# DELETE



## 31842 (Jan 11, 2011)

DELETE - I do not agree to the terms of service


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Wow that was a lot of Neil Gaiman


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## Gregory Lynn (Aug 9, 2011)

I don't know whether I should be more disturbed by how many of those I have read or by how many of those I haven't.

Also, apparently I need to read some Neil Gaiman.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

I like Neil Gaiman, I just wouldn't have guessed he would dominate the top 100.

Apparently NPR is not much for space opera type books either (although vorkosigan made it!)


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Chad Winters (#102) said:


> Apparently NPR is not much for space opera type books either (although vorkosigan made it!)


Well, I don't think you can fairly blame NPR for it. The list was a poll in which 60,000 people voted.

That said, I guess it's a fair list. I was glad it wasn't dominated by recent work, as so many of these types of lists are.

I was surprised to find I'd read as many of the Fantasy ones as I have; I'm not a big fan of the genre. I was less surprised to find I'd read most of the SF works.

Mike


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I've read 72 of those books or series and it's a good list.  It's not my list but it's a pretty good one.  I do like that it's a mix of the Golden age, the 70's/80's and contemporary novels ... and I would guess with the series listed there are about 200 books listed there ....  I am surprised, however, that 2 individual Discworld novels made it to the top 100 as opposed to the the Discworld as a series.


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## scl (Feb 19, 2011)

I'm surprised at how many of them I have read.  In general I thought it was a good list but there were a couple on there that I disliked.  I had never previously been aware of Neil Gaiman, will have to investigate his work.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Here's just the list, if you want a checklist or such:

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
5. _A Song Of Ice And Fire Series_, by George R. R. Martin 
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
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
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
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
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
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


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Geoffrey said:


> I am surprised, however, that 2 individual Discworld novels made it to the top 100 as opposed to the the Discworld as a series.


One reason could be that it's not so much a series as a milieu? In any case, neither of the two DW books would make my top 5 of that series (though they'd both be well into the upper half of my own DW ranking). Also, along with the abundance of Gaiman books, I'm a little surprised that _Good Omens_ did not make the list.

PS: And I still do not consider _Watership Down_ to be fantasy (or science fiction).


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

I've read 51 of these... I guess there's a lot more reading for me to do


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

I think is list is a bit off, at least to my tastes. I've read 58 if counting part of a series is good enough.

And there is no way I'd even remotely consider ranking _American Gods_ in the top 10 above the likes of Iain M. Banks, _The Mars Trilogy_, Kurt Vonnegut, and _The Hyperion Cantos_ to name a few. Did they poll the Gaiman fanboy club?

And what's this _Sunshine_ by Robin McKinley? Every other book or author in the list I've at least heard of. This one is totally unfamiliar.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Geemont said:


> And what's this _Sunshine_ by Robin McKinley? Every other book or author in the list I've at least heard of. This one is totally unfamiliar.


Whew. I don't feel so bad now for thinking the same thing


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

63
One or two I am 90% certain I read but it was so long ago I'm not sure


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Geemont said:


> And what's this _Sunshine_ by Robin McKinley? Every other book or author in the list I've at least heard of. This one is totally unfamiliar.


I had never heard of it either but I love McKinley so I ordered Sunshine from Amazon today.


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

Number of surprises on that list.
It's nice to see:

The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis
Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson

Made the list...


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

I'd read 44 of those on the list, and of that lot there were five I wasn't all that impressed with. Still, overall not a bad list. I've seen much worse.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

Interesting that The Stand by Stephen King is on that list. 

It's my favorite book, but I wouldnt consider it sci-fi or fantasy.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

I am surprised at the number of books by authors that I like, but I haven't read the particular book.  I must have a gift of choosing their less popular books.


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## Sean Cunningham (Jan 11, 2011)

Is Ender's Game really that good? The concept has never really interested me. Hearing a thing or two about the author and reading the innocent killer essay online sort of put me further off trying it.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Sean Cunningham said:


> Is Ender's Game really that good?


