Dorsai!

This is an important book in the sub-genre of military fiction, and the first published novel in what ended up as a kind of future-history known as the 'Childe Cycle', proving yet again that future-history creation seems to be like an occupational disease among a lot of SF writers. The eponymous Dorsai inhabit a resource-poor planet and earn their foreign income by providing other worlds with high-quality mercenaries. (Talk about planetary specialization!) The novel follows Donal Graeme, who is a kind of super-dude, with major earning potential. His career is close to meteoric as he breezes through subsequent engagements. And there's a good reason for that, because Donal is not just a good soldier, but possesses other talents as well. Why it's at this place on the list: Hugo nominated in 1960, but losing out to Starship Troopers, this novel and its prequels and sequels are a major contribution to the military SF subgenre. Dickson is a great storyteller and the novel is a quick and easy read, as are the others. Still, I liked this one best, as is so often the case with novels that have before-and-afters attached to them. Read if you like: Military SF.