Found at Jenna Thomas-McKie's blog.

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.

• The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien*


• The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov (I keep meaning to start this "must read", but the breathless descriptions of it have never intrigued me, and even worse, have made me fear that it would be a waste of my time)


• Dune, Frank Herbert (I loved this as a teen, but it has not rewarded repeat readings)


• Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein


• A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin* (I'm not much into fantasy, but this is a sentimental favorite from the teen years)


• Neuromancer, William Gibson*


• Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke


• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick


• The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley


• Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury


• The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe


• A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.


• The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov


• Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras


• Cities in Flight, James Blish


• The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett


• Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison


• Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison


• The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester (this looks great - on my short list)


• Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany


• Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey* (a classic SF-fantasy crossover)


• Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card


• The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson (someone oversold this one to me; I hated the protagonist)


• The Forever War, Joe Haldeman


• Gateway, Frederik Pohl


• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling


• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams*


• I Am Legend, Richard Matheson


• Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice


• The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin


• Little, Big, John Crowley


• Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny


• The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick (on my short list)


• Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement


• More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon


• The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith


• On the Beach, Nevil Shute


• Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke


• Ringworld, Larry Niven* (I want to be Louis Wu!)


• Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys


• The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien


• Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut


• Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson* (a good intro to Stephenson, and not as intimidating as his later doorstops)


• Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner


• The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester


• Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein*


• Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock


• The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks


• Timescape, Gregory Benford


• To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

I won't tag anyone, but if you play this meme, drop me a note or leave a comment (trackbacks are not currently working).

Posted by: JohnL at 09:22 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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"Age does not bring wisdom, Ben, but it does give perspective... and the saddest sight of all is to see, far behind you, temptations you've resisted."

- Jubal Harshaw in Stranger in a Strange Land.

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