NPR Top 100 SF/F Books Meme

[brigdh]

Taken from teleophase: Bold the ones you've read, italicize the ones you fully intend to read someday. :) If it's a series and you've read one or more, but not all of the books, underline it.


1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin
6. 1984, by George Orwell
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
22. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
23. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
24. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
25. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
26. The Stand, by Stephen King
27. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
28. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
29. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
30. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
31. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
32. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis


Mostly a pretty good list. I don't agree with every one on it, but there's nothing I'm too surprised by. I didn't expect The Kingkiller Chronicles to be so high up, though! It's such a new series, and the trilogy isn't even entirely written yet. But I guess it has been quite popular. I'm happy to see 'Small Gods' on here, since that's my favorite Terry Pratchett. There's a lot of Neil Gaiman on here, and Neal Stephenson as well. I guess Neil/Neal is a lucky name for sci-fi writers.

Comments

[gen50.livejournal.com]

lots of asimov, which i have read across the years
and heinlein

but i need to read more

nice set you;ve read

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I probably should read some Asimov or Heinlein at some point, but I've never been that into hard sci-fi.

Neil

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

L. Neil Smith and Joseph Neil Schulman wouldn't be lucky for you. You might throw a book out the window! That would be littering, as well as hazardous to passersby.

Paticularly the later. "Jesus’ ex-wife, Satan."

Not recommended.

Re: Neil

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Ha! I have not heard of that book, but yeah, I think I'll not seek it out.

Re: Neil

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

The book is titled Escape From Heaven. On my If That's All There Is Then There's Nothing To Read list.

Re: Neil

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Noting it down, thank you!

Re: Neil

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

How bad is it that we have to make lists of books we don't want to read?

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

LJ or Internet just ate my post. Will do it over later. *Swears in Hindi and Russian.*

[call-me-ishmael.livejournal.com]

Interesting how some series only have the first book listed. I'm curious what the criteria were when creating this list. (Popularity is certainly part of it, given some of the series are less than impressive in writing quality.)

As the list went down I was familiar with fewer and fewer names but was absolutely thrilled to see Sunshine on there. (Highly recommended, should you ever be so inclined.)

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I think it was all voting by NPR listeners. I know for sure that's how they got the final top 100, and I think it may have been where the original, longer list came from as well. But yeah, it is strange that sometimes they pick one and sometimes they do a whole series.

I've heard many good things about Sunshine! But I've tried one or two other McKinley books and couldn't get into them. "Beauty", I think, is the one I tried.

[call-me-ishmael.livejournal.com]

I read a lot of Robin McKinley growing up. I recommend Blue Sword/Hero and the Crown and Outlaws of Sherwood. Beauty was okay, definitely not my favorite. Sunshine is her best work I've read so far. Seriously gorgeous worldbuilding and voice.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Not a bad list, although I question a list that only has one Heinlein,where that one listing is either Stranger in a Strange Land or The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, although both are good.(Or Podkayne of Mars! Which I have never seen done, which but is not especially good but weirdly popular with some.)

If I was going to pick just one of his, it would either be Double Star or Starship Troopers, which is offense to just about any knee-jerk position on the political spectrum.(Basic premise:history could get by without us just fine.)

On the whole, if you added an nonfiction section of six technical reference works, A Complete Shakespeare, and an English dictionary and a grammar, this would be a pretty good Monks List.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Obviously, the Shakespeare does not belong in the non-fiction section. Bad edit, bad! Although I believe the monks would know this.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

This is how rattled I am by having had my post eaten. I SAW THE OTHER HEINLEIN TITLES, marked them correctly, quite forgot it. Ignore.

Also more than rattled by that thing reported on your partner's list, which pushes all kinds of bad buttons for me. I am literally shaking.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Partner's journal, not list. Blarg.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I knew what you meant! :) It is a bad thing.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

It makes me very angry, which, given our history, is not something a Canadian should be.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

I see Right has triumphed, so I suppose I am willing to be mollified. Still should NOT have happened though.(In other words, I'm still pissed, even in the face of victory.)

