michaeldthomas (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
michaeldthomas) wrote2008-01-24 11:48 am
michaeldthomas) wrote2008-01-24 11:48 am
A List of the SF "Classics"
It’s time to move this blog off of personal bleh.
As many of you know,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rarelylynne and I participate in a speculative fiction book club at the DeKalb Public Library called Destination Wonder. It’s run by our cool librarian friend, torresroman. He is a big SF fan, and he’s worked hard to give our library a fantastic SF book selection.
Steve’s been thinking about the reading list for next year and has been quizzing members of the club for ideas. One of the many reasons that Lynne and I joined was that we both felt that we really needed to read more of the “classics.” The book club covers these along with newer stuff in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. One of the great things about a book club is that it forces you to read out of your comfort zone.
As I was coming up with ideas, I stumbled onto this list of the “most significant” novels from 1953-2002 as put together by the Science Fiction Book Club. I’m a bit of a list junkie (ever since I read the Book of Lists as a wee lad), so I was excited to find this. I’m not sure if I agree with all of it, but I can’t think of many major omissions.
The club has already read off of this list Fahrenheit 451, A Canticle for Leibowitz, I Am Legend, and Snow Crash.
So what does everybody think of this list? Is it correct? What did it miss? Which of these books should we read for the club?
For giggles, I’ll even make it into a meme. Please bold what you have read and pass it on.
The Most Significant SF & Fantasy Books of the Last 50 Years, 1953-2002
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
As many of you know,
rarelylynne and I participate in a speculative fiction book club at the DeKalb Public Library called Destination Wonder. It’s run by our cool librarian friend, torresroman. He is a big SF fan, and he’s worked hard to give our library a fantastic SF book selection. Steve’s been thinking about the reading list for next year and has been quizzing members of the club for ideas. One of the many reasons that Lynne and I joined was that we both felt that we really needed to read more of the “classics.” The book club covers these along with newer stuff in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. One of the great things about a book club is that it forces you to read out of your comfort zone.
As I was coming up with ideas, I stumbled onto this list of the “most significant” novels from 1953-2002 as put together by the Science Fiction Book Club. I’m a bit of a list junkie (ever since I read the Book of Lists as a wee lad), so I was excited to find this. I’m not sure if I agree with all of it, but I can’t think of many major omissions.
The club has already read off of this list Fahrenheit 451, A Canticle for Leibowitz, I Am Legend, and Snow Crash.
So what does everybody think of this list? Is it correct? What did it miss? Which of these books should we read for the club?
For giggles, I’ll even make it into a meme. Please bold what you have read and pass it on.
The Most Significant SF & Fantasy Books of the Last 50 Years, 1953-2002
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