100 Greatest Sci-Fi Novels Ranked In Less Than 30 Minutes. My Favorite Science Fiction Novels!

Wherein our hero Durfee ranks his 100 favorite Science Fiction novels. #ScienceFiction #BookRanking

[@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS]

PS. addition to the video. I should have also included the 4 Hyperion Books by Dan Simmons but I forgot. Also Olympos and Ilium. The entire time i was filming i kept thinking I had left something out.

[@eSRegretz]

Curious where you would rank them, top 20? Top 10?

[@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS]

@@eSRegretz most probably somewhere between 25-40

[@carlosbranca8080]

Wow, 101 books and no Hyperion or A fire Upon the Deep?? But a very interesting list non the less. Great video.

[@Renan-n3y]

I thought Hyperion by Dan Simmons would be at least in the top 10 best, it genuinely surprised me that it didn't make the list.

[@trytofindareasonwhy]

overrated book. has some good moments but reads slow

[@dash4800]

No ending, and some of the stories are just not very good. First 3 start out so strong then it just kind of face plants.

[@charlesspringer4709]

I recall finding it really good on first read. Some years later I read it again and can not figure out why I liked it the first time.

[@clash5j]

It’s odd because in other videos he has said that he thinks the entire 4 book series is one of the best ever. He does have the unusual opinion that the books get better after the first

[@stacielara9856]

Loved your review. I finally read Dune and I totally agree with you. I'm slightly obsessed. Just started Dune Messiah.

[@Roondawg_Valhalla]

Just finished my first read thru as well. I bought both Dune and Dune Messiah in their Folio Society editions to celebrate. A great read!

[@stacielara9856]

@@Roondawg_Valhalla nice! I’ll have to look those editions up.

[@stevenstewart782]

Hitchhikers Guide had to be #42. Fantastic

[@s9300097]

Thanks!

[@StElna]

A few of my Top 10 weren't on your list. So, for what it's worth: House of Suns by Alistair Reynolds Hyperion by Dan Simmons I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. I'll also give a shout out to Ben Bova's Orion, which is pulp science fiction at it's best. The rest of the series is also great.

[@douglasdea637]

Agree with House of Suns and Hyperion.

[@Floppy-1235]

House of Suns is fantastic

[@SixStringSamur4i]

Although I bought a lot of books based on your reviews here, I still found new stuff that I have to look up. I'm very happy to see SnowCrash on this list, because it's one of the coolest Cyberpunk stories ever written (mixed with a brain melting conspiracy theory), and I'm very sad that not even one book by Philip K. Dick found its way on this list. He is my favourite Science Fiction writer of all time and whenever I read one of his books, I have the feeling that he wrote it just for me and me alone. It's hard to explain, but that's how it feels to me …

[@epiphoney]

John Travolta approves of your thumbnail. Also Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination is clearly missing. And Altered Carbon.

[@epiphoney]

Can we have a live stream where you reshelve all the books?

[@chrisw6164]

Too much swearing, can’t do it on KZbin

[@sherribugd3799]

Thank you for this video. I’ve been wanting to read more sci fi, and just didn’t know who to pick up( other than Dune, which I loved and read 20 years ago ). I have a great sci fi tbr now! Love your videos!

[@momiriseni5320]

Thanks for the great recommendations - I'll look into many of the books you mentioned! As for my taste, number one is Hyperion by Dan Simmons, followed by Ranezvous with Rama and Eversion by Alastair Reynolds.

[@colin1818]

I don't think Hyperion even made the top 100. Seems criminal

[@thinktank8286]

So wonderful to see Sagan's Contact on the list and so highly regarded. Read it first in 1994. Just found out about Foundation and Dune in the last three months. Didn't find them due to TV/Movies. Love the big stories, epic timelines, and no aliens. So many neat ideas!

[@mitra1989]

Great list. Surprised to not see Hyperion there or Red Rising books 1 and 3,

[@CharlesBurleigh]

I knew Dune was going to be #1! Great list. I've read many of these! I'm going to have to check out Tad Williams and C. S. Friedman. Don't feel bad for the Star Wars Legends novels. Until recently they were really good books and now Thrawn is finally canon!

[@jamesonklein9363]

Just curious, have you gotten to the Bobiverse series or was that intentionally left off? I found those books such a fun read

[@Christobanistan]

First 4 books are amazingly fun. I'm finding book 5 a huge slog.

