TOP 50 Sci-Fi Books According to Locus Readers

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

Honestly, this list is better than I expected.

[@WordsinTime]

@@AnonymousAnonposter Lots of good books!

[@BookishChas]

Great discussion of this list Jonathan! I was also surprised that Hitchhiker wasn’t on there.

[@WordsinTime]

@@BookishChas That was a surprise for sure!

[@ryanweild5802]

I love the original Hyperion cover :p

[@WordsinTime]

@@ryanweild5802 🤜 🤛

[@General_reader]

I just received a Japanese edition of Hyperion in the mail. You talk about wild!

[@havocmaverick]

Me too, that's why I bought a signed and unsigned ones.

[@Joe-lb8qn]

I havent read a dozen or so of these, many i should. - Moon is a harsh mistress". have got The Cat who Walked Through Walls on my TBR, I know i have read it in the past but dont recall. Ive just reread (only took a few minutes the short stories By His Bootstraps, and All You Zombies. - More than human - Lord of Light - Stand on Zanzibar - Shockwave Rider also by Brunner is astonishingly prescient. Consider when it was written. - Downbelow Station -Star maker -Dying Inside -Demolished man. -Cyteen - None of Cherryhs novels appeal to me for some reason -Double Star -Last and First men -Have space suit will travel -Norstrilia - WItches of karres - Unsure about Frankenstein.. have i read the original? I dont know. I love End of Eternity and there have been rumours about a film. Maybe Rendevous WIth Rama will get there first? I agree with your omissions, in particular how on Earth is SlaughterHouse 5 or another Vonnegut not on that list?

[@WordsinTime]

@@Joe-lb8qn Hope you enjoy those especially More Than Human, Frankenstein and Dying Inside. And yes, Vonnegut definitely deserves a spot!

[@davidcrowell3041]

Dhalgren is one of my favorite books. It’s a bit strange. The writing/prose is at another level.

[@WordsinTime]

@@davidcrowell3041 I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@daveac]

Keep meaning to read Dhalgren - just checked my bookcase - 879 pages! I put the book back ;-)

[@jwi1085]

​@@daveacthis😂😢😮

[@waykiwayki]

Not a bad list at all....I've read most of these. I would have Babel-17, and at least one Culture novel in there. Earth Abides...totally forgot about this gem I read.

[@WordsinTime]

@@waykiwayki Yeah, lots of good books. Glad you enjoyed those ones.

[@Joe-lb8qn]

@@waykiwayki great point about the culture series but were they out by then? A quick google shows they'd only just come out.

[@bendybruce]

While I personally love Dune, It does get me down a little bit that it so utterly dominates the list of science fiction classics. The honest truth is it's not pure science fiction anyway and has a significant crossover into mysticism. Again, don't get me wrong I have the highest respect for Frank both as an author and as a human being but there are so many incredible sci-fi books out there which deserve every bit as much praise and recognition as Dune. I know this probably won't be a particularly popular opinion, but I was not that happy when they decided to remake the movie Dune. It's such a well known story at this point I would much preferred they had looked elsewhere in the deep and rich cannon of science fiction. Hollywood being what it is only likes to bet on a sure thing so I guess it is what it is.

[@WordsinTime]

@@bendybruce Dune was an 8.5/10 for me so I really liked it but it’s not at the top of my own list of favorites.

[@TrynePlague]

I agree. I would love to see an adaptation of Non-Stop for example. Let's hope RDV with Rama turns out to be good.

[@masoodvoon8999]

It's really so popular because some would argue it is more fantasy than classical science fiction. I'm glad it's on the list because most sci-fi series aren't very balanced with world building, character development, and basically just story driven writing. They tend to be preachy or single idea/theme - driven plots.

[@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk]

Some great books mentioned. Food for thought. The ever expanding tbr! Happy reading to you.

[@WordsinTime]

@@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk Haha it’s a never ending battle 📚

[@FrankOdonnell-ej3hd]

Interesting list. A bad lady named Helene took me off line for a while but I’m glad to be back with you at full power.⚛️❤

[@WordsinTime]

@@FrankOdonnell-ej3hd Good to have you here Frank!

[@lorigraybill6712]

Interesting list and many to add to my TBR. But where is Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan? I’m also looking forward to reading Colossus by D. F. Jones. Published in 1966 about a US super computer that wants to “talk” to the USSR’s version. What could go wrong? You should also check out the 70s movie version of this book, Colossus: The Forbin Project. Cheesy, but thought provoking.

