NPR's Top 100 Fantasy & SF Books
Or series, or whatever; they're pretty sloppy about the facts over there at NPR, and why should this be any different?
Anyway, it is now apparently a meme, which I have ganked from psiten. Footnotes will be lavish, I daresay.
I am altering the original instructions pray that I do not alter them further! because of the fact that there are
series in here, and sometimes one doesn't finish the whole series.
Books I have read
Books I have partially read
Books I have read and recommend
1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams (So overrated.)
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert1
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin
6. 1984 by George Orwell2
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman3
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore3
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
22. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King4
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
25. The Stand, by Stephen King
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
28. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman5
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess (I don't understand people who don't think this and "Flowers For Algernon" aren't SF.)
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein (I think this is actually better than the other two higher-rated Heinlein books on this list.)
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells3
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne3
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny (Not finishing this either, but for different reasons; this is one of the few works by Zelazny that leaves me cold.)
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin (Read this as an assignment for a class at PGCC and never read it again.)
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien (Not nearly as good as the Ring trilogy, or even The Hobbit.)
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
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 (I like this a lot, but seriously - it's not SF.)
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson (I read this in high school despite it being trendy. That was a mistake.)
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson3 (Okay, but the movie The Omega Man was actually better.)
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks (I think it was the first book of this that provoked me to invent the term "elf & dwarf crap".)
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard (If you hate Conan, you are a commie pinko deviate who hates Cimmeria.)
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
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
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
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
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
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks (I have mixed feelings about this. I like what I've read, but don't know if I want to read any more of it.)
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson (What a disappointment this was.)
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldon
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock (This is one of those series that people should read once so they're familiar with it.)
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge (Currently reading this)
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
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony (After a while, it stopped being funny, and there went the entertainment value.)
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis
1I actually only recommend the first novel. Dune Messiah and Children Of Dune are okay brain candy, but not great.
2This, with Brave New World, is pretty much the archetype of all SF dystopiae.
3Okay, but the movie was actually better.
4Not finishing this because Stephen King is a vile Marty Stu. I don't even care how it ends any more.
5What I've read of this has been excellent, and I look forward to finishing it one of these days.
It's interesting to note what isn't on this list. No Van Vogt, no Kuttner, no Hubbard, no Ellison or Brunner, to name just a handful of the classic authors.
There also seems to be a lot of pretty generic fantasy in here too; it surprises me that the Xanth series came in ahead of Harry Potter. Well, it is NPR. ;)
Anyway, it is now apparently a meme, which I have ganked from psiten. Footnotes will be lavish, I daresay.
I am altering the original instructions pray that I do not alter them further! because of the fact that there are
series in here, and sometimes one doesn't finish the whole series.
Books I have read
Books I have partially read
Books I have read and recommend
1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams (So overrated.)
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert1
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin
6. 1984 by George Orwell2
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman3
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore3
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
22. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King4
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
25. The Stand, by Stephen King
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
28. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman5
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess (I don't understand people who don't think this and "Flowers For Algernon" aren't SF.)
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein (I think this is actually better than the other two higher-rated Heinlein books on this list.)
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells3
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne3
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny (Not finishing this either, but for different reasons; this is one of the few works by Zelazny that leaves me cold.)
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin (Read this as an assignment for a class at PGCC and never read it again.)
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien (Not nearly as good as the Ring trilogy, or even The Hobbit.)
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
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 (I like this a lot, but seriously - it's not SF.)
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson (I read this in high school despite it being trendy. That was a mistake.)
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson3 (Okay, but the movie The Omega Man was actually better.)
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks (I think it was the first book of this that provoked me to invent the term "elf & dwarf crap".)
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard (If you hate Conan, you are a commie pinko deviate who hates Cimmeria.)
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
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
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
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
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
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks (I have mixed feelings about this. I like what I've read, but don't know if I want to read any more of it.)
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson (What a disappointment this was.)
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldon
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock (This is one of those series that people should read once so they're familiar with it.)
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge (Currently reading this)
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
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony (After a while, it stopped being funny, and there went the entertainment value.)
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis
1I actually only recommend the first novel. Dune Messiah and Children Of Dune are okay brain candy, but not great.
2This, with Brave New World, is pretty much the archetype of all SF dystopiae.
3Okay, but the movie was actually better.
4Not finishing this because Stephen King is a vile Marty Stu. I don't even care how it ends any more.
5What I've read of this has been excellent, and I look forward to finishing it one of these days.
It's interesting to note what isn't on this list. No Van Vogt, no Kuttner, no Hubbard, no Ellison or Brunner, to name just a handful of the classic authors.
There also seems to be a lot of pretty generic fantasy in here too; it surprises me that the Xanth series came in ahead of Harry Potter. Well, it is NPR. ;)