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'Best' SF and fantasy novels list
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nwhyte via communicator, the 'best' SF and fantasy novels of the 20th and 21st centuries from the Locus poll. Bold means I've read it, italic means I didn't finish it, and struck out means I didn't like it.
20th Century SF Novel:
1 Herbert, Frank: Dune (1965)
2 Card, Orson Scott: Ender's Game (1985)
3 Asimov, Isaac: The Foundation Trilogy (1953)
4 Simmons, Dan: Hyperion (1989)
5 Le Guin, Ursula K.: The Left Hand of Darkness (1969)
6 Adams, Douglas: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)
7 Orwell, George: Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)
8 Gibson, William: Neuromancer (1984)
9 Bester, Alfred: The Stars My Destination (1957)
10 Bradbury, Ray: Fahrenheit 451 (1953)
11 Heinlein, Robert A.: Stranger in a Strange Land (1961)
12 Heinlein, Robert A.: The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966)
13 Haldeman, Joe: The Forever War (1974)
14 Clarke, Arthur C.: Childhood's End (1953)
15 Niven, Larry: Ringworld (1970)
16 Le Guin, Ursula K.: The Dispossessed (1974)
17 Bradbury, Ray: The Martian Chronicles (1950)
18 Stephenson, Neal: Snow Crash (1992)
19 Miller, Walter M Jr: A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959)
20 Pohl, Frederik: Gateway (1977)
21 Heinlein, Robert A.: Starship Troopers (1959)
22 Dick, Philip K.: The Man in the High Castle (1962)
23 Zelazny, Roger: Lord of Light (1967)
24 Wolfe, Gene: The Book of the New Sun (1983)
25 Lem, Stanislaw: Solaris (1970)
26 Dick, Philip K.: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)
27 Vinge, Vernor: A Fire Upon The Deep (1992)
28 Clarke, Arthur C.: Rendezvous with Rama (1973)
29 Huxley, Aldous: Brave New World (1932)
30 Clarke, Arthur C.: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
31 Vonnegut, Kurt: Slaughterhouse-Five (1969)
32 Strugatsky, Arkady & Boris: Roadside Picnic (1972)
33 Card, Orson Scott: Speaker for the Dead (1986)
34 Brunner, John: Stand on Zanzibar (1968)35 Robinson, Kim Stanley: Red Mars (1992)36 Niven, Larry (& Pournelle, Jerry): The Mote in God's Eye (1974)
37 Willis, Connie: Doomsday Book (1992)
38 Atwood, Margaret: The Handmaid's Tale (1985)
39 Sturgeon, Theodore: More Than Human (1953)
40 Simak, Clifford D.: City (1952)
41 Brin, David: Startide Rising (1983)
42 Asimov, Isaac: Foundation (1950)
43 Farmer, Philip Jose: To Your Scattered Bodies Go (1971)
44 Dick, Philip K.: Ubik (1969)
45 Vonnegut, Kurt: Cat's Cradle (1963)
46 Vinge, Vernor: A Deepness in the Sky (1999)
47 Simak, Clifford D.: Way Station (1963)
48 Wyndham, John: The Day of the Triffids (1951)
49/ Keyes, Daniel: Flowers for Algernon (1966)
49 Delany, Samuel R.: Dhalgren (1975)
20th Century Fantasy Novel:
1 Tolkien, J R R.: The Lord of the Rings (1955)
2 Martin, George R R.: A Game of Thrones (1996)
3 Tolkien, J R R.: The Hobbit (1937)
4 Le Guin, Ursula K.: A Wizard of Earthsea (1968)
5 Zelazny, Roger: Nine Princes in Amber (1970)
6 Lewis, C S.: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
7 Mieville, China: Perdido Street Station (2000)
8 Rowling, J K.: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)
9 Crowley, John: Little, Big (1981)
10 Adams, Richard: Watership Down (1972)
11 Goldman, William: The Princess Bride (1973)
12 Martin, George R R.: A Storm of Swords (2000)
13 Beagle, Peter S.: The Last Unicorn (1968)
14 White, T H.: The Once and Future King (1958)
15 Pratchett, Terry (& Gaiman, Neil): Good Omens (1990)
16 Kay, Guy Gavriel: Tigana (1990)
