I found this list of the top 50 science fiction and fantasy books meme (according to the Science Fiction Book Club apparently). So I thought I’d join in. Bold is read and Italic is Reading.
Sorry for the fubarred footnotes, but I can’t be bothered with CSS just now.
- The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien :”(I loved Lord of the Rings. Came to it quite late, but having spent all my youth in RPG, it felt like coming home.)”:
- The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
- Dune, Frank Herbert :”(I love most parts of Dune, though I never got around to reading the rest of the series. Why hasn’t anyone made a serious stab at making this into a movie franchise lately?)”:
- Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein :”(Currently listening to this on Audiobook. I hate Audible’s poor sound quality. I hate Apple for using Audible for their audiobooks on iTunes.)”:
- A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
- Neuromancer, William Gibson :”(The rastafari part in space sucks. Otherwise it’s up there. The language is unmatched.)”:
- Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick :”(Though not comparable, the film is better. That said, the book is a masterpiece.)”:
- The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
- Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury :”(Again, listening to this as an audiobook.)”:
- The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
- A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
- The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
- Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
- Cities in Flight, James Blish
- The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
- Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
- Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
- The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
- Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
- Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
- Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card :”(I liked this, though I’ve always found Orson Scott Card’s language to be a bit stiff…)”:
- The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
- The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
- Gateway, Frederik Pohl
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams :”(Funniest. Thing. Ever.)”:
- I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
- Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
- The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
- Little, Big, John Crowley
- Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
- The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
- Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
- More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
- The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
- On the Beach, Nevil Shute
- Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke :”(I loved this. That it was short was probably the best part, which is an odd thing to say. But really too many scifi books don’t know their own limits.)”:
- Ringworld, Larry Niven :”(Stiff and unweildy. I’m still trying to finish this audiobook, but it’s hard, as I’m bored most of the time.)”:
- Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
- The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien :”(Unbridled masterpiece. Lord of the Rings is a kids story next to this.)”:
- Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
- Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson :”(Bubblegum craziness. Almost too dumb for its own good, but it makes up for it with its energy. A bit on the long side, but then that’s Neal for you.)”:
- Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
- The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
- Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein :”(Way way too ‘military is good, yes’ for me. But well-written otherwise, and short, which I love. Funny how the movie comes at the subject from the exact opposite direction, politically)”:
- Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
- The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks2
- Timescape, Gregory Benford
- To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer
PS: Please tell us if any of these books are fantasy, and not science fiction. It’s very interesting.
The Dune and Children of Dune wre pretty good.
I like the novels, though I haven’t read the entire series for about a decade. I guess I should re-read it all some time.
I can also recommend The White Plague by Frank Herbert.
I don’t really get how the Shannara books are on that list, though. That if anything feels like bog-standard fantasy squeezed out by the author until it stops being profitable. (I’m looking at you too, Robert Jordan.)
The first 3 Dune books were really good, with their publication order also being their ranking of “goodness.” I stopped midway through 5 – they just strayed too far from the path. The Sci-Fi channel’s versions of Dune & the combined movie of books 2 & 3 were pretty good. I can’t even watch the 1980s version of Dune, though, because I enjoyed the SciFi version so much more.
Pretty excellent list, I’ve read almost all of them. I highly recommend A Canticle for Leibowitz, Dragonflight, The Forever War, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, The Left Hand of Darkness, and To Your Scattered Bodies Go. And yes, Lord of the Rings is magnificent :-)
Eh, managed to mess up my first comment. I was referring to the SciFi mini-series, which both are quite excellent and I really should go buy and put in the movie shelf.
I do disagree with “The Colour of Magic” being on that list though. While I do love Pratchett, that was his first Discworld book, and it shows. A few books in and he’s improved a lot.
You cannot forget the “His Dark Materials” trilogy by Philip Pullman, that should be at the top.
A good list, I’ve read quite a few of them. Very pleased to see “Stranger in a Strange Land” ranking high, it’s quite possibly my favorite book. I strongly suggest reading it for yourself rather than listening to the audio version. (Especially one of such poor quality.)
Everyone should take the time to read Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination is one of the best books I have ever read. I’m glad to see two of his books on the list.
