“If I want to start reading science fiction, where should I start?”

Tough question.

Science fiction encompasses a wide range of sub-genre, ranging from space opera to alternative reality, from military sf to time travel, from alien contact to apocalyptic thrillers.

So, here’s some of my recommendations:

Classic

• Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
• Isaac Asimov, I, Robot
• Robert Heinlein, The Door Into Summer
• Robert Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
• Andre Norton, Sargasso of Space
• Andre Norton, Beast Master’s Planet
• H. Beam Piper, Little Fuzzy

Alien Contact

• Eric Brown, Starship Summer
• Clifford D. Simak, Way Station

Alternative Worlds

• Eric Flint, 1632
• Steven Gould, Wildside
• C. Litka, A Summer in Amber

Apocalyptic

• Steven Konkoly, Perseid Collapse series
• Edward W. Robertson, The Breakers series

Dystopia

• Robert Ernest Kline, Ready Player One
• Cory Doctorow, Little Brother

Fantasy Mashup

• Valerie Gaumont, The Channel Rider series
• Anne McCaffrey, The Crystal Singer
• Anne McCaffrey, Dragonsong
• Anne McCaffrey, The White Dragon
• Marissa Meyer, Cinder

Futuristic/Hard/Gifted

• Robert J. Sawyer, WWW: Wake
• Andy Weir, The Martian
• Steven Gould, Jumper series
• Connie Willis, CrossTalk

Humorous

• Tom Andry, Bob Moore:  No Hero
• Dominic Green, Ant and Cleo series

Militaristic SF

• Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game
• David Drake, With the Lightnings
• Joe Haldeman, The Forever War
• Tanya Huff, Valor’s Choice
• Elizabeth Moon, The Serrano Legacy series
• Joel Shepherd, Crossover: A Cassandra Kreshnov novel
• David Weber, On Basilisk Station

Space Opera

• Lois McMaster Bujold, Vorkosigan series
• Ann Leckie, Ancillary Justice
• Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Agent of Change