October 19, 2006

100 sci-fi books to read

Yet another list, this time the 100 sci-fi books you have to read. The original is here. I've read a few of these, mostly the older ones. Makes me want to go back and try some of them, like Triton, Zanzibar, and, especially Canticle.

  Index of the 100 science fiction books you just have to read
1.  
 Childhood's End Written by Arthur C. Clarke
2.  
 Foundation Written by Isaac Asimov
3.  
 Dune Written by Frank Herbert
4.  
 Man in the High Castle Written by Philip K. Dick
5.  
 Starship Troopers Written by Robert A. Heinlein
6.  
 Valis Written by Philip K. Dick
7.  
 Frankenstein Written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
8.  
 Gateway Written by Frederick Pohl
9.  
 Space Merchants Written by C.M. Kornbluth & Frederick Pohl
10.  
 Earth Abides Written by George R. Stewart
11.  
 Cuckoo's Egg Written by C.J. Cherryh
12.  
 Star Surgeon Written by James White
13.  
 The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch Written by Philip K. Dick
14.  
 Radix Written by A.A. Attanasio
15.  
 2001: A Space Odyssey Written by Arthur C. Clarke
16.  
 Ringworld Written by Larry Niven
17.  
 A Case of Conscience Written by James Blish
18.  
 Last and First Man Written by Olaf Stapledon
19.  
 The Day of the Triffids Written by John Wyndham
20.  
 Way Station Written by Clifford Simak
21.  
 More Than Human Written by Theodore Sturgeon
22.  
 Gray Lensman Written by E. E. "Doc" Smith
23.  
 The Gods Themselves Written by Isaac Asimov
24.  
 The Left Hand of Darkness Written by Ursula K. Le Guin
25.  
 Behold the Man Written by Michael Moorcock
26.  
 Star Maker Written by Olaf Stapledon
27.  
 The War of the Worlds Written by H.G. Wells
28.  
 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Written by Jules Verne
29.  
 Heritage of Hastur Written by Marion Zimmer Bradley
30.  
 The Time Machine Written by H.G. Wells
31.  
 The Stars My Destination Written by Alfred Bester
32.  
 Slan Written by A.E. Van Vogt
33.  
 Neuromancer Written by William Gibson
34.  
 Ender's Game Written by Orson Scott Card
35.  
 In Conquest Born Written by C.S. Friedman
36.  
 Lord of Light Written by Roger Zelazny
37.  
 Eon Written by Greg Bear
38.  
 Dragonflight Written by Anne McCaffrey
39.  
 Journey to the Center of the Earth Written by Jules Verne
40.  
 Stranger in a Strange Land Written by Robert Heinlein
41.  
 Cosm Written by Gregory Benford
42.  
 The Voyage of the Space Beagle Written by A.E. Van Vogt
43.  
 Blood Music Written by Greg Bear
44.  
 Beggars in Spain Written by Nancy Kress
45.  
 Omnivore Written by Piers Anthony
46.  
 I, Robot Written by Isaac Asimov
47.  
 Mission of Gravity Written by Hal Clement
48.  
 To Your Scattered Bodies Go Written by Philip Jose Farmer
49.  
 Brave New World Written by Aldous Huxley
50.  
 The Man Who Folded Himself Written by David Gerrold
51.  
 1984 Written by George Orwell
52.  
 The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyl And Mr. Hyde Written by Robert Louis Stevenson
53.  
 Snow Crash Written by Neal Stephenson
54.  
 Flesh Written by Philip Jose Farmer
55.  
 Cities in Flight Written by James Blish
56.  
 Shadow of the Torturer Written by Gene Wolfe
57.  
 Startide Rising Written by David Brin
58.  
 Triton Written by Samuel R. Delany
59.  
 Stand on Zanzibar Written by John Brunner
60.  
 A Clockwork Orange Written by Anthony Burgess
61.  
 Fahrenheit 451 Written by Ray Bradbury
62.  
 A Canticle For Leibowitz Written by Walter Miller
63.  
 Flowers for Algernon Written by Daniel Keyes
64.  
 No Blade of Grass Written by John Christopher
65.  
 The Postman Written by David Brin
66.  
 Dhalgren Written by Samuel Delany
67.  
 Berserker Written by Fred Saberhagen
68.  
 Flatland Written by Edwin Abbot
69.  
 Planiverse Written by A.K. Dewdney
70.  
 Dragon's Egg Written by Robert L. Forward
71.  
 Downbelow Station Written by C.J. Cherryh
72.  
 Dawn Written by Octavia E. Butler
73.  
 Puppet Masters Written by Robert Heinlein
74.  
 The Doomsday Book Written by Connie Willis
75.  
 Forever War Written by Joe Haldeman
76.  
 Deathbird Stories Written by Harlan Ellison
77.  
 Roadside Picnic Written by Boris Strugatsky & Arkady Strugatsky
78.  
 The Snow Queen Written by Joan Vinge
79.  
 The Martian Chronicles Written by Ray Bradbury
80.  
 Drowned World Written by J.G. Ballard
81.  
 Cat's Cradle Written by Kurt Vonnegut
82.  
 Red Mars Written by Kim Stanley Robinson
83.  
 Upanishads Written by Various
84.  
 Alice in Wonderland Written by Lewis Carroll
85.  
 Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Written by Douglas Adams
86.  
 The Lathe of Heaven Written by Ursula K. Le Guin
87.  
 The Midwich Cuckoos Written by John Wyndham
88.  
 Mutant Written by Henry Kuttner
89.  
 Solaris Written by Stanislaw Lem
90.  
 Ralph 124C41+ Written by Hugo Gernsback
91.  
 I Am Legend Written by Richard Matheson
92.  
 Timescape Written by Gregory Benford
93.  
 The Demolished Man Written by Alfred Bester
94.  
 War with the Newts Written by Karl Kapek
95.  
 Mars Written by Ben Bova
96.  
 Brain Wave Written by Poul Anderson
97.  
 Hyperion Written by Dan Simmons
98.  
 The Andromeda Strain Written by Michael Crichton
99.  
 Camp Concentration Written by Thomas Disch
100.  
 A Princess of Mars Written by Edgar Rice Burroughs

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Posted by jdarnold at 10:21 AM on Books web | Comments (3)
Comments

I think I've read 40 of those. And Hyperion needs to be MUCH closer to the top of the list... Canticle is good, but not great (I think I was expecting more). It's certainly worth reading though.

Posted by: DavidK at October 19, 2006 01:22 PM

great...another list to add to my lists... ;-)

I think I've read about 20-25, some I can't remember if I read them or they have always been on "the list", Hyperion is definitley in my queue

..on another note, the same website has this list of 50 Sci Fi movies:
http://www.phobosweb.com/features/50films/top50index.html

now there I don't feel so bad, 48 out of 50 is not to bad...or is it? ;-)

Posted by: p franzosa at October 19, 2006 04:18 PM

I've got about 40 myself--wish I had more.

I think it's a good list. Nice balance between the pulps, hard and soft sf, and the grand masters. I'm particularly glad to see translated works (Lem!!!) on the list.

"I Am Legend" is a must read.

Posted by: Jason at December 12, 2006 07:03 PM

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