I'd say War with the Newts is good (from the guy who invented the word "robot"). It combines your usual irreverent Soviet-bloq satire with a science fiction plot of sub-human intelligent newts taking over the world.
I don't see how the Hobbit didn't make this list but the Simarillion did. That just makes it confusing whether or not it was a group of people voting for things they have heard or people who actually read the works or a list of works that currently weigh the heaviest on the book reading populace.
Odd factoid: The War with the Newts page on Wikipedia links to World War Z.
I'd say War with the Newts is good (from the guy who invented the word "robot"). It combines your usual irreverent Soviet-bloq satire with a science fiction plot of sub-human intelligent newts taking over the world.
I don't see how the Hobbit didn't make this list but the Simarillion did. That just makes it confusing whether or not it was a group of people voting for things they have heard or people who actually read the works or a list of works that currently weigh the heaviest on the book reading populace.
First paragraph: Oh shiznit! I haven't thought of that book in 15 years...I wonder if I still have a copy. EDIT: Why do you bring it up? Did I miss a mention of it, or are you bringing up books you'd put on the list? Or something else?
Second paragraph: If you look at the page setting up the criteria for the list it specifically excludes young adult/children's literature for a future poll.
I'd say War with the Newts is good (from the guy who invented the word "robot"). It combines your usual irreverent Soviet-bloq satire with a science fiction plot of sub-human intelligent newts taking over the world.
I don't see how the Hobbit didn't make this list but the Simarillion did. That just makes it confusing whether or not it was a group of people voting for things they have heard or people who actually read the works or a list of works that currently weigh the heaviest on the book reading populace.
First paragraph: Oh shiznit! I haven't thought of that book in 15 years...I wonder if I still have a copy. EDIT: Why do you bring it up? Did I miss a mention of it, or are you bringing up books you'd put on the list? Or something else?
I thought we were randomly naming sci-fi/fantasy books that should be on the list.
Second paragraph: If you look at the page setting up the criteria for the list it specifically excludes young adult/children's literature for a future poll.
How is the Hobbit any different from Lord of the Rings, other than having only one Hobbit?
I suspect a "young adult/children's" sci-fi and fantasy list will include the rest of anything written by Neil Gaiman. Let's just go ahead and say the top 5 sci-fi/fantasy authors are Tolkien, Rowling, Asimov, Gaiman, and I dunno, just throw someone else in there.
1st paragraph: I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss it somewhere.
2nd paragraph: I don't disagree with you, but I'll bet you 5 bucks it's on the next list and all votes for it on this list were disregarded.
Regarding The Hobbit as children's literature, from what I remember, Tolkien could not get The Lord of the Rings published initially and was asked to do a book that would be more child friendly. So he wrote The Hobbit and got LotR published as well because of it.
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Regarding The Hobbit as children's literature, from what I remember, Tolkien could not get The Lord of the Rings published initially and was asked to do a book that would be more child friendly. So he wrote The Hobbit and got LotR published as well because of it.
You are wrong sir. The Hobbit came out in the 1930's, LOTR did not come out until the 1950's. LOTR came at the request of fans of The Hobbit who wanted more stories about hobbits and elves.
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Here is my take on the list.
Read this for the first time as a teenager in the 70’s. Read it about 20 times since and listened to audio book at least 5 times.
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
Read the first three, the rest are on my shelf. Play on reading them someday.
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
Never read. Tried to read the comic adaption, could not get in to it.
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
Read the first book after the theatrical movie came out. Split on which one I liked better. The rest are on my shelf. I will get to them someday.
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin
Have not read. Unknown if I will.
6. 1984, by George Orwell
Read this as reading assignment in high school. Liked it better than the movie.
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
Tried to read this as a teenager. Still on my shelf. Maybe I will get back to it one day.
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
Sitting on my shelf.
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Sitting on my shelf.
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
Have not read.
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
The book was definitely better than the movie.
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan
Tried 4 times to read this and twice to listen to it on audio tape. Never got more than half way.
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
Loved it. Very anti-communism.
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
Never read. Not into Cyber-punk.
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore
Read the original comic. The ending was much better than the movie ending.
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
Sitting on my shelf.
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
Sitting on my shelf.
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss
Never heard of.
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
Sitting on my shelf.
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
Very good read.
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
The book was better.
22. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
Never heard of.
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
Not into Steven King.
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
Read the book about 10 years after the movie came out. It explained a lot that was not put in the move. Loved the sequal.
25. The Stand, by Stephen King
Ditto.
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
Have not read anything by him.
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
Loved the book. These short stories were better than the movie starring Rock Hudson.
28. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
Do not have this one.
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
Great comics. Exceptional artwork.
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
On my shelf. Tried to watch movie on TV, but had to leave after 15 minutes. Never got the DVD.
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
Saw the movie. Book sat on shelf for years. Finally read it 2 years ago. Liked it better than the movie.
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
What can I say; rabbits, warren, Frit.
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
Love the whole series. Read every book published before 2000 at least 3 times.
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
Sitting on my shelf.
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
Have not heard of this one.
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
Read it 5 times. Loved it every time.
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne
Sat on my shelf for years. Finally read it a few years ago. It was better than the movie. Found out later that Disney thought the only way anyone would watch it was if they made it into an escape movie.
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
Read this as reading assignment in high school. Looks like the current Apes movie borrowed part of the plot.
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
Very good read.
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
Loved the first five books. The last were okay.
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
Have never read eddings.
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Sitting on my shelf.
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
Never heard of.
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
Love the book. Makes many references to races in other books. One of the first authors to tie many of his works in to one universe.
45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
Sitting on my shelf.
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Had a hard time reading this one when I was a teenager. Finally got the audio edition because I did not have time to read.
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
King Arthur – Excalibur. Nothing more needs to be said.
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
Tried to read.
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke
Do not have.
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan
Saw the movie, read the book. As different as night and day. Loved both.
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
Do not have.
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
Sitting on my shelf. (As is the DVD)
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
Do not have.
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
Have not heard of.
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
Loved the book. Movie was good adaption. Liked book better.