[@WordsinTime]

@@lorigraybill6712 Thanks for the recommendations!

[@biffstrong1079]

I reread The Green Brain by Frank Herbert and though I liked it at the time I like it better than I did. He was a big evolutionary biology/ecology at a time when I was studying ecology and evolutionary biology.

[@WordsinTime]

@@biffstrong1079 That’s cool!

[@chrisf5828]

No poll is perfect but this is surprisingly good. Rather than being shocked at people liking books I dont like I noticed a few pleasant surprises, like Ubik. It is a top ten sf novel and Dick's best or second to Flow My Tears but it has never been a big book. But individuals who read it obviously remembered it. They were not told it was great, like childhood end or stranger in a strange land. They saw for themselves it was great.

[@WordsinTime]

@@chrisf5828 Ubik is one of my favorite books.

[@Calcprof]

My favorite Heinlein's are his early 50s YA novels - Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, Time for the Stars, etc. I think some of Card does not hold up, given his association with radical right politics. Fred Pohl visited Georgia Tech in the 90s for about a week. An incredibly interesting person. Sturgeon is awesome, I agree, Phil Dick's reputation has only gotten bigger and bigger as time passes. The Dispossessed is awesome -- note: be careful of unreliable narrators. I think The Stars my Destination (english title Tyger, Tyger) is, I believe Bester's masterpiece. An sf retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. Yes, Starship Troupers is preachy, and the character you speak of is essentially a Heinlein mouthpiece. Ringworld is worth reading. Niven came from a very rich family, but decided to live of his royalties. He was, for a while, a mathematics student. Silverberg (sometimes known by his fans as SilverBob) is awesome -- I really like Book of Skulls, but I'm not sure it is sf. Dhalgren -- ah! The pleasures of ambiguity. Recently China Mieville has dominated this sub-genre. Other favorite Phil DIck novels of mine include Martian Timeslip, Valis (warning, very weird).Cordwainder Smith is awesome. His prose is so wonderfully constructed. I knew one of his students (the taught at John Hopkins). Have space suit will travel is one of Heinlein's 50s YA novels. Fun. I do not care for Time for enough love. Phil Farmer can be really fun. I think this (To you scattered bodies go) is the best of this series. Missing is Tiptree. With her collected works coming out soon, she will only be more appreciated. Yes, Lem is missing. Yes, Wolfe is missing. He is an exquisite prose stylist (and a master of ambiguity).

[@WordsinTime]

@@Calcprof Thanks for all the great info! Looking forward to reading more of those.

[@rachelthompson9324]

Carl Sagan's novel, Contact, should have been be on this list!

[@WordsinTime]

@@rachelthompson9324 Contact is great!

[@Paul_McSeol]

Excited to hear your thoughts on the Dune sequels. I think you need to read the Butlerian trilogy before the sequels if you want them to make sense. But I hope you enjoy them! Fun list. I might have rearranged it a little bit. 🤷‍♂️. And all four of your picks really should have made the list.

[@WordsinTime]

@@Paul_McSeol Interesting! I’m looking forward to being able to talk more about Dune.

[@nightsazrael]

The Witches of Karres is fun and has good plot twists. Try Cuckoo's Egg by C J Cherryh, her strength is alien psychology. I have read all of these, many when they were released. Hitcher Hiker's Guide should be here too. I liked The Gods Themselves, but it is not good enough for this list. Samuel L Delaney has never been one of my favorites and I think I have read most of his work. Silverberg on the other hand is always a good read. 😸😸😸😸😸

[@WordsinTime]

@@nightsazrael Nice! Thanks for the info!

[@chromabotia]

Good list. You nailed calling Clifford W. Simak as a pastoral type of SF writer. That rustic motif that runs through all of Simak's writing. IMHO, "Destiny Doll" is his best SF novel.

[@WordsinTime]

@@chromabotia I’ll have to check out Destiny Doll!

[@timlong9913]

You seem to have similar tastes to myself. Try and read one of Clarke's short story collection - he has some super great ones.

[@WordsinTime]

@@timlong9913 Nice! I’ll check out more of his short stories.

[@Atop77]

Before you read Last and First Men or Star Maker by Stapledon, you should probably read Odd John and Sirius by him. They're a lot more accessible and just really great novels. Thanks for the great content!

[@WordsinTime]

@@Atop77 Thanks for the recommendations! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@pixilixy]

So much Heinlein, I read most of them in my teens. I read 21 of the books. I miss C.S Lewis.