17 Gaiman, Neil: Neverwhere (1996)
18 Wolfe, Gene: The Book of the New Sun (1983)
19 Vance, Jack: The Dying Earth (1950)
20 Bulgakov, Mikhail: The Master and Margarita (1967)
21 Rowling, J K.: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
22 Tolkien, J R R.: The Silmarillion (1977)
23 Leiber, Fritz: The Swords of Lankhmar (1968)
24 Jordan, Robert: The Eye of the World (1990)
25 Donaldson, Stephen R.: Lord Foul's Bane (1977)
26 Bradbury, Ray: Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962)
27 Peake, Mervyn: Gormenghast (1950)
28 Rowling, J K.: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
29 Powers, Tim: The Anubis Gates (1983)
30 Martin, George R R.: A Clash of Kings (1998)
31 Bradley, Marion Zimmer: The Mists of Avalon (1983)
32 Hobb, Robin: Assassin's Apprentice (1995)
33 Pratchett, Terry: The Colour of Magic (1983)
34 Holdstock, Robert: Mythago Wood (1984)
35 King, Stephen: The Stand (1978)
36/ L'Engle, Madeleine: A Wrinkle in Time (1962)36 Pratchett, Terry: Small Gods (1992)
38 Ende, Michael: The Neverending Story (1983)
39 Peake, Mervyn: Titus Groan (1946)
40 Howard, Robert E.: Conan the Barbarian (1950)41 McCaffrey, Anne: Dragonflight (1968)
42 Orwell: George: Animal Farm (1945)
43 Feist, Raymond E.: Magician (1982)
44 Silverberg, Robert: Lord Valentine's Castle (1980)
45 Lovecraft, H P.: At the Mountains of Madness (1936)
46 Swanwick, Michael: The Iron Dragon's Daughter (1993)
47 King, Stephen: The Shining (1977)
48 Garcia Marquez, Gabriel: One Hundred Years of Solitude (1970)
49 Saint-Exupery, Antoine de: The Little Prince (1943)
50 Hughart, Barry: Bridge of Birds (1984)
21st Century SF Novel:
1 Scalzi, John: Old Man's War (2005)
2 Stephenson, Neal: Anathem (2008)
3 Bacigalupi, Paolo: The Windup Girl (2009)
4 Wilson, Robert Charles: Spin (2005)
5 Watts, Peter: Blindsight (2006)
6 Morgan, Richard: Altered Carbon (2002)
7 Collins, Suzanne: The Hunger Games (2008)
8 Gibson, William: Pattern Recognition (2003)
9 Mieville, China: The City & the City (2009)
10 Stross, Charles: Accelerando (2005)
11 Mitchell, David: Cloud Atlas (2004)
12 McDonald, Ian: River of Gods (2004)
13 McCarthy, Cormac: The Road (2006)
14 Harrison, M John: Light (2002)
15 Willis, Connie: Black Out/All Clear (2010)
15 Chabon, Michael: The Yiddish Policemen's Union (2007)
21st Century Fantasy Novel:
1 Gaiman, Neil: American Gods (2001)
2 Clarke, Susanna: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004)
3 Rothfuss, Patrick: The Name of the Wind (2007)
4 Mieville, China: The Scar (2002)
5 Martin, George R R.: A Feast for Crows (2005)
6 Rowling, J K.: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)
7 Bujold, Lois McMaster: The Curse of Chalion (2001)
8 Mieville, China: The City & the City (2009)
9 Fforde, Jasper: The Eyre Affair (2001)
10/ Bujold, Lois McMaster: Paladin of Souls (2003)
10 Pratchett, Terry: Night Watch (2002)
12 Gaiman, Neil: Coraline (2002)
13 Wolfe, Gene: The Wizard Knight (2004)
14 Pratchett, Terry: Going Postal (2004)
15/ Gaiman, Neil: The Graveyard Book (2008)
15 Lynch, Scott: The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006)
Feel free to rec me any of the unread ones provided they're not horror or unrelievedly bleak.
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I think you'd like Bradbury. I think Stand on Zanzibar is freakin' brilliant but don't even start, it IS unbelievably bleak. I was delighted to find a copy of Little, Big after seeing it praised ot the skies but for me it's one of those books where you find the bookmark hasn't moved in six months.
