NPR's 100 best SF/Fantasy books/series
As posted here: NPR's Top 100 SF/F books
Bold for things I haven't read, italics I started but never finished
1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien - so boring
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams - got a bit interminable
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card - a favourite
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert - read the first one, see LotR
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin - haven't read DwD yet, will buy when I have money but I'll count the series
6. 1984, by George Orwell - I'm glad I read it as a frame of reference, but not something I can say I enjoyed
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov - By the time I read it, I'd read enough SF/F that everything, all the twists and developments, felt very "done". I know that's because the other stuff copied this, but it contributed to a very "dated" feel.
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman - one of the few Gaiman novels I thoroughly enjoyed. Lynch mob can form to the right.
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman - Brilliant, book and film both
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan - I gave up after 8 or 9 when it was clear the plot would never advance until RJ was on his deathbed. That did come around faster than I thought it would.
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell - I didn't particularly care for 1984 and felt I'd ticked the Orwellian box.
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore - borrowed a copy before the movie came out (haven't seen the movie). Interesting enough, but not my idea of a good time.
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov - I've read some of the stories, but not all
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein - I groked this story but didn't share water with it.
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss - I know nothing about this one.
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut - Never read Vonnegut
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley - I have a soft spot for nested epistolary story-telling but the story drags on at times.
22. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick - I've, uh, seen the movie.
23. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
24. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
25. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke - again, seen the movie, haven't finished the book
26. The Stand, by Stephen King
27. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
28. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury - I find Bradbury's short stories very readable, but have never gone out of my way to seek him out.
29. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
30. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman - I have trouble slowing down enough to look at the pictures so I tend not to seek out graphic novels. Also, I find Gaiman hit or miss.
31. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
32. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein - saw the movie, am aware that it's nothing like the book
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams - I saw a cartoon of this when I was little which scared me.
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey - Why is this listed as a book and not a series? I've read everything McCaffrey senior wrote, but not all the ones her son has done.
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller - I know I read the first two, I can't remember if I read the third.
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 - I've read the short story, seen the movie, and read the extended novel.
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny - I got 4 or 5 novels in
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings - favourite pre-teen series. I actually moved these books to Scotland with me.
42. The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley - I read this and some of the others. I'm not a big Bradley fan.
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
45. The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin - I think this is the LeGuin I read.
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien Gods, I barely finished LotRs. Actually, I think I may still have 20 pages to go in LotRs.
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White - I've seen the Disney adaptation and read the chapter(?) it was based on.
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman - This would be the "miss" part of hit or miss
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke - this book makes me sad
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan - saw the movie
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman - the book was okay, I love the movie
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks - Love it. The audio is creepy as all get out. Will definitely see the movie!
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman - I'm not familiar with this one
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett - why is this not the series? This is one of my favourites discworld novels
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson - tried twice and couldn't make it through the first book.
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold - picture little hearts floating up when you see this listed. These books are wonderful.
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett - again, why isn't Discworld one entry?
61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind - I read the first book (which was excruciating twisted and anti-feminist and wrong and bad in so many ways I can't even begin to describe) and a short story (which wasn't).
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy - saw the movie
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke - I finally acquired a copy
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist - I read the spin-off series
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks - another series where I couldn't get into the first book but I was 10 and looking for another Belgariad so it's probably worth giving another chance.
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb - very good
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger - One of my favourite books, though I haven't read it a second time yet. Enjoyed the movie as well, though it was a pale shadow of the book.
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson - another one about which I know nothing
72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ticked my Verne box.
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi - highly recommended. What can I say - I like my space opera to be witty
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke - The first one is good. Each subsequent book is less than the previous.
77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey - love these
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury - again, Bradbury is very readable
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire - I love the story and the musical but don't care for Maguire's writing style.
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson - I'm a little over halfway through the first book but haven't turned a page in over a year. I should probably start at the beginning, maybe create a 3D flow chart of time and characters.
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde - Another one that should be a series. The first book is better than the sequels (though I've not read the most recent one), but the first one is very good and the others are enjoyable.
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 - huge Butcher fan
87. The Book of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe - another one with which I am unfamiliar
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn - I've read other Zahn but not this
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan - I got up to halfway through the 4th or 5th book and gave up as another stagnant plot. Book one was cute and book two is, I felt, really good, but then they go sharply down-hill.
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley - Never read McKinley, I am ashamed to admit.
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 - Read the first one
96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis - I preferred To Say Nothing of the Dog but this one was very interesting.
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville - I think this is the Mieville I started. I wasn't grabbed.
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony - I read 20 some of them.
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis - I have, of course, read the Narnia books.
46/100 un-read. Any particular feelings among the bolded as to what should go on my short-list? (also if you want to send me a kindle-friendly copy of any of these books that would put it on an even shorter short-list)
edited to addThis is brilliant! I've been feeling disconnected from "new" reading material for a while so it's great to have a list of things other people have really enjoyed!
