[meme] NPR's top 100 sci-fi/fantasy books meme

[juldea]

Hi guys! I'm going to create a meme here, based on many before me.

NPR just released the results of its summer readers' poll looking for the top 100 science fiction and fantasy books (or series.) Let's do a "which ones have we read" poll!

Bold what you've read completely
Italicize what you have read partially

Comments

[rushthatspeaks]

The major thing I have to say here is read Watership Down. It is a brilliant, brilliant book, Livy's history of the founding of Rome retold with actually non-human-feeling rabbits. Not a children's book, for one thing.

I desperately love the first two books of Lewis's Space Trilogy but will freely admit they are not for everybody. Gorgeous, gorgeous descriptions and the rest depends on how interested you are in theology, though much more so in the second than the first-- Out of the Silent Planet will work as a simple adventure travelogue if you aren't into Christian metaphysics. Perelandra is probably the greatest theological fantasy ever written, the best fusion of fantasy and theological argument, but I can see not liking that. The third one just sucks, and I say this as one who loves Lewis.

And I'm glad you know about The Last Unicorn. :)

[juldea]

You know, for all that I've heard Watership Down mentioned throughout life, absolutely nowhere and from no one had I been told it was based on Livy. o_O That ups its spot in my to-read list considerably!

You know, I'm not even sure why it is that The Last Unicorn was the one I was certain to receive comments on, but somehow I knew. :)

[butsuri]

I haven't read The Last Unicorn either (it is on my list). I can't believe you haven't read The Left Hand of Darkness, which might be my favourite book; at least, it's hard to think of one I prefer to it.

[juldea]

It's true, I haven't read that! I don't think I've even heard you mention it; maybe this book list should be discussed during my next show to bring out opinions? :)

[alexx_kay]

I'm pretty sure that I read The Last Unicorn, and that it failed to make any impression on me whatsoever.

Unbolded books I would particularly recommend:
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys (you will cry)
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson (way ahead of its time)
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury (the ultimate 'evil carnival' story)
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge

[juldea]

Interesting. I feel that I often see The Last Unicorn mentioned by people as being seriously influential on their childhood and growing up.

However, I'm noting that Watership Down is definitely the most highly recommended of all the folk commenting, so maybe it should be bumped up on my reading list. When I have/make time for reading, of course... *sigh*

I believe it was your recommendation that had me read Vinge's Rainbow's End, and I did like it and make note to read more of his work.

[siderea]

Tee! My #1 book recommendation is Watership Down. I didn't know (and am somewhat skeptical) about the Livy connection, but it was precisely clear to me when I first read it at age ~13 that it was in the same vein as Homer's Odyssey and all the long involved classical myths that I loved. Not just structurally, but lyrically and symbolically. I figured the allusions to constellations were intended as, well, little lampshades of that fact.

Migod, that is one of the most richly layered cakes of a book. There are so many different levels on which it rocked.

[juldea]

It is definitely the most-recommended book out of all the comments I'm getting on this post, so I am highly compelled to get ahold of it soon. :)

[siderea]

The one and only time I've ever put a book down to discover my heart was thumping from the sheer excitement was my first read of Watership Down.

Word of advice: the first time you read it, the first 65 pages or so are a real slog. Once you make it out of the woods (literally :) the book becomes interesting and a slowly accelerating rocket. On second read, the beginning is much more interesting and significant. The first time around you just have to grit your teeth and get out of the woods.

[juldea]

Thank you for the tip! Of course, now I'm going to distract myself trying to figure out why the first bit is more interesting to second-time readers. ;)