[@TonyMacaroni1234]

Thanks for making these lists! Nice Rush tshirt. I saw them on their last tour. They are awesome.

[@Maximus0623]

Thanks for the list! My takeaway is I need to read Otherland, after seeing the entire series make the cut. I’ve read Tad Williams more popular series, Memory, Sorrow and Thorn and really enjoyed it. I don’t hear much about Otherland, but will give it a shot

[@fuchswolfsson2622]

I think its one of his best works. I remember reading the first book, when i was like 13 years old and getting absolutely confused by it. Took me another ten years to reread it and it became one of my favorite books of all time.

[@Rogue_VI]

So much great stuff on this list. Robots of Dawn was my first Asimov novel. A huge percentage of this list is either on my shelves already read or on my tbr bookcase. In Conquest Born would be in my top 5 if not #1. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be very well known. I am a little surprised there isn't any John Ringo, Piers Anthony, Greg Bear, or Vernor Vinge. And I KNEW you were trolling with that thumbnail! For Star Wars books, the X-Wing novels are some of my favorite. And there are some great Star Trek books out there, especially some of the earliest ones published by Pocket Books in the 80's.

[@Rasperdan]

I really enjoyed "Battlefield Earth" I hope you enjoy your nostalgic read. I am always surprised that "This Perfect Day" by Ira Levin never makes it into these lists. Thanks for posting I enjoyed.

[@Christobanistan]

That was a joke, dude.

[@Rasperdan]

@@Christobanistan When it comes Battlefield Earth the book was good... that's why the film was so bad. For the record I know many people that read This Perfect Day by Ira Levin... they really enjoyed it and so did I. Why did do you think its a joke ?

[@jranightmare]

I seen that Raiders helmet in the background. Had to sub. Good list. Have to check out a bunch of these.

[@Roondawg_Valhalla]

You are the best Durfee. Many thanks for all that you do!

[@fjuran1]

Great list of books, read a majority of them, but notably needed Hyperion. Bear, Benford and Brin. Some of the other Golden Age writers, Simak, Clement, Blish etc. It's way too much, guess you will have to do another video, LOL.

[@skalliedA]

I don't know what that was, but the ding noise at around the five minute mark scared me sh*tless x)

[@bpuryea]

Great List Brian! Props for the RUSH shirt - greatest band of all time Michael W Gear - I really love his stuff Ben Bova's Rock Rats was a lot of fun Love the Honor Harrington series - Read them all 15 years ago, listening to all of them again now The Nights Dawn Trilogy is top notch Sci Fi/Horror out there Love all of the books I've read by Alastair Reynolds Iain Banks Culture Novels are all excellent Neal Stephenson - one of my absolute favorites No Hyperion? Have you ever read Larry Correia's Monster Hunter books?

[@jimave]

I wasn’t aware of many of the books. Thanks for introducing me to them and I look forward to reading them.

[@darrenrouselle180]

Brian I'm a big fan and just wanted to ask if The Lonesome Crown will ever be available in hard cover to complete my collection. Like you I have a library of over 3000 books. Thanks for all your videos.

[@Roondawg_Valhalla]

I would love to see a company like the broken binding pick up Durfees books to make special deluxe editions.

[@jayv3264]

Love it! Thank you for sharing, man! 🤓 📚

[@guitearist]

Hyped to see Golden Son, and while I know that's most reader's favorite Red Rising novel, I'm a massive Morning Star stan. It just has everything in it that I personally love. Wakey wakey, Goblin...

[@MyFireVideos]

Great list! Thank you. I love that you have physical copies of all of them.

[@epiphoney]

Speaking of the shirt, the late Rush drummer Neil Peart wrote a fantasy book trilogy with Kevin J. Anderson, Clockwork Angels.

[@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS]

that is why i wore the shirt.

[@mikedl1105]

I've read Dune and Heinlein and Asimov, but I love that you included Edgar Rice Burroughs, Kevin J Anderson, and Star Wars Legends. Good fun pulpy Sci fi

[@frankiek2269]

I thought “The New Jedi Order” was great. To bad that wasn’t the path Disney took. Instead, they went the usual Disney way. Destroy everything ppl loved about the series.

[@debhanzlik540]

Awesome book list Brian!

