B.S. Meter just pegged into the Red!
Bump
No Burroughs, although I guess he is not widely read anymore. Extremely influential, though. His Mars novels contain many scenes and ideas recognizable in Star Wars.
I was surprised that I’d read as many of these selections as I did, and I must say I at least recognized most of them. Stranger in a Strange Land at #17 was enough to keep me pacified through the rest of it.
Just a slightly OT grumble, but who on earth decided it made sense to lump science fiction with fantasy? Other than the fact that a few authors mine both genres, “SciFi/Fantasy” makes about as much sense as “Murder/Pet Care”. I like science fiction with the rivets showing, and am disgusted every time I go into the book shop and have to wade through endress “Sword of the Silver Claw”, “Claw of the Silver Talon”, “Empress of the Dark Woode”, “Talon of the Grey Wilderness” claptrap. Put it in another section so I don’t have to wade through the drivel to find something worth reading.
Wow - Starship troopers.. first Sci Fi book I ever read, ruined me... 50 years later still reading sci-fi.. great book, yep movie sucked.. Contact-Sagan... intellectual sci-fi.... movie.. almost sucked.. Sword of truth... really good swords and mayhem, 12 books, read them all... TV series... sucked.... Riftwar saga.. most of Feist pretty good hope they don’t make a movie... King Killer Patrick Rothfuss... good series, reading one of them now.... Really liked Codex Allera by Butcher.. then again I like Butcher, kinda droll.... waiting for the latest one to drop from the ridiculous Nook price (it is electronic you ninnies, no printing costs) before I buy it.. My opinion was not solicited, but there it is...
What, you mean “Hammers Slammers” didn’t make #1? jk
Nice to see the Crystal Cave make the list.
Looks like the Dorsai! series didn’t make the cut. Love em.
Not surprised the Hitchhiker books are near the top due to their insane popularity. Good reminder to read them again. First, I better make a nice hot cup of no tea.
I’ll put in a plug for Edgar Rice Burroughs’s “The Outlaw of Torn”.
So many on the list I don’t recognize. I wonder if that is due to pop culture or NPR’s audience.
They missed one of my all time favorites. Earth Abides. Don’t remember the author. Way back in the 70s.
Combining fantasy and science fiction is ridiculous - they are totally separate genres. And there is far too much fantasy on the list, which may simply be symbolic of the times. Rather than trusting in reason, people (Democrats) prefer stories where magic somehow saves them from the dragon. :)
Top fantasy book: Dreams From My Father
Interesting observation, I thought it was just me.
I DID look at the top 100 list about 3 months ago. I read between 30 and 70 books a year (about 50-50 fiction and non-fiction,) and wasn't aware that NPR was having a survey/vote.
I have to check and see where my top ten ended up.
NPR. What, no “Battleship Earth??” /sarc hee hee hee.
Always liked The Left Hand of Darkness. I wish someone clever would tackle a film version of it.
I'd have thought a Satanist's fantasy trilogy would have made the list. Pullman denies he is one, of course [it would be bad for sales] although he does call himself "the anti-CS Lewis."
Where is Fritz Leiber on that list? Where is Lois McMaster Bujold? For goodness’ sake, where is Gordon R. Dickson?
Harrumph!
(Glad to see Connie Willis on there, though. “Doomsday Book” is excellent, though not cheerful.)
Marines in space taking on a vestly more advanced, and deadly, civilitzation. All 3 books were excellent!
Star Corps
Battlespace
Star Marines
Kind of an expected list. I’ve tried to read Tolkien 3 times and while I can appreciate theeffort involved, it’s just dull. Ditto the GRRMartin—a fine writer, but I just cannot get into these stories of kings and royalty and dozens of characters at all. Robert Jordan? Give me a flippin break.
As I scroll through the list from top to bottom I see some things I appreciate but that don’t make me jump up and down, with the first, “Now THERE’S a book I like” selection being DO ANDROIDS DREAM...? I have been struggling with THE DARK TOWER and am starting to think the emperor has no clothes.
MARTIAN CHRONICLES—reread this a few weeks ago and it’s still great.
A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOVITZ is the one SF novel of the past 50-60 years I’d say is literature. The cyberpunk and post-cyber stuff on this list that I’ve read was boring.
Man, why was all this fantasy quest garbage allowed on this list?
THE TIME MACHINE is great.HYPERION, FOREVER WAR, both great. I AM LEGEND, BOOK OF THE NEW SUN and ELRIC too.
I’ve never gotten the appeal of Lois Bujold, the one I read was a soap opera in space.
Out of this 100 list, I’d say about 20 are good, maybe 10 are worthy of being on a Best list.
What else could one expect from the wusses of NPR who read all this elf garbage when they’re not worshipping trees and Obama?
Xanth? That’s a travesty.
Thank you for posting this list.
This is one of the things I love about FR. Unexpected, welcomed info.
There are a few books on that list I haven’t read yet. Gotta fire up my Kindle.
Thanks again!