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Top 100 Science Fiction / Fantasy Book Meme

A little late to this action, but I’ve been busy. The results of NPR’s Top 100 Science-Fiction and Fantasy survey are in. A few geos had a blog meme going as follows: Copy and paste NPR’s printable list and embolden (stronginate?) the titles you have read. I add a caveat that you may not check off a book as read if you’ve only watched the inevitable movie version.

Here’s mine with editorial comments, and links to the titles at Project Gutenberg, if applicable.

Why are The Futurological Congress by Stanislaw Lem and Sentinels From Space by Eric Frank Russell not on this list?

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 (Can’t look at this book title and not think Bender’s Game.)
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin (I’ve read it in bits, pieces and spoilers. No fair.)
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 (Anansi Boys was much better, IMO.)
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan (Ever get sucked in by a series of books that your friends read feverishly while forgetting to eat, sleep or bathe? No? Me neither.)
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
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick (Speaking of inevitable movie versions, you’re not going to believe that Ridley Scott has plans for a Bladerunner sequel. What are they going to name it? Father Of The Electric Bride?)
22. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
25. The Stand, by Stephen King (D read it and divined the end halfway into the book, thus ruining it for the rest of us in his general vicinity at the time.)
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
28. Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams (I believe I protested against this book in freshman English. No idea why. Must have been teenage hormones.)
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 (What?! Not Lord of Light? I’m outraged!)
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 (Some jackass has my first-edition, signed copy of this book. When I find out who it is, there will be severe hide whipping.)
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 (One of the best books ever written)
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
77. The Kushiel’s Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin (Simply great.)
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 (I’ve had a really hard time not making out with all of Fforde’s books)
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson (Once I am done with the self-imposed decade-long hiatus from Stephenson door-stoppers, I am on this book. I swear.)
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 (Have a bookshelf full of it, but no thanks.)
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

Again, Eric Frank Russell? Anyone?

34/100. Your turn. Drop a comment here with a link so I can check out your results.

4 comments… add one
  • 3Suns September 7, 2011, 6:56 PM

    Reading the list, I got through the first 15 or so and then scrolled to the bottom and started reading upwards. I was starting to freak out when I saw no Philip K. Dick on the list. Sigh of relief when noticed his Electric Sheep at 21. I read that book right around the time of his death, just before the release of Ridley Scott’s movie.

    The latest of his works to be translated for the silver screen is his short story “”Adjustment Team” –> “The Adjustment Bureau”. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the movie until I discovered that it was based on one of his works.

    By the way, a second Blade Runner movie is, indeed, in the works and Ridley Scott will be directing and producing. Whether it will be a sequel or prequel has not yet been announced. I would be very wary of such a pursuit, except for that fact that, unlike George Lucas, Ridley loves and respects his own work.

    Finally, Frank Herbert’s Dune is the most satisfying science fiction I have ever read. Love, politics, religion, economics, a believable universe, with believable technology. SciFi’s mini-series is a brilliant, albeit low budget, adaption and can be purchased for a song at Amazon.

    Great list! You’ve read even more than I have, Maitri!

    By the way, I am taking the lack of posts on Texas as a sign that you are safe and secure. Is everything ok?

  • Cade Roux September 8, 2011, 12:21 PM

    Did my list – I think I may have missed some. http://www.lastmagnolia.com/2011/09/top-100-science-fiction-fantasy-book.html

    I have a problem with no Simak on the list. Not enough Asimov and classic stuff. Also what about Joe Abercrombie’s stuff – that’s pretty damn good.

  • Clay September 9, 2011, 12:56 PM

    My list:
    Hitchhiker’s
    Ender’s Game
    SoIaF (Books 1-4 complete, reading book 5)
    1984
    Fahrenheit 451
    Foundation Series
    Brave New World
    Slaughterhouse Five
    2001
    Cat’s Cradle
    Starship Troopers
    20,000 Leagues
    World War Z (movie right now stuck in development hell)

    13/100 (in my defense, GRR Martin’s books are thick enough to use as cinderblocks).
    Lots of Vonnegut, Asimov, Clarke.

    Also, I got this set ( http://www.amazon.com/George-Martins-Thrones-4-Book-Boxed/dp/0345529057/ref=pd_sim_b_27 ) for $16 bucks, which is one of the best $/page deals I’ve ever seen (~5,000 pages of reading material; a movie is $7-10 for <3 hours; this was pennies per hour in entertainment).

    I also tend towards lots of really bad SciFi books. Brain candy. I’m embarrassed to say it, but:
    * All Halo novels
    * All Wing Commander Novels
    * SM Stirling

    Also: lots of Zombie books (Monster series, WWZ, Day by Day Arm., …).

  • Clay September 27, 2011, 9:27 PM

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