[@douglaswilliams6834]

Great list! I'm gonna name some others you should read, if you haven't: Childhood's End, The Time Machine, The Day of the Triffids, Blindsight, The Mote in God's Eye

[@theonewhoistornapart2506]

Blindsight and Childhood's End are 2 of my all time favorite science fiction novels. The Mote in God's Eye is also fantastic.

[@nudge2626]

Informative list. Lots for me to check out. Sad HG Wells and Jules Verne didnt make it!

[@sfwordsofwonder]

Great video Brian. That pile of books at the end... 😂

[@cavendar24]

This the 2nd of your videos I've seen. I did find myself disagreeing with a lot more of the books in this list than the other one. I'd say the Stranger in a Strange Land is probably my least favorite sci-fi book, at least the 2nd half. I love Tad Williams' MST but I could not get into Otherland, try as I might. All the same I've thoroughly enjoyed both videos. Your enthusiasm is inspiring and I love the breadth of the lists. I tried to watch other videos about top sci fi books and one reviewer there was like "I haven't actually read Asimov", auto-skip, yeah, no thanks. At least 10 new books added to my list of books to read. Thanks for that. I wouldn't call Cryptomicron sci-fi, but I still think it fits in your list! I'd call it more of a historical fiction with a focus on WWII and Alan Turing. Excellent book if a bit long. Surprised that you didn't have Diamond Age, a semi sequel to Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson, on here, but no big. Looking forward to the next video.

[@bryanmark14]

Yes! I was hoping he would do this.

[@russells6234]

How do I get my hands on hardcover editions of the Christopher Ruocchio books? Books one and two of the Sun Eater series are excellent! I need them in hardcover!

[@MrScottx]

Thanks for showing us your list. My fav author showed up twice on your list.....Edgar Rice Burroughs. I noticed no H.G. Wells or Jules Verne on your list. These are probably my Top Three authors but then I prefer novels written 100 years ago.

[@doug2424]

@@MrScottx There's something to say about cornerstone books and movies. H.g. wells classic, Jules Verne too. After 1930 things really picked up!! With "new" ideas for then. I liked pellucidar.

[@kharkhorum6498]

I fell for the thumbnail with Battlefield Earth at number one. Just had to say. Well played.

[@douglaswilliams6834]

The movie was arguably the worst movie ever filmed, but the book is actually pretty good.

[@glaubs65]

@@douglaswilliams6834 I loved the book when I was a kid.

[@richx9035]

Trading in Danger (and the others in the series) is surprisingly good. Also too Battlefield Earth was another memorable read back in the Day. Obviously Foundation and Dune are both just must read classics.

[@bobdigital21]

Some books i wouldn't have been surprised to see but that didn't make it and i don't know if anyone else mentioned them yet: A Scanner Darkly, The Puppet Masters, Altered Carbon(if that wasn't mentioned), To Your Scattered Bodies Go

[@dash4800]

Zero PKD is surprising. I find his books to be far more memorable than most adventure/space opera sci fi I've read.

[@chrisw6164]

I’m just here for the arguments in the comments 🍿

[@bigbangattack97]

love the rush shirt bro!

[@mathieupontbriand6510]

Off Armageddon Reef was in your Top 40 Fantasy Books some years ago and now it's in your 100 Greatest Sci-Fi Novels. That's a good way to make me curious about a book!

[@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS]

Ya it fits either genre

[@floogelhornzzz4770]

16:17. Is that book actually called _Jaran Jaran_ ? Please please tell me now.

[@Samuel-b]

I was very surprised to not see Hyperion or The Fall of Hyperion on this list. Those two books are right up there with Ender's Game as the best Sci Fi novels I've read.

[@corycastleman6351]

Durfees a Rush fan?? I should've known! So aweome

[@mrgauth]

Suprised you never mentioned your pic holding up Battlefield Earth. Funny

[@chrisw6164]

He does fake-outs on all these “Top Whatever” videos 😂

[@mariodominguez3366]

Neuromancer?

[@briangal71]

Interesting to see some covers popping up from my childhood of browsing the library...

[@bytor0125]

I’m reading Dune House Atreides right now and loving it.

[@PeterFullen]

I am amazed at the number of books that you have read. How quickly do you read a 500 plus page novel?