[@WordsinTime]

@@pixilixy Nice! ❤️

[@masoodvoon8999]

Yeah I enjoy his writing in both genres and am not religious at all myself.

[@bodine57]

If you're not ready to read "Stand on Zanzibar", try "The Sheep Look Up". A much shorter read by John Brunner. "Dhalgren" is one of my favorites, but I never recommend it to anyone. For me, it's all about mood and atmosphere; and if those aspects don't do it for you, you're going to hate it.

[@WordsinTime]

@@bodine57 Thanks for the info!

[@DevonExplorer]

Dhalgren is the only Delaney book I haven't read yet, so thanks for the info. I absolutely love Babel-17 and it's one of my favourite books, along with Triton. His world building is superb. :)

[@bbarnhouse9022]

To paraphrase a famous author: Americans are reading less because publishers are printing so much crap nowadays. It has become almost impossible to find books of this caliber in the last 20 yrs. Anything of quality gets lost in a deluge of sub-par authors and editing.

[@WordsinTime]

@@bbarnhouse9022 There’s still some good modern sci-fi authors out there.

[@jpotter2086]

As for the missing books ... some classics have new afterlifes, newly revived and persistent awareness, thanks to the internet, such as works by Gene Wolfe and Stanislav Lem. Back in the old days, readers chose from what publishers were pushing, creating a bandwagon effect (everyone read more Heinlein and Asimov because htey were everywhere, always), and could find some oldies at libraries (the ones they hadn't jettisoned yet!) ... authors like Gene Wolfe had their runs but if they weren't perennial sellers, they faded. Glad so much has been redicovered and is available now; the canon certainly has been revised!

[@WordsinTime]

@@jpotter2086 That makes sense. Hopefully I’m my part haha

[@doctormorbuis]

The three part structure you mention comes from the way the books were first published as serials or even individual linked stories (More Than Human) in magazines. This is even true of Dune, though less obviously so.

[@doctormorbuis]

Also, I like Double Star, The Door Into Summer, and Have Spacesuit, Will Travel a lot. They are Heinlein at his least didactic and most entertaining. Time Enough For Love is a complete mess; you would be better served reading Methuselah's Children either as a stand-alone or in The Past Through Tomorrow. A lot of the same characters appear in both. But I dont think much of Heinlein's post-1960 output.

[@WordsinTime]

@@doctormorbuis Good point!

[@mondostrat]

Given your take on Nova, I think you would prefer Babel 17 to Dhalgren. Also, given you take on Left Hand of Darkness, I think you would prefer Lathe of Heaven to The Dispossessed. After the Heinlein big three, try Orphans of the Sky, Door into Summer, or Have Spacesuit. ( there are preachy characters in virtually all his books, a favorite expositional devise of his, I believe) I've only read 34 of the 53. Time enough for Books?

[@WordsinTime]

@@mondostrat Thanks for the helpful info!

[@michaelsamerdyke108]

I definitely recommend "Island of Dr. Moreau" for early science fiction. To me, it is Wells' best novel. "War of the World" is also good, but "Moreau" is terrific.

[@WordsinTime]

@@michaelsamerdyke108 Nice!

[@SciFiFinds]

I read Serpent's Reach by C.J. Cherryh as part of a mystery box video I made earlier this year and loved it. It frustrated me in some ways because I think it had the potential to be a real masterpiece and squandered it, although it's still great in my opinion.

[@WordsinTime]

@@SciFiFinds Nice! I need to try more from Cherryh.

[@DaBIONICLEFan]

Strangely, I enjoyed The Island of Doctor Moreau the most out of all the H.G. Wells books I've read. I say strangely because I think it's considered one of his more minor novels. I thought the message about the reckless, arrogant pursuit of progress in the name of science was really effective. I was probably just in the right frame of mind when I read it. I wasn't expecting too much and it pleasantly surprised me. As for The Man in the High Castle, I can understand why you'd be disappointed. The advertised premise is a bit misleading - but once you kinda realise that the 'alternate history' isn’t really the point of the novel, it becomes really quite mind-blowing. The Axis-victory backdrop isn’t really the focus, at least that's how I read it anyway. For cool PKD titles, I think that 'Now Wait for Last Year' is fantastic. Clever play on words. Waystation is the probably only Simak I don’t have by this point, which is odd considering how often I hear it mentioned on your channel and others. I just never seem to be able to find it in second-hand bookshops. I couldn’t agree with you more about The City and the Stars. My thoughts on it pretty much echo yours exactly. I'm quite impressed by this list though. Even though some of them aren't my cup of tea, they all certainly have merit and deserve recognition.

