What are the best science fiction and fantasy novels of all time?
NPR asked it’s listeners and readers to weigh in on this quintessential question during the summer of 2011, taking suggestions and then posting the nominees for the public’s vote. The result was a list of the Top 100 novels in the science fiction and fantasy genres, at least as far as popular opinion goes. I am sure there are academic (as well as non-academic) snobs out there who will give you various other renditions of what should be on the list.
Not surprisingly, hot on the tail of the Peter Jackson films, The Lord of the Rings took the top spot on the list, though without a doubt it would have been at or near the top on its own merits. Douglas Adams’ indispensable The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was second, followed by Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card and Dune by Frank Herbert. George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice rounded out the top five and is the most recently published, as well as yet incomplete.
SF Signal has a great flowchart that helps you decide which selection from the Top 100 you should read next. Check it out, and let me know what you choose to read in the comments below.
I’m five for five so far. But how about the rest of the Top 100?
Here’s my count (in the order listed by NPR):
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 (At least Dune)
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin (First two)
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 (Dropped)
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan
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 (Dropped)
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
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
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
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
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
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
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 (Dropped)
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 (Dropped)
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
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson (First two)
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
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
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
At my count, that’s 52 of 100 that I’ve read (or dropped, because, frankly, there’s no accounting for taste, and I just didn’t like some of them)…not too shabby.
I’ll permapost this to the front page and keep the list updated as I read and review them. There are a lot of great titles on this list that I’m surprised I’ve never picked up, let alone reviewed.
What’s your count?
(If you’re feeling hard core, here’s the complete list of books that fans nominated)
Related articles
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- Challenge One: NPR’s Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books (thebookstress.wordpress.com)
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- The 10 SF/F Works That Meant the Most to Me (whatever.scalzi.com)
- David Pringle’s Top 100 Fantasy Novels (babelbooks.wordpress.com)
- Fisking the NYT: It isn’t just me. My whole religion can’t be *real* writers! (larrycorreia.wordpress.com)
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About Daniel
I started reading SciFi when I was about 10, Dan. That’s 1953! If I hadn’t been logging every book I’ve read in the last seven years, I couldn’t remember what I’d read last month. So…trying to remember what I read in the first 53 years of my SF/F obsession is an exercise in futility. I know I’ve read more of the older ones than you have–Rey Bradbury and Isaac Asimov come to mind–but I’ve no idea what the total might be. Guess I’ll have to read them all again. :-))
I second that: read them again!