I have not read all of these books, but I have read most of them. I feel that the author's criticisms of "Starship Troopers" are offset by the book's amazing power and drive. The satiric movie adaptation is fun but does not capture the philosophical depth of this great book. It is one of Heinlein's best novels. Probably more appealing to male readers. Niven's "Ringworld" is his best novel and I have recommended it to many people, all of whom have come back to me praising it. It is helpful to have read some of Niven's short stories in his "known space" series beforehand, but not essential. I read "Ringworld" first and that led me to see what else the young, brilliant Niven had written. His later works and collaborations with Jerry Pournelle are not as groundbreaking, but "Lucifer's Hammer" and "Footfall" and "Inferno" are worth reading. He never got better after these novels. As far as Vonnegut's "Slaughter House Five" it is his best novel and a masterpiece in his eccentric style. This man actually was a POW who had to remove dead bodies from the rubble of Dresden in WW II. It is a unique treatment that shows how one man kept his sanity through humor, told years later in his zany style that he perfected in other Sci-fi or pseudo-Sci-fi novels. It is his last great book (IMHO) although "Breakfast of Champions" is funny and worth reading.