Top 100 Sci-Fi Books
My buddy Scott sent me this link: Sci-Fi Lists - Top 100 Sci-Fi Books. It is a pretty good list of the best books of the genre, although I'm sure people could argue about the order (and what's included or not included). As much I liked Dune, I'm not sure I'd consider it #1. 1984, for example, is a much more important book, although it tends to get all the attention for dystopian literature. For an alternative to 1984, check out We.
My recommendations from this list, in no particular order, would be:
- Ender's Game (my #1 probably)
- Any of the Neal Stephenson books, especially Diamond Age. I know Snow Crash is cooler (and I'll never forget the scene with the rail gun), I just felt like Diamond Age was neater.
- Lord of Light - which I've never read, but heard is very good. I was a huge fan of Zelazny's Amber series, which I hear is crap compared to Lord of Light.
- A Canticle for Leibowitz
- The Handmaid's Tale -feminism and sci-fi, interesting mix
- Flatland
- Neuromancer - I still like to think of security in terms of "ice"
- While not "high art", many of the Star Wars novels are pretty good, especially the Thrawn trilogy.
And while not a book - A Mind Forever Voyaging is the single best sci-fi game ever made.
Comments
Zahn's Star Wars and Ender's Game are definitely good. I think Red Mars was seriously undervalued on the list though.
# Posted By Steve Bryant
| 3/9/08 9:40 PM
No John Varley? I just read his collection of short stories and it rocked.
# Posted By Jim Priest
| 3/10/08 8:34 AM
I'm not sure I'd suggest *any* of the Neal Stephenson books. I don't much care for what I've read of the Quicksilver cycle, although I know people who do. However, I don't know anyone who thought "The Big U" was a good book. Thankfully, it is short.
# Posted By Ben Doom
| 3/10/08 9:01 AM
Ben, I read part of the first book of Quicksilver, and found it dense, and hard to read. I never finished it. If that is your ONLY experience with Stephenson though, I _highly_ recommend you try Snow Crash and Diamond Age.
Scott - you are the second person to recommend Tek. I may have to add that to my wish list.
Scott - you are the second person to recommend Tek. I may have to add that to my wish list.
# Posted By Raymond Camden
| 3/10/08 9:18 AM
@ Jim
I agree with you re John Varley. His Gaean Trilogy is top notch.
It's a pretty decent list though. I have read many of them. Glad to see some of the old masters still hold up (Simak, Sturgeon, Pohl).
I agree with you re John Varley. His Gaean Trilogy is top notch.
It's a pretty decent list though. I have read many of them. Glad to see some of the old masters still hold up (Simak, Sturgeon, Pohl).
# Posted By Jeff Fleitz
| 3/10/08 10:42 AM
One of my favorite books amongst those is The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin, apart from being written the year I was born, it has a fantastic parallel writing structure that I loved.
It also made me understand what being an anarchist really means :)
It also made me understand what being an anarchist really means :)
Please someone send this list over to the producers at the SciFi Channel. Maybe they will stop bringing us garbage like "king cobra" and "man bug"...
# Posted By Michael Williams
| 3/10/08 3:33 PM
As far as I'm concerned, the fact that they show BSG gives them a free pass to air 23 hours of crap the rest of the time. ;)
# Posted By Raymond Camden
| 3/10/08 3:38 PM
Interesting list. Not sure I'd put Do Androids as Philip K Dick's best book - for me UBIK and A Scanner Darkly are better - but I guess that might have something to do with the movie tie-in. Also would have Iain M Banks a bit higher - his Culture books are excellent sci-fi.
# Posted By Will Swain
| 3/10/08 9:34 PM
Ray, you absolutely should read Lord of Light. Truly a classic.
# Posted By David Betz
| 3/11/08 8:39 AM
Added to the wishlist. :)
# Posted By Raymond Camden
| 3/11/08 8:46 AM
That's a strong list.
I was going to ask fro Neal Stephenson's autograph once but I didn't have _that much_ paper with me.
I was going to ask fro Neal Stephenson's autograph once but I didn't have _that much_ paper with me.
# Posted By Nate Smith
| 3/11/08 10:25 PM
I bought Lord of Light as a used paperback, and I've read it at least a dozen times. It is fantastic. The book isn't that long, but the depth and history of the world that is implied is just incredible.
# Posted By Andy Lynch
| 3/12/08 6:40 AM
One of my all-time favourites books (well, the trilogy) is the Jon Shannow novels, by David Gemmell. Although not entirely sci-fi, they are a must read for fantasy novel readers.
A fantastic trilogy, set in the future, basically about a world after an apocalypse, when the world turned on it's axis. Superb characters, great storylines, and some imagery that is just mind-blowing. I've read the trilogu twice now, and am aiming for my third session soon.
You have to check it out.
A fantastic trilogy, set in the future, basically about a world after an apocalypse, when the world turned on it's axis. Superb characters, great storylines, and some imagery that is just mind-blowing. I've read the trilogu twice now, and am aiming for my third session soon.
You have to check it out.
# Posted By Matt Gifford
| 3/13/08 5:53 AM
And, I think the first Timothy Zahn series of Star Wars books were excellent.