All the cool kids are doing it...

[chaotic_nipple]

... So I have to inject heroin into my eyeballs propagate this meme too:

Rules:

This is the Science Fiction Book Club's list of the fifty most significant science fiction/fantasy novels published between 1953 and 2002. Bold the ones you've read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put an asterisk beside the ones you loved.

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

I keep trying to read it, but I can never get into it. I've tried reading them in order, out of order, starting in the middle of the books, etc, but it never grabs me.

*2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov

One of the classics. Just suspend your disbelief and go with it!

3. Dune, Frank Herbert

Meh. It just bored me.

*4. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein

The first of Bob's Really Trippy And Intense books. It wasn't as good as "Time Enough For Love", though.

5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
*6. Neuromancer, William Gibson

If you didn't love this book, turn in your mirrorshades in disgrace.

*7. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke

Yes, I both loved and hated it.

*8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick

Not the most consistent of his books, but still wonderfully strange.

9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

Read it for english class, but I can barely remember the plot, and I never got why it was so "controversial".

11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
*12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.

Also read this for english class. And read it again later on my own.

*13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish
*16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett

The first Discworld book. Not the best, but here's where it started.

17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison

Actually, I'm not sure if I read these or not. If I did, they can't have been good, or I'd remember them.

19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
*21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey

If only all of her Pern books were as good as the first 6. The series is a stern warning to other authors about the dangers of running a good idea into the ground.

*22. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card

What can I say that hasn't already been said? Future generations will consider this one of the seminal works of this age.

23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
*24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl

Actually, in the middle of reading it. Seems cool and somewhat transhumanistic, but the science is somewhat... lacking.

26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling

No, I have no interest in reading it. I don't care who thinks I'd like it. NO!

27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

Funny, but not worth re-reading.

28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice

Meh. It was an entertaining read, but not all _that_ great.

30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
31. Little, Big, John Crowley
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
*33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick

Possibly his best work.

34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute
*38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke

Liked what I read, but somehow I never get around to finishing it.

39. Ringworld, Larry Niven

One of the classic Really Cool Ideas, but I found most of his books somewhat bland when it comes to characterization.

40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien

I was actually able to finish it!

42. Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
*43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
*46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein

I long for the day when Bob is finally able to pull his scattered, soggy ashes together and wreak horrible undead havoc on Hollywood for the _atrocity_ that was the movie adaptation.

*47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock

Good reading, for moody teenagers.

48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford
*50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

Comments

Read...

[seawasp]

... at least ONE of the two great Bester novels. I prefer "The Stars My Destination" but "The Demolished Man" is excellent as well.

And read Harry Potter! MUAAAHAHAHAH! MUAAAHAHAH!

[entropy156.livejournal.com]

I'm with seawasp....The Stars My Destination is a must read. Proto-cyberpunk written in the domed cities and jumpsuits era of sci fi.

hmph

[noaccuser.livejournal.com]

I have to admit..... I LIKED the Starship Troopers movie. BUT!! It was for completely different reasons! I thought the Nazi theme was clever. And.... And... the bugs were cool, too. OK, I saw the movie first, that's pretty much why I still like it. The book is phenomenal, though. I tried to make my roomate read it at DLI, but I just ended up reading most of the important parts aloud instead. In return, as she was so horrified that I'd never read it, she went out and bought a brand new copy of 1984 for me.

Never could get past the second book of Lord of the Rings, although I've read The Hobbit more times than is healthy. I'll never admit this to my dad, but I couldn't get into Dune either. WTF, Ringworld makes it on here, but not The Mote in God's Eye,??? World's goin to hell n a handbasket, I tell ya.

[mommeeof9.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've read any of these books. But, I've read all the Haaryy Potter books that have been published. After all, I couldn't let the kids read them until I did.

GI Bill

[mommeeof9.livejournal.com]

http://www.army.mil/soldiers/mar2002/pdfs/mar0224-25.pdf