As a massive Heinlein fan I’ll say Starship Troopers because I think that’s a fascinating discussion about what you owe your country or the price of citizenship. Since Heinlein is my favorite author I’ll pick another one as well.. A Scanner Darkly by Philip K Dick. I know he had drug issues and this book is an interesting look at the cycle of drugs and addiction and the ending was tragic but also very realistic. I like that the movie included his tribute at the end.
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Yeah. I don't get the hype for Consider Phlebas or Player of Games, Ian Banks has done genuine proper philosophical novels that are well worth reading.
Use of Weapons is stellar, essentially following the life of a sci-fi intelligence agent whose job it is to screw with less technically advanced civilisations. The whole thing is essentially arguing the prime directive isn't just an important moral position for the sake of the less advanced civs but that breaking it seriously hurts the MORE advanced civilisation too, as the protagonist utterly ruins himself playing god amongst various native cultures.
Or Hydrogen Sonata, which is one of the better arguments on the meaning of life I've seen. The Culture get ahold of a secret that disproves the religion of a fellow civilisation and spends a spy thriller internally arguing over whether or not to tell them.