Bold for things I haven't read, italics I started but never finished
1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien - so boring
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams - got a bit interminable
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card - a favourite
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert - read the first one, see LotR
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin - haven't read DwD yet, will buy when I have money but I'll count the series
6. 1984, by George Orwell - I'm glad I read it as a frame of reference, but not something I can say I enjoyed
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov - By the time I read it, I'd read enough SF/F that everything, all the twists and developments, felt very "done". I know that's because the other stuff copied this, but it contributed to a very "dated" feel.
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman - one of the few Gaiman novels I thoroughly enjoyed. Lynch mob can form to the right.
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman - Brilliant, book and film both
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan - I gave up after 8 or 9 when it was clear the plot would never advance until RJ was on his deathbed. That did come around faster than I thought it would.
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell - I didn't particularly care for 1984 and felt I'd ticked the Orwellian box.
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore - borrowed a copy before the movie came out (haven't seen the movie). Interesting enough, but not my idea of a good time.
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov - I've read some of the stories, but not all
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein - I groked this story but didn't share water with it.
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss - I know nothing about this one.
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut - Never read Vonnegut
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley - I have a soft spot for nested epistolary story-telling but the story drags on at times.
22. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick - I've, uh, seen the movie.
23. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
24. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
25. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke - again, seen the movie, haven't finished the book
26. The Stand, by Stephen King
27. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
28. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury - I find Bradbury's short stories very readable, but have never gone out of my way to seek him out.
29. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
30. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman - I have trouble slowing down enough to look at the pictures so I tend not to seek out graphic novels. Also, I find Gaiman hit or miss.
31. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
32. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein - saw the movie, am aware that it's nothing like the book
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams - I saw a cartoon of this when I was little which scared me.
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey - Why is this listed as a book and not a series? I've read everything McCaffrey senior wrote, but not all the ones her son has done.
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller - I know I read the first two, I can't remember if I read the third.
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 - I've read the short story, seen the movie, and read the extended novel.
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny - I got 4 or 5 novels in
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings - favourite pre-teen series. I actually moved these books to Scotland with me.
42. The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley - I read this and some of the others. I'm not a big Bradley fan.
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
45. The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin - I think this is the LeGuin I read.
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien Gods, I barely finished LotRs. Actually, I think I may still have 20 pages to go in LotRs.
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White - I've seen the Disney adaptation and read the chapter(?) it was based on.
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman - This would be the "miss" part of hit or miss
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke - this book makes me sad
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan - saw the movie
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman - the book was okay, I love the movie
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks - Love it. The audio is creepy as all get out. Will definitely see the movie!
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman - I'm not familiar with this one
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett - why is this not the series? This is one of my favourites discworld novels
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson - tried twice and couldn't make it through the first book.
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold - picture little hearts floating up when you see this listed. These books are wonderful.
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett - again, why isn't Discworld one entry?
61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind - I read the first book (which was excruciating twisted and anti-feminist and wrong and bad in so many ways I can't even begin to describe) and a short story (which wasn't).
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy - saw the movie
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke - I finally acquired a copy
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist - I read the spin-off series
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks - another series where I couldn't get into the first book but I was 10 and looking for another Belgariad so it's probably worth giving another chance.
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb - very good
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger - One of my favourite books, though I haven't read it a second time yet. Enjoyed the movie as well, though it was a pale shadow of the book.
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson - another one about which I know nothing
72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ticked my Verne box.
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi - highly recommended. What can I say - I like my space opera to be witty
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke - The first one is good. Each subsequent book is less than the previous.
77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey - love these
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury - again, Bradbury is very readable
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire - I love the story and the musical but don't care for Maguire's writing style.
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson - I'm a little over halfway through the first book but haven't turned a page in over a year. I should probably start at the beginning, maybe create a 3D flow chart of time and characters.
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde - Another one that should be a series. The first book is better than the sequels (though I've not read the most recent one), but the first one is very good and the others are enjoyable.
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 - huge Butcher fan
87. The Book of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe - another one with which I am unfamiliar
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn - I've read other Zahn but not this
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan - I got up to halfway through the 4th or 5th book and gave up as another stagnant plot. Book one was cute and book two is, I felt, really good, but then they go sharply down-hill.
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley - Never read McKinley, I am ashamed to admit.
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 - Read the first one
96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis - I preferred To Say Nothing of the Dog but this one was very interesting.
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville - I think this is the Mieville I started. I wasn't grabbed.
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony - I read 20 some of them.
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis - I have, of course, read the Narnia books.
46/100 un-read. Any particular feelings among the bolded as to what should go on my short-list? (also if you want to send me a kindle-friendly copy of any of these books that would put it on an even shorter short-list)
edited to addThis is brilliant! I've been feeling disconnected from "new" reading material for a while so it's great to have a list of things other people have really enjoyed!