SF Book Meme
(filched from midnitemaraud_r)
Top 100 SF and Fantasy Books
(I found the summaries really useful. And yep, there are some glaring omissions, but the list seems to have been fairly nominated and voted for)
Bold for read
Italics for intending to read
Underline for partial read series/books
Strikethrough for never ever reading
1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien (must-read, but pretty damn boring apart from a handful of good scenes)
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams (fun!)
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card (I'd love to read the book, but so far my utter disgust for the author has held me back. That'll probably continue.)
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert (I read all the books he wrote himself, and I like them)
5. A Song of Ice and Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin (read everything but the most recent, and the series is brilliant. Only writer I follow despite his unfortunate stance on fanfic. Armageddon Rag and Fevre Dream are as good)
6. 1984, by George Orwell (it's a good book, but I still don't like it)
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov (Asimov... I have the books, but never felt a great urge to read them)
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley (very good)
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman (that's pretty high up on my list of favourite books of all time)
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman (fun, but I don't quite get the passion it can evoke in people...)
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan (looked at it long and hard, couldn't bring myself to read)
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell (classic!)
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson (I think I forced myself through most of it, and hated every page... sorry, liriaen!)
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore (not high priority, though)
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss (the list description actually made me curious about this)
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley (read for uni, and loved to bits)
22. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick (when I first read it, I was grouchy because the film is better. But it's grown on me as a book)
23. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood (scariest book ever!)
24. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King (I tried, several times, more than one book, but never finished)
25. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke (I saw the film, though)
26. The Stand, by Stephen King (one of my favourite King novels, but hated the ending)
27. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
28. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury (read that in my teens, don't remember much, but I liked them then)
29. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
30. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
31. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess (no, thanks!)
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams (excellent)
32. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
34. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein (again, the blurb on the list makes me want to read this novel)
35. A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells (intriguing)
37. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne (childhood reading, in translation)
38. Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keys
39. The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells (liked)
40. The Chronicles of Amber, by Roger Zelazny (so much fun!!!)
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
42. The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley (influenced my early teenage years to no end)
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven (that one has been on my to-read list since, well, about 1985...)
45. The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin (really don't like LeGuin)
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien (I read around *in* it)
47. The Once and Future King, by T.H. White (read for uni, but pretty meh)
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman (I generally like his books, so will probably get around to this one)
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle (liked!)
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett (awesome! Best thing Pratchett ever wrote, and that's saying something!)
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson (I'm told it's dark, which sounds promising)
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold (it's sheer, utter brilliance! probably favourite SF novel series)
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett (one day, I'll have read all of Pratchett!)
61. The Mote in God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
62. The Sword of Truth, by Terry Goodkind (the first book was fine, but it worked as a standalone for me, and never made me want to pick up any sequel)
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke (I tried two times so far, and never made it past a hundred pages. It's interesting in theory, but dead boring in practice.)
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson (love it!)
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist (I think I have all of it, in translation in my teens)
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks (really enjoyed the first nine books or so, but then it got boring and repetitve)
68. The Conan the Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard (I think I went through pretty much all of Howard during my teenage reading...)
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb (tried two of the books independently, and gave up in bored disgust in the first chapter... definitely not for me)
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger (I've seen it recced a lot)
71. The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
72. A Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne
73. The Legend of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore (I just don't like Salvatore as a writer)
74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey (yep, love it to bits)
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin (again, don't like her books)
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
81. The Malazan Book of the Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde (mad fun - "The Socialist Republic of Wales - Not Always Raining")
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks (I read a little of Banks, mostly his non-SF stuff, and never managed to finish a book, but always wanted to)
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart (not my favourite Arthurian novel, but decent enough)
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher (just want to have a look, because I love the 'Dresden Files')
87. The Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn (of all Star Wars novelisations, those are probably the most boring)
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldon (the first, not bad, but no keeper - wouldn't touch the others because of her dramaqueenishness and stance on fanfic)
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock (liked it! I like most of Moorcock, and it's not the name, *g*)
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley (it's not excessively good, though)
93. A Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge
94. The Caves of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville (some day, I want to go on a Mieville reading spree. I read half of 'The Scar' and really want to finish it)
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony (at least one or two books, in translation)
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis (I read 'That Hideous Strenght' only, and well, I really don't like Lewis *at all* because I hate being clubbed over the head by Christian mythology
Top 100 SF and Fantasy Books
(I found the summaries really useful. And yep, there are some glaring omissions, but the list seems to have been fairly nominated and voted for)
Bold for read
Italics for intending to read
Underline for partial read series/books
Strikethrough for never ever reading
1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien (must-read, but pretty damn boring apart from a handful of good scenes)
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams (fun!)
