Top 50 Sci-Fi Books

**Werthead** · May 12th, 2012, 05:49 AM

Bold: read.
Italicised: own but not read yet.

50. Embassytown
49. Zoo City
48. The Windup Girl
47. Uplift: Book 1: Sundiver
46. The Reality Dysfunction
45. Cat's Cradle
44. SF Masterworks: The Difference Engine
43. SF Masterworks: Centauri Device
42. The Drowned World
41. SF Masterworks: Pavane
40. Make Room! Make Room!
39. The Player Of Games
38. Altered Carbon
37. SF Masterworks: Dying Inside
36. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Trilogy Of Four
35. SF Masterworks: Blood Music
34. S.F. Masterworks: Lord Of Light
33. SF Masterworks: Rendezvous With Rama
32. Zones Of Thought: A Fire Upon The Deep & A Deepness In The Sky
31. Mars: Book 1: Red Mars
30. SF Masterworks: Ubik
29. Fahrenheit 451
28. The Death Of Grass
27. SF Masterworks: Inverted World
26. SF Masterworks: The Female Man
25. SF Masterworks: Helliconia: Hellonica Spring, Helliconia Summer, & Helliconia Winter
24. S.F. Masterworks: I Am Legend
23. Day Of The Triffids
22. War Of The Worlds
21. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
20. A Canticle For Leibowitz
19. Ender's Game
18. Snow Crash
17. Foundation
16. S.F. Masterworks: The Stars My Destination
15. SF Masterworks: Flowers For Algernon
14. SF Masterworks: Stand On Zanzibar
13. Left Hand Of Darkness
12. S.F. Masterworks: Babel 17
11. Ringworld
10. SF Masterworks: Timescape
9. Childhood's End
8. The Man In The High Castle
7. S.F. Masterworks: Gateway
6. SF Masterworks: Dispossed
5. SF Masterworks: The Demolished Man
4. Neuromancer
3. Fantasy Masterworks: Book Of The New Sun Book 1 & Shadow & Claw Book 1
2. S.F. Masterworks: The Forever War
1. Dune

An odd list in places. What the heck is Sundiver doing on there? It's probably Brin's weakest novel. Startide Rising and The Uplift War are comprehensively superior on every level (they're also festooned with awards and critical praise, whilst Sundiver isn't).

I'm also really confused by their eligibility criteria. Why just the first half of The Book of the New Sun when the four volumes really do form one continuous story? Why not the omnibus of all four? And why the first four HHGTTG books when it's a five-book series but only the first two have widespread acclaim? Also, The Wind-Up Girl seems to be as much hated and loathed as it is acclaimed, which makes it an odd book to put in there, and Foundation being so high definitely makes the list questionable (it hasn't aged well at all).

Also, isn't Harrison's Light a lot more critically-acclaimed than The Centauri Device (which I believe the author has disowned)?

Also, no Beggars in Spain or Doomsday Book? And Timescape really isn't so good as to warrant a Top 10 spot.

**hawkeyye** · May 12th, 2012, 06:43 PM

I'm not seeing Hyperion on that list. List has no credibility if that's the case. I think Hyperion is on most people's top 10 list, let alone top 50. Just sayin...

**psikeyhackr** · May 12th, 2012, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by hawkeyye

I'm not seeing Hyperion on that list. List has no credibility if that's the case. I think Hyperion is on most people's top 10 list, let alone top 50. Just sayin...

LOL, Hyperion probably would not make my top 100.

But Neuromancer would not make it either.

I am reading Diamond Age now. I think it is better than Snow Crash.

psik

**kennychaffin** · May 12th, 2012, 07:33 PM

Originally Posted by hawkeyye

I'm not seeing Hyperion on that list. List has no credibility if that's the case. I think Hyperion is on most people's top 10 list, let alone top 50. Just sayin...

Ha! No chance.

Nor Neuromancer as psi says..

**Hobbit** · May 12th, 2012, 08:15 PM

Like all these lists, they're there for discussion often as much as being seen as a 'quality' list.

I'd agree with what was said above though: Timescape is a lot higher than I'd put it, I think Doomsday Book should be in there myself. Think there should be a Bujold in there myself, and Hyperion, if not Endymion.

Mark

**kennychaffin** · May 12th, 2012, 08:20 PM

Just for comparison purposes, here is my top 10 SF books:

Top 10 SF:
In no particular order after the first two.

Dhalgren - Samueal R. Delany
Foundation Trilogy - Issac Asimov
Dune - Frank Herbert
City - Clifford D. Simak
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert A. Heinlein
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
Ringworld - Larry Niven
The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin
The Handmaids Tale - Margaret Atwood

**Hobbit** · May 12th, 2012, 08:23 PM

With the exception of The Road, and possibly The Handmaid's Tale, kenny, that list of yours would be fairly typical of a list 20-30 years ago.

And see: Dhalgren! Just goes to show...

Perhaps I should give it another read....

Mark

**kennychaffin** · May 12th, 2012, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by Hobbit

With the exception of The Road, and possibly The Handmaid's Tale, kenny, that list of yours would be fairly typical of a list 20-30 years ago.

And see: Dhalgren! Just goes to show...

Perhaps I should give it another read....

Mark

Ha! Well, the good ones never get old.

**Hobbit** · May 13th, 2012, 03:20 AM

LOL.

But it does suggest that for a book to be regarded as a classic it needs to have been around (and read) for a while.

I'm not sure those last three would be on my list in 30 years time....

Mark

**kennychaffin** · May 13th, 2012, 05:43 AM

Well, yeah, inherent in the definition of "A Classic" is a book that stands the test of time (e.g. is still relevant to readers over time).

**psikeyhackr** · May 13th, 2012, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by kennychaffin

Well, yeah, inherent in the definition of "A Classic" is a book that stands the test of time (e.g. is still relevant to readers over time).

Yeah, classic means OLD. Nothing less than 10 years old should be called "classic".

psik

**Quark Cognition** · May 13th, 2012, 10:30 AM

Although I've read more than 350 science fiction novels, I never do well on the "top" lists. These are the only ones I've read on this particular list:

33. SF Masterworks: Rendezvous With Rama
32. Zones Of Thought: A Fire Upon The Deep
30. SF Masterworks: Ubik
29. Fahrenheit 451
19. Ender's Game
17. Foundation
11. Ringworld
9. Childhood's End
8. The Man In The High Castle
4. Neuromancer
1. Dune

Neuromancer was the only one listed above that I disliked. I have no idea why so many people love Neuromancer; it was not written well. I only read it because one of my cousins insisted it was good.

Ubik was the first novel I read by Philip K. Dick. It was recommended to me by the same cousin that recommended Neuromancer. I don't understand how someone can simultaneously like Ubik and Neuromancer; the latter makes no sense and the former is pure genius.

Rendezvous with Rama was for a long time one of my favorite science fiction novels. After having read the Orbitsville trilogy, though, my opinion has changed. Rama is not all that great when compared to Orbitsville, mainly due to the superior characterization. However, the sequels to Rama did improve upon characterization.