NPR's Top 100 SF/F Books Meme
Aug. 13th, 2011 04:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
paxpinnaeNPR's top 100 SF/F books. Bold if you've read, italicize ones you fully intend to read, underline if it's a book/series you've read part but not all of, strikethrough if you never plan to read.
1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I know, I know, I'm a bad nerd. I read the first one under the auspices of the WORST teacher I have ever had the misfortune to have, and it poisoned them for me. Maybe a decade is enough time to heal, though...
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. I read the first one in middle school, then got distracted by my "All the Dystopias Ever" kick.
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. I have heard such bad things about this series.
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell. My "All the Dystopias Ever" kick? Started here. It is one of the great sadnesses of my life that my seventh-grade 80-slide powerpoint presentation of the relationship between this book and the Russian revolution was destroyed in a hurricane, and that I no longer have it as evidence of my early fangirl tendencies.
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. I gave the first one a go, then bounced off it to less metatextually incestous King works. I regret nothing.
25. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke.
26. The Stand, by Stephen King. I think this is the only major dystopia I didn't read in middle school, largely because I was terrified of the horror genre as a whole. Now that I no longer have screaming nightmares, I might give it a go.
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. God bless my high school library for having the whole series; otherwise, I would have gone broke trying to get ahold of all these.
31. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess. I'm still bitter about the cut-off last chapter.
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. I AM A BAD SPACE NERD, OKAY?
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. Really? Small Gods and Going Postal, but no Night Watch?
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. First Pratchett I ever read. V.V. CONFUSING PLACE TO START, Y'ALL.
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. SERIOUSLY, TIE-IN NOVELS?
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. Still one of my all-time favorites.
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. I have consistently bounced off everything Jim Butcher has ever written, despite rave reviews from friends. I can't tell whether it's the hack writing or the persistent chivalry-as-misogyny.
87. The Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldon
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 Miéville
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis
Do you, like the rest of the internet, feel like this list skewed overly old, white, and male? Wondering why Watchmen made the list and Ghost in the Shell and Y:The Last Man didn't, and where the hell A Wrinkle in Time and The Tough Guide to Fantasyland were? Head on over toeruthros's journal, where she's accepting nominations for Fandom's Top 100 SF/F works in all media!
1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I know, I know, I'm a bad nerd. I read the first one under the auspices of the WORST teacher I have ever had the misfortune to have, and it poisoned them for me. Maybe a decade is enough time to heal, though...
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. I read the first one in middle school, then got distracted by my "All the Dystopias Ever" kick.
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley.
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman.
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman.
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell. My "All the Dystopias Ever" kick? Started here. It is one of the great sadnesses of my life that my seventh-grade 80-slide powerpoint presentation of the relationship between this book and the Russian revolution was destroyed in a hurricane, and that I no longer have it as evidence of my early fangirl tendencies.
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. I gave the first one a go, then bounced off it to less metatextually incestous King works. I regret nothing.
25. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke.
26. The Stand, by Stephen King. I think this is the only major dystopia I didn't read in middle school, largely because I was terrified of the horror genre as a whole. Now that I no longer have screaming nightmares, I might give it a go.
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. God bless my high school library for having the whole series; otherwise, I would have gone broke trying to get ahold of all these.
31. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess. I'm still bitter about the cut-off last chapter.
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. I AM A BAD SPACE NERD, OKAY?
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. Really? Small Gods and Going Postal, but no Night Watch?
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. First Pratchett I ever read. V.V. CONFUSING PLACE TO START, Y'ALL.
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
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. Still one of my all-time favorites.
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. I have consistently bounced off everything Jim Butcher has ever written, despite rave reviews from friends. I can't tell whether it's the hack writing or the persistent chivalry-as-misogyny.
87. The Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldon
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 Miéville
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis
Do you, like the rest of the internet, feel like this list skewed overly old, white, and male? Wondering why Watchmen made the list and Ghost in the Shell and Y:The Last Man didn't, and where the hell A Wrinkle in Time and The Tough Guide to Fantasyland were? Head on over to
eruthros's journal, where she's accepting nominations for Fandom's Top 100 SF/F works in all media!
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Date: 2011-08-13 10:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-13 10:26 pm (UTC)