The books that I would consider the top 2 in my reading list are the top 2 here too. The Foundation Trilogy has been a favorite since I was a wee lad. Someone needs to make a good movie out of it or a TV show.
I am pleasantly surprised to see Pratchett and Gene Wolfe up there.
Strangely enough, I’ve never been able to get into Le Guin.
Rendezvous with Rama should be MUUUCH higher.
I’ve read 10 from that list (although I didn’t get all the way through the Foundation Trilogy).
I second Charles – read Stranger… rather than listen to it. And then read everything else by Heinlein. ;)
That list is pitifully incomplete without ‘The Moon is a Harsh Mistress’ by Robert Heinlein. How the very best offering from a multiple-Hugo-award winning author wouldn’t be on the list is simply baffling.
Sad, sad, sad to note that Sagan’s CONTACT was left off of this list.
This sucks. Where’s 2001?
I’m reading Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy right now, so far I’m very very very impressed (this is really my first experience of proper SciFi.
Why not add all the works of Stephen king and call them Sci-Fi? Apparently someone needs to learn what the term Science Fiction means.
Fantasy vs. Sci Fi – got a point,
Whilst the the top 50 has some great books there is a clear distinction between the two genres, and whilst Robert Jordan has some critics, who can deny a truly classic episode of books?
Fantasy IS NOT Scifi. The Lord of the Rings although some of my personal favorites, is first of all a trilogy and secondly NOT SCIENCE FICTION. Neither are The Colour of Magic, Dragonflight, Harry Potter, Interview with the Vampire, and others. These are Fantasy and Horror.
There are also classics missing from the list. All in all, the list shows a lack of knowledge, a lack of reading, and a lack of understanding.
Chill dude, it’s a list…
As for 2001, I honestly found the book to be ‘meh’. The movie only works because of the visual and sound experience, not because of the story. And let’s face it, I love Clarke as much as the next guy, but he isn’t exactly Gibsonesque in his writing.
Ender’s game is one of the best books I’ve ever read. The first three books in that series are wicked. Speaker for the Dead is smashing followup to Ender’s Game. Can’t wait for the film to finally get off the ground.
[quote comment=“102981”]Fantasy IS NOT Scifi. The Lord of the Rings although some of my personal favorites, is first of all a trilogy and secondly NOT SCIENCE FICTION. Neither are The Colour of Magic, Dragonflight, Harry Potter, Interview with the Vampire, and others. These are Fantasy and Horror.[/quote]
Just wanted to point out that The Lord of the Rings is a SINGLE novel published in 3 volumes, which are further divided into 2 books each. To quote to wikipedia: “It was originally published in three volumes in 1954 and 1955 (much to Tolkien’s annoyance, since he had intended it to be a single volume)”
And yes, I realize this is a really nitpicky, it’s just one of my all-time favorites. You could make an argument that Dragonflight is, in fact, science fiction, since it deals with human colonists on another world. As for Harry Potter, Interview, etc., yes, those are definitely fantasy novels.
Pretty good list but I’d hardly call “Harry Potter” sci-fi :) (and that’s putting it mildly)
And only one Philip K.Dick book? Come on! “A scanner Darkly”, “Ubik”, “ The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch” etc…, etc…
1 1 Frank Herbert Dune [S1] 1965
2 2 Orson Scott Card Ender’s Game [S1] 1985
3 3 Isaac Asimov Foundation [S1-3] 1951
4 4 Douglas Adams Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy [S1] 1979
5 5 George Orwell 1984 1949
6 6 Robert A Heinlein Stranger in a Strange Land 1961
7 7 Aldous Huxley Brave New World 1932
9 8 Ray Bradbury Fahrenheit 451 1954
11 9 Isaac Asimov© I, Robot 1950
10 10 William Gibson Neuromancer 1984
12 11 Robert A Heinlein Starship Troopers 1959
14 12 Larry Niven Ringworld 1970
1 1 Frank Herbert Dune [S1] 1965
2 2 Orson Scott Card Ender’s Game [S1] 1985
3 3 Isaac Asimov Foundation [S1-3] 1951
4 4 Douglas Adams Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy [S1] 1979
5 5 George Orwell 1984 1949
6 6 Robert A Heinlein Stranger in a Strange Land 1961
7 7 Aldous Huxley Brave New World 1932
9 8 Ray Bradbury Fahrenheit 451 1954
11 9 Isaac Asimov © I, Robot 1950
10 10 William Gibson Neuromancer 1984
12 11 Robert A Heinlein Starship Troopers 1959
14 12 Larry Niven Ringworld 1970
“Brave New World” should be way up there, when it comes to hitting the nail of future it’s far more scary to read today, than i.e. “1984”.
