sci-fi book list meme

[jaeclectic]

Below is a Science Fiction Book Club list of the most significant SF novels between 1953-2006.

The meme part of this works like so: Bold the ones you have read, strike through the ones you read and hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put a star next to the ones you love. Or do something more simple like just bolding the one's you've read, if that seems too complicated :)

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien *
2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
3. Dune, Frank Herbert *
4. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin *
5. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein *
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson
7. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick ?
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley *
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish ?
16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison ?
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
22. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman ?
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl ?
26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling *
27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson ?
29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin *
31. Little, Big, John Crowley
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny ?
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute
38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke ?
39. Ringworld, Larry Niven
40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys ?
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42. Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson *
44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner ?
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein ?
47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock ?
48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks ?
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford
50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer ?

Notes:

There are some on the list that I may have read many years ago, but I'm not sure. I marked those with a question mark, because this meme wasn't complicated *enough* for me! Specifically, it is hard for me to believe that I never read Starship Troopers, when I read so very very much Heinlein as a young impressionable child :) Similarly, I know I read various Moorcock, just not sure about Stormbringer specifically. Et cetera.

Unlike jgcr, I was relatively sparing about which I marked as "loved". However, I did give credit for ones that I utterly loved at the time I first read them, regardless of whether my heart has remained true (i.e. there are other Heinlein novels I remain very fond of, but Stranger has lost its initial appeal; similarly my sweet tooth for M Z Bradley in general is much diminished).

Also note that although I loathed the Thomas Covenant novels, I did in fact read all 6 of them. In fact, you don't see any italics, do you? I am nothing if not persistent. (Also, as noted in my comment on jgcr's post, there are other novels by Donaldson of which I am exceedingly fond. This seems important to emphasize, somehow.)

p.s. I was tempted to do a multi-star rating system for "liked", "loved", "utterly adored", but I restrained myself :)



via jgcr

Comments

[anaguma.livejournal.com]

I'll bite. Let me see if i can get this correct, format-wise:


1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien *
2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
3. Dune, Frank Herbert
4. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
5. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson *
7. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish
16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison *
19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
22. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman *
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl
26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling *
27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams *
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
31. Little, Big, John Crowley
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute
38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
39. Ringworld, Larry Niven
40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42. Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut *
43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson *
44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford
50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer


Hmm. After going over this, i've come to three conclusions:

1. I have some catching up to do. Some of these authors i've never even heard of.
2. No David Gerrold? What the fuck?
3. I must be the only person on the planet who thinks Terry Pratchett is a very not-funny, suck ass writer. Harlan Ellison, *below* Pratchett? Gimme a break.