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
Do not have.
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
Sitting on shelf with all the rest. About half way through.
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
Read the first series in high school. Agonized about having to wait each year in college wait for each part of the sequel to come out. Never finished the first book if the final series.
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Never heard of.
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
See comment about Small Gods.
61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
Read half. Sitting on my shelf waiting to be finished.
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
Read the first book. A hard read. It was okay. Did not like the torture. Started reading second book. First 100 pages had more torture than all of first book. Put it on shelf and never went back.
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
Have not heard of.
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
Do not have.
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
Saw the Charlton Heston movie at young age. Read the comic adaption a few years ago just before the Will Smith version. Ambivalent.
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
Read the first book. It was okay. Second book sitting on my shelf.
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks
Loved the first three books. The Heritage series was okay. The rest are sitting on my shelf.
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
Only read the comic books as a child. They were good. Some of the books are sitting on the shelf. Plan on reading them someday.
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
Do not have.
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
Do not have.
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
Have not heard of.
72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
Loved it. The only problem I had was they ended up thousands of miles from where they started. They did not travel that far underground. Must have been one long lava tube.
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
Read the first couple of comics. They were okay.
74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
Have not heard of.
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
Have not heard of.
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
Loved it. An alien life raft passing through the Sol system.
77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
Do not have.
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
Do not have.
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
Sitting on my shelf. Tried to read it once.
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
Got halfway through. Sitting on my shelf.
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
Have not heard of.
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
Have not heard of.
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
Do not have.
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
Have not heard of.
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
See earlier comment.
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
Do not have.
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
Have not heard of.
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
Loved it. First new Star Wars in decades. Too bad they let it go to ruin with the Yuh-Zhan-Vong.
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan
Do not have.
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
Read the first couple. Rest sitting on my shelf.
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
Read the first couple of stories. Sitting on my shelf
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
Have not heard of.
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
Have not heard of this book. Have other Vernor Vinge books.
94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
Do not have.
95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
Sitting on my shelf.
96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
Sitting on my shelf.
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
Have not heard of.
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
Have not heard of this book. Read other books by China Mieville.
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
Get each new one as soon as it comes out. Going to be hard if he dies and no one takes his place.
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis
Have not read.
As an side note, I have between 5000 and 6000 books in my library, 85% of them SF/F. I have read about 95% of them.
There are too many books that should not be on this list, and more that should. The ones I have not read or never heard of, I will reserve judgement.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley: This is a well-done vampire novel by an author better known for teen-girl fantasy. Screams out for a sequel, and I'm honestly astonished she didn't have one ready to go. Predates the whole Twilight thing, which I haven't read or viewed the movies: I feel safe in saying this book is better, but it is marginally girly.
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I think shoehorning Sci-fi and Fantasy into the same category caused a lot of good stuff to get thrown by the wayside.
No Andre Norton or Anne McCaffery or C.S. Friedman? No Fred Saberhagen or Greg Egan or Peter Hamilton?
No Jules friggin' Verne? Fie on thee!
+1000 to the idea of an Ill Met in Lankhmar movie. It would be some whacky combination of the genre of Conan with protagonists that are as irreverent as Jack Sparrow.
Regarding The Hobbit as children's literature, from what I remember, Tolkien could not get The Lord of the Rings published initially and was asked to do a book that would be more child friendly. So he wrote The Hobbit and got LotR published as well because of it.You are wrong sir. The Hobbit came out in the 1930's, LOTR did not come out until the 1950's. LOTR came at the request of fans of The Hobbit who wanted more stories about hobbits and elves.
It must be another classic author I am remembering, then, that this happened to.
No Jules friggin' Verne? Fie on thee!
Whatchoo talkin' about, Willis?
#37 & #72
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It must be another classic author I am remembering, then, that this happened to.Regarding The Hobbit as children's literature, from what I remember, Tolkien could not get The Lord of the Rings published initially and was asked to do a book that would be more child friendly. So he wrote The Hobbit and got LotR published as well because of it.You are wrong sir. The Hobbit came out in the 1930's, LOTR did not come out until the 1950's. LOTR came at the request of fans of The Hobbit who wanted more stories about hobbits and elves.
I wish to apologize for saying you were wrong. That was rude. I should have said you are mistaken.
I think shoehorning Sci-fi and Fantasy into the same category caused a lot of good stuff to get thrown by the wayside.
No Andre Norton or Anne McCaffery or C.S. Friedman? No Fred Saberhagen or Greg Egan or Peter Hamilton?
No Jules friggin' Verne? Fie on thee!
+1000 to the idea of an Ill Met in Lankhmar movie. It would be some whacky combination of the genre of Conan with protagonists that are as irreverent as Jack Sparrow.
No John Shirley? WTF?
Who the hell are all these people?
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CJ--
In case you didn't notice my post above, The Kingkiller Chronicles are The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear. I'm pretty sure there's a Patrick Rothfuss thread on here somewhere.
The first book seems to be very well liked. I liked the second book as well, but others expressed disappointment. The third one has yet to be written.
Rothfuss is a grad student/TA in the University of Wisconsin system (I think) and the plots mostly center around a child prodigy in wizard's college. I think a quick, reductio ad absurdum summation would consist of: Joss Whedon writes Harry Potter with a lengthy interlude reminiscent of Gary Gygax's Saga of Old City. But better than that sounds.
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The more I think about 1984 the more it becomes obvious (to me, anyway) that it's straight-up sci-fi.
yes, I did see your post, this was still my response to it. Up until you said who it was and I read up on it, I had never heard of the story before. Also should it be on the top ten if it has not yet been finished???
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And since we're complaining about what's NOT on the list:
--Titus Groan and Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
--The Harold Shea stories by Fletcher Pratt and L. Sprague de Camp
--Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson
And does anyone else think it's strange that the only gamer fiction is Salvatore's work? I would've thought the first three DragonLance books, but maybe I'm out-of-touch.
I personally preferred the Dragon Lance stories,to all the Drittz ones.
