THE 25 BEST SCIENCE FICTION BOOKS I'VE EVER READ (Part One)

[@medj3]

This is such a fantastic channel. The professionalism, the experience, and the erudition are what keep me coming back. Thank you for your perspective and consistent uploads. All have been worth my time.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

You're very, very kind, thanks! You'll be credited on a future video for your generosity!

[@PhysicsWithoutMagic]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal after watching five minutes of this one video, I agree :)

[@JackMyersPhotography]

Excellent video! It really is a wonderful experience to sit and listen to you talk about your insights and feelings on the history of these important books in science fiction literature. As always, thanks a lot Stephen.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

You're very kind as ever, Jack, many thanks!

[@UncleMonk23]

I couldn’t have said it better myself Jack… A fantastic piece of video Stephen…I always come away learning something new and gain new knowledge and insight into the SF genre and gain new excitement into reading and or rereading the books that you mention…I look forward to part two of this series…Thank You Stephen and keep up the good works 😊👍🏻

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@UncleMonk23 -Many thanks! Part two next tuesday!

[@JackMyersPhotography]

@@UncleMonk23 Thank you, UncleMonk.

[@UncleMonk23]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal I am looking very forward to watching it…Thank You Stephen Keep up the good works 😊👍🏻🛸📚

[@barrrie]

Congrats on 18 months. I've learned a lot from your videos and been steered towards some brilliant reads. Thanks a lot - I really appreciate it. Cheers.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Many, many thanks Barrie, good to hear from you again- you'll be an executive producer in a future video, having been a stalwart here!

[@michaeldaly1495]

Oh my word, what an honour and such a pleasant surprise. Opening a bottle of wine to enjoy this now - cheers!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks as ever, Michael!

[@brettrobson5739]

I enjoyed the video a lot. I own copies of all the books mentioned but what I don't have is a space ritual t-shirt. I have to get one of those.

[@michellevey9608]

I just started watching, and this is already my favorite sf channel!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks Michelle! Plenty more here to watch and much more coming up.

[@personmcpersonperson2893]

The video I've been waiting for! Thanks for this

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

I have great misgivings about these sort of rankings- as I say, I'm more of a 'body of work' kind of guy- but it was an interesting exercise...and of course part 2 will follow next tuesday.

[@personmcpersonperson2893]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal I can see the difficulty. It did not diminish the informative entertainment value of the video however. Looking forward to the next part

[@HakimALIGHT]

Great video as always. Love Hawkwind

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks- check my Hawkwind playlist on the channel, I analyse several of the albums with especial reference to SF.

[@HakimALIGHT]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal will do!

[@rpmfla]

Thanks! You sir, are a valuable resource! I wonder if you've thought about doing a vid about Sci Fi reference books. I owned a book about 40 years ago (can't recall the title) that was a listing of sci fi authors with a paragraph about their subject matter and style followed by a list of their published works, followed by an "if you like this author, you may like..." suggesting similar authors. I loved it and discovered many authors with it, but I somehow lost it.🙁

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks very much for the tip, makes a big difference to the channel. I have shown some of my reference books in shelf tours- look in the playlists on this channel, there's a shelf tours one. Not sure which book you're referring too, but a physical description of its design - paprback? hardcover? colour of cover? might help me identify it. In the meantime, a look at my own books- including '100 Must Read Science Fiction Novels' may entertain you...

[@rpmfla]

With some help from some others online, I think I found it! "A Reader's Guide to Science Fiction" (pub.: January 1, 1979)@@outlawbookselleroriginal

[@peterflom6878]

Great collection, I've read lots of these. Some need rereading

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

That's where the meat is, I think. You get the conceptual breakthroughs the first time, but it's the re-reading and close look at the text that confirms a books' greatness, I think. Thanks.

[@bookssongsandothermagic]

Interesting choices, with some surprises. As you say, these lists have to be subjective, but that’s also why they’re interesting. I’m in my 50s but would include some more recent books too myself. For me it’s not just about who did something first, but who did it well, so sometimes a reused idea can be effective. I’m intrigued to see what is on the rest of your list.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yes, this one is designed to be more subjective than what I did in my book, for example. I agree 'who did it best' is important, but sometimes first means best, particularly in a genre like SF, which relies on the Novum (the 'New Thing') as its base. Thanks for your comment!

[@AStrang3r]

Fantastic video - really looking forward to part 2. I had not realised that Burroughs wrote sci-fi. Nort had I heard of Wilson. That Moore book is also new to me. I will search them out. Thankyou. Keep up the great work.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Burroughs' work is central to understanding where SF went in the 1960s, especially the radical New Wave work- he was a huge fan of Kuttner, Alan E Nourse and others. There are also Arthur C Clarke references in his later work. Much of what he wrote is hardcore experimental SF.

[@yelisieimurai]

Great video! I was waiting for stuff like that from you, sir(I mean list of topXX SF books, I am a sucker for such content). I am glad to see Vonnegut in the list, because he is my favorite author. He doesn’t have bad books in my opinion. I need to read more Delany(I did not read enough of him). Colin Wilson is a new name for me, I need to read him. Also I never read Burroughs, need to fix this. LeGuin, Lem are obvious and necessary picks. They are so big names for SF. I am exciting to see next part of the video, thank you very much.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thank you very much. As I've said, before you tackle any of Burroughs' advanced work, you MUST read "Junky" first, as it provides the context and an introduction to the Beat-Hipster slang of the 1940s and 1950s, which Burroughs uses a LOT in his later work. Plus, it's a linear narrative and a brilliant autobiographical novel - most people who fail to finish Burroughs' work usually do so as they don't have this work under their belt too. Amazing book, I've read it at least two dozen times.

[@richarddean4763]

Great work very educational thanks

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Plenty more here like this, thanks for watching.

[@erikpaterson1404]

“ Imagination should be used, not to escape reality but to create it. ” ― Colin Wilson

[@rickkearn7100]

Stephen, there is always something you mention, a point you make, that stands out in every post like a hammer blow and in this one, for me, it was when you were talking about The Forever War and you said (and I quote); "There is this myth that 'nothing ages like an old SF novel'. NO, YOU have to step up, YOU have to look at the context, YOU have to look when it was written…". This was so absolutely to the core of what's wrong with the majority of younger SF readers. They want it THEIR way. They want to be catered to, cajoled, massaged. I'm like; get over yourselves. And it's a shame because there is so much they will never know or understand about the power and the magic of good SF regardless of when it was written, instead of being spoon-fed a constant pandering diet of 'what's trending now'. I think it's a travesty, really. And leave it to you, sir, to point it out. Well done. I won't comment on your choices because I've read (and in most cases treasure) at least half of them. Great stuff! All in a day's work. Cheers.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Absolutely, Rick. I think this applies to all kinds of fiction, too. The only time many people seem to be able to intepret books as 'of their time' as opposed to 'dated' is when they read what they erroneously call 'Classics' (meaning 19th century Classic novels)...and even these are commented on through the contemporary lens too much now. As any sophisticated, mature reader knows, context is everything. I totally understand young people struggling with patterns of speech and vocabulary they are unfamiliar with- didn't we all do this when young? - but in the SF readership, I find this heinous: after all, SF is about wanting to be stimulated by the expansion of the mind, rather than familiarity. But then as we both now, there has always been the cosy escapist element in the readership and in publishing. My mission is to reveal to those wanting familiarity that what they'll enjoy a lot more is what lies beyond, as you know too.

