Science Fiction Book Club Best 50 SF book 1953-2002

[jeffreyab]

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

I have read most of the authors on this list just not the works cited.

I love Marion Zimmer Bradley, Samuel R. Delaney, and Roger Zelazny.

I do not remember hearing of Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras before.

Comments

[snarkactual.livejournal.com]

I'm more of a Heinlein, Clarke, Asimov, Norton and Herbert fan myself. Maybe it's generational. The geek in me likes Rick Cook's Wizardry material and it's just plain fun reading. I'm also a fan of Steven Brust's character of Vlad Taltos.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

You loved The Lord of the Rings, but you didn't finish it?

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

Well its more like I respect it for what it represented.

I did finish the Hobbit.

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

I am surprised not one Andre Norton novel made it too. She wrote alot of juveniles and was entry level science fiction for many people.

[sphinxgurl.livejournal.com]

I think I've only read, like, 3 on that list! oh no, 7 (soo much better)

Mist of Avalon is my all-time favorite book - it means so much to me! I'm so glad my aunt gave it to me when I was 12.

You're a librarian and haven't read Farenheit 451!!! :p

[snarkactual.livejournal.com]

Yes, that was more tnan a bit of a surprise.

[foms.livejournal.com]

I saw a reference that said that Children of the Atom was teh inspiration for the X Men. Significant, I guess.

[airynd.livejournal.com]

loooove brust! i'm not sure any of his taltos books could be considered "significant," but i loved them until he sort of started unravelling after vlad and his wife split up.

[snarkactual.livejournal.com]

I don't think Brust is "significant to the genre.
Although, I felt a kind of a kindred spirit in the character of Vlad, the black humor (play on words intended), the way Brust describes his very viceral reaction to people trying to kill him and the way he checks his armament all ring with a certain familiarity to me. Even the break-up between Vlad and Cawti sort of reflected something I was going through myself with a woman who was very much like Cawti in my own life. So, for me it was believable although I could laugh darkly at Vlad's particular situations and his version of the same kind of brooding, floundering, "go back to what I know/do best" approach to try to break out of the funk he found himself in.

[ltmurnau.livejournal.com]

I wonder how they judged "significant". Given that it's a book club, maybe they went by sales, which would explain the loathesome presence of the Harry Potter book.

Children of the Atom is a good one, not easy to find now - the first part of the book (actually it is three stories connected by a theme rather like More Than Human), "In Hiding", is especially affecting.

PS I got your note about the Far Seas. I'd like to know what else you might have available for trade. I could send you a list of what I've got.

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

Do send me the list and I'll see what you have.

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

I got turned off Ray Bradbury at an early age.

[ltmurnau.livejournal.com]

I want to see what you have, too!

[airynd.livejournal.com]

I felt a kind of a kindred spirit in the character of Vlad, the black humor (play on words intended), the way Brust describes his very viceral reaction to people trying to kill him and the way he checks his armament all ring with a certain familiarity to me.

much of who he is resonates with me, too, especially his relationship with loiosh and his humor. odd timing, you reading it as you went thru similar circumstances - funny how the universe works.

[snarkactual.livejournal.com]

Yes, the relationship with Loiosh resonates with me too. Although in my life, lacking a dragonet, the "Kragars" in my life tend to be the ones making the pointed commentaries.

I'm thrroughly convinced that God has a sense of humor and it's just a bit off center. :-)