It won both the Nebula and Hugo awards for best novel. If that carries any weight, then yes, it's that good. I liked it, but it's not near the top of my re-read list.

By comparison, Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy has won Hugo, Nebula, and some other awards , but I've never been able to make it very far into the first book despite several attempts.

Our Mileage Always Varies.

Mike


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## ashel (May 29, 2011)

Sean Cunningham said:


> Is Ender's Game really that good? The concept has never really interested me. Hearing a thing or two about the author and reading the innocent killer essay online sort of put me further off trying it.


As a child, it entranced me. As an adult, it creeped me the h*ll out. It creeped me out worse than when I tried to read Ayn Rand (go ahead, flame me), because I actually wanted to keep reading. So...I'd say it's well done, yes. Possibly evil, but very well done.


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

Sean Cunningham said:


> Is Ender's Game really that good? The concept has never really interested me. Hearing a thing or two about the author and reading the innocent killer essay online sort of put me further off trying it.


I think it's more for people in their teens and twenties. (Just my opinion.) I read it in my early 40s...and hated it. I managed to finish it, but I was gritting my teeth and yanking out my hair as I went along. (Now I'm bald and gum my food. )

Seriously, though, it was tough going for me. And I disliked Ender's Game so much that I swore off reading any other Orson Scott Card fiction. Harsh on my part, but I have no interest in his fiction now.

His non-fiction, though, I like:


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

jmiked said:


> It won both the Nebula and Hugo awards for best novel. If that carries any weight, then yes, it's that good. I liked it, but it's not near the top of my re-read list.
> 
> By comparison, Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy has won Hugo, Nebula, and some other awards , but I've never been able to make it very far into the first book despite several attempts.


It's funny, but I never get a book based on how many awards it's won. In fact, I usually steer away from those, because I tend to dislike reading them, sometimes intensely.  I read American Gods by Neil Gaiman, but it was a sucky experience for me; I prefer his Neverwhere.

The Left Hand of Darkness so far is the only book I've read that had awards that I actually liked; not one of the best books I've ever read, but it was quite interesting, a fascinating read.

And I was surprised to find The Silmarillion but not The Hobbit on this list. I like The Hobbit almost as much as LOTR (almost), but I've never been able to get into The Silmarillion; too dry for me.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

KateDanley said:


> Sunshine is the best vampire book I've ever read.


So it's a vampire book? I looked up the author and she appears to write primarily for young adults. Vampire + Young Adult is a bad, bad, bad combination. This list is has a very loose definition of science fiction.



Sean Cunningham said:


> Is Ender's Game really that good?


It's good, but falls short of great. The story depends too much on Ender being a wunderkind for my tastes. I much preferred _Speaker for the Dead_ when Ender was mature.


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

Sean Cunningham said:


> Is Ender's Game really that good? The concept has never really interested me. Hearing a thing or two about the author and reading the innocent killer essay online sort of put me further off trying it.


I read _Ender's Game_ shortly after it came out, and it was the first book of any real size that I read in a single day. Could not put it down. But, I was in my early 20s. I've noticed a definite tendency for it to have a bigger impact on younger readers. People in their 30s or later reading it for the first time don't seem to have the same sort of reaction.

If there would be a modern movie equivalent, I'd think of _The Sixth Sense_. Big impact on you if you saw it before you knew what it was about, but it fades quickly on repeated views or if you know the hook ahead of time. I think _Speaker for the Dead_ is a better book, and has more staying power because it doesn't rely on that sort of shock twist.

I honestly don't recall if I voted for _Ender's Game_ as one of my top 10, but it would have been close.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Geemont said:


> So it's a vampire book? I looked up the author and she appears to write primarily for young adults. Vampire + Young Adult is a bad, bad, bad combination. This list is has a very loose definition of science fiction....