[@WordsinTime]

@@DaBIONICLEFan I’ll have to read The Island of Dr. Moreau! And I hope you enjoy Way Station!

[@TrynePlague]

On top of my list, only from this one, 5/5 star books, would be The Left Hand of Darkness, Foundation Trilogy (all 3 books), Childhood's End, The Time Machine, RDV with Rama, City, Flowers for Algernon. Last and First Men was an awful read to me, I can't recommend it to anyone. One reason I haven't yet started Star Maker. The only worse book I ever read was Beyond Apollo. The Stars My destination and The Demolished Man were fun reads. Alot of action. I like the latter more though and found the Detective quite interesting to follow. The Forever War was good, but would be a 4/5 stars to me. The Disposessed is below TLHoD in the list, which is perfectly normal. But I don't understand what people find so interesting in it. I read all of the Hainish cycle books and found most of the others way more entertaining than this one. Especially The Word for World is Forest. The War of the Worlds was a weird read. I have a really good imagination and can build worlds in my head very easily while reading. Here, all I see in my mind is RED and BROWN chaos everywhere. I actually liked The Island of Dr Moreau and The Invisible Man way more, to my own surprise. Earth Abides is a strange one, it is boring but alluring at the same time... Frankenstein was very surprising, pop culture really didn't do the story and characters any good. The book is completely different from what I thought it was. I really liked it. The Gods Themselves, what a strange story combination. Surprisingly, I thought the first part was the best. The second was SO Alien and hard to imagine, but it kinda worked. The 3rd part was disapointing. Now, Solaris missing is very strange I agree. 5/5 stars. But what I find really weird is that no one ever talks about the Lilith's Brood trilogy by Octavia Butler, which was one of the best reads ever to me. 5/5 stars.

[@WordsinTime]

@@TrynePlague I’m glad you also enjoyed some of my favorites. And I recently reviewed Dawn by Butler. It was a 4/5 for me.

[@dalejones4322]

Team Hyperion Cover lol. I think you should definitely read Stranger in a Strange Land. One of the primary characters says some pretty controversial stuff but I just attribute that to the character and not the author. Great video Jonathan.

[@WordsinTime]

@@dalejones4322 Haha you’re our MVP Dale 🤜 🤛

[@masoodvoon8999]

Good to see some classic Asimov love. It's difficult to find new fans of his books because the genius of his narrative revelations are sometimes books or even series after they are introduced. And his writing style is kind of dry for some of the books. But for someone who enjoys foreshadowing, complex development, and deeper themes this is the author (and maybe imo the best for that).

[@WordsinTime]

@@masoodvoon8999 I’ve enjoyed reading Asimov with The End of Eternity, Foundation, and I, Robot being my favorites.

[@erikliterature8162]

I have read roughly 25 of those novels. It's really a list of mainly 'classical times' novels. I am surprised it's so heavily focused on earlier works with so few from the 80's and 90's. C. J. Cherry is a difficult author to recommend. If you like her, you like her, and so many don't seem to get what she's about. It's surprising that she was able to win 3 Hugo awards. Someone suggested reading Cuckoo's Egg as a first. I think that might be a good start. It's sort of in the middle of her career and isn't as compact in the language as many of her earlier works are. You might like Pride of Chanur as well. That one has only one human character and he's not the main focus of the story. There are three more that forms a full story plus a fifth that is currently the last Chanur novel written. My favourite will probably always be Cyteen. It's waaaay too detailed in it's depiction of politics and genetics but it's written in a most engaging and deep way. Some would have opinions on the ending and some plot threads still hanging loose but I never had any problems with that. She has been writing one long series since 1994 (Foreigner) and while I like it a lot, I do feel I would have liked her to develop some of the stories of the Merchanter Universe a little more (like a sequel to Tripoint). She has recently come back to that universe with Alliance Rising and the upcoming Alliance Unbound. I've read A LOT of Heinlein. I liked most of it, but it was such a long time ago that I don't remember a lot of it (most of it before the early nineties). I believe I really liked The Door Into Summer. I know I liked Star Beast a lot in my youth. I really liked Way Station back when I read it. 1984 is a sure classic that shouldn't be left off any top 50 and so is Fahrenheit 451. I recently re-read Rendezvous with Rama and found it to be somewhat lacking but still really well written and thought-provoking SF. I've read a number of novels by Samuel R. Delaney but am unsure of if I would like any of them if I re-read them today. I remember The Einstein Intersection being really strange, Dhalgren partly great and mostly confusing, the Neveryon books were easier in the beginning but by the third book the narrative style had changed too much for me. He's interesting as an author but can be hard to pin down. I started reading The Man in the High Castle but never finished it. It just didn't grab my interest. I know I liked Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? but I have not read many more of his novels (maybe The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldtritch called A Martian Nightmare in my native language translation). Thanks for the video. Always interesting to see how preferences change over time. 😁