[@chocolatemonk]

Part of challenge of reading a book is to open my mind to it. If any aspect of the setting, prose seem dated or just off then I ask my self is this important to the story? If it isn't I pretend it is an alternate reality, timeline, or I am watching this story through a cosmic lens. . . If it is important then I literally do the same. I feel like if I can't get over certain things in books I will never like science fiction, learn about my own hang ups, and valuing Context (caps for emph) said well in the previous comments . One may be lacking in some practice of one's imagination if Dated is a repeated problem. I try other mental tricks, use a dictionary, and most of time i get over the hang up . .. . not all the time; DNFs are ok too

[@AngryArgie]

What a fascinating video. The best top-N sci fi books videos I've watched. So much knowledge and mastery of the genre. Very humbling as well, I've got so much to learn. But don't blame my 33 year old mind for being blown away by Blindsight :). Greetings from Argentina.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thank you, Please subscribe and watch the immense backlist here. Nothing wrong with 'Blindsight', it's a good book. but as it's covered so extensively on KZbin, I tend to veer toward things people have forgotten or never knew existed.

[@mormengil]

Surprised (pleasantly) to find Colin Wilson on your list. I almost never see him mentioned outside of HPL fan circles and even there he is not exactly a hot topic. Your lists are really interesting and offer new things to look up and possibly get and read, which for me is the real selling point of top lists. Bookish circles tend to be sharing either very similar top lists, or purposely dissimilar just to be contrarian and edgy.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks. I'm not in any bookish circle but my own, being a pro in the industry -and I wasn't born to follow as the song says. You'll find other Wilson stuff covered here- a video entitled 'Mindwired' and another about his "The Return of the Lloigor" filmed in South Wales at some of the locations of the story. Welcome aboard the Ship of Dreams.

[@mormengil]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal The Return of the Lloigor Was the first Wilson story I read, heh. Glad to be here!

[@richardpreston4320]

Loved this video! I'll be watched much more of your work! Sure you won't see this, but glad the KZbin sent me here!

[@sarcastanaut]

I'm really glad I found your channel. It's refreshing to hear someone talk about these books intelligently but with such adoration.

[@zetectic7968]

Quite the selection to kick off with. The books on the end screen shelf are something that grabbed my attention. I have been meaning to read Slaughterhouse 5 for years, not sure if my experience with Breakfast of Champions has deterred me but do remember Kilgore Trout. Seem to recall from many years back Colin Wilson being an occultist with vague recollections of B&W TV appearances (in the 1970's?). I bought The Dispossessed on your recommendation but haven't got round to getting a copy of The Left Hand of Darkness yet - would like the hardback but even a 2nd hand copy is pricey so will probably opt for the paperback. Thanks for the video & look forward to part 2 (will there be part 3? I guess so)

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

'Breakfast' is funny, but not one of his best-written books, I think. WIlson wrote in many, many disciplines, did a lot of Occult TV shows in the seventies (his book 'The Occult' is superb). 'The Dispossessed' defeated me first time, it felt very dry, but once I settled into her quiet, steady style, I found it spellbinding. Thanks for the kind feedback. Part two next tuesday, longer and with more books.

[@nielssmith48]

Dear @outlawbookseller, @MediaDeathCult, @Bookpilled, much as I appreciate your book reviews and lists, I am rather surprised that, sofar, I have not found any mention in any of your videos of James Tiptree Jr (Alice Bradley Sheldon), winner of 2 Hugo Awards, 2 Nebula Awards, etc., etc., and source of inspiration for the Otherwise Award. Have I simply missed a relevant review in one of your videos?

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

I've only mentioned Tiptree a couple of times in asides. I'll be honest and say that despite its obvious literary quality, Tiptree's work has never touched me or rung true. I have not abandoned her as yet, however, feeling that a deeper look at her work is necessary at some stage.

[@HighNFiber]

Great list...you just keep sliding more and more books on my 'must read' list.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

This is my mission: I'll bring you to the best, the most stimulating, the most revolutionary, the unfairly neglected. Thanks for the compliment.

[@rolandoalvaradoflores]

Really a superb video. I've seen it twice and I'm anxious for the second part. The most attractive feature is that because of your criteria your choices aren't subjective, in my view.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Well, in this case I tried to be subjective but there's always a little objective theory there!

[@tomlabooks3263]

Gorgeous list! This is a video for the ages 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Fantastic to see Simak make it into these 25 titles.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks Tom, you're very kind. But Simak does not appear on the list, so I'm wondering what prompted your post?

[@tomlabooks3263]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal Ahh, my bad. I’ve watched a few of your videos in a row and mixed things up. I still haven’t read LeGuin so I need to do that soon. As for Vonnegut, that’s the only one that I struggle with: I must have read 4 of his novels, including Slaughterhouse (which I even re-read after an argument with a friend), and still I haven’t found anything to like in them. I’m usually very positive about most SF authors, but so far I’ve found his work unoriginal, unfunny and almost as if he was pretending to be really deep when he wasn’t. I know how this sounds… just trying to be honest.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@tomlabooks3263 -Several critics have taken issue with Vonnegut's "old fartism" in that they question how wise he really was. I think this is a valid point: he does, at many points, come across as anti-intellectual and even sentimental and dismissive. This is partially what I meant by my experiences with him of having read too much of his work in a row- and I did it twice LOL. He certainly produced a lot of subpar work - 'Timequake', for example, is , I think one of the very worst 'literary' SF novels I've read, He was at times self-indulgent and a flabby thinker. I feel in S5 he's an his most incisive, hence my enjoyment of it. But I understand anyone who doesn't like his stuff.

[@aniketsanyal5586]

The big one! Love this sort of long video, done well, looking forward to the full watch (and thanks for mentioning my name in the opening there!)

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

My pleasure! Part two will be 1 hr 15 minutes, 17 books!

[@SirStuckey]

Loving the list so far. Always good to hear about some writers or books that don't get talked about much. I have been reading a lot of short stories/novellas this year and have become enamored with Kuttner and Moore so was happy to see her on your list

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

K&M were massive back in the Golden Age and have for decades been neglected- I think 'Clash By Night' may be my favourite SF novel of that era and 'Fury' is up there too, for me. Had he lived longer, who knows how famous he'd be today- and Moore, well, pulp bliss!

[@AlexDitmer]

Thank you for your efforts. 🧪

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Very kind, Alex, thanks- these tips help the channel a lot!

[@jamesgossweiler1349]

You're like the science fiction booktuber for intellectuals who have actually read the books and not just the covers. I learned more about the history, development, implication, and meaning of science fiction and its prominent authors in the first twenty minutes of this video than I have watching other video channels for years. Great work and insights!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks James, I'm flattered- that's what 39 years in the book trade, lots of reading, talking to other readers daily, speaking to authors and reading around the genre does for you. You're very kind.

[@mondostrat]

First time viewer - I was ready to subscribe instantly upon seeing your Hawkwind shirt! As someone who started reading SF in the '60s, I appreciate where this list is coming from. Nice to see Vonnegut & Burroughs getting some recognition in SF circles. Delany is possibly my favorite author. The scene in which Bron is swept up in Spike's troupe was so vivid, I had to stop, catch my breath & read it again. If Triton is 18, I can't wait to see what's next! (actually I don't have to wait, the link is right over there ---> )

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yeah, I like that bit in 'Triton' too, stays with you-thanks!

[@BlakeLester-q6y]

I really like your reviews, your the reason I started reading Jack Vance.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks. Plenty more to watch here!

[@user-mc9sg9fw3w]

Great video! Have never heard of Northwest Smith, but sounds interesting. Just ordered a copy :)

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Northwest is the source antihero of pretty much all popular SF. "Shanbleau" and "Song in a minor key" are central to understanding where almost everything you see in populat screen SF arises from...

[@user-mc9sg9fw3w]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal Just ordered a copy of those two. Thank you for the recommendation and response!