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Mentioning SciFi without space opera classics like Jack Vance and E.E. "Doc" Smith just seems WRONG. I would have eliminated the social and political commentary novels (Animal Farm, Brave New World, Handmaid's Tale, Watership Down, etc.) to make room. I would also have disqualified comic books, because by word count they'd be short stories or novellas, rather than novels.
For fantasy, I would have happily allowed LoTR to supersede the Silmarillion, eliminated Wheel of Time, Driz'zt, and Eddings -- and used the space thus freed to include Anderson, Leiber, de Camp & Pratt, Manley Wade Wellman, and John Bellairs (if you've never read The Face in the Frost, you're missing out), and maybe Vance's Dying Earth. Personally, I would have rated Jonathan Strange a lot higher on the list.
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I think shoehorning Sci-fi and Fantasy into the same category caused a lot of good stuff to get thrown by the wayside.
No Andre Norton or Anne McCaffery or C.S. Friedman? No Fred Saberhagen or Greg Egan or Peter Hamilton?
No Jules friggin' Verne? Fie on thee!
+1000 to the idea of an Ill Met in Lankhmar movie. It would be some whacky combination of the genre of Conan with protagonists that are as irreverent as Jack Sparrow.
McCaffery's there at #33.
Also should it be on the top ten if it has not yet been finished???
I agree. This is the most striking example of a recent bestseller on the list that I'm aware of. Although, they ARE good books.
YAY! Disecting lists. Well, lesse here :
1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Kinda have to put this at the top. Love it or hate it, it defined the genre for many a moon. I still love it, it's my childhood to me.
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
This series was my adolescence. I thought the satire was Swiftian in its bite, and mix in funny characters, well... A+ in my book.
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
Actually audiobooked this a few years back. Not too bad, but I didn't find it all that engaging, and the ending left me kinda flat.
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
The original trilogy was very good. I really got into the first book, I have read it three times.
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin
Excellent series, a true look at a fantasy medieval world with all the political machinations of a real world setting. GRRM is one of the best fantasy writers ever IMO. Check out his short stories too, Sandkings is one of the creepiest sci-fi/horror short pieces ever written.
6. 1984, by George Orwell
Depressing, but made you think. Overall a copy still sits on my shelves, even if I don't feel a need to reread it. Interesting to see what a dedicated Communist thinks of what happens when the State doesn't 'wither away'
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
'Do you ever read the books you burn?' Classic. Bradbury is a king amongst writers.
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
Good sweeping space opera. Cracked it open recently, unfortuantely it hasn't aged too well. But the concept of Psychohistory as a science is an interesting theme.
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Didn't find it very engaging.
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
Excellent book on myths, gods, and the power of belief. I reccommend it. HBO is doing a series on it soonish too =D
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
excellent movie, the book I read after, and I think I will echo Leafy in that I was predisposed to like it because I love the movie.
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan
TL;DR. Maybe someday.
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
Great book using a farm fable to talk about Russia and the perversion of its revolution by Stalin. Biting satire, Doubleplusgood.
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
Great book, one of my favorites in my teen years. Dystopian cyberpunk was great, but I tried reading this one recently as well, and it is showing its age (spaceships with limited modem hookup? Banks of payphones?)
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore
Possibly the best graphic novel IMO. Sprinkled through with all sorts of Easter eggs, makes it interesting to read it over and over. Moore has been a favorite of mine since his work on the Swamp Thing series.
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
Read it a ong time ago, don't recal too much of it, but it didn't stick with me.
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
Good book about religion and people's expectations of same.
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss
Liked the first, have the second in my reading pile.
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
Very interesting book about human perception of time. I reccommend the movie as well.
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
One of the first 'sci-fi' books, and much different than the movie. Playing God can be fraught with danger...
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
Very depressing book, movie was a light-hearted romp compared to it. Made you think though, and that's all a good book is there for.
22. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
Never read.
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
A fantastic opus by King. I am a Kingophile, but I really enjoyed this series above and beyond. I regard it as the 'Meta' of King's whole catalog of writing.
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
Interesting book, great movie.
25. The Stand, by Stephen King
One of the best post-Apocalyptic books ever written. With overtones of religio-apocalypse as well. Highly reccommended.
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
Great book, quirky, funny, world-next-door kind of stuff with a real interesting premise at its core.
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
Excellent book with a lot of interesting things to say about humanity and its interaction with the Other.
28. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
Biting satire on science and its amorality, despotism, granfaloons, wampetas and ice that doesn't melt till its heated to 110 degrees. A good read.
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
An excellent series with Gaiman in full form. Myths modern and ancient merge into a grand tapestry.
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
Nevr actually read the book, but the movie was chilling. Who is the criminal and who the governor?
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
EXCELLENT book* *
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
Fantastic retelling of a Campbellian-style myth of the band of travellers searching for a home, and themselves using rabbits. I reread this one about every five years or so.
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
I never read these.
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
Interesting book about using moon as a penal colony, and the inevitable revolution that comes when the Loonies decide they are tired of earth running their affairs. Also features a computer as a main character, something that was cutting edge at the time.
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
Love it. Love it . Love it. Watching America emerge from nuclear armageddon, to the dark ages, to the renaissance, to an even higher pinnacle of civilization through the eyes of a monestary and its monks. A superbly crafted novel.
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
A classic. Interesting take on 'eat the rich'
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne
Excellent book again. Captain Nemo was a great character.
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
Assigned this in High School, I thought well of it. Very depressing at the end. The movie 'Charly' is good as well.
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
The original earth invaded by aliens piece. Great stuff.
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
Fantastic series. First five are better, but last five are worth a read as well. Lots of yoikable concepts for RPGs.
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
One of my favorite series as a teenager. Actually had my English teacher reccommend it to me. A fully-realized fantasy setting a la Tolkien, but more gritty.
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Have it on my shelves. haven't gotten around to it.
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
Haven't read it.
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
Fantastic sci-fi set in Niven's Known Space setting. What if you took a solar system, ground it up, and made a ribbon that circled the sun as liquid water zone? Fascinating series.
