusion of adventure and bildungsroman follows, but the narrative’s conclusion features a devastating apocalypse straight out of science-fiction. Throughout the entire book, the author expresses his philosophies of natural history and science, theology, sociology, psychology and plenty other academic and intellectual subjects.
   
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   Utopia (1516) by Thomas More: Without Utopia, the literary world wouldn’t have utopian settings. And without utopian settings, there would be no dystopian counterparts. Playing off humanity’s collective ideals and paranoias, these sci-fi subgenres depict the extreme ends of human cooperation or despair — if not both at the same time! Unsurprisingly, Sir Thomas More’s highly influential, philosophical novel looks into the highest echelons of human productivity and collectiveness. In the eponymous land, citizens live in harmony and equality with each other, with no tiffs over religion or societal role or who pays for healthcare (here, it is the state). While they possess a military, it is for self-defense rather than conquest. Some of the ideas presented therein are tied to the time period, such as women forced to confess sins to their husbands on a monthly basis, but others are considered very progressive and liberal even today.
   
8. Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley: This essential work combines horror, fantasy and — of course — science-fiction for one of literature’s most compelling and terrifying existential inquiries. While Frankenstein has found itself bowdlerized and bastardized over the centuries, the original featured a well-spoken, intelligent monster capable of rational thought and action. In many ways, the true demon of the story was Dr. Frankenstein himself, who abused the brains and technologies at his disposal to create an ethically questionable, bizarre organic being.
   
9. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1869) by Jules Verne: Even today, the Nautilus is one of the most memorable vessels in literature — and not just in the science-fiction genre. Iconic Captain Nemo travels the seven seas attacking military vessels, and the American ship Abraham Lincoln pursues it. Until his masquerade is finally shattered, the general public accepts the accidents as a narwhal’s doing. Author Jules Verne anticipated the military application of submarines, basing the Nautilus on his inquiries into the then-nascent technology.
   
10. The Time Machine (1895) by H.G. Wells: Like Jules Verne and Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells lay a sturdy foundation for contemporary science-fiction authors. As with Verne, most of his scientific romances could’ve easily made this list, but The Time Machine left what is quite possibly the most visible legacy. Even those who never picked up the book may still know the tragic tale of a time traveler and his adventures amongst the Eloi and Morlocks, even if it’s just because of the massive impact it left on the later steampunk movement.