[@Bookpilled]

Great, great video, Steve. Can't wait for part two.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks Matt. Horrible over-use of the word 'Magnificent' by myself, but I was wired-tired and despite having my "I'm writing something so let's have a strong of superlatives ready," (a technique I used in composing '100 Must Read Science Fiction Novels') I winged it as ever. Part two next tuesday...

[@johnmooney9403]

Hi Stephen have you watched the Netfilx adaptation of 3 body problem? I have never read the trilogy of books. Really enjoyed this series

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

I was watching it but stalled on episode 6, though I may finish it this week. I've read him before and have also stalled on the first novel in the series, which I pretty much knew I wouldn't like as the prose is so workmanlike, but there will be a video about it coming up in the next month or so.

[@lisacole6037]

Wonderful video with some great selections that I've read and some writers I have yet to try. Your comments are thoughtful and interesting. Thanks.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Many thanks Lisa, you're very kind.

[@willk7184]

This video was a gem, really enjoyed your thoughts on these books.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

You're very kind!

[@SimonBostock-qv7oo]

Hi Stephen. Another great video. Have never read any C L Moore but just ordered the book you listed. Your videos have influenced my reading quite a bit over the past year or so - got into Mick Herron (now on book four of the Slough House series), just read The Voyage of the Space Beagle, also The Syndic, Steppenwolf, Heroes & Villains, and a few books by Ted Lewis. Was already into quite a few authors you have mentioned, such as Burroughs, Trocchi, Hamsun, Dick, Silverberg, Shaw, Ballard. Looking forward to more recommendations! And I agree, very little good sf after the 80s. A sad state of affairs.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yes, the end of the 80s was the end of the Modern period and the endlessness of the Contemporary began: all the arts lost something then- and some of them had already lost it. The generations who grew up in the Modern world of mass media and innovation from say 1900-mid 1980s were overexposed to everything and because of tech, lots of innovation was possible. But it inevitably ground to a halt and now we live in a world of artisanship, remixing, recycling and craft. In a way, we were lucky to live through this time, but now bear the curse of finding nothing new. Thanks for your comments, I do try and focus on the most compelling and thoughtful material no matter what the genre or form!

[@anvl190]

Thank you for your work 👍

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks- do watch more of the channel, over 500 vids here, the majority serious looks at SF.

[@nickroberts8116]

Great video as always Steve and good to see you are getting plenty of views, congratulations. As an aside I read Pavane by Keith Roberts over the weekend, my first Roberts book and really from your recommendations of him, absolutely loved it such a great book, it's stuck in my mind and just keeps going around and around.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Many thanks, Nick, very kind of you. Delighted you liked 'Pavane' - it's a masterpiece, right? I would recommend all of Keith's books and there will be more videos coming about his work this spring and summer, most of which I'll be shooting outside and I'm undergoing a re-read programme soon of his work to facilitate this. Tackling his work chronologically is a good gambit as you'll see his development- and do watch the Kerosina books video on the channel, which gives great insight into his personality and chequered history with other writers and publishers- and the facts in it have been confirmed by James Goddard of Kerosina and Leaky Boot Press, who worked with Keith. He is also mentioned in the first part of my Christopher Priest interview series- one of my hobbies is digging for anecdotes about the great man.

[@drronmccoy]

Loved the comment about reading all of Vonnegut at once - so true!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yeah, I do like him, but there is too much of a good thing!

[@anotherbibliophilereads]

Some really off the wall choices. I’ve read The Mind Parasites by Colin Wilson; I have The Philosopher’s Stone and the Space Vampires on my shelves unread. I love Slaughter House Five. One interpretation is that Billy Pilgrim suffers from PTSD and never actually gets unstuck in time. I’m undecided, but either way it’s great book.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks. 'The Philosopher's Stone' is easily his best SF novel, though I do like the others. Try his novella "Return of the Lloigor" (which is in the anthology 'Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos')- there's a video about it here on the channel, filmed in Wales where it is set. His best novel overall though, for my money, is 'Ritual in the Dark' (there's also a video here about it). Re 'off the wall', I think it may appear this way as I don't select any recent books and this is due to extensive reading in the genre for fifty years and quite honestly, pretty much everything has been done and I cleave to pioneers- I also go way beyond what many think of as SF - to those raised predominantly on screen SF, it's a synonym for Space Opera: I'm much broader than that, as is the corpus of SF as literature. Considering that the Tralfamadorians come up in other Vonnegut novels and that all his book-length oeuvre is SF up to and including 'Slaughterhouse' (except for 'Mother Night'), I don't take the -fairly recentlyt developed as a theory PTSD thing seriously- I have to say I think it's a get-out clause for literary snobs who automatically think " But no! Such a fine work cannot be mere Science Fiction!". But as you say, amazing book. Ever read Robert Sheckley?

[@anotherbibliophilereads]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal I agree that the PTSD could be playing the Get Out of SF Card, but I remember a show about Vonnegut. He claimed being in Dresden had no more effect on him than a walk around the block (or something to that effect). His daughter said he was lying. Vonnegut probably had PTSD. I need to pick up a copy of Ritual in the Dark some day. But I saw the great old cover and I’m tempted to hold out for that. It’s OOP in the US. I don’t think I have read Robert Sheckley. Maybe a short story.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@anotherbibliophilereads NYRB Classics do an excellent Sheckley retrospective - 'Store of the Worlds'. He's not as good as Vonnegut at his best, but he's comparable, as they both begin their careers at the same time and the same milieu. Is 'Ritual' really OP in the USA? Valancourt were doing an edition a while ago, might be worth a look at their website.

[@takedakiwi]

Thanks for this . What is the difference between the editions of Forever War? I have the older paperback you showed

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

You'll find that the paperback you own has a different text to later editions- from what I recall, the RnR sections between Mandela's tours of duty are different and this has some impact on the rest. I need to re-examine both, really.

[@3choblast3r4]

I absolutely agree about your rant about "sensitivity readers" etc.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Glad to hear it. These people will destroy art if we let them. Philistines.

[@danieldelvalle5004]

Great video, Stephen, you make each writer's work fascinating. I have all of the books you've mentioned so far, but I haven't read all of them yet. Working on that with slow intent.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks as ever, Daniel, it's always a delight to interact with you. Let's both keep on the good stuff!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Great choices! No surprise considering the quality of your book. I have that same copy of Northwest Smith and agree with you completely about that book.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Many thanks Michael, you're very kind, great to see you commenting here again!

[@mathewguglielmi8451]

I read The Forever War around 20 years ago and it left an indelible impression on me. I must reread it. I have just discovered C.L. Moore and Henry Kuttner through Gollancz Golden Age Science Fiction Masterworks. I am reading Northwest Smith at the moment and really enjoying the prose.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yes, Northwest is PURE pulp bliss of the highest order. Try and get hold of 'Clash By Night' after you've read 'Fury' - CBN is the better prequel to F. Without Kuttner and Moore, we'd have no Bester, No Delany, No Gibson. Style!!!!

[@steveeverett1736]

Del Rey/Ballantyne had a Best of series back in the 70's (72 -76?), ie The Best of : Cordwainer Smith, Leigh Brackett, Gallun, Hal Clement etc. It would be a major job trying to find them but definitely worth looking for. I read Triton by Delany back in the 80's and it needs a 2nd read. I remember at the time I liked the story but some of the passages were so dense, not to mention some of the equations which I couldn't understand - so yes being a adult for a few decades, time to give it a second read

[@felixskivor4487]

And so it begins. A perfect start to the Easter weekend

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Many thanks Felix, nice to see you commenting here again!

[@wurmholewizrdree3475]

you've given me lots to explore. thanks . where's your bookstore ?

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thank you! It's not my bookshop- that's what we call them in the UK, by the way- I just work for a high street bookselling company, never had the capital to start my own thing. And I don't ever talk about my employer or identify where I work as employers are very guarded about social media these days and I have to protect my job/main income, I'm afraid.