[@awizardintraining]

I go in reverse with my feelings about Otherland. I thought it got better as it went along. Ender's Game is my favorite sci-fi book

[@mattbarnett6156]

Otherland was IMO far better an experience than MST.

[@ibrahimchaiben8127]

I'm not just taking your book recommendations but also getting funko pop because of you 😂

[@TowerBooks3192]

I just saw the Fantasy one and now this. I am having a bad day so I am gonna go over to amazon and grab the ones that got my attention

[@MrSquishyb]

I'll never get through my library at this point! Thank you!

[@isoroth17]

Hey Mr Durfee, this is a random question but did the lonesome crown get printed on a different type of paper? It feels flimsy compared to forgetting moon and blackest heart. Not sure if I just got a weird print

[@rodhamm8484]

My copy is like that too. I think it is because the publisher made the pages thinner to save money and also because otherwise the book would be the size of a house.

[@isoroth17]

@@rodhamm8484 I appreciate the reply, I was definitely thinking I got a pirated copy🤣

[@davidham263]

No Hyperion?

[@captainnolan5062]

Who would have guessed that Chilton's, the publisher of car repair manuals would publish the greatest science fiction novel of all time!!!

[@bradbrowne8487]

Hi, Wondering how you can do a top 100 Science Fiction review and not include Ursula K Le Guin and Philip K Dick? Definitely two of the best Science Fiction writers of all time!

[@douglasdea637]

A few I would have included: Gateway, by Fred Pohl. Beyond the Blue Event Horizon, by Fred Pohl. Sequel to Gateway, terrible title but a great book. For Larry Niven I would have gone with Mote In God's Eye and Dreampark and Legacy of Hereot, or even any of his short story collections. Granted everyone knows Ringworld but it's just not much of a story. Something from Julian May's Pliocene Exile series. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clark. Also his short story collections, the man never wrote a bad story as far as I am concerned. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, by Philip Jose Farmer. Hyperion, by Dan Simmons. House of Suns, by Alastair Reynolds. Fuzzies, by H. Beam Piper. Somewhere, either on this list or the Fantasy list there should have been Roger Zelazny's Amber books, at least the first series. I found Battlefield Earth to be a fun read but there are distasteful parts to it. The movie did it no favors. Snow Queen won awards and everyone seems to love it, I thought it was okay at best. I don't remember much of it. Fire Upon the Deep is an honorable mention but I didn't buy into half of what the story was saying.

[@paulcollins5586]

If you like hitchhikers guide, try Bob shaw-- Who goes here. Very trippy and funny.

[@paulcollins5586]

Have you read Bob Shaw. One of the best.

[@davidaldinger3666]

Wow! No Vorkosigan Saga books. Good to see Elizabeth Moon on there though.

[@AuthorJohnADouglas]

Lot of surprises in the ranking on this, but very cool

[@Christobanistan]

LOL good joke with Battlefield Earth! :D

[@williamhathaway7351]

how did you miss EE "Doc' Smith's Lensmen AE Van Vogt's Null-A books H Beam Piper's Lone Star Planet and Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen?

[@doug2424]

Read Lensman series. Which is as close to star wars as I'm gonna get. H beam piper all of his books I've read wish they would make a movie about uller uprising.

[@misomiso8228]

Dude - are you serious!? Apolgoies if I missed them but is there NO philip k Dick or Alfred Bester?! NONE?! The Stars my Destination is a contender for the greatest Science Fiction book ever written!!!

[@jeremybennoch4338]

I found Alfred bester at my local library in middle school one of my favorite books ever I encourage every scfi fan to read it

[@danielsan99999]

Hi Brian! Love your videos! But... this one was weird. You should have named it Best Space Opera Sci Fi and just remove the 5 or 6 that don´t belong to that cathegory (Murakami, Bradbury, Sagan) In my opinion you left out probably every one of my Sci Fi favorites...! I should say that Space Opera is not my cup of tea. Anyway, I liked your picks because they´re yours! Best regards from Argentina!

[@dash4800]

Judging by this list, my guess is its just not your cup of tea, but zero PKD hurts my soul. He is by far my favorite sci fi writer, just above Heinlein. I find his books to just be fascinating reads.

[@paulcollins5586]

He is so unique and original. Cant be a SF fan and not have 1 P.K .Dick book.

