Being a nerd is more than just wearing glasses and a Star Wars t shirt.  For most of us it starts with a burning love of the weird and fantastic in the form of science fiction and for older nerds such as myself that meant reading a ton of sci fi novels.  While it is true that these days we have a ton of nerd fixes in many different medias including TV, movies, web streaming, comic books, and podcasts the fact is to really get into the heart of science fiction you have to read some books.  Here are what I consider some of the best and a great place to build your science fiction foundation.

Use of Weapons - Iann M Banks - my all time favorite sci fi novel.  It really has one of the best character developments and reveals I have encountered in any literature. Kind of mind blowing. Borders on military sci fi but it's no Keith Laumer. Just be ready for lots of flashbacks. This is book in the Culture Series which alternates between brilliant and mind numbing. If you like it read Player of Games and Consider Phlebus.

Armor - John Steakley - another character novel that borders on military sci fi. It's like reading about Vietnam in space and kind of defines PTSD.

The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury - This is considered a primer for hard core sci fi fans but it steers clear of the military bent of the other two. This is the guy who wrote Fahrenheit 451 which you might have read in high school. If you like his style and want to branch out read Something Wicked This Way Comes. That one is more horror-ish than sci fi but great nevertheless.

Coldfire Trilogy (Black Sun Rising, Crown of Shadows, When True Night Falls) - C.S. Friedman - one of the few female sci fi writers I really love (along with Octavia Butler of course). This series dabbles more into fantasy than sci fi but has a sci fi twist. These are a dense read so maybe don't start with it.

The Bolo Series - Keith Laumer - hard core military sci fi with some great AI thoughts. Very masculine stories however.

I, Robot - Isaac Asimov - Asimov is pretty much the creator of robots in sci fi and this book was mind blowing. He wrote a whole series of books so if you like this one it would be a great place to get rolling. Asimov was also a biochemistry professor and when he wasn't writing sci fi wrote college textbooks. If you like I, Robot read the Foundation Trilogy.

Dread Empires Fall - Jon Williams - this is a three part series that I love because it is one of the few books that takes a very realist approach to space combat. It also has a weird political bent and realistic approach to alien interspecies relationships.

The Forever War - Joe Haldeman - Another Vietnam in space.  This novel deals with the issues of intergalactic war in a relavistic universe. Don't try to read any of his other books though.

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams - when you finish Use of Weapons and are throughly bummed out read this. It is just wacky fun.

American Gods - Neil Gaiman - just plain good. Not hard core sci fi but excellent. If you like this read Neverwhere and the Nancy Boys.

Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson - this book kind of revitalized the cyberpunk genre back in the early 90's. Very cool concepts especially relative to where we are with VR today. Also the first chapter is freaking awesome.

Neuromancer - William Gibson - If you liked Snow Crash read this one. Gibson invented the cyberpunk genre with this book although to be perfectly honest I always like his collection of short stories Burning Chrome a lot more.

Enders Game - Orson Scott Card - sigh. Everyone needs to read this book. It's good I guess but has been rewritten 6 times each time to match the current political climate. Don't waste your time with any of his sequels. Speaker for the Dead was awful.

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - you might have ready this in high school (or maybe not. Some of the implied child sexuality parts might not go over so well in high schools these days) but if not worth reading. Kind of Stranger in a Strange Land without the bizarre homophobia.

Starship Troopers - Robert A Heinlein - I recommend this one with some hesitation due to the fact that Heinlein uses it for a platform to espouse his political beliefs and he was a bit of a Nazi. Also the book is more than a little sexist in a Star Trek sort of way. That being said it was kind of ground breaking and if you have ever dreamed of being shot out of a giant cannon this is the book for you.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Phillip K Dick - save this one for once you are more into the genre. Dick comes up with brilliant concepts and is an absolute genius when it comes to book titles but his actual writing is dense and a bit of work to get through. I recommend this one because it was the novel the based Blade Runner on.

2001: A Space Odyssey - Arthur C. Clarke - if you have ever watched this movie tripping on acid or shrooms and later wondered "WTF was that actually about?" this book will help a lot.

War of the Worlds - H.G.Wells - the godfather of sci fi. This guy honestly lit the sci fi fuse. The story is very early 20th century writing style but cool nevertheless.

The Mote in God's Eye - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle - This one kind of defies description. Good read but dense.

The Road - Cormac McCarthy - the only way to describe this story is f*&^#@$ depressing. Do not read it if you are already in a bad mood or you will kill yourself. Of course it pales to insignificance compared to the movie they made from it.

I am Legend - Richard Matherson - the original zombie/vampire novel.