[@wurmholewizrdree3475]

of course , you mentioned Bristol, but accent suggested Cardiff.. was listening to a hawkwind 2023 release when yr space ritual t-shirt appeared . nice sync there. enjoying yr 25 faves . lots to research .@@outlawbookselleroriginal

[@expressoric]

Very good video. I think you're right about subjectivity regarding SF choices. I preferred Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" to "The Forever War". My inclination is about the actual writing not just the subject matter. I agree with you about "The Left Hand of Darkness" though. It was published the same year as "Slaughterhouse Five", which was very good, but didn't impress me as much as her novel.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

As this was a 'Best' it seemed to me that the subjective was the only option. My book '100 Must Read Science Fiction Novels' takes the approach of "read these 100 books for an overview of the genre" and states this quite plainly in the 'How to use this book' section- of course, most people are only interested in 'the list' and not the whys and wherefores, so they interpret 'best', 'top' etc as the same thing- one of the dangers of misuse of language, I'd say. I'm glad you enjoyed it, as I feel informed preference is a key indicator of getting the most out of what you read and you're clearly in this ball park.

[@TheMikekscott]

Thanks for that. Made me want to spend more time rereading. I’ve never reread any of my Samuel R Delaney books, I’ve got Nova but have no memory of it, and I’ve never come across Trouble on Triton. There were a couple of Authors I’ve never heard of: Colin Wilson and C L Moore, both of whom I’ll try to get hold of. I recently sorted through my books and catalogued them, in the process I found about 30 books I haven’t yet read, and a whole load of books I’d like to read again, plus I’m still buying books. Too many books, and not enough time!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thank you, Mike. Yes, the TBR is always big- thirty is modest, you can do it! I have around 200 unread books, which at my current rate is at least two years' worth, especially as I like to re-read as well. WIlson's best work is superb, thoughtful and original and Moore at her finest is caramel ice cream.

[@PaulScott-fw1cq]

Great Stuff! I'd read four of those , which was more than I was expecting, and will keep an eye out for the others. I've only read The Mind Parasites by Colin Wilson, and I didn't get on with that, but never say never. Looking forward to the rest of the list in due course!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

'The Philosopher's Stone' is superior to 'The Mind Parasites' by quite a degree, I find. Tuesday will see part two. Thanks for watching!

[@FIT2BREAD]

Great list. I had a few of these on my top 210, and of the ones you list, I loved Solaris and Left Hand most. I really liked Triotn but need to re read it...it's been a while. You liked Northwest Smith and Philosophers Stone more than I did. I'll be curious to see if more Delany makes your list. Dhalgren and Empire Star are two of my favorite books of all time. Maybe third for me is Babel 17... I enjoy Nova as well, and while it's not my #1 space opera, it still makes me feel great to hear someone else give it that praise. Those Slaughterhouse 5 covers are phenomenal. I prefer Sirens of Titan over S5, so I'll be curious to see if it made the other half of your list.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks. I like most of Delany's work once you get past the first novel and the trilogy, though my favourite work by him is a short story, the sublime " Aye, and Gomorrah..." which I feel is his masterpiece. I'm behind on my reading of recentish Delany but I followed him religiously up until the mid 90s. I have a UK hardcover first of 'Empire Star' which is incredibly rare (I paid £3.50 for it and it sells for up to £400 -if you can find one!). I love 'Nova' too and I was musing the other day that it might be my preferred Space Opera, but that's a subgenre I'm very punitive toward... M John Harrison, Barrington J. Bayley and Brian Stableford can do that thing for me but few others. I like 'Sirens' too, I must say- ever read the Kilgore Trout novel 'Venus on the Half-Shell'? It's actually by Farmer, great fun, very like 'Sirens'. PJF asked Vonnegut for permission to write it, was granted, then KV got a bit sniffy about it...I imagine you've read Sheckley? I'm still shocked (even after some decades) by how much of 'Dimension of Miracles' ended up in Douglas Adams' debut.... Colin Wilson is always interesting: I had a huge Wilson jag back in the early 90s when I read dozens of his books. His SF wasn't always successful, I feel, sometimes his optimism overwhelmed it, I thought, but I do love 'PS' but probably not as much as his mainstream novel 'Ritual in the Dark' or his Mythos story "Return of the Lloigor" which is just magnificent. Looks like I may stream part two from tomorrow night. Thanks for your comment, always good to hear of others' tastes.

[@FIT2BREAD]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal great. I'll try to catch the stream if able, if not, will certainly catch the replay. re. Venus.., I have to confess, it wasn't my cup of tea. For Farmer, my predictable favorites would be the RIverworld Saga books. I also have to admit I've not loved much of Sheckley, with the exception of Immortality Inc. One Sheckley I haven't read...I think he wrote a novel in the Alien's universe? I enjoyed Alan Dean Fosters novelization of Alien, and I wouldn't mind revisiting that universe. I didn't mind Dimension of Miracles, and thought the Galactic Sweepstakes was a cool idea and definitely noticed the Sheckley vibes in Adams' work. Most of my Sheckley reading was in the eighties and just hasn't really stuck with me. Aye and Gomorrah is a great compilation. I just picked it up recently, it was the only thing left by Delany that I hadn't gotten to. It's fantastic. I'm jealous of your Empire Star edition. I have 5 copies (because I give them away) but not that one of course. Have you read any of his non fiction, like Time Square Red, Time Square Blue and Silent Interviews: On Language, Race, Sex, Science Fiction, and Some Comics--A Collection of Written Interviews? I'm currently reading Dhalgren for a third time and it's the first time I've read it since reading more of his non fiction work, and, I wont articulate this well, but feeling like I "get" Delany more now, enhances the experience in Bellona. It's like I'm more immersed in Bellona, and I see all of the things about thee characters that exist "off the page." My God I love this book. The short fiction work of BJB (The Knights of The Limits) is superb. I really really dislike Ritual in the Dark, but ending on a positive note, nice work keeping so many of your editions from the 80's in such good shape. I'm so terrible at manhandling my books.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@FIT2BREAD -Most of my Sheck was 80s reading, but I've been revisiting him consistently this century and he's risen in my estimation. He did do some hackwork later on, yes. I've read earlier Delany nonfiction, like 'The Motion of Light in Water' (back when it was first published) and the major critical works ('American Shore' and 'Jewel-Hinged Jaw'). He posted here about ten days ago funnily enough, lovely man. Bayley is one of my passions and has been for a long time. Farmer I've read tons of, forty books easily, but my preferred material is his pastiches and short fiction, where I feel he really shines. Book handling? Decades in bookselling makes it second nature. Thanks very much for your thoughtful posts, enjoying them.

[@FIT2BREAD]

@Outlaw Bookseller very exciting now I'll have to go search for that post. How great. Yeah I figured your profession might have something to do with your more careful handling. I appreciate the conversation also.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@FIT2BREAD -Delany posted in one of my Travel & Literature videos, you'll find it in the 'Capri, The Amalfi Cpast & Literature' playlist, the video on Villa Lysis & Baron Fersen. We'd been chatting about this on social media and he watched the video, which was very flattering. I've met tons of SF writers and know several quite well, but Delany is one of the few I'd be in awe of in person. What to say? Thanks for your posts!

[@michaelclifford6915]

Love the Hawkwind t-shirt

[@WeirdBookBookClub]

I just discovered your channel and am loving it! A wonderful range of titles on this list so far and some authors that are completely new to me (Moore, Wilson.) I'm on a big Delany kick right now and plan to start Trouble on Triton next based on your recommendation. Keep up the great work!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Delighted to hear you're enjoying the channel- you'll always find an experienced, alternative view here.