Well, it's a Science Fiction and _Fantasy_ list, and Fantasy can be be a very broad category, depending on how you want to define it. Since vampires are magical, imaginary creatures, I suppose any vampire story could be considered a fantasy.* Heck, _Watership Down_ made the list, apparently because the readers considered it to be fantasy (rabbits that can talk to each other with an intelligence approaching a human level?), as I assume it was not considered to be science fiction.  
_____________
* I suppose they could even be sci-fi, if some technological and/or biological reason were given for them becoming vampires, or if they were actually some alien species.


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

NogDog said:


> Well, it's a Science Fiction and _Fantasy_ list, and Fantasy can be be a very broad category, depending on how you want to define it. Since vampires are magical, imaginary creatures, I suppose any vampire story could be considered a fantasy.*
> _____________
> * I suppose they could even be sci-fi, if some technological and/or biological reason were given for them becoming vampires, or if they were actually some alien species.


Case in point: _The Passage_ by Justin Cronin.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Basilius said:


> Case in point: _The Passage_ by Justin Cronin.


or the Vampire Earth series:
http://www.amazon.com/Way-Wolf-Vampire-Earth-ebook/dp/B001ODO5YO/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1313170662&sr=8-1


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

Basilius said:


> Case in point: _The Passage_ by Justin Cronin.


_Blindsight_ by Peter Watts is an other.

But, still, this list has, by my estimation, a very loosey-goosey definition of science fiction or science fiction and fantasy. Without defining paramaters anything is permitted. Heck, way not include romantic fantasy too? I hereby proclaim Jane Austen as fantasy author.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

" I know it when I see it"
Sometimes that's the only good answer


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

Chad Winters (#102) said:


> " I know it when I see it"
> Sometimes that's the only good answer


Agreed. I got a vitriolic tweet from someone a couple days ago wailing how _Hyperion_ isn't science fiction because there are floating trees.

To each their own...


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

hmm reminds me of sci-book whose name escapes me at the moment. 

There was a big airspace with floating trees that people lived on and flew on machines or glided between trees. Can't remember if it was low G or air bladders or what made the trees float.


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

I think it's a pretty decent list. While _Watership Down_ is one of my all time favorite books, it sticks out like a sore thumb to me in that list. It's a hard one to place in a genre, but I would never put it on the Fantasy shelf.



Chad Winters (#102) said:


> hmm reminds me of sci-book whose name escapes me at the moment.
> 
> There was a big airspace with floating trees that people lived on and flew on machines or glided between trees. Can't remember if it was low G or air bladders or what made the trees float.


Are you thinking of _The Integral Trees_ by Larry Niven?


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## DD Graphix (Jul 15, 2011)

When you think of Robin McKinley's _Sunshine_, please do not think YA/Twilight/sparkly peen. It's a very different book than that, and it's one of the best books I've ever read, in any genre. There are few books I will read again and again, and this is one.

It deserves its place in the ranking. I agree the ranking is loose, but the genre is loose, and getting looser all the time.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

Our podcast talked about this last night. I wasn't there to record the episode (I was at a Decemberists concert), but Shaun and Brent had a great discussion.

I agree with Ty. It's a good list. There are always things you can quibble with on any "top" list, though.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

drenfrow said:


> I think it's a pretty decent list. While _Watership Down_ is one of my all time favorite books, it sticks out like a sore thumb to me in that list. It's a hard one to place in a genre, but I would never put it on the Fantasy shelf.
> Are you thinking of _The Integral Trees_ by Larry Niven?


That was it!!
Clearly sci fi...even with floating trees. This why you can't make hard and fast category rules for these things


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Floating trees can be sci-fi (see _Integral Trees_) if they are floating for some reasonable (or at least not too far-fetched) physical reason, fantasy if they float because of magic, fantasy/sci-fi cross-over if it's not clear why they float, or historical fiction if they're being floated down a river by a bunch of 19th Century lumberjacks. 