45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
Intersting book set in LeGuin's Hainish Cycle setting. Genly Ai, an ambassador from Earth, is sent to convince a long-lost human world to join their interstellar federation. The interesting thing is that the people of this world switch genders depending on a menstrual-like cycle and are normally asexual except for a few days a month. Really fascinating how LeGuin weaves a whole mythic structure about how this duallity of gender would influence humanity and how it looks at its environment.
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Just finally got through this on audiobook, after a thirty-year mental block. I listened to it three times concurrently. Highly reccommended.
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
I liked the retelling of the Authurian Myth in its homespunny kind of way.
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
Interseting book. I've liked other stuff from Gaiman better.
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke
Great book about humanity, aliens and what the future will hold for us.
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan
Book was 100 times better than the movie. Sagan got savaged. Best part was when Dr. Arroway asks the alien she meets 'What fills YOU with wonder?'
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
Haven't read.
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
Haven't read.
.
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
Great book. Interesting mashup of World War Two, computer geek culture, freedom of bandwith and freedom of cryptology. BIG book. Have some time on your hands if you are going to jump into it. Hero is a programming bullgeek, always good to see the nerd play the hero.
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
If you like zombies, this is the book for you. Imagine if Studs Terkel worte one of his interview books in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse (that humanity survived).
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
Read it a looong time ago. rember having fond feelings for it, but can't remeber much of the plot.
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
Great book about war, the nautre of conflict, and its futility. Trying to fight a war at relativistic speeds means that what you fight and your own side change drastically every time you go to battle. Good book.
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
Not a Pratchett fan. didn't read.
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
Tried this as a kid. Found the (anti)hero too depressing for words. Stopped 100 pages in, never picked up again.
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Haven't read.
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
See 57.
61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
Great little scifi novel. Set in Niven's CoDominion setting (already obsolete, but hey that's always a danger in scifi). Very interesting alien cuture, and an intersting fast-paced read.
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
Haven't read.
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
EXTREMELY DEPRESSING. That said, McCarthy is one of the best wordsmiths I have ever read. He uses English like Yo Yo Ma uses the cello. I need to read some of his other stuff.
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
HAve it in my pile. Haven't gotten to it. LLooks like something I'd like.
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
Great book, much different than either of its movie adaptions. Intersting premise as to who is the monster and who the hero?
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
Haven't read.
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks
Read the first. I didn't really like it for some reason. Seemed a bit trite IMO.
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
What can you say? He defined sword and sorcery like Tolkien defined high fantasy. Aside from latent racism in the writing, it still holds up well as popcorn reading.
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
Haven't read.
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
Nerv read.
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
Never read.
72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
A good book, if a bit unbelieveable. Interesting pieces to steal for a game.
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
Read this as an adult. Found the writing juvenile. If I had read it as a juvenile I would probably like it more. I did like the descriptions of Menzobarranzen (sp) the drow city.
74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
Haven't read.
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
Fantastic novel, one of my personal top ten books. A real intereesting take on how nanotechnology would impact human life. READ IT!
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
Interesting scifi about first contact. Read it loong ago, fuzzy on olot details, but I remember liking it.
77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
Haven't read.
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
Another good LeGuin Hainish book, this time abut twin planets. One a decadent earth-like world, another an austere planet where a very upright socialist-style government has come into being after the movement was exiled there. Interesting, thought-provoking reading.
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
Ahh, the diabolical carnival. Good stuff.
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
Want to get to. haven't yet.
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
Haven't read.
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
Started this, but kinda ran outta steam. Sits in my unread pile. Might get back to it someday.
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
Haven't read.
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
Haven't read.
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
Haven't got this one yet, but I like most of what NS has written.
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
Haven't read.
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
Haven't read.
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
Haven't read.
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan
Haven't read, but my wife is a HUGE fan. The plot, AIUI, evolves around a woman cast back from WWII to Eighteenth century Scotland. Large books, probably need a bit of free time to tackle this one.
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
Fantastic series about heroism, life, death and the cycle of time. I highly reccommend them, and they have many things to steal for RPGs as well.
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
Haven't read.
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
Haven't read.
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
Haven't read.
94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
Haven't read.
95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
An interesting series on the realities of terraforming Mars. Set on a sweeping epochal scale, Robinson did a masterful job at this. As a tangent, anyone who enjoys Robinson might like this book: The Years of Rice and Salt. It is an alternate history novel where Europeans are wiped out by plague, and how the world developes from the Fourteenth Century to presnet day without Europe. Another interesting thing is that the main characters are reincarnated and keep playing roles as they years go by.
96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
Good novel on what would happen if a meteorite struck earth. Fast-paced and apocalyptic.
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
Meh. Didn't find it all that good.
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
Tried reading it, found the world didn't engage me.
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
Never liked these. A little too Pratchett-gonzo for my taste.
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis
Haven't got to yet.
re: The Time Machine
Aargh! I wanted to use the "eat the rich" thing, but I didn't want to have to write whole sentences for each entry!
So far, the best entry-by-entry commentary. Good job, Comrade Curtin!
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Zelazny getting in with the Chronicles of Amber, which were 'write this to pay the bills' pap compared to Lord of Light, ignites my nerdrage. Creatures of Light and Darkness? Dilvish the Damned? Isle of the Dead? Friggin' poetry next to Chronicles of Amber.
The only thing Amber has going for it is that you can join the Science Fiction Book Club and all five of them count as one selection.
Good job, Comrade Curtin!
Spasibo tovarisch!
Zelazny getting in with the Chronicles of Amber, which were 'write this to pay the bills' pap compared to Lord of Light, ignites my nerdrage. Creatures of Light and Darkness? Dilvish the Damned? Isle of the Dead? Friggin' poetry next to Chronicles of Amber.
The only thing Amber has going for it is that you can join the Science Fiction Book Club and all five of them count as one selection.
I'll give you this: Lord of Light was a fantastic book, better than Amber IMO as well. I am ashamed to say I haven't read the others. The clash of Buddhism vs Hinduism set on a far-future planet with the gods being the original spaceship crewmembers? Priceless ...