[@Not4Sale37]

Did I miss James Clemens ? Either Wit’ch Fire or Hinterland series? THEE best development of characters

[@hakonsoreide]

No Philip K. Dick? No Roger Zelazny?

[@RobbieLee90]

Hi Brian, Author of... Just wondering if you're planning to write anymore more novels?

[@yelisieimurai]

Thanks Durfee, you give people what they want! Ps Hello from Ukraine

[@floogelhornzzz4770]

6:30. "The logical heir to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke." -Stephen King. Why are they asking Stephen King to do a blurb for a sci-fi book? He's not a science fiction writer, despite dabbling in the genre with _The Tommyknockers_ and _Dreamcatcher._

[@epiphoney]

Moon's Vatta's War books are nice on the audio that is graphic. Let's see if youtube deletes this. Libraries have it.

[@kassokilleri2ff]

Why did he say Abyss wrong? Is that a joke im missing?

[@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS]

Just mosspronounced it

[@webb3201]

Man the thumbnail drove me in to write a very pointed critique….but the reality was good lol.

[@AngryArgie]

No PKD, Le Guin, Bester, Orwell, Huxley, Silverberg, Priest, Watts, Wolfe (I think), Tchaikovsky? Wow...

[@paulcollins5586]

Bester is the best.

[@skyden84]

No Hyperion. Have you not read it or didn't like it that much to put here?

[@exactom6320]

I found this video while perusing KZbin for my next read and thought “I will read the 69th best book on this guys list” because I’m a child

[@gillsmoke]

Battlefield Earth? I read that as a teen, Hubbard stretched my credulity. Then as I got older, the effect of time on munitions and fuel made the third act go from a silly cinematic climax to just plain dumb. It's been 100's of years and the barbarians just "know" how to fly mothballed equipment without training. Sure thing Johnny, Go USA!

[@acetheta]

You are confusing the book with that awful Off-Source cinematic desecration. Johnnie's men used Psychlo vehicles that they had been trained to pilot using Psychlo learning machines, and IIRC they refitted the old gunpowder machine gun rounds with blasting caps. They weren't flying millennia-old fighter jets that they'd never trained on. The book still holds up. The movie needs to be flushed down the memory hole.

[@uzanto98]

If you haven't met Michael Whelan in person, I hope you have a chance to.

[@akiyrjana6558]

As an ageing geezer to another: there are books outside the anglosphere, and you surely know some of them. Some of them are way better as literature than the series you bring up. Like the genius books by Stanislaw Lem and the Strugakski brothers? But my gosh, to exclude all of Greg Egan on a top 100 list! And where are Dhalgren and books by Jack Vance?

[@ibrahimchaiben8127]

no Ursula K. Le Guin?

[@pagangwynne3627]

Glad to see Stranger in a ... and Nr42 but no Childhoods End ? No Killashandra Ree? No Grey Lensmen? Strange.

[@danielschwarzenbach931]

Best Click-Bait ever to put Battlefield Earth as #1 and Dune at #86. I really thought Durfee has gone bananas 😂

[@deckiedeckie]

Dragon's Egg by Robert L Forward REAL SF!!

[@doug2424]

I doubly agree

[@UTArch1]

And I was beginning to think that I was the only one who found it great.

[@doug2424]

@UTArch1 it's way better than battlefield earth, most people don't want to learn anything new. Try Flight of the dragonfly or roche world.

[@j.j.5731]

Man, your list is lacking Robert Silverberg and where is the Mote In God's Eye.

[@nunyabizness6595]

Rush? The band? Awesome.❤

[@misomiso8228]

Or a Fire Upon the Deep!??

[@neonWHALE002]

As you got closer to number 1 without mentioning Dune, the more I thought “that’s gonna come first”

[@Floppy-1235]

No Oryx and Crake? No Deaths End? No House of Suns? What about Slaughter House 5? Thank you for ranking Dune first and Enders #2

[@LetsKeepThePeace]

I miss Childhoods end from Arthur C. Clarke from the list.

[@kavic1234]

What, no Andre Norton books, you missed something.

[@Jaqopx]

No Dan Simmons sci-fi !!!

[@Terraforge-m9b]

blue mars is number 3 its the next book i need to reread.

[@ibrahimchaiben8127]

love how the most famous author there (Haruki Murakami) was slightly roasted 😂