What I’m shooting for are great writing and novels of ideas where understanding the science is secondary, or not necessary at all.

Here’s my go:

Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow.
If you are familiar with Cory Doctorow’s copyfight rants on BoingBoing.net, don’t let that put you off reading his fiction. He takes what seems like a writing exercise (”Alan’s father was a mountain, and his mother was a washing machine, he kept a roof over their heads and she kept their clothes clean.”) and weaves a wonderful tale of insiders, outsiders, and crazy family dynamics. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom is also very good (and a good read for non sci-fi readers) in the philosophical sci-fi vein.

Girl in Landscape by Jonathan Lethem
A sci-fi/western/coming-of-age story with strange, tiny giraffe-like creatures that give people the ability to spy on each other. Lethem is a great writer who nails the human emotions, which is what elevates a sci-fi novel from pulp status. When I tried to get the Hip Wife to read it, she asked, “Does it have a girl like me in it,” and I said “Actually, yes.” Which is what sold her. I’ve also read Amnesia Moon, which is also great and trippy as hell.

Memoirs Found in a Bathtub by Stanislaw Lem
A Kafkaesque near-future, where a dutiful agent seeks his mission in “The Building.” The story loops back on itself in an astounding way, and had the sort of impact on my young mind that 2001: A Space Odyssey did—very mysterious and memorable. I’d pick this or The Futurological Congress over Fiasco as a book for the non sci-fi reader.

Flash Forward by Robert J. Sawyer
A philosophical sci-fi novel that explores free-will-non-determinism vs. determinism. It’s marred by a tacked-on plot to blow up a particle collider, but not too badly (marred that is). It’s a unique time-travel story.

Contact by Carl Sagan
Now an incredible motion picture! Actually, I thought the movie was pretty good, and maybe a better than the book in a strictly story telling sense. However, the book is more interesting on the philosophical level.