50 "Must-Read" Science Fiction Books

[iansales]

Where I find him most limited is in characterisation. His strong women are not strong women at all. They are a male chauvinist's idea of an exciting lay, as opposed to a submissive one. And the romantic angle is usually couched in horrible baby talk and frequently has a very creepy angle, like the romance in The Door Into Summer.

The three "secretaries" - one blonde, one brunette, and one black-haired - in Stranger in a Strange Land might as well have been one woman with a bottle of hair dye.

 

[J-WO]

The three "secretaries" - one blonde, one brunette, and one black-haired - in Stranger in a Strange Land might as well have been one woman with a bottle of hair dye.

And the way Jubal speechifys, she'd have time to bleach, wash and hand dry.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Hah! So that's that sorted. Always knew RAH's stories were rigorously worked out.

 

[woody35]

And the way Jubal speechifys, she'd have time to bleach, wash and hand dry.

LOL

Although I am an alt. history buff, I have read a few off of this list. To wit, 377
373
381
384
385
386

 

[J Riff]

Read all but a couple. Try ' The long afternoon of Earth' rather than ' Hothouse'
Some authors like Miller only have one classic, but Aldiss, Sturgeon, Bradbury, Simak et al. one can pick and choose.
Where's Fredric Brown ? Margaret Atwood in a skiffy best-of, and no Fred ? Suspect.
Doris Lessing vs. E. E. Doc Smith ? Sheeeeez....

 

[JB_Dresden]

Is it true the prison from Face/Off was named after the Butler book? (erehwon)

 

[Beamer]

Well I have read just under half at 24, and of the ones I have read only about a third of them seem good enough to make a top 50 list. Just shows how subjective these kind of lists are.

 

[jennyjj]

tell me bout it! lad to see adams is up there though anyone know if he did die at 42 or if its a rumour? x

 

[AE35Unit]

This is not a topic I would normally delve into. However, I just picked up a copy of the 2006 book edited by Emma Beare, entitled 501 Must-Read Books.


Here's the list (the SF section covers numbers 352 through 401):

•352. "The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy," Douglas Adams
•353. "Hothouse," Brian Aldiss
•354. "Brain Wave," Poul Anderson
•355. "I, Robot," Isaac Asimov
•357. "The Crystal World," J.G. Ballard
•358. "The Demolished Man," Alfred Bester
•359. "Who Goes There," John W. Campbell
•362. "The Martian Chronicles," Ray Bradbury
•367. "2001: A Space Odyssey," Arthur C. Clarke
•372. "Stranger in a Strange Land," Robert A. Heinlein
•373. "Dune," Frank Herbert
tried,didnt enjoy
•376. "Left Hand of Darkness," Ursula K. LeGuin
to be read
•387. "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket," Edgar Allan Poe
short story,to be read
•394. "Last and First Men," Olaf Stapledon
to be read
•397. "A Journey to the Centre of the Earth," Jules Verne
•399. "The Island of Dr Moreau," H.G. Wells
•401. "The Day of the Triffids," John Wyndham

 

[J-WO]

tell me bout it! lad to see adams is up there though anyone know if he did die at 42 or if its a rumour? x

49 actually. But he does appear in episode 42 of Monty Python's Flying Circus.

 

[thatollie]

The three "secretaries" - one blonde, one brunette, and one black-haired - in Stranger in a Strange Land might as well have been one woman with a bottle of hair dye.

Wouldn't she need three bottles?

 

[BAYLOR]

Ive read 27 of those.

 

[tegeus-Cromis]

Wouldn't she need three bottles?

Only two, if you think about it.

 

[Ashley R]

Looking through the list these are the ones I've not read, and in most cases not even heard of.

•360. "The Invention of Morel," Adolfo Bioy Casares
•365. "Erewhon," Samuel Butler (Heard of, but not read).
•366. "Cosmicomics," Italo Calvino
•368. "A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder," James De Mille
•375. "Two Planets," Kurd Lasswitz
•378. "Shikasta," Doris Lessing (Know of, but never read, I was her "minder" at a con, a very long time ago, nice woman).
•382. "Dwellers in the Mirage," Abraham Merritt (Heard of, and I have a couple of titles on my Amazon wish list, but not read).
•389. "The Green Child," Herbert Read
•394. "Last and First Men," Olaf Stapledon (Bounced of this, otherwise I would've read it).
•400. "Islandia," Austin Tappan Wright

While I may have read a lot of these, I'm not sure I would've have chosen some of them for this list, but what do I know?

 

[Parson]

@Ashley R .... I'll bet you know what you like. That counts for a lot.

 

[Danny McG]

Ive read 27 of those.

Your thread revival standard has dipped a bit with this one Baylor, it was only ten years since the last comment.

You're usually in the 15-20 years class!

 

[Brian G Turner]

Not much on that list that's less than 50 years old! Seems like the original writer was revisiting their childhood, rather than general SF fiction.