The 'The Handmaid's Tale' is influential in a different way. It has made people think more deeply about social and political issues in the context of a possible future. It has also influenced the way we view dystopian literature and how it can be used as a warning about the direction our society could take if certain trends continue.
In my opinion, 'Stranger in a Strange Land' was very influential. Its ideas about different cultures and social norms challenged the readers' thinking at that time and had a long - lasting impact on the science - fiction genre.
Well, 'The War of the Worlds' by H.G. Wells is really important. It was one of the first to depict an alien invasion, which has influenced countless science fiction works since. 'Foundation' by Isaac Asimov is also a big one. His ideas about psychohistory and the long - term development of civilizations are very thought - provoking. And then there's 'Ender's Game' by Orson Scott Card, which looks at military strategy and the nature of leadership in a sci - fi context.
The 'Neuromancer' series had an impact in 2013 as well. It's a classic that was still relevant. It dives deep into the world of cyberspace and how it intersects with human consciousness. Its ideas about virtual reality and hacking were ahead of its time and still influenced the science fiction of 2013.
I'm not sure which ones are the most popular exactly, but 'Snow Crash' by Neal Stephenson is often highly regarded. It's set in a future where the world has been transformed by a new form of technology and virtual reality, and it has a really unique and engaging plot.
I'm not entirely sure which ones were the most popular, but 'Doomsday Book' was widely talked about. It had an interesting premise of time - traveling historians.
Another popular one could be 'The Uplift War'. It was part of a well - known series and had a lot of fans who were into the idea of the uplift concept, where lower species are 'uplifted' to sentience by higher ones. It had exciting battles and interesting alien species interactions.
Another popular one might be 'The Uplift War' by David Brin. It's part of a series and in 1989 it was attracting a lot of attention for its unique take on the evolution of intelligent species and the politics between them.
One of the most influential is 'I, Robot' by Isaac Asimov. His ideas about robotics and AI ethics through the three laws have been widely discussed and studied. Another is 'Neuromancer' which influenced a whole generation of cyberpunk and science fiction writers with its vision of a future dominated by AI and virtual reality. 'Snow Crash' is also very influential, especially in how it portrayed the impact of technology and AI on society and culture.
I think '2001: A Space Odyssey' by Arthur C. Clarke is very influential. It has inspired many movies and other works. 'Fahrenheit 451' by Ray Bradbury is also important as it warns about the dangers of censorship in a future society. And 'The War of the Worlds' by H.G. Wells is an early and very influential work about alien invasion.
One of the most influential is '2001: A Space Odyssey' by Arthur C. Clarke. Its vision of space exploration and artificial intelligence has had a huge impact on the genre. Another is 'Starship Troopers' by Robert A. Heinlein, which influenced many ideas about future warfare and military structure. And 'Foundation' by Isaac Asimov, with its concept of psychohistory predicting the future of civilizations.