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card (I'd love to read the book, but so far my utter disgust for the author has held me back. That'll probably continue.)
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert (I read all the books he wrote himself, and I like them)
5. A Song of Ice and Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin (read everything but the most recent, and the series is brilliant. Only writer I follow despite his unfortunate stance on fanfic. Armageddon Rag and Fevre Dream are as good)
6. 1984, by George Orwell (it's a good book, but I still don't like it)
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov (Asimov... I have the books, but never felt a great urge to read them)
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley (very good)
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman (that's pretty high up on my list of favourite books of all time)
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman (fun, but I don't quite get the passion it can evoke in people...)
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan (looked at it long and hard, couldn't bring myself to read)
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell (classic!)
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson (I think I forced myself through most of it, and hated every page... sorry, liriaen!)
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore (not high priority, though)
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss (the list description actually made me curious about this)
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley (read for uni, and loved to bits)
22. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick (when I first read it, I was grouchy because the film is better. But it's grown on me as a book)
23. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood (scariest book ever!)
24. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King (I tried, several times, more than one book, but never finished)
25. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke (I saw the film, though)
26. The Stand, by Stephen King (one of my favourite King novels, but hated the ending)
27. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
28. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury (read that in my teens, don't remember much, but I liked them then)
29. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
30. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
31. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess (no, thanks!)
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams (excellent)
32. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
34. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein (again, the blurb on the list makes me want to read this novel)
35. A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells (intriguing)
37. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne (childhood reading, in translation)
38. Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keys
39. The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells (liked)
40. The Chronicles of Amber, by Roger Zelazny (so much fun!!!)
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
42. The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley (influenced my early teenage years to no end)
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven (that one has been on my to-read list since, well, about 1985...)
45. The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin (really don't like LeGuin)
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien (I read around *in* it)
47. The Once and Future King, by T.H. White (read for uni, but pretty meh)
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman (I generally like his books, so will probably get around to this one)
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle (liked!)
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett (awesome! Best thing Pratchett ever wrote, and that's saying something!)
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson (I'm told it's dark, which sounds promising)
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold (it's sheer, utter brilliance! probably favourite SF novel series)
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett (one day, I'll have read all of Pratchett!)
61. The Mote in God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
62. The Sword of Truth, by Terry Goodkind (the first book was fine, but it worked as a standalone for me, and never made me want to pick up any sequel)
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke (I tried two times so far, and never made it past a hundred pages. It's interesting in theory, but dead boring in practice.)
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson (love it!)
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist (I think I have all of it, in translation in my teens)
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks (really enjoyed the first nine books or so, but then it got boring and repetitve)
68. The Conan the Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard (I think I went through pretty much all of Howard during my teenage reading...)
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb (tried two of the books independently, and gave up in bored disgust in the first chapter... definitely not for me)
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger (I've seen it recced a lot)
71. The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
72. A Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne
73. The Legend of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore (I just don't like Salvatore as a writer)
74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey (yep, love it to bits)
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin (again, don't like her books)
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
81. The Malazan Book of the Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde (mad fun - "The Socialist Republic of Wales - Not Always Raining")
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks (I read a little of Banks, mostly his non-SF stuff, and never managed to finish a book, but always wanted to)
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart (not my favourite Arthurian novel, but decent enough)
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher (just want to have a look, because I love the 'Dresden Files')
87. The Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn (of all Star Wars novelisations, those are probably the most boring)
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldon (the first, not bad, but no keeper - wouldn't touch the others because of her dramaqueenishness and stance on fanfic)
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock (liked it! I like most of Moorcock, and it's not the name, *g*)
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley (it's not excessively good, though)
93. A Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge
94. The Caves of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville (some day, I want to go on a Mieville reading spree. I read half of 'The Scar' and really want to finish it)
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony (at least one or two books, in translation)
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis (I read 'That Hideous Strenght' only, and well, I really don't like Lewis *at all* because I hate being clubbed over the head by Christian mythology