Oh, and as for Enders Game, I find OSC's Tales of Alvin Maker much more deserving a place on the list. An alternate-history American frontier series with magic and what looks to be a alternative Mormonish-type religion evolving and a weird faux Civil War brewing between the three countries that comprise America east of the Missisippi ? Good stuff all around.
EDIT: Man, looking at that Wiki entry, it's been EIGHT years since the last one? Oh, Orson, don't go all GRRM on me! Publish that mother! Put the capstone on the series!
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Good job, Comrade Curtin!Spasibo tovarisch!
I'll give you this: Lords of Light was a fantastic book, better than Amber IMO as well. I am ashamed to say I haven't read the others. The clash of Buddhism vs Hinduism set on a far-future planet with the gods being the original spaceship crewmembers? Priceless ...Zelazny getting in with the Chronicles of Amber, which were 'write this to pay the bills' pap compared to Lord of Light, ignites my nerdrage. Creatures of Light and Darkness? Dilvish the Damned? Isle of the Dead? Friggin' poetry next to Chronicles of Amber.
The only thing Amber has going for it is that you can join the Science Fiction Book Club and all five of them count as one selection.
loved Lords of Light. Preferred Roadmarks. Amber is a vastly underrated story. I think it does fit quite well on this list. However as you and several others have mentioned, he did a lot of amazing works and many others could have and should have been on this list.
There's a surprising lot of people here who haven't read THE BOOK OF THE NEW SUN by Gene Wolfe. Easily one of the most important works of SFF ever published (certainly in the same league as THE LORD OF THE RINGS, GORMENGHAST and THE DYING EARTH). One recent newspaper article called it SFF's answer to ULYSSES (in terms of importance to the field, not in terms of any direct parallels between the work) and the intricacies of the things that Wolfe does in the narrative can only be described as genius.
The one book series which (I think) was omitted but which has had a profound impact upon all modern fantasy was Glen Cook's The Black Company. The first three novels in the Annals of the Black Company are required reading by any fantasy reader and are easily better than 80 of the 100 listed. The combined hardcover of the first three novels, sold by the SF/F Book Club from time-to-time, was reason enough on its own to join it.
A somewhat hyperbolic statement. THE BLACK COMPANY was extremely obscure for a long, long time and the only reason anyone's heard of it now is because George R.R. Martin and Steven Erikson have - laudably - spent a decade singing it's praises, which has brought it back into public consciousness and led to the republishing of the books in omnibus formats which are now selling well.
It didn't have a profound impact on 'all modern fantasy' because most authors had never heard of it until comparatively recently.
Sadly, Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Gray Mouser series was left out as well. Has there been any series which has fallen out of (and into, and out of) print so unjustly? This series remains the foundation and cornerstone of ALL urban FRPG campaigns -- and most gamers don't even know it!
This, on the other hand, is true. The Fafhrd and Grey Mouster series is one of the two primary inspirations behind D&D in the first place (the other being Jack Vance's THE DYING EARTH series), to the point where Gygax officially licensed the books as a D&D campaign setting in the mid-1980s.
As I make my way down the list I find the first book that catches my eye as maybe a poor example is The Wheel of time. series. While I know it has been popular, having read some of the books. I think I gave up on number four, I found it.... lacking, for um lack of better word. I just do not see that it should be on the list or at least much lower like say #100.
THE WHEEL OF TIME is, by far, the biggest-selling and most popular secondary world/epic fantasy series since THE LORD OF THE RINGS itself (though A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, thanks to the TV show, is gaining on it at an astronomical rate of knots), so it going in quite high on the list is no surprise whatsoever. It's an extremely problematic series but the author puts enough interesting ideas in at its core (including arguably the finest magic system ever seen in a fantasy work) to make it at least worth a look.
yes, I did see your post, this was still my response to it. Up until you said who it was and I read up on it, I had never heard of the story before. Also should it be on the top ten if it has not yet been finished???
Rothfuss being on the list is both understandable and controversial. The former because THE NAME OF THE WIND is the biggest-selling epic/secondary world fantasy debut novel published in the 21st Century to date, so it's popular as hell. The long-delayed second book just came out, so it's also back in the limelight. However, it's controversial because the books have some embarrasingly bad moments and there's an awful lot of filler which the third book has to justify. There's hints that Rothfuss is doing something downright spectacular with the narrative (the narrator is unreliable as hell, to the point where some fans are predicting this is going to be the mass-market break-out version of THE BOOK OF THE NEW SUN) but if he isn't, then the whole story could fall apart.
So yeah, it's a series which will live or die by how good the third and final book is, and it's way too premature to put it on this list.
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
Not sure. I think I'd rather read the Magician books.
Not sure what you mean here. MAGICIAN (split in two volumes in the USA) is the first book in THE RIFTWAR SAGA.
Overall list-assessment:
A predictable win, but not necessarily an invalid one. Undeniably a very strong work, unsurpassable in terms of influence. It dominates the fantasy genre in a way no other work dominates its own, which has a lot of negatives, but the last decade has seen fantasy moving out of its shadow, which is a good thing.
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
Amusing, with a vein of erudite cleverness running through it, though after the first two books it goes off the rails and becomes increasingly nihilistic and nasty.
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
A solid book, though the ending is riddled with plot holes. The sequel, SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD, is also decent and it's great that Card went in a very different direction with it. Aside from those two books, everything else Card has written has been, at best, crushingly mediocre and, at worst, downright unreadable.
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
An intelligent and interesting series, though the first book is the best. Worthy of its place.
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin
The defining epic fantasy of our generation, in the same way that LotR was for its own. Though assessing its true place will have to wait until it is done.
6. 1984, by George Orwell
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
Important and major works where SFF intersects with literary fiction. Though ANIMAL FARM is pushing definitions a bit.
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
Dated. Very much of its time, but some of the ideas (like statistical prediction of the future) remain thought-provoking.
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
Highly overrated and probably one of Gaiman's weaker novels. Essentially a re-telling of the same themes and ideas in SANDMAN in novel format with a much more predictable plot. You'd be better off just reading the vastly superior SANDMAN instead.
