I roll this thread out about once a year to see what favorite novels pop up. And, you may go ahead and list series as one novel, because it'll happen even if I say not to do that. 
1. Dune by Frank Herbert
I actually watched the David Lynch movie about six months before I read the book. I don't know why I didn't immediately go out and buy the book when I first saw the movie, because I was pretty intrigued by the 1984 film. The novel lived up to my greatest expectations and then some. I'm not sure if I'll ever read another novel with such great characters and settings.
2. God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert
Dune Messiah and Children of Dune were both top notch novels, but God Emperor really took the Duniverse to a new level. I've actually read a lot of comments that GEoD is even better than the original novel, and I can even see the reasoning. The book is mostly talking except for a little action at the beginning and end, but the Herbert created characters make all the dialogue worthwhile.
3. Replay by Ken Grimwood
What if you lived your life over and over, but you had less time each lifespan? That's the basic gist of this amazing novel. I read it for the first time over Christmas and it's something I've recommended to just about everybody I've talked to since then. He has another novel called Elise that I want to read, but just can't seem to come up with $100 to pay for an edition of it.
4. The Dark Beyond the Stars by Frank M. Robinson
A very underrated novel about an amnesiac named Sparrow aboard a generational ship called The Astron. The crew is searching for a habitable world. The ship is approaching a starless void and the captain has to decide whether to cross it, knowing that they will never find a planet in their own lifetimes. I wish more people had read this one. I would really enjoy talking about it to ANYBODY. The thing should have won the Hugo and the Nebula.
5. Exultant by Stephen Baxter
The fifth novel written in the Xeelee Sequence, and the best. Pirius goes to war, disobeys orders, is sent back in time (a regular occurrence due to some physics that I don't really understand, and he and his past self are both punished.
6. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
A great blend of comedy and heart-breaking tragedy involving time travel, the black plague, and a plague in the present... well, the future. Highly deserving of all of its accolades.
7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
This might be an odd choice, but this is truly the HP novel I loved the most. I just though getting out of Hogwarts and into this safe house was a huge leap for the series, and I could hardly put the book down.
8. Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
Everyone either seems to love this one or hate it. I loved it. Don't really like a lot of military science fiction I've tried to read, but this one is great.
9. The Terror by Dan Simmons
A polar expedition gets stuck on the ice and the two ships - The Erebus and The Terror have to try and survive a harsh winter - which happens to include an over-sized creature that might be a polar bear.
10. Orion by Ben Bova
This was the first adult novel I ever read. Up until 6th grade I was stuck on Goosebumps and Animorphs books. I happened to come across a copy of Orion on my teacher's shelf. This is really where my love of science fiction began. The novel is about a demigod ho travels through time trying to stop another from ending humanity. I just reread it last month and it was almost as good as I remembered.
1. Dune by Frank Herbert
I actually watched the David Lynch movie about six months before I read the book. I don't know why I didn't immediately go out and buy the book when I first saw the movie, because I was pretty intrigued by the 1984 film. The novel lived up to my greatest expectations and then some. I'm not sure if I'll ever read another novel with such great characters and settings.
2. God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert
Dune Messiah and Children of Dune were both top notch novels, but God Emperor really took the Duniverse to a new level. I've actually read a lot of comments that GEoD is even better than the original novel, and I can even see the reasoning. The book is mostly talking except for a little action at the beginning and end, but the Herbert created characters make all the dialogue worthwhile.
3. Replay by Ken Grimwood
What if you lived your life over and over, but you had less time each lifespan? That's the basic gist of this amazing novel. I read it for the first time over Christmas and it's something I've recommended to just about everybody I've talked to since then. He has another novel called Elise that I want to read, but just can't seem to come up with $100 to pay for an edition of it.
4. The Dark Beyond the Stars by Frank M. Robinson
A very underrated novel about an amnesiac named Sparrow aboard a generational ship called The Astron. The crew is searching for a habitable world. The ship is approaching a starless void and the captain has to decide whether to cross it, knowing that they will never find a planet in their own lifetimes. I wish more people had read this one. I would really enjoy talking about it to ANYBODY. The thing should have won the Hugo and the Nebula.
5. Exultant by Stephen Baxter
The fifth novel written in the Xeelee Sequence, and the best. Pirius goes to war, disobeys orders, is sent back in time (a regular occurrence due to some physics that I don't really understand, and he and his past self are both punished.
6. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
A great blend of comedy and heart-breaking tragedy involving time travel, the black plague, and a plague in the present... well, the future. Highly deserving of all of its accolades.
7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
This might be an odd choice, but this is truly the HP novel I loved the most. I just though getting out of Hogwarts and into this safe house was a huge leap for the series, and I could hardly put the book down.
8. Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
Everyone either seems to love this one or hate it. I loved it. Don't really like a lot of military science fiction I've tried to read, but this one is great.
9. The Terror by Dan Simmons
A polar expedition gets stuck on the ice and the two ships - The Erebus and The Terror have to try and survive a harsh winter - which happens to include an over-sized creature that might be a polar bear.
10. Orion by Ben Bova
This was the first adult novel I ever read. Up until 6th grade I was stuck on Goosebumps and Animorphs books. I happened to come across a copy of Orion on my teacher's shelf. This is really where my love of science fiction began. The novel is about a demigod ho travels through time trying to stop another from ending humanity. I just reread it last month and it was almost as good as I remembered.
I think that's the fastest test I ever took.
