FANTASTIC!

From Modulator, who in turn snarfed it up from Pharyngula, comes this list of “The Most Significant Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of the Last 50 Years.”

“Significant” is an interesting choice of words, but likely one that was made for a reason. It incorporates the idea that a novel may have an impact on the genre without necessarily being “good.” I’m sure I could have come up with my own list, given the time and assuming I really gave a Rat’s Ass - and chances are it would not have been much different than this one.

Books I’ve read are in boldface.

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
   
7. Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke
   
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
   
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
   
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
    
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish
    
16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
    
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
    
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
    
19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
    
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
    
21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
    
22. Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
    
23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
    
24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
    
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl
    
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
    
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
    
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
    
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
    
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
    
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
    
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute
    
38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
    
39. Ringworld, Larry Niven
    
40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
    
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
    
42. 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
    
50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

Hrm. I’ve read only 29 out of this list of fifty, which means I have a little catching up to do. Or maybe it means I’m not the SF geek I thought I was. Whatevvahs. But since I tend to favor SF over fantasy, it’s unlikely I will ever work my way through all of ’em.

Some of these books have been a part of my life since my Snot-Nose Days, notably Childhood’s End. And I have re-read several of them many, many times.

Which of these fine works of SF and Fantasy have you read? Which were your favorites?

*Note: Released as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the U.S., apparently because Scholastic believes American kids can’t understand four-syllable words.