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Monstrously overlong, with enormous amounts of padding and some severe pacing problems. At the same time, a strong central premise (a world where only women can use magic) taken to its logical conclusions, with one of the finest magic systems ever devised and some extremely solid characterisation (particularly the evolution of the main character and his journey through corruption and darkness). After a good three books which can be skipped, later volumes in the series have become increasingly interesting. The final volume is - finally - out next year.
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
The birthplace of cyberpunk and one of the defining SF novels of all time. Possibly somewhat overrated, but its impact on the SF genre is inarguable.
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore
The finest graphic novel ever written, though the ending is a bit weird (and the sole area where the film does a better job).
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
Very dated indeed, but there's some charming stories in here. Recommended as a children's book for those starting out in SF.
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
Hugely overrated nonsense. Not a patch on STARSHIP TROOPERS or his other early SF.
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss
Rather premature to put this on such a list. The first book is very well-written, but the second is stodgy and badly-paced, with an ill-advised fairy sex scene (which is then followed by a far more ill-advised sex scene with badass female ninjas).
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
Excellent and highly influential, even moreso through its movie adaptation, BLADE RUNNER.
22. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
Nightmarish and haunting, well-written and fascinating, though dating from Atwood's tiresome, "It's not SF as it hasn't gotten talking space squid in it!" phase. Fortunately, she's over that now.
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
Have only started it, but the first book had an impressive 'weird west' atmosphere. Got spoiled on the ending, which may actually be advisable; coming upon it unawares might make you throw the final book across the room.
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
One of Clarke's weakest novels, included presumably because of the influence of the movie. RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA, CHILDHOOD'S END, THE FOUNTAINS OF PARADISE, THE CITY AND THE STARS and probably even its own sequel, 2010: ODYSSEY TWO, are all superior.
25. The Stand, by Stephen King
THE LORD OF THE RINGS recast as a post-apocalyptic horror with the USA standing in for Middle-earth (and Las Vegas for Mordor). Memorable characters, compelling plot, highly readable, dire ending. But the trip is worth it.
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
Crazy-cool semi-cyberpunk with a sense of humour. Excellent.
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
Pretty solid stuff. Dated, but because Bradbury is more interested in character and emotion than the hard science, it doesn't matter.
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
A 2,000-page tour-de-force of the imagination. Powerful, compelling, clever and simply dazzling in its creative scope. The pinnacle of Gaiman's career. If he does anything half as breathtaking again I will eat my hat.
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
It's been a long time since I read it, but I recall it being well-written and entertaining, especially considering when it was written. Absolutely nothing like the movie though.
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
A strong animal fantasy. Though how this got on here and not the YA list is baffling.
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
Brilliant. One of the strongest defining works of SF, written so freshly it could have come out yesterday. Excellent stuff. Inspired an episode of BABYLON 5 as well (the first episode of Season 5).
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
Excellent. The foundational cornerstones of SF, and surprisingly haven't dated anywhere near as you might think. Well-written and thought-provoking.
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
Amazing if you are eight years old or younger. Otherwise, avoid.
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Doing a feminist take on the Arthurian legend is a brilliant idea. Sadly, Bradley fills it with hippy-drippy nonsense. Still waiting for someone to do this idea justice.
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
Fun, with an intelligent magic system and some great twists and turns and a surprisingly dark ending (since Sanderson isn't really that dark an author). Maybe a little too neat in the ending, but some fine ideas.
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
Overrated. Solid and enjoyable, but once you get past the "Hey, what a cool idea!" stage there really isn't much else there. Iain Banks did the same thing (with the Culture Orbitals) on a more sensible scale and remembered to add compelling storylines and characters as well.
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
The most staggering work of the imagination in the English language in the 20th Century. The product of sixty years of work, tragic and far darker than most so-called 'dark and gritty' modern fantasies and unrelenting in its mythic power. The best thing Tolkien has written.
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
A strong premise, which the TV series couldn't fulfil due to ropey production values. The novel is much stronger, but suffers from copying the show's episodic plot a little too closely.
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke
Superb. Probably his finest novel, with a real emotional gut-punch ending.
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan
Very good, to the point where it makes you regret Sagan didn't write more fiction. The film is a bit wet, though.
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
Brilliant. One of the defining modern works of science fiction and a fascinating remix of the Canterbury Tales in an SF setting. The Shrike is also badass. A very clever work (note that the third and fourth books are pretty weak though).
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
Reasonable, though the movie was actually better. But a lot of fun.
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
Clever, complicated, funny, memorable and quite compelling. Plus the first appearance of the Shaftoe family, who apparently have pure badass hardcoded in their DNA.
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
A really fresh and fun take on the zombie apocalypse. Brooks explores some fascinating ideas and characters here.
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
Another one of the defining works of science fiction, required reading for the genre. Dated due to Haldeman's insistence that his soldiers had to be Vietnam vets (like him) but not a fatal flaw. The study of the problems of relativistic travel are well-handled.
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
A ferocious indictment of religious fanaticism and intolerance and, by far, Pratchett's finest novel to date. The laughs are put on the back-burner to his frank anger at some of the things religion has done, which unexpectedly leads to the funniest moment of Pratchett's career in the grand finale. Great stuff.
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
Influential, subversive and, especially for its day, quite shocking. One of the two works (alongside Terry Brooks' SHANNARA series) that kicked off the post-Tolkien fantasy boom, and by far the better of the two.
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Overrated to the point of luicrousness. Middle-ranking space opera with an interesting protagonist. Fun? Yes. Worth the dozens of awards it's won? No.
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
A random choice. A decent, mid-ranking DISCWORLD novel. Funny with some nice insights into city life, with Pratchett's most morally shady protagonist, but not a great example of the series. NIGHT WATCH and GUARDS! GUARDS! are both far superior.
61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
Interesting, old-school SF, if a bit dated now.
