The View From The Foothills

Michael came across this list of the 50 most significant SF&F books of the last 50 years at this website here; apparently the list came from somewhere else, though it’s not clear to me where. The books are listed in order; I’ve bold-faced the ones I’ve read, and added some comments. I’ve put “+++” by the ones I’ve read multiple times, “—” by the ones I’ve read but didn’t much like, and “000″ by the ones I’ve read that I can’t remember anything about. As you’ll see, I’ve read 40 of the 50, and at least tried to read most of the others.

1. +++ The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien.
2. +++ The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov.
3. +++ Dune, Frank Herbert.
4. +++ Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein.
5. +++ A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin.
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson. I started this one, and hated it,
   and never finished it. This almost never happens.
7. +++ Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke.
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick. I’ve
   read a little of Dick’s work, and didn’t like it, so I never tried
   this one.
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley. I’ve read a fair
   amount of Bradley’s “Darkover” series; I’m not sure why I’ve never
   read this one. It seems to be targetted more at women than men, though.
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury.
11. +++ The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe.
12. +++ A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr..
13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov.
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras Never heard of this one.
15. +++ Cities in Flight, James Blish.
16. +++ The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett. Though this is hardly the best of the series.
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison.
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison.
19. +++ The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester.
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany. Couldn’t get through this one, either.
21. +++ Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey.
22. Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card. The short story is better.
23. +++ The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson.
24. 000 The Forever War, Joe Haldeman.
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl. I’ve never read anything by Pohl that
    I cordially liked.
26. +++ Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling.
27. +++ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams.
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson.
29. — Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice.
30. +++ The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin.
31. Little, Big, John Crowley. I’ve tried to re-read this several times, and never gotten very far. Interesting, but I don’t think I ever really understood what was going on.
32. +++ Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny.
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick. See above.
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement.
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon. I don’t remember whether
    I’ve read this one or not.
36. +++ The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith.
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute. Oddly, I’ve not read this one; I
    tried it when I was far too young, and didn’t like it. I ought to
    give it another try.
38. +++ Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke.
39. +++ Ringworld, Larry Niven.
40. 000 Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys.
41. +++ The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien.
42. 000 Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut.
43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson.
44. +++ Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner.
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester.
46. +++ Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein.
47. +++ Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock.
48. — The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks.
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford. Like Pohl, Benford does nothing
    for me.
50. — To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer.