Comments | kate_nepveu: Significant SF&F books (past and present)

kate_nepveu

Significant SF&F books (past and present)

Nov 17, 2006 21:08

From here ( explanation; criticism of list [edit: see also my comments at the bottom of the post]).

( The Most Significant SF & Fantasy Books of 1953-2002 )

memes, books, sff

Comments 25

kgbooklog November 18 2006, 02:53:08 UTC

look into your crystal balls, dear readers, and predict the most significant books since 2002.

How many titles, and how far into the future are we looking?

JS&MN will be on the list, if only for the hype, and one of the Harry Potter books, probably #7 (easily the most anticipated book so far this century).

Of the stuff I like... (luckily my booklog is indexed by date):
hmmm...
how about The Spriggan Mirror for resurrecting the serial novel form?
Liz Williams' Snake Agent is the sort of thing that could be influential...
the Temeraire series perhaps, since Napoleon is always popular
or Farthing for creating the alt-hist mystery sub-genre
maybe Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy for another YA title

and if we look far enough into the future, we should see The AI War, The Dancing Girl, and Last Dangerous Visions.

kate_nepveu November 18 2006, 13:20:09 UTC

I've never heard of _The Spriggan Mirror_, I'm afraid, though I also haven't heard of some of the SFBC's list either.

_Farthing_ is of course not the first alternate-history mystery novel, but it might be influential nonetheless; early to say.

I've given up on believing that _The AI War_ will ever be published. Which pisses me off because the damn thing's complete and just moldering in his desk drawer, but whatever.

(The comment has been removed)

kate_nepveu November 20 2006, 01:52:12 UTC

Thanks.

Peering int o the crystal ball ... ellarien November 18 2006, 02:53:18 UTC

JS&MN, definitely.

Stephenson's Baroque Cycle.

Something by Charles Stross, probably Accelerando.

If the Temeraire books really get made into a Peter Jackson movie, I can imagine them gathering enough momentum -- and maybe imitators -- to be considered influential.

Re: Peering int o the crystal ball ... kate_nepveu November 18 2006, 13:21:43 UTC

What form do you think the influence/significance of the Baroque Cycle might take?

Re: Peering int o the crystal ball ... markerikson November 18 2006, 13:56:31 UTC

I'd say the Baroque cycle might get tagged as an influential book/series because steampunk is an extremely popular genre, and yet there are almost no actual steampunk books out there. There's "The Difference Engine" and...what? I'm not sure if the Baroque Cycle even counts as steampunk - but I only read the first third of the first book (is it just me or was it much, much harder to read than Cryptonomicon?) but it seemed to be a relatively realistic depiction of the era ( ... )

Re: Peering int o the crystal ball ... kate_nepveu November 20 2006, 01:49:55 UTC

Amazon frequently has older editions after they're no longer on shelves, or a local specialty shop might. Other than that, not sure.

Thread 6

(The comment has been removed)

kate_nepveu November 18 2006, 13:23:43 UTC

What other Newton-era fiction is there? All I can think of is Keyes, and doesn't that predate the Baroque Cycle?

I don't think something need spawn a flood of imitators to be significant, but I'm a little biased here so I avoid saying further.

(The comment has been removed)

kate_nepveu November 20 2006, 01:48:20 UTC

Biased about Jo, silly.

Thread 5

Well, OBVIOUSLY... seawasp November 18 2006, 04:45:32 UTC

... Digital Knight by Ryk E. Spoor would be on that list. Obviously.

Re: Well, OBVIOUSLY... kate_nepveu November 18 2006, 13:23:49 UTC

Obviously!

anonymous November 18 2006, 08:09:48 UTC

Zelazny - Lord of Light? Not the amber series ?

Covenant was unreadable (although i read the first 3, and most of the 2nd series, what a waste).

Love Bester, although I think the Demolished Man is overrated. I prefered the computer connection, although i haven't read either in years.

For hard sf, what about Brin?

For the period since then - anything by Neil Gaiman or Ian M. Banks. Agreed on JS&MN.

kate_nepveu November 18 2006, 13:25:48 UTC

I think you could make a very reasonable case for the first Uplift trilogy and the Amber series being on the list.

I might even argue that _Sandman_ should be on it, since I think that's Gaiman's best and most influential work by far, but that's probably pushing the list too much.