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
Execrable. The worst work of fantasy ever published by a commercial, professional publisher and the worst work of SFF not written by Kevin J. Anderson. Insultingly stupid and so badly-written a five-year-old could do better. Its sole saving grace is the fact that it is unintentionally hilarious at times (most notably for the 'evil chicken' sequence, which has become infamous).
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
Short, dark, haunting, powerful. A really memorable novel which exposes the father-son relationship more effectively than any other book I've read. Don't read whilst depressed, though.
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
Excellent for its first half, but the latter half takes an extended trip to weirdsville and becomes a lot more drawn-out, reducing it from borderline genius modern classic to merely excellent.
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
Classic. Short, nasty and well-written. And absolutely nothing to do with Will Smith.
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
A series so long it makes WHEEL OF TIME look feeble in comparison (though the last book - the 29th in the series - is out next year), though it's broken down into more readable chunks and sub-series. MAGICIAN is excellent, THE EMPIRE TRILOGY is superb and there's good stuff in the first three SERPENTWAR books, but after that it becomes completely unreadable as Feist phones it in for the money.
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks
Drek. Written to cash in on Tolkien (especially the first one). The latter two books are better, with more flashes of originality, but overall one to avoid.
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
Essential reading. Some of the stories are weak, but the best ones are triumphant sword-and-sorcery masterpieces.
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
Overrated. The first book is excellent, the second okay, the third dire. The books become ridiculously long (the first is a lean 400 pages, the last an unnecessary 1,000) and the plot overwrought and drawn-out.
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
Oh, come on. The first in a ten-book series, this only came out last year. Some good ideas (the world setting is excellent and original for epic fantasy) but little to nothing is resolved and it's about 200 pages overlong.
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
The first nine are great for young fantasy readers starting out in the genre. After that, when TSR refused to let him kill off Drizzt and threatened to let someone else write the books, Salvatore lost his will and enthusiasm and the books became mailed in for the money.
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
Excellent. One of the finest Big Dumb Object SF novels ever written. Rama is a fascinating creation, and the creative power of the imgination involved to create it is awe-inspiring. The characters are a little wet, though, and the sequels rather a mixed bag.
77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
Some good writing, but the interruption of the plot for sex scenes four times a chapter gets a little old. Read her SUNDERING duology for an extremely intelligent and original deconstruction of Tolkien, however.
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
Flat-out, pedal-to-the-metal insanity. A vast world, a vast scope and a colossal imagination that never seems to rest drives a massive story that leaves everything else in the genre looking flat and small. The second and third novels in the series are among the very finest fantasy novels of all time. Then it all goes a bit wrong and the series descends into self-contradictary incoherence, though he does a credible job of pulling it together in the final volume. At its worst, confused and stodgy, but at its best, mindboggling.
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
Excellent. Each book is totally self-contained as Banks explores the problems inherent in maintaining a fantastic utopia run by benevolent AIs. USE OF WEAPONS, PLAYER OF GAMES and LOOK TO WINDWARD may be three of the finest SF novels of all time; the rest have to settle for mere excellence.
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
The most compelling case ever made by science fiction or fantasy (this has elements of both) as a serious art form and form of literature. Erudite, intelligent, beautifully-written, fiendishly-characterised and startling in scope. You can take or leave the eight (!) sequels, but the four original books (one novel split in four rather than a series) are among the most important and finest works of speculative fiction ever written. Essential reading for anyone with an even passing interest in the genre.
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
The STAR WARS novels that rebooted the franchise after a decade of no new fiction being released. Against the odds, Zahn hits on the winning formulae of the movies and recreates it to near-perfection. Shorn of the baggage of later books (these ones only require you to be familiar with the three original movies and nothing else), these are satisfying and solidly entertaining novels.
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
Overrated, and probably not the best idea to make the second story in the series the last one and everything else prequels, rendering them more or less completely pointless.
94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
Reasonably good, actually, as Asimov isn't trying to single-handedly create AI (as in I, ROBOT) or describe the entire future of the universe (as in FOUNDATION). A clever detective story with a solid SF premise, and still a lot of fun.
95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
Robinson takes us to the Red Planet and shows us how, over 200 years, we can colonise and terraform it. The early scientific exploration of Mars gives way seamlessly to the fight for independence to the transformation of the planet into a utopia. A positive and healthy vision of the future, with compelling science (though the scenes where characters debate what they are doing ad nauseum get a little wearying). And a massive shout-out call to NASA saying, "Why are we not doing this?"
96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
A massive, apocalyptic disaster novel, pulled off with panache by the authors. Fun.
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
A definitive time travel novel, with stunning historical research and some nice parallels drawn as a time-traveller travels back to the Black Death whilst a global pandemic ravages her own world. Great stuff.
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
An astonishing imagination coupled to peerless prose and fantastic worldbuilding. Let down by a surprisingly mundane storyline, but some of the individual scenes (such as the mayor of New Crobuzon nervously negotiating with the Ambassdor of Hell) are fantastic. Easily one of the defining fantasy novels of the new millennium, though its semi-sequel, THE SCAR, is better.
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
Poor, laboured and completely unfunny drivel.
The rest: haven't read.
Am I the only one who doesn't like Wells' writing style? Well, not so much his writing style as the way he frames his stories.
I mean sure, they are classics of sci-fi, but after the third novel I wanted to punch him in the face. "GIVE YOUR STORIES A BEGINNING AND AN ENDING"
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Am I the only one who doesn't like Wells' writing style? Well, not so much his writing style as the way he frames his stories.
I mean sure, they are classics of sci-fi, but after the third novel I wanted to punch him in the face. "GIVE YOUR STORIES A BEGINNING AND AN ENDING"
I don't know what you're talking about. As I recall, The Invisible Man has a beginning and an ending. So does The Time Machine. I read The Island of Dr. Moreau and The War of the Worlds a bit further back and I smoke a lot of pot, so I don't remember those two as clearly.
I don't know what you're talking about. As I recall, The Invisible Man has a beginning and an ending. So does The Time Machine. I read The Island of Dr. Moreau and The War of the Worlds a bit further back and I smoke a lot of pot, so I don't remember those two as clearly.Am I the only one who doesn't like Wells' writing style? Well, not so much his writing style as the way he frames his stories.