I can say that Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun and Cordwainer Smith’s The Rediscovery of Man are up at the finest level of inventiveness and lyric beauty. I enjoyed Ender’s Game when I first read it, as a teenager, but find the sequels (and the Shadow series, featuring Bean) somewhat stilted and overly simplistic in its treatment of politics and machinations.
In my opinion, though, they should have made room for Dan Simmons Hyperion Cantos, which is definitely a work of brilliance (might I suggest they remove the Shannara).
Be sure to check out the Earthsea stuff, it is impeccably written and very unique (in my opinion).
Dune is good, you should try Kim Stanley Robinson, Brunner and Le Guin.
Perfect authors.
Some of your choices are Fantasy anyway, not SF.
BR,
Bogdan
Add the Helliconia Trilogy by Brian Aldiss.
It is brilliant. I’ve read it at least 3 times.
The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien is Fantasy, not SciFi…
[quote comment=“102793”]The first 3 Dune books were really good, with their publication order also being their ranking of “goodness.” I stopped midway through 5 – they just strayed too far from the path. The Sci-Fi channel’s versions of Dune & the combined movie of books 2 & 3 were pretty good. I can’t even watch the 1980s version of Dune, though, because I enjoyed the SciFi version so much more.[/quote]
I agree with everything you said except…
Read the new ones that his son has done, they are some of the best dune books written. Much more exciting and political.
Always Frank Herbert, Orson Scott Card and Kim Stanley Robinson.
Cheers!
Sword of Shannara, Harry Potter and Interview with a Vampire are all decent reads, but are not sci-fi by any stretch. I also don’t think Tolkien belongs here either, certainly not at number one. Micheal Moorcock rocks, but he’s more fantasy than Sci-fi IMHO. There are a few others that are suspect but I haven’t read.
Some great sci-fi authors missing from the list: Alan Dean Foster, Greg Bear and Monica Hughes (kids author from Britain)
Must reads on that list: Left Hand of Darkness, Foundation Trilogy, Stranger in a Strange Land (anything by Heinlen), Man in the High Castle, and Ender’s game. Lord of Light is great, but my favorite Zelazny is still Nine Princes in Amber.
I also HIGHLY recommend Citizen of the Galaxy by Heinlein, one of his least talked about novels, but one of his best.
I also recommend the Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison. Think Sci-Fi James Bond.
Dan Simmon’s Hyperion books need to be on a list like this. Somewhere near the top.
[quote comment=“104190”]Dan Simmon’s Hyperion books need to be on a list like this. Somewhere near the top.[/quote]
Can’t believe I forgot about those! Those 4 books are magnificent!
I loved not only “Rendezvous with Rama” but also the entire Rama series that Clarke wrote with Gentry Lee (though I wasn’t completely thrilled with Lee’s influence on the series).
I’ve read the series about 5 times, probably once a year for the past several years. This is a bit embarrassing to admit, but the first time that I read the end of the series, I almost cried. Every time I finish it, I feel sad.
I’ve read most of those (some as a kid, some in the recent past), and my top three (in no particular order) are Dune, HHGTTG and Neuromancer.
