NPR’s Top 100 SF/F Books

bold – I’ve read
italic – started and abandoned
* make my personal list of favorite books

* 1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien– This isn’t a favorite, in as much as it was a gateway series.

* 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

5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin – Michael loved these.

6. 1984, by George Orwell – I own it, does that count?

7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury- I own it, does that count?

8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov

9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley- I own it, does that count?

* 10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman

* 11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan – I read the first book, saw how slowly he was writing, and said, “I’ll pick it up again when he’s done.” Pretty good decision in retrospect.

13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell- I own it, does that count?

14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson- I own it, does that count?

15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore – This falls into the category of very good, but I didn’t like it at all.

16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov

17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein

18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss- I own it, does that count?

19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley- I own it, does that count?

22. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick

* 23. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood – Should be required reading, but I won’t re-read it. Once was enough.

24. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King

25. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke

26. The Stand, by Stephen King

27. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson – I really need to go back to try to read this again.

28. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury

29. Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut- I own it, does that count?

* 30. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman

31. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess

32. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein

32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams

33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey – I loved her, until every series seemed to end in “twoo lurve and make babies to be happy”

34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein

35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller – I admit it. I don’t like dystopias.

36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells- I own it, does that count?

37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne- I own it, does that count?

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 – This is one of my top series to grab for comfort reading

* 42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley

43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson- I own it, does that count?

44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven – Michael loved this.

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 – Solely because I put it down and forgot to pick it back up. This will be remedied soon.

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 – I fucking hate zombies.

* 55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman

57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett – I love Terry Pratchett’s Discworld

58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson – Gag. Friends who love this but I couldn’t stand the main character.

59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold – I know, I know. It’s on my TBR list. I even have it on paper and as en eBook.

60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett – Did I mention how much I love Discworld? I love Discworld.

61. The Mote In God’s Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind – Michael has read/is reading/ continues to read this series.

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 – I liked the first book, but then…. meh.

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- I own it, does that count?

76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke

77. The Kushiel’s Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey – I strongly disliked this series.

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

82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde

83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks

84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart- I own it, does that count?

85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson- I own it, does that count?

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- I own it, does that count?

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 – Michael loved this series.

96. Lucifer’s Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis

98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville – Another for the, it was really good, but I hated it group.

99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony – So, like many things he writes, the series starts off strong, but by the umpteenth book, I’ve completely lost interest. I have to have read the first 12 to 15 books however, so that should totally count. And I think the Incarnations of Immortality is better.

100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis

There you go. I’ve completed 24/100, read at least in part 36/100 and own and mean to read 16/100.

That’s just over 50%, which considering I don’t read SF at all, isn’t too bad.

OK, so wow. I didn’t mean to start something, but I like seeing what everyone else has read, so here are some more participants: Janiece, Nathan, David, Steve, Tom, Eric, Carol Elaine. Whew!