50 SF books
Better late than never. My, I have read a decent amount of SF over the years.
50 Significant SF novels list from the SFBC
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 (shamefaced admission: I like LotR, but I don't love it.)
The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
Dune, Frank Herbert
Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin *
Neuromancer, William Gibson * (wow, did I love this when I first read it. I tried reading it again a few years ago, and bounced right off it.)
Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick (I never could get into Dick's novels, although there are several of his short stories that I really liked)
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley (oh yuck. I was mildly fond of the Darkover stories, but I barely made it 50 pages into this. )
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (If they'd listed any of his short story collections, there'd have been one honkin' big asterisk next to it)
The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe (I keep meaning to read this, but it looks too much like work)
A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras (the short story was okay, but I barely made it through the novel)
Cities in Flight, James Blish
The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett * (Unlike many Pratchett fans, I started with this one and loved it right from the start.
Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester *
Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey*
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson (I slogged through the first three chronicles and vowed Never again!)
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
Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon *
The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith *
On the Beach, Nevil Shute (on the other hand, I love most of Nevil Shute's non-SF novel. Trustee from the Toolroom, A Town Like Alice - great books)
Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
Ringworld, Larry Niven
Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
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
50 Significant SF novels list from the SFBC
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 (shamefaced admission: I like LotR, but I don't love it.)
The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
Dune, Frank Herbert
Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin *
Neuromancer, William Gibson * (wow, did I love this when I first read it. I tried reading it again a few years ago, and bounced right off it.)
Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick (I never could get into Dick's novels, although there are several of his short stories that I really liked)
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley (oh yuck. I was mildly fond of the Darkover stories, but I barely made it 50 pages into this. )
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (If they'd listed any of his short story collections, there'd have been one honkin' big asterisk next to it)
The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe (I keep meaning to read this, but it looks too much like work)
A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras (the short story was okay, but I barely made it through the novel)
Cities in Flight, James Blish
The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett * (Unlike many Pratchett fans, I started with this one and loved it right from the start.
Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester *
Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey*
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson (I slogged through the first three chronicles and vowed Never again!)
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
Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon *
The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith *
On the Beach, Nevil Shute (on the other hand, I love most of Nevil Shute's non-SF novel. Trustee from the Toolroom, A Town Like Alice - great books)
Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
Ringworld, Larry Niven
Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
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