[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
Leave whatever other notes you want!

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien

2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card

4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert

5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin -- I haven't read A Feast For Crows or A Dance With Dragons yet.

6. 1984, by George Orwell

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 Goldman

12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan -- I've read through Path of Daggers

13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell

14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson

15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore

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 King -- I keep stalling out during all the crying I do in Wizard and Glass.

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 Gaiman -- I'm pretty sure I've read all of it.

30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess

31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein

32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams

33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey -- Wait. Just Dragonflight? Not "The Pern Series"? Innnteresting.

34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein

35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller

36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells

37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne

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

41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings -- I might have read some of this when I was younger, but I don't remember it at all.

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

46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien -- I don't count the amount I've started and never continued with as significant. ;)

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 -- I--I'm not sure I've read this. I think I have? I know I've seen the MOVIE, and that is overriding all my memories of reading the book. :/

53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson

54. World War Z, by Max Brooks

55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle -- Yes, I know.

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

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 Matheson

66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist

67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks

68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard

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 -- Seen the musical; haven't read the book.

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

84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart

85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson

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 Gabaldan -- Ugh ugh UGH. Read the first one and had NO interest in continuing.

90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock -- Read a few of these back in the day. Couldn't tell you which.

91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury

92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley

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

99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony

100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis

*eyes list* Looks like I need to catch up!

Comments

[rushthatspeaks.livejournal.com]

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.livejournal.com]

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.livejournal.com]

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.livejournal.com]

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.livejournal.com]

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.livejournal.com]

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.livejournal.com]

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.livejournal.com]

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. ;)

[faerieboots.livejournal.com]

While other people are plugging things, I'm going to go ahead and put in a plug for Connie Willis--she has a very wry style I think you would like.

Also, this meme made me really happy and I appreciate you putting it together. :)

Also, I am going to go ahead and defend The Last Unicorn, purely because reading the book made me realize just how faithful the movie was, and made me appreciate the movie more. Unless there is context for the book that I am missing?

[juldea.livejournal.com]

My context for, "Yes, I know!" was that I often hear of the book with high praise and know that I'm behind the times for not reading it--and I've also not seen the movie! It's a big chunk of pop-culture I'm not a part of.

You're welcome for putting together the meme. When I opened NPR's page and started comparing the list to the books I had read, it followed quickly that I should co-opt similar memes to do this. So quickly, in fact, that I searched a bit to make sure I wasn't copying anyone who already did it. :)