[@MaidhcOD]

beautifully done, a serious list, a serious outlaw ✊

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

You're very kind!

[@captainmission]

I love Burroughs, really cool that you included him. He was a big inflence on Bowie. Great t shirt too.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Well, Burroughs is central to New Wave SF and Modernism. And yeah, Bowie did that cut-up thing based on his WSB inspiration. Another great artist I love.

[@andrewb.3076]

Enjoyable video, always interesting to see what people but in their list of best books, best novels or best series. I'm currently reading the Theodore Sturgeon collection "A Saucer of Loneliness" that has a foreword by Kurt Vonnegut in which he makes some interesting points about Sturgeon being a very literary writer eventhough people wouldn't acknowledge it because of "genreism". Had to think of that because "Slaughterhouse Five" came up in your list.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks Andrew. I blow hot and cold with Sturgeon, as I find him uneven, but at his best he was a cut above anyone from the Golden Age school.

[@andrewb.3076]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal I'm filling a hole of reading experience again as I hadn't read any Sturgeon yet and I happen to run into this collection of shorts... 7th in the series apparently and according to some the best that has been published since he was a seasoned writer here. I loved the title story and "The Touch of Your Hand" so far anyway.

[@Dudderlyful]

Hawkwind t shirt, subscribed!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Check my Hawkwind playlist on the channel- I review and analyse 'Hall', 'Quark', '25 Years On' and "Steppenwolf" through the lenses of SF and Romanticism, plus some unboxings. Glad to have you aboard this starship.

[@robertadamgilmour3375]

Lisa Yaszek said in one of her books that by her research there's over 200 women from the pulp era of science fiction. Apparently the earlier era of pulp had more favorable editors towards women, and in this regard Campbell and one anthologist whose name escapes me taken us backward from the level of equality Gernsback had been encouraging. Yaszek contacted the families of many women pulp writers and even got access to a lot of unpublished stories and I wonder if she anthologized any of them.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Well this is an interesting point- as Samuel R Delany has pointed out, we don't know how many of the minor (as in a sense of having work that endured) were women, or of colour, or were gay or whatever....as for Campbell, he was keen initially to exclude work that didn't fit his standards (and later he was averse to anything that didn't fit his Psi Powers fetish), but for myself, from the Golden Age and just before, I worship C L Moore and Leigh Brackett particularly. The point I was making, however, was that fewer women than men made a lasting impact in genre SF from the Golden Age through to the early 1960s, when things really started to change.

[@tussie]

John Campbell and Groff Conklin. YT interview was "The History of Women in Science Fiction" by @davekirtley question starts at the 13:30 mark

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@tussie -Thanks for this.

[@joebrooks4448]

Everyone has their favorites, Moore is the only one of these I kept.

[@TheMcMonster]

The problem of translated literature fascinates me. Even when looking at Polish S-F, Lem was a great S-F author, but he wasn't the only one. I'm not even sure if I consider him the greatest. There were and are many great Polish authors that will remain unknown to the wider audience just because they were not translated to English. Some are forgotten even here in Poland. How many literary works of art are there in the world? And even if some of them get translated there are issues with translations. Then there's an issue of the context. In the Eastern Bloc for example S-F often served a hidden function of a commentary on living behind the Iron Curtain. There is marvel and optimism of scientific and technological advancement in the foreground and deep examination of problems in the communist society hidden in the background. When I watch Western KZbinrs's reviews of Roadside Picnic I can't shake off the feeling that they don't notice this deeper side or consider them just an enrichment and additional drama for the story in the foreground. I feel like this completely misses the point.

[@mike-williams]

In Lem's case he was probably better circulated to non-English readers around the world through more immediate translations into German, Russian and other languages. Until Michael Kandel came along as a translator, Lem was not well served in English. I also note today that many great graphic novel writers in non-Anglephone countries get much better distribution and translation across the rest of the world, and are less likely to break into English distribution.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Of course. This is always going to be an issue. Totally get your point.

[@TheMcMonster]

@@mike-williams This happened a lot within Soviet sphere, not only for Lem. I'll have to dig who else got translated to other languages of the Soviet Bloc, but not subsequently to English. This may be a fun project for me.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@TheMcMonster -I have an old early 1970s Pan anthology of Soviet SF entitled 'Vertex'...or maybe 'Vortex'. There is actually plenty of Russian SF in print, but it tends to be packaged as literary fiction - Bulgakov, Zamyatin's 'We' is everywhere these days, Sorokin and more. The Russian fabular tradition is strong and merges into their SF- books like 'Monday Begins on Saturday' by the Strugatskys is redolent of this.

[@hidicproductions4849]

I understand your thinking in some way. I red Dune 1-6 in my teenage years and it blew me away. Sadly, I never found something different after that. Something, that hit as hard, as Frank Herberts masterpiece. That's why I scoop up these kind of videos, just the find the next great idea, the next big thing, that let's my mind explode. And hell, it isn't an easy search. Science fiction exists everywhere nowadays. But you have to look very hard for really good stuff.

[@garryrickenbacker]

Thanks so much for your channel and sharing your knowledge ✨💫🙏

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

My Pleasure.

[@chrisw6164]

What is it about the end of the 80s that led to less innovation in genre fiction? I would argue a similar thing happened in comic books. I’m being rhetorical but I tend to agree with your assessment of science fiction writing’s plateau for the last 30 years.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

More on this to come, but the not-so-simple answer is 'Postmodernism': all the arts went into stagnation around that time. watch my videos on Hantology and my comments on Modernism and Culture and it becomes clearer. I will be doing something more specific on this and SF this summer though.

[@isoundinfo]

Insightful as always. It's nice to see not just another predictable SF listicle containing the usual suspects with the same tired takes. Looking forward to the next one.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks. Well, yeah, as I said, best is subjective, so there are curveballs compared to what I put in my '100 Must Read Science Fiction Novels' which were selected more objectively.

[@MotiviqueStudio]

I’m curious if you’ve read Abe’s Inter Ice Age 4? Reading that and looking at the date of publication, it seemed way ahead of it’s time for imaginativeness.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yes, I've read four of his books. I'm going to disagree with you, though, I think the reality is that most authors were behind the front runners. The more you dig, the more you discover that there were people who got there first, it's just that innovators don't always get mass attention.

[@MotiviqueStudio]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal That could well be true. It could also be that he was collating ideas he had found elsewhere. It's far from my favorite of his books - The Face of Another probably gets that title. Several of his books are an enjoyable ride, though Woman in the Dunes (for me at least) was not.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@MotiviqueStudio Yes, 'Face of Another' is a cracker.

[@MotiviqueStudio]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal I found your channel through other people mentioning it. Started reading the Johnston translation of Solaris. Looking forward to some of the names on your list I have not encountered.

[@MotiviqueStudio]

I would not have read Solaris after seeing the depressing diad of films. I'm glad I saw this recommendation. While I disliked the large sections of the book that felt like misplaced appendices, I much appreciated the central questions of the book that were missed or misrepresented in the films. The ending was far superior, which could be interpreted as something of a manic optimism or a manic death drive in going down to the surface, rather than the sickening feeling of the film endings. On to Forever War.

[@alanbaker3442]

One of your best videos so far; truly fascinating. I was particularly interested in the section on William Burroughs, as he's one of my favourite writers. I agree that one needs to persevere until the writing "clicks" - much like Nadsat in A Clockwork Orange: it's very confusing until the mind orientates itself to the language, at which point I feel as if I'm watching an intensely surrealistic film (probably directed by Bunuel!) I once read some Lovecraft immediately after reading Burroughs, and it occurred to me that the Great Old Ones (Cthulhu, Azathoth, Yog Sothoth and the others) are actually nova criminals intent on consuming the Earth. Bit of a stretch, that, but it's an amusing conceit.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

I think your Burroughsian reinterpretation of the Mythos makes perfect sense- the way Colin WIlson describes the psychology of the Lovecraftian pantheon in his versions of HPL's mythology fits this perfectly. Insightful! Thanks for your post.

