Bookmeme

[akujunkan]

Courtesy of firesign10.

This is a list of the 50 most significant science fiction/fantasy novels, 1953-2002, according to the Science Fiction Book Club. Bold the ones you've read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put an asterisk beside the ones you loved.


1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien* The book that, at age 10, turned me from dabbler into true reader.
2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
3. Dune, Frank Herbert
4. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin Too bad there isn't an option to note those books you're ambivalent about. I really hate the gender bias in this trilogy.
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson
7. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley* I have reread this book perhaps more than any other, and the ending still hurts, hurts hurts.
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr. My dad stole it back before I finished!
13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish
16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett This book was a little too self-conscious for my tastes, but it did kick off Discworld, so *.
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
22. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl
26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling Struck out because I only read it for the Snape parts and it's honestly not that good as far as fantasy goes.
27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice * Interview was a-mazing. Unfortunately everything that came afterwards was Rice writing bad fanfic with her own characters.
30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin My parents put this one into the storage shed before I finished.
31. Little, Big, John Crowley
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute
38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
39. Ringworld, Larry Niven
40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42. Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut* Although Timequake is the hands down, all time favorite.
43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks LotR Lite.
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford
50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer


That will be all.

Comments

[shoebucket.livejournal.com]

Harry Potter and the "Philosopher's" Stone? uhh... wtf?

and we read at least 3 of those in my Science Fiction & Fantasy Literature class my sophomore year at Purdue. :-)

[metal-dog5.livejournal.com]

I take it you've read the book as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The original title (the one used outside the US) is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone . The american publishers changed the title as they didn't believe anyone would buy a novel with 'philosopher' in the title.

[shoebucket.livejournal.com]

no kidding... huh - learn something new every day. :-)

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

They also changed the punctuation and even wording in the novel for the American release. Because, you know, readers are horrible at figuring meaning out from context.

Or maybe they are, and I just got too edumacated in high school;)

[theosakakoneko.livejournal.com]

Having read exactly 4 of those, it's not even worth doing this for me! I guess I was just never much of a sci fi / fantasy reader! haha

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

Well, I consider myself a HUGE fantasy reader, and that list contains very few of the titles I consider to be the genre's greatest works. So take it with a grain of salt;)

[metal-dog5.livejournal.com]

I'd do this meme, but once again some of the titles I know and can't be sure if I've read them or not. woe.




Are you ever on AIM any more? I'm missing our chats :(

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

I miss them too! But it's rough trying to do anything online in the kitchen, when ma famile takes my presence there to be an indicator that I'm looking for some chore or duty to be assigned.

[metal-dog5.livejournal.com]

*cries* I think I've most likely missed you - Friday mornings are always busy :(

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

*sobs* I missed you and my play date. I suck!

[metal-dog5.livejournal.com]

Gah! The local time stamp on your post - I was home and didn't have to pick up Nick for once >.< Next time I'm leaving aim on regardless.