[@WordsinTime]

@@erikliterature8162 Thanks for the great info! The publication cutoff for the vote was 1990 so there’s no 90s books included. Ubik and Three Stigmata are my two favorite PKD books if you want to try either of those.

[@jayspeijer614]

Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars should be on this list! Brilliant!

[@WordsinTime]

@@jayspeijer614 It came out in 1992, which is after the 1990 cutoff that Locus made. But I want to read it. It’s on my schedule for December!

[@roberthieber1]

The Three Body Problem trilogy is the best sci-fi I've ever read. Had mind bending ideas but was a good story with characters that were interesting.

[@WordsinTime]

@@roberthieber1 I loved the trilogy too!

[@DanEllingson23]

I love PKD. I feel the same on Man in the High Castle.

[@WordsinTime]

@@DanEllingson23 I plan to read Time Out of Joint and The Martian Time-Slip next.

[@SleepyBookReader-666]

I suspect the Locus voters were on the older side on average, even for 1998...

[@WordsinTime]

@@SleepyBookReader-666 Haha perhaps

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

Well, I was born in the 1990s and I agree, more and more I find that I prefer sci-fi written in the 50s to later 70s. The worst sci-fi books I read this year were written after 2010s.

[@jpotter2086]

@@AnonymousAnonposter Time will out, it always does. I tend to dwell in the '30s to the '50s myself.

[@tcladeira]

This list is...something...God forbid them to have fewer Heinlein books. They were so occupied reading everything that Heinlein put the pen on that they forgot: Dying Earth - Jack Vance...The Handmaids Tales - Artwood... NOTHING from Octavia Butler...NOTHING for Neil Stepheson... no Brave New Wolrd....but thank God they had 103859 books from Heinlein (slightly salty here)

[@WordsinTime]

@@tcladeira Vance, Butler and Atwood are great choices. Stephenson is great but most of his novels came out after 1990 which was the cutoff for the list. And I only realized afterwards that Brave New World was missing. I would have assumed it had to have been on there!

[@chrisf5828]

This is a POLL, not a curated list, and the poll is limited to BOOKS BEFORE 1990. Whatever imaginary authority figure you are rebelling against doesnt exist. You are upset about individual people like yourself not liking exactly what you like. You have that right.

[@baconeggburger6826]

There are 9 on the list I haven’t read, I haven’t read any CJ Cherryh, so will have them a go.

[@WordsinTime]

@@baconeggburger6826 Cyteen looks intriguing.

[@bendybruce]

Regarding book of the new Sun, Media Death Cult just released an epic video about this series which inspired me to go back to it again. I think I've realized why I struggle with it. It's not anything to do with the obfuscating complexity, or the unreliable narrator. Not to mention the fact his literary skill might just be some of the best science fiction has ever been blessed with. The real issue for me is there is no strong attachment to either the primary protagonist or any of the supporting characters. Because I don't feel emotionally invested in the journey I find it hard to stay focused on the story which is a problem considering its intentional vagueness and obfuscation. It just feels like hard work despite the fact it is so beautifully written.

[@WordsinTime]

@@bendybruce I felt the same way reading The Shadow of the Torturer. I didn’t care about Severian or anything that was happening, even though the writing was impressive.

[@richardbrown8966]

Regarding Kurt Vonnegut, I prefer The Sirens of Titan to Slaughterhouse Five as his best science fiction novel.

[@WordsinTime]

@@richardbrown8966 They’re both in my top tier of Vonnegut books.

[@michaelsamerdyke108]

I think Lem angered the Science Fiction Writers of America in the 1970s by a speech he made trashing American SF. (He may have been forced to make the speech to protect his status in Communist Poland.) You can probably find coverage of the controversy online. (I think Isaac Asimov was particularly offended by Lem.)

[@WordsinTime]

@@michaelsamerdyke108 Interesting! I’ll have to look that up.

[@timiles8659]

Man 1984 was actually brutal. I'll make my kids read it for sure once they're teenagers, Orwell wrote beautifully and definitely wrote about the horrors of authoritarianism painfully well

[@WordsinTime]

@@timiles8659 Completely agree!