[@JulesBurt]

A great start to this fascinating list Steve. Great recommendations as always. An almost impossible task, there is no one I'd trust more with this. The Forever War was a great one which I enjoyed after your video. I too met Colin Wilson, back in the 90's. What a lovely guy. Got him to sign three old Pan paperbacks🙂

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks mate. I met Colin once too, in 95 in Swanse- yes, great fella- signed a ton of stuff for me. IN fact, I've just bought a copy of his book on WIlhelm Reich, one of the minority of his oeuvre I've not read.

[@bookendsandbiscuits]

Love love ur channel ...really enjoyed watching your picks ...ive struggled to read older science fiction previously but think i may have to change the way i appoach it. Its nice to see where ideas emerged from

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Start with some Gollancz Masterworks from the 1960s- will try and think of some things I think you'll like and will get in touch.

[@richardking3206]

As someone who particularly enjoys short stories, I’ve been meaning to check back through your posts to seek collections of different writer’s works in anthology form. I’m sure you will have some recommendations I can pick up on. I’ve noticed your antipathy to much filmed SF before. I’m not one for many of them, mainly where they rely on lots of fighting or done-to-death tropes, as so many do. I’d love you to do a post on the SF films that you’d recommend. Stalker has long been a favourite of mine, which I know you like (I’ve just watched your post on the Strugatsky’s). If you’ve already done one, do say and I’ll search through your many posts more closely! Meanwhile well done for this list, I’ve made notes for rooting some of them out later. I can’t wait for the next part to drop. Excellent work, as ever!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Many thanks as ever, Richard. I do like a good SF film, it's just that there are so few of them- I am going to be doing more film material here going forward. Re short stories, at some point I'll be doing a Top Ten Collections video and an actual top ten or so stories. Ideally, I'd love to edit an anthology of great short SF stories, but it will never happen I guess. Do check the backlist, there's loads of iot and much more to come!

[@grwilson3770]

I don't tend to think in terms of 'best' books either, but in bodies of work. I find it very difficult to list my best or favourite books. Frankly, I am impressed you managed to limit it to 25. Looking forward to part 2.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

It was a struggle and I'm not happy with it really, but as an exercise it's interesting. Part two is of course yet to come on tuesday, but I'll undertake this again in around a year- but then I think I'd do fifty, maybe more. I tried 15, but it was impossible.

[@kufujitsu]

Most of my experience in short SF comes from reading a good number of the chunky Year's Best volumes by Gardner Dozois - but I've branched out towards the older stuff, & developed a soft spot for Kuttner from reading his short stories - found out that Kuttner & Moore collaborated on many stories - you're right about Shambleau by Moore : it is an alien/vampire story that has aged very well. I have a fantasy collection by Moore called Jierel of Jorey (I know I've misspelled it) ...& several collections of Kuttner which I'm working my way through. Both authors have been forgotten by most of today's readers, so I'm glad they're getting a mention from you.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yes, I love them both- they're fundamentally important to the development of Genre SF. I'll be doing somehting about Moore shortly and there's a video about Kuttner's 'Mutant' which I posted here a good 18 months ago.

[@northof-62]

Having read Colin Wilson's "Mysteries" , which deals the whole occult field, I always assumed "The Philospher's Stone" to be a subset or a prequel to that. Thanks for correcting me.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

'Mysteries' (great book) is a sequel to Colin Wilson's 'The Occult' (a fantastic book). He completed this trilogy with 'Beyond The Occult' which is good, but not quite in the same league.

[@rajikkali2381]

Just finished GRRM’s A song for Lya and other stories, and have greatly enjoyed them. Didn’t realize George did science fiction so well!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

George was always good, always won awards, always got great reviews but the mass market wouldn't go near him. I recall when his books were remaindered and stacked high for peanuts- in the early 80s I read 'Fevre Dream' (fantastic vampire novel, Stoker meets Twain), 'The Armageddon Rag' (rock and roll horror novel stuffed with Tolkien references) and more. Shame it took so long for people to find him, he was a lost talent for decades.

[@kufujitsu]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal The SkinTrade - a werewolf novella - in one of the Night Visions anthologies, was top draw as well. George RR Martin wrote loads of really good & readable short stories - maybe the time is approaching for an omnibus/complete collection of his shorter works - I'd certainly buy it.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@kufujitsu Yes, he did some great stuff. Sad how few people are still yet to read his non-GOT material. Always a great storyteller then.

[@kufujitsu]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal Agreed. I only ever read the 1st volume of his padded Game of...series, which put me to sleep, but I finished it, which I suppose is something. I prefer his earlier books, & his short stories by quite a margin. His novella - Sandkings, is pretty close to my favorite as well, though he wrote many good ones besides this one.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@kufujitsu I actually like the first three 'Ice and Fire' books, but after that....he just loses it, typical example of a series being extended for commercial rather than aesthetic reasons. Had I written the first volume, I would have stopped there, as I think the last three chapters work very well. But generally I prefer 'Fevre Dream' and shorts like "Sandkings" too. I remember when he couldn't get arrested saleswise over here, his books would be remaindered and piled high...but now...

[@thesci-fished]

Wonderful selection, very hard to argue with. I recently reread left hand off darkness after a 20 year lapse. I was surprised by how much I had forgotten it I'm pretty sure it will end up in my top 25 list as well.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Well, as I said it's a 'best' and therefor subjective, so it's not an argument kind of thing really. Glad you liked it, part two coming tuesday, 17 books to get through then!

[@thesci-fished]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal absolutely, poor choice of word on my part 🙂

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@thesci-fished -Well, it's good to debate!

[@KeytarArgonian]

I want to say I absolutely 100% respect everything you say with your great experience of written sci fi, but I do often wonder how you would feel about Sci Fi in other media. Particularly In Gaming, such as Mass Effect or something very special and personal like Outer Wilds that affects different people in different ways. I sometimes just wonder what your opinions would be on some of those, but understand completely if you just don’t have an interest or opinion.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

I'm not interested in gaming at all, quite honestly, sorry, but am very pleased to hear you are enjoying my SF videos, thank you very much!

[@daretzky2001]

As always it was great to see you talking about why good old science-fiction IS so good and why it matters even today. I like your choices of books on list too and it had make me think what's coming in the next part, what I would include etc. Sooo.... let's see how many I can guess. "Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury; "2001: A Space Odyssey" by Arthur C. Clarke, "Foundation" trilogy by Isaac Asimov (you mentioned one trilogy), "Dune" by Frank Herbert, "Neuromancer" by William Gibson, "Stars my Destination" by Alfred Bester, "Gateway" by Frederik Pohl. Something by Philip K. Dick. I would choose "Ubik" but I'm guessing it's gonna be "Do Androids Dreams..." or even "Man From High Castle". "Ringworld" by Larry Niven? Something by Poul Anderson - "Tau Zero" maybe? "Dying Earth" by Jack Vance. Or "Shadow of the Torturer" by Gene Wiolfe? "Dangerous Visions" by Harlan Ellison. Who's the third lady? James Tiptree? Octavia Butler? "Parable of Sower"? Or maybe "Snow Queen" by Joan D. Vinge? "Mission of Gravity" by Hal Clement. "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons. Something by Robert Silverberg - probably "The Book of Skulls" but "Lord Valentine's Castle" would do either. Sadly no "Roadside Picnic" by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. (since Lem was the only non-Anglophone writer on your list). No Bob Shaw means no Barrington J. Bayley either. John Brunner? But which book? Znazibar, Sheep or Shockwave? And I bet there is at least one Christopher Priest book hidden somewhere (wink). Anyway, keep up the good work, Steve.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks for this. I love a lot of the books and writers you're guessing at there, but i think what is actually in the remaining tranche will surprise and even shock you- doing 25 was tough, I really need to do 50 or more, but I wanted to be as honest and subjective as possible in this video and part 2. Many of the above are covered in my book '100 Must Read Science Fiction Novels' of course.

