1) Downbelow Station by C. J. Cherryh

Twenty separate people would have different opinions about C.J. Cherryh's finest novel since her body of work is so vast. However, a Hugo Award and a Locus finalist make it difficult to refute. Thus, in our opinion, Downbelow Station is the best place to start. As humanity spreads out among the stars, Downbelow Station, set in Cherryh's Alliance-Union Universe, is the tale of corporate space exploration gone wrong.
Edited by Anshika Jain