PS: In the "I know it when I see it" discussion, _Watership Down_ and its talking rabbits is not fantasy to me, while _The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents_ with its talking rats _is_ fantasy -- perhaps because in Watership Down it's more an allegorical story and the talking and higher intelligence of the rabbits is not explained in any way, nor is there any sort of magic involved elsewhere in the story (if we exclude some of the spiritual content), while the talking rats live in an imaginary world that clearly includes magic, and there is a magical reason given for why the rats talk -- and can talk to other species, not just among themselves.


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

drenfrow said:


> While _Watership Down_ is one of my all time favorite books, it sticks out like a sore thumb to me in that list. It's a hard one to place in a genre, but I would never put it on the Fantasy shelf.


This shows how different all of us are, and I don't mean that in a bad way. I think of _Watership Down_ as being one of the most epic fantasy tales ever written, right up there with Homer's works, and better than Virgil or Tolkien. Just my opinion.


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## Susan Brassfield Cogan (Mar 25, 2011)

Geemont said:


> I think is list is a bit off, at least to my tastes. I've read 58 if counting part of a series is good enough.
> 
> And there is no way I'd even remotely consider ranking _American Gods_ in the top 10 above the likes of Iain M. Banks, _The Mars Trilogy_, Kurt Vonnegut, and _The Hyperion Cantos_ to name a few. Did they poll the Gaiman fanboy club?
> 
> And what's this _Sunshine_ by Robin McKinley? Every other book or author in the list I've at least heard of. This one is totally unfamiliar.


I was also surprised to see Gaiman on that list. I liked American Gods but it wasn't a top 100 love. I sort of liked Neverwhere and I loathed Stardust. I was also surprised not to see more Terry Pratchett. Small Gods is probably his best book, though.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

The Xanth series by Piers Anthony?  Sigh... it was good once upon a time, like the first 10 books, but has far outstayed its welcome to me.. 
The Phaze series was MUCH better. Incarnations of Immortality series even better. why did they have to pick his cheesiest series?


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## ashel (May 29, 2011)

1. BTackitt, your avatars should be regulated by the DEA.
2. All RIGHT, people, I am downloading "Sunshine." EDIT: No, no I am not, because it is not available as an ebook. It's like it's 2001 or something, GAWD.


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## Libby13 (Jul 31, 2011)

It is good to see an up and comer like Neil Gaiman get some recognition.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

genevieveaclark said:


> 1. BTackitt, your avatars should be regulated by the DEA.
> 2. All RIGHT, people, I am downloading "Sunshine." EDIT: No, no I am not, because it is not available as an ebook. It's like it's 2001 or something, GAWD.


I found a bargain book/remainder paperback on Amazon that was reasonably priced

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VEHZSO


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## ashel (May 29, 2011)

Chad Winters (#102) said:


> I found a bargain book/remainder paperback on Amazon that was reasonably priced
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VEHZSO


Hey, thanks!


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## unitbit (Jul 22, 2011)

Geemont said:


> So it's a vampire book? I looked up the author and she appears to write primarily for young adults. Vampire + Young Adult is a bad, bad, bad combination. This list is has a very loose definition of science fiction.
> 
> It's good, but falls short of great. The story depends too much on Ender being a wunderkind for my tastes. I much preferred _Speaker for the Dead_ when Ender was mature.


I could not agree more with this statement about Vampires + Young adults... *shivers*


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## Sharon Red (Jul 23, 2011)

unitbit said:


> I could not agree more with this statement about Vampires + Young adults... *shivers*


haha oh yes... sad but true


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## grahampowell (Feb 10, 2011)

I voted in this list, and I'm a little disappointed that neither of Alfred Bester's nominated books made the cut.  THE DEMOLISHED MAN was pretty good, but THE STARS MY DESTINATION is one of my favorite sci-fi books.



Graham


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

grahampowell said:


> I voted in this list, and I'm a little disappointed that neither of Alfred Bester's nominated books made the cut. THE DEMOLISHED MAN was pretty good, but THE STARS MY DESTINATION is one of my favorite sci-fi books.
> 
> Graham


Nice forehead.


