Top 50 SF Books Meme

stolen from seawasp 

In this case "SF" means "Speculative Fiction", which encompasses Science Fiction and Fantasy (and some horror, etc. as well).

I do wonder where the heck this list comes from; there's stuff in here I'd have expected to be much farther down the list and others I expected to be on the list. and almost all of it is older...i'm just guessing, but it appears that the "newest" nook the list is "Ender's Game"... we need to get a group together and start NEW lists, and separate them out by definitive genere! like, High Fanatasy, which is different from fairy tale fantasy which is different than Urban fantasy (oh HOW UF is different), sci fi, vs alternate history, vs future history, vs space navy vs space opera...

maybe if i get enoigh interested iwill set something up. no, if i get enough interest i WILLwork on it.

but not right now as my meds kick in..........................



Bold what you've read, italicize what you started and couldn't finish, strikethrough what you hated. Asterisks for ones you really loved (more asterisks is of course more love!), and a "+" for ones you own.




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. Leguin 
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. **