[@Scottlp2]

Those 12 are really good (you know if heinlein is your thing). Bester is not mentioned enough these days.

[@WordsinTime]

@@Scottlp2 Stars My Destination is very good.

[@roberthasse7862]

I'd recommend Last and First Men . . . first. It's his earlier one and tells the story of the (I think) two-billion-year future history of the various successive species of Mankind! (The near-future section--in addition to getting everything wrong--is the least interesting. But from there it's brimming with wild ideas like virtually no other SF writer has managed! Star Maker then tells the history of the universe, so it's at least a spiritual (maybe a literal) sequel to Last and First Men. Both, given what they go for, are virtually plotless. But truly wild!

[@WordsinTime]

@@roberthasse7862 Thanks for the info, they sound intriguing!

[@maxturgeon89]

Vonnegut should totally be on this list, but I also understand why he isn't. The crowd that worships Heinlein probably doesn't like Vonnegut all that much 😆 But also, Vonny (TM) lives in a weird place, not quite literary fiction and not quite full-on scifi. Us modern readers have no trouble reconciling the two facets, but that's not how it was back then.

[@WordsinTime]

That's fair. I think he's more appreciated by literary crowds than sci-fi crowds but he's my favorite!

[@OmnivorousReader]

The readers of Locus must have been a weird bunch. Very Heinlein heavy and I would say there are lot of glaring omissions. Having read 35 off this list recently enough to remember well I have to say there are a few on it that I really did not like. But if you are talking Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is the only book of his that I really cannot get into at all. Double Star and Have Space Suit Will Travel were both great books, at the time and one has stood the test of time really well. We all kind of want to forget that Time Enough For Love ever existed, I think.

[@WordsinTime]

@@OmnivorousReader Thanks for the info!

[@LarryKnipfing]

Loved both The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Stranger in a Strange Land. Bookpiled hates Heinlein for some reason. Calls him a perv. He's not. He's funny, witty, and a very good writer.

[@LarryKnipfing]

I love all of Bookpiled's other reviews! Intelligent and thoughful!

[@OmnivorousReader]

@@LarryKnipfing Most people do love TMIAHM I seem to be a real standalone. Heinlein and others of his generation of writers have a real capacity to rub modern readers up the wrong way.

[@OmnivorousReader]

@@LarryKnipfing Yeah, no one is going to be exactly the same as a reader. I can enjoy reviews even when I don't agree with them.

[@keithdixon6595]

My kind of list! I've read 31, the total being lowered by the number of Heinlein books included. Shame there's no Ballard, no Disch and no Brian Aldiss. No James Blish either, or Vonnegut, as you say. Scandalous!

[@WordsinTime]

@@keithdixon6595 I recently enjoyed Non-Stop by Aldiss. Looking forward to reading Ballard, Disch, and Blish.

[@buddyb4343]

"Dhalgren" is much more "trippy" than "Nova" . . . It reads more like a long, long episode of the original Twilight Zone. My intro to Cherryh (Union/Alliance space - "Downbelow Station") was "Rim Runners." Though interesting, I would generally not recommend "Dhalgren," (too much like a summer reading assignment for an English Lit class. :-) "Downbelow Station" was ok, the complete "Cyteen" was pretty draggy. "Earth Abides" though a bit slow, holds up well considering when it was written. I've read most of the Asimov, Clarke and Heinlein listings . . . that period seems to cover the transitioning into their hay day of long format novels.

[@WordsinTime]

@@buddyb4343 Thanks for the info!

[@roberthasse7862]

Regarding Heinlein: After 1960, he became a bestseller but he also became fixated on a few ideas he wanted to preach about ad nauseum. These include group marriages, incest is okay (why are you such a prude about it?), and "My opinion on everything is fact." I dislike most of those later-decade books. His old-fashioned gold is just about everything he did between 1939 and 1959! Including his 12 "juvenile" books.

[@roberthasse7862]

Time Enough for Love (sequel to his very earliest novel, Methuselah's Children) is one of three Heinlein's I HATE! Heinlein (who saw himself as a sexual sophisticate) is, here (as elsewhere) a middle-aged sexual adolescent whose attitude boils down to "Titties! Tee-hee!" I read it as a teen (who had never known the touch of a girl) and I still was embarrassed for the man. Others love it, but I cringe!

[@WordsinTime]

@@roberthasse7862 Interesting!

