Hit me with your sci fi books starter pack

I second alot of these and wanted to add: octavia butlers work, especially the liliths brood series!

Iain Banks. All of his sci-fi books.

I recently saw an article about him on The Guardian that will be more eloquent than I can be.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jun/29/where-to-start-with-iain-banks

Just be aware that he wrote both fiction and sci-fi. Iain M Banks is how he signed his sci-if ones.