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## Michael_J_Sullivan (Aug 3, 2011)

I think this is one of the better Top 100 lists out there - a lot of my favorites are on it.  I especially like seeing so many of the "classics" represented.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

One point I've seen raised is that although a lot of books by women were submitted for consideration, not a lot of female authors made the list.


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

What a strange list. I too was wondering what is Sunshine doing there. Isn't "horror" a separate category? But it reminded me of 2 series I wanted to try - The Mistborn Trilogy and The Wheel of Time.


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## Robin Hawke (Feb 22, 2011)

Missed Octavia Butler? Emma Bull, Charles de Lint?  Fun list, good to have when looking for a quick rec.

For those of you considering Ender's Game, I thought Card's Pastwatch was better.


Edited: replaced Pathfinder with Pastwatch, crossed brain wire.


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## Robin Hawke (Feb 22, 2011)

Went back to look for Brave New World, 1930's classic.


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## PetSat (Aug 15, 2011)

Ahh this is a great list.  I've been looking for some new Sci-Fi/Fantasy reads so this fits the bill perfectly!


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## John Dorian (Jul 23, 2011)

Hitchhiker's should be #1


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## Zackery Arbela (Jan 31, 2011)

What No DRAGONS OF AUTUMN TWILIGHT? Come on, NPR...there's a whole generation of readers who were turned onto the genre courtesy of Weis and Hickman! And who care's if it was put out by TSR (back in the days when there WAS a TSR...) 

I feel robbed! ROBBED I TELL YA!


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

KateDanley said:


> I was kind of suprised there was no Madame L'Engle, and I (personally) think the Dresden Files might have been a better representative of Jim Butcher's work... And should J.K. Rowling be on this list...? Mercedes Lackey's original Arrows of the Queen trilogy was also pretty revolutionary when it came out...


Narnia wasn't there either, so I suspect that YA and children's books were excluded. But I agree, I was surprised to see no Mercedes Lackey.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

Zackery Arbela said:


> What No DRAGONS OF AUTUMN TWILIGHT? Come on, NPR...there's a whole generation of readers who were turned onto the genre courtesy of Weis and Hickman! And who care's if it was put out by TSR (back in the days when there WAS a TSR...)
> 
> I feel robbed! ROBBED I TELL YA!


I can't argue one bit with that one. Talk about an influential series.

Hm. Well, I suppose you just did.


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## ashel (May 29, 2011)

I can now add my voice to the chorus that says: Robin McKinley's "Sunshine" is truly awesome.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

I tried to look up Sunshine the other day, but I didn't see a Kindle version. Did I miss it?


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

MosesSiregarIII said:


> I tried to look up Sunshine the other day, but I didn't see a Kindle version. Did I miss it?


No kindle edition (darn slow backlist e-publishing)

I found a bargain book/remainder paperback on Amazon that was reasonably priced

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VEHZSO


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## Iain Manson (Apr 3, 2011)

It's quite a list, but where is David Lindsay's 1920 classic, _A Voyage to Arcturus_?

Not being a great reader of science fiction or of fantasy, I'm not sure if Lindsay is much read these days, but he deserves to be.

The word "allegory" tends to bring out the homicidal maniac in me, but the skill with which Lindsay weaves his philosophy into his tale ensures that the reader never feels he is being lectured. No reader of fantasy or of science fiction should miss out on _A Voyage to Arcturus_; and nor should anyone else.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Iain Manson said:


> It's quite a list, but where is David Lindsay's 1920 classic, _A Voyage to Arcturus_?
> 
> Not being a great reader of science fiction or of fantasy, I'm not sure if Lindsay is much read these days, but he deserves to be.
> 
> The word "allegory" tends to bring out the homicidal maniac in me, but the skill with which Lindsay weaves his philosophy into his tale ensures that the reader never feels he is being lectured. No reader of fantasy or of science fiction should miss out on _A Voyage to Arcturus_; and nor should anyone else.