I mean sure, they are classics of sci-fi, but after the third novel I wanted to punch him in the face. "GIVE YOUR STORIES A BEGINNING AND AN ENDING"
Their beginnings are "Somewhere between the actual beginning and in medias res." And their endings are "Nothing is resolved, let's just pretend this whole book never happened." The Time Machine actually begins in media res and tells everything as part of reminiscing and has a "well, so much for that" ending. Same with the Invisible Man.
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the actual beginning and in medias res." And their endings are "Nothing is resolved, let's just pretend this whole book never happened." The Time Machine actually begins in media res and tells everything as part of reminiscing and has a "well, so much for that" ending. Same with the Invisible Man.
Spoilered, I guess, but really, you all should've read these:
Well, the presentation of the novel as a recitation of events from a character (which I think is your beef with TM) was a pretty old and established trope in its day, although one that's not used much currently.
But the narrator goes and meets the Time Traveller (the beginning), the Time Traveller tells him the story (the middle) and when the narrator returns, he's gone in his machine again (the ending). I don't see this as "let's just pretend the story never happened."
Same with The Invisible Man. That one, I guess, starts in media res, but it's also trying to keep the surprise afloat for as long as possible (although, since the title is what it is, I admit it's not much of a surprise). And it ends with him getting killed, which is a pretty finite ending.
Anyway, in answer to your original question, no, I like Wells's sci-fi classics just fine.
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Why does everyone think that cyberpunk started with Gibson?
More importantly, why does anybody think Gibson is good? I found his works 'meh' until I got to Idoru, which was so half-assedly written that it made me mad enough to want to go to his house and punch his cat. Twice! It had a great beginning, and then the ending just kind of never happened. It was like being promised a trip to Disneyland and being thrown out of the car in the middle of Arizona.
Bruce Sterling, Walter Jon Williams, S.N. Lewitt, Neal Stephenson, etc. write much better cyberpunk, IMO.
More importantly, why does anybody think Gibson is good? I found his works 'meh' until I got to Idoru, which was so half-assedly written that it made me mad enough to want to go to his house and punch his cat. Twice! It had a great beginning, and then the ending just kind of never happened. It was like being promised a trip to Disneyland and being thrown out of the car in the middle of Arizona.
Hee hee!
You're good.
Anyway, I know what you're talking about--there's been many a time I have been frustrated by Gibson's lack of exciting plot. But I think he's a great writer with an incredible eye for tactile detail. ("eye"/"tactile", sigh. Must do better!)
And I like a lot of his characters.
As for Neuromancer itself, I was having a mildly pleasant experience until
Anyway, I haven't read anything by any of those other guys (except, of course The Difference Engine by Gibson AND Sterling) so I can't comment, except that if that they're that much better I look forward to reading them! I've got a copy of The Diamond Age that I'll be starting soon.
The moment I saw Drizzt mentioned on the list was enough for me to stop reading. :/
YMMV.
Good list all in all, but no mention of Stanislas Lem? Solaris, at least, should be on that list.
John Shirley was there and gone before cyberpunk was finally given a name.
Christopher Priest's A DREAM OF WESSEX was even earlier than Shirley and is a stronger candidate for doing the whole VR thing even earlier.
Priest is also a massive omission from the list. THE AFFIRMATION and THE SEPARATION are impressive novels but I thought at least THE PRESTIGE might have gotten a nod due to the recent Nolan film.
Looks like the most famous list.
Ender's Game, Foundation, Fahrenheit, Brave New World, Animal Farm, The Princess Bride, Neuromancer, 2001, Wheel of Time, Dragonflight, Contact, World War Z, Covenant, Sword of Truth, Shannara, Drizzt, Codex Alera, Xanth, Belgariad, Stephen King etc., I know some of these are considered classics, honestly these don't belong.
(didn't read about ten books from that list tough)
Looks like the most famous list.
Ender's Game, Foundation, Fahrenheit, Brave New World, Animal Farm, The Princess Bride, Neuromancer, 2001, Wheel of Time, Dragonflight, Contact, World War Z, Covenant, Sword of Truth, Shannara, Drizzt, Codex Alera, Xanth, Belgariad, Stephen King etc., I know some of these are considered classics, honestly these don't belong.
(didn't read about ten books from that list tough)
Foundation and Ender's Game don't belong on a sci-fi list? What?
Foundation and Ender's Game don't belong on a sci-fi list? What?
There's at least a hundred sci-fi books that deserve a place on the list before Ender's Game, maybe not Foundation cause of its influence.
I agree that FOUNDATION and ENDER'S GAME are important due to their influence. But both have dated, in Foundation's case very badly. The difference with books like THE STARS MY DESTINATION, A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ and HG Wells' work is that they are genuinely well-written novels that feel like they could have been written yesterday (certain old-school beliefs about science and technology aside).
ENDER'S GAME is great the first time you read it, but the more you delve into it, the more you realise the extent of its problems (some of which Card laudably does address in SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD).
Wells and Verne, I read them in school about the age of 12, don't remember. With the appearance of steampunk and similar book they don't feel that old.
Card did not know about Starship Troopers?
THE WHEEL OF TIME is, by far, the biggest-selling and most popular secondary world/epic fantasy series since THE LORD OF THE RINGS itself (though A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, thanks to the TV show, is gaining on it at an astronomical rate of knots), so it going in quite high on the list is no surprise whatsoever. It's an extremely problematic series but the author puts enough interesting ideas in at its core (including arguably the finest magic system ever seen in a fantasy work) to make it at least worth a look.
One more view here on WOT. I disagree with Werthead that saidar/saidin is the finest magic system ever seen (I prefer systems with more defined limits as in some of Sanderson's work), but do agree that WOT is a worthwhile read.
The series is long, and one of the things that Jordan does well is transforming a character over the course of several books. As I read back through right now, I'm annoyed at the constant bickering between men and women, but enjoying seeing how characters change over time. I'd recommend it, but you need to have a palate cleanser in between each book.