pI’ve seen the following list of a href=”http://www.louanders.com/2006/11/50-most-significant-sff-books.html”The 50 Most Significant SF F Books/a published between 1953 and 2002, originally from the Science Fiction Book Club, then posted by a href=”http://www.louanders.com/Bio.htm”Lou Anders/a on his a href=”http://www.louanders.com/”blog/a, in various places, but hadn’t gotten around to doing anything with it until I saw it on Amy Nelson-Mile’s ema href=”http://www.amynelsonmile.net/booksblog/”Books, Words, and Writing/a/em this morning. The idea is that you bold the ones you’ve read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished, and put an asterisk beside the ones you loved./ppSo here goes:br /br /1. strongThe Lord of the Rings/strong, J.R.R. Tolkien*br /2. emThe Foundation Trilogy/em, Isaac Asimovbr /3. strongDune/strong, Frank Herbert*br /4. strongStranger in a Strange Land/strong, Robert A. Heinleinbr /5. strongA Wizard of Earthsea/strong, Ursula K. Le Guin*br /6. strongNeuromancer/strong, William Gibsonbr /7. strongChildhood’s End/strong, Arthur C. Clarkebr /8. strongDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?/strong, Philip K. Dickbr /9. strongThe Mists of Avalon/strong, Marion Zimmer Bradleybr /10. strongFahrenheit 451/strong, Ray Bradburybr /11. strongThe Book of the New Sun/strong, Gene Wolfe*br /12. emA Canticle for Leibowitz/em, Walter M. Miller, Jr.br /13. strongThe Caves of Steel/strong, Isaac Asimov*br /14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shirasbr /15. strongCities in Flight/strong, James Blishbr /16. strongThe Colour of Magic/strong, Terry Pratchett*br /17. strongDangerous Visions/strong, edited by Harlan Ellisonbr /18. strongDeathbird Stories/strong, Harlan Ellisonbr /19. strongThe Demolished Man/strong, Alfred Besterbr /20. emDhalgren/em, Samuel R. Delanybr /21. strongDragonflight/strong, Anne McCaffrey*br /22. strongEnder’s Game/strong, Orson Scott Card*br /23. strongThe First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever/strong, Stephen R. Donaldson*br /24. strongThe Forever War/strong, Joe Haldemanbr /25. strongGateway/strong, Frederik Pohlbr /26. strongHarry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/strong, J.K. Rowling*br /27. strongThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy/strong, Douglas Adams*br /28. strongI Am Legend/strong, Richard Mathesonbr /29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Ricebr /30. strongThe Left Hand of Darkness/strong, Ursula K. Le Guinbr /31. emLittle, Big/em, John Crowleybr /32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelaznybr /33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dickbr /34. strongMission of Gravity/strong, Hal Clementbr /35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeonbr /36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smithbr /37. On the Beach, Nevil Shutebr /38. strongRendezvous with Rama/strong, Arthur C. Clarkebr /39. strongRingworld/strong, Larry Nivenbr /40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrysbr /41. strongThe Silmarillion/strong, J.R.R. Tolkienbr /42. strongSlaughterhouse-5/strong, Kurt Vonnegutbr /43. strongSnow Crash/strong, Neal Stephensonbr /44. strongStand on Zanzibar/strong, John Brunnerbr /45. strongThe Stars My Destination/strong, Alfred Bester*br /46. strongStarship Troopers/strong, Robert A. Heinlein*br /47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcockbr /48. strongThe Sword of Shannara/strong, Terry Brooksbr /49. strongTimescape/strong, Gregory Benfordbr /50. strongTo Your Scattered Bodies Go/strong, Philip Jose Farmer*/ppIt’s actually quite likely I’ve read some of those I marked unread, but don’t remember. (For instance, I love Cordwainer Smith, but I’m not sure I read the particular book mentioned; I think all the Smith I read was in other anthologies. Same with the Theodore Sturgeon.) You’ll also notice I didn’t say I hated any of them. I can’t actually think of a single book I’ve ever read I would say I hated. Generally if I feel that much distaste for it, I simply don’t finish it. But if I went back and attempted some of the unfinished ones above again, I might like ’em, so I’m unwilling to put them in the “hate” category./ppEveryone one of these books, and countless others, has contributed to the sort of SF I write, I suspect. ‘Twould be nice for one of my books to show up on a list like this in another 30 years or so, but, alas, it seems unlikely./p