And you can get it for free from the usual public domain e-book sites. 

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1329
http://www.manybooks.net/titles/lindsaydavietext98vrctr10.html
http://www.feedbooks.com/book/901/a-voyage-to-arcturus

Definitely one of the formative books in my life of reading science fiction and fantasy, though it might be a close thing as to whether it made my personal top 100 -- there's so much to choose from, but it does get bonus points for being so influential.


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## ashel (May 29, 2011)

KateDanley said:


> YAY!!! YAY!!! I'm so glad that you liked it! (...I always have that fear when recommending one of my favorite books that the rest of the world looks at me with confused, pitying distain...) Isn't it wonderful?
> 
> I want to say that "Sunshine" was one of the influential books* in shaping the Urban Fantasy genre. (*I could be making that up.) I remember it being revolutionary when I first read it almost eight years ago. I love it! No one does it better than Robin!


Kate, I've recommended this book here before, but I'm gonna double super plus good recommend it for you now, as a result of this Sunshine business: Zoo City, by Lauren Beukes.


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## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in the world that likes Neal Stephenson but could never get into Snow Crash. Sword-wielding pizza delivery guy? It literally lost me within the first two chapters. I have it. I should try rereading it again. I would have switched Snow Crash and The Diamond Age.

Out of curiosity, do I lose my man card for having read the Kushiel series? In my defense, I read it because an old girlfriend loved it.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

RexJameson said:


> Out of curiosity, do I lose my man card for having read the Kushiel series? In my defense, I read it because an old girlfriend loved it.


I was just talking to a friend today who said it's an_ amazing_ fantasy series with covers that make it look like a romance (or something). I haven't read 'em.


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## 31842 (Jan 11, 2011)

genevieveaclark said:


> Kate, I've recommended this book here before, but I'm gonna double super plus good recommend it for you now, as a result of this Sunshine business: Zoo City, by Lauren Beukes.


Just downloaded the sample! YAY!!! New books!


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

I just read Sunshine By Robin McKinley (because she is really good and the book made the NPR "best 100 SF/F books list" and I had never heard of it.) I could still tell that she is a phenomenal writer and the book was very good, but it was too much like Twilight which kind of tainted it for me. I think it came before Twilight even. Damned Twilight ruins everything!!


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

I thought the omissions were pretty glaring. No Earthsea? Not a single Weis? Did I miss Octavia Butler? The lack of many of the top women authors is pretty striking. It's not the worst top 100 list I've ever seen, but I can't say I'm all that impressed either. (Xanth? REALLY?   )


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

JRTomlin said:


> I thought the omissions were pretty glaring. No Earthsea? Not a single Weis? Did I miss Octavia Butler? The lack of many of the top women authors is pretty striking. It's not the worst top 100 list I've ever seen, but I can't say I'm all that impressed either. (Xanth? REALLY?  )


I think the absence of Le Guin is the biggest head-scratcher. Dragonlance after that, because that series was so influential--unless they're going to include it in their YA list.


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## Erica Sloane (May 11, 2011)

I absolutely love Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. That's my list.


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## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

I was surprised to see _The Road_ but not _Alas, Babylon_. Also this list is seriously lacking some female authors.


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## Elizabeth Black (Apr 8, 2011)

I never thought I was into science fiction until I realized I read most of the books on that list and liked all of them. There were some glaring omissions, though. No Mercedes Lackey. No "Wizard of Earthsea". And why weren't there more women authors listed? Science fiction is full of fantastic female authors.


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## Eliza Baum (Jul 16, 2011)

Wow, I've only read about a dozen of those. I do think there are a couple of good reasons for this: 1) I don't read a lot of sci-fi, and I'm pretty picky about what I do read. (But YAY Thrawn trilogy. I was thinking about rereading that one....) 2) I refuse to start epic fantasy series when they aren't complete. Those thousand pagers are too much of a commitment when there's no guarantee they'll ever be finished (I'm looking at you, _Song of Fire and Ice_ & _Wheel of Time_). A bunch of these are on my endless TBR list, though, and I think I need to add a few more now.