Time to hunt down Farmer’s book, I guess – and check where my copies of Foundation are :)
the problem with trying to rank sci fi books is that they are all soo good on many different levels for example ive read starship troopers, Farnhams Freehold and Stranger in a strange land many many times, while stranger is definately my favorite its hard to put any one over the other when just talking about heinleins works alone then you throw in bradburys martian chronicles and i robot toss clark in the mix along with leguin and many others and it basically become impossible to rank them especially with people having different opinions for example i think starship troopers should be higher on the list above hitchikers (love this series) and harry potter, and farenheight 451 is now way below earthsea but that is one personal opinion. I think it would be more feasible to comple a list of “The Greats” of sci fi but i dont think we should try to rank them. any good quality book that is worth remembering has its own meaning and view on society in part or as a whole and will leave its particular impact and imprint on society and the people who read it.
well thats just my opinion on this
Glenn
Can’t believe that there’s no mention of Harry Harrison (stainless steel rat anyone?) or Piers Anthony’s “ Incarnations’ of… “ series. Ah well, I guess a ‘classic’ book must be listed according to its literary merits but if that is the case why, oh why, is there a Harry Potter book in the list. Anyway, I’ve read all Harry Potter as well as the majority of the other books on the list and I do agree with other posts that several of the books are not Science fiction per se. I suppose it depends on how you classify them… to me the top categories are: Fiction, non-fiction and Science fiction, sub-divided down fom there science fiction would go to: pure fantasy (terry pratchett), space opera (asimov) , swords and sandals (robert jordan) , cyberfiction (gibson), grand fantasy (david/leigh eddings),high fantasy (tolkein), etc.
Everyone has their own idea of how to organize it.
Loved james blish – Cities in Flight, book looks like a brick but really rewards you if you read it again and again… I’m always finding something new in it. For me that is the mark of a trulely great book. Oh, and for anyone having trouble getting into LOTR, understandably too, get someone who has already read it to tab the walking parts of the book so you can avoid them hehehe.
Uh…I can’t believe “The Diamond Age” (Neal Stephenson) isn’t on here?
Glad to see the Bester stuff on there, though.
Alfred Bester– The Stars My Destination. Man… The first SF book I ever read. I found it on my parents’ bookshelf when I was 13. God knows how it came to be there– neither of them were readers. And science fiction was anathema to them, believe me. I was hooked totally, though. What an amazing story. Gully & Jizbella. I still re-read it every few years.
Has anyone read The Rat Race? Not SF but another great novel by Alfie Bester.
I am surprised that Jack Vance is not mentioned– he has written some awesome SF– the Planet of Adventure series, the Kirth Gersen books and the Durdane trilogy. And never forget Emphyrio!
To me there is a big difference between SciFi and Fantasy. Lord of the Rings, for instance, is Fantasy, not SciFi – in my mind. Good litterature? Sure. Good SciFi? Not at all…
This is quite an excellent list, i have read many myself!
Despite being a good list, i find it is more fantasy books than science fiction.The two genres are quite closely linked, it is quite easy to get them mixed up.
That’s my only criticism. Otherwise, great post, great blog!
(how the hell do you get so many hits?)
SCI FI vs FANTASY
I prefer to lump them all under SF for “Speculative Fiction” They all operate with a “What if this were true” and what is “true” is not currently understood in the current scientific journals.. whether that be magic or faster than light travel.
There is certainly a spectrum with LOTR and all the Sword and Sorcery inspired on one end, and Heinlein, Asimov, and Bradbury on the other. But there is so much in between that crosses into both. McCaffery and the Pern series, Gene Wolfe, Dan Simmons Hyperion series etc.
I’ve only read a few of the books on this list, but I just want to say that Hitchhiker’s Guide has got to be the funniest book series I have ever had the pleasure to read. I laughed my ass off at those books! I’m still not finished with the fifth one, but I will be soon and I’m expecting lots of laughs from that one just like the other four. I highly recommend it to anyone with a sense of humor. And also to all intelligent shades of the color blue.
Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter are really more fantasy books than science fiction. They’re great books, but you must, must, must read the Foundation. Isaac Asimov also wrote “Nemesis,” which is a great book in its own right, and numerous short stories like Nightfall that deserve to be read as well.
I also agree that Frank Herbert’s Dune saga is very thrilling and well-written. It really immerses you into its world.
I can’t believe John W. Campbell’s “Who Goes There?” didn’t make the list. Technically it’s a novella, but it should count. And…what happened to “The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells?
There’s a lot of good science fiction books out there. It’s a shame that scifi has taken a back seat to fantasy these days. I hope that someone brings is back to life somehow.