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Your rage is appreciated!

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Things The Irish Do Well for one hundred, Alex.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I haven't read any Heinlein. I know I should at some point, but I've never been that into hard sci-fi (which I understand he writes?)

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

And Fantasy, plus Mucking About With the Rules. His stories are always about people rather than the science or tech. Very narrative driven, which is why people say he invented modern Spec-fic.(He coined the terms Speculative fiction And Sci-fi.)People don't make speeches about light switches, they flick on the lights.

Considering he was born in horse-and-buggy days, and that he wrote the first Name A Sub-genre stories, he's still worth the effort. I would consider him the Mark Twain of the 20th century.

Double Star. Really. (Ignore Penny.)

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

His Martians are Strange and Beautiful, and he invented several.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, you make a good case for him. I'll have to put it on my to-read list. Thanks!

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Oh! A Monks List is the collection of Old Time books that monks should have copies of through the next Dark Age. Could become relevant any time now.

People have been debating what the six technical books should be since at least the 50s. It's called Heinlein's Game.(8D)

My picks in no especial order:Best Medical handbook available; best Mathematics handbook; Physics and Chemistry handbook; Engineering handbook; an illustrated technological history of the world(so people don't have to reinvent the spinning wheel); and a general compendium of miscellaneous knowledge such as the Boy Scout Manual. Because these are the books that took the longest to write.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Ah! I hadn't heard the term before. That's a fun debate. Your list sounds pretty good to me!

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

It suddenly occurred to me that perhaps you hadn't. Heinlein's Game is fun, because it forces you think about all the stuff you'd have to leave out.

I am quite pleased with my 5th pick there, because I think it's important but not obvious. Just because I know how, say, a canal lock works doesn't mean I know how to build one. Knowing what things look like is important!

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Hee, it's true! Photos/drawings can make all the difference.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Drawings are better than photos, because trying to copy the photos would make the monks crazy!

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

The best example(not of my own devising) is the wheelbarrow. If you've never seen one, having it explained to you is just confusing. 'It's a cart with only one wheel...what keeps it from falling over...it's being held up by a man...' But as soon as you see one, it makes perfect sense.

Scissors are another good example of something which is intuitively obvious-unless you've never seen a pair.

First Half

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

New House Rules: 1 * means I can't remember if I've read it or not/ Old people do this. Shut up. 2*(**) means I read it so long ago I don't remember it. Shut up!

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card **
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin
6. 1984, by George Orwell
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut**
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
22. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
23. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
24. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
25. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
26. The Stand, by Stephen King
27. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
28. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
29. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut*
30. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
31. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
32. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley**
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien**
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan*

The Latter Half

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke*
77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe **
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis

21/100

[rayechu.livejournal.com]

We're gunna play, condense the post to what I have read....

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
- First book only. No girls. Boring

3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
6. 1984, by George Orwell
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
23. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
25. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
- until it stopped with the monkeys and got boring

29. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
31. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
-My first Neil Gaiman book and was not terribly impressed

54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
- I HATED, HATED, HATED this so much

99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony

Re: 21/100

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I really loved Wicked, but I know a lot of people didn't.

Neverwhere was my least favorite Neil Gaiman, so if you're interested, I would really recommend trying 'Smoke and Mirrors'. It's a book of short stories, so it gives you a good idea of the diversity of stuff he writes.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

#93 A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge is a hard science story you might enjoy, it's kind of epic in scope, but with some nice intimate moments.

Basic plot device: archaeologists endanger Galactic civilisation by releasing An Ancient (high-tech) Horror.(Them people gonna git us all kilt someday!)

Major players: a race of talking dog people who are only sentient in small groups. If they aren't in close proximity to others they go back to being animals. Individual personalities are actually packs which change identity as they lose and gain members.

Also: Nazi Butterflies.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

I just realised:no Swordpoint-WTF???