What's the skinny on Neal Stephenson? He's got a whopping 4% of the list. _Cryptonomicon_ has been on my bookshelf for a good 10 years (based on a random recommendation), but I haven't picked it up yet.


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## Sean Cunningham (Jan 11, 2011)

Elizabeth Black said:


> No "Wizard of Earthsea".


Quite an omission. I read the chapter in which Ged faces the dragon in a book of short stories when I was in my teens and was instantly hooked. I hunted down the three-volume omnibus pronto. That book established all sorts of things about fantasy in my mind.


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## 31842 (Jan 11, 2011)

Thank you for the Earthsea recommendation!  I've never read the series (always meant to, but slipped my mind).  Picking up a copy!


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Lord, I despise these kinds of lists.  Who puts them together anyway?  Whether it's books - or AFI's "top 100 comedies," etc. -  one thing that drives me absolutely bonkers about these lists is how English-language centric they are.  The names of these lists really need to be qualified as "Top 100 English language."  With this list, with the exception of one or two Jules Verne titles - it's all books written in English.  Which is fine.  But don't call it "Top SciFi/Fantasy Books" as if the rest of the world did not exist and did not contribute to the genre.  Frankly a list like this can not exist without Alexander Belyaev, a brilliant Soviet science-fiction writer.  HG Wells, who was a fan of his work (the two collaborated on some articles), once said that Belyaev rightfully put science back into science fiction.  There are many others who should have been recognized on that list in place of some Gaiman titles.

Current TV just put together a list of top 50 documentaries to see before you die.  The oldest documentary on that list is from 1991 and they are all English-language.  Frankly, it's just - and I use this word with caution - ignorant.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

The other thing is: why the heck are they combining Sci-Fi with Fantasy?  These are not alike!  (That's what HG Wells meant when he complimented Belyaev for putting science back into science fiction.)


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I've been ignoring this thread because of the impossibility of making a list like this when even three fans will have a tough time agreeing even on a definition of science fiction! 

I had read 43 of these, not as many as I expected. I suspect I am too much of a space opera guy. I have two more purchased and on my Kindle waiting to be read... Watership Down, and I forget the other. I am awful about ignoring my backlog and buying something new and shiny. 

I suspect a lot of the Wells and Verne books just made it off of name recognition. Journey to the Center of the Earth is seminal and important, but is it great in terms of entertainment for a modern reader? How many modern readers have actually read Wells and Verne?


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## MMancey (Sep 8, 2011)

Surprised to see Watershipdown in there never really thought of it as fantasy, though thinking of it now, I guess it is. Happy to see most of my fave fantasy authors in there. It would have been nice to see Katherine Kerr or C S Lewis too. And what? No J K Rowling? Not a crazy fan but she was a bit of a heavy weight the past several years.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

The Hooded Claw said:


> How many modern readers have actually read Wells and Verne?


I have!!

But I'm not modern, being 68 years old.  

Mike


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

The Hooded Claw said:


> I suspect a lot of the Wells and Verne books just made it off of name recognition. Journey to the Center of the Earth is seminal and important, but is it great in terms of entertainment for a modern reader? How many modern readers have actually read Wells and Verne?


I have! I've been reading both since I was about 7. (I'm in my mid-30s.)


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

KateDanley said:


> http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/139085843/your-picks-top-100-science-fiction-fantasy-books?sc=tumblr&cc=npr
> 
> NPR just posted the poll of listeners' top 100 Sci-Fi/Fantasy picks. How does this list stand up for you?
> 
> I thought it was a pretty fair.


There's always going to be disagreement, and there are always going to be some glaring omissions into the bargain. Can't be helped. But yes, overall, it's a pretty fair list (although lumping sf and fantasy together isn't necessarily the brightest of ideas).


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