Your Picks: Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books

NPR ^ | 8/11/11 | n/a

[DemforBush]

More than 5,000 of you nominated. More than 60,000 of you voted. And now the results are in. The winners of NPR's Top 100 Science-Fiction and Fantasy survey are an intriguing mix of classic and contemporary titles...

[RedMDer]

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[redlegplanner]

Best 3:

Starship Trooper, Ender’s Game, and Dorsai!.

Someone else can pick the order, although given current events, I am leaning towards Troopers. google “The Battle of Athens” for historical precedent.

[Oztrich Boy]

You knew that an NPR list would never include "The Man in the High Castle."

Other Ommisions

Poul Anderson Guardians of Time

L Sprague deCamp Lest Darkness Falls

Mary Gentle Ash: A Secret History

Newt Gingrich & William R. Forstchen 1945

Werner KlempererFatherland

Ward Moore Bring the Jubilee

Keith Roberts Pavane

James Thurber If Grant had been drinking at Appomattox

and most of Harry Turtledove

Conclusions: Progressives to not like Alternate History, it troubles their vision of a shiny inevitable fuyure.

[wbarmy]

I guess that is why “The Cross Time Engineer” didn’t make it.

[buccaneer81]

and most of Harry Turtledove

True. And John Birmingham.

[LexBaird]

Not too bad of list, though there are some ones that would not be on there if it wasn’t NPR listeners polled, and a couple more that are trendy now but won’t stand the test of time.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

Number 1 should be the Mar series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is not even listed, so there are a bunch or illiterate people out there.

A Princess of Mars should be required reading in school.

[DemforBush]

I’ve always loved Starship Troopers (the novel, not that wretched movie), and remember enjoying Dorsai!, but I must admit I’ve never gotten around to reading Ender’s Game. I’m told it is quite good.

My personal favorites on the list are (in no particular order): Neuromancer, A Canticle for Leibowitz, and the Elric saga.

[DemforBush]

I tend to agree. As I mentioned in a previous post, Handmaiden’s Tale wouldn’t make my top 200, much less top 30 or so. Most of its buzz comes from the fact that it plays into leftist fantasies about social conservatism and religion.

[El Laton Caliente]

David Weber’s Honor Harrinton series didn’t make the list?

Nothing by CJ Cherryh?

Glad to see Foundation on there and The Ender Series belongs on there also.

[tal hajus]

YES!!!

[Sawdring]

No “The Stars my Destination”????

Excellent book. Just finished reading it tonight.

[ctdonath2]

“16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov”

Too high. It has not aged well. I’d guess the high ranking came from those who read it way back when it was fresh. I re-read it recently, and while some of the notions were kinda neat, so much of the technology involved is developing far different than expected, rendering the result way off course.

[Joe 6-pack]

I've read a healthy portion of those on the list and can generally agree with the choices. I would have rank ordered them a bit differently. Canticle For Leibowitz not even in the top third? Watchmen higher than Frankenstein?

I also wonder if some would have made the list had they not been made into movies (i.e. Mists of Avalon, Omega Man). I'm not saying they don't belong on the list, but I think the movie versions may have propelled them into the popular conscience which helped get them there.