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I used to read heaps of SF but it's hard to get hold of the classics at the library these days as they get rid of them to make room for new works. I usually read around 80-90 books a year, but they're all sorts of genres now.
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I'm surprised they've included Stephen King in the Fantasy category... especially The Shining. I'd consider that more psychological horror than fantasy.
How did you like 'The Lies of Locke Lamora'?
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I tried McCaffrey when I was a teenager and didn't like it; I should correct that (if that's the first one in the series). Thanks for the Feist rec; I'll see if they're in the library system. What do you think of his other series?
I loved Fred Saberhagen's Empire of the East books though they're not in that list.
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Dragonflight is the first one in the series. I remember enjoying the dragons and the connection between them and humans. The politics was interesting, too.
The Feist books - apart from the Magician books (Magician Apprentice; Magician Master; Silverthorn; Darkness at Sethanon) I've not really read his other series although a friend who also likes his books does recommend them.
Oh, and I would recommend you stay away from The Road by Cormac McCarthy - it's a bit gruesome and definitely dark book.
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I have very fond memories of McCaffrey, although I eventually ditched most of her books (I actually kept Dragonflight, though).
I selectively enjoy Bradbury, Lovecraft and Gaiman for pure style, and The Last Unicorn, Swords of Lankhmar, and Conan the Barbarian as key items from their own moments in cultural history.
I don't read Stephen King on principle -- I simply Do Not Do horror, no matter how well-written.
I won't read GRR Martin for many different reasons, ranging from loathing the books to loathing the author, and I salute you for having the strength to steer clear of him.
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I've enjoyed all the Gaiman I've read and really should get my hands on more. I will not read horror unless it's funny like the zombie book set at a con, and I have no intention of reading--or watching--the G R R Martin stuff. I like to be entertained, not depressed or revolted.
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So No S. King for me either.
Recently I returned to S.Lem - do you know his Astronauts? Not very optimistic either but full of humanity.
I liked Pullmans trilogy Northerc Lights, The Subtle Knife and Amber Spyglass, very original!
I do have a collection of sci fi and fantasy, some titles from your list too.
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Um, I'll go back and check our copy, but I sure don't remember any drowned kittens. There's a cranky cat that the protagonist doesn't drown -- in fact, she saves the cat a couple of times, because it's her sister's cat.
That said: it's brilliant writing, as I said, and I loved the book. But it's an emotional roller coaster. 'Savagely dystopic' is just the starting point. There are so many good books to read in the world, after all, and we get to choose which ones we take in!
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'7 Collins, Suzanne: The Hunger Games (2008)' I couldn't put down and finished it over night (then reading the entire trilogy in a week).
'11 Mitchell, David: Cloud Atlas (2004)' is good, there is a film coming out soon, but it isn't his best book IMHO
'2 Clarke, Susanna: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004)' took me a while to get into but I then loved it. I think it took me almost a year to read it as I returned to it infrequently and restarted it a couple of times.
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Of the SF books you haven't read but I have, I think you might like:
17 Bradbury, Ray: The Martian Chronicles (1950)
23 Zelazny, Roger: Lord of Light (1967)
"The Martian Chronicles" is really a collection of short stories. It's not a novel. Indeed the different stories make no attempt at being consistent with one another. As with most of Bradbury's work, they are mostly closer to fantasy than to SF. IIRC, there is one story that could be described as horror, but it's subtly done and I don't think there's any actual violence.
It's about forty years since I read "Lord of Light", so I don't remember that much about it, but it always comes high up in lists of the best SF novels. It's a cross between SF, fantasy, and Indian mythology.
There aren't any fantasy novels that I've read but you haven't that I think you would like.
Of course, as usually happens, a lot of my favourite books don't appear in the lists.
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I agree: a lot of my favourites aren't there.
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I'd also recommend "The Iron Dragon's daughter" A very good read.
So too is Peter S Beagle
George RR Martin has far too many spaces in this list, his series is not that good that they should all feature. They are also dark, grim and depressive!
I've tried Strange and Norell, but couldn't get into it. The style of writing just sent me to sleep.
I wouldn't recommend Robert Jordan at all. Writing isn't even well edited. The first novel I read of his he'd cut and paste sections so a scarf kept appearing and disappearing!
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I know enough about the Martin books to hold at bargepole length.
Apparently the books were voted for, so some readers must ignore bad writing.