[@FIT2BREAD]

Your list is killer RR

[@daretzky2001]

@@FIT2BREAD Thank you. It's only 20 titles from the top of my head, there is almost no short stories there and some of the best SF was written in that form. I would include collections by Robert Sheckley, John Varley, Arthur C. Clarke, Roger Zelazny, just about any collection by Mike Resnick (and "Kirynyaga"), stories from "Thousand Worlds" universe by George R.R. Martin and "The Best of Fredric Brown" in British and American edition, because, funny enough, that's two different books. And Zelazny. And Aldiss. And Lafferty. And Swanwick. And Baxter...

[@daretzky2001]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal All the better - I like being surprised. I just realized I forgot about Aldiss! "Hothouse"! There is no conversation about crazy biology world-building without "Hothouse".

[@FIT2BREAD]

@Radical Reader frankly you had me at Foundation, Martian Chroicles and Stars My Destination, and Neuromancer. :)

[@Polygonite]

What's your opinion of Arthur C. Clarke's oeuvre? You seem to have very little interest for him, I'm curious to know your thoughts. Huge fan of the channel, btw! Erudite and friendly videos, can't ask for a better booktube than that!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

I have mentioned ACC here many times, especially during my bookhaul/dealer visits videos as I have been 'nostalgia collecting' his work of late. I read '2001' probably a dozen times over the years, largely in my youth, don't mind 'Childhood's End', read many of the famous shorts, found 'A Fall of Moondust' very minor and have never managed more than a few pages of 'The Deep Range', despite numerous starts over the decades. As I say, most of what I read by him was between the ages of 12 and 18.I generally find him unreadable: his prose is workmanlike, unremarkable and clunky at times, I struggle to find any real signs of characterisation and the while the ideas are good, they're not enough for me. Like a lot of Hard SF writers, the idea of bringing a more flavoursome, literary approach into the work seems beyond Clarke- which is something I don't find in Bob Shaw, who I regard as far superior.

[@allanlloyd3676]

A good solid list, Steve. I must admit that I was expecting something a bit more "on the edge" to match the Burroughs and Wilson books, but several more to come in part 2. I really liked The Forever War because Haldeman had experience real combat. I get very angry with people like Heinlein and Poul Anderson when they make the whole thing a big adventure with none of the reality or suffering. Those big heavy swords and huge machine guns do awful damage to a body. I started looking at my books to choose the SF that influenced me most, and was surprised to find that most of my favorites were actually fantasy or magic realism, or just plain weird! I go back and reread people like John Crowley, MJH, James Tiptree Jr, Moorcock, Ballard, Lucius Shepard, A S Byatt and David Mitchell more than my SF. I hadn't really thought that I was more of a fantasy reader than science fiction. But I guarantee no elves!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Hi Allan, good to hear from you as ever. Yes, Haldeman -the real thing! Well, there's Fantasy and Fantasy, isn't there? I like most of those authors as you know. It's the truly fantastic rather than the old familiar tropes, right? Looking forward to meeting up again sometime, hopefully this summer, maybe?

[@allanlloyd3676]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal Just let me know when you are in the area and we will meet up. Looking forward to a good old natter!

[@PhysicsWithoutMagic]

Read any books dealing with panphysicism/other forms of consciousness-first theories?

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

No, but have read about it in passing in books of philosophy, mysticism etc.

[@iantoo3503]

Thanks for another great video. I'm currently reading Silverberg's World's of Wonder so encountered C.L. Moore for the first time with No Woman Born. The story has such a lovely tone that I'm eager for more. As for the others, I'm happy to say most are on the read/reread list. I don't feel I gave The Forever War or The Left Hand of Darkness their due and hope a more mature me will appreciate them for what they are.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

"No Woman Born" is probably her most anthologised story, a great one.

[@irislorikeet4287]

Im surprised The Sparrow by Mary Dorian Russell is not on your list. The book has stayed in my thoughts for years.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Well, I've read an awful lot of SF and have been reading it for a very long time. It's an interesting book, but is a step down from the most important theological SF novel, James Blish' 'A Case of Conscience'.

[@danieldelvalle5004]

You mentioned The Philosopher's Stone, and have made two videos about Colin Wilson. I find his work fascinating. I wish you would make an even more extensive video about his philosophy and life. He seems to have been forgotten in our age of AI and ChatGPT.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

It will come. I'll be reading a Wilson I've not read before soon and this will no doubt stimulate me to re-read some backlist. I'm a huge fan.

[@waltera13]

It may *sound* click-bait-y, but it *is* something we'd like to know. Thanks for this - I was into it enough that I was surprised when it ended. . . . so far from "the end!" It can be harder to schedule in these longer vids but always worth hearing your thoughts on this topic as well as personal anecdotes.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Hey Walter, good to hear from you...well, I had some problems with the edit, so I had to cut part one shorter than intended and reflim part of the second phase. At some point I'll knit them together for a 2hr feature, but I felt that was a bit long all at once!

[@waltera13]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal Right on! No worries. Fit 2 Bread has made *how many* cuts of his epic book list? - you're allowed a couple while you work it out! Besides, videos of 40 min & up really have to be scheduled into the day - less serendipity in the watching, so it's good you create "content" of different sizes. (That sounds like a post modern fairy tale from a dystopic future: "The BookTuber and 'The Content of Many Sizes.'")

[@sandyanarayanswami5708]

Ursula Le Guin's "The Left Hand of Darkness" is a lifelong favorite of mine, as are many others of her books, both the Earthsea and Hainish series. As a POC, I not only related to Genly Ai, but also the people in the Earthsea universe-it was a welcome change to see brown people as dominant. So many other reasons to love these books! I also enjoy Asimov's Foundation/Empire series a lot. I am a great fan of R. Daniel Olivaw. Asimov did something rather remarkable-he created a believable android (humaniform robot) who nonetheless becomes a character one loves and admires and whose relationships with humans are what makes these books special. There is a spinoff series by another writer that I enjoy-set in the world of Spacers and Humans.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yeah, the Hainish books are great. As for Ike, I'm a big fan of the Robot novels, but less so of the rest of the sequence- I don't think he could actually write very well until the 1950s, when he produced 'The Caves of Steel' and 'The Naked Sun', my two preferred works by him.

[@sandyanarayanswami5708]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal You can see Asimov develop as a writer through the series. In the 50s works, the women are typical 50s housewives, but they evolve and become much more multidimensional, complex, and interesting as the series develops.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@sandyanarayanswami5708 They do become more important later in the Robot series, agreed, but I wonder how much of this was down to editorial advice. Asimov was a well known naughty boy with the ladies....

[@sandyanarayanswami5708]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal Oh-I did not know that! But perhaps that is what it takes! I do think, with the current focus on the dangers of AI, that Asimov has a great deal of relevance.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@sandyanarayanswami5708 Well of course- but in a wider context, AI has been a theme in SF since 'Frankenstein', though Ike -alongside Jack Williamson's "Humanoids" stories from the same period- did bring it into sharp focus.

[@xavierwaterkeyn]

“Ovular”! Love it!

[@davidbooks.and.comics]

Thank you, you make reading anything a joy and fun!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

My pleasure, thanks!