[@JLchevz]

The War of the Worlds is still fun. Of course Martians and stuff is kinda wacky because we now there isn't life on mars and the color isn't created by alien plants but it's s till a good and hectic story about people trying to survive.

[@WordsinTime]

@@JLchevz Good to hear!

[@jeffmathers355]

I thought "wrong conclusions" was kinda the whole point of Starship Troopers.

[@WordsinTime]

@@jeffmathers355 That’s a good point. You can interpret the book in certain ways. I think the teacher saying that morality and philosophy was an exact science with mathematical proofs was maybe they couldn’t be completely trusted to take everything they say literally.

[@originalhgc]

There are a few names missing from the list, which I think are obvious sci-fi giants, but might be considered as belonging to other genres by these poll voters -- They are Kurt Vonnegut and Jules Verne. Stanislaw Lem might have been too obscure to the poll voters. I remember how I discovered Lem -- I was browsing in the library, and was attracted to the title "Tales of Pirx the Pilot."

[@WordsinTime]

@@originalhgc I’ve read 2 Lem books and want to read more!

[@originalhgc]

@@WordsinTime The Cyberiad is a great one. I am amazed at how the humor was translated from Polish to English.

[@dqan7372]

Never heard of "Witches of Karres". I see it's described as " fun". No wonder I've never heard of it. 😉.

[@WordsinTime]

@@dqan7372 Haha bleak sci-fi only

[@Rogue_VI]

1-10: I've read seven of these. Left Hand of Darkness is ok at best. Stranger in a Strange Land is mostly trash. The first part is pretty good, though. Dune and Ender's game are greatness. 11-20: I've only read Neuromancer. I thought it was boring. Gibson's writing style does not work for me. 21-30: I've read five of these. 1984 I do not remember liking (read that back in high school). Martian Chronicles is mostly good. Starship Troopers is awesome. Ringworld was interesting concept-wise but I don't recall liking the writing much. Fahrenheit 451 is great. 31-40: I haven't read any of these. 41-50: I've read 4 of these. Ubik was weird. Made me not want to read any more PKD. Norstrilia was also a bit weird, but in a good way. Have Space Suit... Heinlein's early SF is way different than his later stuff. The Lazarus Long novels are interesting except for all of Heinlein's sex fantasies.

[@WordsinTime]

@@Rogue_VI Thanks for the info!

[@roberthasse7862]

Stranger in a Strange Land was the first Heinlein book I read, and it was a slog. (Amazed that I went back, as his pre-1960 stuff was mostly superb.) It's not surprising that you liked the beginning, as he wrote that almost a decade earlier, then stalled. For me, Stranger, in addition to being a swamp to wade through, is a book I consider it a mixed bag at best.

[@Rogue_VI]

@@roberthasse7862 We were supposed to read it in high school but we stopped part way through. When I got back to it years later, it hadn't really improved.

[@jamesbittle9789]

I'm surprised Brave New World isn't on the list. I prefer it to 1984. That being said, it's been quite awhile since I've read 1984, so maybe I should reread.

[@WordsinTime]

@@jamesbittle9789 Yes, I just assumed it was on the list with 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, I only noticed afterwards that it was missing!

[@Yergs]

A lot of old stuff. Yes it's about the classics, but so much of this list dates from around the sixties, and even the nineties or naughties are far enough ago to allow a sense of whether a book is a classic - and I think those decades are underrepresented.

[@WordsinTime]

@@Yergs This poll by Locus Magazine was done in 1998 and only included books published before 1990. If you’re interested in modern sci-fi I have lots of videos on more recent books!

[@haxxy40]

No Roadside Picnic! Only 2 Asimov books?

[@WordsinTime]

@@haxxy40 Roadside Picnic is great. And I was surprised not to see I, Robot.

[@jimvaiknoras7822]

I agree,Roadside Picnic may not have been well known in the 90s. These survey list can be all over the place

[@daveac]

Read 37 - mostly seem to be worthy - but like yourself would rank a few differently.

[@WordsinTime]

@@daveac That’s solid!

[@jpotter2086]

Heinlein was towering, enormous, in the 20th century. Not surprising to see his works in number and so high in the late '90s. IME, he is already fading and not aging well. He reflected the uestions and arguments of his time, and was occasionally transgressive, but, after the war, was no longer progressive. As such, time leaves him behind.

[@WordsinTime]

@@jpotter2086 Sounds like a fair evaluation.

[@jennettesaxberg6528]

Just read nonstop by bryan aldis. Really liked it

[@WordsinTime]

@@jennettesaxberg6528 I’m glad you enjoyed it, I thought it was really good too.

[@mattbaldwin1150]

War of the Worlds is incredible!

[@WordsinTime]

@@mattbaldwin1150 I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@mattbaldwin1150]

@@WordsinTime not sure how you feel about audiobooks but the audio version is pretty good.

[@WordsinTime]

@@mattbaldwin1150 I haven’t really tried audiobooks but that’s good to hear!

[@km-bo3zx]

I think a book by A. E. van Vogt should have been somewhere on the list…..

[@WordsinTime]

@@km-bo3zx An influential writer for sure.

[@havocmaverick]

Do androids dream of electric sheep is at the bottom. Today it is at the top. Maybe due to bladerunner 2049.

[@WordsinTime]

@@havocmaverick The films could have helped its popularity.

[@chokog2446]

I can't believe no Louis McMaster Bujold or Kurt Vonnegut on the list!!!!

[@WordsinTime]

@@chokog2446 I’ve only read one Bujold book so I need to try more. And Vonnegut should definitely be there.

[@saraterze7141]

​​@@WordsinTime Read more Bujold!!!

[@Wyzbowski]

End of Eternity! 👍🏻👍🏻

[@WordsinTime]

It’s so good!

[@epiphoney]

Showing The Shrike’s spiky butt doesn’t make for such a great cover…

[@WordsinTime]

@@epiphoney 🍑

[@JoeNicolosi-l8i]

Missing: Speaker for the Dead, Snow Crash, A Fire Upon The Deep, Brave New World, Contact, The Handmaid's Tale, A Case of Conscience, Use of Weapons, The Player of Games. Delete: all Heinlein books except The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers, and Stranger in a Strange Land.

[@WordsinTime]

@@JoeNicolosi-l8i They used a publication cutoff of 1990 so some weren’t eligible but this is a good list!

[@Timlagor]

Greg Egan is so much better than most of these it's not even funny All your noted omissions are good too

[@WordsinTime]

@@Timlagor Permutation City is my 2nd favorite book of all time!

[@Timlagor]

@@WordsinTime Diaspora has the best genesis and the best alien (16D). Nothing I've read comes close but while the first 60 pages are unparalleled there are parts that waned a bit for me. Quarantine would be my second pick from Egan for the premise alone but I certainly wouldn't argue against Permutation city

[@WordsinTime]

@@Timlagor I’ve only read Permutation City and Diaspora, but I own Quarantine and I’m looking forward to reading it soon!

[@fleabynight]

That Hyperion cover is crap. And to put Hyperion at Number 10 !!! Shame people

[@WordsinTime]

@@fleabynight I like the original cover much more.

[@thekeywitness]

Too much Heinlein

[@WordsinTime]

@@thekeywitness Fair

[@sandyhausler5290]

I read Dhalgren, so you don’t have to. Not worth your time!

[@WordsinTime]

@@sandyhausler5290 Haha

[@timlong9913]

For me, Dune doesn't do it. Good but not great. Harsh Mistress I totally a gree - a great book, and funny as well. I also don't agree with Left Hand - I guess I'm not a fan of sociological novels rather than more hard science novels. Foundation - yes; Stranger - No, Canticle - great idea but I didn't like the actual story very much.

[@WordsinTime]

@@timlong9913 Those are fair perspectives.

[@MirrorReaper1]

Jonathan, you gotta stop pointing at the books on your shelf all the time! Looks derpy and weird, especially when you have guests on.

[@WordsinTime]

@@MirrorReaper1 ☝️

[@kid5Media]

Don't even need to read the list to know it will have some serious omissions and some outright clinkers. It is in the nature of such things. I will never understand why Dune is so revered. Shockwave Rider is much better than you give it credit for. Read it when it was published and it held up quite well just a few years ago. I have the distinct feeling that quality of writing is very secondary for you. Cyteen is a must read. The Mote in Gods Eye is reactionary junk. Ringworld is light years better. Yes, Simak is noted for pastoral SF. Big Dumb Objects are seldom dumb. That being the point. The Heinlein juveniles are must reads. And, finally, since this list ends in 1998 there are eight novels by Iain M. Banks that should have been on the list. No Van Voght? Sad.

[@WordsinTime]

@@kid5Media It’s all very subjective. And I wouldn’t say quality of writing is secondary. I regularly talk about writing style and prose in my videos.

[@ReinReads]

The list was released in 1998 but was for best books before 1990. Consider Phlebas & Player of Games would have been the only 2 to qualify.