[@charlesspringer4709]

I ran across a 4 volume collection called Quantum Gravity by a British writer, Justina Robson. The first volume is "Keeping it Real". A strikingly imaginative yet believable story. There is a bit if a cheat to wrap up the ending in volume 4. Up till then every form of science and myth is pulled in. Written less than 15 years ago and I have never found anyone else who has read them. I highly recommend.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

I've read her. She had quite a bit of critical acclaim and one of her books, 'Natural History', was included in Broderick and Di Filippo's '101 Best Science Fiction Novels 1985-2012'. If you read my reply to Erik Paterson above, I'd say she was a victim of what I described.

[@adamgabriele2953]

What's your opinion of Delaney's Dhalgren (safely assuming you've read it)

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Like many large, avant-garde post-Joycean novels I think it is wonderfully ambitious, but flawed. I am planning a very close re-read later this year though, as it's been a while.

[@FIT2BREAD]

Might be the best book ever written (in my opinion). It's mesmerizing. It transports you.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@FIT2BREAD -Good to see such a challenging book being lauded. Of course, it sold massively, but that doesn't always mean it was read and enjoyed as much LOL. Did you notice how the start/finish loop was used in 'Watchmen'? Clever stuff.

[@FIT2BREAD]

@Outlaw Bookseller I unfortunately dont remember that movie...and sorry for blowing up your comments section...for me the reading experience of Dhalgren just surpasses anything else I've read (maybe). I can definitely appreciate opinions on flaws in the literary styling.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@FIT2BREAD -I'm referring specifically to the original comic series by Alan Moore. This is spoiler for anyone reading this who has not read 'Dhalgren', which obviously I know you have: I'm referring specifically to the way that the novel ends with an unfinished sentence, which then continues with the end of that sentence as the first line of the book, creating the timeloop effect. This is mirrored in the end/beginning structure of 'Watchmen'- if you haven't read it, I won't spoil it.

[@Vgallo]

Love that Burroughs gets a mention. Most other book tubers have no idea who is.

[@zr6935]

The number of victims of the bombing of Dresden has actually been estimated to be between 22,700 and 25,000 which is a significantly lower figure than what is claimed in Vonnegut's book - it is a bit unfortunate because the death toll has originally been exaggerated by the Nazis themselves for propaganda reasons and later, after war, some sloppy scientific conduct was at play (the infamous David Irving)... quite a story! This is of no importance for the book of course, and it does not diminish the ugliness of war in the slightest - the bombing of Dresden itself is a notoriously questionable affair; but fact are facts and all this is not as well known as it should be, imho. Great video, I am looking forward to the next part!

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks for that. I know the figures are disputed and I agree more background research is needed. Glad you liked the video!

[@joebrooks4448]

Hmm. C. L. Moore was great, wrote a lot with her husband Henry Kuttner. They produced quite a catalog.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yes, as I stated in the video. They both hugely neglected at the time but were stars back then, as I'm sure you know!

[@davidleonard8547]

I'm impressed by your recall. I've read reams over the years, but except for a notable few works, I could not recall the same level of detail you seem to exhibit - unless you are cheating and skim for detail for your videos. 😉 Point in case, I've read all of Vonnegut's catalogue, but I'll be damned if I can recall the plot of any of his books other than "Slaughterhouse 5." Maybe most of all I've read was not memorable, but as I said, there are some titles that stay with me still, all these decades later. Must say that Samuel Delany's "Dhalgren" might be the most intense literary SF I've ever read. Not for the faint of heart. So many good titles in this, I'm looking forward to Part 2.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Thanks for that. In this video, I'm being very subjective as I say and picking 'my best', so these are books I've read at least 2-3 times each, some of them a couple of dozen times (seriously). I'm very big on close reading and analysis- to be a published critic, you have to be. I'm actually disappointed with my imperfect recall as I grow older, but I could actually be a lot more specific in these cases, but want to avoid spoilers where possible. Yes, 'Dhalgren' is intense. For me, like many books of this size and ambition, it's a failed experiment - Alisdair Gray's 'Lanark' is another in this ball park. The big mainstream literary critics love these books, as they provide plenty of meat to carve up, serve and garnish, but the real test I feel is balancing the readability with innovation (they all get off on the James Joyce kick, I think). I need to undertake a third reading of that Delany though, as I find I've enjoyed his work more second or third time around with the exception of the earliest work, which is formative and fascinating but not on a par with the Nebula Award period. Part 2 next tuesday, thanks for your post!

[@CountBrass]

Alright, this is a terrific list. 25 is rather daunting, but here's what I would say are ten of the best of my experience (one per author)Sun: Arthur C. Clarke, Rendezvous with Rama Isaac Asimov, The robot trilogy [Caves of Steel, Naked Sun, Robots of Dawn] David Brin, First Uplift Trilogy [Sundiver, Startide Rising, Uplift War] Robert Heinlein, Have Spacesuit, Will Travel Frederik Pohl, Gateway Brian Aldiss, Galaxies Like Grains of Sand Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Joe Haldeman, The Forever War Madeleine L'Engle, The Time Trilogy [A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet] Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

As I said, this is a subjective list, echoing my specific tastes but the last five on your list resonate with me too.

[@CountBrass]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal Of course! That was the spirit in which I offered my own list! Terrific channel!

[@Scottlp2]

Despite Haldeman’s personal war experience his stories have a wonderful human quality.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Yes. I'd suggest it's because of those experiences maybe.

[@ynyslochtyn]

Clutching at straws here thinking that you may be able to help me find book. Borrowed from Holyhead library in the later 60s. Here's what little I can remember: Humorous book where aliens visit earth but reveal themselves to just one man. They take on human form but when they sit on things the springs don’t bend. Since this man is the only person to have met aliens he is made head of science institute for extra terrestrial beings where scientists balance and unbalance equations, plot a straight line graph each day to monitor time . . . Don't suppose it rings any bells. Maybe a lot of that paperbacks from that era just get forgotten.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

It's the 1960s dating that throws me on this one, sorry.

[@andriyandriychuk]

Does anybody have the full list of authors and titles in this video?

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Try watching it.

[@Meanwhiler]

Kilgore Trout was an allusion to Theodore Sturgeon right?

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

That's the theory, yes.

[@Meanwhiler]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal I thought so .... I have the paperback written by "Trout" ... Venus On The Half Shell (Farmer) - Panther edition too, gets quite pricey.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@Meanwhiler Yes, had mine since the 1980s, when it was still in print.

[@johnvcorbett6528]

I read a novella of hers where you don’t learn the gender of the protagonist until the last page, and it makes no difference at all.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Which writer are you referring to?

[@rafavegayoutube]

This is my first time watching your videos. If you’re looking for real science fiction with new ideas (post 1980s 🤣), try “House of Suns” by Reynolds. He does beautiful things with Ai/robot characters.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Having been a bookseller for 39 years, I'm obviously well aware of Reynolds, who is one of the most popular genre SF writers in Britain. I first read Al decades ago. He simply doesn't have the standard of prose style that suits my taste and his brand of hard SF is not my thing, I'm afraid. Met him in 2006, though, nice guy though, from the same part of Wales as me. I'd say watch some more of my stuff and you'll see I'm coming from a different part of the woods to traditional Space Opera Renaissance.

[@rafavegayoutube]

@@outlawbookselleroriginal if you come across a copy of House of Suns, give it a chance. It doesn’t read like his other stuff. He did something different with this book and my guess is that he hasn’t gone back to the House of Suns universe because he doesn’t know how to replicate what he did.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

@@rafavegayoutube -I've sold loads of copies of that book over the years. As I say, I've been working with all of Al's books for decades. Interestingly, he did something different in 'Eversion' and it's sold very poorly by comparison to his usual thing.